O'Dimeji Blog

Leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, wrote the letter in which he apologised for unsavory remarks he made about President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and Igbo leaders, contrary to claims by IPOB and his lawyer. It was reported on Wednesday that Kanu had expressed regret for referring to President Muhammadu Buhari as a terrorist, evil and a paedophile in his radio broadcasts. Kanu, who said he intended to write a private letter to Buhari to express his apology to the President, also apologised to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Igbo elders for “some uncomplimentary things” he said about them. IPOB, his family, and lawyer, Vincent Obetta, however, denied that he apologised to anyone. Obetta claimed that the Federal Government was only trying undermine the 48-year-old and his cause. “ The government is using every instrument to puncture what we are doing ,” he said. Documents obtained from the court, ho...

The Gombe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Austin Iwar, disclosed this in Gombe on Thursday during his meeting with the officers of the command. It was part of the command’s activities to mark the remembrance of its falling heroes. “The officers died while fighting insurgency or while providing protective services to the citizenry. “They remain foremost in our minds because so many of us knew them and worked with them; they are part of a long legacy of bravery. “But no matter how they died, they died having bravely answered the call of duty. “On the days they paraded for duty, they answered yes to every assignment no matter the danger. “It has been said that all great things are simple and most can be expressed in a single word. Iwar said the officers they were remembering embodied the true meaning of what it meant to be a police officer.

Award-winning artiste, David “Davido” Adeleke, has left those accusing him of abducting his daughter, Imade, and denying his baby mama, Sophia Momodu, access to her daughter to God. The music star and his sister, Ashely, had on Tuesday been stopped from travelling to Dubai with the child by immigration officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in response to a petition by Momodu that the child had been abducted. Sophia’s lawyers had in a petition to the Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, alleged that the baby had been forcefully taken from her on July 11 at Ashley’s house in Lekki after she was tricked into going there. The petition also claimed that repeated efforts by Sophia to get her baby back since then were unsuccessful, leaving her to turn to friends and her cousin, Dele Momodu, for help. The Ovation Magazine publisher had accompanied Sophia to alert immigration officials, sparking a war of wo...

The authorities of the Kaduna Convict Prisonon Wednesday denied claims that the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, was in the prison. The Controller of the Kaduna Prisons, Abubakar Argungu, who denied the claims, however, said 191 members of the Islamic movement were in the custody of the prison. Argungu said, “We only have 191 followers of the Shi’ite sects in our custody. But we do not have their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky with us.” Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government said on Wednesday that it will soon name members of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the recent clash in Zaria between the Nigerian Army and Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky led Islamic Movement in Nigeria. The government said in a statement issued by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, that the composition and terms of reference of the proposed commission had been concluded. It add...

Mobile courts set up the Federal Road Safety Corps for end-of-the-year patrols have so far convicted 783 traffic offenders, the News Agency of Nigeria has reported. The FRSC said in a statement that 878 traffic offenders were arraigned before the 200 mobile courts it set up ahead of the Yuletide. It said that while 783 of them were convicted, 95 others were discharged. The Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi, had said two days before Christmas that the corps lost 204 personnel to hit-and-run drivers in the course of duty within the last two years. The Corps Marshall, who disclosed this at a press briefing on the “Ember months operations” in Abuja, explained that the deaths of the corps personnel highlighted the sacrifices of the agency in ensuring that road fatality was reduced to the barest minimum in the country. Oyeyemi, who gave the assurance that the FRSC was committed to ensuring safety of travellers during the Yuletide, warned traffic offenders that they would be puni...

The founder, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, has said that in spite of the current economic doldrums in the country, year 2016 will be a year of “all sufficiency” for Nigeria. Okonkwo, who admitted that all human economic theories and postulations were failing the world over, however admonished Nigerians put their hope of economic prosperity in God. The bishop, who said this in his New Year message made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, stressed the need for Nigerians to be prayerful and to keep hope alive, as they looked forward to a great future. According to him, the current socio-economic situation in the country demanded that “all Christians should trust God for all-round sufficiency in the coming year because daily, socio-economic theories and human postulations are falling apart before our very eyes.” He added, “It is no longer about being astute, skilled or being a professional but it is now all about God and Hi...

