They were to study Engineering and Medicine – Father narrates how tipper crushed his two teenage sons to death same day in Delta

A Nigerian man identified as Wesley Anthony Ogheneruona Ojih, from Ebor- Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, has narrated how his two sons died in a motor accident same day. The teenagers, Favour Ogheneruona, 16, and Precious Ogheneruona,14, were laid to rest in their hometown after a funeral service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor on Thursday, July 21, 2022.

The brothers were said to be on the same motorcycle when they had a fatal collision with a tipper lorry on the Owa-Okei Road, Owa which led to their death on May 24, 2022.

In an interview published by Ika Weekly Newspaper on Tuesday, August 2, Ogheneruona Ojih revealed that his first son was looking forward to studying Engineering, while the second hoped to become a medical doctor before the age of 22. “I had a total of five sons until I lost my first two sons, Precious and Favour Ogheneruona, to death; who had concluded their May/June WAEC examination and just started the NECO examination,” he said.

They have only written Marketing and Physics Practical before the ugly incident that occurred on the 24th, of May 2022.

On that fateful day, they had no examination to write, so they decided to join their mother, my wife, and me on the farm at Otolokpo and by 1 pm, to go back to Agbor for their NECO thumbprinting. It was on their way back, between Owa Ekei and Owa Alero, that a big truck (tipper) crushed them to death. “Their death was a huge loss to us, as my first son was already anticipating studying Engineering, while the second one to become a medical doctor, before the age of twenty-two.

We loved our children so much; they were very obedient and are committed to our well-being of the family, even at their young age. They were working for us because they were envisaging that as they are working for us, we the parents will in turn would use those resources to send them to the University He further added, “The Bible said we should give God thanks in every situation of life, actually, it is better they died that way than becoming a nuisance to society and source of burden to us because the impact of the accident on them was tremendous.”

To the glory of God, despite the fact my late sons died at a young age, they were able to write their names in the sands of time.” The late brothers were students of Igumbor Otiku Secondary School, and according to their father would be greatly missed by the school community as well as St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor, their former parish; Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Abavo and St Dominic Catholic Church, Otolokpo will really miss them. Speaking further, he advised everyone to live in a way that pleases God and humanity, adding that there is no need for people to live their lives as if they are the owner, saying that one day, all will give account to God. “At least when we die people should be able to say one or two good things about us. And parents should know that the devil is after the youths, as such they should raise up their children in the fear of God and not go into fetish activities so that the destiny of the children would not be damaged,” he concluded.

“The numbers used to communicate with them can easily be traced” – Actress, Monalisa Chinda says after two Nollywood colleagues were kidnapped

Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda has revealed that the numbers used to communicate with her kidnapped colleagues can easily be traced. Monalisa, who is the Director of Communications of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), took to Instagram to question the kidnap of actress Cynthia Okereke and actor Clemson Cornel after they didn’t return home from a movie location. The kidnappers have demanded ransom of $100k. Expressing shock over the amount demanded by the kidnappers, Monalisa said she doesn’t understand why anyone would think Nollywood actors have such money. She added that the numbers used to communicate with the actors in captivity can easily be traced.

Recall that Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria, had directed that all SIM cards should be linked to their owners’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) to tackle insecurity in the country. Phone lines not linked to owners’ NIN were barred from making calls earlier this year.

Police arrest two robbers who raped pregnant woman in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two armed robbery suspects who allegedly raped a pregnant woman during one of their operations. Spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 1, 2022. The PPRO said the two suspects, Saviour Gbarale, 24, and Onyedikachi Uhala, 18, of Etche Street in Borikiri, Port Harcourt, were arrested by operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the command. “The suspects specialise in house breaking and have been linked to series of recent armed robberies in the Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs. Investigations also revealed that the suspects raped and sexually abused a pregnant woman in the cause of their nefarious operations.” she stated.

Teenage kidnapper kills boy for forgetting father’s contact.

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a teenager and one other over the kidnap and murder of a 13-year-old boy, Yasir Salisu.The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, in a statement in Minna, said the victim went missing on July 29.Wasiu said the suspects, Nafiu Umar, 18, and Usman Sabiu, 22, confessed to kidnapping the victim to collect ransom from his father.“Usman Sabiu confessed to have conspired with Nafiu Umar and abducted the missing person to the house of Nafiu with the intention of collecting N100,000 from the victim’s father.

