Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released the list on Thursday at a briefing in Abuja. Those declared wanted are Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (Aka Amagben), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukeywe, Reuben Baru, and Igoli Ebi. During the briefing, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, called on Nigerians especially residents of Delta and adjoining states to assist the military with credible information that would lead to the arrest of eight persons…

THE publisher of Kaduna-based Desert Herald Newspaper, Tukur Mamu, has written to the Attorney General of the Federation, demanding a retraction for profiling and designating him as a terrorist financier. This was contained in a letter dated March 25, 2024, written on his behalf by his lawyer, J.J. Usman (SAN), addressed to the AGF, which acknowledged copy was sighted by our correspondent in Kaduna on Tuesday. This newspaper reports that the Federal Government unveiled the identity of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly involved in terrorism financing. Details of the development were…

SUSPECTS believed to be hoodlums have reportedly attacked a Customs office in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State.  The hoodlums were said to have injured an officer, while property was also damaged in the process. This was according to a statement made available to newsmen by the spokesman for the command, Mohammed Salisu, on Saturday. He said the incident occurred on Thursday after the officers intercepted some smuggled items in the area. The statement read, “During the late hours of Thursday, March 21, 2024, at about 2310 hours, the combined team of Yauri outstation and surveillance were informed of…

THE Federal Government may save an estimated amount of over N5bn every quarter from the new policy banning officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies from embarking on public-funded foreign trips for three months, according to an analysis of government budget data by this newspaper. The data was collated from the breakdown of funds earmarked for international travels in the 2024 budget by 103 MDAs. President Bola Tinubu had raised concerns about the rising costs of international travels borne by director, permanent sectaries and workers of the federal civil service. As result, the president in a letter dated March 12, 2024;…

WORRIED by the security challenges facing the country, 16 state governors have endorsed the establishment of state police. The National Economic Council (NEC) disclosed this on Thursday in a report submitted to the Council at its 140th meeting held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu who briefed State House Correspondents virtually after the meeting said out of the 36 states, 20 state governors and the FCT were yet to make their submissions. However, he did not mention the states. The governors who submitted their memos also called for the…

SERVICE chiefs, on Wednesday, appeared before the Senate Joint Committee (comprising Army, Navy, Defence and Airforce committees) to begin an investigative hearing on the gruesome killing of military personnel in Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, last Thursday. A minute silence was first observed for the souls of the slain soldiers. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the Chairman of the joint committee, Ahmed Lawan, disclosed that the investigative hearing will be held behind closed doors. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar,…

THE three tiers of government- the federal, state and local governments shared the total sum of ₦10.1tn from the Federation Account as statutory revenue allocations in 2023. Contained in the latest report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on the Federation Account revenue allocations for the year 2023, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya, who announced the release of the report at the NEITI House in Abuja, said a breakdown of the revenue receipts showed that the Federal Government received about ₦4trn, representing about 39 per cent of the total allocation. The 36 states got about…

THE traditional ruler of Riruwai Village in Lame District of Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Alhaji Garba Badamasi, was abducted and brutally murdered by suspected gunmen 24 hours later. Reports indicate that the gunmen on March 15, 2024, stormed the palace of Alhaji Badamasi, instilling fear among residents with their sporadic gunshots before forcibly taking him captive. This newspaper gathered that the abductors made no attempt to contact any of the family members of the late Badamasi for ransom, leaving the motive behind the heinous act shrouded in mystery. Tragically, after enduring a day in captivity, the lifeless body…

AT LEAST nine of the remaining abducted students of the Federal University, Gusau in Zamfara State have reportedly regained freedom. Multiple sources from the institution confirmed the development to this newspaper on Sunday. No fewer than 21 students, mostly females, were abducted from their hostels after armed men invaded an off-campus residence in Sabon Gida Village of the state, on September 23, 2023. Three labourers, all males, registered with GUPRAN Engineering Services Ltd, were also abducted along with the students. However, the troops of the Nigerian Army rescued 13 of the victims and the labourers less than 72 hours after…

NIGERIA’s headline inflation has moved to 31.70 percent in February, according to the latest data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The NBS released the figure on Friday afternoon with the latest data a rise from the 29.90 percent recorded in January 2024. According to the NBS Consumer Price Index and Inflation Report for February, the hike represents a 1.80 percent increase from what was recorded in January. “In February 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 31.70% relative to the January 2024 headline inflation rate which was 29.90%,” the report read partly. “Looking at the movement, the February…

