Author: Hamza Rufai

NO fewer than 6,675 inmates, including high-profile Boko Haram terrorists and murderers, have escaped in 13 separate jailbreaks that hit Nigerian custodial centres in the last five years. This newspaper reports that 2,032 (30.4 per cent) of the escapees have been recaptured by security operatives, while 4,643 (69.5 per cent) remain at large. The latest jailbreak occurred on Tuesday in Borno State, where 280 inmates escaped from the Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre following severe flooding in the capital city. The inmates fled after a portion of the perimeter fence of the facility was pulled down by the flood. An…

THE Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, on Friday warned of potential river flooding on the Niger and Benue rivers At a press briefing in Abuja, the minister said that a large volume of water is flowing through these rivers towards the Niger Delta region. He called for vigilance in all aspects and proactive measures to address any future flooding events in the southern part of the country. “This flood disaster that affected the Maiduguri and Jere areas of Borno State was largely due to the overflow of water from the Alau Dam, located about 10 kilometres from…

THE Federal Government has declared Monday, 16th September as a public holiday to mark the celebration of the Eid-ul-Mawlid, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. “The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated Muslim Ummah both at home and in the Diaspora on this occasion,” the statement read. The minister called on the Muslim Ummah and, by extension, Nigerians, to imbibe the spirit of patience, sacrifice, and resilience. “While congratulating the…

THE Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has solidified his position in the Peoples Democratic Party leadership crisis as the National Working Committee endorsed the Rivers State congresses. Wike’s loyalists within the PDP NWC not only secured the approval but also postponed the National Executive Committee meeting, originally set for September 26, to October 24, which could have overturned the decision. The PDP NWC, led by acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, made this decision during a meeting at the party’s national headquarters, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja on Thursday. The NWC meeting had been delayed for the past three weeks…

THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) to calculate and remit to the federal government recovery account, the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the commission it received from Remita from 2015 to 2022. The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, gave the directive in a ruling at the resumed investigative hearing investigation into alleged revenue leakages through REMITA platform and non-compliance with standard operating procedure and other allied service agreements on Thursday. The committee raised two issues on evidence of remittance of VAT components of Remita collections and collection of fees in…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has granted N10 million bail on each to the ten members of the #EndBadGovernance protesters who were charged with attempt to overthrow President Bola Tinubu between August 1 and 4th this year. While delivering ruling in their bail applications, Justice Emeka Nwite said the protesters must produce sureties who must be property owners in Abuja and must deposit documents of the properties to the court in addition to swearing to affidavit of means. The court equally ordered the defendants to produce one surety each who are based in Abuja and must be willing…

THE National Industrial Court has ordered the payment of N629 million to an employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over unjust termination of appointment by the management in 2018. The Presiding Judge of the Port Harcourt Judicial Division, Justice Faustina Kola-Olalere, ruled that the dismissal of the complainant, Dr. Williams, from NNPC was wrongful as it did not follow relevant labour laws. This was disclosed on the official website of the National Industrial Court on Monday. Williams asserted that he worked as an Assistant Administrative Supervisor for NNPC until his abrupt and malicious dismissal, urging the court to…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its president Joe Ajaero who was arrested by security agents on Monday. Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on his way to the United Kingdom on the invitation of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain. A statement signed by the NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said the union has put all its affiliates, State Councils, Civil society allies and all patriotic Nigerians on the highest state of alert in the light of “this troubling development.” According to the…

THE Kano State Government has indefinitely postponed the resumption date for both primary and post-primary schools for the 2024/2025 academic session. The government cited “urgent reasons” for the postponement but did not provide specific details. The decision follows a similar move by the Edo State Government, which also postponed school resumption due to rising petrol prices and challenges faced by parents and guardians. In a statement signed by the Permanent Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, the postponement of resumption of all public and private schools has been postponed “until further notice”. The statement read in part “An official statement from…

THE Senate has deferred its investigation into the alleged sabotage in the petroleum industry, citing the need for wider consultations with stakeholders whose input and participation will add value to the conclusion of the investigative hearing. The upper chamber also cited legislative exigencies aimed at further deepening due diligence in the conduct of the investigative hearing as another reason for postponing the hearing. In a statement on Sunday evening by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Leader of the Senate and chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Economic Sabotage…

