By Lanre Ogundipe “ _People’s indifference is the best breeding ground for corruption to grow”_ – Delia Ferreira, Transparency International Chairman. If sense of reasoning must prevail on how our rulers direct the affairs in this country, the fraudulently packaged “good news” that the Port-Harcourt refinery has come on stream, ought to have been treated with a pinch of salt. Besides, it deserves to be engaged as a topical issue that should catch the interest of President Bola Tinubu if truly, he is committed to the fight against the large-scale fraud that has become the face of the NNPCL. To…
Author: News Editor
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau The high-profile international friendly match between Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, Super Falcons and Les Bleues of France slated for Saturday at the Stade Raymond Kopa (Angers) in western France promises to be a good pedestal for both countries to gauge their preparedness for future international engagements. Also, the encounter is not only to prepare the Nigerian and French senior teams for their pending competitive engagements but also a very big opportunity for the interim head coach of Nigeria Justine Madugu and his assistants a mandatory observation of the level of development of the…
Multiple lives have been lost in a devastating boat accident that occurred in the early hours of Friday along the Dambo-Ebuchi sections of River Niger. The boat, which belonged to one Musa Dangana, according to eyewitnesses was carrying over 200 passengers, including market women and farm laborers, en route to the Katcha weekly market. Tragically, it capsized, throwing all on board into the water. Rescue efforts are currently underway, with local divers working to recover the bodies of the victims. As of the latest reports, eight bodies have been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue to locate the remaining…
President Bola Tinubu affirmed Nigeria’s strong commitment to enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as food security, energy, solid minerals, education, and defense during a high-profile meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the prestigious Palais des L’Élysée on Thursday. At a joint press conference, President Tinubu highlighted the vast, yet largely untapped potential within Nigeria’s agricultural sector and beckoned international investors to capitalize on the nation’s welcoming investment climate. “The French- Nigeria Business Forum is doing a lot already, but we need to do more on food security. We cannot help but invest in another’s country.” He emphasised Nigeria’s flourishing financial…
Justice T.G. Ringing of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, Gombe State on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 convicted and sentenced two police officers: Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip and an immigration officer; Nasiru Mohammed to seven years imprisonment each for employment fraud to the tune of N1,640,000( One Million Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) Bature and Philip were arraigned on two count – charges of obtaining by false pretences and intent to defraud while Mohammed was arraigned on one- count charge of obtaining by false pretences by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Count…
Pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa, who was arrested in Finland for alleged terrorism-related activities, is scheduled to face charges in May 2025 potentially, according to Finnish authorities. A Senior Detective Superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, confirmed to The PUNCH via email on Tuesday that the district court had set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present possible charges against Ekpa. The Finnish government had last week announced the arrest of Ekpa alongside four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing. Finnish police confirmed that Ekpa, described as the self-proclaimed…
Former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Alhassan Yahya, has emerged the new National President of the union. Yahya polled 436 votes to defeat two other candidates at the Eighth Triennial Delegates’ Conference of the union held between Wednesday and Thursday in Owerri. He was announced winner in the early hours of Thursday by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mike Ikeogwu. The other contestants for the position of the president, Bamidele Atunbi and Garba Mohammed, polled 97 votes and 39 votes to come second and third, respectively. Declaring the result, Ikeogwu said,“By the powers vested…
Mr Bala Dakum, an Abuja-based lawyer on Thursday, narrated how his 85-year-old father, Deh Idi Dakum, was kidnapped and later murdered after ransom was paid. Dakum, while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said he is yet to recover from the shock, days after the remains of his late father was found and buried. He said the octogenarian was kidnapped on Nov. 18 at about 7pm in their village, Matelem, in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau, and his dead body was discovered on Saturday. “I am a Principal Partner in B. I. Dakum & Co which…
The United Kingdom on Wednesday said a new Visa Application Centre (VAC) has been opened in Ikeja, through its new commercial partner, VFS Global. The British Deputy High Commission, which made this known in a statement, said it was the largest in Africa. It noted that VFS Global also opened United Kingdom VAC in Abuja and Victoria Island, Lagos State. The mission said Nigerians travelling to the UK could book appointments to submit visa applications through new VAC centre. At the launch of the new application centre in Ikeja, British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter, said Nigeria remained one…
The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) has detained a self-acclaimed licensed Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, Chinedu Ngwaka, for alleged fraud of N320 million. The FCID’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP. Aminat Mayegun, confirmed this in a post she shared on her X handle @mayegunAmina on Wednesday. She said that the police received a petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Mr Ayodeji Ogundele, FCID Annex, Lagos on Sept. 9. “Chinedu Laz and Partners (Deo Gratia Chambers) filed a petition on behalf of Mr Tochukwu Unachukwu, the Managing Director of Casco Electronics Company Limited, against Ngwaka…