Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

AKWA Ibom State Government has announced the shock passing of Pastor Mrs Patience Umo Eno, Wife of the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno. The State Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, in a release at dawn on Friday on the sad news, stated that the State 1st Lady died following a yet undisclosed illness. Ememobong’s statement tagged “Unexpected Sunset” read, “It is with heavy hearts that we (Akwa Ibom Government) announce the passing of the Wife of the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Her Excellency, Pastor Mrs Patience Umo Eno, following an illness. She passed away peacefully at the hospital,…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally announced time for the collation of results for Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State. This newspaper reports that INEC head office in Benin, Edo capital, is the main collation centre for the election. There has been tension in the state over delay in the formal announcement of results. In a statement issued by the commission, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, said collation would kick off by 10am. He asked politicians to maintain peace and order, vowing that INEC will conduct the process transparently. “This is to inform the general public,…

AHEAD of the Edo State governorship election on Saturday, the Nigerian Police Force has advised voters to return home after casting their ballots. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba, who was a guest on the special edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria on Friday for the Edo election, said that only those accredited to move around would be allowed to do so. “Tomorrow it is important for parents and for everybody to know that if you are not accredited to carry out any of the functions related to the election, you should not be…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to recognise Julius Abure as the National Chairman of Labour Party, despite retaining his name on its website, on the list of political party chairmen. This new revelation is contained in a counter-affidavit filed in the Federal High Court Abuja, in response to Labour Party’s suit, challenging its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents, ahead of the Edo and Ondo states governorship elections INEC insisted in the document that Abure’s tenure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party expired in June 2024. The Labour Party has been entangled…

TROOPS of Operation Safe Haven have arrested five notorious gunrunners and recovered arms and ammunition in an intelligence-driven operation carried out in Plateau State. A statement by the Military Public Information Officer, Operation Safe Haven, Major Stephen Zhakom on Tuesday, said the feat is in pursuance of one of its core mandate of mopping up illegal arms and ammunition in the Joint Operations Area. According to him, the operation commenced from midnight of 16 Sep to the early hours of 17 Sep 2024. He said the troops raided the hideout of a gunrunner identified as Mohammed Sani at Naraguta Mining…

THE Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended one of its members, Dino Melaye, over alleged anti-party activities. Melaye, a former senator from the state, was suspended by the PDP exco in Ayetoro Gbede, Ward 1 following his refusal to honour a summon. According to the Ward exco, the action was taken due to Melaye’s anti-party activities and alleged misconduct. The resolution to suspend him was taken by the Ward party executive committee during a meeting in Aiyetoro/Luagba Ward 1 on Friday. The meeting was held to review the report of the disciplinary committee set up…

THE Federal Government has signed the Cape Town Convention (CTC) Practice aimed at reducing the cost of airline operations in the Nigerian aviation sector. The CTC Practice Direction was signed on Thursday by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. With the signing of the CTC Practice Direction, the Cape Town Convention becomes actively and fully operational in Nigeria, thereby reducing the cost of insurance for airlines, restoring investors’ confidence in the nation’s…

PROPERTIES worth millions of naira have been destroyed following a fire outbreak at a GSM village around Kpata market in Lokoja the Kogi State capital. Our correspondent gathered that the fire outbreak started in the early hours of Thursday due to a power upsurge. It was further learnt that shop owners could not salvage anything from the fire after it got out of control. One of the traders in the market, Muhammed Yahaya who lost his goods to the fire narrated the incident saying, “Somebody called me around 5:30 am today that the market is on fire. On getting there,…

THE Benue State government on Tuesday confirmed the suspension of five senior staff members in connection with a missing transformer and the vandalisation of another. Dr. Agbogbo Ode, the State Head of Service (HOS), told journalists in Makurdi that four of the individuals involved would face charges. Among those suspended is the Director of Planning and Research in the Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives, who was placed on indefinite suspension for his role in the missing transformer. The HoS explained that following an investigation, the Permanent Secretary and Director of Administration and Supply in the ministry were cleared of…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) did not arrest Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the last election, Valentine Obienyem, his media aide, has clarified. There have been unconfirmed reports of Obi being arrested alongside Margaret, his wife. But in a statement released on Tuesday, Obienyem categorically dismissed the reports as entirely false and baseless. He said the rumour first surfaced on Saturday, but was promptly refuted. Obienyem said Obi was not even in Anambra State at the time of the alleged incident. “As of Saturday, Mr. Obi was in Rwanda attending to important engagements,” he said. “He has since…

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…