THE National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, has said that the PDP constitution expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee at ward, state or national level to take any disciplinary measure against any member of the National Executive Committee, therefore only the NEC can suspend him. Ayu also stated that the purported announcement of his suspension is only mischief, drama and propaganda, adding that it was an exercise in futility that is derivable from gross “ignorance and desperation.” Ayu disclosed this on Monday through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications,…
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THE abducted wife of the traditional ruler of Bukpe in Kwali Area Council of the FCT, Mrs Sadiya Hassan Shandozhi, and her son, Osama Hassan Shandozhi, have regained their freedom after being held captive for seven weeks by their abductors. This newspaper had reported that bandits on Saturday, February 4, 2023, abducted one of the chief’s wives, two sons and three other residents of the area from their residences. Confirming the release of the chief’s wife and the son through telephone to our reporter on Sunday, a member of the family, Danjuma Usman, said they were freed on Saturday evening…
A NOTORIOUS militia in eastern DR Congo on Sunday executed 17 people it took hostage the previous day on live stream, local sources said. The CODECO insurgents killed at least 17 people on a 7-minute live stream captured in the Djugu territory, around 45 kilometres (30 miles) north of Bunia in Ituri province, local community leader Banguneni Gbalande told Nit-news. Gbalande said he had been alerted by the families of some of those killed. The “hostages are dead, they have been executed by the CODECO militia on a live stream that was later stopped”, another local traditional leader, Toko Kagbanese,…
A HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has issued an order attaching funds standing to the credit of the Oyo State Government and its agencies in four banks. Justice A. O. Ebong issued the order while ruling on a motion ex-parte for garnishee order filed by the ex-chairpersons and councillors led by Bashorun Majeed, Bosun Ajuwon and Idris Okusesi. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the affected banks are First Bank, United Bank for Africa, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.” Justice Ebong ordered the banks to show cause why the order should not be made absolute. The…
MANAGER Antonio Conte has left Tottenham “by mutual consent” with the team struggling to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, the club announced on Sunday. The Italian, who took over in November 2021, launched into a rant about the club before the international break following a 3-3 draw at Southampton. He will be replaced by his assistant Cristian Stellini until the end of the season. Conte leaves with Spurs fourth in the Premier League table, but only two points above fifth-placed Newcastle who have two games in hand on the London side in the race for Champions League…
CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored twice to help Portugal thrash Luxembourg 6-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying. Ronaldo, 38, broke the deadlock after nine minutes before Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva pulled Portugal further clear. The Al Nassr forward sent his side in with a 4-0 lead at half-time, with substitutes Otavio and Rafael Leao scoring late in the second period. Portugal top Group J after winning their opening two Euro 2024 qualifiers. After scoring two against Liechtenstein on Thursday, Ronaldo further extended his record as Portugal’s leading scorer in European Championship qualifiers, taking his tally to 35 in 37 appearances. And it…
TENS of thousands have taken to the streets across Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister. Yoav Gallant had spoken out against controversial plans to overhaul the justice system. In Jerusalem, police and soldiers used water cannon against demonstrators near Mr Netanyahu’s house. Early on Monday morning, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called on the government to halt the reforms. “For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately,” he said on Twitter, adding that “the eyes of all the people…
MORE severe weather could be on its way to the US state of Mississippi following the tornadoes which killed 26 people, the governor has warned. Governor Tate Reeves said significant risks remained in parts of the state. Hundreds of people have been displaced in the wake of the tornadoes which tore through Mississippi and Alabama on Friday night. The mayor of one of the worst affected towns said he had lost personal friends in the disaster. Friday’s tornado was the deadliest in the state of Mississippi in more than a decade. At least 25 people have died in the state,…
KENYAN opposition has vowed to continue with protests scheduled for Monday despite police warning they will intensify crackdowns on what they consider as illegal protests. The protests started last week and turned violent in several opposition strongholds. Opposition leader Raila Odinga said they would be held every Monday and Thursday to rally the country against the high cost of living and alleged electoral malpractices. But the head of police, Japhet Koome, said on Sunday “he had not approved of any demonstrations” and warned of mass arrests. The Kenyan law does not require police approval for protests. “We have been restraining…
MILITARY and civilian political leaders in Sudan have begun talks in Khartoum on bringing the government-backed militia, the RSF, under the control of the army. This, and placing the military under civilian authority, were key demands of the civilian groups which helped overthrow President Omar al- Bashir in 2019. Sunday’s talks were part of an agreement, signed in December, meant to pave the way for a return to democratic rule and due to be adopted formally in less than two weeks. The army chief, Abdel Fattah al- Burhan, who seized power in a coup two years ago said he wanted…
