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Nigerian Customs Seizes 11 Containers Loaded With Unregistered Sex Enhancement Drugs, N921Billion Worth Of Advanced Drones, Others In Lagos.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday said that its officers intercepted 11 containers laden with contraband goods, including unregistered sex enhancement drugs, expired foodstuffs, and drones, valued at N921 billion at the Apapa Ports, Lagos.

The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, told journalists that the containers comprised five 40-foot containers, two 20-foot containers, and four additional seizures of loosely concealed items.

"The total duty paid value is N921 billion,” he stated.

According to the NCS boss, five of the containers were loaded with sex-enhancement drugs, which he described as posing a significant threat to public health.

“These items constitute a clear danger to public health with the potential to cause significant mortality if permitted to infiltrate the domestic markets,” Adeniyi said.

Adeniyi revealed the details of the containers' contents. The first 40-foot container held 89 cartons of unregistered pharmaceutical products, while the second contained 242 cartons.

He said, “The third 40ft container had 1,001 cartons and packages of hydra-sildenafil citrate tablets. These are also lacking requisite NAFDAC registrations.”

“The other 40ft container had 1,400 packages of chest and lungs beta plus big booty tablets, also unregistered,” he said.

“The fifth 40ft container had 805 packages of unregistered products. This one was falsely declared as a cosmetic powder.”

He further said, “We also have a 20-foot container which has expired margarine products. We have another 20ft container which has expired margarine products, 60 units of warrior drones.”

Adeniyi highlighted the seizure of advanced drone technology, including military-grade units, without proper regulatory documentation.

“We also intercepted another 53 units of different helicopter drones. These drones were intercepted for lack of an End User Certificate and it has a duty-paid value of N2.1 million.

“We have 10 pieces of professional FM transceiver walkie-talkies. These are communication devices evacuated for lack of End-User Certificates,” he said.

He categorised the seized goods into three main groups: unregistered pharmaceutical products, expired food items, and controlled equipment such as drones and communication devices.

“The first category which constitutes 73.7 per cent of the total seizure is that of unregistered pharmaceutical products lacking mandatory National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control registration numbers,” Adeniyi explained, citing Section 28 of the NAFDAC Act.

The second category includes expired food items “with compromised safety profiles that pose an imminent danger to public health.”

He said the third category comprises “controlled equipment, including drone technology and telecommunication devices imported without the requisite End User Certificates from the Office of the National Security Adviser.”

Adeniyi also decried a “sophisticated pattern of wrong declaration,” where items such as pharmaceuticals were deliberately misclassified as cosmetics.

“Two containers had this pharmaceutical but were concealed with skin creams to hide them from customers,” he noted.

He said the seizures suggest the emergence of “organised networks with sophisticated capabilities rather than isolated smuggling attempts that we used to have.”

He assured that the NCS is working closely with key regulatory agencies.

State chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have decried the condition of the Nigerian worker and called for the urgent review of the N70,000 minimum wage as the country celebrates the 2025 May Day today, The PUNCH reports.

This comes just as Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the legislative and executive arms of government would not “shirk our responsibility to work together” to address workers’ concerns and create opportunities for growth and prosperity. However, organised labour leaders across the country said workers were worse off since the emergence of President Bola Tinubu, despite his assurances that he would not only pay the workers a minimum wage but “a living wage.”

Following Tinubu’s removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, in his inaugural speech to the nation and the devaluation of the naira, the cost of living has been astronomic, forcing labour unions and the populace to embark on several protests.

The labour leaders, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, said the Nigerian worker had been crippled by the high cost of prices and soaring inflation, which they added, made the N70,000 minimum wage inconsequential.

The Bayelsa State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Julius Laye, said the Nigerian worker was worse off under the President Bola Tinubu administration than ever before.

Laye, who spoke to The PUNCH on Wednesday in Yenagoa, listed several factors that had negatively impacted workers, which he said, made the new minimum wage grossly inadequate.

Laye said, “You know that the government introduced several taxes, and the hike in tariffs has impacted the workers negatively. The economic policies and the removal of subsidies have led to hyperinflation, so the minimum wage has become inadequate.

