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2023: Northwest speakers declare support for Asiwaju Tinubu
Serving Speakers and their predecessors from the Northwest zone of Nigeria have declared their support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Their declarations and promises are coming some weeks after a similar endorsement of Tinubu was carried out by their colleagues in the southwestern zone of Nigeria. At a meeting held in Kano for the states in the northwestern zone on Friday, the senior lawmakers declared that Tinubu remains the right person for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at this time. Some of them argued that with the challenges currently being faced by the country, Nigeria deserves a leader who is detribalised and has shown over time that he has the capacity to lead the country. Praising Asiwaju Tinub...
One injured, vehicles burnt in another Otedola Bridge accident
At least one person Saturday morning sustained injuries and six vehicles burnt after an accident occurred on Otedola Bridge, Lagos. It was gathered that the accident occurred between two low belt trucks around 2 am but a fire ensued when a 45,000 litre tanker carrying diesel rammed into the accident scene. According to sources, seven vehicles that were also on the bridge at the time gutted fire but rescuers were able to salvage one. It was gathered that while all drivers of the affected vehicles fled to safety before the fire outbreak, the motorboy of the diesel tanker who was caught up in the fire, sustained some injuries before he was rescued. Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Fire Service said it was able to save the tanker from exploding directly opposite the Otedola Estate Main...
10 including police officer killed in Colorado mass shooting
Ten people including a police officer were killed on Monday in a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, near the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said that the 51-year-old officer, Eric Talley, was one of the first responders at the scene. She called his actions heroic. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said that the alleged shooter was injured and in custody. Herold said that police began receiving calls about shots fired and a call about a person with a “patrol rifle’’ at 2:30 p.m. Talley was one of the first officers at the scene and was fatally shot. “This is a very complex investigation that will take no less than five days to complete,’’ Herold said at a news conference. CNN cited an unnamed senior law enforcement source a...
DPR seals 16 filling stations over ‘irregularities’ in Adamawa
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed off 16 petroleum stations over alleged irregularities in Adamawa. Sadiq Ibraheem, DPR Operation Controller in Adamawa, disclosed this to newsmen on Monday in Yola. He said that the exercise was conducted during the weekend as part of DPR’s routine surveillance. “We were able to inspect 43 filling stations in Jimeta, Yola, Numan and Maiha and out of which 16 were sealed for various offences. “The offences ranged from sales above official pump price, lack of safety facilities displayed and we discovered some stations were slightly under dispensing,” he said. According to him, the sealed stations have to pay certain fees to the Federal Government and rectify their pump price to official price before they could be allowed to operate. He ad...
Ebonyi governor: South East benefited more from APC government than PDP’s 16 years
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum weekend, said the South East benefitted more from the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, federal government than from Peoples Democratic Party’s sixteen years of governance. Speaking to newsmen in Lagos through his Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, Umahi said the Igbo have had a fair-play under Buhari’s administration in terms of economic and infrastructure development. According to him, the N10Billion Airport rehabilitation, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Enugu-Port-Harcourt Expressway and other infrastructures are pointers to the benefits the South East States are getting from the Buhari administration. “These are indications that this administration is helping t...
Ekiti governor: By-election violence perpetrators to face murder charges
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti on Sunday said there is no wasting time in prosecuting those responsible for the killings during Saturday’s house of assembly bye-election for murder. He said this while on a sympathy visit to Omuo Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti East LGA, where the incident occurred, that those arrested would be arraigned not later than Monday for murder. Newsmen report that while in the town, the governor visited the private home of Abiodun Olujimi, a PDP Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, who was one of those who narrowly missed being hit by the bullets. He later held a closed-door meeting with the senator where he reportedly told her, after the latter had narrated her ordeal, that the issue at hand was not a political issue, promising that anyone arrested...
Polls open in Congo as main opposition party boycotts election
Polls have opened in the Republic of Congo’s presidential election that is boycotted by the main opposition party and attacked by critics as tilted toward veteran leader Denis Sassou Nguesso. Voting centres opened at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) and will close at 17:00 (16:00 GMT). More than 2.5 million voters have registered to take part in the election which Nguesso, 77, is widely expected to win against six contenders. The list of contenders is led by economist and 2016 presidential runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who was hospitalised on Saturday. Kolelas’ campaign did not say what illness had struck the 60-year-old but a family member told the Associated Press he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. Nguesso, a former paratrooper, first rose to power in 1979 and has since accumulated 36 years...
Femi Falana: EFCC can mandate bank MDs, executives to declare assets
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of all laws relating to economic and financial crimes, Africa’s leading human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has said. Consequently, according to the senior advocate, the anti-graft commission is empowered to cause investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person as stipulated under Section 7 (1) (b) of the EFCC Act, 2004. Also yesterday, Transparency International (TI) argued that if the provisions of the Bank Employees, etc. (Declaration of Assets) Act, 1986 were effectively enforced, Nigeria could save between $15 billion and $18 billion illicit financial flows (IFFs) annually. Falana clarified the roles of the EFCC in a response to inquiries on whethe...
IPMAN impounds trucks transporting adulterated petrol in Bayelsa
Taskforce personnel attached to the Bayelsa State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), have apprehended three tankers suspected to be transporting adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from an unidentified source into the state. Bayelsa State Coordinator of IPMAN, Mr. Bello Bina, who confirmed the development to journalists on Saturday, said the trucks were impounded along the Sagbama section of the East-West road. He alleged that some unidentified policemen were currently trying to frustrate the effort of the task force by insisting that the suspected adulterated products are owned by a highly influential person. He said when the effort of the policemen failed, an unidentified man called him on the phone to plead with him to take some financial g...
Bayelsa governor promises to investigate youth’s ‘death’ during police operation
The governor of Bayelsa, Douye Diri, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a youth on Thursday, in Ovom community, Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA), of the state. Newsmen gathered from residents of the area that the young man was allegedly shot by a policeman, at Ovom surburb. Mr Diri gave the directive on Thursday, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, after being briefed about the incident in Uyo, where he is attending a state cabinet retreat. He also directed that an autopsy be carried out to determine the cause of death. The governor promised that the government would ensure perpetrators of the dastardly act are uncovered and brought to book. “Human life is sacred. As a responsible government, we would not shy away from o...
Police redeploys DPO in Zamfara for ‘conniving’ with bandits – spokesman
The Zamfara Police Command has redeployed its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kaura-Namoda, following allegations of fraternizing and conniving with bandits terrorizing the area. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, stated this in a statement made available to journalists, in Gusau, on Monday. Shehu said, “the attention of the Zamfara State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video trending on social media platforms wherein the communities of Kungurki village, in Kaura Namoda LGA, accused the DPO of Kaura Namoda Division of conniving with recalcitrant armed bandits who were making life unbearable for the people. “Available records at the command revealed no formal complaint against the DPO in respect of the allegation. “However, the command enjoins members of ...
ICPC drops forgery charges against ex-presidential aide
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended the corruption and certificate forgery charges it filed against an ex-presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla. The amendment, coming less than two months after Obono-Obla and his co-defendants were arraigned by the commission, reduced the number of counts from 10 to five. The amended charges filed at the High Court of the FCT, in Apo, Abuja, on March 4 and seen by newsmen on Sunday, also revealed that the anti-corruption agency has backtracked on its allegations of certificate forgery sensationally levelled against Obono-Obla in 2019. Obono-Obla, a former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, was suspended by the President as the chairman of the Special Presidential Inv...
