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Saturday 21 May 2016

Inside herdsmen’s kidnap camp …Abducted clerics, others recount ordeal

Herdsman

 A herdsman with AK47

PRESIDENT of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau and another clergy identified as Rev Yakubu Dzarma have given an account on what happened to them after they were abducted along Kaduna-Abuja express­way by suspected herdsmen.
The clergymen were abduct­ed on March 21 on the Kaduna- Abuja expressway where they had gone to clear a piece of land for the foundation of the church seminary and were released af­ter 10 days in captivity.
The third clergy, Rev. Iliya Anto was not lucky as he was found dead in the bush. He was said to have died after he was left in the bush by the kidnap­pers when his health condition worsened.
The gang members identi­fied as Kashimu Shehu, Aliyu Mato, Muhammadu Mamman, Hassan Bello, Bala Mohammed and Ishiaku Kabiru, were later rounded up by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, from their hideouts in Kaduna and Zaria areas of the North West State.
Two of the suspects, Kabiru and Bello were arrested at the naming organised by their gang leader, Shehu, at Gidan Kasimu, Mai-Yahsi Village, in Dutse- Wai Kubua Local Government area of Kaduna State while they provided information that led to the arrest of other members of the gang.
The gang was also alleged to have kidnapped a staff of the Presidential Villa, Abuja and many others who are made to trek for hours into a deep forest off the Abuja-Kaduna road, to their camp close to Tapher vil­lage, Kaduna State.
What we saw
Shortly after they regained their freedom, the clergymen narrated to the police their or­deal in the hands of the gunmen who abducted them. According to Rev Dziggau, on March 21, 2016, he had gone with two oth­er clergymen to supervise the church new site at NYC camp.
“We were about leaving around 4.30pm when two SUVs filled with armed men blocked us. They had many AK47 rifles and forced us to surrender ev­erything we had. They moved us inside the bush; we trekked for more than one hour. One of us, Rev Anthony suddenly stopped, insisting that he cannot continue the journey. We knew he just had a surgery and had not fully recovered. The armed men beat the living hell out of him for daring to stop them.
“We pleaded with them that he was sick and they finally stopped. They used his phone to call the last number that he dialled told the person to come and pick him up. They left him there and we continued our jour­ney inside the bush. We trekked for up to 24 hours before we got to their camp at Tapher Vil­lage. We were kept inside one of the huts there. There were so many heavily armed men with their various victims at different sections. Everyday, they kept shooting into the air to scare us. We were fed with small portion of cooked rice once a day. We were given five days to pay the ransom or they will kill us.
“We spent nine days before they collected N4million as ran­som. The day we were released, they still had four women with them including a pregnant woman. I can recognise Kasimu who was in control throughout our stay there.”
Corroborating his story, Rev Yakubu Dzarma said that as soon as they surrounded them, he was forced to surrender all his valuables which include “N64, 000 cash, my Techno phone valued at N78,000 and my shoes valued at N20, 000. They ordered us into the bush and we started trekking. The next day, they used my cell phone to call my wife and gave her three numbers she should call. They gave us five days to pay the ransom or they will kill us but we stayed with them for nine days before a ransom of N4million was paid to them. By the time we regained our freedom, there were still four women in their custody. I can confidently identify Kasimu be­cause he was popular and they call him Baba. ”
Yet another victim, Mu­hammed Dan Azumi said that his wife was left behind when his abductors realised that she was eight months pregnant. “I am a civil servant based in Abuja and a native of Nasarawa State. On April 14, 2016, around 5:30pm, I was with my wife and one other woman, Hajara and stopped to pray at a nearby mosque at Audu Jangwan, on Abuja-Kaduna ex­pressway. When we were about leaving, some armed men sur­rounded us. They later released my wife when they discovered that she was pregnant. They forced me and Hajara inside the bush. They later took Hajara on a bike while I was forced to trek for more than 18 hours till we got to an uncompleted building which they used as their camp.
“I met Hajara in the camp and she told me that they had abused her severally. They requested that we should raise N10million or they will kill us. After some days of negotiation, it was reduced to N3million.
“After three days, my boss gave them N1million and they released us. They also collected N20, 000 that was with me and they inflicted a deep cut on my head. While we were there, they bragged that Ka­duna State governor will be their next victim and if they get him, they will cut him into pieces.”
Their confession
During their confession at the police station, one of the suspects, Aliyu Haruna, insisted that he was recruited by his friend Kasimu Shehu who advised him that it is more honorable to make money through kidnapping. “I am a Fulani by tribe, a native of Kaduna State, married to two wives and blessed with five children. After Alamajir school, I got a job as a security guard at a pure water company on Yakowa Way Kaduna State. I am also into land business with my friend Sani.
“Sometime last year, Kasimu who was our leader called six of us to join him in kidnapping business. The others are Bashiru, Yaki, Musa and Bello. We have one Ak47 rifle and it is with our gang leader She­hu. Ever since we started work, we have picked some people and the much that they gave me after each operation was N100, 000.
“On April 14, 2016, we learnt that one presidential villa staff normally came around our area, Audu Jagwan. Luckily, we were alerted that he was there to pray. Fortunately, we found him pray­ing along the road and we or­dered him to follow us at gun point into the bush. I don’t know the person who gave Shehu the information about the man but we got a ransom of N1million before the man was released. I got N200, 000 as my share and the only role played was to escort the man from the point where he was to the camp where he was kept.”
Another suspect, Hassan Bello said that most of the money they got from kidnapping was used to buy extra cows. “As a herds­man, your wealth is measured by the number of cows that we have. We hardly save money in the bank because no one will know that you are rich. I have about 10 cows and because I needed to increase my flock that was why I allowed Kasimu to convince me to join his gang.
“I joined them this year and the only kidnap that I joined them to do was when the man from Abuja was abducted. My duty was to bring cooked food to the camp every day. I was given N200, 000 as my share after the ransom was paid. I was arrested by some police­men from Abuja on April 24, 2016 at a naming organised by the leader of our gang Kasimu Shehu at Mai Yahsi village in Dutse-Wai Kubua local govern­ment area of Kaduna State.”
Not aware that police had enough evidence to nail him, Kasimu Shehu the alleged gang leader kept insisting that he is innocent. “I am Fulani by tribe and a native of Mai- Yahsi village in Dutse-Wai Kubua Local Government Area of Kaduna State. I attended an Almajiri School at Peleke- Tasher Tsamya village, Zaria, Kaduna State. I have over 40 cows which I am rearing at Audu Jangwan village on the Abuja-Kaduna road. I am not part of the kidnapping gang as my friends; Aliyu Haruna, Has­san Bello alleged.
I am not the leader of any gang. I am not among the gang that kidnap the pastors or a staff of the Presidency. I don’t have any Ak47 rifle as alleged but I have a locally made gun which I bought from one late old man who lived in Kauran Wali-Ma­karfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. I am using the gun which I bought N600, 000 to protect my cows. I don’t have a license for the gun.
The locally made gun is with one Mathew for repairs at Tun­ga Sabo village, Rigina, Ka­duna State”, he lamented. The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, who confirmed their arrest, said the suspected kidnappers, who have been terrorising Kaduna and Zaria towns of Kaduna State will soon be arraigned in court. “The IGP has com­mended the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and other Police operatives involved in the arrest of the suspects for their dedication and profession­alism, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing mem­bers of the gang.”

