Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has directed all commissioners and political appointees in his cabinet to either defect with him to the All Progressives Congress, APC, or resign from their positions.
The directive was reportedly issued during an ongoing State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting on Thursday, where the governor openly confirmed his decision to leave the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the APC.
Sources present at the meeting disclosed that Governor Eno made it clear that his defection should come as no surprise to any of his appointees, stating:
“Anybody who claims he is not aware of my intention to leave the PDP is still living in the 18th century,” he said.
He explained that his decision to align with the APC was driven by his admiration for the leadership style of President Bola Tinubu, adding that he wants to work more closely with the Federal Government.
The governor issued a stern warning to his appointees, saying he has “nothing to negotiate” with anyone unwilling to follow his political direction.
“Apart from elected officials like House of Assembly members and Local Government Chairmen, I have nothing to negotiate with you,” Eno declared.
“Let me tell you, anybody who believes that when I leave the PDP he will use the party structure to fight me is lying, because I will still control the PDP structure.”
As of the time of filing this report, the State Executive Council meeting was still in session, with further developments expected in the coming hours.
With the manner he tried to escape even after been cornered. What was he hiding? He even almost killed the traffic agency staff or other road users in the process. Worst case is that they seize your car and you pay fines. Instead he tried to flee and even damaging the car and endangering other road users in the process?
The Police officer would likely plea on the line that he was trying to save the lives of other road users that are being endangered by the reckless driver, including the man's son that unfortunately lost his life the the process.
The video right here will help the police in court and the officer that shot will likely walk free.
Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi who represents Ebonyi north in the Senate, has called for the relocation of occupants of settlements located around the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, describing the area as an “eyesore”.
While speaking during plenary last Thursday, Nwaebonyi who serves as the deputy chief whip of the senate added that the communities portray the nation in bad light. He appealed to the Minister of the FCT to include the beautification of those communities into the budget of the FCT as they are not a sight to behold whenever visitors are descending into the FCT via the airport.
“I want the FCT minister to extend his development of the FCT within the surroundings of Abuja airport. If you are descending into the airport, the type of infrastructure within the environs does not represent a good image of Nigeria, and I think that the FCT minister should capture that in his next budget to either relocate the habitats or renew the area, because the buildings in the community are the mirror of the country.
As you descend into the Abuja airport, if you consider the view, you will agree with me that it is an eyesore and doesn’t give a good image of the nation.
I urge all my colleagues to support this important bill that will transform the country.” he said
Senate president , Akpabio who appeared puzzled by his colleague’s proposal. said;
“Senator Nwaebonyi, which part of the airport? If you’re coming from the airport, the first place you see on the right is the presidential wing, thereafter you will come across a very beautiful flyover. You’ll now descend towards the road that comes to the airport. When you get to the airport road, you’ll see a road completed with streetlights particularly in the night. Very beautiful.”
Nwaebonyi doubled down by saying he was referring to “shanties at the back of the Abuja airport”.
Akpabio who disagreed with his suggestion, said
“This community is some people’s village. The image of the nation does not start from when your airplane is descending. So, what happens in a place like Akwa Ibom… when you descend, you see water and creeks. So we should eliminate the creeks in this case?”
Nwaebonyi’s proposal went through a voice vote with the “nays” trumping the “ayes”. The bill was thereafter shot down by the presiding officer’s gavel.
Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly called Amotekun Corps, have uncovered and smashed a syndicate that specialised in child trafficking and organ harvesting.
The syndicate has reportedly stolen many children from Ondo State and sold them off to their accomplices in Anambra State.
Amotekun is said it went after the syndicate after a a young boy, Eriponmile, was kidnapped in Akure, Ondo State capital.
The infant was tracked to a hospital in the South-East and the suspects arrested.
Ondo Amotekun Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, who paraded the suspects, said it was a swift response that led to the rescue of the child.
“We received a distress call from the Ijoka Davog area that Eriponmile had been kidnapped and taken away, and we immediately swung into action.
"Within 48 hours, our indicators showed that Eriponmile was already outside Ondo State.
“We spread out our dragnet, deployed our plainclothes operatives, and by the grace of God, we were able to bring Eriponmile back to Ondo State to be reunited with his mother and father.
“The team tracked the boy to a hospital in the eastern part of the country, where he had already been tested and declared medically fit to be harvested by one Amaka, suspected to be a major player in the gruesome trade,” he said.
Those arrested were Amaka Ngozi Ifeanyi, Adaeze Kenneth Etose and Omolara. Two others are said to be at large.
Father of the rescued boy, Eriseun Omolewo, thanked Amotekun for the prompt action to rescue his son.
