Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has struck out the appeal by governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Arthur Esene and Anselm Ojezua seeking to disqualify the party’s candidate in the September 21, 2024 governorship election, Asue Ighodalo. The aspirants, Esene and Ojezua had, in their appeal, prayed the Court of Appeal to set aside the April 17 judgment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja which dismissed their suit for being statute barred. Justice Omotosho, in his judgement, had held that not only did they fail to prove their claim…

THE Labour Party on Wednesday announced the composition of a 29-man caretaker committee to be chaired by former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman. The Immediate-past Senate Minority Deputy Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, was also appointed to serve as Secretary to the committee which will midwife an election of a new leadership of the party within the next 90 days. The party reached the resolution at the end of the Party’s NEC/Extended Stakeholders meeting held at Government House Umuahia, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor of Abia State, Ukoha Njoku, He said that the…

SOME prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party have challenged the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, asserting that he cannot dismantle the party. Wike, while speaking at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday during the party’s state congress, warned PDP governors to stay clear of the party’s affairs in Rivers, threatening to “put fire in their states.” He stated, “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell…

THE Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an immediate investigation into the feeding conditions of inmates at the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar. A video report on Facebook alleges that inmates at the Custodial Centre were being subjected to inhumane treatment, including being served poorly cooked beans as breakfast. A statement by Babatunde Alao, the minister’s media aide, on Sunday, said Tunji-Ojo had taken grave exception to the disturbing video report. “The Minister views this incident as a serious breach of the standards of care and dignity to which inmates are entitled. “He has directed a comprehensive and urgent…

MORE details emerged on Saturday about how security agents rescued the 20 abducted medical students and seven others in Benue State. This newspaper gathered that one of the suspected kidnappers was shot dead by the combined operatives, consisting of the military, men of the Department of State Services, and the police. Two suspects were arrested. The 20 students, who are from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos, were travelling to Enugu for the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students’ annual convention when they were kidnapped by bandits. Their abduction generated an outcry, which made the Inspector-General…

PLATEAU State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has suspended four key officials of the state government with immediate effect. This was announced in a statement on Tuesday by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere. He said the governor approved the officials’ suspension, without further explanations on the reasons for the action. A source close to the governor told News Point Nigeria that the suspended Commissioners were accused of sending local govt elections plans to the opposition in the state and the Special Adviser was accused Of leaking confidential government documents. The affected officials include the Commissioner for Budget and…

THE mobile police officer who was abducted around Kampani community in Bashar District of Wase local government are of Plateau State has been found dead. This newspaper had reported how the policeman and a soldier who were part of a security team fighting bandits terrorising a community which shares border with Taraba State, were ambushed around Kampani community. While the soldier escaped, the policeman was not so lucky. Sources from Wase town confirmed the latest development to our correspondent, saying the lifeless body of the policeman was found in a bush at Bangalala, on Sunday. Spokesperson of the state police…

ABDUCTORS of students of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Jos in Plateau State have established contact with the families of the kidnapped students. The kidnapped have demanded a ransom of ₦50 million to secure the release of their hostages. The Students’ Union Government (SUG) at the varsity, in a statement by its spokesman Adeniran Adebanjo, said contact has already been established with the families of the affected students, the Dean of Students’ Affairs, the Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, and other concerned stakeholders. The statement added that efforts are ongoing as the kidnappers have demanded a…

ARMED men suspected to be kidnappers have abducted about 20 Medical and Dental students from two universities alongside a House Officer in Benue State. Our correspondent gathered that the students were going for the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) annual convention in Enugu State when the incident happened on Thursday evening. It was further gathered that the victims are students of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and University of Jos (UNIJOS), who were travelling together, and were ambushed by the gunmen around 5:30pm in Otukpo local government area of Benue State enroute Enugu. According to the Public…

BANDITS on Wednesday, kidnapped a mobile police officer, around Kampani community of Wase local government area of Plateau state. The incident, according to sources from the area, occurred in the evening of Wednesday, when the police officer and a soldier were on their way from Zurak community to Kamapani, when they were ambushed by the bandits. The source said while the policeman was abducted, the soldier escaped. Sources from the area told this newspaper that the soldier and police officer were attached to a security team operating in communities such as Bangalala, Kampani, Zurak, and others affected by banditry. Sahapi…

A HUMANITARIAN worker and Executive Director of Concerned Youth Development Initiative (CYDI), Chris Terfa, has been reportedly killed by yet-to-be identified gunmen near Logo 1 axis in Makurdi metropolis, Benue State. The deceased was said to have been gunned down Friday evening by the assailants who allegedly traced him to his office within the Logo 1 vicinity in Makurdi. Terfa’s killers also reportedly shot at the security man on duty while trying to gain access into the office premises. The assassins reportedly covered the deceased’s mouth with a pillow before shooting him. Witnesses said that Terfa was rushed to the…

