Author: Farouk Abbas

JUSTICE James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DStv and GOtv, challenging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) intervention in its recent subscription price hike. Delivering judgment, Justice Omotoso ruled that the suit constituted an abuse of court process as similar proceedings were already pending in Lagos State. He stressed that the plaintiff should have pursued its arguments in that court, rendering the current filing inappropriate. Justice Omotoso, however, noted that while the FCCPC has investigative powers under its establishing Act, it lacks the authority to fix…

Court Rejects Commission’s Objection To Admissibility Of FCT Court Judgement THE 3rd prosecution witness in the alleged money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, admitted before the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, that there was no wired transfer of fees from the Kogi State Government or any of the local Governments in the state to the account of the American International School, Abuja. During cross-examination by the Defendant’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, also…

MUHAMMAD Badaru Abubakar, the minister of defence has acknowledged that Nigeria’s borders continue to face threats from criminal and terrorist groups — including newly formed ones Lakurawa and Mahmudawa. But, the minister assured citizens that the government is ramping up efforts to secure these borders and bolster national security. Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing, Abubakar highlighted the ongoing challenges while emphasising the progress made in curbing cross-border infiltration. Responding to concerns about rising insecurity in regions like Katsina and Zamfara States, the minister pointed to notable improvements, such as the reopening of vital roads and markets in areas…

THE Federal Ministry of Education has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme (EEP) to provide 24-hour electricity on campuses. The signing ceremony took place at the solar-powered mini-grid site of the University of Abuja, one of the beneficiaries of the transformative initiative. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the transformative agenda through continued collaboration with the REA and institutional partners across the nation and beyond. A key highlight of the event was the signing of a collaboration agreement between the REA and eight new universities under…

EMIR of Kano, His Highness, Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, has urged foreign investors to take advantage of booming business environment in Nigeria to invest their resources for maximum profit margin. Khalifa Sanusi solicited investment opportunities in Nigeria while addressing global investors and captains of industries at the International Financial Investment and Trade Conference holding in Tunisia. The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, explained that Nigeria reserves one of the fastest growing economy in Africa with highly competitive markets and business opportunities readily available for capital investors. Sanusi essentially appealed to business and investment giants to tap from…

THE Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly have rejected the summons issued on them by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, describing it as unconstitutional and an overreach of federal legislative powers. The House of Representatives committee had last Friday summoned the Governors of Benue and Zamfara states, Hyacinth Alia and Dauda Lawal respectively, as well as their respective sate assembly speakers and house leadership to appear before it on Thursday, March 8, 2025. The Reps said the governors and Assemblies’ leaders must appear to explain why their constitutional functions should not be taken over by the…

SOME leaders of the All Progressives Congress APC in Kano state including the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata have rejected the planned defection of a former Governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from his New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP into the APC. Speaking shortly after a closed-door meeting with the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who is himself a former Governor of Kano State, the minister said Kwankwaso’s red cap is gradually going extinct in Kano State. He said unless the National Chairman, who is the leader of the party in Kano, takes a…

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, saying he does not need “validation from political opportunists”. Bwala, who previously served as spokesperson for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had advised the former vice president to accept that “the presidency may not be part of his destiny.” “If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny. God gives power to whomsoever He chooses.…

THE Nigerian Senate has constituted an 18-member committee tasked with overseeing the activities of the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), in a bid to strengthen transparency and accountability in the state’s governance. Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, was named as chairman of the committee. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during the resumption of plenary. He highlighted the importance of the committee’s mandate, stating that its role is critical in ensuring effective legislative oversight in Rivers State. Akpabio also hinted that the composition of the committee…

JUSTICE S.C. Oriji of the FCT High Court, Maitama on Monday, admitted more evidence against former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the former minister alongside his daughter Fatima Sirika, son in-law Jalal Sule Hamma and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on amended six-count charge, bordering on abuse of office to the tune of N2.7billion. A statement by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said that during Monday’s proceeding, prosecution counsel, A.O Atolagbe, presented the Ninth Prosecution Witness, PW9. Led in his testimony by prosecution counsel, the witness, a retired General Manager, Administration and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is expected to meet with the leadership of Nigeria’s power-generating companies as part of an emergency effort to address the N4tn debt threatening to cripple the country’s electricity supply chain. The move follows a high-level meeting on Tuesday between the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and chairmen of Gencos in Abuja, amid mounting fears of a possible collapse of the national grid due to liquidity constraints in the sector, according to a statement from the power ministry on Sunday. The government pledged immediate action to reduce the N4tn debt owed to power generation companies. This newspaper earlier…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised a group of women who walked out during an empowerment event organised by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu in Port Harcourt, calling the act “disturbing and embarrassing.” The protest happened on Friday at the EUI Event Centre and was reportedly led by women loyal to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Some of the protesters, said to include sacked local government vice chairpersons, left the venue while chanting pro-Fubara slogans. They demanded that Governor Fubara’s wife, Valerie, address them instead of the wife of the state’s administrator,…

