Category: Happenings

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki was on Sunday morning, September 22, reportedly forced out of the premises of INEC in Benin by the DIG Frank Mba.

Vanguard reports that Obaseki had entered the promises unannounced at around 2 am allegedly to protest some anomalies in the collation of results of some local government areas including his Oredo.

Officials of INEC were said to have told him that he was supposed to be there just as the Peoples Democratic Party PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo was sent back earlier but he was to have insisted to stay.

At about 3 am, a combined team of policemen led by DIG Frank Mba and soldiers entered the premises and by 4:10 am, he was escorted out of the premises by the security men who shouted at the governor, “Leave, leave.”

Minutes before Obaseki was led outside by Mba flanked by a contingent of policemen, All Progressives Congress National Secretary, Surajudeen Basiru, addressed journalists that the governor had no reason to be in the premises.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi, with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos State.

The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, September 22.

“In his statement, the Octogenarian claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years.

He further claimed he gets his supplies from Benin republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7am and 10pm every day,” the statement reads.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, has launched the distribution of 4,800 25kg bags of rice to help ease the impact of economic hardship in the country.

The initiative, which is aimed at providing relief to vulnerable and less privileged individuals, targets six divisions in Lagos State.

Speaking at the distribution of the palliatives in Lagos House Ikeja, the First Lady said the initiative was aimed at providing relief to those adversely affected by the current economic hardship.

Represented by the wife of Lagos State governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, she explained that though 4,800 bags of the rice were brought, 3,000 bags will be distributed to vulnerable groups in the state as the first tranche, saying some segment of the society not captured in the first distribution would be considered in the second tranche.

A community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, was the subject of a significant raid by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos on Wednesday, September 18th.

The operation targeted two of his residences, during which authorities recovered a substantial amount of cannabis, totaling 226 kg from his two wives and son.

The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, September 22, said: “Though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6kg from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22.

Another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42.”

A month after the tragic death of popular Akure-based caterer, Debbie Adene, her driver, who was allegedly involved, has been arrested by the police.

The late Adene tragically passed away at her home on Oda Road on July 25, 2024, shortly after celebrating her 54th birthday. Authorities linked her driver and 17-year-old personal assistant, Philip Emmanuel, to the incident.

The driver, who was alleged to be the mastermind behind the crime, had been evading authorities since.

The personal assistant, who had since been arrested and paraded at the headquarters of the State Police Command, admitted to being influenced by the money and gifts given during her birthday celebration, which led to their decision to commit the crime.

Emmanuel has already been remanded at Olokuta Correctional Centre, pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reported a ‘major breakthrough’ in its efforts to tackle electoral violence in Edo State, arresting two political thugs during overnight raids just hours before Saturday’s governorship election

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Saturday morning, gave the names of the suspects as Edwin Obanor, 43, and Audu Tajudeen, a 41-year-old ‘PDP member’ from Ugbogbo quarters, Igara Akoko area of the State.

“Acting on a tip-off that some individuals had been armed to cause mayhem and disability during the election on Saturday, the police operatives swooped into action and apprehended Obanor, a leader of an arm£d group, at Oredo Ward 4 at about 9pm and Audu Tajudeen at Igara Akoko, Edo, on the eve of the election.

Upon searching the bags in their possession, three cut-to-size locally fabricated pistols were discovered on Obanor, while one locally-made gun was recovered from Tajudeen,” the statement reads in part.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reassured Nigerians that his administration is committed to achieving concrete results and driving positive change across sectors, including education & long-term economic stability.

Speaking at a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, the president emphasised that he is not in office for personal gain but to serve the country.

”I didn’t come to look for money & exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness & financial structure.

Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production? We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living. We forgot to educate our children.

We have come a long way & I promise we must do our best,” he said.

Seyi Tinubu, the son of Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, recently visited Maiduguri, Borno State, to provide aid to victims of the devastating flood that ravaged the city.

Accompanied by his brother Yinka, friends, and associates, Seyi made a generous donation of over N500 million to support those affected.


Seyi, known for his philanthropic efforts, especially towards youth empowerment, emphasized that this visit was just the beginning of his commitment to alleviating the suffering of young people impacted by the flood.

He praised the resilience of the people of Borno State, who have faced numerous challenges in recent years, and expressed optimism that the state will emerge stronger from this tragedy.