THE abductors of two students of Kogi State University, Kabba (KSUK) have demanded ₦50m ransom for the release of the students. The students were kidnapped last week Friday at the same spot and same day the Caretaker Chairmen of Kabba/Bunu Council area, Dare Micheal and his three aides were abducted. While the CTC chairman, Dare was released due to ill health that could not allow him to trek quickly with the abductors, the other three aides and the two students are still with the abductors. The kidnappers had on Monday requested ₦100 million as ransom for the chairman’s aides, and…

AT least 30 people have been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in Ayati community of Ukum Local Government Area of Benúe State. Our correspondent reports that the fresh killings occured barely one month after the killing of 11 residents in the same community which sparked wild protests at the time. Residents said the latest killings occured Thursday night after the local bandits in their numbers launched an attack on Ayati, the headquarters of Borikyo Ward. A resident told our correspondent on the telephone that people killed could be over 50 as efforts were still being made to recover bodies from…

AMIDST the ongoing 24-hour curfew imposed in Jos, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Olugbemiga Adesina, has ordered the deployment of officers to dominate the city. In a statement on Monday, the CP said the move was based on security intelligence which revealed that hoodlums were planning to hijack the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests to cause mayhem in the state. The statement, signed by the command’s spokesman, said, “In line with the 24-hour curfew imposed by the Plateau State Government following the actions of unscrupulous elements amidst the peaceful protest in the state, the Plateau State Police Command has robustly deployed officers…

GENERAL Overseer and President El-buba Outreach Ministries International (EBOMI), Dr Isa El-buba, personally led the August 1st hunger protest in Jos, Plateau state capital, on Thursday. El-buba, who is the national coordinator of Initiative for Better and Brighter Nigeria (IBBN), said the protest led by him would be peaceful all through. The protesters converged on the Plateau Secretariat overhead bridge as early as 6am from where they headed towards old airport roundabout Jos. While addressing the protesters, he highlighted the suffering of Nigerians and asked President Bola Tinubu to reverse “anti-people policies”. Buba specifically mentioned the removal of fuel subsidy,…

A SENIOR advocate of Nigeria and former general secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, emerged as the president-elect in the 2024 NBA election. The 2024 NBA election was held online and was monitored by our correspondent. The Voting began at 12 am on Saturday and ended at 11.59 pm with the live results for all positions presented at https://go.ecnba.org/results/ As of the final compilation at 12:40 am on Sunday, Osigwe secured 20,435 votes, defeating his closest rival, Chairman of the NBA-Institute of Continuing Legal Education Governing Council, Tobenna Erojikwe, who garnered 10,998 votes while former NBA Lagos Branch…

COLONEL BT Vandi, a retiree of the Nigerian Army, has been found dead at the Defence Academy base camp located at Vom road, Jos. The retired officer was said to have passed on in his room where he checked in a few hours earlier. An attendant reportedly found him dead at about 3:20pm. Late Col Vandi was said to have checked in to the camp guest room on the 16th of July, and was discovered dead on the 17th of July. This newspaper further learnt that the body of the deceased would be moved to 3 Division Military Hospital in…

A PRELIMINARY investigation into the Saint Academy School building collapse in the Busa Buji area of Jos, Plateau State, in North Central Nigeria, has shown that the structure was defective. The two-storey building housing Saint Academy, located at the Busa Buji community in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state, collapsed on Friday at about 8:30 am, claimed 22 persons and left about 154 trapped persons who were evacuated to various hospitals. The Director General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Samson Duna, at a press briefing on Tuesday in Jos, said there were several…

THE Benin Monarch, Omo N’oba N’edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, has received prestigious artefacts from the Stanley Museum of Art, University of IOWA in the United States of America. The objects; one wooden carved mother hen and a brass plaque, were among the thousands of artefacts looted from the palace of the Oba of Benin during the 1897 Benin massacre, which eventually found their way to the Stanley Museum of Art. The curator of African art, Stanley Museum of Art, University of IOWA, Cory Gundlach who returned the two artefacts, admitted the university’s use of the objects in the teaching…

ABOUT 200 students were trapped in the school building which collapsed on Friday morning, according to Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Musa Ashoms. This newspaper reports that Saints Academy, a secondary school in Jos, collapsed on Friday, while students were writing their third term examination. Ashoms, who visited the scene in the company of other commissioners, including that of secondary education, said the school had a total population of about 400. The commissioner said part of the school that collapsed was accommodating about 200 students. ”The collapsed building has resulted in casualties, and injured students are still being…