Category: Happenings

Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has restricted protesters in the August 1 demonstration to the MKO Abiola Stadium in the nation’s capital.

Justice Oriji issued the order on Wednesday while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike.

In the exparte application argued by his counsel, Ogwu Onoja, the FCT Minister had applied for an order of interim injunction restraining the 5 leaders of the protesting groups from gathering or parading themselves along any roadway, streets, offices & public premises within the FCT between August 1 to 10, or any other day thereafter, pending the hearing & determination of the motion on notice.

In his ruling, Justice Oriji, who recognized the rights of the protesters to embark on the protest, however, restricted them to the stadium given the genuine fears expressed by the minister.

The Kaduna state police command has said that over 25,000 security personnel have been deployed to strategic flash points in the state to ensure law and order during Thursday’s “protest against hunger and bad governance.”

Spokesperson of the command, Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna. He said the security personnel include the police, the armed forces and personnel of other security agencies.

According to him, the massive security deployment to flashpoints, “is to ensure strict compliance to public order.”

On Wednesday the security personnel led by the police commissioner and other top security heads, embarked on a confidence building patrol within Kaduna metropolis, preparatory for the protest. Hassan said the show of force patrol was “designed to serve as a clear warning to those who may seek to use the upcoming protest to destabilise the state.”

The Edo State Police Command has promised to support and protect protesters provided it is carried out peacefully in the state. Briefing journalists on Wednesday evening, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Funsho Adegboye, said it is the right of the citizens to protest.

“We had a meeting with some leaders of the protest, we have agreed that it must be peaceful, we are going to protect them but there will be no blocking of roads or violence” According to him, residents who don’t want to participate in the protest would be allowed to go about their normal businesses.

“Police will protect and support them with sachet water and sweet. We have agreed that they will only occupy the Kings square which is the venue of the protest,” he said. The CP warned trouble makers to stay clear from protest, saying they would be dealt with decisively.

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano has thrown his weight behind the protest over the heightened cost of living crisis under President Bola Tinubu’s watch, adding that he is ready to join the protests because it is the democratic right of citizens.

Mr Yusuf backed the nationwide protest during a stakeholders’ meeting in Kano Government House on Wednesday.

“For us, protest is a democratic right of every citizen. I want the protesters to carry out their procession with caution, as some criminal elements plan to hijack the protest,” Mr Yusuf said.

He added, “If you embark on a peaceful procession, I will receive you, and if you wish, I’ll join you. “ Mr Yusuf’s statement comes on the eve of nationwide protests over economic hardships exacerbated by soaring food prices under Mr Tinubu’s government.

Though Mr Tinubu’s government has begged that the protest be shelved, Nigerians have vowed to hit the streets across the country to vent their displeasure over the prevailing cost of living crisis.

Coalition of Igbo Political and Social-Cultural Groups, Lagos State chapter, on Tuesday, distanced itself from the planned nationwide protests scheduled to commence on August 1, 2024, urging Igbo traders across the state to stay home and not open their businesses on days slated for the protest to avoid being attacked.

The coalition made up of 16 different Igbo groups in Lagos, gave this stand at a press conference, which took place at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, noting that while there is no dispute that there is hardship in the country, quickly affirmed that the current economic downturn was not limited to Nigeria and not caused by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

President of the coalition, Sunday Ossai, said the Igbo in Lagos had always been wrongly accused of organising protests in the state which has always put their lives in danger and, therefore, the reason they had to come out to deny knowing anything about organising the protest.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has disclosed that there are plans to involve the Armed Forces if things get out of control during the planned nationwide protests.

Egbetokun disclosed this while hosting a Zoom meeting with concerned prominent human rights lawyers Femi Falana (SAN) & Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), Take-It-Back Movement, representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association & various civil society organisations on Tuesday, which was monitored by SaharaReporters.

The police chief stated that soldiers will be asked to monitor public demonstrations if there are sufficient reasons to believe that what happened during the 2020 #EndSARS protests will reoccur.

