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  The Nigerian Army on Saturday dismissed the two soldiers – John Gabriel and Gideon Adamu – implicated in the killing of popular Yobe Islamic cleric, Goni Aisami.                                         Sheikh Goni Aisami The dismissal of the soldiers was announced at an event held at the 241 RECCE Battalion Nguru, where the soldiers were serving. The dismissal of the soldiers marked the beginning of their civil trial. They will be returned to the police to be prosecuted for their alleged crime. Mr Gabriel confessed to killing Mr Aisami on 19 August 2022 while trying to steal his car. The cleric had given him a lift from a military checkpoint where he was stationed. The Acting General Commanding Officer 241 RECCE Battalion I O Sabo, a Lieutenant Colonel, told journalists that the action of the soldiers did n...

All is not well among Niger Delta militants following the recent award of a N48 billion per year (N4b per month) pipeline surveillance contract to ex-warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo by the Nigerian National Petroleum Limited.                                               Tompolo Several militant groups in the region are angry with the federal government for leaving them out of the juicy contract and are now calling for an immediate review to accommodate ‘everyone’. They are threatening to make the contract unworkable. However, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) yesterday stepped into the matter with the president of the group, Prof.   Benjamin Okaba, setting up a five-member committee to interface with stakeholders in order to forestall any trouble. Some militants under the aegis of ...

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday shed light on his London meeting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, earlier this week and declared that it was all part of the effort to make Nigeria a better nation. Wike, who together with Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom also met separately with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) presidential flag bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s (LP’s) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, said the consultations were beyond party politics. But he got a caution from the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr.Osita Okechukwu, who said Wike would be making a mistake if he agreed to work with Atiku   ”who betrayed the South and by extension Wike, who could have won the PDP presidential primary election.” Wike, it was gathered, is unrelenting in demanding the exit of the PDP National Chairm...

Abdulkarim Faca Faca was one of the most ruthless terrorists who attack communities around Safana, Batsari, Danmusa in Zamfara state. The Nigerian Air Force, in an air raid Sunday morning, killed the leader of a terrorist gang operating in Zamfara, Abdulkarimu Faca-Faca. Mr Faca-Faca’s two wives and eight top commanders were also killed in the raid. The air raid was conducted around 3 a.m. Sunday at the ancestral home of the terrorist, Marina, a community in Safana Local Government in Katsina State. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively gathered from a source at the Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Katsina that the air raid was conducted after officers received an intelligence report on the whereabouts of Mr Faca-Faca. The FOB spokesman, Abdul Olaitan, did not respond to a questions sent to him about the raid, but the police spokesman in the state, Gambo Isa, confirmed that the home of the gang leader was bombed. “Eight suspected terrorists including their leader Abdulkarim Faca-Fa...

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in contesting for the Presidency of Nigeria, brings along an impeccable record as perhaps, Nigeria's best-proven problem-solver who stands the best chance to identify the nagging problems assailing the Nigerian nation and deploy capable men and resources to deal with them for the greater good of every Nigerian. In expressing this optimism, we have the Lagos story to show how Tinubu, through proper problem-identification and deft deployment of humans and resources, was able to turn the prospects of a dejected, abandoned and crumbling Lagos around to assume the role of an impregnable bright spot in Nigeria today. How Tinubu was able to identify the challenges and deploy humans and resources to change the narrative of Lagos hugely recommends him for the task of re-directing and changing the Nigerian narrative from 2023. In this regard, no other candidate amongst those lined up against him today has a testimonial that nears his in governance. For t...

The Yoruba have excellent wise sayings for every situation. The race puts you on the lane of circumspection and precautions with their apothegmatic remarks to help you take informed decisions in different circumstances. With their axioms at the back of your mind, you are never lost in taking rational decisions to guide your steps. One of such axioms says: “Omo eni kii se’di bebere ki a fi ileke si idi omo elomiran.” (You don’t give to another man’s daughter the waist beads meant for your own daughter on account of her big waist). The moral: do not cut off your face to spite your nose. It is not wise to give to someone else what your own deserves because you find a fault with your own. Another adage says: “Omo eni kii buru titi, k’a fi f’ekun pa je.” (However obstinate your child may be, you do not cast him to the leopard to devour). Again, the Yoruba teach self-restraint in times of anger. “Inu kii bi ‘ni ka gbe omo eni sinu eerun. Bi inu ba ro, inu eerun ko ni ro.” (You ...

Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score one and create another as Liverpool twice came from behind to salvage a point in a gripping game at newly-promoted Fulham. The Reds, who pushed champions Manchester City all the way in the title race last season, fell behind when Aleksandar Mitrovic got the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold to head Fulham ahead after meeting a superb cross by Kenny Tete. Luis Diaz had a goal ruled out for offside at 0-0 before curling a shot against the post after Fulham had taken the lead. By: 'Lekan Adesina

Gunmen on Saturday attacked and killed four police officers on duty at the newly constructed Police station in Agwa community, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State . The attackers reportedly set ablaze the police station and destroyed the operational vehicles belonging to Agwa Divisional Police Station. A source from the community, who pleaded anonymity, said that some police men and women numbering four who were on duty were killed during the attack. He said: “Gunmen came around 12:00 last night with one Tipper vehicle, two Sienna vehicles and launched attack on our community police station shooting sporadically. “Two police women were burnt to death alongside two other policemen on duty , they also went to the house of one Okada rider known as Ejike in our village and shot him dead and wounded his wife who is now critical as a result of the gunshot injury she sustained. “The hoodlums operated for about three hours , as I speak with you now, there is palpable fea...

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State on Friday asked the Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo to nullify the election of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ademola Adeleke. According to the governor, the election was fraught with certain irregularities. He also said that Adeleke ought not to have been declared winner as he was not qualified to have contested the election in the first place, having submitted forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commision. Saturday PUNCH reported that Adeleke was returned elected by the INEC, after defeating his closest challenger, Oyetola, and 13 other candidates, scoring a total of 403, 371 Oyetola got 375, 027 votes and won in 13 Local Government Areas of the state to come second in the election. A member of Oyetola’s legal team, Kunle Adegoke (SAN), in an interview with Saturday PUNCH immediately after filing the petition in Osogbo said the governor has assembled 50 lawyers including 10 ...

 An Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo on Thursday sentenced Uduak Frank Akpan to death by hanging for the murder of Iniubong Umoren, a graduate and job seeker. Recalled that the late Miss. Umoren was declared missing but was later found dead on April 30, 2021 while job hunting. By Lekan Adesina

No fewer than ten gunmen were killed with about seven others arrested during a gun duel with security operatives in Anambra State. It was gathered that the combined team of the military, the police and other security agencies, stormed the hideout of the hoodlums early hours of Friday during which a gun battle ensued. It was also gathered few security operatives were injured in the process. The security operatives recovered many guns ranging from AK-47 to other dangerous weapons, including charms from the shrine of the gunmen. The incident, we learnt, took place at Ukpor, Nnewi South local government area of Anambra State, believed to be the second headquarters of the criminal elements. Details shortly.... By Lekan Adesina

The patriarch of Omatseye family in Warri, Delta State, Professor Jim Nesin Omatseye, has appealed to those who disagree with the article titled: “Obi-tuary by Sam Omatseye” to jettison threats to harm their son. Prof. Omatseye, while noting that Nigerians are in dire need of positive change, asserted the negative reactions that trailed the article published on The Nation’s Monday, August 1 edition, is as a result of the high level of poverty, insecurity among other menaces facing the nation. Reacting to the development on Friday on phone, he noted that it is not out of place for people to disagree with a journalist’s opinion, pointing out that the writer, like every other person, is entitled to his opinion. He said: “I want to react to the negative reaction that is coming from many quarters as a result of the article Obi-tuary, which was written by Sam Omatseye, who is a member of my family. By Lekan Adesina

Fiery cleric and National Coordinator of Integrity Ministers International Ministries Bishop Kayode Williams has faulted the position of the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).                                                                                           Bishop Williams Williams stated that there was nothing wrong in the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, picking a Muslim as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election. The cleric maintained that not all Christians were in support of the position of the leadership of CAN on the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue. Williams, in an interview with The News Nigeria, stated that his ministry will be “Supporting ...

The ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of Professor Akin Mabogunje and former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun over their demise.                                                                                                  Tinubu The two prominent Nigerians passed on Thursday. The late Mabogunje is Nigeria’s first Professor of Geography and a world-renowned Urban Planner while Tafa Balogun served as 11th Inspector-General of Police from 2002-2005. Mourning the demise of the two eminent Nigerians, in a statement by his media office in Abuja on Friday,Tinubu extolled their service to the country and contributions to nationa...

Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) is safely on the driving seat to victory in the 2023 general election with the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.                                                                                            Tinubu/Shettima Wase congratulated Plateau Governor Simon Lalong on his appointment as Director General of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of APC candidate Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Wase, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma, hailed the choice of Lalong saying he is most competent and fit to lead the campaign of the APC presidential candidate. He described Lalong as “Detribalised, very resourceful, ingenious and practical politician, an adept ...

                                                                Gov. Tambuwal  On Sunday, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, described the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, as the hero of the party’s presidential convention where on Saturday a former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, was elected the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections. Mr Ayu was referring to the stepping down of Mr Tambuwal for Atiku shortly before voting started, a development observers said decisively swung the contest and saved the party the tension of a close race and possible deadlock. However, according to PREMIUM TIMES, it has now obtained new information on Mr Tambuwal’s actions shortly before he withdrew from the race. Ou...

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with governors of states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC). The meeting is holding at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. All the APC governors except that of Kaduna are believed to be at the meeting. The Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is being represented by his deputy. Also at the meeting is the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu. The meeting is being held a few days before the presidential primaries of the APC scheduled for June 6 to 8. Details later…

Twelve presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were on Monday screened by the party’s Screening Committee led by former National Chairman, John Oyegun. The screening exercise is scheduled for two days, Monday and Tuesday, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. The National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, had earlier inaugurated the committee. Following the inauguration, the panel screened the aspirants one after the other. Those screened so far are; former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba; Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Felix Nicholas; a U.S.-based pastor, former Governor of Ogun state, Ibikunle Amosun; Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, a serving senator, Ajayi Borroffice, former Senate President Ken Nnamani. Others are; Uju Ken-Ohaneye, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima; former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu and Tunde Bakare, a cleric. Mr Tinubu, ...

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail at N500million to ex-Imo Governor Senator Rochas Okorocha. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Tuesday, rejected the objection of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to Okorocha’s bail application. Justice Ekwo said bail is at the discretion of the court, noting   that the Constitution provides for the defendant to be given adequate time to defend himself. The judge said bail is granted to the first defendant (Okorocha) at N500million, with one surety in like sum, who must reside and own property within the jurisdiction of the court. Justice Ekwo directed the Registry of the court to verify the documents of property to be presented as bail bond. He also ordered Okorocha to deposit his international passport with the court registry. The judge said Okorocha should   remain in the custody of the EFCC pending when he is able to meet the bail conditions. The judge also granted bail to Okorocha’s co...

Pupils and students in some schools in Onitsha and neighboring communities, Anambra State were on Tuesday chased out of their classrooms by hoodlums who claimed they were enforcing “Biafra Day” in the State. The miscreants were said to have also invaded markets and public places to chase traders and workers away. There were fears among residents whether to go out for their daily businesses following rumours of shift of Biafra Day celebrated every May 30 which was yesterday’s usual Monday sit-at-home. While some resolved to stay indoors for fear of being attacked, some of those who stepped out returned home. Those who spoke to the press at one of the markets said the hoodlums who stormed the market as early as 8.45am, insisted they should close their shops and   go home. “They said today must be observed as sit-at-home to mark the annual Biafra Day because yesterday was the normal Monday sit-at-home day and not Biafra Day,” a trader who spoke on condition of anony...

A former governor of Anambra State and leading PDP Presidential aspirant, Peter Obi has dropped the People Democratic Party (PDP) and withdraws from the party’s Presidential Primaries.   In a letter of resignation addressed to the chairman of the party, Obi stated that “latest developments” within the party has made it impossible for him to have a constructive contribution to the party Details later…..