Unfortunately, he claimed that the victim could not produce the father’s contact to demand ransom and both suspects were identified by the victim, who are neighbours, hence the victim was strangled and killed by the suspects,” the statement read.The PPRO added that the suspects buried the body in a shallow grave by the riverside.“However, the corpse was exhumed and deposited at the Umar Yar’adua Hospital morgue for an autopsy,” the police spokesman said.

May God Grant You Success In Kidnapping President Buhari, El-Rufai, Garba Shehu; Flog Them Well In The Bush –Islamic Preacher Prays For Terrorists.

Apopular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, should be successful in their mission. Yabo, who said the prayer while reacting to Shehu’s comment on the terrorists’ threat, however, appealed to the kidnappers to release the innocent victims in their custody. He insisted the terrorists are free to kidnap Nigerian top leaders. SaharaReporters earlier reported how terrorists who abducted passengers of a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, in a viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufai and some lawmakers if they did not comply with their demands. But Shehu while reacting to the threat had said that the “terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world.”

In response to Shehu’s statement, the Islamic cleric berated him (Shehu) for simply describing the threat as prograpanda. The cleric accused Shehu of being insensitive to the unfortunate plight of kidnapped victims. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Yabo prayed for Shehu to fall into the hands of the kidnappers, “I pray they kidnap you, Garba Shehu, and demonstrate as propaganda.” “We are praying for you kidnappers. May God grant you success in carrying out your threats to kidnap those people. But please release the innocent people in captivity. “If these were the kind of people you have been abducting all this while, we wouldn’t have bothered ourselves. We would instead pray and bless you because they have become a disaster [to us]. “These are people who promised heaven and earth, and now they have the opportunity but became incompetent. Take them to the bush and flog them, instead of humiliating innocent citizens who are striving to make ends meet.

“And please make good your threats, and we will support you with prayers.”

Soludo’s Wife Visits Hospital, Orphanage To Mark Birthday.

The First Lady of Anambra State, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has visited the hospital and orphanage home in Awka to donate foodstuff and relief materials as part of activities to mark her birthday.

She was accompanied by her husband, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Paschal Agbodike, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo and others.

They paid a visit to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka and Model Community Children’s Home, Ifite-Awka.

CBN won’t devalue naira.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is unlikely to devalue the naira, despite rising demand for the dollar at both official and parallel markets, The Nation has learnt.

A report by Augusto & Co. titled: “2022: The Story So Far & What Lies Ahead”, said the naira, which started this year at N567/$ at the parallel market, now exchanges at N707/$. It is N416.37/$ at the official market.”The report added that the declining value of the local currency “has pushed up the exchange rate premium between the official and parallel markets to N290.63/$.

”The last devaluation of the naira was in May 2021, when the CBN adopted the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Rate (NAFEX), also known as the Investor and Exporter (I&E) forex window rate, as its official exchange rate to the dollar.The report read in part: “We do not expect the CBN to officially devalue the exchange rate despite sustained pressure. At the official market, we expect the naira to hover between N419/$ and N425/$ through the end of 2022.The persistent swings and volatility of the naira exchange rate have worsened in recent time. It began a wild race on July 19, depreciating by 16 per cent to N717/$ on July 28 before appreciating to N707 on July 29.

”The report explained that election-related uncertainty will severely limit capital inflows in the remaining months of 2022, even if domestic interest rates rise further.The Agusto & Co. report noted that long-term inflation is one of the exchange rate stoking factors, adding that the differential between two countries’ long-term inflation rates would be mirrored in the exchange rate depreciation between both nations.In other words, the long-term rate of inflation of the naira compared to that of the US Dollar plays a significant role in what the value of the Naira would be relative to the dollar.This, it predicted, will also impair CBN’s ability to intervene in the foreign exchange market, hence, the reserves level will stabilise at about $41 billion by the end of 2022.Since the Naira has a higher long-term rate of inflation (12 per cent) compared to the US Dollar (two per cent), it is a weaker currency and will depreciate by approximately 10 per cent,” it said.The report enumerated three major mechanisms for exchange rate determination, namely, pegged exchange rate system, floating currency, and a crawling peg.It explained that although each of the options has its own shortcomings, a crawling peg option is more suitable for Nigeria.