He said, “For those people who are thr3at3ning v+olence, most of them are faceless. Most of them remain faceless. And for those of them that we have been able to trace, we have picked some of them up; they are already in our detention.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, in collaboration with office of the wife of Oyo state governor, on Tuesday, July 30, distributed 1,750 bags of rice to vulnerables and less privileged individuals across 33 local government in Oyo state as part of efforts to cushion the effect of hunger.

Mrs Tinubu had earlier distributed free thousands of notebooks to students in public schools across the state. The palliatives distribution, which took place in Ibadan, the state capital, was aimed at providing relief to those affected by the current economic hardship.

Mrs. Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Oyo state governor, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde, said the “Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agriculture Support, Education and Social Investment Programme” was part of the federal government’s efforts to alleviate poverty and hunger.

She noted that the federal government was committed to ensuring that no Nigerian goes to bed hungry, hence the distribution of the rice.

Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Environment, has urged Nigerians to fight hunger to foster environmental sustainability.

Mr Salako said this at a workshop for the project preparation phase of the GEF-8 Food Systems Integrated Programme (FSIP) for transformation to sustainable crops, livestock and aquaculture food systems in Nigeria (Kebbi and Niger states).

“We must tackle the extensive amount of food waste as a resource management issue and a moral imperative to fight hunger, foster environmental sustainability, and aid in securing food security,” he said.

Mr Salako said managing losses and waste wisely was crucial to reducing the hunger experienced by millions suffering from food scarcity and to the environment’s health.

“Our resolve is to ensure that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for today and the future are not compromised and growth is ensured in a milieu of environmental benefits.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community leaders in the state to advise their people against the upcoming nationwide protest.

Otti expressed concern that the protest may lead to violence and harm vulnerable and weak individuals.

The governor appealed to the people of the state in a statewide broadcast on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Otti said although President Bola Tinubu’s policies may not have yielded the desired result, he urged the youth to pursue peaceful means to express their frustration.

While acknowledging Nigerians’ right to protest, Otti feared that opportunists and hoodlums may hijack the demonstration to incite chaos.

“Some economic policies of the federal government, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, may not have yet produced the desired results as initially intended, but I urge our youths to pursue peaceful means to express their grievances rather than resorting to Violence,” he said.

Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho has kicked against the nationwide protests planned for August over the hardship in the country.

Igboho in a statement issued late last night, said: “I, Chief Sunday Igboho, am issuing this press release in response to the planned protests by some unknown & faceless individuals, who are working to disintegrate the country.

’Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assumed office on May 29, 2023, he has implemented revolutionary policies, which his predecessors lacked the political will to pursue. These bold steps have, unsurprisingly, unsettled those who believe it is their birth right to rule Nigeria.

The Yoruba Nation Movement and I firmly declare that we will not participate in any protest aimed at using the Southwest as a battleground for political upheaval. We stand resolute in our belief that the Yoruba nation will not be a launchpad for disintegrating Nigeria. We recognize that economic hardship is a global phenomenon, not unique to Nigeria.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has accused the candidates who lost out in the 2023 presidential election of sponsoring the planned nationwide protest.

He spoke on Monday at the State House, Abuja, after he witnessed President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the new minimum wage bill into law.

Some individuals & organisations in the country have planned a nationwide protest over the hardship occasioned by the economic policies of the Tinubu administration.

The senate president however, said those who lost the election thought they could use the protest to claim the mandate through the back door.

People who probably do not have their fortunes in the 2023 election are thinking they can come through the back door & that will amount to anarchy,” Mr Akpabio said.

He cautioned the intended protesters to ignore damaging properties. “Any destruction of any property will cost Nigeria money. We don’t have the money. Instead let’s put the money into developing you & developing your environs instead of going to rebuild”.

The Federal Government announced on Monday that it has commenced the distribution of an extra 10 trucks containing 50kg bags of rice to every state. The rice will be available for sale at specific locations for the price of N40,000.

During the Council meeting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, informed State House correspondents that providing 10 trucks of rice to each state aimed to alleviate poverty and combat the high cost of living.

He said, “And the position of the FEC is that most of the demands that the protesters are making are actually being addressed by the federal government and therefore it is the view of the government that there is really no need for the protests again because most of those things that the protesters are putting forward are already actually been addressed or are being addressed by government and like we have said repeatedly, this is a listening government.