Giwa-led NFF targets N1.3bn from private sector annually

Chris-Giwa
   
The Chris Giwa-led faction of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)  has said  that it would generate about N1.3billion annually from the private sector in order to be less dependent on government.
Giwa, who spoke while inaugurating factional State Football Association (FA) Chairmen in Abuja noted that time had come for Nigerian football to be managed efficiently.
“Football is a big industry and we have already set the structures to make it the biggest industry in the nation’s sports history and development.
“We have concluded plans to within a year start Nigeria Football Development project that will each employ 72 coaches at prime salaries and allowances.
“We have designed a situation where we shall train new breed of referees from age 10.
“Our programme will in less than 18 months from now become an industry that will generate no less than N1.3billion annually from the private sector and make us less dependent on government,’’ Giwa said.
According to him, the newly inaugurated FA chairmen would pilot the affairs of football in their various states with a view to transforming the game in the country considering Nigeria’s position in FIFA ranking.
“The people we have saddled with the task of the normalisation committees we have set up, are to see this current season off.
“These committees must be in place for us to delve into our pots of wisdom to drive Nigerian football into the highway of business, commercial and human resource development,’’ he added.
Giwa noted that no genuine FIFA ban would be brought on Nigeria’s football except its (FIFA) statutes were fraught with fraud or it does not have respect for the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
NAN reports that Giwa was arrested after the inauguration by a team of mobile policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer, Gwarimpa, and taken to the FCT police commissioner’s office.
He was later released after spending few hours with the Commissioner of Police Wilson Inalegwu. (NAN)

CBN disburses N55.46b to 24 power firms

disburses N55.46b to 24 power firms
CBN-Building

 

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele said N55.46 billion was disbursed to 24 power firms as electricity market stabilization facility.
Emefiele said this at the 4th tranche disbursement of the facility in Lagos.
He said that three distribution companies got N8.67 billion, 14 generating companies and Nigerian Independent Power Project (NIPP) had N35.83 billion, Service Provider; N459.68million and six gas companies got N10.49 billion.
He said that the disbursement was a major milestone in the effort of the bank, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to further address the challenges of the sector.
According to him the disbursement will also feature the signing of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Traders (NBET).
He added that the signing would signal activation of industry contracts for power generation under a contract based market.
The CBN boss said that there were new entrants into the scheme.
Emefiele said that the new entries were the two distribution companies in Benin and Jos.
He added that others included eight generating companies that include two independent power projects by Agip/Okpai and Shell and six NIPP plants at Alaoji, Geregu, Ihovbor, Olorunsogo2, Omotosho2 and Sapele2.
“By the end of today, total disbursements to the Discos will be N49.73 billion representing 91.7 per cent, Gencos with N54.29 billion, representing 62.5per cent.
“Gas companies got N15.73 billion reprsenting 36.9 per cent and service providers N0.46 billion representing 1.7 per cent.
“With today’s event, the total disbursements under the initiative will be N120.2 billion, representing 57 per cent of the total amount earmarked,” Emefiele added.
The Minister of Power, Housing and Works, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that the government was committed to ensuring that power supply becomes stable.
Fashola said that the government was committed to addressing all the challenges that had been militating against steady power and revenue collection.
He also said another challenge was the issue of over dependence of the participants in the value- chain.
He urged every member in the value chain to contribute to the success of the sector.
The minister said those vandalising the pipelines should stop adding that the government had embarked on a cleaning programme of the affected areas.
He urged consumers to also ensure that they pay for their bills to allow power firms to generate more revenues to ensure better service delivery.
He added that government planned to embark on the construction of more hydro power plants.
Fashola said government would soon come up with a framework that would boost the production of solar energy, reduce cost and increase its usage.(NAN)

