Death toll in Hajj stampede rises to 769

The death toll in the stampede that occurred in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj on Thursday has risen to 769.

The death toll as at Thursday was 717.
The new figure of 769 was announced by the Saudi Health Minister, Khalid al-Falih, on Saturday.
Al-Falih told a news conference: “The latest statistics up to this hour reveal 769 dead.
“That is an increase of 52 on the previous figures.
“Those are the ones who died in various hospitals since the event.”
Al-Falih said 934 people were wounded.

Bayelsa: Fresh primary for APC a cruel hoax – Sylva

The Timipre Sylva Campaign for the Bayelsa State 2015 gubernatorial election has dismissed media reports that two additional governors will be joining their Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, to organise a fresh primary for the emergence of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

Citing unnamed sources, some news outlets and a few newspapers had reported on Saturday that Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) had been drafted to join Oshiomhole for a new primary.
The campaign organisation, in a statement by Doifie Buokoribo, described the report as a “cruel hoax”, stressing that there is no way a fresh primary can be organised on Tuesday as it would amount to an act of “illegality”.
The Sylva campaign said: “Let us restate here that an APC candidate for the December 5, 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa State has emerged and that candidate is Chief Timipre Sylva. No amount of media manipulation can change that. This is a society of law and order.
“The latest disinformation through the media goes to show the level of desperation of some people who want the APC governorship ticket through the back door. An election was conducted, Sylva won, the whole world has seen it.
“Besides, there is no way a hopelessly compromised Oshiomhole, who has also openly displayed his bias, can be asked again to go and conduct an election in Bayelsa State. Even his masters know that will be unacceptable to Nigerians.
“Similarly, as at Saturday, 26 September 2015, Tambuwal is in far away New York attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) while Amosun is attending Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Are they going to conduct a virtual election?
“Despite the orchestrated lies and disinformation, the Sylva Campaign will again urge our teeming supporters to be law-abiding, peaceful but resolute. Victory is sure.”

Timi Sylva to Odigie-Oyegun: You can’t annul my victory

The Timipre Sylva Campaign for the Bayelsa State 2015 gubernatorial election has described as misleading and completely untrue reports purporting that the All Progressives Congress governorship primaries held on September 22 in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, has been cancelled or rescheduled.
In a statement issued on Friday in Yenagoa, the campaign maintained that the primary, which it claimed was won by Chief Timipre Sylva, was conducted in accordance with the party’s rules and guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission and as such the party has no basis to cancel its outcomes.
The National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, after the uproar that attended the primaries, had announced that it had been postponed and a new date would be made known soon.
But Sylva, in the statement, signed on behalf of the campaign by Doifie Buokoribo, said: “We want to state categorically that since the primary election was conducted according to the rules and duly won by Sylva, he remains the candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State and any statement to the contrary is mere rumour.
“The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, does not have the powers to unilaterally annul a state primary election. We are even shocked that he allowed his name to be used when he has not even received the report from members of the electoral panel. Beyond the electoral panel’s report, there is also an Appeals Committee, which has the responsibility to examine complaints arising from the primary election. It is only after the Appeals Committee has concluded its job that the National Working Committee (NWC) will meet to consider all reports from the primary, including those of the security agencies.
“There are seven members of the panel. Let us say Governor Adams Oshiomhole has submitted his own report through the pages of newspapers, there are six members left and the NWC has to sit and debate the reports.
“Oshiomhole lied that the election was marred by violence. There are pictures and videos to prove that he lied. There are pictures and video to show that Oshiomhole presided over the election and handed over the exercise to the Secretary of the Panel on the excuse that he was going to eat.
“It should also be pointed out that only Oshiomhole left the venue of the election and that the remaining six panel members and INEC officials remained in the venue till the winner was announced.
“Oshiomhole must answer some questions relating to his conducts, which completely compromised his position as Chair of the election panel. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that Oshiomhole was working towards a pre-determined answer, unfortunately for him, the will of our people prevailed.
“Lastly, you cannot abort a baby that has already been born. The APC governorship primary has been concluded in Bayelsa State, a winner has emerged, and the winner is Sylva.
“We therefore ask our teeming supporters to remain calm and ignore the rumour that a new primary is being scheduled for early next week.”