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Wednesday presented a proposed budget of about N85.1bn for the state in 2016. The sum represened N11.5bn or 12 per cent shortfall in the amount budgeted for 2015. The state’s 2015 budget was N96.7bn. “The decrease was necessitated by the realities of the times with respect to revenue inflow from the Federal Allocation,” the governor, who repeatedly emphasised the “lean” condition of the state’s purse, said in his budget speech on the floor of the state House of Assembly on Wednesday. Ugwuanyi bemoaned the impact of the economic downturn, occasioned by the drastic decline in crude oil price, on the state’s resources. The state’s share of allocations from the Federation Account had shrunk by about 50 per cent since 2014, according to the governor. He said the development was a major challenge in the government’s quest to provide infrastructure and quality services. “I wish to ...

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja submitted the report of the 2015 Hajj to the Federal Government and put the number of casualties involved in two tragic accidents at 280 while 43 have been declared missing. While receiving the report in his office, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, commended the chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Mohammed, and its entire board members for their exemplary performance in Saudi Arabia, especially during the tragedies that occurred during the Hajj. A statement by the Deputy Director of Press in the Office of the SGF, Bolaji Adebiyi, quoted Lawal as saying he was impressed with the conduct of the chairman in providing the government adequate and incontrovertible information about the crisis. He assured the commission that the report would receive the prompt attention of the government. Mohammed described the 2015 Hajj as “the most eventful in the history of Hajj operations in Nigeria,” ...

BARELY 24 hours after the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Chairman, Mr. Augustine Ahiamadu, was sacked, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has accused him of funding cultism. Wike specifically said that Ahiamadu’s funding of cult groups in ONELGA had led to the loss of lives and property in the area. The governor made this allegation on Wednesday while swearing in members of the Caretaker Committee of ONELGA and Etche. He explained that government would not stand and watch the “total” breakdown of law and order in a local government area. Wike pointed out that security reports indicated that it was imperative for the state government to intervene and enthrone the rule of law in the troubled area. “The Caretaker Committee of ONELGA, your priority should be to restore peace and security in your community. We must do everything humanly possible to improve security in the area. “You have to collaborate with security agencies to fight crime a...

The Federal Road Safety Corps has lost 204 personnel to hit-and-run drivers in the course of duty within two years. The corps lost 116 officers in 2014 while 88 others were killed by errant vehicle drivers in 2015, according to the Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi. The Corps Marshall who disclosed this at a press briefing on the “Ember months operations” on Wednesday in Abuja, explained that the deaths of the corps personnel highlighted the sacrifices of the agency in ensuring that road fatality is reduced to the barest minimum in the country. Oyeyemi stated that the corps had been able to reduce road crashes by about 39 per cent and fatality by 21 per cent at the background of the 2014/2015 operations outcome. Also, speed-related crashes, which he said stood at about 45 per cent of all causal factors were reduced by about 25 per cent within the same period. The FRSC boss expressed the corps’ commitment to ensuring safety of travellers during the Yuletide. He chall...

The Police Service Commission Committee on Public Complaint on Police Conduct has  commenced an investigation into alleged stealing and diversion of N1.8m by policemen attached to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command. The unnamed police officers were said to have taken away a car belonging to one Ikechukwu Nnamani in which the money was kept on September 30,2015, but the money was not recovered. A statement by the spokesman, Police Service Commission, Ikechukwu Ani on Wednesday in Abuja, said the PSC committee headed by retired Supreme Court Justice, Olufunlola Adekeye was looking into the allegations against the police team led by Vincent Ejeh, a superintendent of police. It read, “The Committee has also scheduled for investigation an alleged case of stealing and criminal diversion/conversion of N1.8million belonging to one Ikechukwu  Nnamani by the men of the Nigeria Police Force, FCT Command. “Mr. Nnamani in a petition by his Solicitors, I.C. Ejiofor...