“Even the minimum wage is not enough to cover Medicare. Incidentally, they have money to fly out to seek better medical attention, but the Nigerian workers do not have the means to do so.

"We are worse off in this administration than we had ever been at any other time.”

In Ebonyi, the state Chairman of the NLC, Prof. Oguguo Egwu, and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Igwe Chidi, expressed displeasure over the continuous economic hardship faced by workers in the state.

They said Nigerian workers were looking forward to an adjustment of the National Minimum Wage Act, which provided a review every three years since the current N70,000 implemented by Governor Francis Nwifuru was no longer enough to meet their needs.

Egwu, who disclosed the theme of this year’s Workers Day celebration as ‘Reclaiming a civic space amid economic hardship’, said the suffering in the country was unprecedented.

“It’s a day to celebrate our workers, it’s a day we honour our past heroes, those who have struggled for the workers in the world to emancipate them from the shackles of the leaders. The good thing about this year’s celebration is that we will give awards to deserving Ebonyi workers who posted outstanding performances in service, while also maintaining the code of the civil service.

"We have the opportunity to bring veterans to educate them on the theme of this year’s celebration. The hardship in Nigeria, not just in Ebonyi State, is unprecedented. If you look into the face of a typical Nigerian worker, it is filled with wrinkles, darkened, deep and of course every face of a typical Nigerian worker tells the story of a multi-dimensional poverty.”

Chidi added, “Workers are facing different challenges. The economy is very harsh, not only on the workers but on Nigerians. The new minimum wage was just implemented in the state but it is no longer significant to the workers. If you go to the market, that N70, 000 cannot buy you anything.”

The Niger State Chairman, TUC, Ibrahim Gana, blamed the Federal Government for the pathetic state of workers, adding that the soaring inflation had destroyed the gains the little increase in the minimum wage brought to the workers.

"The situation of workers is pathetic. The electricity tariff, the pump price of petrol, the transportation and every other thing has taken all the minimum wage again. The multiplying effects of these are weighing on the workers. It’s just as if we are not even working. You collect your salary as if you didn’t even get it and then coupled with all the hardship, all the inflation,” Gana said.

"We never knew the Federal Government could push up the cost of living like this. You can’t afford three meals a day, you can’t take a bag of rice home, and you can’t do anything with the money. So, that is where we are as workers. That is the sorry situation we find ourselves in,” Gana said.

On who to blame, he added, “Who else is the head of the ruling government, which is responsible for these problems? Who do you want us to blame? It is the Tunubu government. If they had the workers’ interest at heart, they would have done something about the devaluation of the naira.”

In a similar vein, the Rivers State NLC boss, Alex Agwanwor, decried the inflationary trend in the country, insisting that the high cost of goods and services were the major challenges facing the Nigerian worker.

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has narrated how God drove his car from Kano to Kaduna State while he was sleeping behind the steering.

Amaechi narrated that the incident occurred after he and some others installed the Emir of Kano State, though he didn’t reveal the identity of the monarch.

The former governor of Rivers State disclosed that Goje, Baraje and Professor Gambari were also in the car with him while he drove.

He spoke as a guest speaker at the ninth edition of Akinjide Adeosun Foundation, AAF, Annual Leadership Discourse organised in Lagos.

Amaechi said after installing the Emir, the Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, in Kano State warned him to leave the state because he can’t guarantee his safety.

The former governor said while he attempted to depart the state via air, there was an order that prevented airline operators from selling tickets to him.

According to Amaechi: “When we went to install the Emir of Kano. When we had succeeded, but it had not been announced, we told the governor of Kano State that we were leaving.

He said: ‘okay.’ So, we went to the airport. I boarded my plane. I had chartered the plane, an Indian pilot, by the way. We took off. We were going to Abuja, but the weather was bad and I am always afraid of weather.

