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   Soldiers on Wednesday threatened to shoot officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that came to mark properties seized from Brig. Gen Jafaru Mohammed, the Director of Finance and Administration at the Office of the National Security Adviser. The EFCC had obtained an interim forfeiture from a Federal High Court in Abuja on March 11, 2021, and proceeded to mark eight properties belonging to the NSA’s aide.  It was reported that after a team of EFCC officials began marking General Mohammed’s building located on 52 Main Street, Sun City, in red paint, armed soldiers arrived in a white Hilux marked GWA481EA and chased the EFCC officials away. The soldiers took a bucket of water and soap and quickly cleaned off the markings which read, ‘ EFCC Under Investigation, Keep Off!”  However, other properties linked to the general, where observed that soldiers were on guard to prevent EFCC officials from marking them. Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo had in a suit ma...

 Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman has said that the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) created a vacuum which is challenging efforts by the Police to tackle insecurity in the country from a position of strength. The acting IGP stated this on Thursday at a presidential briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the statehouse in Abuja. According to him, the aftermath of the EndSARS protest equally dampened the morale of the officers of the force. The IGP also indicated that the police have recorded successes against secessionist groups and criminals in the southeast. He noted that prosecution to ensure justice is served has remained a major challenge because of the ongoing strike by judiciary workers. On the recruitment plan involving 10,000 new police personnel into the force, he disclosed that the process has reached nearly 70 percent completion assuring that the exercise would continue to employ the Federal Character prin...

  Popular Nigerian entertainer, Denrele Edun, is joyous at the moment as he would be turning 40 in a few days’ time. While his 40th birthday approaches, Edun takes a trip down memory lane, about 20 years ago to be precise. Taking to his verified Instagram page, the entertainer recollects how five girls pounced on him on his 20th birthday and beat him severely; an incident he would never forget. Edun noted that their assailants were his cousins, who also assaulted his mother and younger sister. He wrote, “20 years ago! My 20th birthday. Less than 20 days to my 40th birthday, come June 13th. Gemini SZN taking over! This wonderful 20th birthday of mine fell on an Environmental Sanitation day and, as usual, we had to wake up at 5 a.m to start cleaning out the entire surroundings. Since our family house was located at the corner piece of Faneye Junction in Ebute Metta, it meant cleaning out the entire stretch of ‘gutter’ that spiralled from the back of the house through to the next bui...

  The President of Nigeria,  Muhammadu Buhari has today appointed Major General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to replace the recently demised, General Ibrahim Attahiru who died in a fatal plane crash en-route Kaduna State along with other senior officers and crew members. Until Major General Farouk’s appointment, he was GOC Div. 1 and the incumbent Theatre Commander of the Counterterrorism Counter Insurgency military outfit in the North East code-named Operation HADIN KA Details Shortly…

  A farmer farmer shared a video showing thousands of cattle marching into Cross River State less than 24 hours after his public announcement about joining APC.  Some of the cattle which had been marching through for over an hour had already entered his farm which is situated in Wanikande in Yala LGA. According to the farmer, the herders said they didn't know where they were going and that the Alhaji who was in the big town knew. Youth of the community could be seen standing at alert watching the the cattle. Good morning Cross River State... Welcome APC. WATCH VIDEO HERE

  The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, said this while addressing journalists after a two-day meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee in Abuja. He said the idea of a digital currency would soon become a reality in the country, and that the central bank has already set up its committee, which is working on the concept.  The MPC on Tuesday retained the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 11.5 per cent, voted to maintain the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the MPR, retained the Cash Reserve Ratio at 27.5 per cent, and left the Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent. Mr Emefiele appealed to bandits and others involved in criminal activities across Nigeria to drop their arms and embrace the apex bank’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP). He said those involved in criminality can be more productive by embracing the apex bank’s scheme. “ If you want an economy to grow, the level of insecurity must be low because if there is a high level of insecu...

Amilitary operative identified as Stephen has allegedly killed a yet-to-be identified car owner in Akwa Ibom. According to a Facebook user, Mbet Okpongete, the soldier had met the deceased at Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt, Rivers state and begged him for a lift to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state. He was said to have shot him dead during the journey. The owner of this car was shot dead in his car on his way to Uyo by a military man he gave a ride yesterday from Eleme junction in Port Harcourt to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state. He thought this military man will help him through all the multiple checkpoints along Ogoni Road, I guess. The army man never knew this car was tracked, a device that was duly activated by security operatives and he was picked up at one hotel in Ukanafun LGA this morning. The military hierarchy was at the state police headquarters today to pick him up for firstly, a court-martial before handing him over to the police for prosecution . “I witnessed this process at I...

