Zamfara massacre: Time to impose state of emergency
Tougher, decisive action, including declaring emergency rule in Zamfara, should therefore be taken now before terrorists carve out permanent fiefdoms from the fragile federation. The Zamfara massacre is only the latest in the daily rapine by bloodthirsty non-state actors exploiting the fragility of the union and ineffective governance. Bello Turji, leader of the terror group responsible for the Zamfara outrage, and other terrorist leaders should be hunted down. Buhari should deploy the constitution to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara. The North-West states should immediately activate a regional security force to complement the military operations.
Source:Punch
January 11, 2022 01:48 UTC
JUST IN: Gunmen kidnap ex-Imo speaker Duruji, others
A former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Lawman Duruji, has been kidnapped, The PUNCH has learnt. Our correspondent gathered that Duruji was kidnapped at Ehime Mbano LGA on Saturday at Oriagu while returning from a function. Also kidnapped is the wife of an ex-chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area, Frank Onwunere. When contacted, the police spokesperson for the command, Micheal Abattam, said that the command was on the trail of the kidnappers. He disclosed that one of the victims who was kidnapped at Ubomiri had been rescued by the police.
Source:Punch
January 11, 2022 01:29 UTC
Tinubu’s Presidential Ambition A Huge Joke – Bode George
Tinubu’s presidential ambition a huge joke -Bode George10 January 2022Peoples Democratic Party stalwart, Chief Bode George, has described the presidential ambition of All Progressives Congress leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as a huge joke. George said this during a chat with The PUNCH on Monday while reacting to Tinubu’s decision to inform the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. Look at how he mismanaged the resources of Lagos State. George also said it was unfortunate that a hallowed ground like the Presidential Villa would be the location for Tinubu to declare his ambition. Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos State, informed Buhari that he would want to contest in next year’s election.
Source:Punch
January 10, 2022 21:44 UTC
Equities investors gain N23bn as NGX maintains bulls
As measured by market breadth, market sentiment was positive as 28 tickers gained relative to 19 losers. Also, PZ notched 8.53 per cent to its share value, AIICO Insurance advanced by 7.69 per cent, while Dangote Cement increased in shares value by four per cent. Despite the northward movement in the benchmark index, Performance across sub-indices were largely negative, except for the NGX Insurance index and the NGX Industrial index which rose by 2.77 per cent and 1.71 per cent respectively. The NGX Banking index, NGX Consumer Goods Index and the NGX Oil/Gas index fell by 0.12 per cent, 0.05 per cent and 0.58 per cent respectively. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.Equities investors gain N23bn as NGX maintains bullsEquities investors gain N23bn as NGX maintains bulls
Source:Nigerian Tribune
January 10, 2022 20:01 UTC
Djokovic wins Australia visa case, judge orders his release | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
In an emergency online court hearing, the judge ordered that the decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa “be quashed”. “Novak, Novak, Novak,” chanted dozens of fans of the nine-time Australian Open champion as they marched in celebration, drums banging, outside Melbourne’s federal courthouse. Djokovic’s visa was revoked and he was moved to a notorious immigration detention facility pending deportation. An early plea by Djokovic to be moved to a facility where he can train for the Australian Open had fallen on deaf ears, his lawyers said. In the early hours of Thursday, Djokovic was told he had until 8:30 am to reply to the proposed cancellation of his visa.
Source:The Guardian
January 10, 2022 18:15 UTC
Gunmen Kidnap Ex-Imo Speaker, Duruji, Others
A former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Lawman Duruji, has been kidnapped, The PUNCH has learnt. Our correspondent gathered that Duruji was kidnapped at Ehime Mbano LGA on Saturday at Oriagu while returning from a function. Ezzybee was kidnapped on Sunday while on the way to watch a local football match. Also kidnapped is the wife of an ex-chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area, Frank Onwunere. When contacted, the police spokesperson for the command, Micheal Abattam, said that the command was on the trail of the kidnappers.
Source:Punch
January 10, 2022 18:13 UTC
Battle against soot: Wike declares 19 persons wanted over illegal bunkering
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Sunday evening declared nineteen (19) persons wanted for operating illegal crude oil refining sites responsible for the soot pollution in the state. He stated that following his 2022 New Year Message outlining measures to tackle the soot menace, the State Taskforce on Illegal Street Trading raided some illegal crude oil refining sites in Port Harcourt and arrested a number of recalcitrant persons. “Also declared wanted are the following persons who are alleged to be in charge of oil bunkering activities in Isiokpo community: Mr. Kemkom Azubike, Mr. Mezu Wabali, Mr. Chigozi Amadi, Mr. Opurum Owhondah, Mr. Bakasi Obodo, Mr. Opus, Mr. Galaxi Mas, Mr. Chioma, Mr. Ogondah, Mr. “Consequently, I hereby direct the traditional leadership of Rumuola, Rumuogba and Okoro-nu-odo communities to immediately stop all street trading activities around, in or under the flyovers in their respective domains or be deposed, arrested and prosecuted. He frowned at the failure of the Rumuokurushe traditional leadership to honour the terms of their undertaking not to allow any form of street trading on the Rumuokurushe market.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
January 10, 2022 08:43 UTC
Nearly 8,000 detained after Kazakhstan unrest | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
Nearly 8,000 people have been detained in Kazakhstan after days of historic unrest in the Central Asian country that left dozens dead, the interior ministry said Monday. “As of January 10, 7,939 people have been detained,” the interior ministry said in a statement noting that several branches of the security services had been involved in the detentions. Ex-Soviet Kazakhstan on Monday was observing a day of national mourning after the worst unrest in the republic’s independent history. The National Security Committee said in a statement that the country, including government and military facilities, was fully under the control of security services. During the unrest, the Moscow-led CSTO military alliance sent a detachment of 2,500 troops to the country following a request from Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Source:The Guardian
January 10, 2022 08:29 UTC
Yobe market fire razes stores, destroys goods
An early morning fire has razed shops and stalls in Nguru Central Market in the Nguru Local Government Area of Yobe State, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira. The fire broke out on Saturday, shortly after the traders restocked their shops with goods delivered by train from Kano. He said, “There was a fire incident in the Nguru Central Market around 1.30am on Saturday. “These dealers worked late into the night on Friday as they restocked their shops with goods delivered to them by train from Kano. “We don’t know how the fire came about; it burnt down more than half of the stores in the modern market.
