Lagos state police warns owners of parked vehicles along the Marathon route to move them away or have them  towed

The Lagos State Police command has warned owners of parked vehicles along the Marathon route to move them away or have them towed.

In a statement released on Thursday, the PPRO, SP Chike Oti said; 

In view of the upcoming  Lagos state marathon taking place on Saturday 10th February, 2018, the Lagos State Police Command hereby warn all those who parked their vehicles along the Marathon route to move them away or have them  towed by the traffic managers with its attendant consequence.
 

Police warns protesters planning to..............

Police warns protesters planning to protest the increase in toll gate fees on Friday, says they will not standby  and watch protesters take laws into hands

The Lagos state police command has released a statement warning citizens planning to protest the recent increase in tollgate fees.
According to them, they recognize the rights of citizens to carry out peaceful protests but warn that they will not stand by to watch protesters take laws into their hands. Read the statement below...
It has come to the knowledge of the Lagos State Police Command that some residents of Lekki/Ajah areas of the  state are planning to protest the increase in toll fare by the management of Lekki Toll Plaza.
While the Command recognizes the right of citizens to carry out peaceful protest, the police will not standby  and watch protesters take laws into hands nor allow miscreants to hijack the protest.
The Command is using this opportunity to  inform and warn the group planning this  protest for tomorrow, Friday, the  9th of February, 2018, not to block the Highway, the  Expressway or any road for that matter.
All those who want to participate in the  protest must organize themselves in a peaceful  manner in line with public protection and assembly law.
The Command would not hesitate to use reasonable force to prevent any group of persons from blocking the road or breaching the public peace.
The Command however, wishes advise  all to go about their lawful business peacefully on the Island and indeed every part of the state as adequate security is in place throughout the state

Mozambique deports over 50 Ethiopians who entered the country illegally

Mozambique has deported more than 50 Ethiopians who entered the country illegally, in some cases after a six-week journey. All of them were detained in December after 40 were found in the bush in the central district of Gorongosa, and the others were arrested in other parts of the country.

They had made the long overland journey from Ethiopia, via Kenya and Tanzania, saying there in search of jobs and better living conditions. Some of the Ethiopians said they had been travelling for six weeks. One, Simion Sidebo, said he had paid more than $3,000 (£2,100) to transporters.

Mozambican National Immigration Services spokeswoman Cira Fernandes said the Ethiopians had no passports or other documents. Repatriations were costly: last year, the government spent more than $200,000 repatriating nearly 4,000 undocumented migrants, she said.

However, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) agreed to carry the cost of deporting the latest batch, she said.  They flew back to Ethiopia from the capital, Maputo, and the IOM will help them "start up small-scale businesses to avoid becoming illegal immigrants again", Ms Fernandes said.

Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth of Nations 5-years after it withdrew

Gambia is rejoining the Commonwealth, almost five years after it withdrew under the rule of ex President Yahya Jammeh who branded it a "neo-colonial institution".

The occasion will be marked at the Commonwealth's headquarters in London later today.

President Adama Barrow applied for The Gambia's readmission to the body soon after he took office last January. The Gambia will be the fourth country to return to the Commonwealth - after South Africa, Pakistan and Fiji.

Jammeh clashed with the Commonwealth over his government's poor human rights record.  Mr Barrow has sought to improve The Gambia's relationship with Western governments, and to secure much-needed funding to tackle poverty and unemployment.

"Peaceful transition of power in Africa is no longer negotiable" - President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari said political transitions in Africa must be properly managed to safeguard countries from slipping into crises that slow down economic growth, and row citizens into avoidable hardships.

In a ceremony to rve Letters of Credence at the Presidential Villa, President Buhari told the Ambassador of the Republic of Togo, Mr. Lene Dimban, that peaceful transitions on the African continent were no longer negotiable, considering the heavy toll of political crises on the economy and ordinary citizens.

“At this stage in ECOWAS, we are working on consolidating our relationships to ensure that we bequeath a safe and secure region to the next generation by ensuring peace transitions,’’ he said.

The President said the political challenges faced in some African countries, like South Sudan, usually spiraled into neighboring countries, leaving the entire continent more vulnerable and forcing governments to channel meager resources into fighting internal crisis.

President Buhari said his administration will work hard with other ECOWAS Heads of State to prevent political transitions from snowballing into crisis so that citizens in the region can focus their energies and resources on developmental issues, rather than trying to survive political upheavals.

The President, who also received Letters of Credence from the Ambassadors of the Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan and the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Emmanuel Mpfayokurera, assured the countries that Nigeria will keep working hard to improve on its diplomatic relationships, and build more progressive partnerships.

President Buhari congratulated the ambassadors on their posting to Nigeria. In his remark, the Ambassador of Togo said Nigeria and Togo played a major role in the formation of ECOWAS, adding that both countries must remain central in promoting peace and stability in the region.

“As a big brother, Nigeria has an important role to play in securing and stabilizing the region, and we will always look up to you,’’ he said.