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The curfew in Akwa Ibom State which ought to have ended by 12 noon on Friday has been extended to Saturday, October 24, the state government has said. “Due to developing situations being monitored by the state government and security agencies and the inevitable need to protect citizens and property, based on overriding the public interest, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel has extended the curfew, which was initially due to expire by noon of 23rd October, 2020 till 7am on Saturday, 24th October, 2020. “This curfew has statewide effect,” the Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, said in a statement, Friday morning. “Expectedly, there will be a total cessation of movement, except for those on essential duties, who must show a proper identification. “All law abiding citizens are advised to remain at home, as security agencies have been briefed to strictly enforce this order,” the statement added. There are reports that hoodlums attacked a bank building and also set ...

  Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle has insisted that scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS) was vital to maintenance of peace in the state. Speaking after arrival from a meeting of Northern Governors in Kaduna, Matawalle urged the Federal Government to deploy the scrapped operatives to Zamfara. He said: “We have recorded tremendous development in the area of peace building the Zamfara date with the commitment and professional contribution and supporf of the FSARS of the Nigeria Police.” He said the unit has helped a lot in bringing down the level of banditry and hooliganism in communities in the state and described the sudden scrapping of the unit as amounting to throwing away the baby along with the dirty water. “I will personally seek audience with Mr President on this issue. We need the FSARS or its equivalent in Zamfara state because we have seen their positive impact in spite their alleged excesses,” Matawalle stressed. The Northern Governors meeting, which was attended b...

  The meeting started at 9:00 am with President Buhari presiding from the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Former leaders participating virtually from their homes include Generals Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), Goodluck Jonathan, and Ernest Shoken. Those physically present at the Council Chambers with the President include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno. Others include the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olanisakin; Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Director-General, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai. The meeting is currently going on behind closed doors but the agenda might be related to the mood of the nation and how to find a solution to the present security challeng...

  VIDEO: Hoodlums storm Ondo prison, free inmates https://t.co/itQBHxxn6O #EndSWATNow #EndSARS #ItIsNotFinished — The Nation Nigeria (@TheNationNews) October 23, 2020

President’s broadcast empty, devoid of leadership qualities, says African Bar Association. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, berated people he called subversive elements whom he alleged were bent on using #EndSARS protesters to cause chaos and truncate the country’s democracy. Buhari, who said this in a national broadcast, begged youths calling for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and police reforms to suspend their protests. Advising them to resist the temptation of being used by those he described as subversive elements, he said his regime would not tolerate undermining of the country’s unity by anybody. The President’s address came two weeks after youths demanding disbanding of SARS began protests. But eminent Nigerians and #EndSARS protesters, who reacted to the President’s speech, berated him over his failure to comment on the shooting of protesters by soldiers in Lekki, Lagos. They said his broadcast was devoid of empathy. Altho...

 To prevent further destruction of public infrastructure in Lagos State by hoodlums, the Federal Government has deployed more security forces to guard public assets in the state. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known on Thursday morning while speaking in an interview on Arise TV monitored by The PUNCH. Sanwo-Olu revealed that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Olonisakin; and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, called him on the phone on Wednesday. He said the two security chiefs asked to deploy more troops to secure public assets and he said, “Why not? Our airports and other public buildings must be secured.” There have been reports of widespread arson and violence in the past few days as rampaging hoodlums looted, razed and destroyed public assets. Sanwo-Olu had announced the imposition of the curfew on Tuesday afternoon in the wake of the unrest in the state. Hoodlums had taken advantage of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality and ex...

 The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared the detention of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, by the Federal Government for about 144 days in 2019 as arbitrary under international law. This is contained in the decision of the group titled, ‘Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its eighty-seventh session, 27 April–1 May 2020’. It was released on October 6, 2019. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established in resolution 1991/42 of the Commission on Human Rights. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251 and Human Rights Council decision 1/102, the Council assumed the mandate of the Commission. Sowore was arrested in August 2019 for planning to organise a nationwide protest tagged #RevolutionNow which was aimed at demanding better governance in the country. The activist and former presidential candidate, who was detained by the Department of State Services up till December 24, 2019, was charged with tre...