NIGERIA’s President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has been named in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2023. Time Magazine’s yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world recognises people for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions. The 2023 list released on Thursday categorised individuals into pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, innovators, and icons. Tinubu, who won the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria, was listed alongside United States President, Joe Biden; Brazil President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska; amongst other world leaders. The report described Tinubu,…
Author: Maryam Garba
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AGAIN, bandits killed nine including four local vigilante members at the Sabon Layi community, Birnin Gwari Local government area of Kaduna State on Wednesday morning. Locals said they saw the bandits patrolling the affected community on Tuesday, but there were no security operatives to chase them away. According to a BBC Hausa report monitored by News Point Nigeria Wednesday afternoon, about 25 locals were kidnapped in the area, while livestock belonging to the locals was rustled by the bandits. This is coming less than 24 hours after troops eliminated notorious bandit leader of the area, Isiya Danwasa. News Point Nigeria…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, for the commencement of an eight-day official visit. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Tuesday, said upon his arrival, he was received by the Deputy Governor Sa’ud Khalid Al-Faisal. The presidential spokesman said the President visited and prayed at the Prophet’s Holy Mosque this evening and greeted Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his two companions. He added that at the entrance of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, the President was received by a number of officials. Editor’s…
JAMES Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, Ikeja Federal Constituency, has been named the preferred choice for the position of Chief of Staff in the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The choice was named by a chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and Director-General USIR North-West Project For Tinubu/Shettima, Hajiya UmmaSalma Isiyaku Rabiu in a press statement signed by the DG herself. According to the DG, who is also a member, Grassroot Engagement And Orientation, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke’s loyalty, competence, capacity and political reach makes him the best candidate for…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned the “extreme violence” and killings of scores of people in Benue State within one week. The President, in a statement by one of his spokespersons, Garba Shehu, condemned the “use of terrorism as a tool in inter-communal conflicts”, directing that the attackers “be found and dealt with” swiftly under the law. He directed the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and military commanders to enhance surveillance on every front and to immediately review the security management in the affected areas. The President also conveyed his grief and sympathy to the families of…
A former Deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Professor Onje Gye-Wado, has been abducted. The state Police Public Relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, in a press release confirmed the abduction early on Friday. He said Gye-Wado was whisked away Friday morning when gunmen broke into his residence in Gwagi village of Wamba Local government area of the state. According to the police spokesman, a search has been initiated by a police tactical team in collaboration with other security personnel to rescue the victim unhurt. Below is the full police statement on the abduction. Police Press Release April 7, 2023 CP Maiyaki…
THE House of Representatives has mandated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to put on hold the release of 15 billion naira counterpart funding requested by the Federal Government, pending the approval of the Commission’s budget by the House. The was after a member of the green chamber, Unyime Idem, on Thursday, moved a motion drawing the attention of the House to the Federal Government’s request. According to the request, the Ministry of Niger Delta was to jointly finance an intervention and humanitarian programme of sums running into several billions of naira using the money recovered by the Economic and…
THE Kaduna State Government on Tuesday confirmed that only eight students were abducted along with other citizens. It, however, said they were not kidnapped in the school compound. On Monday, gunmen whisked away 10 victims from Government Day Secondary School in Awon, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The abduction is the latest onslaught launched by gunmen that have wreaked havoc in the North-Western state despite the efforts of the state government and security agencies. But the state government in its update said it received detailed reports from security agencies on the incident, adding that the students were not…
THE immediate past spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Wap Maigida, is dead. Maigida was reported to have slumped and died in the nation’s capital. A family source, who confirmed the development, said the senior military officer was hale and hearty before the sad incident. The spokesman of the NAF, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, who also confirmed the development, described the death as shocking. More details in a while…
THE Kaduna State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Sabon Garin Nassarawa communities in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state following the killing of two persons. According a short statement by the state commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the curfew is with immediate effect. Aruwan also said the decision was reached following a breakdown of law and order that led to loss of two lives in an incident of urban gang violence. The commissioner added that security agencies have been directed to enforce the curfew in the area and restore order, while investigation…
