Author: Vincent Osuwo

Seminarians kidnapped at the Catholic Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School in Ivianokpodi, Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, have asked their parents and supporters to aid in obtaining their release. According to reports, gunmen assaulted the institution on July 10, killing a civil defence corps officer and abducting three seminarians. One of the abductees was eventually released, but the other two have remained in the kidnappers’ cave ever since. When they were abducted, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, ordered the urgent deployment of tactical teams to apprehend the abductors and rescue the seminarians unharmed.…

Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) has retracted and apologised to the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) for remarks he made about the church’s first General Evangelist, the late Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola. In a viral video, Fatoyinbo described Babalola as “anointed…so anointed” but stated that “all the grace just went like that” since he “had no money.” The CAC accused Fatoyinbo of propagating a false link between ministerial achievement and financial prosperity in a strongly written statement signed on Thursday by its Director of Publicity, Pastor Ade Alawode. In response, Fatoyinbo published a statement on Thursday,…

Supporters of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, popularly known as the Obidients, have vowed to resist any plot to stop Obi from being on the 2027 presidential ballot. The Obidients were reacting to a boast by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, that Obi would not get the ticket of any party in 2027. Bwala, speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, claimed that former Anambra State Governor Obi would only be a Director-General in the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He also stated that Obi lost 50% of his voters in…

The Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of insensitivity to the condition of Nigerians with his frequent international travels notwithstanding Nigeria’s multiplicity of economic and security crises. Tinubu, according to a statement issued by the Presidency, is travelling out of Nigeria on a two-nation tour with a stopover in another city. Analysts opine that with this trip beginning today, Tinubu would have travelled for over 200 out of the 806 days he has so far spent in office. Obi, in a statement on his X page titled, “Again our President moves…

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has appealed to Nigerians to give the party a chance to prove itself in the upcoming bye-elections scheduled for Saturday. Speaking at an event for ADC candidates in Abuja, Mark highlighted the party’s willingness to deliver better governance and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair, and credible poll. The event drew together ADC senatorial, House of Representatives, and State Houses of Assembly candidates, with Mark and other party leaders underlining the importance of the elections. “The ADC is a child of…

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has made cancer treatment possible in the country. Idris mentioned this when he and his team paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah, on Thursday in Enugu. ‎ He stated that all the information structures of the Federal Government were brought to Enugu to see and report on the positive efforts of Tinubu and Mbah. ‎ According to Idris, Tinubu has done so well that one will wonder if he is in his second term.…

Director-General of the World Trade Organisation Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has announced a $50 million global fund to support women entrepreneurs in digital trade, warning that global commerce is entering “extremely challenging times” typified by increased unilateralism and protectionism. The WTO and the International Trade Centre collaborated on the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund program, which aims to provide women-owned firms in developing countries with the skills, resources, and networks they need to compete in global value chains. In her address on Thursday in Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala warned that Nigeria’s poor internet penetration, with more than half of the population still…

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has announced the removal of the lifetime ban imposed on Comfort Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger earlier banned for unruly conduct. According to a statement issued on Thursday by AON spokesperson Professor Obiora Okonkwo, the decision followed an appeal from Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Okonkwo added that the operators decided to lift the sanction after considering all relevant elements, including Emmanson’s declaration of contrition, withdrawal of the complaint, dismissal of charges, and release from detention. He praised the Federal Government for establishing a retreat to retrain Aviation Security staff and…

Russia placed limitations on calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram communication applications on Wednesday, stating that this was required to fight criminals, official media reported. “In order to combat criminals, measures are being taken to partially restrict calls on these foreign messaging apps (WhatsApp and Telegram),” communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said, as quoted by the RIA and TASS news agencies. The messenger apps have become “the main voice services used for fraud and extortion and for involving Russian citizens in subversive and terrorist activities,” the watchdog added. The country’s security services have accused Ukraine of using Telegram to recruit or sabotage…

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has confirmed the death of a part-two medical student, Ajibola Ibitayo, who reportedly committed suicide. A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, on Thursday, revealed that the student with the matriculation number DEN/2021/023 committed suicide after failing his examinations. Olarewaju stated that the results of examinations were released on Wednesday, and it would have required Ibitayo to repeat Part Two for the second time. “The entire community of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been thrown into mourning following the death of…