Author: Editor
Our Reporter, Abuja Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday formally received Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, into the All Progressives Congress (APC), marking the completion of the governor’s defection to the ruling party by instalments. Diri, who resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over two weeks ago, was officially welcomed into the APC at a ceremony held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The development is seen as a significant political gain for the APC and a setback for the opposition PDP. Addressing supporters at the event, Diri described his move as a collective decision by the Ijaw political…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Two young men were reportedly killed on Saturday night in Oriuzor community, Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, in a suspected cult-related attack allegedly carried out by members of a rival group. Sources in the area said the assailants, believed to be members of the Vikings confraternity, stormed the community and fatally attacked two men identified as Ifeanyi and Emmanuel. Ifeanyi, a barber and alleged member of the Neo Black Movement (NBM), also known as Aye, was said to have been the main target. It was gathered that his attackers had allegedly been trailing him…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia A United States-based pro-Igbo organisation, the Rising Sun Foundation, has backed the position of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, that Nigerian courts lack the legitimacy to try him. Kanu, in a fresh motion before a Federal High Court in Abuja, argued that his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya were acts of illegality that invalidated his trial. In a statement signed by Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa and Mazi Maxwell Dede, the group maintained that Nigeria forfeited any moral and legal right to prosecute Kanu after violating international law through…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia with Our Reporter, Abuja Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has been declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly plotting to incite public disorder and obstruct major roads in the state. This is as Sowore has alleged a shoot-on-sight order over him by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, made the declaration on Sowore known on Monday while addressing journalists at the Iyana-Oworo section of the Third Mainland Bridge. According to him, the command is closing in on Sowore and others accused of coordinating…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu Two brothers have been killed, while several houses, vehicles, and other valuable property were set ablaze at Umuchigbo-Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State following violent clashes between two rival groups over a lingering leadership tussle in the community. The incident, which occurred during the week, prompted the intervention of the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Giwa, who visited the area to assess the situation. CP Giwa, after inspecting the level of destruction, expressed deep concern over what he described as “avoidable and senseless violence.” He directed the State Criminal Investigation…
Lawrence Ndubeze, Awka Organized Labour in Anambra State has turned to prayers to express concerns over workers’ welfare and the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Leaders and members of the labour movement gathered on November 1 — All Saints’ Day — to pray for good governance, peaceful elections, and improved welfare packages for workers. The prayer rally, which has become an annual tradition, was held at the Teachers’ House, behind the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Awka. Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Anambra State Council, Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, explained that the prayer rally began last…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has pledged to “fully support” former United States President Donald Trump’s efforts to end what it described as ethno-religious genocide in Nigeria. This was contained in a statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on behalf of the group’s U.S. chapter. The pro-Biafra group urged Nigerians of all ethnic backgrounds residing in the U.S. to resist any alleged attempts by the Nigerian government to “launder its image” following Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). IPOB vowed to mobilise Nigerians in the U.S.…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Government, has sealed an illegal mining site at Ameka community in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state. The operation, conducted over the weekend, followed months of surveillance and intelligence gathering aimed at curbing illegal mining activities and preventing revenue loss. Officials of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals, working with the state government, led the joint enforcement exercise. Speaking during the operation, Chief Mine Officer, Afolabi Taofeeq, who headed the team, described the illegal activities as “economic sabotage and a denial of government revenue.” “We are…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu Among the doctrines that underpin the legal process in Nigeria, few are as profound and pervasive as judicial independence, but no doctrine in the ecosystem of the law rivals its elusiveness. The idea is ubiquitous in the syllabus of every programme leading to the award of a degree in law, in political science or public administration. After leaving the university, the practitioner will encounter it regularly in conferences and in after-dinner speeches. Judicial independence is more than the stuff of law faculties and after-dinner fares. It is a fundamental human right in Nigeria. Indeed, the guarantee…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest and continued detention of Abubakar Isah Mokwa, a postgraduate student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), describing it as an assault on democracy and free speech. In a post on his official X handle on Saturday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections said Mokwa’s arrest for allegedly criticising Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, was “outrageous and unacceptable.” Atiku accused the authorities of weaponising the Cybercrimes Act to silence dissenting voices, warning that such intolerance represented a “dangerous sign” of Nigeria’s descent into…