THE 2023 National Population and Housing Census will be conducted digitally to ensure credibility and efficiency, Garba Abari, the director-general, National Orientation Agency, NOA, says. He made this known when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja on Sunday. Mr Abari, who is a member of the National Publicity and Advocacy Committee on Census, said the exercise would be facilitated by the use of digital technology, contrary to previous census conducted in the country. He said “this is one census that is going to be different from previous ones. To enhance the credibility of the exercise,…
FORMER Chief of General Staff in General Sani Abacha’s military adminstration, Lt-General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (retd) is dead. His death was confirmed by Prince Oyesinmilola Diya. He said the former military administrator of Ogun State passed on to glory in the early hours of 26th March 2023. Born on the 3rd of April, 1944, Diya was military Governor of Ogun State after the Buhari-Idiagbon coup of December 31st, 1983. Diya joined the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna and fought during the Nigerian Civil War. He later attended the US Army School of Infantry, the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1980–1981)…
QATARI banker Sheikh Jassim has joined Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in submitting a second bid to buy Manchester United. A representative for Sheikh Jassim said on Saturday they put in a revised bid overnight. On Thursday, Ratcliffe put in his second bid after Wednesday’s confusion and extended deadline. It followed Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus stating he has submitted a bid to buy the Old Trafford club. Zilliacus wants to buy half of the club with the other half bought by fans, who will be part of club decision-making. On Saturday, Zilliacus claimed he had also increased his bid for…
RUSSIA will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, President Vladimir Putin has said. President Putin said the move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements and compared it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe, according to Russian state media. Moscow would not be transferring control of its arms to Minsk, he added. The US said it did not believe Russia was preparing to use the nuclear weapons after the announcement. “We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture,” the US Defense Department said in a statement. “We remain committed to the collective defense of…
AT least 26 people have died in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the southern US states. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, and the Mississippi state government has declared a state of emergency. In Rolling Fork, crushed cars, bricks and glass litter the streets – the town has been almost entirely wiped out. One resident told the BBC he was lucky to survive after seeking shelter in his bath tub. Approaching the neighbourhood in western Sharkey County, there is little indication of anything unusual. The lush farmland that surrounds it is completely untouched, the trees aren’t even…
DECADES of silence and fear followed the 1977 massacre of perhaps as many as 90,000 people in Angola, but as the families of the disappeared started to speak out, demanding answers, the government took action in an attempt to promote reconciliation. Though in some cases its attempts appear to have gone cruelly wrong. For João Ernesto van Dunem it was like his parents had been killed for a second time. First, hopes were raised for the man who was orphaned when he was three months’ old. Angola’s justice minister appeared on national television last year to announce that the remains…
THE Chadian government has nationalised assets belonging to a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. It’s the latest development in a dispute between the authorities of the Central African country and the US oil giant over the sale of its assets in Chad to a third party. The vast majority of Chad’s revenue comes from exporting oil. So when it disagreed with the terms under which Exxon sold its Chadian assets to British company Savannah Energy last year, it promised to go to court to block the purchase. Now the Chadian authorities have gone one step further – they’ve nationalised Exxon’s assets,…
INEC assured in Abuja on Saturday that it would conduct credible supplementary governorship election in Adamawa that would be the pride of Nigerians and of the international community. INEC’s commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, gave the assurance when some women staged a protest at the Commission’s headquarters in respect of the Adamawa election. The protesters were led by the president, National Council of Women Societies, NCWS, Lami Lau. INEC had earlier in the week declared the March 18 governorship election in Adamawa as inconclusive. The final results tallied by INEC at the election showed that the Adamawa…
SUSPECTED armed bandits have kidnapped the Special Adviser on political affairs to Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state, Alhaji Ibrahim Ma’aji in Gusau the state capital. The armed bandits in their large numbers were said to have invaded the residence of the Special Adviser in the early hours of Saturday in the Mareri area of the Gusau metropolis. A close source to the family, Lukman Ibrahim who is the elder son of the kidnapped victim confirmed the abduction of his father Ibrahim Maaji in the state. According to Lukman, his father was in his apartment when gunmen entered their compound…
THE Court of Appeal, Abuja, Friday evening, dismissed an appeal by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate, All Progressives Congress, APC, and his deputy, Kashim Shettima, in the February 25 election. A three-member panel headed by Justice James Abundaga, in a unanimous judgment, held that the PDP failed to establish that its had locus standi to institute the case. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the PDP, in an appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/108/2023, had prayed the appellate court to reverse the January 13 judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High…