Lagos records 112 crashes within 3 months

months
PIC.17. FROM LEFT: ZONAL  COMMANDING OFFICER, RS2HQ FEDERAL ROAD SAFETY COMMISSION, MR 

DEMOLA  LAWAL; DEPUTY CORPS MARSHAL (OPERATIONS), MR BOBOYE OYEYEMI;  LAGOS STATE 

SECTOR  COMMANDER, MR NSEOBONG AKPABIO, AND HEAD OF SERVICE, NATIONAL UNIFORM 

LICENSING  SCHEME, MR HYGINUS FUOMSUK,  DURING THE  OPENING OF THE SPECIAL  ZONAL 

OPERATORS MEETING IN LAGOS ON FRIDAY (22/06/12).
FRSC OFFICERS
    
The Lagos State Sector Command of the FRSC on Saturday said that no fewer than 751 people were involved in 112 road traffic crashes between January and March.
The Sector Commander, Mr Hyginus Omeje, said this during the commission’s 2016 First Quarter Performance Review Programme in Isolo, Lagos.
Omeje said that the record showed an increase of 43.6 per cent when compared with the 545 people that were involved in 78 crashes in the same period in 2015.
He said that 227 people were injured and 23 killed in first quarter while 173 were injured and 25 killed in the same period in 2015.
The commander said that there was a need for periodic evaluation of the performance of the command in relation to the 2016 goals of the commission.
“Of all the problems that is affecting us as a nation, road traffic crash is a dangerous malaise which we must tackle quickly because it affects the future of our society.
“FRSC strategic goals for 2016 are to improve fleet regulation, sustain stakeholders’ consultation and collaborate with states on improved road safety administration.
“We are also to improve enforcement and public education with a view to reducing Road Traffic Crashes by 15 per cent and its fatality by 25 per cent,” he said.
Omeje said that a lot was required of the commission to live up to its mandate of ensuring safety of all road users, stressing the need for continuous community and stakeholders’ involvement.
In his remarks, the Zonal Commanding Officer in Charge of Ogun and Lagos States, Mr Nseobong Akpabio, said FRSC was committed to stemming the increase in crashes and losses and urged all stakeholders to work harder.
Akpabio called on officers of the commission to be civil in their approach with the public while on duty saying, “ we should do away with all aggressive ways in the discharge of our duties.’’
The Guest Lecturer, Prof. Bamidele Badejo, Dean, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun, identified key factors of road traffic losses to include human, environmental and mechanical.
Badejo, who was a former Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State, called for the construction of new roads rather than concentrating on rehabilitation of existing ones.
“If the consumption of road is becoming higher, what are we doing to save our roads?
“ Railway is the way. We need railway structure that will accommodate passengers’ and goods’ movement,” he said.
He said that the number of FRSC officers and equipment were far below the population of vehicular movement across the country.
The don also advised the commission to improve on its image, human relation and upgrading of its data.
The event entitled, “Actualising FRSC’s Strategic Goals for Sustainable Development in Nigeria, ” had in attendance commanding officers and other stakeholders in the transport industry in the state. (NAN)

Amina Ali, Chibok Girl Tells Friend’s Father Horror Story

 
President Muhammadu Buhari receives one of the rescued Chibok girls, Amina Ali and her daughter at the Presidential Villa
 
The father of a missing Chibok schoolgirl who spoke privately to Amina Ali Darsha Nkeki, rescued this week in remote northeastern Nigeria, said after hearing about her ordeal at the hands of Boko Haram he told her not to repeat the horrific story to other parents.
Yakubu Nkeki, whose daughter Maimuna was among the 219 girls abducted from a school in the town of Chibok more than two years ago, spoke to Amina on Thursday after the she met President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I called her ‘Kwadudu’,” he said, describing how Amina smiled and grabbed his hand as soon as she heard her pet name from childhood, which means ‘only daughter’. “She looked relieved.”
For an hour he listened to Amina, who was found on Tuesday by soldiers and vigilantes with her four-month-old baby, recall some of her experiences over the past two years, he said.
“She told me that she last saw my daughter about a year ago before the girls were separated,” said Nkeki who lives next door to Amina’s family in Mbalala village near Chibok.
 
Once he had heard her story, “I told her not to tell anybody some of the things she told me. I told her that she should stop talking,” he said.
But other parents from Chibok, whose daughters were abducted by Boko Haram’s Islamist militants in April 2014 said they were eager to hear more from Amina.
“I want to see her so that she can tell me about my daughter,” said Samuel Yaga, who a few years ago moved his family from Chibok to Banki, a town on the border with Cameroon, but left his daughter Sarah behind at school on the advice of a teacher who said her education should not be disrupted.
But the threat of Boko Haram violence forced him to move again, to a village on the outskirts of the capital Abuja.
“I want to know if my daughter is alive or not,” said Yaga, who plans to formally wed Rebecca, Sarah’s mother and his wife under customary law, at a church ceremony on Sunday.
Back in Chibok, the news of Amina’s rescue has given some parents hope of their own daughters being found, according to Yana Galang, the women’s leader of the parents association campaigning for the rescue of the girls.
“As long as we can get correct information from her (Amina’s) mouth, I think the government will do something about it,” said Yana, whose daughter Rifkatu, is among the missing.
“She can tell the true story about these girls.”
 

Biafra cannot be achieved through mere demonstrations.

