NEWS
Customs Appoints Two New Management Staff, Redeploys Four Others

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Adewale Adeniyi has approved the appointment of two management staff and the redeployment of four others.
The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Chief Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada announced this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.
Adeniyi said that the appointments of the Deputy Comptrollers General (DCG) and Assistant Comptrollers General (ACG) were part of efforts to reinvigorate the service for efficient service delivery and in response to recent retirements.
He said that the appointment of the two management staff, who were in acting capacity, and the deployment of the four others were aimed at fortifying strategic operations and optimising service delivery across various departments.
“The newly appointed management members are poised to steer the NCS towards enhanced efficiency and effectiveness.
“Their diverse expertise and proven track records are expected to inject fresh momentum into critical areas such as revenue generation, anti-smuggling, and trade facilitation, “ he said.
The customs boss commended the appointees for their good track record of duty and urged them to embrace their new roles with renewed commitment.
He emphasised the pivotal role of the NCS in advancing national interests and urged the appointees to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and service delivery.
He reiterated the service commitment to safeguarding the nation’s economic interests, fostering international trade, and ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks.
The C-G assured that the strategic reinforcement of the service leadership was aimed at navigating evolving challenges and taking advantage of opportunities for growth and development.
According to the statement, the new appointees include: J.P. Ajoku, DCG Strategic Research and Policy; B.M. Jibo, Ag. DCG Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives; I.Q. Ogbudu, ACG Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives.
Others are I.O. Babalola, ACG/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘B’; H.J. Swomen, ACG/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘A’ and F.A. Abdulazeez, Ag. ACG/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘D’.
NEWS
Court Remands Man Over Alleged Shop Burgling, Escape from Custody

A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, on Wednesday, remanded Mubarak Ajadi, 18, in Agodi Correctional Centre for allegedly breaking into some shops and stealing N20,000.Ajadi pleaded not guilty when the five-count charge of breaking in, malicious damage, stealing and escape from lawful custody, were read to him.
Report says that the defendant, who was unable to meet the terms of the N100,000 bail, was later remanded in custody. The Magistrate, Mrs O.O. Latunji had admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.Latunji said that the two sureties must be blood relations.She subsequently adjourned the case until July 3 for hearing.Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Oluseye Akinola, had told the court that the defendant committed the offences on June 10, at 1:30 a.m., at Iyemetu-Aladorin, opposite Floreb Hotel, Ibadan, Oyo State.Akinola said that Ajadi broke into the shops of three traders; Funke Adeniji, Iyabo Olatunji and Omobolanle Folorunso.According to the prosecutor, the defendant stole a cash sum of N20,000 from the shop of Olatunji and damaged the sealing of Folorunso’s shop before gaining access into it.He said that the total cost of the damaged ceiling was N20,000.Akinola said that the defendant was eventually caught by members of the vigilante group guarding the shops.The prosecutor also stated that the defendant escaped from lawful custody by jumping over the fence of Iyemetu’s police station while he was still being interrogated.He said that the offences contravened the provisions of Section 412, 390 (9) 356 and 42 of the Criminal Code , Cap 38, Vol. ii Law of Oyo State ,2000. (NAN)NEWS
17 Police Officers Injured in 2nd Night of Ballymena Riots

Seventeen police officers have been injured following a second consecutive night of sustained violence in Ballymena, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed.PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned that the ongoing rioting “risks undermining” the criminal justice process into an alleged sexual assault involving a teenage girl in the County Antrim town over the weekend.
Stormont ministers issued an urgent appeal for calm, insisting that the justice process must be allowed to run its course. In a joint statement, ministers from across the power-sharing executive said those involved in the disorder “have nothing to offer society but division and destruction.”Police reported that officers came under sustained attack for several hours, with petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks, and fireworks being thrown at them in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night.Riot police were deployed, with officers using plastic baton rounds, water cannon, and dog units to try to disperse the crowds.Sporadic disorder was also reported in Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, and north Belfast.The violence followed a peaceful protest earlier in the week, held in support of the family of a girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted in the area.Two teenage boys have been charged in connection with the case and spoke to the court via a Romanian interpreter.During Tuesday night’s unrest in Ballymena, multiple businesses and homes were damaged, and several vehicles were set on fire. Police confirmed that:Seventeen officers were injured, with some requiring hospital treatment.Five individuals were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in custody.One male was arrested for disorderly behaviour on O’Neill Road in Newtownabbey.Roads in affected areas were temporarily closed to ensure public safety but have since been reopened.Fifteen officers were also injured during similar violence in Ballymena on Monday night. (dpa/NAN)Foreign News
Pope Leo Prays for Victims of Austrian School Shooting

Pope Leo XIV said on Wednesday that he was praying for the victims of the mass shooting in a school in the Austrian city of Graz.
“I would like to express my prayers for the victims of the tragedy at the Graz school,” Leo said during his weekly audience in the Vatican.
Leo added that he is keeping the families, teachers, and fellow pupils in his thoughts.
According to police, a 21-year-old former pupil at the school entered the grounds on Tuesday and opened fire, killing 10 pupils aged between 15 and 17 as well as a teacher.
He then shot himself.
Eleven people remain in the hospital, most of them in intensive care.
All are now reported to be in a stable condition.
Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people. (dpa/NAN)