Category: Happenings

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out the suit against persons charged over the nationwide End Bad Governance protest.

The Trial Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, on Tuesday, struck out the suit following an application by the counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation, M. D Abubakar, to take over and discontinue the suit.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, who was represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mohammed Abubakar had at the proceedings announced the exercise of his power of section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the case from the Inspector General of Police.

After granting the request by Justice Egwuatu, the AGF proceeded to request the invocation of the same section of the Constitution to discontinue the trial of the 119 accused persons.

The serving Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) of Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, has been caught in one of the country’s largest sex scandals.

Baltasar was caught on tape engaging in sexual intercourse with his brother’s wife, cousin, and a sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea.

He is currently embroiled in the largest scandal in Equatorial Guinea.

During an investigation by the country’s security authorities for alleged fraud, over 300 tapes of Baltasar with various women, including married women, were recovered, and they are currently circulating online.

These encounters took place in his office, hotels, and toilets, with all scenes being recorded with the participants’ consent.

He was initially arrested on corruption charges, but during the investigation, authorities discovered the tapes on his computer and leaked them to the public.

Popular social critic Martins Ortse, also known as VeryDarkMan, disclosed videos of this via his Instagram page

The family of a 35-year-old woman, Patience Ashenenye, who passed away in an accident caused by a policeman, reportedly received the sum of N100,000 as compensation.

The accident, which occurred behind Ta’al Conference Hotel near the School of Health in Nasarawa State, also left Ashenenye’s three-month-old son hospitalized with a broken leg.

It was gathered that the mother and son were in a motorcycle when the officer, who was speeding in a government-owned Hilux vehicle, rammed into them.

The motorcycle rider, Tasiu Mohammed, also got injured, while Ashenenye di3d shortly after arriving at the Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital. Two days later, the family reported that two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) visited them to offer N100,000 for Ashenenye’s burial expenses.

Her family, however, rejected the sum, stating they were only interested in justice for her untimely death.

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu will spearhead a national prayer session aimed at addressing Nigeria’s numerous challenges.

The initiative, coordinated with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, seeks divine intervention for the country’s social, economic, and security issues, under the theme ‘Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs.’

Chief Segun Balogun Afolorunikan, Director General of the National Prayer Forum (NPF), announced the event in Abuja, emphasizing the importance of unity in overcoming Nigeria’s crises.

According to Afolorunikan, this interfaith gathering signifies a collective response, with hopes of fostering resilience among citizens and inspiring leaders to find lasting solutions for the nation’s stability.

The prayer sessions will take place over a week, with Muslims congregating at the National Mosque, where 313 participants will recite the Qur’an, totaling 2,191 recitations dedicated to national peace.

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says politics and church must be dismantled in Nigeria in order to move the nation forward.

Speaking on Honest Bunch podcast, the politician said night vigil should be turned into night shift so that people can be productive. “It’s attractive, politics and church but it has to be dismantled.

We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive. I go to church and believe in God but we can’t have it that people Monday to Friday, be in church morning and night.

If I go from here to my house, the only sign boards you see are those of churches. If you go to the East, it’s burials and that’s not a country,” he said.

British-Nigerian Member of Parliament, Kemi Badenoch, has won the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom.

The 44-year-old North West Essex MP was declared the winner of the months-long contest after polling a total of 53,806 votes, coming ahead of Robert Jenrick who polled 41,388 votes.

The race, which lasted more than three months, began with six candidates and included a series of votes before narrowing it down to the final two for the broader party membership.

Badenoch has served as shadow business and trade secretary since the Conservative Party lost the general election in July and Rishi Sunak said he would stand down as leader, triggering the campaign.

Her campaign was called Renewal 2030 and has targeted the next election for the Tories to return to power.

British-Nigerian Member of Parliament, Kemi Badenoch, has won the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom.

The 44-year-old North West Essex MP was declared the winner of the months-long contest after polling a total of 53,806 votes, coming ahead of Robert Jenrick who polled 41,388 votes.

The race, which lasted more than three months, began with six candidates and included a series of votes before narrowing it down to the final two for the broader party membership.

Badenoch has served as shadow business and trade secretary since the Conservative Party lost the general election in July and Rishi Sunak said he would stand down as leader, triggering the campaign.

Her campaign was called Renewal 2030 and has targeted the next election for the Tories to return to power.