As a result, external reserves accretion, which has been ostensibly triggered by the CBN’s interest rate hike, is expected to be constrained.An Economist and Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, said the naira surprised speculators and market watchers by appreciating by 1.5 per cent from N718/$ to N707/$ on Friday.“Most analysts were fearing that an N1000/$ was within shouting distance. As unpalatable as N707/$ may sound, some Nigerians are breathing a sigh of relief. The reason for this respite is mainly because of a naira crunch,” he explained.

He said there is temporary resistance at N718/$ and a market correction which means the naira may appreciate N695/$ before falling again.These are technical movements which do not address the fundamental weaknesses in the Nigerian forex market and the short supply of dollars from the CBN and exporters. That means, there is a limit to how much naira is available in the system,” Rewane said.

Umahi emerges Ebonyi south senatorial candidate.

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on Sunday, defeated his immediate younger brother, Chief Austin Umahi, and three others to emerge the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the rescheduled senatorial primary election for Ebonyi South.Umahi scored 250 votes to defeat his closest rival, Austin, who scored 10 votes to come second.Other contestants who stood for the primary, according to the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Prof. Emmanuel Adebayo, included Ann Ago-Eze, who he said got no vote; Nwakaego Chukwu, who scored five votes; and Mrs Ibiam Margaret, who got three votes.However, our correspondent observed that Agom-Eze did not participate in the primary.

Announcing the result of the election, which took place at the Afikpo North Local Council headquarters on Sunday, Adebayo declared Umahi the winner of the election.He said, “I, Prof. Adebayo, by the powers bestowed on me by the National Working Committee of the party, declare as follows: total number of voters, 285, accredited votes, 270 votes; votes cast, 275; number of valid votes, 268; while invalid votes is seven votes.

“I do hereby declare that Mr David Umahi, having scored the highest votes, is hereby the winner of the primary election for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.”

In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the electoral committee for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the primary.He also commended the delegates for the confidence reposed in him, assuring them that the APC would emerge victorious at the forthcoming general elections in the state come 2023.

APC Senator backs call to impeach President Buhari over insecurity.

A serving senator of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Elisha Abbo, has allegedly backed the move by the PDP Senators to impeach President Buhari over the alarming rate of insecurity across the country.

According to Channels, Senator Abbo in an interview with its TV station, said he is in full support of the impeachment move against the President. He stated that the Nigerian leader has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people.

Recently, there are reports of renewed attacks by terrorists and other armed non-state actors at various locations in the country, with security operatives being killed in some cases.

On Wednesday, July 27, PDP Senators staged a walkout following a call to impeach President Buhari.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Philip Aduda, had raised a point of order asking the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to discuss the country’s security situation and President Buhari’s impeachment. But the Senate President who presided over the plenary declined the request of the minority leader, saying the point of order raised fell flat on its face.

Angered by the action of the Senate President, all the lawmakers elected on the platforms of all political parties other than the All Progressives Congress (APC) walked out of the legislative chamber while the plenary was ongoing.

They later handed a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country, saying they would commence impeachment proceedings against him should he fail to address the issue within the period.

Don’t vote Muslim-Muslim ticket – Northern APC Christians.

Northern Christian leaders in the All Progressives Congress on Friday called on Nigerians not to vote for any ticket that was not mixed between Christians and Muslims during the 2023 elections.

According to them, since the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency was divisive, it must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.

They bared their minds during the APC Northern Christian Leaders Summit, with a declaration that the insinuation that Northern Muslims would not support a Christian running made was untrue and divisive.

Among the leaders who spoke during the event were a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung; Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North) and several other Christian leaders in Northern Nigeria.

Lawal, who was also the chairman of the occasion, said colleagues within and outside the APC expressed shock over their reaction to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 general election, saying it was a grand conspiracy against the Northern Christians.

The former SGF said, “Our opposition has some historical basis. There were times in the past when Christians produced the Deputy Governors in Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna states. Now, it is wholly Muslim-Muslim tickets.

“It is worth noting that all these are happening in the APC-controlled states. They are threatening to do likewise in Gombe, Kogi and Adamawa states.