Death toll in Lagos container accident rises

Three lives were lost on Wednesday evening when a 40ft container-laden

articulated vehicle fell off Ojuelegba Bridge in Lagos and collided
with a black Toyota Corolla Car with Reg. No LSD 532 CN.
The initial death toll was put at one on Wednesday night.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the accident, which happened
few minutes before 4pm, also affected a white Sunny car with Reg. No
DG 750 LND.
Olusegun Olapade, the Lagos State Head of Operations of the Federal
Road Safety Commission , said the articulated vehicle was coming from
the Tin-Can Island Port.
Olapade said: “When the truck driver climbed the Ojuelegba Bridge, he
lost control and the head of the articulated vehicle went off.
“The container with the back body of the truck fell off and collided
with a Toyota Corolla car passing under the bridge and this claimed
the lives of three occupiers of the car.
“The head of the articulated vehicle is still on top of the bridge but
nothing happened to the driver.
“How do we identify the driver with the multiple people around this scene?”
Olapade said the unit had embarked on ‘Operation Scorpion’ to enable
road safety officials to check the state of all trucks on the road.
Olapade said the unit had made appreciable number of arrests
concerning the condition of vehicles, tyres and containers.
He said ‘Operation Scorpion’ would prevent accidents, adding that the
FRSC would enforce strict compliance with the basic rules on the road.
Michael Akindele, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, said the agency had been on ground since 4:45pm to
rescue the situation.
Akindele said: “A fully-loaded container fell on two vehicles.
“We are lucky to have the occupant of the first car not injured and we
had three people in the second car dead.”
Akindele said the agency would take the corpses to a mortuary in Lagos Mainland.
The corpses were moved at 8.47pm.
Also, Henry Akintomide, the Head of Emergency Unit, Lagos State
Traffic Management Authority, said the accident occurred as a result
of over-speed by the truck driver.
Akintomide said the container was sealed up, adding that this made it
difficult to know what was inside it.
He said terminal operators should ascertain the standard of trucks
before loading from the ports.
He, however, urged government to emphasise on the standard of trucks,
which would ply the roads.
Akintomide said some of the trucks moving on Lagos roads were not road worthy.
An eyewitness, Olusola Ogunsola, a Senior Executive Officer of the
National Institute for Sports, said the incident happened at 3.59pm.
Ogunsola said: “I was sitting under the bridge waiting for a friend.
“A lot of people who sat with me drew my attention to those on the
bridge cautioning the driver of the black Corolla car, but could not
hear because he had rolled up his windows.”
Another eyewitness, Yomi Ajayi, a transporter in Apapa, said he
cautioned the driver that the container was bent, while he was passing
Airways Area in Apapa.
Ajayi said some LASTMA officials at Barracks Bus Stop also cautioned
the driver of the truck before the accident happened under Ojuelegba
Bridge.
NAN.

Scores feared dead as fire guts plaza in popular Balogun Market in Lagos

Several people were feared dead and others injured when a six storey plaza in the heart of the popular Balogun Market in Lagos State was gutted by fire on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigerian reports that the plaza is surrounded by several important businesses, which include Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa.
NAN also observed that the plaza, which was being used as a wholesale and retail outlet for shoes and bags, is directly beside and attached to the Union Bank building.
NAN investigations revealed that the fire started at about 9am and was battled by a team of combined fire fighters from the Union Bank and UBA before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke to NAN, said some people who jumped out from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire were carried away dead.
Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market, told NAN that he saw three dead bodies and five people who were wounded.
Abdullahi said: “People were shouting and jumping down from upstairs.
“I saw a woman dead with her skull open.”
Florence Adewunmi, a staff of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile Intensive Care Service, stationed at the scene, told NAN that some victims had been stabilized and transferred to hospital.
Adewunmi said: “There are several casualties.
“We got a distress call at about 10am that there was fire outbreak at Balogun behind UBA.
“We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to General Hospital, Lagos but we met some casualties on ground.
“The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had fractures and various degrees of injuries.
“There were those that inhaled too much smoke so we gave some oxygen, some Dyclofenac injection.
“We treated ankle dislocations.
“We sutured deep cuts before carrying them to General Hospital, Lagos.
“So far, we have carried six people to hospital and discharged four after treatment.”
One of shop owners, who deals in female shoes, Nonso Christian, told NAN that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.
Christian said: “I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods but I couldn’t because the fire is too much.
“My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday.
“I don’t know what to do because the second floor is still on fire.”
Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire, declined comment.
One of them simply said: “We are sad.
“This hard economy, where do I start from?”
A security man attached to Union Bank, Umoru Monday, told NAN that the fire started a few minutes before 9am.
Monday said: “The Union Bank Fire Service came around and started pushing the fire back so that it would not enter the bank and later the fire fighters from UBA came to assist them before the Lagos State Fire Service came.”
An official of the Lagos State Fire Service carrying a cylinder on his back into the burning plaza declined comment.
He told NAN that senior officers of the service who could speak to press were attacking the fire on various floors.
He said: “I cannot tell you anything.
“Our fire boss is up in that burning building now and our main aim is to put the fire out.
“We are attacking it on various floors.”
NAN reports that a lone Policeman battled to keep spectators away, while security men of Diamond Bank situated beside Union Bank turned their customers away.
NAN.

