Newsmen
EU releases last tranche of $14.5 million to assist Nigeria rollout coronavirus vaccine
The European Union has said $14. 5 million out of the €50 million promised to the Federal Government to assist in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccine would be released this week. The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, who addressed newsmen yesterday in Abuja, revealed that already €9 million grant had been released to boost the prevention and response to Coronavirus in Nigeria. “The EU is taking the lead in supporting partner countries, including Nigeria, to tackle the tackle the COVID-19 pandemic by combining resources from the EU, its member states and European financial institutions, under the ‘Team Europe’ initiative. “At the onset of the pandemic in Nigeria, the EU rapidly mobilised €50 million grant in humanitarian aid was given to Nigeria to boost preventio...
Katsina: Gunmen kill six in three communities
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have in the wee hours of Monday killed no fewer than six persons in three communities in Sabuwa Local Government Area of the state. A source in the area told newsmen that the incident happened when the bandits heavily armed were passing by and clashed with the persons along the road. The source said the bandits who shot sporadically leading to the death of the persons. According to the source, the bandits shot at four persons in Sayau Kasuwa, one in Unguwa Nakaba and the other person in Sayau Malamai. “The incident happened in the midnight around 00:40 am when the bandits were passing by with their guns and suddenly clashed with the persons on the way. They shot sporadically killing four persons in Sayau kasuwa. They shot one in Unguwa Nakaba and another in S...
Ex-NOC official: National Sports Festival remains good investment in youths
Elias Gora, a former Secretary-General of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), says the biennial National Sports Festival (NSF) remains a good investment in ensuring Nigerian youths are positively engaged. Gora told newsmen in Lagos on Monday that the Festival could however be improved upon to discover more talents for Nigeria. He emphasised on the need to also use the Festival to continue to promote peace and unity in the country. “It is an investment, and it has kept the youths busy. Other youths who watched would have been motivated. “So, with the height of insecurity in the country, such distraction is needed. “I was part of the officials and one thing I understand is the fact that these youths will rather focus on what they enjoy doing. They can’t be bothered about anything. “If we can in...
Anambra CP charges officers to protect themselves, resist further attacks
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Monday Kuryas, has charged the personnel to protect themselves against attacks by hoodlums as well as reclaim police facilities from them. Kurya gave the directive in a lecture held for the police management team, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Heads of Police Tactical Operational Units in the command. This was contained in a statement by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, which was made available to newsmen in Awka on Saturday. The statement noted that Kuryas charged the officers to be undeterred by the attacks by gunmen and resist such attacks on security personnel and infrastructure in the command. “The CP charged the officers to be undeterred by the recent unfortunate incidents of attacks on person...
Official: Why inmates of Kano prison rioted
The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has clarified why there was violent protest among inmates of Kurmawa Custodial facility in Kano metropolis on Thursday evening. The Public Relations Officer, NCoS Kano State Command, DSC Musbahu Kofar-Nasarawa, told newsmen on Friday in Kano that the riot was not over alleged poor quality food in the facility as was speculated. Kofar-Nasarawa who said that normalcy had been restored as the inmates were confined and security beefed up at the facility said the prisoners rioted in protest against attempt to take away prohibited items from them. “There was an attempt by some inmates to cause pandemonium in the prison yard, however, the situation was brought under control by concerted efforts of the warders and security operatives. “The inmates are not pr...
President Buhari approves appointment of 18 appeal court judges
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of 18 Justices of the Court of Appeal. Newsmen reported that the 18 candidates were recommended to Mr Buhari by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for appointment in March. NJC’s Director of Information, Soji Oye, had in a statement on March 19, said the council’s interview committee made the decision recommending the candidates for appointment at its 94th meeting which held on March 17 and 18, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad. The president approved the recommendations in a memo by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, and addressed to the CJN. A copy of the memo titled, ‘Re: Appointment of eighteen (18) Justices of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria’ was circulated online on Thursday. Our corr...