A CHIEF Magistrate’s Court in Sokoto has remanded, Shafi’u Umar Tureta, at a Correctional Center over alleged falsehood against the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, and his wife, Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Aliyu, through social media platform. Tureta, a former Special Assistant to former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was charged with circulating injurious falsehood and engraving matter known to be defamatory. The case was first mentioned on August 26 with charges bordering on defamation of characters of the personalities. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused person committed the offences on July 18, 2024. The Police…

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has questioned the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, over the award of contracts and jobs racketeering at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). ICPC spokesman, Demola Bakare, confirmed that Ngige was at the Commission’s headquarters to provide details of an ongoing investigation. However, he did not give further details of the allegation, though he added that the ex-minister may be invited again until the investigation is concluded. Bakare said the former Anambra State governor was not detained when he reported to the commission on Wednesday. ICPC…

THE federal government says it has reviewed the feeding allowance of all the inmates serving their respective terms in the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) across the country by 50 per cent This newspaper reports that the review came on the heels of a recent viral video which showed that inmates complained of poor feeding in one of the correctional centres in Calabar, Cross River State. The Spokesman of the NCoS, Umar Abubakar, disclosed this at the Customs’ headquarters in Abuja on Thursday during a joint press briefing of all security agencies. The briefing, organised by the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy…

THERE is heavy protest in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital as tricycle operators withdraw their services over hike in petrol pump price. The protest which erupted along Maraba-GSS Fate Road saw the commercial tricycle operators block major roads lamenting against general hardship occasioned by high cost of living in the country. Residents who could not access the tricycles resorted to trekking long distances to their destinations. Our correspondent who visited the scene witnessed how police used tear gas to disperse the big group of commuters and tricycle riders. One of the tricycle operators, Taye Dhikhrulahi, said that they are not…

BARDEN Kano and the reinstated district head of Bichi, Alhaji Idris Bayero, is dead. He was the eldest surviving son of a late emir of Kano, Abdullahi Bayero (1926-1953). The 16th Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi led funeral prayers for the late Barden Kano at Kofar Kudu palace with dozens of mourners in attendance. Alhaji Idris Bayero was first turbanned Dan Darman Kano and district head of Rimin Gado in 1990 by his elder brother the Late emir Ado Bayero (1963-2014). In 1992, he was promoted to the title of Dan Buram and later Barde and redeployed to Bichi as…

THE National Economic Council (NEC) has given all states until September 9, 2024, to make their positions known on the establishment of State Police. NEC gave the deadline on Wednesday at its meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Briefing State House Correspondents shortly after the meeting held at the Council Chamber of the State House Abuja, the Acting Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal, said out of the 36 states, 4 states were yet to make submissions to NEC on their stands. According to Lawal, NEC directed that the four states must make their stance on the issue known…

GUNMEN suspected to be kidnappers have shot dead two mobile policemen and a driver escorting the wife of a Delta State lawmaker, Mrs Christy Uroye, along Jakpan road in Uvwie Local Government area of the state. It was learnt that the incident occurred on Monday, around 7pm. Eyewitnesses said the security personnel and the driver were killed on the spot before the kidnappers took Uroye away. “Unfortunately for the kidnappers, their getaway car had an accident while escaping, which enabled the woman who is the wife of a Delta State House of Assembly Member, Hon. Augustine Uroye, to escape,” an…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday demanded an immediate reversal of the hike in fuel price announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), saying the hike has worsened the misery of Nigerians. Amid the lingering fuel scarcity in the country, the NNPCL increased the pump price of petrol from ₦568 to ₦855, ₦897 (depending on the location per litre). Condemning the move in a statement, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, accused the Federal Government of betraying labour movement. Ajaero said, “We demand the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country, release…

THE pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, may rise above N1,000/litre in filling stations as the cost of the commodity in some private depots has been increased to between N920 and N950/litre. This comes as protesters hit the streets of Abuja on Monday demanding the immediate dismissal of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mele Kyari, over the lingering fuel scarcity in the country. It was gathered that the NNPC had informed oil marketers about the financial strain regarding the importation of petrol. This raised concerns among dealers, who expressed worry…

THE three leading opposition figures in Nigeria are discussing the possibility of a merger to salvage Nigerians from hunger and widespread insecurity ahead of the 2027 presidential election, a spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Monday. PDP deputy national spokesman Ibrahim Abdullahi stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria. He said the three opposition candidates in the last election – PDP’s Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) – would put personal interests aside and form a formidable alliance to…