The October Cadre Harmonisé report has estimated that 33.1 million people across 26 states and the FCT may experience a food and nutrition crisis from June to August 2025.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and other partners conducted this analysis, with the findings released on Friday, November 1, in Abuja.

The affected states include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Benue. Other states affected are Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT.

The report indicates that this figure includes 514,474 Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara. It revealed that approximately 25 million people across the 26 states and the FCT are currently experiencing food crises.

The agency in a statement on Thursday said officials from the Post-Marketing Surveillance directorate discovered Foula c%ndoms (packaged in threes) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, and Zango, Katsina State.

“The condom is not registered by NAFDAC for use in Nigeria, and the labelling of the product is not in the English Language. Condoms are a proven effective barrier method that can be used as a dual-purpose method for both prevention of unintended pregnancy and protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

To be most effective, any barrier method used for contraception or preventing infection must be used correctly. The purchase and use of poor-quality condoms will adversely affect every aspect of condom promotion for the prevention of unintended pregnancy, and protection against HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections.

A 33-year-old nursing mum, Comfort Olalere Tinubu has been arrested in connection with the d3ath of her husband, Olusegun Tinubu, 39.

The Nation reports that the unfortunate incident occurred at about 10 PM on Wednesday, October 30, at their home in Adegbayi area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

It was gathered that the couple who got married about three years ago had two children from the marriage.

The source who pleaded anonymity, said: “I got the call around 10:03pm and I learnt that they fought and she stabbed  him but that he was rushed to the hospital. About 30mins later, I was called again that my younger brother is d3ad.

When we reported the matter at the police station, she was asked what happened; she said her late husband accused her of locking the matrimonial bedroom door since around 7am when she left the house and returning about 7pm.

She said the matter led to argument between them but that fight started when the late husband came to slap her where she laid down breastfeeding their baby.”

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has claimed that six suspects who fainted in court before their arraignment on Friday, November 1, did so intentionally to draw negative attention.

However, he said that medical help was given right away, highlighting the police’s dedication to the welfare of those in custody.

In a statement on Friday, he said: “Today, an unexpected incident in court saw six of the suspects suddenly rush out and faint, drawing media attention in a deliberate and scripted manner to attract negative attention.

Medical aid was promptly provided to these individuals, demonstrating the Police Force’s commitment to the welfare of those in its custody, irrespective of the allegations they face.

While committed to upholding justice, the Nigeria Police Force remains sensitive to the rights of all individuals, including young persons. Under Nigerian law, individuals who have reached the age of criminal responsibility are answerable for their actions, regardless of their age.

With just days remaining in Governor Godwin Obaseki’s eight-year term in Edo State, the EFCC has reportedly arrested the state’s Accountant General, Mr Julius Anelu, along with two other government officials.

Anelu and the two other yet-to-be-identified government officials were arrested on Friday, and they are currently being held at the EFCC’s Benin zonal office.

The suspects were “grilled by interrogators over the night,” EFCC sources told Premium Times on Saturday. The news outlet reports that the officials are being investigated over an unusually swift depletion of the state’s derivation account weeks to the end of Mr Obaseki’s tenure.

EFCC was said to have taken an interest in the matter and the suspects after it learnt that out of “N24.6 billion paid into the state’s derivation account, only about N14 billion was left within one week”.

DailyPost reports that the agency officials plan to hold the detained staff until November 12, the final day of the outgoing governor’s term in Edo State.

Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly are preparing to travel to Ontario, Canada, for a leadership retreat focused on executive & legislative collaboration.

According to a letter signed by the Clerk of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Titilope Agbede, the purpose of this trip billed for November 2024 is to bolster legislators’ skills in navigating policy complexities & to engage with the Ekiti Kete Association in Canada.

The letter dated October 18, 2024 & addressed to Barrister Adesina, President of Ekiti Kete Canada, clarified that the retreat aims to equip the legislators with the necessary knowledge & skills to effectively navigate the complexities of policy implementation challenges.

According to the letter, “This is to inform you that Members of Ekiti State House of Assembly & Officials led by the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Honourable Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye will be leading to attend an Executive Legislative Leadership Retreat scheduled to hold in November, 2024 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

The Federal Government says 25 million Nigerians have so far received the ₦25,000 conditional cash transfer.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed this on Thursday, October 31, after the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja.