AN UNCOUNTABLE number of people have been reportedly killed and hundreds of houses burnt when gunmen in the early hours of Sunday attacked Aloko, a community in Oganenigu Ward of Dekina Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State. Our source gathered that the militia in their hundreds launched their latest attack from a base in the neighbouring Bassa LGA. Residents said that the invading militia started shooting anyone in sight and set houses ablaze on arrival. The Oganenigu Ward chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), James Adah, is said to be among those killed in the attack. Locals said…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in former Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase (rtd.) as the new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). The new PSC boss took the oath of office on Wednesday at the council chamber before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, two months after the Senate confirmed him as chairperson of the PSC. Also present at the inauguration was the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, among other council members. Arase who retired in 2016,…
AMNESTY International has spoken out against human rights violations in Nigeria, including terrorist attacks by Boko Haram, extrajudicial killings, torture, banditry, and arbitrary detentions, among others. The international non-governmental organisation stated this in an annual report titled ‘Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world’s human rights’ published Monday on its website. With the International Criminal Court (ICC) marking its 20th anniversary, Amnesty said the ICC’s actions begged the question of whether its principles applied equally to victims of crimes under international law in any situation or region. “While it publicly promoted its absolutely vital large-scale investigation into the…
BANDITS in Kaduna went berserk on Sunday, killing a baby born by an abducted pregnant house wife, Mrs Shamsiya Mustapha. This newspaper had reported that the woman, her husband, Mustapha and her 16-year-old daughter, Mahapuza Mustapha, were abducted by bandits at their residence in Janjala community in Kagarko local area of the state on February, 5, 2023. The bandits, however, freed the woman’s husband, Mustapha after they collected N2 million ransom including a brand new motorcycle and food stuff, but they held his pregnant wife and daughter and demanded another N2 million before the woman and her daughter could be…
OVER 700 offenders have been arrested by men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), for violation of electoral laws during the 2023 general elections. Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with Commissioners of Police from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, as well as other senior officers. According to the IGP, the exact figure of those arrested currently stands at 781. Giving more details regarding the arrest, IGP Alkali Baba said 185 cases of electoral infractions were recorded during the presidential election with 203 arrests made. For the Governorship and…
THE National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians to the recalled EzriCare and Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears eye drops. The recall is contained in a public alert with No: 008/2023 signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, in Abuja on Sunday. She said that the eye drop was recalled in February due to suspected contamination with pseudomonas aeruginosa, a highly resistant bacterium. According to her, since the recall, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has reported 68 patients across 16 states with health problems from the bacteria, including eye infections. Other problems associated…
DESPITE winning last Saturday’s governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rigged the election in about seven local government areas (LGAs) of the state where it won. This comes barely 24 hours after PDP members in the state on Thursday held a protest to demand the declaration of their candidate, Isah Ashiru, as the rightful winner of the March 18 governorship election held in the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the APC candidate, Senator Uba Sani, the winner of the poll, having scored 730,002 votes,…
A CONVICTED Nigerian fugitive, Florence Enwerem Onyegbu, has been extradited to the United States over criminal charges that violate the country’s law. Her extradition followed a request by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), seeking assistance for her arrest. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying Onyegbu was apprehended at her residence in the Ojodu area of Lagos on February 21, 2022. EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said investigations by the anti-graft revealed that she had changed her name from Florence Onyegbu to Janet Boi in an attempt to remain hidden. According…
THE Presidency has denied reports that President Muhammadu Buhari is unwilling to hand over to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the end of his tenure on May 29, saying the government is already in transition phase. “The Presidency wishes to denounce as outrageous and fake, and condemns the fake news brigade for attributing a false quote to President Muhammadu Buhari and circulating it,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement on Friday. “How can you vigorously campaign for somebody, vote for him and then say you won’t hand over to…
SOME members of the House of Representatives clashed on Wednesday over a bill seeking to legalise cultivation, sale and use of cannabis, also known as marijuana, for commercial purposes. Two members of the House, Benjamin Kalu and Olumide Osoba, had sponsored a fresh bill seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, to expand the scope of the anti-narcotics agency to issue licences for the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. The legislation was titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004…