The Anambra State Joint Security Task Force has demolished an alleged criminal hideout at Oba, Idemili South Council Area of the state.
This was in accordance with Gov Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s directive that criminal hideouts be destroyed to curtail the increasing criminal cases in the state.
Christian Aburime, press secretary to the governor, said weekend that the hideout was earlier raided, adding that a locally made pistol, shrine, charms, concoctions, indian hemp, among other incriminating materials were recovered at the building with some arrests made.
The state has become notorious for criminal activities, with the most recent one being the beheading of a state House of Assembly member some weeks ago.
The husband of the late DG of NAFDAC, Prof Chike Akunyili, was also killed in the state by a criminal gang cod-named ‘unknown gunment’.
Jose Peseiro, the newly appointed Super Eagles coach, has asked Nigerians to give him enough time to build a ‘formidable’ team, after Nigeria’s 2-1 win against Sierra Leone in the opening fixture of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
The Portuguese has had a difficult start after losing his first two games against Mexico and Ecuador in an international friendly.
In the game against Sierra Leone, the Super Eagles came from behind after conceding in just 11th minute of the game due to a defensive error.
The three-time African champions responded well as goals from Alex Iwobi and Victory Osimhen was enough to get all three points.
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has rejected N50 million cash intervention to end the ongoing strike.
Recall that ASUU has been on strike since February over funding of the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears and the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement and the inconsistency in the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.
ASUU President, Prof. Osodeke, and his team were on Saturday morning invited by the host of Berekete Family radio, Ahmad Isah, popularly known as Ordinary President.
According to DailyTrust, ASUU President was invited to explain to Nigerians the problems and reasons the union is still on strike.
Isah also said that he had set up a special intervention bank account domiciled in TAJ Bank to raise funds for the union, with a view to ending the strike.
To convince ASUU to buy into the idea of the intervention, Isah publicly showed the N50 million cash donated by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.
Immediately after the money was displayed, ASUU President frowned at the development, saying they should not be associated with such.
At that point, Isah threatened to discontinue the intervention and many Nigerians who phoned in during the programme described ASUU as ”insensitive”.
El-Rufai Reveals Why Northern Governors Dumped Osinbajo For TinubuBola Tinubu, Nasir El-Rufai and Yemi Osinbajo
Days after the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has explained why the Northern governor backed Bola Tinubu over Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Naija News reports that former Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu emerged winner of the APC presidential primary.
He defeated the likes of VP Osinbajo, Former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Pastor Tunde Bakare and others.
Speaking on Tinubu’s victory at the party’s just-concluded national convention, El-Rufai said APC delegates and governors from the North-West and North-East met and resolved to back Tinubu after seeing him as the most sellable of the five Southern aspirants submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari earlier.
He said the president refused to pick a particular candidate and asked the governor to allow the delegates to decide.
El-Rufai insisted that Tinubu was the best bet and hence the Northern stakeholders choose him over Osinbajo, Amaechi and others.
He said: “I can’t say all of us stuck with Bola Tinubu. Not all of us were stuck with Bola Tinubu. In many of our states, the delegates’ votes were divided. And I went to address the Kaduna delegates for the last time before the voting,
“I don’t know how the delegates voted but the feedback I got after the voting is that most of them voted Asiwaju, some voted for Amaechi and some voted for Vice president, Osinbajo.
“But overall you can see that overwhelming, Asiwaju Tinubu won. I cannot say all the governors did that. We the Northwest governors met and we decided that our best bet, is the person we can most easily sell in our region, and that is Asiwaju Tinubu and this is why you see the pattern of the voting that way and where the North-West goes, the North East follows.”
Algeria and USM Algiers midfielder Billel Ben Hamouda has passed away.
The 24-year-old died in a tragic car accident while he was on his way back home after featuring in a friendly game for the Desert Foxes against DR Congo.
In a post on Twitter by Algerian Football Association, the death of the attacking midfielder was confirmed.
The player was involved in a car accident on Thursday night while returning with a friend to his home in the city of Hajout, about 70 km from the “July 5” stadium in Algiers.
Hamouda is one of the most prominent players in the Federation and the National Championship during the past few years.
His death has left African football in pain as they deal with the devastating effect of Benhamouda’s unfortunate demise.
The Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, on Friday said although some suspects were arrested in the bush by security agents on Thursday, authorities are “not sure” if they were the ones behind the terrorists’ attack on a Catholic church on Sunday.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that a Punch correspondent had during a Facebook Live on Thursday claimed that Oba Ogunoye announced the capture of some of the Owo church attackers.
Several videos shared online showed some residents, mainly youths, demanding that the alleged arrested suspects are not transferred to Akure, the Ondo State capital. The protesters threatened jungle justice.
The scene caused reinforcement of security in the palace.