“So, we came back. Instead of landing in Kaduna, I said we couldn’t land in Kaduna because the governor of Kaduna was a member of the PDP and he was hostile. So, I said Let’s go back to Kano. We got to Kano where they didn’t let us land for 20 minutes. However, we eventually landed. When the weather improved, they called us to inform us that the weather had improved. We boarded the plane and were about to leave Kano when they told us we could not leave Kano. I asked why

"They said it was an order from above. So, I called the former governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso, and informed him that there was an order from above that I shouldn’t leave Kano. He said: ‘come to the Government House’. And luckily for us, Aero Contractors landed. When Aero Contractors landed, we said: ‘Thank God, thank God.’ I told my staff: ‘ go and buy Aero Contractors tickets; wherever they were going, let us go’.

"Having gone to purchase Aero Contractors tickets, they returned to me to say: ‘Sir, they said we cannot buy Aero Contractors tickets.’ I asked: ‘Why? I thought they said only commercial aircraft could go. Private jets couldn’t go.’ However, they said: ‘No, you can’t go.’ So I said: ‘Then we will go to Government House.’ As I was talking, the director of SSS walked in and saluted me. He was the director of SSS in Rivers State before he was transferred to Kano. He said: ‘Oga, you must leave Kano now.

“Even if it means sleeping in Bichi.’ At the time, I didn’t know where Bichi was. I said: ‘why?’ He said: ‘I can’t account for your life.’ I told him: ‘But the governor has told me to come to the Government House.’ He said: ‘Don’t you go near there.’

"So, I requested for security, which he gave me. We bought fuel. He said: ‘Switch off your phones.’ We switched off our phones. By the time I left Kano, the people with me – Goje, who was about to cry, had slept off. Baraje and Professor Gambari had slept, and I was the only person who drove.

“By the time I got to Zaria, I needed to ease myself. I came down, eased myself. From Kaduna, God drove us because I was sleeping. In fact, I came down in Kaduna where I bought six cans of Red Bull. It didn’t work. So God drove us from Kaduna to Abuja.”

Danzakidakura:
who be this Rat ?

Danzakidakura:
low budget Islamic terrorists spotted

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, needs a miracle because all is not well with the party.
Disclosing this on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday evening, Fayose also warned that a Southerner can’t become president after Tinubu.

Fayose also insisted that the governors and ministers forums have no backing of PDP’s constitution.

He said: “The situation in the party is unfortunate and regrettable because the problem didn’t start today, we have a backlog of issues and the party has not called for any reconciliation and it’s everybody doing their thing; everybody is defending their tea, cup, and position.

“When you use one broom to sweep, you will catch no impact but when you use the whole broom to sweep, you will get the impact.

“It’s not a denied fact that all is not well with the PDP and except a miracle that can bring this party to the dreamed destination, and it’s a dream that may not happen if care is not taken.

"It’s has affected the party even within the National Working Committee, show me the peace? Show me the command, where the directives are coming from, nowhere.

“I was a governor and I gave my best, I never decamped even when it wasn’t going easy with me, I faced the government of the day.

“People can say what they like but after Asiwaju’s tenure, let a Southerner come out, I will also come out and say a Southerner can’t be president of Nigeria.

"There are various association created to be able to have a voice in the party and one of them is Ministers forum, another one is the forum where former governors meet to take far reaching decisions in the party, then we have the governors forum.

“So, without deceiving myself, I belong to the association of former governors and every body that is governor today will leave the seat and join us. Let me remind Nigerians that the association is not known to our constitution. Ministers forum and governors forum has nothing to do with the party.

"The Ministers forum and governors forum have nothing to do with our constitution, we have power and strength as governor but it’s obvious that there is little they can do.”

The Imo State Police Command has announced the arrest of three suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra following a raid on an alleged terror hideout located on Cameron Street, Ubahu, in the Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.

The raid, which took place in the early hours of Thursday, April 17, 2025, was carried out by the command’s tactical teams in collaboration with local vigilante groups, acting on credible intelligence.

The operation led to a gun battle, during which two suspects reportedly fled into the surrounding bushes, while three others were captured.

The arrested suspects were identified as: Onyekaba Ikenna Innocent (21), Ugwu Ikenna (31) and Ofor Kasarachi (37) The announcement of this operation and the subsequent arrests was made by the Imo State Police Command, underscoring their commitment to tackling suspected criminal elements within the state.