Enugu The renewed clamour for the secession of Biafra from the Nigeria nation agitates the mind of Ndigbo on the rationale behind the strident call. After the Civil War,General Yakubu Gowon(Rtd) had enunciated, as a panacea to remedy the battered infrastructure in the south-east geopolitical zone, three Rs,reconstruction,rehabilitation and reconciliation as veritable, to integrate the people into mainstream governance in the country. Chief Okorie But the Igbo have continued to agitate for better government presence, claiming that   successive governments had not treated the region fairly culminating in the activities of groups calling for secession although they have been rightly faulted severally. The Chairman United Progressives Party,UPP, and former Presidential candidate,Chief Chekwas Okorie, told Saturday Vanguard that mere protests and demonstrations embarked upon by MASSOB,IPOB and other affiliate groups for Biafra secession cannot achieve any desired result. “Mere demonstrations and protests cannot achieve Biafra. I will advise them to use a political option. As a matter of fact,President Muhammad Buhari has tacitly suggested that when he spoke with an international news channel. Buhari said ‘Nigeria is a multi-party democracy. Igbo people should take advantage of that,organize a political party and use it to vote for what they want’. Last February, Republic of Ireland celebrated its 100 years of struggle for self determination to breakaway from United Kingdom. And they are still counting because it is not over yet. In 2014,Scotland also had a referendum. In that referendum,what Britain did was to give some concession to Scotland. The referendum failed to achieve what it was set out to achieve. Today,majority of their people,voted to remain. “Even if you want to do a referendum in Nigeria,it cannot be possible without the cooperation of the sovereign country covering the area. Merely demonstrating on the streets cannot achieve a separate country. It can’t. It has not achieved it anywhere in the world. Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, at St Peter’s Square Rome, during their visit to Pope Francis at theVatican. “He(Buhari)had almost given them a hint to what they can do. It is like somebody you want to breakaway from advising you on how to go about it. I toe the line of our late great leader,Dim Chukwuemeka Odumuegwu Ojukwu who said,’Biafra of the spirit is indestructible,but Biafra of a geographical area will require a superior Tank,to the Nigerian Tank’. “That means a superior military force to the Nigerian military force. Which means it has to be war. Ojukwu tried and failed and advised that it should not be tried again. And I agree with that completely because that is the reality of the present day. Look at the Palestinians,they have been fighting for donkey years. But when they used a political bend instead of fighting Isreal, today,Palestinians have attracted the attention of the United Nation. “That is why I said a lot of diplomatic leg walk and political efforts will be required. Merely raising Biafra flags and blocking the roads,streets will not achieve anything. I know my view may not please the youngsters. Biafra cannot be obtained by a mere broadcast on radio. Things have changed. Part of what agitates the youngsters is the complete absence of federal presence in the region. “Not one. Look at the 2nd Niger Bridge, it has been talked about for ages. The Akanu-Ibiam International airport is only international by name. I flew it the other day and it was riddled with portholes on the tarmac. There are no lights. So, no plane can land or takeoff there in the night and you call it an international airport? Our roads are death traps.   No federal presence anywhere. There is no way we can get development if we remain politically docile and all we do is to join other political parties of others and become their errand boys. We will continue lamentation if we do not form a political bloc. We must take concrete steps to mobilize our people the way Nnamdi Azikwe did in the first republic and we were relevant in this country. In the second republic the same Zik did it again. The All Progressives Grad Alliance,APGA, would have done it. But again,traitors among us destroyed that vision. So,we are starting all over from the very beginning.” UNEMPLOYMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR AGITATION Chairman, Enugu Unity Forum,Chief Tahil Och told Saturday Vanguard that,”the Federal Government has a big role to play in making sure that some of these regional agitations are addressed. With what is happening in the North-East,South-South and South-East,it will be difficult for President Buhari to achieve his ‘Change’ mantra if there’s no peace in the land. “These agitations from the youths are because of the unemployment situation in the country. If federal government can channel the N500 billion for social welfare into agriculture,it will go a long way to address some of these agitations. When the youths are busy,they will not have time to carry guns against anybody. MASSOB LEADER REACTS Uchenna Madu, MASSOB Leader, exclusively revealed that,”the current struggle for Biafra actualization which was started by MASSOB with mobilisation, sensitisation and rallies in   September, 1999 during Obasanjo’s administration was a reaction to government’s inaction in the area. “Though the Biafra struggle for actualization which is anchored on non violence has lasted for about 17 years, MASSOB still believes that the continued application of non violence is better.  

5 police officers arrested in connection with torture and death of Fed.

police officers arrested in connection with torture and death of Fed. University of Agriculture studentThe Commissioner for Police in Benue state, Paul Yakadi, yesterday ordered the arrest of no fewer than five policemen of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS in the state in connection with the torture and death of a student of the FederalUniversity of Agriculture, Makurdi identified as Samuel Chimezie Emeagwu on Monday May 16th. Their arrest was ordered after the news about the incident went viral yesterday May 20th.The death of the student occurred after he was arrested for fighting with a fellow student over his missing phone. He was taken away by the police officers who tortured him until he became unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. He was buried yesterday.

Herdsmen/Farmers Clashes: Atiku unfolds plans for cattle ranches nationwide

  Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said he would build cattle ranches to reduce the incidences of violent altercations between Fulani pastoralists and sedentary farmers.


  Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar

Consequently, Abubakar is set to open a factory, Rico Gardo, in Abuja which would produce animal feeds of various types including for cattle, small ruminants, horse and poultry. According to a statement issued Friday in Abuja and signed by the Media Adviser to the former vice president, Mazi Paul Ibe, “abundant animal feed, according to analysts will make possible the plan of the Federal Government to limit and control the movement of herdsmen and their cattle through the provision of ranches in selected locations across the country”. He expressed optimism that the factory, when operational, would enhance the federal government’s plan to revive the nation’s economy through agriculture and agro-allied industries. “Rico Gardo already produces animal feed in its factory in Numan, Adamawa State. “The feed company to be sited at Idu Industrial District in the Federal Capital Territory would provide thousands of direct and indirect jobs as well as conserve scarce foreign exchange for the country by providing high quality made-in-Nigeria animal feed for the nation’s livestock sector.”

Friday 20 May 2016

Don’t confront my administration, Buhari warns Niger Delta militants

  President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, urged militants in the Niger Delta to drop their confrontational stance and work with his government to review the Amnesty Programme initiated by the Late ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua Administration. MILITANTS-buhari


President Buhari assured oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Federal Government is taking all necessary actions to protect strategic assets in the region from vandals and criminals. Speaking at a meeting with the Global Director (Upstream) of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Andrew Brown, President Buhari said that he had directed the Chief of Naval Staff to reorganise and strengthen the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and the sabotage of oil installations. The President told Mr. Brown that the operations of the JTF were also being enhanced with increased support and cooperation from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and logistics. He said: “We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta because it threatens the national economy. I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil assets in the region.” The president urged aggrieved persons, militants and communities in the Niger Delta to drop their confrontational stance and work with those who have been charged by the Federal Government to review the Amnesty Programme initiated by the Yar’Adua Administration for the benefit of all parties. President Buhari praised the resilience and staying power of Shell in Nigeria despite the operational challenges of the environment . He urged the company to do its best to end gas flaring in the Niger Delta quickly and produce more gas for electricity generation to support manufacturing and job creation in the country. Mr. Brown had appealed for an urgent solution to rising crime and militancy in the Niger Delta. The Shell Executive also dispelled speculations that the company was pulling out of Nigeria. He said that contrary to such speculations, Shell was currently in discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on new joint oil and gas projects

 

FG sacks Christian pilgrims boss, Kennedy Opara

                       The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), John-Kennedy Opara, has been removed from office. Kennedy-OparaKennedy-Opara
A statement by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the disengagement of Mr. Opara from office as head of the commission became effective, Thursday. The statement added that President Muhammadu Buhari thanked Mr. Opara for spearheading the affairs of the commission in the last eight years, and wished him success in his future endeavours. Mr. Opara was appointed in 2008 by the Shehu Musa Yar’dua-led administration, for an initial tenure of five years. He was reappointed in June 2013, after his first tenure ended, by former President Goodluck Jonathan for a second and final tenure. He was removed from office two years before the expiration of his tenure in June 2018. According to the law setting up the pilgrims agency, “The Chairman or any members of the Commission may be removed from office by the president, if the president is satisfied that it is not in the interest of the Commission or the public that the member should continue in office.”