Over the past few months, LAWMA has received repeated reports of indiscriminate waste dumping on the Alapere Link Bridge. Despite several rounds of public sensitization and direct engagement with the community, the illegal activity has continued—undermining the work of our accredited PSP operators and threatening public health and the environment.
Yesterday, 20th May 2025, one of our field officers—working with a nearby trader who volunteered to support our surveillance efforts—captured this video of an unknown offender in the act of dumping refuse illegally at the location.
This individual has reportedly engaged in this behavior repeatedly over months. Thanks to the courage of our field team, we now have clear visual evidence.
While efforts are underway to trace the offender through his license plate number, we want to give civic-minded members of the public an opportunity to get involved in the war on those intent on destroying Lagos.
If you recognize the individual in this video or have any information that can lead to their identification and arrest, please contact @Lawma_gov immediately via DM or email us at info@lawma.gov.ng or DM @muyiwag ..Your identity will be protected.
There is a small reward for information leading to successful arrest of the culprit. THIS APPLIES TO USEFUL TIPS ON OTHER SUSPECTED OFFENDERS.
Your support is vital to holding offenders accountable and maintaining a cleaner, safer Lagos for everyone.
Let’s put an end to this!
Over the past few months, LAWMA has received repeated reports of indiscriminate waste dumping on the Alapere Link Bridge. Despite several rounds of public sensitization and direct engagement with the community, the illegal activity has continued—undermining the work of our… pic.twitter.com/GlqukNVQOO
A 33-year-old man, identified as Chinazum Nwaubani, is in police custody for macheting a 14-year-old girl to coma in Obete Nchina Village, Ntighauzo community in Obingwa Council Area of Abia State for refusing his sexual advances.
This was even as the father of the victim, Mr. Chijioke Anaba, alleged that the Eastern Ngwa Police Division demanded N30,000 from him to register the matter but visited the victim at the hospital.
Although the Abia State Police Command confirmed the incident, it denied the alleged cash request by the victim’s father.
Information has it that the victim, Felicia Anaba, was said to have gone to fetch firewood with her twin brother at a bush in the village when they were allegedly attacked with a machete by Chinazum.
The suspect allegedly attempted to rape Felicia, but met a strong resistance from the victim, while the twin brother ran away. The suspect was alleged to have been infuriated and pulled a machete and gave the girl deep cuts on her head, leg and hand, leaving her in a pool of her blood and fled.
According to the victim’s father, Chijioke Anaba, his family was immediately alerted to the incident by Felicia’s twin brother, lamenting that his daughter lost consciousness because of too much loss of blood from the machete cuts when the search party rescued her from the bush.
He alleged that the police at the Eastern Ngwa Division frustrated his efforts to arrest the suspect by demanding the sum of N30,000 from him to register the matter.
He said he was afraid then that the suspect who hails from the same village as him may be released from custody, disclosing that the police had informed him that the suspect is mentally deranged, which he denied.
“My daughter had fallen into a coma when she was rescued by the search party in the bush. We took her to the hospital and lodged a report with the police at the Eastern Ngwa Division. The police demanded N30,000 to investigate the matter, which I paid. They have arrested the suspect, but from what’s happening, I am afraid that Chinazum may be released from detention to continue his attack and kill my daughter.
“The police should do their job because the boy is now a risk to the people in the village. The police are saying he is a madman, but it’s not true”, he said and pleaded with the wife of the state governor, Priscilla Otti, to come to the aid of the daughter as she might be disabled following the deep machete cuts inflicted on her by the suspect.
However, the Abia State Police Command refuted the allegations of monetary demand, pointing out that the command had not received any official complaint on the matter.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, “We have no such report, as no one has come forward with evidence. This is not a time when anyone can make unverified allegations. Anyone with credible evidence is kindly advised to report to the Complaint Response Unit for proper investigation.”
She confirmed, however, that the police arrested the 33-year-old suspect, Chinazum, in connection with the attack on the set of twins, a boy and a girl who had gone to their father’s farm in Obete Nchina village, Ntighauzo community.
“While at the farm, one Chinazum Nwaubani, aged 33 years and a resident of the same village, allegedly approached them armed with a machete. He reportedly grabbed the female twin, ordered her to lie down and remove her clothes. When she refused, the suspect allegedly attacked her with the machete, inflicting injuries on her head, back, and leg,” Chinaka said.
According to her, the victim’s brother escaped and alerted the family, prompting a swift police response that led to the suspect’s arrest. The injured girl was taken to the hospital, and investigations are ongoing.
However, as of the time of this report, the police had not commented on the mental health status of the suspect, but assured the public that justice would be served.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ordered Fidelity Bank Plc to pay ₦225 billion in damages to an Ibadan-based firm, Sagecom Concept Limited, over a protracted tort dispute.