“It is also now a recurring practice in the North whereby any Christian traditional ruler that dies is replaced with a Muslim Prince, albeit from the ruling family even if the most qualified and preferred prince is a Christian. The recent case of Billiri Chiefdom in Gombe State is still fresh in our minds.

“Proof of its anti-Christian agenda is that our party itself has completely eliminated Northern Christians from its NWC (National Working Committee) and NEC (National Executive Committee). All our protestations as party members have been completely ignored by the party leadership.

“But as members of the APC, we have the right to continue to express our indignation at these happenings and will not give up until we secure the justice that is due us.

“The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP are balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.

“We see this ticket as an assent to the current and continuing educational, economic and political marginalisation of the Northern Nigerian Christians.

“Christians all over the country see this MM ticket as a deliberate and premeditated attempt to introduce and firmly entrench religion into the politics of this country. This, of course, will lead to further disharmony in the hitherto fragile coexistence of the Nigerian society, disrupt peace and hamper both social and economic development of the country.

“Christians, and indeed most enlightened Nigerians are at a loss as to why people that intend to govern a country with our kind of diversity would choose this path to power. This is very divisive and must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.

“Implied in this ticket is the insinuation that Northern Muslims are not willing to vote for a ticket that has a Christian on it and on which they are not represented. It is our belief that northern Muslims would have seen the justice in a Muslim-Christian ticket and would have given it their overwhelming support had the party been inclined to do so.

“A corollary to this mindset is that Christians should also not vote for a ticket in which they are not accommodated. Unfortunately, this is the message we get loud and clear from this MM ticket. This is truly a wake-up call for all Nigerian Christians. We didn’t start this religious politics, the APC and its candidates did; so, all of us should take note and act as appropriate.”

While advising his APC colleagues to spare them the sanctimonious lectures on “competence” and the cliché “religion of the candidates does not matter”, Lawal added that, “The truth is that the 2023 presidential election will be all about religion, and sadly, you started it; religion does matter in this context; so be ready for the consequences”.

Lawal said, “It is important to reiterate that we Nigerian Christians want to live in peace and harmony with all practitioners of other religions. We want to enjoy social and economic developments like other parts of the world but without peace, justice and religious harmony, this is not possible.

“On our part, we neither seek to oppress nor dominate anyone or any religion. But we will also resist anyone trying to discriminate against us and our religion. We were not the ones that started this fight. The APC started it and must be ready to carry the cross it has created. Blaming Christians and heaping insults on CAN will take them nowhere.

“For, how do they expect Christians to keep silent when a northern state governor publicly states that they pressured (Bola) Tinubu to get a northern Muslim VP because they did not believe him to be a good Muslim? Is the VP going to be the National Deputy Imam? How do they expect us to keep silent when another northern state governor goes to Osun State and urges them to vote for someone just because he is a Muslim? Was he there for the election campaign or “dawah”? What can be a better example of religion in politics than demonstrated by these governors?

“Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously, and economically suppress and oppress the Northern Christian. But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.

“But while we are ready to battle this politics of exclusion and oppression, we are open to discussions with any one who wants to engage with us in good faith.”

Dogara, on his part, said with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, Nigeria was going the way of the Nazi Germany.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who said the APC wanted to disintegrate Nigeria like USSR and Yugoslavia, added that the party looked like a “janjaweed” party.

According to him, Nigeria of 2022 is not the Nigeria of 1993 adding that the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made a fatal error of judgment.

Dogara also supported the position of other Christian leaders on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, with a call on Christians to seek for an alternative platform in the 2023 elections.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Truth must be told that anyone who is not bringing us together is consciously tearing us apart”, Dogara added.

Senator Abbo said no Northerner would fight his brother because he is a Muslim, adding that they were fighting injustice.

He called on Nigerians to reject every divisive tendency of individuals to divide the people.

Peter Obi group seeks voter registration deadline extension.

The Peter Obi Support Network on Friday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise until at least, November 2022.

The POSN said that it might “be left with no other option than to seek redress in court since all entreaties to INEC to continue the CVR have fallen on deaf ears.”

The POSN Director (Legal/Election Monitoring), Modupe Olufemi-Akodu, issued the threat in a statement in Abuja.