Detained and interrogated for 10 hours in North Korea

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, pushing an airport trolley, surrounded by reporters and camera operators in the arrivals hall of Beijing International Airport

After a week in North Korea I was more than ready to go home. The trip, to cover a visit to Pyongyang by a delegation of three Nobel laureates, had been exhausting and stressful.
I couldn't move anywhere in Pyongyang without a team of five minders following my every step. At night the BBC team was confined to an overheated villa in a guarded compound. We'd fallen out with pretty much everyone. Our North Korean minders were now openly hostile.
We were all looking forward to a cold beer and a good night's sleep in Beijing.
For some reason the female immigration officer at Pyongyang airport was taking a very long time with my passport. By the time she finally stamped it everyone else had cleared security and gone to the gate. It felt odd, but I wasn't immediately alarmed.
Then a North Korean border guard called me over - in his hand, my digital recorder.
"We need to check this," he said pointing down a corridor.
In a back room another border guard was trying to open the files from my recorder on a laptop computer.
"What is the problem?" I asked. "There's nothing on that card."
"Just wait," he responded.
"I can't wait," I said. "I have to get on my flight to Beijing."
"The flight is already gone," the border guard said looking straight at me. "You will not be going to Beijing."
Now my sense of alarm was rising fast.
"My God," I thought. "This is real. My flight is leaving and I am being left behind in North Korea!"
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Matthew Goddard and Maria Byrne
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Matthew Goddard and Maria Byrne in North Korea
Actually I wasn't. At that moment my colleagues Maria Byrne and Matthew Goddard were refusing to board the plane, shouting at the North Korean guards who were trying to push them on board.
But I knew none of this. I felt very alone.
Two of our old minders now appeared at the door.
"We are taking you to meet with the relevant organs," they proclaimed. "All will become clear."
I was marched to a waiting car and put in the back, a minder on either side.
As we drove through the almost empty streets of Pyongyang no-one spoke. Looking at the drab concrete apartment blocks, I contemplated my situation. Even in North Korea you don't detain a visiting journalist unless it has been approved from high up. I thought about American college student Otto Warmbier, sentenced to 15 years' hard labour for stealing a propaganda banner from his Pyongyang hotel. Would I be the next to be paraded on state TV?
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in interrogation room
 Wingfield-Hayes in the interrogation room - image provided by North Korea
The car pulled into the driveway of an old grey hotel. I was taken into a conference room and told to sit. Huge portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il looked down from the far wall.
A group of officials in dark Mao suits walked in and sat opposite. The older one spoke first.
"Mr Rupert," he said, "this meeting can be over quickly and simply, it will depend on your attitude."
I was told that my reporting had insulted the Korean people, and that I needed to admit my mistakes. They produced copies of three articles that had been published on the BBC website, as I reported on the visit of the Nobel laureates.

"Do you think Korean people are ugly?" the older man asked.
"No," I answered.
"Do you think Korean people have voices like dogs?"
"No," I answered again.
"Then why do you write these things?!" he shouted.
I was confused. What could they mean? One of the articles was presented to me, the offending passage circled in black marker pen:
"The grim-faced customs officer is wearing one of those slightly ridiculous oversized military caps that they were so fond of in the Soviet Union. It makes the slightly built North Korean in his baggy uniform comically top heavy. "Open," he grunts, pointing at my mobile phone. I dutifully punch in the passcode. He grabs it back and goes immediately to photos. He scrolls through pictures of my children skiing, Japanese cherry blossom, the Hong Kong skyline. Apparently satisfied he turns to my suitcase. "Books?" he barks. No, no books. "Movies?" No, no movies. I am sent off to another desk where a much less gruff lady is already looking through my laptop."
"Are they serious?" I thought. They had taken "grim-faced" to mean "ugly", and the use of the word "barks" as an indication that I thought they sounded like dogs.
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes's interrogators                                   
The two men who led the interrogation                
"It doesn't mean what you think it means." I protested.
The older man squinted.
"I have studied English literature," he said. "Do you think I do not understand what these expressions mean?
For two hours they demanded I confess my mistakes. Finally the older man got up to leave.
"It is clear that your attitude is going to make this difficult," he said. "We have no choice but to carry out a full investigation."
Now a younger man took charge.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"No," I answered.
"I am from the judicial authorities. I am the one who investigated the case of Kenneth Bae, and now I am going to investigate you.
Man holding a placard with Kenneth Bae's photo and the words 'Free now'
An activist in Seoul holds a placard calling for the release of Kenneth Bae, February 2014                
The pit of my stomach turned cold. Kenneth Bae is a Korean American who was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour by Pyongyang in 2013.
They began going through my articles word by word - finding offence in almost every one. But the words were not important; they were ammunition to throw at me, to force me to confess.
"We can sit here all night," I said. "I am signing nothing."
"We have plenty of time," the young man shot back. "This can take a night, a day, a week or a month. The choice is yours."
Hour after hour they repeated the accusations. The pace was relentless. Every two hours they took a break and another team stepped in. They began to use the term "serious crime".
"What crime?" I asked.
"Defamation of the Korean people and nation," the interrogator said.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in North Korea