Amobi said on Wednesday in Enugu that the abolition of such traditions would enable women to use land as collateral to obtain loans and either set up cottage industries or expand their businesses. She said, “Igbo women are very enterprising; they are very energetic. “And one of the reasons I am very passionate towards ensuring their empowerment and upliftment is also because they are constrained by customs. “Our culture and our tradition constrains them from really achieving their full potential. “Everything, from inheritance to land ownership, our system is very patrimonial. “And we have to at least in this day and age be able to relax more of those cultures and those customs. “And also appreciate the fact that women are the engine of development especially at therural level and we should give them all the support and encouragement they require.’’ According to him, research has revealed that women have the highest success rate of m...

The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, has approved the promotion of 558 teachers in police primary and secondary schools across the country. It was learnt that the promotion, which takes immediate effect, was meant to address the complaints among the teaching staff and also to motivate them to perform better. The Director, Directorate of Police Education, DCP Kabiru Ibrahim, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, explained that the teachers would soon receive their letters of promotion. According to him, the IG was interested in making the police school one of the best in the country, hence the increasing investment in academic facilities and the teachers to ensure a high quality training of students. “It is my pleasure to inform you that the IG has approved the upgrading and promotion of 558 teachers in all police primary and secondary schools nationwide. We believe that with this promotion, our teachers would be better motivated to...

The Federal Government has filed six counts including treasonable felony against the founder of  Radio Biafra,  Nnamdi Kanu, before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Two other persons charged along with Kanu are Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. The fresh case against Kanu was filed on Friday, barely 24 hours after another judge of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, ordered Kanu’s unconditional release from the custody of the Department of State Services. The fresh charges were filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Diri, for the Attorney General of the Federation. Justice Ademola ordered the DSS to release Kanu unconditionally since there were no pending charges against him about two months after his detention. But instead of releasing him, the Federal Government filed fresh charges against him on Friday. The fresh case was listed to come up before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Tuesday, it was however stalled due t...

Guinness Nigeria Plc has approached a Lagos High Court in Igbosere to challenge the N1bn fine imposed on it by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. The company urged the court to perpetually restrain NAFDAC from publicly discussing, analysing or providing any information to the media, whether print, electronic or in any other manner,” to suggest that the decision to sanction it was lawful. Guinness, through its lawyer, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), claimed that NAFDAC did not afford it the opportunity of fair hearing as to the allegations that warranted the N1bn fine. NAFDAC had issued a letter dated November 9, 2015 on Guinness directing the company to pay N1bn “as administrative charges for various clandestine violations of NAFDAC rules, regulations and enactments over a long period of time.” The agency claimed that Guinness had been revalidating its expired products without the authorisation and supervision of NAFDAC. Among other thing...

The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Tuesday said the eventual removal of fuel subsidy is inevitable. According to him, the gradual removal of subsidy is necessary in view of emerging and current realities. Odigie-Oyegun said this when he received a delegation of the APC National Coalition for Peace and Mobilization which paid him a courtesy at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja. He explained that the current administration inherited an “infected system of subsidy” run by corrupt cartels. In one way or the other, subsidy must go.” He noted that a situation where government spends almost a trillion Naira yearly on the corruption-tainted subsidy regime is unacceptable and can no longer be sustained. The APC Chairman said oil cartels and their cronies resisting change have continued to blackmail and sabotage government on the issue of subsidy, a development that has resulted in the lingering nationwide fuel s...

The Nigerian Medical Association has said the association will mobilise all doctors in the state to embark  on strike should Governor Rauf Aregbesola carry out the threat to sack the striking doctors in the state. The Chairman of the NMA in Osun State, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, who said this at a press conference in Osogbo on Tuesday  berated the state government for issuing a threat to sack doctors who he said  were on strike because  they had not been paid since June. Ogunyemi  said doctors in the state were not part of the agreements reached by labour unions with the state government on payment of half salaries to workers. The doctors said they were unperturbed by the sack threat issued by the governor, saying they would not resume until the government reached an agreement with them that the balance of their salaries would be paid and when it would be paid. Ogunyemi said the NMA had put all doctors within the state  and outside on the alert and would not h...