She said, “We have made several appeals to INEC to stick to the Electoral Law which stipulates that voter registration should stop 90 days before the general elections. But all our entreaties seem to have fallen on deaf ears as INEC is going ahead with its plans to suspend the exercise on July 31.

“This is suspected to be a trick to disenfranchise millions of young potential voters who have not been able to register or transfer their cards within this period.”

Olufemi-Akodu raised the alarm that INEC’s action amounts to voter suppression, which it hopes will favour a particular political party against the other.

Atiku lied during interview, says Wike.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, allegedly made false statements during his recent interview on Arise TV.

This is as he also confirmed that contrary to reports, the former Vice president was yet to begin a reconciliation move despite claims on pages of newspapers that a committee had been set up to meet with him.

Wike stated this while briefing journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“He (Atiku) appeared on Arise Television, see the statement he made. So many lies were told and you said I should not react to some of those issues. That would not be fair,” Wike claimed.

Katsina REC blames low voters registration on insecurity and network suspension.

Alhaji Jibril Zarewa, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, Katsina, has blamed the low number of registered voters in Katsina State on the suspension of telecommunications services in 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) due to insecurity.

Addressing journalists at the state’s INEC office, Zarewa disclosed that the decision to shutdown telecommunication services was part of moves by security operatives to clampdown on bandits in the state following the incessant attacks recorded in the area.

He said; 

“Like some other sister states, Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, and sokoto, we (Katsina) had our own share of security challenges, particularly, in the frontline LGAs and some more.

“The state government at a time found it necessary to suspend telecommunication network. Therefore we had to suspend voters registration for the duration of that suspension.

“That’s why we suspended the registration of voters in those 17 LGAs out of 34, which means at a time, we were not doing registration for half of the state, made up of the Local Governments of Jibia, Batsari, Kurfi, Dutsinma, Danmusa, Safana, Matazu, Musawa Kafur Malumfashi, Danja, Bakori, Sabuwa, Funtua, Dandume, Faskari and Kankara. These mentioned areas are in the outskirts of Rugu forest where most of the bandits are alleged to be hiding.

“That was why at a time, we were moving with states that has lesser population or lesser number of registered voters. Because if you check, Katsina State is number 4 by population in Nigeria; after Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, then is Katsina. It was also number 4 for voters registration after Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina.

“Then later another reason, people were rarely coming out after the suspension was lifted.”

Zarewa however noted that the state has been witnessing a surge in PVC registration lately. 

He added; 

“I want to say and put on record that the Katsina Emirate Council last week did something very robustly, by engaging the relevant stakeholders and putting more impetus with district and village ward heads to go round and mobilize people to come out for registration.

“As a result, from Friday last week and even this week, we have seen the jump over what we use to experience in the past. We have seen a lot of people turning out for the registration.

“If you look at the review of the records of registration done within the week, you can see that Katsina is now number 23 in registration. So we believe that we will do better these few days that remains before closing.”

Delta: Ijaw communities protest schoolteachers’ shortage

The Ijaw communities in Delta State have protested the shortage of teachers in their community schools, calling on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to as a matter of urgency absorb community teachers.

The protesters who carried placards of different inscriptions barricaded the Government House’s gate and urged the government to incorporate the community teachers into the state workforce

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the President of Ijaw Elite Forum, Mr  Ganagana Francis, stated that the reason for the peaceful demonstration was to set the educational standards in riverine communities.

Ganagana decried the dearth of teaching staff in riverine communities, saying that in most schools in urban areas there were over 130 teachers in a school but only a principal and a teacher could be seen in riverine areas.

He called on the government to employ the community teachers that were being paid by the PTA in order to improve the standard of education in the areas.

Other representatives of the various concerned riverine communities who spoke at the protest said many schools in the riverine areas do not have more than two or three teachers who were employed by the state government.

The representatives include; chairman of Tamigbe community, Mr. Stephen Akameyai; the chairman of Esanma community in the Bomadi Local Government Area, Barr. Theophilus Omoro and their counterpart in charge of Bulu-Elebiri community, Patani LGA, Derek Edih.

“We are calling on the state government to consider our community teachers and ensure they are incorporated into the state workforce.