In one of the video reports filed from Pyongyang before he was detained, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes is accused by North Korean authorities of not showing respect for the country's leader.
By now the interrogation had been going for more than five hours. Unknown to me, at another hotel in Pyongyang the alarm was finally being raised.
A second BBC team, led by Asia bureau editor Jo Floto, was in Pyongyang covering the North Korean Workers' Party Congress. They'd been phoned by colleagues in Beijing who told them my team had never made it to China. Jo now started to try to find us. He got his minder to call the foreign ministry, but they had no idea where we were. It took another two hours for the minder to find out where I was being held.
In the interrogation room they now produced a new series of printouts, articles published by South Korean media.
"Have you seen what the South Korean media are saying about your reports?" the young interrogator demanded.
"No," I answered.
"That they show everything the DPRK government says is a lie!!"
He glared at me.
"Did you meet with South Korean media before you came to Pyongyang?" he asked. "Did you collude to orchestrate a campaign of anti-DPRK propaganda?"
I thought: "This is how a show trial is built."
At about 1:30 am I asked to go to the toilet. Each time I went, two minders were sent with me. One stood at the next urinal, the other directly behind me.
This time, as I came out, one of our old minders, Mr Oh, emerged from another room.
"I think your boss is coming here now," he said.
I didn't know whether to believe him, but Jo was on his way. I found out later that as he arrived at the hotel, his foreign ministry minder had turned and said: "Mr Floto, please remember that we have no control over the people we are about to meet."
An hour later, Jo was brought into the room where I was being held. I felt a wave of relief, but he looked worried. He still had no idea where they had taken Maria and Matthew. Nothing had been heard from them. Then he pointed at the young interrogator.
"He does not seem to care about the damage detaining you will do to North Korea's image," he said. "He seems quite prepared to put you on trial."
We needed to get this over quickly, and to do so I needed to make an act of contrition.
We agreed that I would write a short letter "apologising for the offence my articles had caused". We agreed it would be a written statement and would not be published.
Photograph of Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and Jo Floto writing letters
This image of of Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and Jo Floto was provided by North Korea
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Letter from Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reading: To whom it may concern. I Rupert Wingfield-Hayes hereby offer my formal apology to the people of the DPRK and the government of the DPRK for the offence given by the article written by me and published on the BBC website during my visit to Pyongyang. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. BBC Tokyo correspondent.
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Letter from Jo Floto reading: On behalf of the BBC I endeavour to ensure that this kind of regrettable misunderstanding does not occur in the future. In accordance with our agreement with the authorities of the DPRK we will removed the relevant article from our website. Jo Floto, Asia bureau chief. BBC News.
But within minutes the interrogator went back on his word.
"To show your sincerity stand up and read it out loud," he said handing me the sheet of paper.
In the corner a man with a video camera was filming.
I refused.
Finally at 03:30 I was released and we were taken to meet Maria and Matthew. They were being held at another guesthouse in the hills outside Pyongyang. It was now more than 10 hours since I had disappeared at the airport and they were frantic with worry.
The following day we were allowed to move to the Yanggakdo hotel, a huge tower on an island in the Taedong River. All the international media were being housed there, so we felt much safer. But for two more days we were refused permission to leave North Korea.
Then suddenly on Monday 8 May, just as we were preparing to drive to the airport, the government announced I was being expelled.
Why did they choose to detain and expel me? My best guess is that someone high up decided my reporting had endangered the success of the Nobel laureates' visit. Pyongyang yearns for recognition. Their trip was of great importance to the government. The three Nobel laureates were shown the very best of the country. They met its brightest students. Our coverage was a threat to that plan, and an example needed to be made.
Ironically, by doing so they gave me a rare glimpse inside the dark heart of the North Korean state. I spent only 10 hours in detention. But in that time I got to see just how easy it is for someone in North Korea to disappear. I got to feel the terror of being isolated and accused of crimes I had not committed, and to be threatened with a trial in which the evidence would have been irrelevant, and my guilt assured.

Two studies find one gene for red beaks and feathers

 

red cardinal bird
The gene is likely to cause red colouring in many species of bird                
A pair of scientific papers has identified the same single gene as the source of red colouring in birds.
The gene makes an enzyme that lets the birds convert yellow pigments, which they eat, into red ones, which are deposited in their feathers or beaks.
Two separate teams made the discovery, by examining the DNA of birds which either gained or lost their redness.
One focussed on a finch which sometimes loses its red beak; the other on a type of canary bred to be entirely red.
Both studies are published in the journal Current Biology.
"Birds cannot synthesise these red pigments endogenously. They have to obtain them from their diet," Dr Miguel Carneiro from the Universidade do Porto, Portugal, told BBC News.
"It was known for a long time that an enzymatic conversion is needed to produce the red pigments. So many groups of geneticists and physiologists, for many decades, have tried to identify the enzyme that does this conversion."
Dr Carneiro and his colleagues began their search with the "red factor" canary - a popular pet that originated in the 1920s, when bird fanciers crossed common, yellow canaries with the vibrant South American red siskin.
"Some people consider it to be the first genetically engineered species," Dr Carneiro said.
red canary                                     Red canaries were created 100 years ago by crossing yellow canaries with the red siskin                
"By a number of crosses, throughout many generations, they fixed the ability to convert yellow pigments into red pigments, in some breeds of canary.
"What we did… is try to look at sections of the genome in red factor breeds that actually belong to the red siskin - and that's how we got to the gene."

Dyes and drugs

The gene his team singled out, called CYP2J19, encodes an enzyme belonging to the "cytochrome P450" family of proteins.
It is precisely the same gene that a different group settled on, at almost exactly the same time, led by Dr Nicholas Mundy at the University of Cambridge, UK.
"There's a large family of cytochrome P450s and they're best known because they are the genes that metabolise most medicines in the body," Dr Mundy said. "Most of them are expressed in the liver."
red and yellow-beaked zebra finches                                    
 The "yellowbeak" mutation is found in many captive zebra finches - like the one on the right                
He and his colleagues came across a small cluster of these genes on a chromosome of the zebra finch. This cluster was strongly linked, when they studied a pedigree of 95 birds, with the finches having yellow beaks instead of the usual red.
Eventually, they figured out that all "yellowbeak" birds - a mutated strain that breeders know and use to combine with other attractive traits - had a small section of DNA deleted, containing the gene CYP2J19.

