Author: Mariam Usman Lawal

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu; and a 30-year-old dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, for selling and distributing illicit drug-laced chin-chin to school students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The development was revealed by the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, detailing the weekly arrests of suspects and drugs seized by the anti-narcotics agency. Babafemi noted, “NDLEA officers on patrol around the Opolo area of Yenagoa had on Sunday, March 10, 2024, intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi, and recovered 200 grammes…

The Interim Caretaker Chairman of Dawakin Tofa Local Government, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Danguguwa, has distributed 1,500 10-kg sacks of grains and 110 cartons of spaghetti to indigents in communities within the council area. The gesture facilitated by the council chairman through the generosity of spirited individuals in Dawakin-Tofa was targeted to ease the economic hardship. Unveiling the distribution yesterday, the Interim manager of Dawakin-Tofa LGA, Dr. Danguguwa emphasized the importance of charity and communal support especially in the holy month of Ramadan. Dr. Danguguwa stressed that the initiative demonstrated by wealthy individuals and facilitated by the council will go…

Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Thursday, convicted and sentenced a man, Nurudeen Nasiru, to life imprisonment for introducing his neighbour’s 13-year-old daughter to pornography and sexually assaulting her. A prosecution Counsel, Mr Olusola Soneye, had called three witnesses, a social worker, the survivor, and her father while the convict testified as a sole witness. The confessional statement of the convict was tendered as an exhibit by the prosecution. According to the prosecutor, the convict committed the offences on February 23, 2021, at about 3.45pm on Aminu Street, Alapere, Ketu, Lagos. Justice…

Kano Hisbah Board has arrested 11 Muslims on Tuesday for eating in open places in the month of Ramadan. According to the board, eating in daylight violated the principle of Ramadan. The arrests were made during Hisbah’s annual Ramadan enforcement operations, which included searches of eateries and markets. Hisbah spokesperson, Lawal Ibrahim Fagge, confirmed the development to GoodEvening Nigeria that the arrests were made near marketplaces. The individuals arrested include ten men and one woman, caught eating in the open in daylight.”. Although, Fagge clarified that non-Muslims are exempted from such enforcement activities, but if found selling food during…

Police Commissioner in Kano, CP Muhammed Usaine Gumel has summoned operational commanders and Divisioner Officers to fashion out safety measures across public schools including tertiary institutions in Kano. The move, CP Gumel said was in line with the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on ensuring the safety of Schools Initiative nationwide. CP Gumel said the order of IGP compels state commands to gear towards improving the security of lives and property, most especially the safety of schools and students. According to the Commissioner, the command is reviewing the command’s Anti-Crime Strategies intending to provide…

The Senate has suspended Senator Abdul Ningi for the period of three months over his claims on 2024 budget. Ningi representing Bauchi Central in a recent interview with BBC claimed the Federal government passed two budgets with one containing additional N3 trillion allotting to no visible project.

In a show of passion to Gov. Yusuf Approves Disbursement of Food items to Patients in Public Hospitals the pains of patients, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved the disbursement of bags of Rice to all sick persons across public hospitals. The Executive Secretary, Kano State Hospitals Management Board, Dr Mansur Mudi Nagoda disclosed this while supervising the distribution at Danbatta General Hospital. Dr. Nagoda explained that the 10kg each of Rice and Maize being distributed to all admitted patients was part of the palliative kick-started in the Month of Ramadan. “We would like to on behalf of the…

Jigawa State House of Assembly has suspended four council chairmen over alleged misappropriation of over N942 public funds The legislature has also directed vice chairmen of the affected councils to take charge of the affairs of the council. The suspension of said local authorities followed the investigation and discovery of large-scale financial recklessness by the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The explosive revelation as contained in a committee’s report, was presented at the floor of the House during plenary yesterday presided over by the speaker of the house, Rt. Honourable Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin. Presenting the report,…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered state governments to enforce payment of wage awards pending when the new minimum wage will be determined. The president emphasized that if the states had implemented the wage awards, it would bring eased economic hardship in the country. Speaking in Minna at the launch of the agricultural mechanization revolution for food security and the commissioning of the remodeled domestic terminal Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, the President stated that all states must adopt the wage award, and that the National Executive Council will do the same. He said: “If all of you, the…