Ghana’s President John Mahama has banned public officials from first class air travel in a renewed effort to cut wasteful spending. The ban has come into effect as the country implements an IMF aid deal to revive state finances, the government said on Tuesday. Ghana is preparing to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next year and, with the opposition accusing government ministers of inflating contract sums, inappropriate spending will be a top campaign issue. The presidency issued the directive this week asking all ministers and other top officials to avoid “unwarranted” foreign trips on the public purse, Communications Minister Edward Omane Boamah told media. Ghana, a major producer of cocoa, gold and oil, began a three-year program with the International Monetary Fund in April to fix its economy. The country’s economy has been dogged by high deficits, a widening public debt and unstable local currency. Finance Minister Seth Terkper told media o...

Justice Lawal-Akapo while sentencing Rosolu said, “The representation that she never collected $330,000 from the complainant is deceptive, the accused could not provide a strong alibi for her whereabouts when the fraud occurred. “I find the accused guilty as charged. “As a registrar of the court, the accused should have been an image maker of the judiciary, but she acted in the contrary. “She has to swallow her bitter pill. “On count one, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment and on count two, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment. “Both sentences are to run concurrently.” Rosolu was said to have collapsed in the dock immediately the judge gave the verdict, while wailing,  “I do not know anything about the money, what is going to happen to my children.” Earlier, Rosolu’s lawyer, Mr Bamidele Ogundele, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, “My Lord, my client i...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has finally released the new power tariff regime, in which it outlined the various rates of increase in energy charges for consumers across the country.  It also announced the removal fixed electricity charges for all classes of electricity consumers and noted that power users would only pay for what they consume. About two weeks ago, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, revealed that electricity tariffs would increase and urged consumers to comply with respect to paying their bills, as he promised that the sector would record considerable improvement thereafter. Confirming the tariffs increase on Monday, NERC stated that henceforth, from the next billing period, power distribution companies would no longer charge their customers monthly fixed charges.  Fixed charge is that component of the tariff that commits electricity consumers to paying an approved amount of money not minding whether elec...

The United States Congress has lifted the 40-year-old ban on the export of the country’s crude oil, as part of an omnibus budget bill. Lifting the oil export ban, which was one portion of the $1.1tn spending bill that sailed through Congress on Friday, marks a historic shift for the booming US oil industry. The Senate, in a 65-33 vote, approved lifting the ban, while the House of Representatives passed the legislation earlier in the day by a 316-113 tally. President Barack Obama later signed the 2016 spending bill, which includes a provision that would allow the export of US crude for the first time in more than 40 years. The Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Lisa Murkowski, hailed the passage of legislation that would lift the 40-year-old ban on domestic crude oil exports. “By lifting the domestic crude oil export ban, we are sending a signal to the world that our nation is ready to be a global energy superpower. With crude exports com...

Reports reaching The PUNCH indicate that the popular Westminister Market in the Trinity area of Apapa, Lagos is on fire. The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, could not be immediately reached to comment on the fire. Details later… Souce: T he Punch

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan on Thursday upheld the judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on October 23 in Abeokuta which upheld the victory of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun. The five-man panel of the Appeal Court headed by Justice H.M Ogunjimiju unanimously upheld Amosun’s victory and dismissed the appeal filed by Mr Adegboyega Isiaka of PDP. Ogunjimiju held that Mr Benjamin Ibikunle, the Principal Witness , PW9, for the appellant was not a credible witness, adding that his testimony could not be relied on by the court. She said that the evidence of PW9 was biased and could not be given any probative value because he informed the court that he was a member of PDP and could go to any length to ensure victory for his party.

