Breaking news... Millitary coup in Turkey

The Turkish military has announced it has taken control and overthrown the government of Recep Erdogan as troops round up police and attack the capital Ankara.

“We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told NTV television by telephone, without expanding on the nature of the move but saying it was by a group in the Turkish military.

“Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price,” he added, saying it would not be correct to describe the move as a “coup”.

The Turkish military on Friday said that it had launched a coup, in what the prime minister termed an illegal act aimed at usurping the authorities.

Soldiers were seen on the streets in Istanbul and Ankara as jets flew low overhead, while ordinary citizens rushed for the safety of their homes after witnessing the coup attempt.

“The power in the country has been seized in its entirety,” said a military statement quoted by Turkish media.

It said the move had been made “in order to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms and let the supremacy law in the country prevail, to restore order which was disrupted.”

“All our international agreements and commitments retain their validity. We hope our good relations will continue with all countries in the world.”

Television pictures showed tanks deployed outside Ataturk airport in Istanbul. Reports said that flights into the airport had been halted.

AFP correspondents said that Istanbul had been turned into a ghost town after the events, with people who had been outside for a Friday night rushing to the safety of their homes.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday denounced what he said was an “illegal attempt” by elements in the military.

“We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt,” he told NTV television by telephone, without expanding on the nature of the move but saying it was by a group in the Turkish military.

“Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price,” he added, saying it would not be correct to describe the move as a “coup”.

Turkey has a history of coups with governments ousted on three occasions in the last decades by full military coups.

However analysts had usually assumed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had good relations with the military.

There has been no comment from Erdogan so far.

But presidential sources said: “This is an attack against Turkish democracy. A group within the Armed Forces has made an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government outside the chain of command.

“The statement made on behalf of the Armed Forces wasn’t authorised by the military command. We urge the world to stand in solidarity with the Turkish people,” the sources added.

Turkey’s top general was taken hostage at the military headquarters in the capital Ankara after the attempt to bring down the government, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

“General Hulusi Akar has been taken hostage by a group in the military who attempted an uprising,” the agency said citing “credible sources”.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hoped for “peace and continuity” in Turkey.

Turkish security forces on Friday partially shut down the two bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul as military jets were heard flying low over Ankara, reports and AFP correspondents said.

The Bosphorus and Fatih bridges were closed by the gendarmerie — a branch of the Turkish military dedicated to internal security — for traffic travelling from Asia to Europe, NTV television said.

TRAGEDY... Fire guts the popular GSM market in Kano

Sabon Gari Market in Kano on fire

Fire has razed down no fewer than 44 shops at the popular Farm Centre GSM market in Kano metropolis on Friday.

Eyewitness and one of the shop owners disclosed in Kano on Friday that the incident happened around 530pm when most of traders had closed for business.
According to the witness, the fire which destroyed phones and other valuables worth millions of Naira, was said to have been caused by a spark from a converter supplying power to some of the shops.
The source said though no life was lost, but no fewer than 44 shops were destroyed by the inferno.
When contacted, the Director of the state Fire Service Alhaji Mustapha Rulwan confirmed the incident.
He said a total of 44 wooden shops were razed by the inferno.
“We received distress call around 5: 20pm and we immediately mobilised our personnel to the area.
“We were able to put out the fire within 45 minutes, ”he said.
He said it was an inverter that was being used by some of the traders that caused the inferno as most of the affected shops were made of wood and zinc, ”he added.
This is the second time the market was gutted by fire in the last eight months.

The Taraba State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has asked it’s members to stop going to classes, starting from Wednesday, as it has declared an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries for the past three months.

The union said the strike action may last until when the state government shows “sincere commitments” to clearing the backlog of wages.

The union also wants the government to stop “illegal deductions” noticed during the payment of workers salaries in recent past.

The chairman of the union, Aliyu Jauro Mafindi, who announced this on Monday at a media briefing in Jalingo, the state capital, recalled that the union had recently embarked upon on a three-day warning strike which it later suspended as government called the union officials for talks.

Mr. Madindi said that the decision to go on an indefinite strike was taken after the state exco of the union convened a meeting on Monday to deliberate on the way forward after its unsuccessful post warning strike dialogues with the state government representatives.

“After the suspension of the strike, government side representatives were expected to see His Excellency, the governor, with the agreement for his consideration and possible approval, but since then there was no any serious action or committal statement from the side of the government,” Mr. Mafindi said.

He declared: “At the exco meeting, it was unanimously resolved that all teachers in public primary schools in Taraba State should immediately proceed on an indefinite strike action until further notice”.

