lagos—A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi and six others, Uche Obilor, yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos how his three companies were paid N905.8million, by NIMASA under Akpobolokemi , for a contract he did not execute.

On the road to middle class: A look back and a look ahead for Ghana. Vasco Molini discusses how Ghana’s poverty rate has fallen and how the country can sustain.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, yesterday, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has so far recovered more than $2 trillion (about N400trn at current exchange rate) looted from the national treasury.

The Group for Consolidation of Democracy (GCD), has called on the Supreme Court critically look into the governorship case of Taraba Governorship election which is before it before delivering a “judgement that will not further polarise the state”.

LAGOS — The International Criminal Court, ICC, at The Hague has confirmed that it is considering petition submitted to it by a human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, over alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of the arms procurement scandal.

BENIN—There was pandemonium in Benin, yesterday, as an explosion destroyed about five houses in Sakponba area of Edo State capital city.

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday, denied alleged involvement in the seizing and threat to blowing up a merchant ship carrying foreigners.

The World Health Organisation has declared the Zika virus an international public health emergency, prompted by growing concern that it could cause birth defects. Until recently, global health officials paid little attention to the Zika virus that circulated in the same regions as Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. It is estimated that four million people could be infected by the end of the year. Pregnant women have been urged not to travel to about 24 countries, mostly in the Caribbean and Latin America, where the outbreak is growing. Zika infection appears to be linked to the development of unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns.

ABUJA—THE Minister of State for Petroleum/Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe. Kachikwu, yesterday said the Federal Government did not pay any subsidy on petroleum products in January 2016.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari should stop chasing shadows and concentrate on providing good governance and dividends of democracy to Nigerians as he promised,” said Mike, a commuter in the CMS-bound vehicle this Monday morning as the radio presenters talked about the huge amounts of money missing from Nigeria’s treasury.

The League of Patriotic Lawyers has said that the decision of a human rights activist Mr. Femi Falana ,SAN, to drag former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and others to the International Court of Justice, is a move in the right direction.

STRASBOURG (France)— PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said, yesterday, that Nigeria was using minimum force in fighting Boko Haram insurgents in obvious respect for fundamental human rights of persons in the theatre of operations.

Chairman Ellu Town Union, Warri Branch, Mr Thomas Omoviye, has appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State not to scrap the Oleh campus of Delta State University, Abraka.

Warri Progressive Forum, WPF, has urged the member representing Warri South I Constituency in Delta State House of Assembly, Mrs Omawumi Udoh, to key into the SMART agenda of the state government so as to better the lives of her constituents.

CHAIRMAN, Governing Council, Delta State School of Health Technology, Ofuoma-Ughelli, Dr. Nelson Ejakpovi, has charged host communities to partner institutions of higher learning in the development process of schools in their areas.