One up, one down

Important implications arise from the joint discovery, according to Dr Carneiro.
"The fact that we identified the same gene in two deeply divergent species suggests that this is likely to be very general in the bird world, and many species will use the same mechanism to produce red pigments."
Dr Mundy agreed, noting that there was a particular elegance in the fact that each team had approached the gene from a different direction.
Summer Tanager bird
Vibrant reds help birds to attract mates and ward off rivals                
"We were studying a loss-of-function mutation, going from red to yellow, whereas they were studying a gain-of-function mutation: canaries aren't normally red, and they'd gained a mutation from another species," he told the BBC.
"In science… to demonstrate that a gene, a protein, whatever it is, is involved in something, you want to show that it is both necessary - it's required for that thing to happen - and also that it's sufficient, which means that it, on its own, can do the job.
"Here, we've shown that the gene is necessary, and they've shown that it's sufficient."

White House shooting: Secret Service stops armed man

 

Secret Service guard
The White House was placed on security alert                
The Secret Service has shot an armed man outside the White House, according to US officials.
Police told ABC News that a man brandished a weapon at a security checkpoint near the building and was shot in stomach.
The White House was briefly placed on lockdown after the shooting on Friday. President Barack Obama was golfing in Maryland at the time.
The victim was transported to hospital with critical injuries, officials said.
Vice President Joe Biden was in the White House at the time. He was taken to a "secure area" during the incident, White House officials said.
Secret Service guard
        An armed man was shot by a Secret Service officer                
The White House has seen a number of security incidents in recent years, prompting changes at the executive complex.
In April, Secret Service caught an intruder climbing over the White House fence.
In 2014, Iraq War veteran Omar Gonzalez jumped the White House fence and ran into the building with a knife. Also that year, a toddler squeezed through the gates of the fence and was caught on the lawn.
In 2013, one man tried to crash a jeep filled with knives and bullets into a security gate.
In 2011, Oscar Ortega-Hernandez shot at the White House and was charged with attempting to assassinate Mr Obama or a member of his staff.
Mr Ortega-Hernandez believed God had given him a personal mission to attack the White House, law enforcement sources said

EgyptAir crash: Debris found from flight MS804

 

Director Osman Abu Laban, who lost four relatives in a plane crash, is comforted at a mosque
 Osman Abu Laban lost four relatives in the disaster                
Debris and body parts have been found in the Mediterranean Sea by teams searching for a doomed EgyptAir plane, Greek and Egyptian officials say.
Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew when it crashed early on Thursday.
Items including seats and luggage have also been retrieved by Egyptian search crews.
The debris was discovered about 290km (180 miles) north of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said.
European Space Agency satellites spotted an oil slick in the area where the flight went missing but the organisation said there was no guarantee it was from the plane.
The search is now focused on finding the plane's flight recorders, the Associated Press news agency reports.
There were smoke alerts from the onboard toilet and the plane's electrics shortly before the signal was lost, according to data published on air industry website the Aviation Herald.
However, there has been no independent confirmation.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed his "utmost sadness and regret" at the crash.
 
Greek, Egyptian, French and UK military units have been taking part in a search operation near Greece's Karpathos island.
Greece said radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea.

The focus of the investigation

A map showing the where an EgyptAir flight went missing
Egypt says the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault.
However, there has been "absolutely no indication" so far as to why the plane came down, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday morning.
Three investigators from the French air accident investigation bureau, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry.
The BBC has learned the plane that disappeared was forced to make an emergency landing in 2013 after the pilot noticed the engine overheating, but an official report said the defect had been repaired.
In France, the focus is on whether a possible breach of security happened at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
After last November's Paris attacks, some airport staff had their security clearance revoked over fears of links to Islamic extremists.
Eric Moutet, a lawyer for some of those employees, told the BBC that there had been attempts by Islamists to recruit airport staff.
"That is clear," he said. "There are people who are being radicalised in some of the trade unions, etc. The authorities have their work cut out with this problem." In October, an Airbus A321 operated by Russia's Metrojet blew up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, with all 224 people on board killed.
Sinai Province, a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group, said it had smuggled a bomb on board.

What do we know about what happened?

map
Flight MS804 left Paris at 23:09 local time on Wednesday (21:09 GMT) and was scheduled to arrive in the Egyptian capital soon after 03:15 local time (01:15 GMT) on Thursday.
On the plane were 56 passengers, seven crew members and three security personnel.
Greek aviation officials say air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal.
They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond". Two minutes later it vanished from radar.
Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, said given smoke was detected on board shortly before the crash it was unlikely to be a hijacking.
"It's more likely a fire," he told the BBC. "Now whether that was a technical fire, a short circuit or whether it was because a bomb went off on board, we don't know."

Army rescues second Chibok girl, Serah Luka, 97 women

   Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director Army Public Relations, has confirmed the rescue of another Chibok girl, Serah Luka, aside Amina Ali who was rescued on Tuesday. Amina Ali on Tuesday was rescued by troops and civilian vigilantes near Boko Haram’s stronghold in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno state.