The successful raid marks a notable step in the ongoing efforts to maintain law and order and address security concerns in the Okigwe Local Government Area and the wider Imo State. Further details regarding the investigation and any recovered items are expected to be disclosed by the police command.

Spokesperson of the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, disclosed the development while parading the suspects and recovered items at the command’s headquarters in Owerri on Friday.

According to Okoye, the operation led to the recovery of significant weapons and materials allegedly linked to terrorist activities.

Items recovered include: One AK-47 rifle, Two pump-action shotguns, Eighteen live cartridges, Multiple mobile devices and laptops, ₦10.3 million in cash.

“The recovered cash, based on preliminary investigations, is believed to have been contributed by IPOB members to finance acts of terrorism,” Okoye stated.

He added that the command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police CP Aboki Danjuma, remains committed to sustaining the ongoing crackdown on criminal elements threatening public safety in Imo State.

As the Easter season approaches, Okoye assured residents that the command has intensified patrols, surveillance, and checkpoints in coordination with other security agencies to ensure a safe and peaceful celebration.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike has given suspended Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State condition for peace.

Wike said he is open to forgiveness if Fubara apologizes over the political crisis in the state.

Wike and Fubara had been at loggerheads shortly after the latter became governor in 2023.

The crisis between the duo affected the state House of Assembly, a situation that led to factionalization of the legislature in the state.

As the political crisis started degenerating into insecurity challenges, President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency.

Tinubu also suspended Fubara for six months while appointing a sole administrator.

However, addressing a media parley in Abuja, Wike said: “Has anybody approached anybody? I don’t like people who are hypocrites. I have told her to mention an elder in Rivers running around the governor who has taken steps to achieve peace?

“At the end of the day, if we don’t achieve anything, we will still go back to square one, which does not make sense.

“The day Mr President intervened, the assembly people immediately withdrew the impeachment notice. I’m open to forgiveness if he comes sincerely.”

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have successfully neutralized a notorious bandit kingpin, Ibrahim Kaboni, along with eight of his fighters in a well-coordinated ambush near Keta village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to intelligence sources available to Zagazola Makama, the ambush was executed on the evening of April 16, 2025, by troops of the 1 Brigade in collaboration with other security agencies, following sustained surveillance on the group’s movement.

The encounter led to a fierce gun battle, during which Kaboni and his men were gunned down as they attempted to flee. Others managed to escape with gunshot wounds.

Kaboni had long been on the security watchlist for his involvement in numerous attacks, kidnappings, and cattle rustling incidents across Tsafe and surrounding areas.

The recent move by the House of Representatives to slam a five-year jail term or N500,000 fine or both on any person convicted for leaking examination questions, and a three-year jail term for persons under 18 years convicted for engaging in various forms of examination malpractices has been generating mixed reactions from Nigerians.

The proposed legislation, entitled, “Examination Malpractices Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025(HB2097) and sponsored by the member representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Esosa Iyawe, was introduced on March 6, 2025, and is currently awaiting second reading.

The bill, according to its explanatory memorandum, sought to repeal, “The Examination Malpractice Act Cap. E15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and enact the Examination Malpractices Act, 2025, to provide for non-custodial penalties, expand offences relating to the examination malpractices and prescribe adequate punishment for such offences.”

It further stated that minors convicted under the proposed law shall be treated in accordance with the Child Rights Act.

The bill stated that any person, who procures any question paper intended for use in any examination in the country, whether or not the question is genuine and any person who uses a technological device at any examination, is guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both for a person under the age of eighteen years.

However, in the case of a principal, teacher, an invigilator, a supervisor, an examiner, agent or employee of the examination body concerned with the conduct of an examination, the offence shall attract a four-year jail term without an option of fine.

Also, the parliament is proposing N400,000 or four years imprisonment or both for any person engaged to mark examination papers, who, without lawful excuse, alters or otherwise tampers or attempts to alter or tamper with the scores of a candidate as recorded by another person; or (b) employed by an examination body, who before, during or after an examination, fraudulently or without lawful authority, alters or otherwise tampers with the scores of a candidate or aids or abets any candidate to cheat at an examination.