“The President has listened to be voices of all those who are planning this protest. And the message is that there is no need for it.

“Indeed, the President is already protesting on their behalf by doing those things that they want a government to do for example, the effort that government is making, in ensuring that food is being made available.

“The last Council meeting here at the briefing, we announced that a number of trucks 20 precisely had been given to the state governors for onward distribution to those who actually In need of them to poorest of the poor in society and those who are actually in need, but government did not stop there there is also rice that is being sold at about 50% of its cost, a bag of rice is being sold at N40,000 as we speak now.

“This rice have been taken to various centers across all the states of the federation, and is being sold at 40,000 Naira, centers have been created. So that those who need this rice can go there and buy this rice at 40,000 naira

“In the first instance, about 10 trucks have been made available to each of these states and indeed, this is just the beginning I know that some of the comments you hear is that it is never enough. Government has not pretended that this supplies are indeed enough. But these are necessary first steps that are being made and more of such interventions are being made in the interim.”

INTERPOL on Monday, revealed that “hundreds of thousands of dollars” are being laundered out of Nigeria to other African countries & across the world every hour.

The organisation also said money laundering across Africa & the entire world has assumed a monstrous dimension, adding that it would require a concerted efforts of every security agencies in Nigeria & other countries.

Garba Baba Umar, the INTERPOL Vice President for Africa, revealed this at EFCC Academy, Abuja.

The INTERPOL official said the organisation has launched what he described as “Silver Notices Against Money Laundering”, saying it is in a bid to frontally tackle the scourge of money laundering & illicit financial flows across the world, especially Africa.

“Evidence has shown that every hour, hundreds of thousands of dollars are flowing out of Nigeria to the region & across the world, laundered before it reaches the pockets of criminals to enjoy the profits of their crimes, while the hardworking & honest Nigerians pay the price of crime.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered telecommunication operators to immediately reconnect all phone lines that were blocked during the NIN-SIM verification exercise.

The NCC gave the directive in a statement on Monday, July 29, 2024. Over the weekend, many telecom subscribers and consumers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).

This meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with the laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.

Recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM, which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said Nigeria would have been a failed Stage  if God did not bring President Bola Tinubu at this “crucial time”.

Umahi, who unveiled the Federal Government’s initiative, “Operation Free Our Roads”, in Abuja at the weekend, said the president would transform the country if given more time.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to our youths to give Mr President Bola Tinubu more time. It would have been a failed state if God did not divinely bring the President at a very critical time like this. A lot of people did not know what challenges we had before he came on board,” he said.

Umahi urged Nigerians to be patriotic and assist the government by doing everything possible to reset the country to make it a place where no man would be oppressed. According to him, the looming protest may be hijacked by hoodlums.

let us give him more time and support him and increase our productivity, our country will be great again,” he said

A 49-year-old Nigerian man, Dirichukwu Patrick Nweke, has been arrested in connection with an alleged $9 million drug operation running out of Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney, Australia.

Nweke, who was awaiting deportation at the centre, and another man were accused of dealing large amounts of methylamphetamine using an encrypted messaging service.

NWS Police in a statement on Saturday, July 27, 2024, said they stormed Villawood Detention Centre, where they allegedly found two kilograms of meth worth $165,000 hidden inside porridge boxes. They also found three mobile phones during a search of a unit at the centre on July 11.

Nweke has been charged with multiple offences including directing a criminal group and supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, DailyMail reports.

Two kilograms of methylamphetamine and $169,000 in cash linked to the syndicate were previously seized by officers, police said on Saturday.

The Plateau State Police Command has arrested one Sulaiman Yakubu for inciting violence and calling on residents to burn down police stations, military barracks & business areas in the state during the nationwide protest planned for August 1st.

In a viral TikTok video, Yakubu called residents in the state to “test the ground” on Monday before Thursday. He stated that ”Guys, I think on Monday, we should start burning the u§eless filling stations in Jos North, Jos South & Jos East. Then, on the following day, we should b¥rn the Yankwalli & Terminus markets & the rest. We should get them down to ashes.

