Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released the sacked chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, on bail. Arabi and Kontagora were detained for allegedly illicit withdrawals and misuse of the N90 billion 2024 Hajj intervention fund. They were, however, unable to meet their bail conditions and remained in EFCC detention for five days. However, speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, a source acquainted with the case indicated that Arabi and Kontagora had met their bail conditions. The EFCC’s investigation revealed that Arabi fraudulently paid himself and others for…

Five corpses found in the wreck of Mike Lynch’s superyacht have been brought to shore—two of which were confirmed as the tech billionaire’s and his teenage daughter Hannah.  A fifth person was discovered in the Bayesian wreckage but has yet to be retrieved, according to reports this evening, leaving one body missing. Search workers made the heartbreaking finds today while sifting through the debris of the luxury sailboat, which sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a ‘black swan’ waterspout early Monday. The Chief of Civil Protection announced that two bodies had been identified as British software…

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, hosted a high-profile delegation at his Asokoro home yesterday. The team, led by former Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai and including Kashim Imam’s family members, paid a visit to formally request the hand of Atiku’s daughter, Hafsat Atiku Abubakar in marriage. AbdulRasheed Shehu, Special Assistant (Broadcast Media) to the PDP chieftain, released a statement on Wednesday. The event was attended by prominent dignitaries such as National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and former governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, among others. The statement reads, “His Excellency Atiku…

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has reported that the suspect suspected of raping a 14-year-old girl in Alakuko, Lagos, has been formally arraigned in court. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the agency announced that the culprit has been charged with defilement, a violation of Section 137 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015. According to the agency, he has been remanded in detention for 30 days for legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. The statement read, “Update: The suspect has been arraigned and remanded for 30 days pending the issuance of the…

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, has pledged to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, despite the party’s internal problems. He made the commitment during a media event on Wednesday to commemorate his first anniversary as a minister. Wike firmly stated, “I don’t run away from any fight. I will stay and fight it out. Who am I going to run from? The vampires? I cannot do that!” Wike’s statements came amid speculation that he may leave the PDP owing to internal disagreements, notably those directed at him. However, he has often stated his devotion…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ruled the on-street parking program, also known as the ‘Park-and-Pay’ plan, illegal, claiming fraud in the contract agreement between the management contractors and the FCT.  WIke made the statement on Wednesday during a media briefing to commemorate his first year in service as FCT Minister. According to reports, the scheme, which was first introduced in 2014, will be reintroduced in 2023 after the FCT administration signed a massive N908.3 billion agreement with concessionaires NAJEC Limited and Messrs Automaten Technik Bauman Nigeria Limited, each of which will generate an estimated N26.93…

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested five people, including Alhaji Mohammed Kabara, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, in connection with an alleged multibillion-naira drug supply scam.  The commission has also detained Alhaji Abdullahi Bashir, leader of the state section of the Association for Local Governments of Nigeria and leader of the Tauroni Local Government Area. The Kano State commission’s Public Relations Officer, Kabiru Kabiru, confirmed the arrests to journalists on Wednesday. Similarly, the Kano State anti-graft agency detained Garba Kwankwaso, the Managing Director of Novomed Pharmaceuticals and nephew of NNPP…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential contender, has stated that Nigerians deserve to know the cost, age, and number of years the new presidential jet has been in operation.  In a series of posts on Tuesday on his official X handle, the former Governor of Anambra State also stated that Nigerians want to know how old jets are disposed of, how many there are, how old they are, and why they are being sold. Obi wrote, “Now that the presidential jet has arrived, From all indications, despite all the denials and back and forth over the newly acquired presidential…

The Morning Show on Arise TV on Tuesday was intense when Rotus called his colleague Rufai Oseni ‘an unpatriotic pessimist who is always looking for bad news about Nigeria.’ He made the remarks while implying that President Bola Tinubu has done just a year in office and Rufai should be “positive” about the administration. “Rufai, do you even see any positives in Nigeria at all? Every time you talk about a solution and how corruption will destroy it. I can take my laptop and leave since we see no good in Nigeria; let’s shut down the country,” Rotus argued. Rufai,…

A bus transporting Pakistani pilgrims toppled in Iran, killing at least 28 people, according to Iranian official television.  According to Reuters, the collision occurred on Tuesday night in Yazd, central Iran, and was caused by a malfunctioning braking system. The province’s crisis management director informed state television that another 23 people were hurt; seven of them were critically injured. The pilgrims were travelling from the Sindh region in Pakistan to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate one of the most important days in the Shia calendar. According to Pakistan’s Dawn News, 53 people were on the bus when it…