Ebola virus: New case emerges in Sierra Leone

                                                                                           AFP

Health officials in Sierra Leone have confirmed a death from Ebola, hours after the World Health Organization declared the West Africa outbreak over.

The country was declared free of the virus on 7 November, and the region as a whole was cleared when Liberia was pronounced Ebola-free on Thursday.

But two tests conducted on a person who died in northern Sierra Leone proved positive for the virus, an Ebola test centre spokesman said.

The death occurred earlier this week.

Ebola test centre spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis said that the patient had died in the Tonkolili district. He had travelled there from Kambia, close to the border with Guinea.

The tests were conducted by British health experts. A reporter in the capital Freetown said health officials were now urgently seeking those who had come into contact with the victim.

Close to 4,000 people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone, and 11,000 people across the region, since December 2013.

In declaring West Africa clear after the recent outbreak on Thursday, the WHO warned that the area was susceptible to small flare-ups of the virus.

Liberia was the last country to see the end of active transmission of Ebola. But it had been declared clear twice before, only for the infection to re-emerge.

A country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a second time.

With BBC News

Ondo police arrest 150 suspected Boko Haram members

Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase

The Punch, Men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested 150 middle-aged men suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

The suspects, who were in possession of arms and ammunition, were being conveyed in a truck with registration number Kano NSR 97 XZ before they were intercepted by the policemen at Lipakala Junction in Ondo town.

The truck was heading towards Ore, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state .

The suspects were initially detained at the Fagun Police Division before they were transferred to the headquarters of the command in Akure, the state capital.

Some of the items found inside the vehicle of the suspects included locally-made guns, knives, cutlasses and several torch lights .

One of the suspects, who identified himself as Abdulahi Sheriff, claimed that they were not Boko Haram members but farmers coming from Benin-Kebbi to seek greener pasture in Ore town.

He added that their relocation from the North was due to the harsh and dry season in their area which had negatively affected their activities as farmers.

The police spokesperson in the state, Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the arrest, told our correspondent that the suspects claimed they were not terrorists but farmers who were travelling from Kebbi State to work in Ondo State.

Joseph said, “We discovered in our findings that the men are not Boko Haram members. Some of them engage in trading while some of them were going to Ore to do menial jobs. There is nothing that indicated that they are members of Boko Haram.”

On the issue of arms found in their vehicle, the Police Public Relations Officer explained that some of the suspects who were hunters were the owners of the guns and other weapons.

The police spokesperson, however, said the suspects would not be released until the command completed investigation into the matter.

He said, “We have to be completely sure that they are not members of the Boko Haram sect before we can allow them to go.”

Budget: PDP wants NASS to commence impeachment process against Buhari

Nigerian Tribune, The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, called on  the National Assembly to commence impeachment process against President Muhammadu Buhari, for the various constitutional breaches he had committed since his assumption of office, especially the submission of two versions of the 2016 appropriation Bill before the National Assembly.

This was contained in a statement signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja, by the party’s acting national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, after an emergency meeting of the NWC on Thursday night.

The party said the National Assembly should thoroughly investigate the shameful act, including the distortion and banding of figures and ensure appropriate sanctions.

The party also asked the ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning to resign, having failed to provide the much needed capacity in the management of the nation’s economy, resulting in the embarrassing crashing of the nation’s currency to as low as N305 to a dollar.

Also, the party asked the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to resign, for plunging the country’s currency policy into chaos.

It lamented that the APC government, rather than address grievous national issues, had, instead, resorted to violation of peoples rights in the name of fighting corruption.”

It noted in particular, the continued detention of its spokesperson, Chief Olisa Metuh, for nearly 10 days in clear breach of his fundamental human rights.

DasukiGate: How Metuh transferred N21m to Anenih

The Nation, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that a former Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anthony Anenih, benefited from the N400million allegedly received by the party’s spokesman, Olisa Metuh.

EFCC accused Metuh of receiving the N400m from “an unlawful activity” of the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki.

The commission said its investigation also revealed that Metuh allegedly transferred $2million, through one of his agents, Nneka Nicole Ararume, to Sie Iyenome and Kabiru Ibrahim of Capital Field Investment, an organisation it found not to be a financial institution.

These are contained in a seven-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016, filed yesterday by  EFCC, against Metuh and his company – Destra Investment s Limited – before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The EFCC was silent on why Metuh gave Anenih N21,776,000 and for what purpose.

The commission, which was also silent on what investment Metuh made with the $1m, said it will lead evidence to that effect at trial.

EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) said the commission will arraign Metuh on the charge once the court indicates its readiness.

Also yesterday, Justice Okon Abang of the Fedarl High Court, Abuja rejected

Metuh’s application to compel the EFCC to immediately respond to his fundermental rights enforcement suit.

Justice Abang, in a ruling, said the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules allow a respondent five days to respond.

He rejected the application by Metuh’s lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), to abridge the time within which the EFCC could file its response to his (Metuh’s) suit.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Ltd on or about November 24, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court took possession of the sum of N400m paid into the account of Destra Investments Ltd with Diamond Bank Plc account number 0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.

Metuh and his company are in count two accused of Converting the “N400m which sum was transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award, which you claim to have received for political activities of the Peoples Democratic Party when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption and thereby committed an offence to Section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”

They are in count three accused of retaining the N400m “on behalf of PDP for its campaign activities by concealing the fund in your account with Diamond Bank Plc when ought to have known that such funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary  to section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012)”

They are in count four said to have “sometime between November 2014 and March 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, having reason to know that an aggregate sum of N400m, directly represented proceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) in respect of the said amount used the said fund for the campaign activities of the Peoples Democratic Party and other purposes and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act.”

Metuh and his company are accused, in count five, of making a cash payment of $1m around December 2, 2014 “through your agent, Nneka Nicole Ararume, to one Kabiru Ibrahim of Capital Field Investments,  a non-financial institution,  and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”.

In count six, the duo are accused of making “a cash payment, through your agent, Nicole Ararume, to one Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investment, to the tune of $1m and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”

In count seven, the duo are said to have transferred “N21,776,000, being part of the sum of N400m which directly represented the unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, the then National Security Adviser, to wit: breach of trust and corruption, to Chief Tony Anenih and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.”

In an earlier proceedings, Justice Abang, after listening to arguments from Adedipe and Jacobs, in relation whether he could abridge the time for EFCC to respond to Metuh’s fundamental rights application, held that Adedipe was wrong to have attempted to stampede the EFCC to respond to Metuh’s suit.

The judge observed that since the law allows a respondent in a fundamental rights application to respond within five days, his court could not compel the EFCC to respond before the five days, having been served on January 13.

The judge, in a ruling, allowed EFCC to have its five days and adjourned till January 20 for the hearing of Metuh’s main fundamental rights enforcement suit.

Manchester United Transfer News: Islam Slimani Linked With Move to Old Trafford

Manchester United needs a striker to help Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, and it may have found a solution in an Algeria international.

The Sun Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. United has not had a natural goalscorer since.

Its greatest in the 21st century, of course, was Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in five seasons at United, the vast majority of which were struck from close range.

Slimani has a long road to travel before he can ever be considered in the same breath as Van Nistelrooy, but he does appear to be what United needs to jog itself from its moribund ways. This would be a fine move for all concerned.