Similarly, Section 4 of the proposed legislation stipulates that, “A candidate, who at any examination, by any fraudulent trick or device or with intent to cheat or secure an unfair advantage for himself or any other person, steals or otherwise appropriates or takes a question paper, an answer sheet or a script of any other candidate, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.”

The bill also stated that any person, who impersonates a candidate in an examination shall on conviction be liable to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term not more than three years or both, in the case of a person under 18 years old, while in the case of a principal, teacher, an invigilator, a supervisor, an examiner, an agent or employee of the examination body concerned with the conduct of an examination, the imprisonment shall be for a term of four years without the option of a fine.

According to Section 6(1) of the proposed law, “A candidate at an examination, who leaves the venue of the examination and mixes up with any other person with intent to cheat or secure any unfair advantage for himself or any other person in the examination, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of at least N300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both, and in addition, the candidate shall not be allowed to re-enter the examination hall or any other place to continue with that examination.”

Section 6(2) and (3) provides that “A person who (a) without lawful excuse, with intent to aid a candidate to cheat or secure any unfair advantage for himself or any other person at the examination, communicates or attempts to communicate to the candidate any information relating to any question paper in the examination; or (b) not being involved in the conduct of the examination, is found in or near the examination hall or any other place appointed for the examination with intent to aid a candidate to cheat or secure an unfair advantage for a candidate at the examination, commits an offence.

"A person guilty of an offence under sub-clause (2) of this section is liable on conviction (a) in the case of a person under the age of 18 years, to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than three years or to both; (b) in the case of a principal, teacher, an invigilator, a supervisor, an examiner, or an agent or employee of the examination body concerned with the conduct of an examination, to imprisonment for a term of four years without the option of a fine.”

Since the proposal became public knowledge, Nigerians have reacted variously.

While some have dismissed the lawmakers as idle people who have abandoned important issues affecting Nigerians to chase shadows, there are those who believe that it is not bad in its entirety.

One of those who believe that it is idleness that has forced the lawmakers to abandon critical problems bedeviling Nigerians to chase an infinitesimal issue as examination malpractice is the former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and lawyer, Chief Maxi Okwu.

“I think those lawmakers are idle. There are more important issues to tackle,” he told DAILY POST.

Although he clearly stated that he would not encourage examination malpractice in any form, he argued that in order of priority of the issue bogging the nation, it shouldn’t catch the attention of the lawmakers, when terrorists and bandits are running riots, riding roughshod over the country and spilling the blood of the innocent without let or hindrance.

He said: “It is not as if I am encouraging exams malpractice, but to me, it is not a priority matter. It is not a priority at all; look at kidnappers, bandits and terrorists that go away with mayhem; they don’t want to do anything about that, it is to go after school children who engage in what I may call some malfeasance.

“Yes, there should be punishment, and by the way there is punishment already for examination malpractice in Nigeria, but like I said, if you want to improve the law, fine. But there are more important things facing the nation that they should give their attention to.

He said: “It is not as if I am encouraging exams malpractice, but to me, it is not a priority matter. It is not a priority at all; look at kidnappers, bandits and terrorists that go away with mayhem; they don’t want to do anything about that, it is to go after school children who engage in what I may call some malfeasance.

“Yes, there should be punishment, and by the way there is punishment already for examination malpractice in Nigeria, but like I said, if you want to improve the law, fine. But there are more important things facing the nation that they should give their attention to.

The All Progressives Congress and governors elected under the party are actively working to stop former President Muhammadu Buhari and his loyalists from aligning with opposition figures, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

According to an insider at the APC National Secretariat, this is the reason behind the visits of the National Working Committee and APC governors to Buhari at his residence in Kaduna State.

Beyond the claim of a Sallah visit, the credible source stated that the NWC and the APC governors visited Buhari over growing concern that the ‘body language’ of the former president was not in favour of the party.