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has welcomed Muslims into the holy month of Ramadan with commitment to feed 200,000 household. Senator Barau’s season greeting followed the declaration of Monday, March 11, 2024, as the first day of the holy month by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. In a statement by his spokesman, Ismail Mudashir, the Senator representing Kano North, enjoined Muslims to take good advantage of the blessed month of Ramadan by intensifying prayers to Almighty Allah. He urged wealthy individuals and groups to support the needy during and after Ramadan…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to give back the food items they seized at the border communities to the rightful owners, with the requirement that the items should be sold in Nigerian markets. The Customs Chief, Adewale Adeniyi, talked about this in Katsina yesterday while meeting with people from border areas at Kongolam and Mai’Adua border stations. The Customs chief mentioned that President Tinubu had made a decision to use his authority not based on legal guidelines, “but rather reflecting the deep sense of generosity he holds towards Nigeria.” Adeniyi said: “In doing so, he…

The coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has appointed Mohammed Abdullahi Raji of the Labour Party as its Kano state chairman. The appointment is contained in a letter signed by the party’s national general secretary, High Chief Ameh Peter. According to the release, Abdullahi’s appointment was based on merit and dedication to the values and goals of CUPP in the enthronement of democracy. Also appointed are Hashim Suleiman Dungurawa (NNPP) – Deputy State Chairman, Sukairajo Tijiani (APGA) – State Secretary, Hamisu San Turaki – Deputy State Secretary, Salisu Abdulmuni (AA) State Spokesperson and Abdullahi Abba Sharif (AAC) Youth Mobilizer.…

The Department of State Services (DSS) has warned Nigerians against crowded gatherings to avoid potential threats. In an advisory issued on Friday, DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, urged Nigerians to be vigilant against public dangers, especially Improvised Explosive Devices. Felicitating the Muslim faithful on the commencement of Ramadan and the Christians for the Lent period, Afunanya called on the citizens to report any strange activities or movements to the security agencies. He also cautioned clerics from both religions, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to refrain from economic exploitation, sabotage, or profiteering during these important obligations, stressing that the service calls for…

The Lagos State Police Command and the National Emergency Management Agency have placed their operatives on red alert against any attack on warehouses and shopping malls. The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday. Hundeyin said that the command had tightened security around the different shopping malls and government warehouses with food items in the state to prevent possible attacks by hoodlums. Several incidents of attacks and looting of warehouses and food trucks have been reported in many cities against the backdrop of the hardship and the cost of living crisis in…

The Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday ruled that the Kano anti-graft agency, Kano Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission, PCACC lacks the power to investigate former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the dollar bribery video. The presiding judge, Justice Abdullahi Liman while delivering his judgment said the offense is a federal offense that can be prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. N30tr Loan: NLC Challenges FG to Probe President Buhari’s administration, Recover Stolen Funds Justice Liman however said the Kano anti-graft agency has a limitation to investigate…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over “the failure to probe the grim allegations that $3.4 billion loan obtained by Nigeria from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance the budget and respond to COVID-19 is missing, diverted or unaccounted for.” SERAP in a statement signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday, said the allegations are contained in the recently published 2020 Nigeria’s annual audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/269/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is…

Nigeria has been ranked eighth in the list of most happy countries in Africa according to the 2023 World Happiness Report. As of March 2023, Finland is the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive time. In Africa, Mauritius emerges as the happiest country on the continent, boasting a happiness score of 5.902. Its extremely happy landscapes and diverse culture undoubtedly contribute to this high ranking. Algeria is a close second, with a score of 5.392, reflecting a sense of well-being prevalent in North Africa.14 Oct 2023. The World Happiness Report is a report by the United Nations…

After bandits attacked Goningora in Kaduna State’s Chikun Local Government Area, residents barricaded the Abuja-Kaduna route. Following the attack on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, numerous members of the community were reported to have been kidnapped and injured. Our source at the scene of the incident stated that outraged people came to the streets on Thursday morning, obstructing the main Abuja-Kaduna expressway. The development has caused heavy traffic on the road, with many motorists left stranded. Two people including a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force were reportedly killed in the attack. The latest attack on Goningora community comes…

TWENTY students have reportedly died in Yobe State as a result of a suspected Meningitis outbreak. According to the report, the affected students died in three boarding girls’ secondary schools and the Federal Government Girls’ College in Potiskum and Fika areas of Yobe State. The Yobe State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Mohammed Sani-Idris told journalists that “20 students have been confirmed dead in the last few weeks from the suspected meningitis outbreak across some boarding secondary schools in Potiskum and Fika local government areas. Many have been hospitalized but now discharged”. He explained that after the outbreak…

Worried by the devastating economic crunch in Nigeria, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday cautioned the Federal government against the adoption of economic advisories from International Lending agencies including the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) and the World Bank. Besides, the Labour union reminded that the foreign input on the nation’s economy has rather compounded the living conditions and brought hardship to Nigerians. The Chairman, Kano State chapter of NLC, Comrade Kabiru Inuwa who stated this while joining the nationwide protest in Kano said the present economy crunching is fast becoming unbearable for the average citizen on a daily…