THE STATES

Adamawa
The Save Lives Foundation, an NGO, yesterday, said it was targeting one million vulnerable women and children for free medical assistance in Adamawa State.
The Programme Officer of the NGO in Adamawa State, Miss Tanso Maken, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Yola.
Maken said that the NGO planned to carry out its medical outreach in the 21 local government areas of the state, noting that the outreach had already commenced in Ganye local government and that the turnout was encouraging.
She said the medical assistance which targeted mostly indigent women and children, would give priority to the insurgency-affected local councils in the state.
The programme officer said the returned Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the affected areas were in dire need of medical care, stressing that “our NGO’s objective is to affect mostly the vulnerable people.”
She urged the Adamawa Government to collaborate with the NGO to achieve the task of giving medical assistance to indigent communities.
She added that “Save Lives Foundation is immensely concerned about the health conditions of indigent communities.

Benue
Eight persons were feared dead following an attack by suspected herdsmen, on two villages in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, a police statement said.
The Spokesman of the Police Command in Benue State, ASP Moses Yamu, confirmed the attacks in a statement recently in Makurdi.
Yamu said the attacks on Akaa and Tse-Orlalu villages in Mbamar, Ugondo communities, were perpetrated by suspected herdsmen late last Sunday.
He said that the police were yet to establish the motive for the attack and that adequate personnel had been drafted to the villages to restore normalcy.
He said the attackers invaded the villages, killed eight people and injured many others.

FCT
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it has registered 321 visually impaired candidates for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Head, JAMB Information and Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made this known in an interview with newsmen    in Bwari  yesterday.
Benjamin said that the figure was higher than the 201 candidates registered for the examination in 2016.
He said that adequate arrangement has been made for the visually impaired candidates to participate fully in the forthcoming UTME.
According to him, the board used to  conduct the Computer Based Test (CBT) using Braille Apex Machine, but most of them complained about its usage.

Kwara
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has ordered residents of Alagbado Community in Ilorin to vacate the land allegedly encroached upon by the people.
NAF Coordinator, 303 Medium Airlift Group (MAG), Mr Adeniyi Mathew, told newsmen in Ilorin yesterday that the land was allocated to the Air Force in 1987.
Adeniyi, who presented the land chart to newsmen, said that 20 acres out of a total of 220 acres of the land belonging to NAF was encroached upon by the community.
He said that he was part of the delegation that visited Alagbado in 2010 to inform the community that the land belonged to NAF.
“Take it or leave it, the land belongs to the NAF; it has been so as far back as 1987 as you can see in the chart.
“They started encroaching on the land since 2008 and in 2010, I was part of the NAF team that went to the community to inform them of the encroachment,” he said.

Kogi
Kogi State acting Head of Service (HOS), Mrs. Kehinde Lawal, recently, advised the state’s striking medical doctors against placing monetary gains over service to humanity.
“Your calling is to save lives; monetary gains should be secondary,” Lawal said at a meeting with the health workers’ union and the management of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, in Lokoja.
She said that government had an excellent package for health workers in the state, but stressed the need to place effective service delivery above other considerations.
Lawal urged the union leaders to always channel their requests through her office for prompt action, “instead of embarking on strike”.
She appealed to the doctors to go back to work, promising that government would clear the backlog of salaries owed them “very soon”.

Lagos
A 25-year-old fashion designer, Jamiu Ayoade, has been shot dead by a trigger-happy police officer in Lagos, according to dependable sources.
The sources told newsmen that the police officer, who is believed to be a senior officer at  Ijeshatedo Divisional Police Headquarters (name withheld) allegedly shot and killed Ayoade last Sunday evening in the area.
The incident which occurred at about 7.30 p.m. at No. 49, Wosilat Daudu Street, Ijeshatedo, also left two persons injured.
The deceased, Ayoade had gone to the area to attend a friend’s birthday party when he met his untimely death, one of the sources said.
It was learnt that the officer and his men had stormed the venue of the birthday party in two patrol vans at about 6. 30 p.m. and left after observing what the youths were doing.

Niger
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger  State chapter, has described the release of the 82 girls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Chibok, Borno in 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents as fulfilled campaign promise by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Mattew Echioda, said this in an interview with newsmen in Minna yesterday.
Echioda said the release of the girls would give hope to parents of the remaining girls who were still in captivity that their daughters would also be freed soon.
He also described the release of the girls as “gallant” and outstanding achievement by the Federal Government that should be commended by Nigerians.

Ogun
Personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),  Federal Operations Unit, Ikeja,  recently,   killed a suspected smuggler at Sango-Ota in  Ogun State.
Confirming the incident newsmen on telephone, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Bimbola Oyeyemi, said  the suspected smuggler was killed during a gun duel.
Oyeyemi said that officers of the NCS had  intercepted some smugglers at the toll gate in Ota.
They, however, resisted arrest and opened fire and in the exchange,  the yet to be identified man was killed.
“There was a gun fire between the officials of the NCS and the smugglers at the toll-gate, Ota, Ogun State, that brought about the death of one of the smugglers,” he said.
The spokesman said that the police had, however, restored peace in the area and prevented  loss of innocent lives.

Ondo
An Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo State yesterday admitted a 35 year-old commercial motorcyclist to bail in the sum of N50, 000 over alleged dangerous driving.
The accused, Solomon Ikudairo, of no fixed address, is facing a three-count charge of dangerous driving, driving without a driver’s licence and driving an unregistered motorcycle on a public highway.
The Magistrate, Mr Banji Ayeomoni, who admitted the accused to bail, however, ordered him to produce one surety in like sum.

Osun
A  Modakeke Magistrate’s Court in Osun State  yesterday   remanded three accused persons, Timileyin Muyiwa, 25; Sunday Oluwole, 19 and Ayomikusibe Olunlade, 19- in prison custody over alleged armed robbery.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Ona Glory, told the court that the accused committed the offence on February  22, 2016 around 12:30 a.m. at Irebami Area of  Modakeke in  Ife East Area Council   of  Osun.
Glory said that the accused conspired with others now at large to commit  the offence.
The prosecutor  said  that the three accused persons, while armed   with dangerous weapons such as  gun and  machetes,  robbed  one Bosede Ayoola of her properties.

Plateau
The Duk Community in Pankshin  local government  Area of  Plateau State has closed-up the well where four youths drowned on April 19.
The community also banned visiting irrigation farmers from the village.
According to its leader, Andrew Damulak, banning the visiting farmers will save the community from “more mysterious deaths”.
Recall that the youths – Tonzum Ngwalamba, Nentawe Leptak, Sati Tongleb and Ngompang Ngoshim – aged 18-25, drowned in the said well while trying to push the nozzle of a water pumping machine into it.
The first victim had tried to push the nozzle when he fell into the well.
The second victim jumped into the well to rescue the first, but did not come out; such rescue effort continued until the well swallowed four of the youths within a very short time.

Zamfara
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo would be part of dignitaries slated  to commission multi-billion naira projects executed by Zamfara State Government to mark  Governor Abdul’aziz Yari’s six years in office.
The Chairman, Anniversary  Committee,  Alhaji Lawal Liman, made the disclosure  in Gusau yesterday while inspecting Danturai Government Day Secondary School, one of the projects to be inaugurated.
Liman, who is the state Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, said 34 different projects executed by the state government would be inaugurated.
“Some of the important personalities will comprise state governors, ministers, royal fathers and leaders of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
According to him, the projects to be inaugurated include, roads, schools, hospitals, rural water supply and electrification among others.
Liman said the Army Command Secondary Schools established in the state and constructed by the state government, would also be inaugurated.