However, speaking to the press today, the monarch denied saying the Owo church attackers have been arrested.
“They said some people were arrested in the bush by the security but said they were not sure that the suspects were the ones that carried out the attack,” Punch quotes the monarch as saying.
The people who saw the suspects in the police van thought they were the attackers and they had been taken to the palace, hence the besieging of the palace by residents.
The Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike has directed the filing of criminal charges against former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, over alleged N96b fraud.
Wike, on Friday, ordered the state Attorney General to commence legal action against his predecessor following a Supreme Court judgement that dismissed the latter’s appeal against probe by a Judicial Commission of Enquiry.
Sahara Energy and Tonye Cole, the co-founder of Sahara Energy are to be joined as Co-defendants in the matter.
They were accused of converting state assets for personal use.
THE WHISTLER reported that the apex Court had on May 27 held that the state’s Judicial Commission of Enquiry which was established to probe his administration was constitutional.
But he urged the apex court to stop the body from probing him, adding that it was mere political witch-hunt.
However, the apex court dismissed his appeal for lacking in merit.
Reports have emerged claiming various caucuses of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have commenced intense push to produce the running mate for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It was gathered that eight names have been penciled down as possible running mate for the former Lagos State governor but northern political clout and the fear of a Muslim-Muslim ticket is currently leaving APC leaders in a dilemma.
The eight names that have so far emerged included Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) and Samuel Lalong (Plateau); former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima (who led Tinubu campaignorganisation); former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
Top critic of the APC and Bishop of Catholic Diocese in Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah has surprisingly emerged among those been considered.
Daily Tribune quoted a source as saying, “The only drawback for Kashim Shettima is that he’s not Hausa/Fulani and that it will be the first time Hausa/ Fulani will not be represented in government. The same holds for Dogara, Boss, Lalong.
“Another source claimed that there is a strong push for Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah who retires later this year to balance the ticket, in spite of his occasional acerbic views on the APC federal administration.”
It was gathered that leaders of the northern region are bent on securing the interest of the region in the next general election in the country.
Those proposing the possibility of a Muslim-Muslim ticket are of the opinion that that is the only way of stopping northerners from voting against Bola Tinubu.
The source added: “The APC is likely to fly a Muslim/Muslim ticket because some influential members of the northern establishment have insisted that they do not want a Christian vice president in the North.
“There’s no Christian who can match Kashim Shettima in the entire North. Dogara can’t win more than Tafawa Balewa Local Governnent Area in Bauchi State. The SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, is neither Hausa nor Fulani and can’t win in multi-ethnic Adamawa State.
“Lalong is neither Hausa nor Fulani stock, so the majority Hausa Fulani may not accept him. Let’s look at the turn of events, something tells me it will be a Muslim/ Muslim ticket.”
Lalong is seen by some influential members of the northern establishment as part of the ethnic minorities who are spread across such states as Plateau, Benue, Kogi and Niger.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has reportedly offered Governor Nyesom Wike the position of Petroleum Minister if he wins the 2023 elections.
A source close to the negotiation told Premium Times that Atiku also offered the Rivers governor the opportunity to nominate one should the party win the election.
However, Wike camp is insisting on the vice-presidential slot, saying “a promise is not as important as what is currently on hand”.
It was gathered that the Rivers governor insistence in picking the PDP VP slot is behind the delay in the announcement of Atiku’s running mate.
Those in favour of Wike, including some governors, have pointed out his roles in rescuing the party at numerous times and how he had also supported PDP chapters without State governors.
But his critics are of the opinion that the Rivers State governor is not “presidential in conduct”.
They also claim that he would be a dangerous deputy and divisive figure in the presidency should they take over power in 2023.
On the other hand, Okowa who enjoys massive support among PDP leaders was instrumental in the emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate of the PDP.
According to Premium Times, Atiku is said to also prefer Okowa to run as his vice president.
But the possibility of Wike adding a stronger political structure and financial muscle to the ticket is delaying Atiku’s decision.
The mark the 2022 Democracy Day celebration, the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has declared Monday, 13th June 2022, as a public holiday.
Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement on Thursday by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
While congratulating Nigerians on the 2022 Democracy Day celebration, Aregbesola called for support for the Buhari government in its efforts at ensuring a secured, united and prosperous nation.
He said: “As we mark another Democracy Day in the history of our dear country, let us reflect on the efforts of our founding fathers and ensure that Nigeria remains one united, secured, peaceful and indivisible entity.
“With the challenges we face in Nigeria today, I see an opportunity for us not to break up or break down, but to break open; open up to ourselves in truth so that we may appreciate each other, understand each other, honour each other and live together in peace and prosperity.”
Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, urged Nigerians to make use of the Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System (N-Alert) Mobile App designed to mitigate security challenges and other disasters.
He stated that Nigeria will continue to do better with efforts being put in place by the present government.