A serial rapist and cultists arrested as residents of Isolo Jubilates

Isolo Lagos Residents in Wild Jubilation as Police Arrests Notorious Cultist, Alleged Rapist

A notorious cultist and rapist who had been terrorizing the Isolo and Ilasamaja areas of Lagos metropolis for a very long time, has being finally arrested.

The Lagos State police command has put an end to the reign of a notorious cult member and serial rapist simply identified as Wasiu, which made residents of Isolo and Ilasamaja environs of the metropolis erupt with wild jubilation as the suspect had been terrorizing the area for a very long time.

A resident, who refused to be named told The Guardian that, “Four months ago, he raped a 14-year-old girl. He locked up the girl in his room from 9.00a.m. to 8.00p.m., while the girl was repeatedly beaten and raped before she was later released.”

It was gathered that Wasiu was arrested by operatives of Ilasa Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Oriyomi Oluwasanmi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), following a series of complaints from concerned residents.

“He is a known cult member, who is a terror to the community. You needed to see jubilation by members of the community waving goodbye to him and telling him never to come back. He has been a terror,” a member of residents’ association said.

The Lagos Police spokesman, Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the arrest said, “he’s been arrested and detained for rape. He is currently undergoing interrogation with our gender desk unit. I can assure you he would be prosecuted in court.”

EXERCISE ROCKFALL COMMENCES IN KADUNA

In their bid to always remain on top the game on the fight against insurgency and maintaining the territorial integrity of the nation, protect lives and properties,
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Regiment personnel commenced Rappelling Refresher Exercise on Friday in Kaduna.

The 8-day exercise is code-named EXERCISE ROCKFALL and the objective is to sharpen the professional skills of rappellers in the NAF for operational efficiency through training and retraining.

A total of 31 airmen and an officer are participating in the exercise.

Nigerian Army Colonel, Wins 6 Awards In US War College Graduation

Nigerian Army Colonel, Wins 6 Awards In US War College Graduation

A Nigerian Army officer, Charles Nengite, a colonel, at the weekend, beat 380 other postgraduate students to the top position at the U.S. War College (USAWC), Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The information was obtained from the college website, posted on Monday.
Mr. Nengite’s performance was the best by any foreigner in 38 years in the college, the information added.

In one of several letters conveying his choice for the various awards, the Commandant of the college, Maj.-Gen. William Rapp, described Mr. Nengite’s performance as “arguably one of the best in the international fellows programmes at the USAWC”.

Mr. Rapp also said at the graduation ceremony of the college that Nigeria should be proud of Mr. Nengite and his compatriot in the Masters of Strategic Studies class, Col. Timothy Shipi.

He said “Shipi performed brilliantly”.
The breakdown obtained from the school’s website indicated that at the graduation of the 2015 class, Col. Nengite bagged six awards for outstanding performance in different courses.
He earned the Distinguished Graduate award reserved for the top five fellows in his class of 381 and also the Commandant’s award for distinction in research.


Mr. Nengite also received the USAWC recognition award for innovation in SHARP – Sexual Harassment and Response Programme and articulated a seminal paper – “I am your friend campaign’’ – strategy under the SHARP.

SHARP is considered of significant importance to the U.S. Army.

Mr. Nengite also received the 2nd best speaker award in the speaking competition in the 2016 class made up of 302 Americans and 79 other nationals in 73 other countries.

The Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Gen. Mark Milley, who presided over the ceremony, told the audience that graduands of the college proceeded to occupy strategic leadership positions.

The USAWC was founded in 1901 to specifically cater for the strategic leadership training needs of the U.S. military.

Some of the prominent servicemen who had gone through USAWC in the past were President Muhammadu Buhari, Collin Powell, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Norman Schwarzkopf.

(NAN)

PALACE COUP ON PDP AS SHERIFF RECAPTURES PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN SEAT

PDP crisis is far from being settled. This was put to bare when the ousted former National Chairman of PDP,   Senator Ali Modu Sheriff armed with court injuction stormed the PDP National PARTY Headquarters to assume his Seat as National Chairman of the Party. 

Sherif finally  gained entrance into the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja to take over as the party Chairman.

For now, Mr Sheriff has ‘overthrown’ Ahmed Makarfi who was elected has the Caretaker Chairman

The Police had earlier prevented Mr. Sheriff from entering into the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza at Wuse.

He however left and reportedly went to see the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

He later returned to the secretariat and is currently in the office of the national chairman.

He claimed he remains the party’s national chairman and had come to resume office in line with a ruling by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

He described the party national caretaker committee led by Makarfi as “illegal.’’