As Nigerians tackle the Senate on plans to pass a social media bill, residents of Brazil are facing a challenge of their own. A court in the South American country today ordered cellular service providers to block WhatsApp for two days. The AFP reported that the unprecedented blockage of the smartphone application was to implement a Sao Paulo state court order. According to the report, the blockage is meant to take effect today from 2pm .

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday clocked 73. No special programme was earmarked to celebrate the day. However, some presidential aides paid him  surprise visit to the President in his official residence inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja shortly before he left for the venue of the 40th summit of the Economic Community of West African States which started in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission plans to interrogate the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy in the last administration, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a top management staff of the commission said. The source told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity in Abuja on Wednesday that the commission would also look into the activities of three officials who presided over the affairs of the Central Bank of Nigeria in relation to the ongoing arms purchase probe. They are the former Governor of the CBN and now the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II; former Acting Governor of the CBN, Mrs. Sarah Alade, and the current Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele. The source, however, did not give the exact date when the top figures involved in the release of funds and approval in some cases would be invited by the commission.

A driver, Jude Okere, 42, was on Thursday arraigned in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing 26 crates of Orijin Beer worth N425,500. Okere, who resides at No. 11, Ogunmuyiwa St., Sango-Ota, Ogun State, is facing a charge of stealing. The prosecutor, Sgt Joseph Ajebe, told the court that the offence was committed on Oct. 7, at about 8.00p.m., at Cryslad Nigeria Ltd, located at Sakamori Camp, Agege, Lagos. He said that the accused was a driver with Cryslad Nigeria and was asked to take the crates of Orijin to a customer in Abia State.

The Benin Division of the Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in the appeal by the All Progressive Congress seeking to upturn the verdict of the tribunal which upheld the declaration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as the winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Delta State. The Justice Uwani Abba-Aji led five-man appellate court panel reserved judgment on Thursday following adoption of final written addresses by the parties. The APC and its candidate in the election, Olorogun Emerhor, are urging the appellate court to sack Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party and order the rerun of the governorship election in Delta State

Barely 24 hours after charge against him was struck out, the Federal High Court in Abuja, today, ordered the Department of State Service, DSS, to forthwith, release ‎the detained ‎leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.‎ ‎ Ruling on the fundamental right enforcement suit Kanu lodged before the high court, Justice Ademola Adeniyi, said there was no basis for the applicant to remain in custody since there is currently no charge pending against him. The court stressed that Kanu is entitled to his right to liberty as enshrined in section 35(1) (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. According to the court, the continued detention of Kanu after two months without trial, violates Section 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution.

Russia President, Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, embroiled in a string of corruption scandals, should be given the Nobel Peace Prize. "That is someone who should be given the Nobel Peace Prize," Putin said of the FIFA boss who is facing corruption allegations over his management of the world footballing body. "His contribution to the global humanitarian sphere is colossal," the Russian leader concluded. Also in the same press conference today, Putin claims ISIS is already in America, in what appears to be a reference to the San Bernardino shooting. The Russian president said: "Islamic State has managed to reach the United States." He also spoke about the Syrian civil war, saying "the sooner we settle this conflict, the better".

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode this morning presented the 2016 budget to the Lagos State House of Assembly. 'The 2016 budget is people's budget tailored towards development projects', he said. The Governor also said his a-meal-a-day programme for public schools will commence in year 2016 unfailingly amongst other projects.

Its Funny how this Picture got out..cool huh? Photo credit: Abiyamo

The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over reports of violent clashes between members of the Nigerian Army and the Shiite Islamic Movement in Zaria, Kaduna State over the past days. The US Embassy in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja expressed dismay over the reported killing of many people and called on the Federal Government to probe the incident. It advised the two sides to exercise restraint to avoid actions that may further destabilize the situation. “While many details of the incidents that reportedly began on December 12 remain unclear, we are dismayed to learn of multiple civilian deaths.  It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilize the situation. “The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes.” The British High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright in his ...