This handout picture taken in Damboa and released by the Nigerian army on May 20, 2016 shows Serah Luka after she was released during an operation conducted by Nigeria's army in which local civilian vigilantes took part. Serah is one of 219 girls abducted from their school in Chibok more than two years ago. The student, who is believed to be a Christian pastor's daughter, said she was "at the school at the time they were abducted" and that she was from Madagali, in neighboring Adamawa state. / AFP PHOTO

This handout picture taken in Damboa and released by the Nigerian army on May 20, 2016 shows Serah Luka after she was released during an operation conducted by Nigeria’s army in which local civilian vigilantes took part. Serah is one of 219 girls abducted from their school in Chibok more than two years ago. The student, who is believed to be a Christian pastor’s daughter, said she was “at the school at the time they were abducted” and that she was from Madagali, in neighboring Adamawa state.
 Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman said that the second Chibok girl was among 97 women that were rescued by troops of 231 Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment (AR), Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) 2, Explosive Ordinance (EOD) Team and Civilian Vigilante group of Buratai. The troops he said rescued her during a clearance operations at Shettima Aboh, Hong and Biladdili general area in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State. “At about 11.00am today, Thursday, 19th May 2016, troops of 231 Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment (AR), Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) 2, Explosive Ordinance (EOD) Team and Civilian Vigilante group of Buratai, conducted clearance operations at Shettima Aboh, Hong and Biladdili general area in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State. During the operations, the troops killed 35 Boko Haram terrorists and recovered several arms and ammunitions and other items. In addition, they rescued 97 women and children held captives by the Boko Haram terrorists. We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government Secondary School girls that were abducted on 14th April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists. Her name is Miss Serah Luka, who is number 157 on the list of the abducted school girls. She is believed to be the daughter of Pastor Luka. During debriefing the girl revealed that she was a JSS1 student of the school at the time they were abducted. She further added that she hails from Madagali, Adamawa State. She averred that she reported at the school barely two months and one week before her unfortunate abduction along with other girls over two years ago. She added that there are three other girls who fled from Shettima Aboh when the troops invaded the area earlier today which led to their rescue. She is presently receiving medical attention at the medical facility of Abogo Largema Cantonment, Biu, Borno State. he said The first of the abducted students to be found, 19-year-old Amina Ali and her mother met President Muhammadu Buhari at his official residence in Abuja earlier Thursday, where the head of state said the government was “doing all it can to rescue the remaining Chibok girls”. “Amina’s rescue gives us new hope, and offers a unique opportunity for vital information,” he said in a statement. Amina was quoted as saying by a campaign group pushing for the girls’ release that all the students were still being held in the former game reserve, where the Islamists have had camps, but that six had died. Nigeria’s military has been mounting an offensive in the sprawling, semi-desert scrubland since late April to flush out rebel fighters.

 

One million applicants chasing 10,000 Police jobs

Policeman get sets to quell protect of students of Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye in Abeokuta

                 A slogan of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) says: “Police is Your Friend”. Police, indeed, are friends of the citizenry, because they are the ones everybody looks for when confronted with threats to life and property. But it is also true that the Police are not very popular with most people because the average policeman is generally perceived as being highhanded, corrupt, and unfriendly. They are also very poorly treated by the Federal Government. Few of our young people will voluntarily join the Police Force if they have the luxury of choice. It was an irony of sorts when the Police Service Commission (PSC) recently invited applications from qualified Nigerians for recruitment into the Force based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the recruitment of 10,000 policemen. The Commission had advertised for the hiring of 500 Cadet ASPs, 500 Cadet Inspectors, 1,500 Specialist Officers and 7, 500 Constables. Within a few days of the advertisement, officials of the PSC were astounded, if not shocked, by the response from applicants. According to Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the Commission, between April 24 and May 2, 2016 no fewer than 843,008 applications had been received. A breakdown of this showed that 243,327 applications were received for ASP cadre, while 197,990 and 401,691 applied for the Inspector and Police Constable cadres, respectively. Soon after, the figure rose to over one million applicants, leaving many wondering if the Police was indeed as unpopular as generally held. Even the Inspector General of Police could not help but exclaim that he “never knew Nigerians liked the police this much that such a gargantuan number wants to join the Force.” It is, however, obvious that the stampede for police jobs has little to do with “popularity”. With an unemployment rate of 36.8 per cent of Nigeria’s over 170 million people, jobless Nigerians certainly cannot be too choosy when positions are advertised by any organisation. This was what informed the response by 6.5 million applicants to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment in March 2014, which ended tragically with the death of 23 job seekers during a recruitment test. The Police authorities have to exercise extreme care in this recruitment drive, ensuring that only people who are suitably qualified with impeccable characters and backgrounds will be brought on board. The process of ascertaining this must be very painstaking to keep out bad eggs. The large number of applicants for every job opening, is an enduring warning bell over the worrisome unemployment situation. We urge governments at all levels to come up with radical ideas to put more of our idle youth to work and reduce the social consequences of high unemployment



 

Brent back above $49 as oil prices resume uptick

Brent crude powered back above $49 a barrel in Asia Friday as oil prices resumed their rise after the dollar eased and militants blew up another pipeline in African producer Nigeria.
File Photo: Crude Oil
Crude Oil
A rally that pushed oil prices to a series of 2016 highs since last week had taken a breather over the past two days after minutes of an April meeting showed that the US Fed kept the door open to raising interest rates in June, sending the dollar higher.
A stronger greenback puts downward pressure on oil, as it makes the dollar-priced commodity more expensive, curtailing demand and depressing prices.
At around 0615 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in June was up 48 cents, or 1.00 percent, at $48.64 and Brent crude for July gained 39 cents, or 0.80 percent, to $49.20.
Analysts said prices resumed their uptick after the dollar eased and threats of supply disruptions returned to the fore following the bombing of a gas pipeline owned by the Nigerian subsidiary of Italy’s Eni in the latest attack on the country’s oil facilities.
Earlier, a new militant group called the Niger Delta Avengers(NDA) carried out several attacks on key pipelines and facilities operated by oil majors Shell and Chevron, hurting output in Africa’s biggest economy and major crude producer.
Officials said Nigeria’s output had slumped to 1.4 million barrels per day from 2.2 million because of the unrest.
The Nigeria disruptions come on top of a reduction in Canada’s output due to wildfires threatening the country’s oil sands region.
“The pause in the dollar rally and continued concerns over supply disruptions in Nigeria are supportive of oil prices,” said Bernard Aw, an analyst with IG Markets in Singapore.
“In addition, Anas Al-Saleh, Kuwait’s acting oil minister… expects the oil market to rebalance in the second half of this year as demand increases. Therefore, it could be only a matter of time before crude pushes beyond $50,” he told AFP.
US Federal Reserve policymakers meet from June 14-15, with investors watching their decision on interest rates.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also meets on June 2 in Vienna, with the market fixed on whether they will take action to reduce the global crude supply glut.