"The leaders are concerned that the ex-president has withdrawn and shown limited support for the current government. They observed that opposition figures have taken advantage of Buhari’s openness to create the impression that his spirit and body language are no longer with the APC. That is why the NWC had to visit him to show that he still belongs to the APC and ward off any negative impression among party members, especially from his followers in the North.

"Importantly, the party acknowledges that the North is uncomfortable with President Bola Tinubu’s administration and is clearly planning not to support his second term. The APC leadership decided to dissuade the former president from making himself available to opposition figures who have been visiting him,” the impeccable source said.

The insider told Sunday PUNCH that the APC leadership had taken “Buhari’s body language more seriously,” noting that they could not afford to let the opposition “hijack” him from them.

He said, “The party leaders have realised that there is fire on the mountain, and they have begun to move closer to Buhari than before. The body language of the former president clearly shows that his spirit is no longer with the APC. They are now taking his actions and inactions more seriously. The leaders are trying to ensure that the APC doesn’t lose Buhari and his followers to the strategic moves of the likes of Atiku.”


Coalition befriends Buhari

Buhari’s residence in Kaduna has become a sort of Mecca since the Eid-il-Fitr celebrations, especially following reports that the Congress for Progressive Change bloc of the APC and some former ministers who served under the ex-president were planning to defect to the Social Democratic Party.

One of Buhari’s loyalists and former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, defected to the SDP on March 15, citing a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.

El-Rufai, a vocal critic of President Tinubu’s administration, revealed that he sought Buhari’s approval before leaving the APC.

Sunday PUNCH had reported that leading Buhari’s loyalists in the defections were the former National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, and former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Following the report, APC governors visited Buhari on April 7 and held a closed-door meeting with him.

The governors reportedly pleaded with Buhari to halt the defections, promising that the party would address the grievances of his loyalists.

However, three days later (April 11), opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and governors of Kaduna and Sokoto states, Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal, among other notable politicians, also visited Buhari.

Atiku, speaking to journalists at Buhari’s residence, said the visit was for Sallah homage, explaining that it was not part of any opposition coalition talks.

“We came here on courtesy and Sallah greetings visit to President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

When asked about plans to form a major opposition party, Atiku acknowledged ongoing discussions but made it clear that this was not the purpose of the visit.

“There is a plan for the major political parties to come together and form a strong opposition, but it is not part of this visit,” Atiku stated.

Also speaking during the visit, El-Rufai said the meeting had no political undertones, advising “adversaries” not to lose sleep over it.

However, in a swift move, the APC NWC, led by the party Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, stormed Buhari’s residence a few hours after the opposition leaders left.

Addressing journalists after the visit, Ganduje said the APC was not worried by Atiku’s visit, describing it as another attempt to repeat history.

“What they are trying to build is not viable. Some particles simply cannot come together. We are not worried at all,” he stated.

Ganduje explained that the APC leaders visited Buhari to brief him on the party’s progress since his exit from office and to reaffirm their commitment to upholding his legacy.

Although all political figures involved in the visit described it as mere Sallah homage, there are indications that both the ruling party and opposition leaders are courting the former president’s support.

Buhari’s influence in the North has been a significant strength for the APC, which is now facing growing resentment from northerners.

This is as the former president maintained that he remained with the APC and would forever appreciate the party for giving him the platform to be a two-term president.

Chilipepper:
😂

The Presidency has debunked widespread reports claiming that President Bola Tinubu has sacked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

The reports, which went viral early Monday, alleged that Yakubu had been removed from office and replaced with a certain Professor Bashiru Olamilekan in what was described as a “sweeping change” in the electoral body’s leadership.

Reacting to the claims, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, described the news as false and urged the public to disregard it.

"Disregard any fake news making the rounds about the replacement of the INEC Chairman,” Ogra wrote in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He emphasised that any such decision or announcement would emanate from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or another official communication channel.

“Any such announcement will come from the SGF’s office or any other official source,” he added.

The viral report, which caused a stir across various social media platforms, has since been dismissed as misinformation, with no official corroboration from the Presidency or any Federal agency.

Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala. has stated that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, is yet to recover from the “painful defeat” he suffered in the last general election.