MILLIONS of internet users groan as disruption continues in various countries across Africa. Outages have been reported in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana and Burkina Faso. In Nigeria, telecommunications subscribers and bank users were stranded for hours as the disruption paralysed digital transations and internet communications. Damage to at least three subsea cables off the West Coast of Africa on Thursday disrupted internet services in Nigeria, Ghana and other countries across the continent. “There seems to be a pattern in the timing of the disruptions, impacting from the north to the south of Africa,” said Cloudflare…

THE House of Representatives is set to invite top manufacturers Aliko Dangote, Rabiu Abdulsamad, among others, to appear before them for deliberation on ways out of the hardship arising from the high cost of the product. The House resolution was a sequel to the adoption of a motion titled “Arbitrary increase in the price of cement by manufacturers of cement in Nigeria,” moved by a member representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, Mr Gaza Gbefwi, during plenary on Wednesday and a member representing Shomolu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Ademorin Kuye. Leading the debate at a session presided over by the…

TROOPS of the Joint Task Force Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD) have rescued 10 abducted victims in Tsafe town, Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State following a successful disbandment of their hideout. Information Officer Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara, Lieutenant Suleiman Omale, said in a statement on Wednesday, that the troops displayed remarkable valour and dedication during the operation, resulting in the dispersion of the bandits. While describing the operations that led to the freedom of the abductees, Omale said the OPHD team had responded to a distress call on the night of March 12, 2024, and had engaged the bandits in…

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested the Correctional officer who allegedly killed a convict, which led to civil unrest in the Wuse Market area of the city. The command disclosed this in a statement, signed by its spokesperson, Josephine Addeh. This newspaper reported how a trigger-happy correctional service officer shot Ibrahim Yahaya, 27, convicted at a mobile court that sits every Tuesday in Wuse Market. The convict, in an attempt to escape, jumped off the moving vehicle, and “two armed corrections personnel who were in the vehicle went after him and in the process, shot him.” The…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu joined the Muslim faithful at the State House mosque for the Ramadan Tafsir (explanation of the Holy Qur’an) on Tuesday, appealing to Nigerians to pray for peace and stability in the country. Declaring open the annual Tafsir, President Tinubu advised the Muslim faithful to demonstrate kindness to one another and their neighbours while also supporting the less privileged in society. ”We thank Almighty Allah for sparing us to see another holy month of Ramadan. We thank Allah for sparing us through the elections and giving us the opportunity to be Nigerians. ”Yes, things are tough, but Allah…

SENATORS from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), have dissociated themselves from the comments made by Senator Abdul Ningi on the 2024 budget. Ningi had in a recent interview claimed that the Federal Government is operating two versions of the 2024 budget, a claim the Presidency denied on Sunday. In a statement on Monday, the NSF declared that Ningi who happens to be the chairman of the forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the 2024 budget. The forum stated that Ningi expressed “his personal opinion, sentiment…

THE Senate on Monday, inaugurated an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate the Ways and Means, including the Anchor Borrowers Programme by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari. President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio led other senators to the inauguration, the move comes after a decision by the Red Chamber to probe details of the programmes based on monies given to state governments, manufacturers, aviation, banks, excess funding in the power sector, amongst others which raised the current debt profile of the country. This was part of resolutions of the Senate after a debate over…

THE Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has appealed to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as matter of urgency consider the reopening of  the county’s borders for importation of food stuff  to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian masses. The appeal was contained in a statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa shortly after receiving the Controller General of the Nigerian Customs Service  Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi at Government House in Kano. Gov. Yusuf lamented the critical condition of hunger and starvation in the country which was caused  by the rampant hike in the price…

THE crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the Holy month of Ramadan, has been sighted in Saudi Arabia. The moon was reportedly spotted on Sunday evening, meaning March 10 is the last day of the month of Sha’ban and the holy month will begin on Monday, March 11. Ramadan, determined by the lunar Islamic calendar in which months span either 29 or 30 days, commences and concludes based on the sighting of the crescent moon. Saudi Arabia authorities had earlier called on Muslims to sight the crescent of the holy month of Ramadan. The Supreme Court had called on…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two grandfathers over drug trafficking. The suspects – Mallam Mai Gemu Adam and Yamama Musa, were arrested in Borno State on Saturday, March 9. Confirming this in a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, said 32,000 ampoules of tramadol injection were recovered from them. “NDLEA operatives in Borno state have arrested a 70-year-old grandfather, Mallam Mai Gemu Adam and 65-year-old Yamama Musa for drug trafficking. They were arrested on Saturday 9th March along with 24-year-old Abubakar Ya’u and Babagana Abubakar Ali, 28, in Maiduguri and Gamboru-Ngala respectively while 32,000 ampoules…