The donation included essential items such as food, medical supplies, and household necessities. Specifically, Seyi provided:

– Food Items: cartons of spaghetti, tomato paste, groundnut oil, salt, bags of flour, rice, maize, Maggie, thousands of loaves of bread, and other staples

– Medical Supplies: critical prescriptions for almost 50,000 children and adults, including anti-malarials, anti-hypertensives, antiparasitic, anti-diabetics, analgesics, and antibiotics

– Household Necessities: 10,000 pieces of mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses, kettles, wrappers, buckets, mats, sanitary pads, and wash kits.

Seyi’s efforts were commended by Mr. Chidi, a transport and logistics expert, and Isaac Balami, a renowned aviator, who praised his empathy and commitment to supporting young people. Seyi’s visit and donation demonstrate his dedication to helping those in need and promoting unity and strength in the face of adversity

Speaking virtually at a recent event in Victoria Island, Lagos, he said: “If you look clinically at the people in government today at both executive and legislative levels, some of them should be permanently behind bars for their past misdemeanour and criminal misconduct.

You cannot expect thi£ves to give good judgement in favour of the owner of the property. The first thing that shocked me when I went into politics was the level of corruption of election officials which was taken as normal.

The second was the level of general and criminal misbehaviour which was taken with levity and impunity. We were at a meeting and a man lied and I confronted him, and the next thing he said is ‘It is all politics, Sir’.

Every bad thing they do is passed on as politics which means politics has no room for morality, principles, rectitude, ethics, good character and attributes.

The Minister of Information & National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris has said that the FG is determined to tackle the current hardship faced by Nigerians through agriculture

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Kaduna on September 19, the minister said the president allocated N362.94 billion to the Agricultural sector to ensure the disbursement of enough fertilizers to farmers across the 36 states

The move, he said, will boost agricultural yield by putting in place adequate irrigation structures that will facilitate year-round food production

According to him, “Mr. President is quite aware of current hardship the good people of Nigeria are facing, especially in the area of high cost of food, which has been in geometric galloping in recent times

The government is determined to address the ongoing hardships faced by our people. That is why N362.94 billion has been allocated to the agricultural sector, ensuring the distribution of sufficient fertilizers to farmers across all 36 states to boost crop yields

The Nigeria Police Force says once the Electronic Central Motor Registration (e-CMR) goes into effect, vehicle owners & users will no longer need to carry physical documents as all vehicle documents and information will be available digitally.

The Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi made this known in a statement posted on X. “Inspector-General Egbetokun is revolutionizing how we keep our roads safe with the new E-CMR system! Now, no more stopping to check papers –our officers are equipped with cutting-edge tech to verify documents in real-time.

With the NPF’s new E-CMR system, you don’t need to carry around physical documents. Access all your vehicle info digitally–quick, easy & secure. If your vehicle is registered with the NPF E-CMR & gets stolen, you can instantly flag it as stolen through your online profile.

All field officers nationwide will be alerted within seconds. Let’s make our roads safer together,” he said.

A Nigerian correctional officer stationed at the Burra Correctional Centre in Bauchi State has been arrested after his colleague passed away during an argument over food.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 17, at about 2 p.m in Burra town, Ningi LGA of the state.

WikkiTimes reports that an eyewitness recounted that the deceased, Aliyu Abubakar Chiroma & his colleague, Kabiru Abubakar, were well-known close friends at the Centre. The conflict arose when Chiroma brought his lunch, and Kabiru insisted on eating it against Chiroma’s wishes, sparking a heated argument.

“The two exchanged words that quickly escalated into a confrontation. Kabiru and Aliyu ended up in a physical scuffle, which attracted the attention of bystanders,” the source explained. Aliyu was rushed to Burra General Hospital, where he passed away.

The Bauchi State Correctional Service PRO, Ahmad Usman Tata confirmed the incident but clarified that it occurred outside the correctional facility.

The FG has warned private-sector employers that paying less than the newly established N70,000 minimum wage may lead to imprisonment.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour & Employment stated this at an event in Ikeja, Lagos. “The minimum wage is now a law & as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.

Emphasizing the necessity of the updated wage to address current economic conditions, the government asserted that no Nigerian worker, whether in public or private employment should earn less than this minimum. The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage.

The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000 & I think that should be after all deductions. The minimum wage is a law & you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The FG is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000,” she said.

The suspects: Johnson Daniel, Adetunji Okunade, Olaniyan Azeez, Balogun Temitope Asimiyu, Oladapo Hammed, Kazeem Rasak and Asaka Rauf were arrested following a tip-off from a concerned citizen.

