Author: Vincent Osuwo

The industrial dispute between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) took a dramatic turn on Saturday as the union ordered seven branches to cut off crude oil and gas supplies to the $20bn facility. In a letter dated September 26 and signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery’s management of firing its employees in reprisal for exercising their constitutional right to join the union. The union’s move escalates the impasse, with PENGASSAN charging the refinery with anti-labor activities and the wrongful dismissal of its employees.…

The Cross River State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of 17 passengers by suspected sea pirates along the Calabar waterways. The incident occurred on Thursday when gunmen hijacked a commercial boat belonging to Sea Express Limited, which was ferrying at least 30 people from Calabar, Cross River, to Oron, Akwa Ibom. Confirming the development on Friday in Calabar, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the command, Igri Ewa, stated that the victims were taken to an unknown destination. He said, “We are aware of the abduction, and we are making efforts to rescue the victims. “At the moment, no…

In the early hours of Friday morning, unknown terrorists raided a mosque in Yandoto town, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara, killing five people and kidnapping 20 others. According to reports, the terrorists struck while people were worshiping in the mosque. Shehu Garba, an indigene of Yandoto town, told the press that the terrorists, who were highly armed, surrounded the worshippers at 5:30 a.m. Garba stated that the gunmen shut the mosque and began shooting those inside during morning prayers. According to him, numerous other worshipers were kidnapped, and many were severely injured during the raid. Garba stated, “They killed…

Thirteen bodies of miners have been recovered, while many others are still trapped following the collapse of a mining site in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State. Sani Hassan, an eyewitness who barely avoided death, told the press that he was one of the lucky ones who survived the catastrophe. He claims that on Thursday, while searching for gold in the pit, he abruptly went outside to get some water. “Just a few minutes after I came out of the mining pit, it suddenly collapsed while many of my colleagues were still inside,” he said. Hassan stated that…

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said it rescued a 16-year-old domestic worker after her employer allegedly bathed her with hot water in the Gwarinpa area of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. In a statement posted on Facebook on Friday, NAPTIP revealed that the employer’s neighbors had provided the information that led to the rescue. The statement claims that neighbors who saw the assault took the 16-year-old, who was hired to look after the employer’s three children, to a hospital. The statement read, “The victim, who hails from Imo State and comes from a family…

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote refinery over the alleged sacking of 800 workers who joined the association. PENGASSAN alleged that over 2,000 Indian nationals were recruited by the company to take over the jobs of those sacked by Dangote on Thursday. However, the Dangote refinery stated that only a few of its workers were fired over repeated cases of sabotage. In a statement made on Friday, the management of the company said this was an ongoing reorganization, which became necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of…

A dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh of the Nigerian Army’s 6th Battalion, Ibagwa in Abak, was sentenced to death by hanging by an Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo for the murder of a tourist who provided him a lift. Justice Bassey Nkanang ruled on Friday that the prosecution established beyond a reasonable doubt that Iweh, 39, murdered Christopher Enobong Jimmy, 42, and robbed him of his Toyota Matrix while armed with an unlicensed AK-47 rifle. The crime took place on May 23, 2021, on the East-West Road in the Ikot Abasi Local Government Area. Jimmy, a manager at…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has dissolved the Rivers State Pensions Board with immediate effect. Fubara stated that the office of the State Accountant General will handle the functions of the Board until a new board is constituted. This was revealed in a government special announcement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday evening by the State Head of Service, Mrs. Inyingi Brown, and obtained by our correspondent. The four-paragraph statement ordered members of the former board to hand over all properties and assets of the board in their possession to the Director of Administration of the Board. The governor gave no reason…

Gunmen raided the students’ hostel at Bilyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia, which is located along the Malam Madori route in Jigawa State. The gunmen reportedly beat several students and stole numerous cell phones. They also attempted to kidnap some students but failed due to the victims’ calls for help. According to an eyewitness who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “It was around midnight when the attackers came. They caused chaos, injured some students, and took away many phones belonging to the students.” Another eyewitness, Tukur Danlami, stated, “If not for the loud shouts and screams of the students, we wouldn’t…

Namibia’s officials have urged people not to throw parties in cemeteries after a social gathering at a gravesite in the capital, Windhoek, sparked backlash last weekend. According to City of Windhoek officials, the celebration at Gammams Cemetery “showed seating arrangements, cooler boxes, and alcohol” in full view. One Windhoek citizen who witnessed the party described it as “nothing short of disgraceful.” In a Facebook post, she described the scene that met mourners entering the gravesite, saying, “From the entrance all the way inside, car boots were open, people were drinking, and the cemetery resembled a shebeen rather than a place…