Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Abia State Police Command has arrested two men, Onyebuchi Ukandu and Emmanuel Onyebuenyi, members of the Mbutu/Umuojima Vigilante in the state’s Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, for allegedly torturing a man to death. According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, during the parade of suspects, the victim, Alex Ukaegbu, who was in command of a building site in Osisioma, was apprehended by the vigilante men for having some pipe rods in his hands. According to reports, the suspects chained the victim and demanded a sum of money to be paid before he was released, but he…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the timetable and activity schedule for conducting bye-elections caused by the resignation or death of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly. Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information Voter Education Committee, made the announcement in an Abuja statement on Friday. He stated that the presiding officers, including the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, proclaimed these vacancies. He noted that the vacancies happened in two senatorial districts, four federal seats, and three state constituencies covering nine Federation…

Hundreds of Rivers State residents gathered in Port Harcourt on Friday to show their support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara amid the state’s political crisis. The groups opposed and rejected the presidential resolution on the squabble in the state between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. As early as 7 a.m., placard-carrying protesters invaded the Government House on Azikiwe Street in Port Harcourt, erecting a stage and canopies at the entrance to the state seat of power and chorusing solidarity songs and dancing. The groups included the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Greater Wakirike Movement,…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reversed its stance on crypto assets in the country, instructing banks to disregard its previous prohibition on crypto transactions. This is stated in a circular dated December 22, 2023, with the reference number FPR/DIR/PUB/CIR/002/003, and signed by Haruna Mustafa, Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, of the apex bank. The circular is titled ‘Circular to All Banks and Other Financial Institutions Guidelines on Operations of Bank Accounts for Virtual Assets Service Providers (VASPS).’ The apex bank added that existing worldwide trends have demonstrated the need for crypto regulation. It said, “The CBN, in…

Operatives of the Kano State Police Command have arrested Hafsat Sirajo, a 24-year-old housewife,  for allegedly stabbing her driver, Nafiu Hafizu, to death in Kano. The Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel, paraded the suspect and her two accomplices before reporters on Friday. Gumel stated that Hafsat, a resident of Tarauni Local Government Area’s Unguwa Uku quarters, confessed to committing the act alone by stabbing her driver multiple times with a knife. According to the police commissioner, her husband, Dayyabu AAbdullahi, 38, and their guard, Mallam Adam, 65, were also detained for assisting and concealing the dead body in order…

Six Rivers state elders have sued President Bola Tinubu before the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly compelling Governor Siminilaya Fubara to enter into an unconstitutional pact. Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O. P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs, and Emmanuel Deinma are among the plaintiffs, who are led by Victor Jumbo, a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency. They argue that the December 18 agreement was not only unlawful but also a usurpation, nullification, and undermining of the existing or binding pertinent parts of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. As…

President Joe Biden and the US government have condemned in totality the unprecedented attack at Charles University in Prague that left at least 15 people dead and a dozen injured on Thursday. In a tweet on his official X handle, Biden expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, calling the attack “senseless.” According to several accounts, the 24-year-old Czech student (name withheld) shot dead his father before killing 14 others and injuring 25 more. According to several accounts, the 24-year-old Czech student (name withheld) shot dead his father before killing 14 others and injuring 25 more. The tweet read, “My…

Dr. Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has stated that the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government is developing a strategy to lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 42 months. Edu emphasized that Tinubu is purposeful in implementing various poverty reduction programs to assist the country’s disadvantaged. She made the remarks during an interview on Channel 4’s Politics Today on Thursday. The minister noted that the efforts will be shared by her ministry and other concerned ministries and that the combined efforts will assure the country’s economic prosperity. She said, “We are drawing out…

The French parliament has passed legislation prohibiting Nigerian students and others from bringing their families to France. According to a report by the BBC on Thursday, the measure was supported by both President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. Last week, parliament rejected a prior proposal after the National Rally, and the left voted against it. As a result, the government redrafted the measure, making some of its provisions more stringent.The new, stricter immigration policy makes it more difficult for migrants to bring family members to France and delays their eligibility for social benefits.…

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the recently past presidential election, has lauded President Bola Tinubu’s 50% transport fare slash for the Yuletide season. Calling the initiative “a step in the right direction,” Obi acknowledged that the initiative will help the poor and downtrodden amid the rising cost of living experienced in society. Chronicle NG reports that Tinubu authorized a 50% reduction in interstate transport fares for Nigerians traveling during the yuletide from Thursday, December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024, on Wednesday. The president also authorized free interstate train travel within the period nationwide. Reacting…