Author: Safiu Kehinde

Agency Report  Two clerics, Isaac Kilanko and Sebioba Mustapha, were on Friday docked in the FCT High Court in Zuba for alleged mischief, and forgery. The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, charged the defendants, who are clergymen at the Seed of Christ Golden Church, Kubwa, Abuja with 29 counts bordering on alleged mischief and forgery. The prosecution counsel, Mr John Okpa, alleged that the defendants and one John Areh, at large, on June 12, 2022, used forged documents to claim ownership of a Plot of land, MF 1335 Extension 11B, Kubwa. Okpa alleged that the plot of land…

Safiu Kehinde  A Federal High Court in Abuja, has on Friday, dismissed a fresh bail application filed by the detained Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan. Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, dismissed the application on the ground that it constituted an abuse of court process. The judge held that Gambaryan’s request cannot be granted when he was still challenging the earlier bail ruling at the Court of Appeal. Nwite said such act amounted to an abuse of court process as the defendant failed to withdraw his pending appeal against the earlier ruling on his bail application before filling another…

Safiu Kehinde  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied alleged collusion with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in smuggling Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the Edo governorship election. This was contained in a statement issued by the Edo state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha, in reaction to the allegation laid against the electoral body by the All Progressive Congress (APC). According to the statement, APC had alleged purported smuggling of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and voters’ registers into the INEC office by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). INEC, however denied the claim, labelling…

Safiu Kehinde  Federal High Court, Abuja, has summoned former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, over fresh allegations. This was contained in a letter issued by the court and shared on X by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday. According to the letter dated 3rd October, 2024, Yahaya Bello was accused of criminal breach of trust and unlawful possession of property. Yahaya Bello, who is still faced with N80.2 billion money laundering charges and another fresh N110.4 billion fraud filed against him last month, was ordered to appear before Justice Maryann Anenih on the 14th of November, 2024. The…

Safiu Kehinde  The House of Representatives has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to find a missing corps member, Mr Okeke, Chukwuemeka Godwin, who has not been seen since May 9, 2024. The Reps made the call for the rescue following a motion raised by Nnolim Nnaji (PDP-Enugu state) at plenary on Thursday in Abuja. Moving the the motion, Nnaji said that the NYSC was established to engage Nigerian university graduates in effective community services and nation building across ethno-linguistic boundaries. He, however, lamented that the scheme had been threatened by myriads of abductions, incessant attacks and…

Safiu Kehinde  A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Working Committee has suspended party’s Acting National Chairman, Illya Damagun, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, over disloyalty to the party. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday. According to the statement, the suspension came as a result of their letter to the Court of Appeal over former the 27 former Rivers State Assembly members who vacated their seats after defeating to the All Progressive Congress (APC). “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series…

Safiu Kehinde  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, on Thursday, honoured the girl-child in plenary by vacating his seat for a 16-year-old gender advocate, Isabel Anani. The lawmaker’s gesture was to commemorate the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child titled Girls’ Vision for the Future.’ Before vacating his seat, Abbas maintained that the house joins the global community in commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child. He said that event highlights the challenges faced by girls around the world, while celebrating their resilience, potential, and crucial role in shaping a better future. “In recognition of…

Safiu Kehinde  The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) have recorded N431.16 billion revenue collected by all Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) in quarter two of 2024. This was disclosed on the commission’s website in its second quarter 2024 report in Abuja on Thursday. According to the report, report the N431.16 billion collected was out of the N543.64 billion that was billed customers, adding that this translated to a collection efficiency of 79.31 per cent. It said in comparison to the total revenue collected by all DisCos in quarter 1 which was N291.62 billion out of the N368.65 billion billed customers which…

Agency Report The Nigerian Police and stakeholders in Ebonyi have decried the rising cases of illegal activities of the scrap dealers in various communities in the state. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday in Abakaliki, they underscored the need to regulate the activities of the scavengers, otherwise called “local waste pickers”. They were accused of engaging in incessant looting of both government and privately owned property, especially metal and electricity cables, which were considered as “worrisome”. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mrs Anthonia Uche-Anya, called for more collaboration among the major stakeholders to curb all forms of…

Safiu Kehinde  Sokoto State Police Command has announced the arrest of 22 suspects in connection with criminal conspiracy, theft, mischief, and the receiving of stolen items. This was disclosed by the state’s Commissioner of Police (CP) Ahmed Musa while addressing journalists in Sokoto on Thursday. He stated that the arrests aligned with the police’s commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property in the state. Musa revealed that two suspects were apprehended following a report from the Manager of SAMAG Engineering Company regarding the alleged theft of aluminum conductor wires in Goronyo Local Government Area on Friday. “The aluminum…