There was a fire outbreak at Spar, a popular supermarket in Lekki, Lagos around midday today. Witnesses of the incident have tweeted several photos of the fire with some providing updates via social media. According to reports reaching The PUNCH, the fire has, however, been contained. The management of the Supermarket and the Lagos fire service could not be immediately reached for comments. More to follow…

Brutal weekend attacks on three villages by Boko Haram Islamists in the restive northeast of Nigeria have left 30 dead and 20 others wounded, a vigilante told AFP. “Most of the victims were slaughtered and most of the wounded (had suffered) machete cuts,” Mustapha Karimbe, a civilian helping the Nigerian military fight Boko Haram, said of Saturday’s attacks in the villages of Warwara, Mangari and Bura-Shika in Borno state. News of the attacks has been slow to emerge because telecom masts in the area have been destroyed in previous Boko Haram raids, hindering communication. The Islamists invaded the villages, hacking and slaughtering their victims before setting the villages on fire. The villages are near Buratai, the hometown of Nigeria’s highest military chief Tukur Yusuf Buratai. ‎Warwara, where 20 people were killed, was the worst affected, said Musa Suleiman, another vigilante. The attackers killed six people in Bura-Shika and another four in Mang...

A Political Economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, on Monday urged the Federal Government to expedite action in publishing the list of those who returned stolen public funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Similarly, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum urged the Federal Government to ensure that the list was holistic. The  News Agency of Nigeria  recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said the CBN would soon publish the names of officials of the last administration that returned stolen funds. Utomi told  NAN  on telephone that it would be proper for the president to mention the looters as long as there were concrete evidences backing it up. Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the National President of the AYCF said that it would be unfair to mention some names and protect others. Yerima said that there was nothing wrong in mentioning the names of the looters but hoped that those names would be all encompassing. “The CBN must be seen to be fair and must not shield anyo...

FOUR persons, including a policeman, were injured on Monday when daredevil armed robbers engaged security operatives in a fierce gun battle in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The hoodlums, who were said to be planning to rob one of the new generation banks on the ever busy Ikwerre road, were stopped by a group of police who apparently got wind of their (armed robbers) presence within the area. It was learnt that the robbers, who were armed with AK-47 rifles came in three vehicles at about 12.30pm and shot sporadically in order to repel the advancing policemen to no avail. An eyewitness said the superior fire power of the policemen had forced the policemen to make a U-turn and escaped through another road. A trader on Ikwerre road told our correspondent that the armed robbers came in one Sienna bus, a Luxus Sport Utility Vehicle and another unidentified vehicle. Motorists and passersby were said to have disappeared from the usually crowded Emenike Junction as the deafening...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will on Tuesday arraign a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son Sagir Attahiru, and their firm Dalhatu Investment on 22 counts of misappropriation of about N13bn meant for purchase of arms by the Office of the National Security Adviser. ‎Also to be arraigned along with them before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama are the immediate past NSA, Sambo Dasuki and a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu. Both Dasuki and Salisu were on Monday arraigned alongside Aminu Baba-Kusa and his two firms – Acacia Holdings Ltd and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited – before Justice Yusuf Baba of the same FCT High Court in Maitama on 19 counts involving an alleged N32bn fraud. On Monday, Justice P. O Affe, granted leave to lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), to p...

Dr. Junaid Mohammed, convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen has said all those found culpable in the ongoing corruption scandal must be brought to book. This, he said, is necessary for Nigeria to get a fresh start and a new sense of direction. Mohammed said this in a telephone interview on Sunday. According to him, this administration must not allow the on-going effort to fail because this is Nigeria’s best chance of redeeming its international image as well as setting the tone for future generations.   He explained that Nigerian youths especially unemployed graduates were closely watching events as they unfold. The politician warned that our youths could resort to self help if the full weight of the law is not brought to bear on those whose actions ruined the economy.

