Ex-Governor of old Kaduna state, Lawal Kaita, is dead

Ex-Gov of old Kaduna State, Lawal Kaita, is dead*

Former Governor of old Kaduna State, Lawal Kaita, has died. He passed away on Tuesday at 86. Circumstances surrounding his death were still sketchy at press time, other than that he died in Abuja about 5 p.m. A security aide at his Katsina GRA residence said family members were still being expected as at 8 p.m on Tuesday for burial arrangements.

Another source said the late governor is expected to be buried in Katsina on Wednesday. Kaita was governor of defunct Kaduna State from October to December 1983. The late governor had health challenges late last year, a development which made him to be admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, for some time.

Meanwhile, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has expressed sadness over Kaita’s death. Governor Masari, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, described the deceased as one of the most accommodating, generous and refined politicians the nation has produced.

Marketers insist petrol can't sell for N145 per litre

: *Marketers insist petrol can’t sell for N145 per litre*

Fuel marketers on Tuesday insisted that they could no longer import Premium Motor Spirit at a control price of N145 per litre. They also said they were not responsible for the recent scarcity of the product witnessed across the country.

The Chairman of Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Dapo Abiodun, disclosed these to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting stakeholders in the oil industry had with Federal Government’s delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The meeting which was held at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja was also attended by the heads of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Immigration Service as well as representatives of other paramilitary services. Abiodun said neither the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation nor the independent marketers could be blamed for the recent fuel scarcity.

Wike offers N200 million for information on Rivers New year day killers

: *Wike Offers N200 Million For Information On Rivers New Year Day Killers*

The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has announced N200 million reward for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the gunmen who killed several residents of the state who were returning from church on New Year Day. The police in the state said it was difficult to ascertain how many people died so far from the incident which happened in Omoku, a community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA) Local Government Area of the state.

But the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, who is an indigene of the state, said that 21 people were killed in the incident. Mr. Peterside, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, blamed the killing on a supremacy battle among rival cult groups and also accused Governor Wike of lacking the capacity to tackle the state’s security challenges.

“I have said it time and again that Governor Wike lacks the capacity and competence to guarantee the safety and security of Rivers people. It is unfortunate that over 1,000 persons have been killed in questionable circumstances in the last two years under his watch. He should stop playing politics with the lives of Rivers people and face governance,” Mr. Peterside said in a statement he sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

Police raid Badoo shrine, arrest suspected chief herbalist

: *Police Raid Badoo Shrine, Arrest Suspected Chief Herbalist*

The Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday announced a breakthrough in the fight against the menace of Badoo cult with the arrest of a suspected leader of the group and its chief herbalist, Fatai Adebayo alias Alese.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Edgal Imohimi, who led operatives to the shrine, located in Imosan Village, a suburb of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, said Adebayo, 34, administers oath on members of the group before they launch attacks.

After his arrest, the shrine was destroyed with the commissioner promising to provide more details about the arrest of the leader of the group and some other members on Thursday.

Egypt Grand Mufti endorses Bitcoin trading ban

*Egypt's Grand Mufti endorses Bitcoin trading ban*

Egypt's top imam has endorsed a ban on trading in Bitcoin by declaring it "forbidden" by Islam. Sheikh Shawki Allam, the Grand Mutfi, said the digital crypto-currency carried risks of "fraudulence, lack of knowledge, and cheating". The Grand Mufti said risks could arise because the virtual currency was not subject to surveillance by any centralised authority.

"Bitcoin is forbidden in Sharia as it causes harm to individuals, groups and institutions," the fatwa said, as reported by Egyptian daily Ahram. In August 2017, Egypt's first bitcoin exchange was opened. The crypto-currency was declared illegitimate by the authorities last month. An adviser to the Grand Mufti, Magdy Ashour, told Egypt Today that Bitcoin was "used directly to fund terrorists".

Last month, a New York-based woman was charged with laundering Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies and wiring the money to help so-called Islamic State.

*Logan Paul: YouTuber 💻 apologises over Japan dead man video 📹*

 *Logan Paul: YouTuber 💻 apologises over Japan dead man video 📹*

An American YouTube star says he does not expect to be forgiven after he posted a video which showed the body of an apparent suicide victim in Japan.

The video showed Logan Paul and friends discovering the body in the Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji, known to be a frequent site of suicides.

It prompted a barrage of criticism online with some comments calling it "disrespectful" and "disgusting".

Logan Paul later apologised and said he was "misguided by shock and awe".

"I have made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement, and I don't expect to be forgiven," he said in a video apology posted to Twitter.

"I should have never posted the video. I should have put the cameras down and stopped recording what we were going through. There's a lot of things I should have done differently, but I didn't", he said.