Bwala made this remark in a post on his X page on Wednesday, in response to Obi’s Tuesday interview on Arise TV, where he made sarcastic remarks while assessing President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to Bwala, Obi’s comments lacked facts and logical analysis, describing his delivery as “abysmal”.

“As I listen to Peter Obi this evening struggling to play the opposition (oppose the government), I can’t help but shudder at his abysmal delivery.“He was speaking devoid of facts, logical analysis, and almost sounded like a tinkling cymbal or a sounding brass,” he wrote.

Bwala further claimed that Nigeria “dodged a bullet” by not electing Obi as president, suggesting that the former Anambra Governor is now “deserted in the banana republic of fantasy.

Operatives of the Department of State Security have arrested two principal suspects involved in the killing of 16 Nigerians of northern extraction in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government last week.

According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpehbolo, Fred Itua, the suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence.

He noted that operatives of various security agencies were hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents.

He said, “Operatives of the Department of State Security have arrested two principal suspects involved in the killing of 16 Nigerians of northern extraction in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government last week.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence. Operatives of various security agencies are hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents.”

In the latest development, the two principal suspects arrested by officials of the DSS have been transferred to Abuja, the nation’s capital, for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities, The PUNC learnt.

A source told the PUNCH that the 14 suspects arrested in connection with the killings have been transferred to Force headquarters while investigation continues on the matter.

“The suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence. Operatives of various security agencies are hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents.”

In the latest development, the two principal suspects arrested by officials of the DSS have been transferred to Abuja, the nation’s capital, for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities, The PUNC learnt.

A source told the PUNCH that the 14 suspects arrested in connection with the killings have been transferred to Force headquarters while investigation continues on the matter.

He noted that the transfer of the suspects to Abuja was in compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police.

“I can confirm to you that the suspects have been taken to Abuja as directed by the IGP and investigation into the matter is still ongoing.”

Itua also said he could not confirm if the compensation promised the family of the victim would be financial.

He, however, said the Edo and Kano governments were working together to fashion out a suitable compensation for the family of the victims.

“As you are aware, Governor Okpehbolo met with the Kano State Government and visited the families of the I6 people that were killed, where he promised compensation.

“I cannot say what form the compensation will take but both state governments are talking to ensure that the victims’ families are compensated.”

A resident of Uromi, who gave his name simply as Michael, said residents of the area, where the killings took place, were deserting their villages over fear of being arrested.

He stated that women thronged the Ojuromi of Uromi palace to protest the indiscriminate arrest of people in Uromi following the killings of the 16 travellers.

He said, “What is happening now is that people are leaving their houses where the killing took place for fear of being arrested by the police, who have been mandated to fish out all the culprits.

“I believe the protest by the women on Monday is in connection with the indiscriminate arrest of residents by security agencies.”

Meanwhile, the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has claimed that some major opposition political parties were planning to instigate a crisis in the state and make it ungovernable.

The state APC chairman, Jarret Tenebe, stated this during a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

“It has come to our attention that the leadership of some major opposition parties in our state, along with two others, has devised a reckless and dangerous plot to instigate crisis and make Edo ungovernable,” he said.

The state APC chairman, Jarret Tenebe, stated this during a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

“It has come to our attention that the leadership of some major opposition parties in our state, along with two others, has devised a reckless and dangerous plot to instigate crisis and make Edo ungovernable,” he said.

Tenebe alleged that the aim of those behind the plot was to force President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the state.

Diligence:
When will Northern Governors pay full compensations to families of victims in Enugu, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, et al, who were killed by Fulani Herdsmen??

Edo State Guv should resign immediately!

Tecno66:
Goodluck Jonathan told all of us that his political ambition is not sought at the expense of human blood but someone else threatened that if he doesn't get what he wants the blood of baboons will be spilled all over the country. Our tolerance levels differ and that is how our jihadist tendency differ. Herdsmen have been spilling blood in Southern Kaduna, Benue and Plateau unchallenged. The voices condemning the Uromi killings from the north never come out to speak to condemn such killings and now the next thing we see is threat here and there as if they are more Nigerian than the rest of us.