Dr. Junaid Mohammed, convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen has said all those found culpable in the ongoing corruption scandal must be brought to book. This, he said, is necessary for Nigeria to get a fresh start and a new sense of direction. Mohammed said this in a telephone interview on Sunday. According to him, this administration must not allow the on-going effort to fail because this is Nigeria’s best chance of redeeming its international image as well as setting the tone for future generations.   He explained that Nigerian youths especially unemployed graduates were closely watching events as they unfold. The politician warned that our youths could resort to self help if the full weight of the law is not brought to bear on those whose actions ruined the economy.

President Muahammdu Buhari on Saturday evening admitted that the current figure of unemployed youths in Nigeria is extremely dangerous for the country. Shehu quoted the President as decrying a situation in which 60 percent of the country’s 64 percent youth population was unemployed. “This (youth unemployment rate) is extremely dangerous for our country,” Buhari reportedly told his guests. To stem the tide, the President said the revival of industries will get his administration’s attention the moment he finishes with the preparation of the 2016 budget. “Very soon, we will sit down to see how we can rehabilitate industries. We are meeting after the budget to see how to revive industry and secure the economy. We will do this in order to clear the problem of unemployment,” he said. The President explained that the insecurity in the North-East, abduction for ransom in the South and the sabotage of the oil industry in the delta region have one connect...

The traders expressed their feelings in separate interviews with the  News Agency of Nigeria  at the Calabar Botanical Garden, venue of the festival on Sunday. NAN  reports that the Calabar Festival Village is a 24-hour market which remains open from December 1 to January 1 as part of the annual Calabar Carnival. The facility has all the trappings of a conventional market mixed with fun in alignment with the mood of the season. The traders, however, told NAN that the atmosphere in the market had remained dull compared to the situation in previous years. A dealer in electronics, Mr Innocent Nweze, said that he could hardly sell more than one item a day since he brought his goods to the market last week. He said, “The atmosphere is just too dull. I came all the way from Onitsha and this is the third time of my participating in the carnival. I was here during the last two carnivals. “I made some good sales in the past, but this year I don’t understand...

The traders expressed their feelings in separate interviews with the  News Agency of Nigeria  at the Calabar Botanical Garden, venue of the festival on Sunday. NAN  reports that the Calabar Festival Village is a 24-hour market which remains open from December 1 to January 1 as part of the annual Calabar Carnival. The facility has all the trappings of a conventional market mixed with fun in alignment with the mood of the season. The traders, however, told NAN that the atmosphere in the market had remained dull compared to the situation in previous years. A dealer in electronics, Mr Innocent Nweze, said that he could hardly sell more than one item a day since he brought his goods to the market last week. He said, “The atmosphere is just too dull. I came all the way from Onitsha and this is the third time of my participating in the carnival. I was here during the last two carnivals. “I made some good sales in the past, but this year I don’t understand...

The traders expressed their feelings in separate interviews with the  News Agency of Nigeria  at the Calabar Botanical Garden, venue of the festival on Sunday. NAN  reports that the Calabar Festival Village is a 24-hour market which remains open from December 1 to January 1 as part of the annual Calabar Carnival. The facility has all the trappings of a conventional market mixed with fun in alignment with the mood of the season. The traders, however, told NAN that the atmosphere in the market had remained dull compared to the situation in previous years. A dealer in electronics, Mr Innocent Nweze, said that he could hardly sell more than one item a day since he brought his goods to the market last week. He said, “The atmosphere is just too dull. I came all the way from Onitsha and this is the third time of my participating in the carnival. I was here during the last two carnivals. “I made some good sales in the past, but this year I don’t understand...

James Faleke, running-mate to the late governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the November 21 election in Kogi State. Abubakar Audu, has said he is unaware of any move to broker peace by the party echelon and that he is going ahead to pursue the governorship mandate he believes belongs to him. This is as the National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, said overtures had been made to Faleke to concede the governorship to Yahaya Bello, who was picked by the party after the demise of Audu. But according to Faleke, it will amount to a betrayal of his former boss to abandon the mandate by accepting to be a deputy to Bello who never took part in the campaigns. In response to the question as to what his next move will be if the matter is not resolved before the swearing in ceremony on January 27, Faleke said, “I will defend my rights under the Constitution of Nigeria.” He added, “About the peace deal you are talking about, I do not know who the p...