PDP wins all seats in Rivers council election
File Photo In line with expectation and trends in other parts of the country, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers has been declared the winner of all the chairpersons and councillorship seats contested for in the State local government election held on Saturday. The announcement that the PDP won all the seats contested for in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers was made by the State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, in Port Harcourt on Sunday. However, one of the parties that participated in the election, the Social Democratic Party, SDP has described the poll as a ‘sham’ while calling for the resignation of Chairman of RSIEC, Justice George Omereji [rtd]. The party also called for cancellation of all the results of the election. The SDP councillorship candidate ...
CDQ: NDLEA found no drug in my house, beat me up
Popular Nigerian rapper, Sodiq Yusuf, aka CDQ, has dared the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDEA) to show the world the Indian hemp found in his place. He said he had CCTV footage of the visit, unknown to the raiders. Newsmen had earlier reported that the rapper was picked up following an intelligence report that there were hard drugs in his house. However, speaking with newsmen on Saturday, the rapper stated that Indian hemp wasn’t found on him, saying that he had CCTV footage to back up his claim. He said, “Men of the NDLEA came to my house yesterday evening (Wednesday). They threatened me with a pistol to my chest and beat me black and blue in my own apartment. They said they got information that I deal in drugs. They searched everywhere and turned my house upside down. All they ...
Oyo: Police rescues three abducted women after four days in captivity
The Oyo State Police Command on Friday confirmed the release of the abducted victims at Onipe, a suburb along the Ijebu-ode/Idi-Ayunre axis of Oluyole Local Government Area of the state on Monday by unknown gunmen. According to a press statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Adewale Osifeso, and made available to newsmen on Friday evening, the release of the abducted victims, Mrs Temitope Okeowo, Mrs Abosede Adebayo and Mrs Bola Ogunrinde, was a result of pressure and meaningful intelligence from police along with effective utilization of local hunters and vigilantes. The statement added that the effective utilisation of local hunters and vigilantes who under the supervision of the police, combed the suspected location in search of the abducted victims before recording the brea...
Gunmen kill six, injure many in Plateau village
Fresh attack on Thursday night claimed six lives as gunmen opened fire on some villagers at Wereng village, Riyom local government area of Plateau State, killing six and injuring three villagers. The attack occurred at the time villagers returned from their day’s businesses and were preparing to retire for the night when sporadic gunshots jolted them Before the incident, there were rumours being circulated that the villagers may be attacked any moment but it was unclear if security agencies acted on the information. Wereng has consistently been under attack in over a decade now and all appeals for the dastardly act to end have been rebuffed by the attackers. Although Operation Safe Haven on peace mission in the State did not confirm the incident at the time of this report because the spoke...
Governor Bello: Many PDP governors will join APC soon
Kogi State Governor and Chairman of Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Yahaya Bello, has said more governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political bigwigs would soon join the party. This is coming amidst speculation that Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, was perfecting plans to dump PDP for the APC. Speaking with newsmen after a closed-door meeting of his committee at the APC headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, Governor Bello said governors in the opposition party know that things were happening in the APC. “I have a committee that is called Mobilisation of Youths, Women and People Living with Disabilities, mobilising them to join our party. “As much as we are mobilising youths, women and peopl...
Sheikh Gumi: Nigerians’ll regret it if Isa Pantami is removed
Renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, says Nigerians will regret it if embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, is removed from office. Gumi, who recently met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and recommended special courts to try bandits and kidnappers, also said the country needed more people like Pantami in government. The controversial cleric spoke on Monday in an interview with Roots TV monitored by newsmen. He said, “All his (Pantami’s) actions, one hundred percent, shows he is not a terrorist. Those who are terrorists are after his life. The minister should continue. His presence there is fighting the terrorist ideology. “Show me one person he has killed. He has not killed anybody. He has not ordered the killing of anybody. The man is stabi...