Several people were feared dead and others injured when a six storey plaza in the heart of the popular Balogun Market in Lagos State was gutted by fire on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigerian reports that the plaza is surrounded by several important businesses, which include Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa.
NAN also observed that the plaza, which was being used as a wholesale and retail outlet for shoes and bags, is directly beside and attached to the Union Bank building.
NAN investigations revealed that the fire started at about 9am and was battled by a team of combined fire fighters from the Union Bank and UBA before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke to NAN, said some people who jumped out from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire were carried away dead.
Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market, told NAN that he saw three dead bodies and five people who were wounded.
Abdullahi said: “People were shouting and jumping down from upstairs.
“I saw a woman dead with her skull open.”
Florence Adewunmi, a staff of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile Intensive Care Service, stationed at the scene, told NAN that some victims had been stabilized and transferred to hospital.
Adewunmi said: “There are several casualties.
“We got a distress call at about 10am that there was fire outbreak at Balogun behind UBA.
“We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to General Hospital, Lagos but we met some casualties on ground.
“The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had fractures and various degrees of injuries.
“There were those that inhaled too much smoke so we gave some oxygen, some Dyclofenac injection.
“We treated ankle dislocations.
“We sutured deep cuts before carrying them to General Hospital, Lagos.
“So far, we have carried six people to hospital and discharged four after treatment.”
One of shop owners, who deals in female shoes, Nonso Christian, told NAN that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.
Christian said: “I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods but I couldn’t because the fire is too much.
“My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday.
“I don’t know what to do because the second floor is still on fire.”
Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire, declined comment.
One of them simply said: “We are sad.
“This hard economy, where do I start from?”
A security man attached to Union Bank, Umoru Monday, told NAN that the fire started a few minutes before 9am.
Monday said: “The Union Bank Fire Service came around and started pushing the fire back so that it would not enter the bank and later the fire fighters from UBA came to assist them before the Lagos State Fire Service came.”
An official of the Lagos State Fire Service carrying a cylinder on his back into the burning plaza declined comment.
He told NAN that senior officers of the service who could speak to press were attacking the fire on various floors.
He said: “I cannot tell you anything.
“Our fire boss is up in that burning building now and our main aim is to put the fire out.
“We are attacking it on various floors.”
NAN reports that a lone Policeman battled to keep spectators away, while security men of Diamond Bank situated beside Union Bank turned their customers away.
NAN.