The Deputy Police PRO Giwa-Alade Emmanuel, disclosed this while parading the suspects at the Command headquarters in Osogbo on Wednesday, September 18. Emmanuel said suspected human bone fragments, female pants and note books were recovered as exhibits from the suspects at the point of arrest.

“The above-named suspects were arrested upon a credible information from a good-spirited individual that one Johnson Daniel, a mortuary attendant at Ipetu-Ijesa, sells portions of human remains deposited at the mortuary to native doctors,” Emmanuel revealed. He said that a female undergarment and a notebook containing ritual instructions were also found at the residence of Balogun Temitope Asimiyu.

The United Nations has announced the donation of a $6 million fund in support of the Maiduguri flood victims in Borno State.

The UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 17. He said a joint mission comprising UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), alongside the Nigeria Red Cross Society, visited the main city of Maiduguri over the weekend.

According to Fall, the team met with people who had been impacted, many of them had already displaced multiple times by conflict and insecurity in the area. The flood was caused by an overflow in the Alau Dam located just over 10 miles to the south of Maiduguri.

“We and our partners are providing them with hot meals, we are facilitating air drops of food in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters, and we are also trucking in water. We are also providing water and sanitation hygiene services and water purification tablets to stem disease outbreaks.

On Tuesday, September 17, Georgian lawmakers passed the final reading of a controversial law on “family values and the protection of minors,” introducing broad restrictions on LGBT rights.

The bill would give authorities the legal power to ban Pride events, public displays of the LGBT rainbow flag, and enforce censorship on films and books.

The bill also restates an existing ban on same-sex marriage and bans gender reassignment surgery.

Leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party say it is needed to safeguard traditional moral standards in Georgia, whose deeply conservative Orthodox Church is highly influential.

The anti-LGBTQ+ bill was approved on its third and final reading, with 84 of 150 lawmakers voting for it. It now must be signed by President Salome Zourabichvili, who has been at odds with the ruling party.

She can veto the bill but the parliament, dominated by Georgian Dream, can override her & adopt the legislation regardless.

The CBN says the country’s foreign exchange reserves are at risk due to the petrol subsidy removal, lower crude oil earnings, increased external debt servicing obligations & rising import bills.

CBN disclosed this in its Monetary, Credit, Foreign Trade & Exchange Policy guidelines for fiscal years 2024/2025 released on September 17.

However, the CBN projected an overall positive economic growth for the period based on continued policy support to the agriculture & oil sectors, reforms in the foreign exchange market & the effective implementation of the Finance Act 2023 & the 2022-2025 Medium-Term National Development Plan.

According to the apex bank, “The outlook for Nigeria’s external sector in 2024/2025 is optimistic, with expectations of favorable terms of trade due to a sustained rally in crude oil prices & an improvement in domestic crude oil production.

The positive outlook is supported by the continued high crude oil prices, driven by production cuts as well as gains from capital flows & remittances

Operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested five suspected illegal Chinese miners at Ndito-Eka-Iba village, in Ibieno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

EFCC in a statement said the five alleged illegal miners were arrested by the “Special Task Force on illegal Mining” at the Commission’s Zonal office in Uyo, following credible intelligence on the illegal activities of foreign mining companies within Eket and Ibieno Local Government Areas of the state.

The arrested Chinese suspects are: Zhon Qinping arrested on September  10, 2024 at Ibieno Local Government Area, while Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou and  Chen Zeng were arrested on August 29, 2024 at the same location.

They were all arrested at an illegal mining site of a mineral suspected to be ilmenite, a titanium-iron oxide mineral.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has arrived Minna, the Niger State capital on Sunday evening, and headed straight to the hilltop residence of former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).

Sources hinted that Obasanjo arrived Minna at about 4.15pm aboard a chartered aircraft from Benin City where he had gone to felicitate with the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, on his 90th birthday.

It was further learnt that, at the residence of General Babangida (rtd), another former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), and former National Security Adviser (NSA), General Aliyu Gusau (rtd), were also waiting for Former President Obasanjo.

There was an apparent assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday, September 15, while he was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The FBI, which disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said investigation is ongoing. Secret Service agents spotted and fired on a gunman in bushes near the property line of the golf course, a few hundred yards from where Trump was playing, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect left an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled in a vehicle but was later arrested.

This comes just two months after Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, sustaining a minor injury to his right ear. The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, according to CNN.