   The House of Representatives has said it has uncovered the illegal payment of N2 billion made by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, for the prosecution of some terrorism suspects. At its sitting on Tuesday, the House's ad hoc committee probing the status of recovered loot queried Malami on the funds which they said they never approved as a budgetary allocation. The lawmakers also tackled the minister of justice for allegedly requesting payment of approved solicitors’ fees from the recovered loot. Adejoro Adeogun, chairman of the committee, said, “ The honourable AGF is requesting payment of approved solicitors’ fees. You see, you are asking for solicitors’ fees from recovered funds’ accounts. I don’t think it is proper; that is what we are talking about. “The question I want to ask regards to the payment of N2 billion which you received for the prosecution of terrorism suspects; was it suppos...

  The former Governor said Abiodun was never one of the aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but God, in a mysterious way, brought him forward later and crowned him Governor. He noted he (Osoba) was only a part of the process God used to make Abiodun Governor. “ I didn’t produce Governor Dapo Abiodun, but God produced him as governor for you in Ogun State. Let me make it clear because Bayo Onanuga was thanking me for giving Dapo Abiodun to Ogun. “I didn’t, God made him a governor. He was not one of our party’s aspirants at the beginning but God’s ways are always mysterious,” he said. The former Managing Director of The Daily Times spoke at the inauguration of Olusegun Osoba Press Centre located at Okemosan Governor’s Office, Abeokuta. The centre was built by Abiodun to immortalise Osoba, one of the doyens of journalism in Nigeria. The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; veteran journalists such as Dr Reuben Abati, Niran Malaolu, Bayo Onanuga, Eddie ...

 The Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, Mr Munir Agundi, has hailed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for assenting to the Plant Variety Protection Bill 2021. Agundi said the Plant Variety Protection Act 2021 will create a window for the protection of plant varieties in Nigeria. The lawmaker, in a statement issued on Tuesday, titled ‘ Buhari Signs Plant Variety Protection Act into Law ’, said the bill was signed into law on Friday. Agundi, who sponsored the bill, said the law would also provide recognition and proper remuneration for breeders who develop plant varieties. He added that the law would also introduce the long-awaited game-changing tool for agricultural research to create meaningful impact in the nation’s agricultural industry. Agundi said, “ All efforts made by previous administrations to reform the agricultural sector could not see the light of the day due to lack of political will .” He added ...

  Residents angered by incessant abductions and bandit attacks have blocked the Gauraka Abuja-Kaduna Highway in the Tarfa Local Government Area of Niger State in protest. The irate youths in their numbers went on rampage as early as 6:00am on Monday and barricaded the busy road with bonfire, stones and wood, insisting that nobody will pass until the government addresses the issue of insecurity in the area. It was gathered that kidnappers have been operating in the community on a daily basis and abducted many residents. The residents are angered that bandits have been picking people up from house to house without any intervention by the security agents in the area. Despite the presence of the military barracks – Zuma Barracks– in the area the residents said they were helpless and cannot sleep well. The protesters prevented vehicles from passing on the road. The situation has led to heavy traffic congestion.

Deeply religious Mark Muradzira became convinced that a fast of 40 days and 40 nights would be enough to make God give him a luxury car but passed out after 33 days. The Zimbabwean man who thought that God would give him a Lamborghini if he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness came close to death in his bid to give his girlfriend her dream car. Mark Muradzira, a Youth Leader of Risen Saints Church in Bindura, central Zimbabwe, hid out in remote mountain country to prevent him from being tempted to eat. Luckily concerned friends tracked him down after just 33 days and took the emaciated 27-year-old to Bindura General Hospital where he is said to be showing signs of recovery. Muradzira, who is unemployed, was desperate to give his girlfriend the car she wanted and with no way of finding the £150,000 or so he needed, decided that a 40 day fast might encourage God to help him out. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t quite work. His church leader Bishop Mawuru said: " He shoul...

There was panic in Imo State on Tuesday as gunmen burnt Orji Divisional Police Headquarters situated on Owerri- Okigwe Road in Owerri.  Security operatives made up of soldiers, policemen and Air Force are engaging the hoodlums. The situation caused panic in the area as two banks situated close to the scene hurriedly shut down. Businessmen ran away, vehicles diverted while motorists scampered for safety after running out of vehicles. Eyewitnesses explained that the gunmen attacked the police station after blocking the expressway with their vehicles. There were said to have told nearby traders not to panic. The police spokesperson in the state, Bala Elkana said that “ We are repelling them. The war is ongoing. There is heavy security operatives detachment to the scene. We have taken the way to them. We are wining. There is a high number of casualties on the side of the hoodlums .”   It was also reports that the same police Divisional headquarters was in 2020 burnt during the nat...

  Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday opposed the total scrapping of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which ensures payment of pensions and other benefits to former Governors Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode and their deputies. The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday read for a second time a bill that seeks to repeal the law. The new bill which was debated on the floor of the House at a sitting presided over by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, is titled ‘ A bill for a law to repeal the law to provide for the payment of pensions and other fringe benefits to public office holders in Lagos State and for other connected matters’. The lawmakers argued that it would not be too good to repeal the law in its entirety as there were some important sections and stipulations that should be considered. Speaking concerning the bill, Oluyinka Ogundimu (Agege 2), explained that the bill is to ensure the stoppage of pensions to governors...

  Three persons from Idemeogwa in Mbaitoli local government area of Imo state, yesterday were paraded by the Imo State Police Command, for alleged internet fraud businesses. According to the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Bala Elkana, told newsmen in Owerri, that the suspects were arrested along Amakohia, Owerri/Orlu road, in a Lexus 350 car, adding that they were between the aged 22 and 23 years old. The police gave their name wes as, Chidiebere Nwaguma, male, 23 years old, Chukwuemeka Johnson, male, 20 years old and Maduka Vincent, male, 22 years old. However, the command said that the suspects had confessed to the crimes, just as they alleged that three laptops and three iPhones, as well as a substance said to be Indian hemp, were recovered from them. According to the Police, “ On 20/5/2021 at about 22:40hours, acting on credible intelligence, Operatives from the Tactical Units, Imo State Police Command busted a syndicate of notorious Internet fraudsters, who have ...

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill, 2020, which is seeking to repeal the NYSC Act, is billed for the second reading. The sponsor, Mr Awaji-Inombek Abiante, in the explanatory memorandum of the proposal, listed the various reasons why the NYSC should be scrapped. It read in part, “ This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds. I ncessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country; Public and private agencies/departments are no longer recruiting able and qualified Nigerian youths, thus relying heavily on the availability of corps members who are not being well remunerated and get discarded with impunity at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed; Due to insecurity across the country...

  The Kano State Fire Service, yesterday, revealed that no fewer than 64 persons, including eight firefighters, sustained several degrees of burns from a petroleum tanker explosion at a filling station in Sharada area of the state.  Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, said the explosion involving the tanker with number plate NSR 183 XW occurred when the tanker was offloading its product at the filling station. Abdullahi said the victims were rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Hospital. He said: “ We received a distress call at about 16:20 hrs Saturday evening from Malam Sha’abu Umar and NCC in Sharada Gadar Yanmata, Kano, informing us of a petroleum tanker with number plate NSR 183 XW carrying 6,600 litres of petrol involved in fire outbreak while offloading the product. The fire was brought under control by our men at 16:50 hours. After a short while, one of the filling station staff, Ahmed Mohammad, 26-year-old, ignorantly opened one of t...

  Gunmen have abducted the Deputy Director of Information Communication Technology of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode, Lateefat Abimbola, a student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Toyinbo Olayinka, and two others. While Abimbola was kidnapped in Ijebu-Ode on Thursday, Olayinka – who is a 400-level student of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management was abducted on Saturday from a farm at Abule-Itoko on the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road in Odeda Local Government area of Ogun State, Punch reports. Olayinka was reportedly kidnapped along with the owner of the private farm, identified as Dominic, and a 17-year-old Togolese lady. It was gathered that the abductors of the FUNAAB student and two others have contacted the wife of the farm manager, demanding N50m ransom from each of the three. On the TASUED lecturer’s abduction, a source explained that Abimbola was abducted last week Thursday around 7 pm at a junction next to her home in Ijebu-Ode. The source said, “ T...

    Troops of the Nigerian Air Force have rescued scores of kidnap victims in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Confirming this in a statement, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the bandits invaded Najaja and Kerawa villages in Igabi Local Government and abducted several people mostly women. He said while they were trying to escape with their victims, a Nigerian Airforce fighter jet on aerial patrol quickly spotted their location and were able to rescue the kidnap victims. The armed bandits according to the Commissioner were moving with the large number of women kidnapped from Ungwan Najaja when the air platforms traced them to the outskirts of the village. On sighting the air platforms and conscious of air interdictions following warning shots, the bandits scampered into the forest and abandoned the women. The bandits had earlier injured one Hamza Ibrahim while moving out of the village with the kidnapped ...

  Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Friday night invaded Tse Ancha, Agan community, in the Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State and reportedly murdered eight people. Tse Ancha is about a kilometre to an internally-displaced persons’ camp in Abegana, where seven people were killed by the suspected herdsmen about three weeks ago. The invasion and gruesome murder of the eight people including the head of the community came barely 12 hours after the victims of the Abegana IDP camp were buried. The casualties, according to a source in the community would have been more but for the prompt response of some youths who were at a wake in a nearby village and raced to the scene. The council Chairman, Anthony Dyegeh, who confirmed the attack on Saturday, said the suspected herders could have wiped out Tse Ancha and proceeded to neighbouring villages but for the swift response from the youths. Dyegeh said, “ They (suspected herdsmen) operated in a commando fashion and in about 10 minutes, th...

   Nigeria Communication Commissions (NCC) has disclosed that network providers will be required to cross-check all phones International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and status on a proposed Centralized Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) otherwise known as Device Management System (DMS) before allowing a device to become active on their network. This is contained in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration published by the Commission. The directive claimed the move was to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile, phone theft, enhance National Security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices. To achieve this, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would be responsible for the implementation and management of the DMS to achieve the policy...

  The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and  Rural Development has come under fire on social media following a leaked memo conveying the approval of N30m for the construction of a ‘Friday’ mosque with taxpayers’ funds. The memo, dated December 10, 2020, with reference number FMA/PROC/AHS/SIP/2020/7742/1, stated that the Ministerial Tenders Board approved the contract. The ministry is led by Kano-born Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Nanono, who was appointed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 2019. The document titled, ‘ Award of Contract for the Construction of Friday Mosque ’ was signed by the Deputy Director, Procurement, Musa Musa on behalf of the minister and was addressed to the Managing Director, El-Shukhur Multi-Buz Nig. Ltd. It read in part, “I am directed to inform you that the ministerial tenders board at its 7th meeting held on December 7, 2020, approved the award of contract for the construction of Friday mosque to your company at the total sum of...

   Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu says the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has declared war on the people of the South-East. He described the Operation Restore Peace commanded by the acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba as another plot to massacre civilians in the South-East. Kanu disclosed this in a statement issued by the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful on Thursday. “ The attention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been drawn to the recent security meeting held in Aso Rock by the service chiefs and the impostor parading himself as President Muhammadu Buhari. Far-reaching but undisclosed decisions were reached at the meeting on how to quell insecurity in the Eastern region. It's on record that nobody from South-East was present or invited at the meeting where such critical decisions were taken. Despite the mounting public outcry trailing the decision of the Fulani-contro...

  The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has tackled the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Shehu Malami, for faulting the ban placed on open grazing in the Southern part of the country. The Southern Governors had at a meeting in Asaba last week banned open grazing and asked the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to address the nation over the increasing rate of insecurity in the country. However, Malami who appeared as a guest on Channels Television on Wednesday faulted the ban, arguing that the governor had no right to do that. Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of Southern Governors’ Forum, spoke in a statement he personally signed on Thursday, titled, ‘ Our decision is irreversible and will be enforced ’. He asked the AGF to challenge the governor’s position on open grazing in court, adding that Malami’s comments were “ unfortunate and wicked ”. Part of the statement read, “I have just read the press statement credited to the Attorney...

Cross Rivers State Governor and APC leaders during the press briefing where he announced his defection to the APC. Cross Rivers State Governor Ben Ayade has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Ayade announced his decision on Thursday morning after a closed-door meeting with six APC governors and some members of the National Assembly who visited him at the Government House. Members of the state executive council were also at the meeting. The governors who visited Ayade include Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State; Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State; Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State, and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

    Armed thugs allegedly sponsored by Governor Nasir El-Rufai to disrupt the peaceful protest embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna state have been arrested.  It was gathered that the thugs were arrested on Wednesday morning by security operatives at the workers' union secretariat in Kaduna, state capital. The workers had gathered at the location in preparation for the continuation of their protest, when the hoodlums loyal to the governor invaded the area. The NLC had called a five-day warning strike in the state from Monday, which disrupted activities in the capital and other parts of the state. El-Rufai on Tuesday declared the NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, and other leaders of the union wanted for “ economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure under Miscellaneous Offences Act ”. He said there will be a “ handsome reward ” for anyone who knows the whereabouts of the union leaders. A procession by members of the NLC who were on a peaceful p...