Several people were feared dead and others injured when a six storey plaza in the heart of the popular Balogun Market in Lagos State was gutted by fire on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigerian reports that the plaza is surrounded by several important businesses, which include Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa.
NAN also observed that the plaza, which was being used as a wholesale and retail outlet for shoes and bags, is directly beside and attached to the Union Bank building.
NAN investigations revealed that the fire started at about 9am and was battled by a team of combined fire fighters from the Union Bank and UBA before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke to NAN, said some people who jumped out from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire were carried away dead.
Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market, told NAN that he saw three dead bodies and five people who were wounded.
Abdullahi said: “People were shouting and jumping down from upstairs.
“I saw a woman dead with her skull open.”
Florence Adewunmi, a staff of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile Intensive Care Service, stationed at the scene, told NAN that some victims had been stabilized and transferred to hospital.
Adewunmi said: “There are several casualties.
“We got a distress call at about 10am that there was fire outbreak at Balogun behind UBA.
“We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to General Hospital, Lagos but we met some casualties on ground.
“The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had fractures and various degrees of injuries.
“There were those that inhaled too much smoke so we gave some oxygen, some Dyclofenac injection.
“We treated ankle dislocations.
“We sutured deep cuts before carrying them to General Hospital, Lagos.
“So far, we have carried six people to hospital and discharged four after treatment.”
One of shop owners, who deals in female shoes, Nonso Christian, told NAN that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.
Christian said: “I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods but I couldn’t because the fire is too much.
“My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday.
“I don’t know what to do because the second floor is still on fire.”
Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire, declined comment.
One of them simply said: “We are sad.
“This hard economy, where do I start from?”
A security man attached to Union Bank, Umoru Monday, told NAN that the fire started a few minutes before 9am.
Monday said: “The Union Bank Fire Service came around and started pushing the fire back so that it would not enter the bank and later the fire fighters from UBA came to assist them before the Lagos State Fire Service came.”
An official of the Lagos State Fire Service carrying a cylinder on his back into the burning plaza declined comment.
He told NAN that senior officers of the service who could speak to press were attacking the fire on various floors.
He said: “I cannot tell you anything.
“Our fire boss is up in that burning building now and our main aim is to put the fire out.
“We are attacking it on various floors.”
NAN reports that a lone Policeman battled to keep spectators away, while security men of Diamond Bank situated beside Union Bank turned their customers away.
NAN.

Extent of nation’s treasury looting spine chilling – APC

The All Progressives Congress has described as spine-chilling and mind-boggling the massive looting of the nation’s treasury by public officials.

The APC said nothing but the total recovery of the funds will be acceptable to all patriotic Nigerians.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said anyone who attempts, either by deeds or words, to sabotage the recovery efforts is not a patriot and deserves nothing but public opprobrium.

It therefore thanked Nigerians for their overwhelming support for the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration in its tough but important task of tracing and recovering the loots, while also ensuring that the looters face justice.

The statement said: “It is absolutely gratifying that Nigerians are vehemently opposed to the few who would rather have the government of the day turn a blind eye to the looted funds and, in their words, carry on with the process of governance.

“Truly, what sort of governance can go on if the billions of Naira in a few hands are not recovered? In the first instance, the government needs every kobo of the funds it can muster to bring about the change it has promised Nigerians. Secondly, leaving such hair-raising funds in the hands of the few looters is dangerous, because they can use the funds to destabilize any government. In fact, no one will be surprised if the looters use their dirty funds to sponsor public demonstrations against the government’s determination to recover the funds.

“Thirdly, allowing those who privatized the commonwealth to get away is offering a thumbs-up for looting. No responsible government will do that.”

The party said already, the looters have embarked on a relentless and an increasingly-bold campaign to discredit the government of the day and sabotage the funds’ recovery process, using newspaper columnists, ‘talking heads’ and otherwise respectable opinion leaders.

“They and their paid hirelings have tried to employ sophistry to muddle the waters, but Nigerians are much wiser, and will not succumb to the dirty antics of the looters’ megaphones,” it said.

The APC said it is necessary to remind Nigerians of the kind of massive looting of the treasury that took place in the past few years, so they can better appreciate the seriousness of the issue at stake.

It therefore listed some instances of the looting as follows:

– 3.8 trillion Naira out of the 8.1 trillion Naira earned from crude oil (2012-2015) withheld by NNPC

– 2.1 billion US dollars from Excess Crude Account unaccounted for

– Department of Petroleum Resources’ unremitted 109.7 billion Naira royalty from oil firms

– 6 billion US dollars allegedly looted by some Ministers of the last Administration

– 160 million barrels of crude worth 13.9 billion US dollars lost between 2009 and 2012

– 15 million US dollars from botched arms deal yet to be returned to Nigeria

– 13 billion US dollars​ in NLNG dividends mostly unaccounted for

– 30 billion Naira rice waiver​

– 183 billion naira​ unaccounted for at the NDDC.