Maybe on the third day, if they k+ll one of our men, we should start going to each division nearest to our side & start burning down the u§eless police stations, soldiers’ barracks.

On the 4th day, if we don’t get the response we want, we should start going to those bakeries where they make bread & burn them. If there is no change, on the 5th day, we should start attacking these big men at Rayfield area.

The Niger chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has called on Christians not to join the planned nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 to 10.

This was contained in a message to Christians in the state signed by Bishop Bulus Yohanna, chairman of CAN, in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the message was also read in the churches across the state on Sunday. CAN said the protest might be hijacked by hoodlums and selfish groups to cause havoc in the country and maim innocent citizens. “Genuine protest can easily be seized by hoodlums and selfish groups to cause enormous havoc on innocent citizens. Let us shun protest, v+violence has never yielded positive results,” he said.

Mr Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, described peace as an ongoing and dynamic process that demands perpetual attention and constant effort to attain and maintain. He called on President Bola Tinubu to, apart from the palliatives, work on price control for goods and services, address rising cost of living and reduce the price of fuel.

“Let us take advantage of the farming season especially now that the Farmer Governor is proactive and has prioritised the agricultural sector,” he said.

The CAN chairman enjoined church leaders, Local Government Coordinators and parents to admonish their members and children to shun any planned protest in the interest of peace. He charged them to remember the book of Romans 13:1-3 which talks about Christians not to rebel against constituted authorities.

“As you are aware, there are plans to stage a nationwide protest across the country. As Children of God and responsible people known for peace, I urge us all to shun the protest, speak to our children/wards and members of our congregation”, he said. He said that other well-meaning Nigerians, including the youths, had declared that they would not join the nationwide protest. “I want us to note that as a body, the CAN, Niger state will not be part of the exercise but rather prefer to have peaceful dialogue and continue to pray for our nation,” he said.

The police command in Yobe says the Boko Haram insurgents have planned to infiltrate the forthcoming protest in August.

The command’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. He said intelligence received by the command indicated that foreign mercenaries were engaged to destr%y lives and property at the protest.

He therefore, called on would-be protesters to exercise caution. “As Yobe state recovers from insurgency, the commissioner of police, CP Garba Ahmed, acknowledges citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.

“While we alert citizens to sinister motives, even peaceful protests at this time may be ill-timed. Recent insurgency activities in Gujba LGA have raised concerns.

We are unprepared to face additional security challenges,” he said and warned that criminals trying to hide under the protest to destabilise the state would face the wrath of the law. According to Mr Abdulkarim, the protesters must indicate proposed protest routes and assembly points for a hitch-free protest.

He gave the advice while addressing traditional rulers & community leaders in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe & Lagos Island LGA during a town hall meeting on July 27th.

Fayoade said although police & other security agencies had met & declared that there should not be any protest in Lagos State, the residents should not attack any group or groups that might come out to protest.

According to him, “If there must be a protest, it must be peaceful. We want to know those who want to protest so that we can make arrangements for their security. It is your right to protest legitimately as long as it does not affect the rights of others.

Any group planning a violent protest should rethink. Such a group will meet police & other security agencies. We don’t want a repeat of. The duty of residents is to give the police timely information about any group planning a violent protest, it is not for them to attack them.”

The Nigerian Army has reportedly dismissed 6 soldiers from its service for allegedly fleeing from the scene of a Boko Haram attack.

The soldiers attached to the counterinsurgency operation in the North-East, known as Operation Lafiya Dole were said to have fled from the scene of a Boko Haram attack around Damboa, a community in Borno during the month.

It was gathered that over 10 soldiers were k+lled during the attack. A military source said the 6 soldiers were dismissed for withdrawing from the war front.

The source described the punishment meted out on his colleagues as not right, arguing that they left the battlefield after running out of ammunition during the fight with the t£rrorists.

According to the source, sufficient arms & ammunition were not provided for them to fight Boko Haram terrorists; therefore, they soon ran out of ammunition. He also blamed the death of those killed on poor firepower and inadequate equipment to combat the insurgents