Source:Punch
January 10, 2022 06:39 UTC
Djokovic legal battle opens, glitch delays online access
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s legal battle to stay in Australia and chase a record 21st Grand Slam opened Monday, but public online access was delayed by a technical glitch, a court spokesman said. The court is working to rectify the situation. Apologies” said federal court spokesman Bruce Phillips. Forty minutes after the case was scheduled to open, the website providing public access to the hearing was still inaccessible, telling users: “Server Too Busy” or “Temporary disruption”. He has spent the last four nights at a Melbourne immigration detention facility.
Source:The Guardian
January 10, 2022 03:49 UTC
Scientists identify ‘Deltacron’ that combines Deta, Omicron variants of COVID-19
Scientists in Cyprus have identified a new ‘Deltacron’ COVID strain in 25 patients that combines the Delta and Omicron variants. Leonidos Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, said the strain has a similar genetic structure to Omicron with the genomes of Delta. His team has identified 25 cases of the hybrid variant so far and it is still too early to assess its impact, Bloomberg reported. COVID infections normally only involve one mutant strain, but in extremely rare cases two can strike at the same time. Last month, the boss of Moderna warned of a hybrid mutant that he feared would be even worse than the ones currently sweeping across the globe.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
January 10, 2022 02:16 UTC
Death toll in Nigeria attacks climbs to 200 | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
Gunmen in Nigeria killed at least 200 people in multiple raids this week in northwest Zamfara state, a government spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday. Clashes between herders and farmers over access to land has plagued northwest and central Nigeria for years, with some groups evolving into criminal gangs known as bandits who kill, loot and kidnap. Over 200 persons were buried… due to the invasion by bandits,” a spokeswoman for Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, said. Babandi Hamidu, a resident of Kurfa Danya village said the militants were shooting “anyone on sight”. The governor of Zamfara Bello Matawalle has downplayed the death toll, saying only 58 people were killed.
Source:The Guardian
January 10, 2022 01:40 UTC
Police torture Lagos artisan, break hand, victim alleges frame-up
He claimed that the cops ordered him to confess to being the owner of some Indian hemp, which they planted on him. But AY and one other policeman people call Alhaji held my shirt and shorts. “So, he placed Indian hemp in my hand and threatened to shoot me if I refused to say it was mine. The video clip, which was obtained by PUNCH Metro, showed Oluwafemi being interrogated by the policemen over possession of Indian hemp. The police said they found Indian hemp on my son; it was just a set-up.
Source:Punch
January 10, 2022 01:25 UTC
Nigerian fashion and return journey - Part 1
Even if Nigeria’s fashion manifestations don’t easily follow the sinister exhibitionist tendencies of, say, recent central African sapeurs, they have persisted as chunks of fascination, inspiring and drawing crowds into communion with their beauty. Over time, Nigeria’s fashion mix from the Sahel to the savanna and rainforest continues to attract pilgrims, traveling across different trade routes, to its fairs. This number is behind the approximately 232,000 visitors, of which more than 150,000 are unique visitors each season. In a related way, London Fashion Week generates approximately $366 million per season and has approximately 105,000 unique visitors, while Paris Fashion Week generates more than $74 million and has more than 30,000 unique visitors. Milan Fashion Week brought in over $56 million in revenue, while seeing more than 30,000 unique visitors.
Source:The Guardian
January 09, 2022 19:27 UTC
Traitors forcing Buhari not to release Kanu – IPOB
The Indigenous People of Biafra has said that saboteurs and traitors within its ranks were the ones forcing the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. In a statement on Sunday, the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr Emma Powerful, claimed that these “sabotures” and “traitors” held a meeting with Buhari where they advised the President not to release Kanu. “Our attention has also been drawn to the statement by President Buhari that he will not release our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. “IPOB is too big for them to comprehend and they could not phantom IPOB and its operational strategy when they were in IPOB. Buhari and those traitors who visited him towards the end of December 2021 to feed him with lies about IPOB should be held responsible.
Source:Punch
January 09, 2022 17:59 UTC