THE Nigerian Army revealed on Saturday that its troops engaged in a fierce gunfight with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Buni Gari, Yobe State. Disclosing this via its verified Facebook page, the Nigerian Army confirmed that Troops of Operation HADIN KAI were in a fierce battle against the terrorist group, which left three soldiers dead. Incoming reports revealed that the insurgents were spotted looting food supplies and livestock from the community. According to reports, the confrontation comes amid a recent surge in terrorist activities in the North-East region, which also follows a deadly attack by ISWAP insurgents…

THE Nigeria Police Force, through its Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have rescued two kidnapped Ghanaian nationals and apprehended a key kidnapping syndicate operating across international borders. The police on Friday said this followed a report filed with the National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja on April 27, 2025, regarding the kidnap of one Anastasia Arthur aka Baidoo, a 48-year-old Ghanaian national. A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, explained that initial investigations revealed that Baidoo’s abduction stemmed from a sophisticated Facebook love scam. Adejobi said advanced technical analysis provided a lead to a key location connected to the…

THE Federal Government has summoned Vice Chancellors of some schools and the Managing Director of Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) over alleged diversion of funds meant for the student loan scheme. A recent report claimed that about 51 schools had made illegal deductions from student loans under NELFund, prompting the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to launch a comprehensive investigation into the alleged discrepancies. Worried about the allegations, the Federal Ministry of Education said it “is convening an urgent meeting on May 6, 2025, with the Vice Chancellors of the affected universities and the Managing Director…

A UNITED States-based activist, Dr. Sandra Duru, has submitted evidences of phone conversations between her and suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to relevant authorities in the US and other parts of the world for forensic analysis. The activist, who made this known during a Facebook live session on Thursday night, while showing some of the evidences, said the conversations revealed the lies behind the sexual harassment allegation levelled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by the embattled Senator. She exposed call logs and conversations to debunk Natasha’s claim that she had never spoken to her before. Duru, popularly called Prof. Mgbeke, added…

GOVERNOR Abba Kabiru Yusuf has approved the sun of ₦15,667,634,645.10 for the settlement of outstanding severance allowance and gratuity of All Progressives Congress (APC) councillors. The affected Councillors who served under the immediate past Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for eight have cause to rejoice with the generosity of Governor Yusuf. The rare magnanimity of Governor Yusuf to offset the huge debt that Ganduje failed to settle even with political affinity, underscores the culture of politics without bitterness being ensued by the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) administration in Kano. This is not isolated from the over all people centered philosophy…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will on Friday, May 2, embark on a two-day official visit to Katsina State, where he is expected to assess the security situation in the state, commission key infrastructure projects, and attend a social function hosted by the state’s governor. The visit was confirmed in a statement issued Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed that the President will depart Abuja for Katsina on Friday. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja for Katsina State on Friday for a two-day official visit,” Onanuga said in the statement. During…

INTERNATIONAL police organisation INTERPOL has traced several stolen vehicles from Canada to Nigeria, following a large-scale cross-border operation targeting vehicle trafficking in West Africa. The operation, codenamed Safe Wheels, was carried out between 17 and 30 March 2025 across 12 West African countries, including Nigeria. Coordinated by INTERPOL, it involved thousands of vehicle checks at land and sea borders, resulting in the detection of approximately 150 stolen vehicles and the seizure of more than 75. A statement released from INTERPOL’s headquarters in Lyon, France, said the majority of the stolen vehicles flagged during the two-week exercise had been trafficked from…

THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has dismissed allegations that President Bola Tinubu is using the Commission to target members of opposition parties. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Olukoyede described the claims as a ploy to distract the President from “the good work he is doing.” According to him, the President’s primary concern is how the heads of key ministries and government agencies are delivering on their mandates. “I think Nigerians should appreciate the kind of president we have at this time, and…