Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Nigerian Army has begun an investigation and a manhunt for the hoodlums who launched a brutal attack on some soldiers at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, on Saturday, May 18, 2024. In a statement signed on Tuesday by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, the Command noted that “the soldiers attacked were unarmed, did not engage in any form of aggression, and posed no threat to anyone.” The statement also added that the closing down of the plaza follows a meeting between the Army and “the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators…

No fewer than seven people lost their lives after inhaling fumes from a generator set placed inside a music studio in the early hours of Tuesday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The tragic incident occurred along Transformer Road, Amarata, in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. According to other residents, the victims were working at a recording studio owned by one of them, Akpos Barakubo. They were claimed to have worked late into the night on Monday using a generator due to the state’s poor power supply situation, and they may have drifted off while the generator was running…

The nationwide average retail price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, grew by 176.02 percent year on year (YoY) to N701E.24 per litre in April 2024, up from N254.06 per litre at the same time in 2023. On a month-to-month basis, an increase of 0.64 percent was reported from N696.79 per litre in March 2024. The National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) report on Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) Pricing Watch for April 2024 showed that Kogi State topped the pricing chart at N797.78, followed by Nasarawa and Zamfara States at N778.89 and N754.29, respectively. According to the NBS…

Two Lagos State University students (LASU) were injured by stray bullets outside the school grounds in a prominent student residence neighbourhood known as PPL on Monday night. While the names of the students and the identities of the shooter(s) are unknown, it has been reported that the victims were shot while going to buy lunch around 8 p.m. One X user, Baddy of Lasu, posted as #belikebaddy and claimed, “Two students were shot at PPL in Ojo, Lagos.” Please, LASU students, stay inside and do not go out. In a tweet, Kappo Olawale, the Senior Special Adviser on Students’ Union…

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised the benchmark interest rate to 26.25 percent.  This was reported by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who also serves as Chairman of the MPC, after the 295th MPC meeting in Abuja. At the March meeting, the benchmark rate was raised by 200 basis points from 22.75 percent to 24.75 percent. The MPC has maintained a hawkish approach since resuming meetings this year to address Nigeria’s chronic inflation. As of April, Nigeria’s inflation rate was 33.69 percent. Several economists predict a rate hike, but others think…

One of the soldiers stationed at the popular phone market, Banex Plaza, in the Wuse 2 neighbourhood of the Federal Capital Territory, has put a woman in a coma.  Banex Plaza has been closed for the fourth day after a free-for-all confrontation between traders and soldiers on Saturday. Our source learned that the woman who fell into a coma on Tuesday was walking down the closed route when she was stopped by troops. The troops approached the lady who had over a barricade in the plaza. However, after asking her a few questions, one of the soldiers hit her hard,…

No fewer than 20 residents of Dawaki, a community near Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory, have been kidnapped by bandits. The bandits reportedly raided houses on Frank Opara Street before security operatives responded to distress calls. The Chairman of Dawaki Rock Heaven Community, Tunde Abdulrahim, who spoke to newsmen on Monday, stated that the incident happened at about 7.30 p.m. on Sunday. Abdulrahim mentioned that the armed bandits, numbering about 50, invaded the community and broke into about six houses. Speaking on the attack, the FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said in a statement on Monday that the…

Social media influencer Reno Omokri has advised bachelors in the country against paying exorbitantly for bride prices.  In a statement on X on Monday, Omokri lamented the exorbitant bills would-be grooms pay to their prospective in-laws to marry their daughter. Omokri mentioned that it is alien to African culture for in-laws to demand “drinks like Martell VSOP and XO, designer wear, foreign exchange, and expensive jewelry” as part of items for the dowry. Omokri noted that “when Aliko Dangote’s daughter married, her bride price was ₦500,000. Please fact-check me. And the wedding ceremony itself was modest and respectable, demonstrating the…

Terrorists reportedly invaded Zurak village in Bashar District of the Wase local government region of Plateau State, killing around 40 people, including vigilantes.  According to residents, the event occurred at 5 p.m. on Monday, when individuals were going about their daily activities. The residents stated that they were unable to quickly report the incident due to the inadequate communication network in the area. Narrating the incident, Sahpi’i Sambo, a youth leader in the area, stated that the terrorists arrived at the community on motorcycles—two on a bike—with sophisticated weapons and started shooting sporadically. He said, “More than 40 people were…

The chairman and founder of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has suffered criticism from Nigerians over the deaths of no fewer than 20 people, including students in Imo State.  On Saturday, a heavy-duty truck reportedly owned by Dangote rammed into three fully loaded mini-buses containing students and locals at Imo State University Junction, killing at least 20 people on the spot. It was also reported that some first-year students returning from a late-hour examination died in the accident. The news and videos of the accident were shared by Dr. Penking (@drpenking) and X influencers, who captioned them, “Dangote trailer just…