“For the state government to impact positively on the children of riverine communities in the area of driving its educational policy, government needed to employ the community teachers, since they understood the terrain much better,” the representatives said.

Addressing the protesters, the state Chairman of Post-Primary Education Board, Mrs. Christiana Etaluku, said she had already informed the State Governor on the importance of considering community teachers in the recruitment exercise.

She assured the community that the board would intensify monitoring of teachers in riverine areas as part of strategy to ensure that teachers in the areas took their job seriously.

Ebonyi debunks alleged killing of woman by herdsmen.

Ebonyi State Government, on Thursday, debunked allegations on social media that herdsmen were involved in the killing of a young lady in the Onicha Local Government Area of the state.

The body of the young lady, said to hail from Amaporo village, was found along a bush path between Agbebor, Isu and Onicha-Igboeze communities on Wednesday.

The situation caused tension in the area as the youths raised a search party to hunt for the killers.

However, their efforts were not successful as the killers were said to have allegedly escaped.

Pictures of the slain lady soon flooded the social media with unconfirmed allegations that herdsmen were responsible for the attacks.

In the pictures, the victim could be seen lying lifeless on a pile of firewood with her throat slit.

However, the state government in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji said there was no evidence so far to link the murder to herdsmen adding that there were no herdsmen residing in the area.

He said the victim was believed to have been attacked by criminal elements in the area while she was returning from a neighbouring village.

Orji said, “Our attention has been drawn to a trending social media post over a young girl found dead in a village in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and the impressions created over the circumstances of her death.

“While the state government condemns the ugly incident as unacceptable brutal murder of an innocent citizen by heartless criminals, it is imperative to note that contrary to the claims circulating in social media that Fulani herders were responsible for her gruesome murder, the community has not seen anything linking her death with the Fulani herdsmen, moreso there is no herders’ camp in the area”

“The unfortunate incident is the handiwork of yet-to-be-identified criminals who attacked and killed the deceased on her way, through a track road, back from where she went to process cassava at Agbegbor village in Isu community, Onicha Local Government Area.

“The community together with the security agencies has declared manhunt on the perpetrators. The State Government sends its condolences to the victim’s family and assures them that government will not leave any stone unturned in unmasking the killers of the young girl,” the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi Command of the Nigeria Police Force, on Thursday, confirmed the incident.

According to the Command’s spokesperson, SP Chris Anyanwu, the lady’s underwear was missing raising suspicion by the villagers that she was raped before being killed.

“We have commenced investigation into the incident. People are alleging that she was raped because they couldn’t find her underwear”

“But only a forensic analysis can reveal if anything like that happened,” he said.

Tinubu’s youth group congratulates new CAN President.

A political group, Tinubu Youth Disciples, has commended the emergence of Most Rev. Daniel Okoh as the new President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The National Coordinator of TYD, Prince Koyoyo Uhrorho, said this in a congratulatory message issued and addressed to the new CAN President on Thursday in Abuja.

“We the Tinubu Youth Disciples are delighted to hear the news of your emergence as the new chairman of the highest Christian body in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria.

“We are confident of your capability to steer the wheels of the great Christian body and lead the entire Christiandom as the Lord Jesus Christ admonish.

“We pray that the Almighty God gives you the grace and the enablement to discharge your new assignment,’’ Uhrorho said.

It would be recalled that the association’s General Secretary, Mr Joseph Daramola, announced the emergence of Most Rev. Okoh as the new CAN President in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

Okoh is the General Superintendent of Christ Holy Church, also known as Nation Builders (Odozi-Obodo).

CAN is made up of five blocs: Christian Council of Nigeria, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria and Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.

Others are Organisation of African Instituted Churches, TEKAN and ECWA Fellowship.

NAN

Tinubu is my In-law. He’s 86 and not qualified to become president – Veteran Singer, Tee Mac.

Renowned flutist Tee Mac has garnered attention on Facebook by sharing his thought on the Presidential Candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, a former President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), said he and Remi Tinubu are cousins and this makes her husband Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu his in-law but he stopped supporting Tinubu and stopped visiting the family.

He made this known while responding to a Facebook user, Yemi Olakitan, who declared his support for the APC Presidential flag bearer.

Tee Mac also said that Tinubu is 86 years old and not 70.