Kidnappers of the Bishop of the Lagos Central Diocese of the African Church, Rt. Rev. Gabriel Adebanjo, and his wife, Dorcas, have reduced the ransom to N10m. It is  learnt that the church had already organised prayers for the prompt release of the duo, who were kidnapped in Warri, Delta State. Our correspondent had reported that the bishop and his wife had gone to Delta on December 5 to attend an adult harvest programme, which was supposed to hold the following day, but they never made it to their destination. They had got to Effurum Junction, where they met a fire outbreak at a pipeline that had been vandalised, which necessitated the diversion of traffic. They reportedly took another route and on their way, they stopped over at a party organised by a member of the House of Representatives. They had just left the gathering when they were kidnapped and their driver shot in the hand and leg. The kidnappers were said to have put the couple in a vehicle they brought and drove o...

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has said nothing was wrong with the agitation for Biafra by members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra. Kukah, who said this on Friday night at the convocation lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, added that the pro-Biafra agitators were exercising the freedom of expression. The clergyman advised the Federal Government to partner with the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, saying the government should seek to do business with him because of his charisma. The bishop further said no Nigerian politician could mobilise a huge number of supporters like Kanu without paying them, saying the government did not need to hound this kind of person but to partner with him. Kukah said: “This country cannot continue this way. MASSOB has right to demand Biafra since we have freedom of expression. The problem of Nigeria should not be with Kanu but should be with wh...

This is contained in statement issued by the Force Spokesperson, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, on Friday in Abuja. The statement said that many Nigerian youths, desirous of enlisting into the force, had been deceived by fraudsters into believing that recruitment was on. “It has therefore become necessary once again to inform members of the public that no recruitment is taking place now at the force headquarters or at any of our institutions, commands and formations,” it said. It said that the force would inform the general public through appropriate channels of the time the exercise would begin. The statement advised members of the public not to fall victim by making payments to fraudsters disguising on Facebook and other platforms as agents of the Police. It also advised the public to contact the police public relations officers in their respective states or the divisional police officers nearest to them about the exercise and other pol...

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have apprehended a rice farmer for allegedly dealing in cannabis. The agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said that the suspect, 45-year-old Usani Ibiang, was arrested in Ugep, Cross River State with dried weeds, which tested positive to cannabis, weighing about 74.5kg. Mitchell noted that the arrest of Ibiang is a timely warning to other drug dealers that their days are numbered. Confirming the arrest, NDLEA Cross River State commander, Mrs. Anthonia Edeh, stated that money was also recovered from the suspect during the raid. “Based on information on the criminal sales of drugs by one Usani Ibiang, we raided his premises where he was apprehended with dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis with a total weight of 74.5kgs. “In addition, the sum of N880, 000 believed to be proceeds of drug trafficking was also recovered from him. The money had been tendered as exhibit and we have applied for...

The Hotel Owners Forum Abuja, has decried the issue of multiple taxation imposed on its members by government. The President of HOFA, Dr Bola Onigbogi, made this known at the annual dinner of the forum in Abuja on Friday. She said that because if the visibility of hotel business, it was easy for government agencies to track them down for the enforcement of numerous taxes. “A quick count of the amount of taxes we pay shows that we pay over 30 different taxes in Abuja. Can anyone survive this onslaught? Can any business survive under this regulatory environment? The answer is no. “The year started with a 40 per cent increase on our electricity tariffs, then we were asked to pay an additional five per cent of our revenue to a new body called  FCT Entertainment and Events Centre Department. “We have had to enter into discussion with Abuja Municipal Council to discuss some of these tariffs and taxes that they have levied on us this year. “A combination of t...