Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence of Mr. Farouk Lawan, former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Probe, to five years in prison for bribery. In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel on Friday, the Supreme Court denied the former lawmaker’s petition to dispute his conviction, ruling it to be without merit. Lawan had argued, among other reasons, that the trial court denied him the right to make a plea of allocutus (a plea for leniency) before jailing him. However, in its lead judgment, which was drafted by Justice Inyang Okoro but…

Novak Djokovic lost in the Australian Open for the first time since 2018, as Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner advanced to his first Grand Slam final. Serbia’s Djokovic, 36, lost 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 after Sinner recovered from missing a match point in the tiebreak. It ends the Serbian’s campaign for a record-extending 11th title and 25th major, putting him ahead of Margaret Court. Sinner, 22, will face either Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev or German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final. Medvedev, a former US Open champion, and Zverev, who is hoping for his first Grand Slam…

The police, on Thursday, paraded 17 suspects in connection with the recent killings in parts of  Plateau State. Following the security breach in the Kwahaslalek community and several portions of Plateau State’s Mangu Local Council, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has issued a warning that his administration will not accept any further breakdown in law and order across the state. The 17 suspects were paraded by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 4, Ebong Eyibio, at the state police headquarters in Jos. According to Eyibio, eight of the individuals were arrested in connection with the 2023 Christmas…

Police operatives attached to the Tafa Divisional Headquarters of Kaduna State have arrested a suspected kidnapper and recovered N2.3 million as a share of the ransom collected from victims. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan. He further stated that the suspect, Bello Muhammmad of Zamafara State, offered the Divisional Police Officer a bribe of N1 million to suspend further inquiry into the incident, but the officer declined. According to him, on January 19, 2024, around 2200 hours (10 p.m.), the Divisional Headquarters received credible information concerning…

The Rivers State Government voiced dissatisfaction on Thursday with the arraignment of some of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s loyalists in connection with the bombing of the Rivers State Assembly complex on October 30, 2023. On Thursday, the police brought the Fubara’s supporters before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The court remanded them until February 2. Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, said, “There is nobody who will be happy to say that we have counted about four or five of them that are in detention. “It is not very salutary. But what can we…

No fewer than 94 terrorists were killed by troops in various operations conducted across the northern part of the country between January 17 and 25, Defense Headquarters revealed Thursday. It stated that the operations resulted in the arrest of 171 terrorists in the North, 43 suspected oil thieves, and the recovery of N485 million in crude oil in the South-South. Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defense Media Operations, said this in Abuja on Thursday while addressing journalists on military activities during the time under review. He said, “During the week under review, troops neutralized 94 and arrested 171 of…

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved funding for the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan highways, as well as the Second Niger Bridge II bypass projects. The minister stated that the approval by Tinubu will remove the financial barriers to the three projects. He stated that the Tinubu-led Federal Government was determined to remove all impediments to the road infrastructure revolution it launched. Umahi stated this while reviewing the Lafia bypass and the dualization of the Ninth Mile-Enugu-Otukpo-Makurdi road project in Makurdi, Benue State’s capital. The minister was accompanied by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia. Atiku…

Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark has urged Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) to clean up its oil spills in the Niger Delta region before selling off its onshore facility assets and departing the nation. Clark, who said yesterday in Abuja while hosting a delegation of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) led by National Vice President Atigbi Freedom, urged SPDC to clean up the region’s contaminated environment before leaving Nigeria. The former National Commissioner stated that Niger Delta inhabitants and the Ijaw nation could no longer tolerate what he described as exploitation by global oil firms, particularly SPDC.…

The Nigerian Police Force has warned Nigerians against indulging in same-sex relationships and unnatural offenses. The police, in a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Thursday, noted that same-sex relationships and unnatural sexual activities remain illegal in the country. The warning from the police comes on the heels of a “recent trend on social media where some individuals who identify as queer were visibly encouraging and associating themselves with activities perceived to be unnatural in light of Nigerian laws.” The Force noted that such activities negate the provisions of the Nigerian laws and carry severe…

Patricia Igbinovia, 55, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for transporting underage girls abroad for prostitution. The court also sentenced Igbinovia to pay N1 million for her illegal behavior, in addition to serving the term. Igbinovia, who was accused of six counts of trafficking young girls, promoting girls’ prostitution, and sexual exploitation, was brought before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), but pleaded guilty. In the accusation, the prosecutor, Mrs. Becky Jibo, stated the convict belonged to a cartel that organizes and funds overseas travel for females to promote prostitution…