Plane Crashes, Pilot, Passenger Dead

A small plane crashed in a West Texas neighbourhood, killing the pilot and a passenger and setting off a large fire on the ground that injured a woman, authorities said.

Witnesses said the plane struggled to gain altitude after taking off from an Odessa airport and then struck a power line before crashing in an alley at about 7 a.m., according to authorities. Both people aboard the plane died.

“It’s obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses,” Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said. The large fire on the ground came after a couple of explosions after the plane crash, he said.

In addition to a couple of mobile homes, some outbuildings in backyards also caught on fire, said Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton. The woman who was injured had to be rescued from one of the burning mobile homes and was taken to a hospital, he said. There was also damage to vehicles, fences and a restaurant in the city of about 114,000.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the pilot as Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, of the Houston suburb of Bellaire, and the passenger as Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, of Orange, which is east of Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna Citation business jet. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

SOURCE: AP News

Alleged fraud: Anti-graft Agency arrests Kwankwaso, Perm Sec, ALGON Chairman, others

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, has arrested Garba Musa Kwankwaso, a nephew to the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, presidential candidate, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, the Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Kano State chapter, over their alleged involvement in a drug supply fraud to the 44 local government areas.

The agency earlier picked Alhaji Mohammed Kabawa, the Permanent Secretary of the State’s Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs over the alleged multi-billion Naira drug supply scam, then went ahead to arrest others involved in the alleged deal. Also arrested by the commission is the Chairman of the state branch of ALGON, Abdullahi Bashir, who is also the chairman of Tauroni LGA.

The suspects were accused of connivance to award the Contract to Novomed Pharmaceuticals for the supply of drugs to 38 local government areas in the state, violating public procurement laws. Preliminary investigations, according to the Commission, revealed that each of the 38 local governments paid N9.1 million to Novomed for the procurement of drugs, but the drugs were not supplied.

DAILY POST findings also revealed that Musa Garba Kwankwaso, Managing Director of Novomed, who is also nephew to Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso was also arrested. All the suspects are said to be cooperating with the commission’s investigation team.

The Public Relations Officer of the commission, Kabiru I. Kabiru, confirmed the arrests, adding investigation was ongoing. Kabiru said that the commission was working to unravel the full extent of the scam and bring those responsible to justice. He also confirmed that the suspects were in the commission’s custody as of the time of filing this report.

SOURCE: Dailypost