News

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has directed the arrest and prosecution of Mr Ndukwe Ayansi and five others for allegedly diverting materials intended for the state’s Ministry of Health. The directive was revealed on Sunday in a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor. According to the statement, Governor Nwifuru discovered the illicit activity while en route to inspect ongoing projects. He noticed a Toyota Dyna truck being loaded with registers, books, and other materials from the Ministry of Health’s warehouse. “The governor drove in and made inquiries but, dissatisfied with the responses, probed further…

The Rivers State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, otherwise known as (Ogbakor Ndi Igbo Na Rivers) has demanded for the presidency of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide was in July thrown into mourning following the loss of its President-General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, creating a leadership vacuum. However, the Rivers State chapter's demand for the leadership of the group is seen as a "significant step in filling the gap and ensuring the continuity of the organisation." "The call for Rivers State to produce the next President-General follows the demise of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, the 11th President-General of…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disowned the controversial pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, maintaining that he was never a member of the group. Emma Powerful, the spokesperson of the IPOB, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of the south-south Nigeria Mr Ekpa was arrested in Finland alongside four others on Thursday on suspicion of terrorist activities. ‘Not registered member’ The BBC, while reporting Mr Ekpa’s arrest by Finnish police on Thursday, described him as an…

The Federal Government on Friday attributed the arrest of Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in-Exile, to sustained diplomatic pressure on Finland by Nigeria. Ekpa was arrested alongside four others on Thursday on suspicion of terrorist activities. The Finnish District Court of Päijät-Häme has ruled to keep him in detention on probable cause, citing his alleged involvement in inciting violence through social media. A day after his arrest, the Nigerian government says it is closely monitoring the legal proceedings of Ekpa. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to confirm the arrest of Mr Simon Njoku…

A 12-year-old Nigerian-born girl, Eniola Shokunbi, has achieved a groundbreaking feat by obtaining $11.5 million in funding for her pioneering air filter system. The funding, allocated by the Connecticut State Bond Commission, will facilitate the installation of her system in schools across Connecticut, Shoppe Black reports. According to reports, Eniola's innovative journey started in fifth grade at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, Connecticut. Her teacher tasked students with finding solutions to pandemic-related issues in schools, sparking Eniola to design a pioneering air filtration system. Priced at just $60 per unit, Eniola's prototype presents a game-changing, budget-friendly alternative to expensive…

The Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) in Zamfara state says Bernard Odoh, former vice-chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Anambra, fraudulently obtained his professorship. BACKGROUND On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu dissolved UNIZIK’s governing council and sacked the institution’s vice-chancellor and registrar. Odoh was described as “unqualified” for the role of vice-chancellor of the university, in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy. “The sacking of the governing council and officials followed reports that the council illegally appointed an unqualified vice-chancellor without following due process,” the statement reads. “After the controversial appointment,…

The office of the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said there is no rift between the Senate President and the Senate Leader. Reports circulated on X and other social media handles that Bamidele and Akpabio exchanged blows at the National Assembly, which made them fail to attend plenary. But a statement from the media directorate of the Senate Leader, which is usually not signed, said, “For the record, it is a verifiable fact that Senator Bamidele has never been involved in physical assault in over two decades of his political trajectory, not even when he was a young man leading…

The Court of Appeal Abuja has nullified the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for the conduct of the state local government polls which has now been conducted. Delivering judgement, the special panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter as Section 28 of the Electoral Act does not cover elections conducted by states, only federal elections, governorship and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory. The…

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters, Abuja, has stated that Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will be extradited to the country to face charges against him. Speaking on the arrest of Ekpa in a short press statement made available to newsmen, the Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, was pleased with Ekpa’s trial. Gusau wrote: “CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.” Recall…

A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign, Doyin Okupe, says the 2023 presidential election was not rigged by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Okupe, a former spokesman for President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos. “If Peter Obi (2023 LP presidential candidate) or the Labour Party says APC rigged elections, how come Obi was able to win in the home base of President Bola Tinubu? “How come APC lost election in the home base of the sitting President (Muhammadu Buhari)? How come APC lost election in…