  The Katsina State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a Shari’ah Court Judge by unknown gunmen on Tuesday evening. The Command Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Katsina. He said that the incident occurred at about 3pm in the old court premises located between Baure and Zakka villages in Safana Local Government Area. He said that the court had been relocated to Safana due to security challenges in the area, and it was not clear why the judge went there without security cover. Isa said that all courts in the state had been under lock due to the strike by judiciary workers. “ Yes, it is true that the judge Hussaini Samaila has been abducted while the courts are on strike. The court had stopped sitting in that area for long. The judge went to the area alone to take something in the court without a court orderly or police escort, knowing fully the insecurity challenges in that...

   The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, said on Tuesday that over N300bn had been disbursed to companies operating in southern part of Nigeria as part of its interventions in the agricultural sector. Emefiele said this while faulting claims in certain quarters suggesting that the bank’s targeted interventions in the sector were tilted in favour of a certain section of the country. He said companies and farmers across Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River states were major beneficiaries of the bank’s interventions. Emefiele made the clarification in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, while unveiling the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and inauguration of the 2021 wet season input distribution in the South-West geopolitical zone under the CBN-RIFAN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. According to him, contrary to views held by some individuals and interest groups, the bank’s interventions in the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme were not only about ...

   Two offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ebonyi state have been burnt by unknown hoodlums in an apparent arson attack. The incident which occurred on Tuesday night was the fourth of such attack on INEC facility in one week. On Monday, about six vehicles were razed when hoodlums attacked the INEC office in Enugu State. The attack which occurred late on Sunday night was the third on the Commission's facility in the state. Also, on Sunday, May 2, one of its offices in Akwa Ibom State was set ablaze by unknown persons.  This was announced by Festus Okoye, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in a statement titled 'INEC Local Government Are Office In Akwa Ibom State Set Ablaze'.  According to the statement, the incident happened at INEC's office in the Essien Udim Local Government Area in the state and many ballot boxes and other electoral materials were destroyed.  It read, The Resident...

An autopsy report conducted on Omolola Ejioye Rotimi, a young man who died in police custody, has shown he died as a result of police brutality and harassment. Ejioye was arrested by officers of the Igbogbo police station over the death of a motorcyclist who died during clash involving commercial motorcyclists, also called okada riders in Ikorodu. He was allegedly tortured while in detention which reportedly led to his death.  The family of the deceased had, upon his death, accused the police of causing the death of the suspect. Also, in a Facebook post by Ikorodu Oga, the counsel for the family, Yakubu Eleto, said the deceased was unjustly arrested on May 2 while calling for an investigation into the death of Ejioye, including an autopsy. The police, in their reaction, refuted claims of torture saying Ejioye “ fell ill ” and died while in their custody. In the autopsy obtained, Ejioye died as a result of " smothering, asphyxia and blunt force trauma with cerebral oedema" . T...

  The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has asked the Senate to approve another N2.3trillion ($6.18bn) external loan. This is contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and read at plenary on Tuesday. Buhari said the proposed loan which is equivalent to N2.3trillion is to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion. Buhari said the loan would enable the Federal Government to fund critical infrastructural projects in transportation, health, and education among others. This is coming barely a month after the Senate approved the sum of $1.5bn and €995 million external borrowings for the Federal Government. The loans were part of the $5.5 billion and €995 million external borrowings Buhari had, in May 2020, asked the Red Chamber to approve to finance various priority projects of the federal government and to support the state governments facing fiscal challenges. Details later... 

  Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has warned that any attack by the Nigerian Army on the South-East will be repelled. In a statement by his media aide, Olayomi Koiki, Igboho said attacks on the South-East is an attack on the Yoruba people, urging the government to put a stop to raids in the South-East region. He further stated that if there are further attacks on people of the South-East, Yoruba Nation Now agitators will mobilise and support them. It was, however, not stated the kind of support that will be given The statement read, " We would like to inform the Federal Government Of Nigeria that any attack on the South-East is an attack on the Yorubas. Biafra people have been targeted by the Nigeria Army and if there are any further attacks on them, we would have no other option but to support our brothers and sisters in Biafraland."

  Activities in Kaduna State have been paralysed as the five-day warning strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over irregular sacking of civil servants began on Monday. Checks revealed that schools, banks and other business premises had been closed. The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Finance Institutions Employees had directed its members to withdraw banking and insurance services in Kaduna state from Monday 17. The Zonal State Secretary of the union, Mr Adamu Danladi explained that the directive followed the NLC’s warning strike in response to what he described as Gov. El-Rufai’s “anti-workers policies”. He said that the withdrawal of services would continue until otherwise directed by the congress. Also, while some schools were closed, others were open but only a few teachers, pupils and students were seen hanging around. Some of the schools visited were Local Education Authority Primary School, Mahuta, Milton College, a private school also at Mahuta, close...