Speaking on the steps taken by the federal government to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, the minister said five million households have benefited from the direct transfer. He also disclosed that in the last five days, no fewer than 11,000 beneficiaries have received ₦3.5 billion from the consumer credit scheme.

He further said over ₦90 billion has so far been disbursed to half a million Nigerian students under the student loan scheme.

The Federal Government has issued a 9 month ultimatum to individuals that are keeping dollars outside the banking system.

The minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the National Economic Council.

According to him, “One element of the cost increase is the foreign exchange rate & that is demand & supply. There is going to be a release today, details by the federal government through the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Central Bank, a programme, starting today, 31st of October & lasting nine months, that will allow people to bring in cash that is outside the banking system.

Therefore it is unsafe, it is unsecure and it is outside of legal limits. They will allowed forbearance to bring dollars cash. Let me emphasize once again, it is to bring dollars that they are holding outside the system to be able to bring them in and credit it to their bank accounts, as long as it is not proceeds of crime, illicit money.

Mild drama unfolded at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday morning, November 1, when several teenagers arraigned by the Nigeria Police fainted, reportedly due to hunger.

The defendants, primarily teenagers, are being charged with 10 counts of t£rrorism, an attempt to overthrow the government, and alleged mutiny for their participation in the End Bad Governance protest that occurred from August 1st to 10th.

One of the defense lawyers, Marshall Abubakar, disclosed that the defendants were charged in two batches of 76 and 49.

However, few minutes after the first batch was called, the defendants were mounting the dock when some of them suddenly collapsed, causing confusion in court, a development that made the judge to suspend proceedings.

“A couple of them fainted inside the courtroom because of maltreatment, they haven’t eaten for some days,” a source said.
 

A yet-to-be-identified young man and four of his friends have di3d after reportedly eating pepper soup made by his ex-girlfriend.

It was gathered that the tragic incident occurred in Auchi, Edo State on Saturday, October 26.

Although details of the incident are still sketchy, reports indicate that the woman, who was trying to get back at the boy for ending their relationship, gave him a plate of fish pepper soup. He, unfortunately, ate the meal with four of his friends.

The suspect, identified simply as Peculiar, has since been arrested by the Nigerian army.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Wednesday, October 30, said Oluyede will hold sway as the COAS pending the return of Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is said to be indisposed and is receiving treatment abroad.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

Oluyede will act in the position pending the return of the indisposed substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.” Until his appointment, Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.

Google has been fined in Russia for removing Russian TV channels from YouTube.

The tech giant was fined a staggering 20 decillion dollars which is more than all the money in the world. The company is facing claims from 17 Russian TV channels after banning their accounts on YouTube, which it owns, as a result of international sanctions.

Pro-Kremlin channels involved in the case reportedly include Russia 1 and the platform belonging to Russia Today presenter & Putin mouthpiece Margarita Simonyan.

According to news report, Google began accumulating daily penalties of 100,000 rubles in 2020 after the pro-government media outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN won lawsuits against the company for blocking their YouTube channels.

Those daily penalties have doubled each week, leading to the current overall fine of around 2 undecillion rubles. Google, whose parent company Alphabet reported a revenue of more than $307 billion in 2023, is unlikely to ever pay the incredibly high fine.

The conversation took place around 4 p.m. Nigerian time and lasted about 30 minutes.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, while briefing state House Correspondents about the development.

The discussion centered about the recent release of the Head of Finance Crime compliance at Binance, Tigran Gambaryan.

According to Tuggar, “The call was about the collaboration between the two countries with regards to law enforcement and law enforcement agencies as well as the release of one of the suspects of the crypto currency exchange company that you are all aware of. Mr President also thanked the US for the partnership and collaboration in numerous areas with regard to security in Africa and West Africa as whole.

President Biden assured President Tinubu that this is a partnership because the future of the world reside in Africa and as such, the partnership is important.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) aka petrol, from N980 to N1,025 per litre in Lagos and nearby regions.

This adjustment, announced on Tuesday, marks the third price change in September and October 2024 and is part of the government’s deregulation policy, which allows prices to fluctuate based on supply and demand dynamics.

According to reports, this new increment will see Nigerians in Abuja and Lagos buy petrol for N1,060 and N1,025 per litre respectively.