A former Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Christopher Oluchukwu, has been convicted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for his role in an employment scam.

According to the case brought forth by the ICPC at Katsina State High Court 3, the defendant was alleged to have received amounts totaling N200,000, N300,000, and N400,000 from three individuals, falsely promising to secure NSCDC jobs for their children.

In a statement signed by Demola Bakare, Acting Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, the ICPC disclosed that the victims reported the incident to the commission after the defendant failed to deliver on the promised job and refused to return their money.

In the course of the trial, counsel for the ICPC, Ibrahim Garba, presented a 9-count charge to the court, outlining how the defendant’s actions violated sections 8, 10, and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

One of the counts read, “That you Christopher Oluchukwu Ugwubujo on or about 25th and 28th day of November, 2014 within the jurisdiction of this court while being a public officer with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) conferred corrupt advantage upon yourself by obtaining a total sum of four hundred thousand naira (N400,000. 00) from one…for a job placement for her daughter into the NSCDC and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.”

Justice Abbas Bawale, in his ruling on Tuesday, convicted Oluchukwu on all nine counts and issued a five-year imprisonment sentence, with no opportunity for a fine.

Some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the aegis of the Solidarity and Development Forum in Rivers State, have countered calls for Governor Siminalayi Fubara‘s impeachment.

Recall that the APC state chairman, Tony Okocha, directed the Rivers State House of Assembly on Tuesday to immediately commence proceedings to impeach Fubara.

The latest development follows the political crisis rocking the state amidst the face-off between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

Naija News reports that the APC members, who are believed to be Fubara’s loyalists in the state, in a statement signed by its conveners, Kabir Matazu and Igwe Ude-Umanta, described the call for the Governor’s impeachment as “reckless and irresponsible.”

The group noted that the renewed crisis in the state was no longer needed, stressing that President Bola Tinubu had settled the matter.

The APC members frowned at Tony Okocha’s unguided utterance toward Fubara, stating that it showed a disregard for Tinubu’s call for peace and threatened to destabilize the government and create chaos in the state.

The statement added, “The President himself, in his wisdom, has called for all parties involved in the disagreement to maintain the status quo and work towards a peaceful resolution.

“Governor Fubara has heeded this call and has demonstrated his commitment to the vision of inclusivity and good governance that our dear president has upheld since assuming office.

“It will be unfair, and unwise for any party member, or individual not to resonate in the same frequency as our president.

“It is very disheartening to witness Chief Tony Okocha’s unguided utterances, which not only disregard the president’s call for peace but also pose a threat to the stability and progress of our beloved party.”

A Boeing 737/300-passenger aircraft operating under Air Senegal, chartered by the privately-owned Transair, veered off the runway during an early morning takeoff in Senegal, injuring 11 people and leading to the temporary closure of the international airport near Dakar.

Naija News reports that the incident occurred around 1 am (0100 GMT) Thursday, disrupting operations for nearly 12 hours.

The aircraft, destined for Bamako, Mali, was carrying 78 passengers when it failed to successfully take off at Blaise Diagne International Airport, located 50 kilometres from Dakar.

According to airport management group LAS, which includes Turkish firms Limak and Summa and the publicly owned airport operator AIBD, four of the injured passengers sustained serious injuries, while six others required medical check-ups within the airport facilities.

In response to the accident, the airport’s emergency plan was promptly activated, facilitating the evacuation and immediate care of passengers.

“All the airport emergency services have been mobilized for the evacuation of passengers and their care, as per the plan,” stated a representative from LAS.

The aircraft was subsequently immobilized away from the runway, and images circulating online showed significant damage to the left engine and wing, which was covered in firefighting foam.

The airport confirmed that operations resumed normally shortly after midday.

The LAS group announced, “We inform you that Blaise Diagne International Airport has reopened. Airport operations have resumed as normal.”

Authorities have initiated an investigation to ascertain the precise cause of the incident.

Aviation specialists, along with airline representatives, are currently examining the airline log data and interviewing crew members to determine why the aircraft departed from the runway.

This incident adds to a challenging period for Air Senegal, which has faced ongoing criticism over delays affecting both domestic and international flights.

The airline commenced operations in May 2018 following the collapse of Senegal Airlines in 2016 and aims to transform Dakar into a regional air hub, leveraging the newly inaugurated airport facilities.

Established in 2010 and based at Blaise Diagne International Airport, Transair serves several destinations across West Africa and transports approximately 90,000 passengers annually.

This event follows closely on the heels of another incident involving a Boeing aircraft. A FedEx Boeing 767 cargo plane landed at Istanbul airport without its front landing gear, as reported by the US Federal Aviation Administration, although no injuries occurred in that instance.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) national president, Joe Ajaero, has explained why they proposed ₦615,000 as the minimum wage to the federal government.

According to Ajaero, the union would have probably suggested ₦80,000 if the fuel subsidy was not removed.

Naija News recalls that the NLC President noted that governors can afford to pay the proposed ₦615,000 minimum wage if they get their priorities right.

During a courtesy visit to The Nation headquarters in Lagos on Thursday, May 9, Ajaero emphasized that the proposal to the government was influenced by the economic realities in the country.

He said though there were misconceptions about the proposal, the NLC arrived at the figure to make lives better for the workers.

Ajaero stated: “There are misconceptions about the proposed ₦615, 000, but we don’t have choice and if we are asked to represent it today it will increase. The tarrif was not there when we made the proposal but things are hard now.

“We looked at food, medicals, education, and other utilities. We didn’t make provision for communication, offering and the likes. Those are some of the things we took into cognisance before we arrived at ₦615,000.

“We think it is better for us to explain to Nigerians for them to understand us better. The removal of subsidy also affected everything. Probably, if the subsidy was not removed, we would have suggested ₦80,000.”