Fidelity Bank Plc has entered negotiations with legal representatives of Sagecom Concept Ltd to arrange a structured repayment of a staggering N225 billion judgment debt.
However, sources say the urgency outlined in the Supreme Court’s ruling may limit the bank’s ability to stagger payments without facing a solvency crisis.
“This is the biggest crisis the bank has ever faced,” a top official said during a weekend video call, according to People’s Gazette.
“The obligation is simply too big. If the bank survives this, it will be thanks to the goodwill of the small business that won this unprecedented judgment.”
The insider, speaking anonymously, added that the judgment has shaken Fidelity’s top management.
However, despite closing at N20.80 per share on Friday and having recorded a 140% stock surge this year, Fidelity Bank's financial position remains precarious.
While it declared N385 billion in pre-tax profits for 2024, officials admitted much of it was tied to rolled-over loans, raising doubts about its capacity to withstand the court-ordered payment.
No financial institutions have stepped forward to underwrite the liability as of Monday. One source familiar with Nigeria’s financial system said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) might be forced to intervene to prevent the collapse of a Tier-1 bank amid a weak economy.
Both Fidelity Bank and its lawyers, including senior advocates Kanu Agabi and Onyechi Ikpeazu, declined to comment on the matter. The legal battle stems from two loans taken by engineering firm G. Cappa Plc from FSB International Bank in the early 2000s: one in dollars ($3 million) and another in naira (N100 million).
The loans carried steep interest rates. Fidelity Bank acquired FSB and its liabilities during the 2005 banking sector consolidation.
After G. Cappa allegedly defaulted, Fidelity began seizing assets in Ikoyi and Ibadan that had been used as collateral.
Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered the bank to halt asset sales, but Fidelity ignored the order and proceeded to list the properties for sale — eventually selling some to Sagecom for N350 million.
Sagecom, co-founded by Bamidele Ogunkanmi and U.S.-based Dakore Miriki, later discovered a 2006 court-issued disclaimer prohibiting the sale. The firm sought to recover its funds, citing the injunction.
The case lingered through the Lagos High Court, Court of Appeal, and ultimately reached the Supreme Court in 2018. On April 11, 2025, five justices ruled unanimously in Sagecom’s favour.
Justice Adamu Jauro, delivering the lead judgment, wrote: “Allowing the appellant to escape liability as it so desperately seeks would be tantamount to allowing it to benefit from its own wrong.”
Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey, in her concurring opinion, called Fidelity’s conduct “a deliberate disregard” for court authority and Sagecom’s rights.
However, the justices unanimously found no miscarriage of justice in the lower courts’ findings, thus upholding the original judgment.
The Lagos High Court had initially ruled in 2011 that Fidelity owed Sagecom compensation for years of lost rental income on the disputed properties.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade recently updated the award to reflect current values: $139 million or N225.3 billion, using an exchange rate of N1,620 per dollar as of May 15, 2025. Fidelity is expected to challenge the final calculation during a scheduled court hearing on May 19, but insiders say changes are unlikely.
Justice Akinlade has already stated that the naira equivalent will ultimately depend on the official rate on the actual date of payment.
Fidelity Bank, currently led by its first female CEO, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, is Nigeria’s sixth-largest bank by assets.
Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, once chaired the bank before becoming Anambra State governor in 2003.
However, the bank has long been criticised for aggressive loan recovery practices. A recent case involved a Lagos family blaming Fidelity for the death of a real estate investor amid a loan dispute.
Despite maintaining its innocence in this case, Fidelity has often blamed regulatory pressure from the CBN for its tough loan terms.
However, the CBN has not commented publicly on the situation.
Dreal1247: Career polithiefians and jagabanites won't like to hear this. Obi is the greatest threat to the present government. The cyber warriors of APC were actually recruited because of Mr Peter Obi. Watch and see how they will soon change the narratives here. Obi doesn't even have the time to answer them.
UK colonized the world and invited people over to their country. Yorubas did not colonize anybody. They were forced into amalgamation by the British. They are asking that you do not interfere in their local politics.
nick50: Tribalism has no place in politics, since igbos are the majority in that area its a good political move to elect one of thier own into a very key position to attract a good number of votes for the party...anybody who doesn't agree to this is politically daft ..have u ever sat down to think about d reason why Gov.Chukwuma soludo of Anambra state appointed a yoruba in his cabinet? Even Sanwo olu of lagos appointed Joe igbokwe as commissioner in lagos state..politicians know better..na only poor ,bitter people are quick to play tribal politics
Igbos are not the majority. Yorubas are the majority in Ojo.
Politics › Defect With Me To APC Or Resign - Governor Eno Tells Commissioners, Others by Slytiger(op): 6:30pm On May 22, 2025
