Author: David Great

Former spokesman to immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare war on kidnapping and other forms of criminality going on in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country. In the opening section of Inside Sources, a programme anchored by the former presidential spokesman on Channels Television, Akande lamented the latest trend of kidnapping for ransom in Abuja. “We have gotten to the situation where people now meet the dastardly demands of criminals just so they can sustain their security,” Akande said on My Take, the opening section of…

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim has hinted that Chelsea will have to trigger the 100m euro (£85.6m) release clause of Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres if they want to sign the 25-year-old. (Goal) West Ham are one of the clubs interested in Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips and the Hammers are well placed to win the race to sign the 28-year-old England international. (Standard) Manchester City have a strong interest in bringing Tottenham and Spain right-back Pedro Porro, 24, and Aston Villa and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 25, back to the club in deals that could cost them £200m. (Football Insider) Saudi Pro League clubs are ready to revive their interest…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has approached the Court of Appeal to set aside a no-case ruling granted a former Governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu and former Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Niger State, Tanko Beji by Justice Abdullahi Mukailu of the Niger State High Court sitting in Minna, on December 7, 2023. The Commission had filed a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abetment and criminal breach of trust before Justice Aliyu Mayaki (now retired) against Aliyu, Beji and a former Commissioner for Environment and Chief of Staff to Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Umar Mohammed Nasko. The…

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered a new selection process to occupy the stools of Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo, nullifying the previous processes. The government also proclaimed the stool of Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri, vacant, requesting that all parties wait for the outcome of a litigation on the stool that is now pending before the Court of Appeal. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, government decisions on the stools were contained in six White Papers on various committees that investigated issues raised by…

A Kabusa Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Thursday has sentenced a 35-year-old woman, Cynthia James, to seven months in prison for stealing N65,000. The judge, Abubakar Sadiq, sentenced the convict after she pleaded guilty to trespass and stealing. Mr Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option of a N30,000 fine. He also ordered James to pay a compensation of N65,000 or serve another three-month jail term. The prosecutor, S.O. Osho, had told the court that Austin Chucks, of 20 Democracy Crescent, Gaduwa, Abuja, reported the matter at Garki Police Station. Court jails estate agent over N4.8m fraud Mr Osho…

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, in collaboration with the police and other security agencies, have rescued nine kidnap victims and arrested two suspects in Benue State. The Force Commander, OPWS, Maj. Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Makurdi. He said that troops rescued the victims and arrested the suspects during an operation on Tuesday at Owukpa forest in the Ogbadibo Local Government Area of the state. Mr. Igbinomwanhia added that the rescued victims comprised eight females and a male. He said the operation followed the kidnapping of passengers transiting in a commercial bus along Otukpo-Enugu Road…

Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings decreased marginally to $4.5 billion in 2023. Nonye Ayeni, Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, released the data during a media briefing on the non-oil export sector’s performance report for 2023. This is a $300 million, or 6.3%, dip from the $4.8 billion in revenue accrued to government coffers for 2022. Nonye ascribed the fall to a variety of factors, including a weak currency rate, an increase in informal commerce, political instability in adjacent countries, and export rejections, among others. She said, “In 2022, there was a $4.8 billion in terms of value. And…

President Bola Tinubu presided over the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, which approved N9.8 billion in renewal fees for Federal Government workers’ Group Life Assurance. Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, confirmed this during Wednesday’s FEC meeting. He informed State House reporters that Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Federation’s Head of Civil Service, had submitted a memo prior to the approval. President Tinubu approved about N9.6bn for 12 local insurance firms to cover the federal workers in case of unforeseen eventualities in the course of their duties. “There are about 12 insurance companies involved. It’s a regular annual cover…

The police command in Lagos State, on Wednesday, paraded 37 persons allegedly involved in cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful possession of firearms and other crimes. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Adegoke Fayoade, who paraded the suspects and exhibits recovered from them, said that they were arrested after he assumed duty about a month ago. He said that a total of 16 firearms, including 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition and one expended cartridge, were recovered from the suspects. Other items recovered, according to him, are one pistol magazine, a toy pistol, six axes, four daggers, five cutlasses, two…

The National Working Committee of the Labour Party has approved the commencement of the sale, submission of expression of interest and nomination forms for the Edo election from January 25 to February 11. The opposition party announced this in a communiqué on Wednesday after its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting. The party exempted female aspirants from paying for expression of interest form only. The party’s communiqué stated, “Arising from the meeting of the NWC of the Labour Party under the chairmanship of Julius Abure, the leadership of the party took a far-reaching decision on the Edo election. “This is with…