He wrote: “Dear Yemi. Any body can choose any candidate, but an intelligent person will ask himself the question: do I choose rightly! Is the man qualified! Is he honest! Does he tell us the truth about his age, background and how he made his money! Is this man healthy enough at 86 to take up the task of a totally run down country?

“You see Tinubu is my in-law. His wife Remi is my cousin. Her Itsekiri mother and my Itsekiri mother are sisters. I have know Tinubu since the mid 80s personally and even arranged for him to stay in my stepfather’s house ( Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony) in London when he went into exile.

“I stopped supporting him and stop family visits etc when he sold that Buhari to the nation in 2015. My advise to the nation is that this man is absolutely not qualified to become our next president. Respectfully Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli.”

Governor Umahi’s brother declines approval of his appointment by President Buhari as RMAFC Secretary.

Augustine Umahi, younger brother of Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has declined his appointment as the secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Augustine declined the appointment just after President Buhari approved the appointment alongside two others on Wednesday July 27. 

Mr Umahi was appointed to serve as the secretary of RMAFC for an initial term of four years with effect from July 6.

Conveying his decision to decline the appointment in a statement on Thursday July 28, Augustine said; 

“I am honestly humbled by this show of love but regret to inform you that I declined the appointment.

“This is because it is best for job seekers, retired civil servants or anyone who loves the job.

“I am also convinced that at my age and work experience, it is not in doubt that I know what I want in life.

“Anyone interested in the position should not hesitate to approach our indefatigable governor to do the needful. This is because to my knowledge, the position is still vacant.”

N109bn fraud: Court grants suspended Accountant-General Ahmed Idris bail.

Former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris has been granted bail by an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama on Thursday July 28. 

Idris Ahmed and his co-defendants were granted bail upon terms and condition given by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Delivering ruling, Justice Adeyemi Ajayi ordered that the defendants shall not leave the Federal Capital Territory, and should they want to, they would have to seek clearance from the court or have their bail revoked.

The defendants will also sign an undertaking that they will abide by the bail conditions by the EFCC.

The defendants should not have and shall not procure alternate passports until the case is done with, having deposited their original passports to the commission.

Ajayi added; 

“In line with the due process and supremacy of the law, the defendants are still entitled to bail, irrespective of the enormity of the allegations against them.

“The EFCC did not in any of its processes, stated that the defendants misbehaved while on administrative bail.”

Trial commenced immediately after the ruling on bail application.

This is coming barely a week after the court remanded the former AGF in prison. The court had last week Friday ordered that Idris and his co-defendants be kept in Kuje Correctional facility pending the hearing of their bail applications.

Other defendants are Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Ltd.

The defendants are being prosecuted on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109, 485,572,691.9.

Impeachment of Buhari is belated – Shehu Sani

Senator Shehu Sani has stated that the impeachment of President Muhammad Buhari is long overdue .


Sani made the statement after opposition lawmakers on Wednesday, July 27, stated that they would commence impeachment proceedings against Buhari over the declining security in the country.

 â€śimpeachment of the President is belated, it should have started months ago, NASS has the constitutional right to summon the President” Sani told Arise TV


He said that the opposition “may not be able to get required number to impeach Buhari, because members of the ruling party are hiding their faces from such actions.”


“The opposition is on a moral high ground. Nigerians may see them as their voice and representative of the plights of the Nigerian people.” He added 

Sani then added that security challenges are not about money as INEC and defence agencies are well-funded.


 “in the last 7 years, over N4.2 trillion was appropriated and funded, but this has not translated to security”, adding “It is clear to us that either the funding has not been used for the purchase of hardwares or we are buying the wrong hardware for the situation on the ground.” he said

 â€śThis protest should continue and we believe if the govt is sensitive to the yearnings of Nigerians, it should solve this issue.”


 â€śTheir protest is a struggle to save public education, to save the future of Nigeria and to save the futures of the youth who cannot afford private universities or to go abroad.”

 â€śWe have a budget of N16 trillion, if the government can fund subsidy with N7 trillion, they can allocate more of the budget for education.”

 â€śASUU have articulated their demands to reactivate and upgrade Nigeria’s university system; refusing to address these issues will come with a lot of repercussions for the whole country.”