The party said the listed “missing” funds constituted just a tip of the iceberg since they are mostly from a few sectors of the economy, mostly the oil sector, and were discovered even before the forensic audit now being undertaken in some key areas.

It added: “The level of looting that went on in other sectors is better imagined, hence the need for all Nigerians to rally around the Buhari Administration to recover the loots, bring the looters to justice and to put in place measures to prevent such looting in the future.”

Four dead, six rescued as Bristow helicopter plunges into Lagos lagoon

Four passengers onboard a Bristow helicopter service died after the chopper, returning from an oil rig, plunged into the lagoon in Lagos State on Wednesday.

The accident occurred at the Oworoshoki area of Lagos State.
The helicopter was said to have at least 12 passengers, including the pilot and co-pilot, when it crashed into the water at the Third Mainland Bridge part of the city.
The crash occurred behind the Oworoshoki Police Station.
It was however not clear what led to the accident as residents said there was a loud bang before the chopper crashed.
The pilots and passengers were believed to have been returning from Escravos in Delta State to the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
An Air Traffic Controller said: “The helicopter with registration number 5N-BDG was said to be returning from the Escravos when the accident occurred.”
Fishermen, who first sighted the helicopter as it flew zigzag through the sky, noted that it appeared as if it had engine problem.
They said the helicopter made a shuddering noise and then plunged into the lagoon.
According to the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Patricia Amadin, the crash occurred around 4pm.
At about 5pm, rescue teams made up of the Police, National Emergency Management Agency and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency had brought out four corpses and rescued six passengers.
Amadin said: “The helicopter belongs to Bristow helicopter. We believe that 12 passengers were on board. Our men and NEMA officials have rescued six people and brought out four corpses. For now, we don’t know the identity of the rescued or dead. We also don’t know whether they are foreigners or Nigerians. The search for more passengers is still on.”
Among the rescued passengers, two were seriously injured and were immediately rushed to Afolabi Hospital, located at New Garage, Bariga.
Other wounded passengers were taken to Gbagada General Hospital.
As at the time of filing this report, nobody could ascertain the cause of the crash.
Officials of LASEMA said the helicopter was seen nose diving into the lagoon before the crash.
One of them said: “We have to ensure that we are able to rescue lives.
“We will get back to you once we are through.”
The spokesman for the South West, Ibrahim Farinloye, said: “No distress call was sent to NEMA alert system from the chopper, but rescue agencies are on their way to the scene of the incident. Three dead bodies recovered so far. Two injured have been taken to Afolabi Hospital. Another injured person is receiving treatment at the General Hospital.”
The Accident Investigation Bureau said investigation into the cause of the crash had started.
Spokesman for the AIB, Tunji Oketunbi, said it was too early to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the crash of the chopper but could not get details of the accident.
The AIB is already collaborating with relevant agencies to commence investigations into the cause of the crash.
A statement by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that a Bristow Helicopter with registration number 5N – BDG – 760540 en route from one of the nation’s Oil Rigs crashed at Oworonshoki in Lagos.
The statement, signed by NCAA’s spokesman, Fan Ndubuoke, said the helicopter was scheduled to arrive Lagos at 15.35 pm and had 12 passengers on board, including the crew.
He said: “At present, officials of the Accident Investigation Bureau, National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigeria Police are at the site, providing rescue operation for the victims. While this is ongoing, further details will be communicated as appropriate.”
Before Wednesday’s accident, a Bristow-owned helicopter had crashed inside an ExxonMobil facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on August 3, 2007.
Another crash involving Bristow Helicopters occurred on July 14, 2011 in Port Harcourt.
Bristow operates commercial helicopter flights in Lagos State and some other locations in Nigeria.
Its services at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos originates from the General Aviation Area of the airport and terminates on the Island.
The company also operates from the Nigerian Air Force Base, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Shoreline Logistics Base, Old NPA Port, Marina Road, Calabar, Cross River State; and Aruakpor-Umar Community, Uvwie Local Government Area of Warri in Delta State.
It services include helicopter transportation to the offshore oil and gas industry, Search and Rescue services, helicopter maintenance, modification or repair and helicopter pilot training.
It head office is at the General Aviation Area, Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, Lagos.