Blog

The Kano State Police Command has arrested two men, parading themselves as journalists, for allegedly defrauding a rice trader of N33,000.

The 30-year-old suspects, Mujahid Kabir and Abba Imam, were alleged to have, on February 2, 2023, generated a fake bank transfer alert of N33,000 to buy a bag of rice at a Plaza at Sharada Quarters, Kano Municipal Local Government Area, Kano State

The state police spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said, “On 2nd February 2023 at about 1700hrs, a report was received from the Manager of a Plaza at Sharada Quarters, Kano Municipal LGA, Kano State that, two people went to their Plaza, purchased a bag of rice at N33,000 and generated a fake bank transfer alert to them.

“On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command CP Mamman Dauda, psc(+) raised and instructed a team of detectives led by SP Abdulrahim Adamu, Divisional Police Officer, Sharada Division to arrest the culprits.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, is presently in crisis over an alleged fake National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate he parades.

Reliably sources told SaharaReporters that Mbah, one of the frontline candidates for the March 11 governorship election in Enugu State, fainted inside the NYSC headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday where he had gone to find out if the corps indeed issued a letter flaunted by an Non-Governmental Organisation regarding his NYSC discharge certificate.

The United Arab Emirates Tuesday pledged $100 million to Syria and Turkey, one of the largest sums yet following a massive earthquake that killed more than 5,400 people across both countries.

The oil-rich Gulf nation — which had already pledged some $13.6 million to Syria — is spearheading regional relief efforts, having dispatched planes to both countries with relief items and rescue teams following the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck early Monday.

On Tuesday, Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan “ordered the provision of $100 million for the relief of those affected”, the official WAM news agency said.

About six persons have been feared killed with many missing and houses destroyed in renewed crisis between Omor and Anaku communities in Ayanmelu Local Government Area of Anambra State.

A source in the community said the lingering crisis resumed again on Monday, after a dispute among members of both communities.

The source said, “Up to 10 people were killed in Omor by people of Anaku on Monday evening. Security later arrived the area and tried to quell the situation. As I speak now, men of the military have taking over the communities.

Reacting to the development, the Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed that six people were killed, while also declaring that one Nnamdi Maduneke is wanted for instigating the violence, and also wielding an AK47 rifle.

Ikenga said, “The Anambra State Police Command is on the manhunt for Mr Nnamdi Maduneke and cohorts, wielding Ak47 rifles in the early hours of yesterday (Monday) according to information received, the suspect and his cohorts without any provocation started shooting indiscriminately in Omor Commu

Hundreds of residents of Ondo State on Tuesday stormed the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Expressway at Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, to protest against naira and fuel scarcity across the country.

The expressway was barricaded for several hours, by the protesters who were singing various solidarity songs, causing traffic logjam on the road.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Oyeyemi Oyediran, had earlier met with stakeholders in the state to address the issues of scarcity and inability to access cash at financial institutions and also the hike in fuel price at various filling stations. He had also warned against staging of protest in the state.

The Federal Government, on Tuesday, slammed opposition political parties that went to court to restrain the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), from stopping, extending or interfering with the naira swap deadline date.

It also accused the parties of politicising the situation, stressing that they were not mindful of the plight of Nigerians due to the cash crunch.

The new naira initiative is a policy of the Federal Government.

On Monday, 14 political parties threatened to boycott the February 25 election should the Central Bank of Nigeria extend the February 10 deadline for the currency swap which it had earlier announced.

Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is expected to sign the warrant of arrest against the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele during plenary on Tuesday.

The development was confirmed during an interview with Tribune by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu.

In a bid to ascertain the viability of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and as part of preparation for the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission is set to conduct a mock accreditation exercise in Delta State.

The Acting Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity INEC in the state, Bukola Ojeme, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Asaba, the state capital.

He said the exercise was scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 4, in 12 selected polling units, across three Senatorial Districts and six Local Government Areas in the state.

Ojeme said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission, Delta State is scheduled to conduct mock accreditation with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in furtherance of the technical evaluation of the device, as part of preparations for the 2023 General Election.

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, has arrested no fewer than 80 people for allegedly being involved in criminal activities in the state .

A 31-year-old civil servant from Niger State, Idris Daja, who lost his 25-year-old wife, Maryam Liman, 11 days after their wedding, speaks to TEMITOPE ADETUNJI about his grief

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Idris Daja. I was born in Daja, Zugurma District, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State. I’m 31 years old. I’m a civil servant.

Is it true that you lost your wife 11 days after your wedding?

he Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has restated his rejection of the tribunal judgement and affirmed that he was going to appeal to the higher court.

In an address to the people of the state on Friday, Adeleke stated that the discrepancies mentioned in the judgement of the tribunal chairman, Justice Tetsea Kume, were tantamount to a “miscarriage of justice.”

He also said the claim of over-voting in the judgement was unfounded.

A statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, quoting the governor further read in part, “My good people of Osun State, we have all heard the split judgement of the governorship election tribunal.

The police in Benue State have apprehended the suspected leader of a nine-man gang that allegedly tortured an 89-year-old man, Kyado Justin.

The octogenarian was accused of using witchcraft to inflict sickness on a youth, Terzunge Agena, at Tse Agena-Gbamacha, in the Gwer East Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the incident, the state police spokesperson, Catherine Anene, said the police rescued the victim.

Anene said, “On January 18, 2023, around 11.30am, it was gathered that Elder Kyado Justin, 89, was abducted by a nine-man gang for alleged witchcraft against a young man who had been sick in the area as pronounced by a witch doctor.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, commenced a two-day official visit to his home state of Katsina where he inaugurated some projects executed by the state government.

However, his first day in the state was marked by a protest by youths decrying the hardship in the country.

The youth staged the protest a few minutes after noon, shortly after the President inaugurated the Kofar Kaura Underpass in Katsina.

The protesters caused a commotion at the Kofar Kaura Underpass where they threw stones at the crowd after Buhari left the area.

Ahead of the January 31 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria for the phasing out of the old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes, some mega-churches, schools and retailers have set time limits for the collection of the old currencies.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday decried the style of political campaigns in the country, calling for a change in orientation.

Obasanjo spoke at an international conference on “Deepening Democratic Culture And Institutions For Sustainable Development And Security in Nigeria”.

He delivered a keynote address on “Respecting the principles of democracy” at the Obi Wali Convention Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Obasanjo lamented how ordinary citizens are dragged into the directionless, meaningless and opportunistic personal or narrow ambitions of leaders.

“Political campaigns are taken over by insults, lies, self and selfish interest and diversions, not on issues of national interest and progress. Party platforms are developed, launched with fanfare and promptly discarded.

“Critical issues are discarded as intellectuals and technocrats are sidelined while minions, gatekeepers and job hunters take over the campaign and build iron rings around candidates at all levels. Candidates are caged and milked opportunistically.”

Obasanjo said at the end, people who get elected fail to carry Nigerians along as they lack a deep understanding of the trends and tendencies in the social and economic system.

The retired General maintained that politics is not a dirty game, pointing out that the rules and principles are all there and known to most actors.

He said when actors confuse the beginning with the end or adopt the infamous Machiavellian dictum that the end justifies the means, they get set for a race without boundaries, where anything goes.

Obasanjo claimed politics and political competition get imprisoned as the actors invent new rules of engagement as they go along and seek to outdo one another in non-beneficial issues to the ordinary citizen.