Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

In a surprising twist of events, the Dangote Group says it will withdraw its ₦100bn suit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for granting import licenses to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, AA Rano Limited, and four other companies despite local production of petroleum products. The Dangote Group, in a statement late Monday, said the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 6, 2024, was “an old issue” and that events have overtaken the suit. A spokesman for the group, Anthony Chiejina, said the parties involved…

The Nigerian Army has dismissed media reports suggesting that there is a leadership vacuum following the absence of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja. It also issued a warning to those calling for a military coup, describing it as a treasonable offence under the law. The clarification comes in a statement signed by the Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau on Monday, after a viral video where some persons were aggrievedly calling for a military takeover surfaced online. It also clarified that there was never an appointment of an acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to…

Security agencies in Abia State are on high alert, beefing up their presence in major cities and suburban areas ahead of the two-day sit-at-home order called by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). To boost public confidence, the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) conducted a confidence patrol exercise in Aba, involving various units of the NPF. This move aims to prevent any potential disruptions and ensure peace during the sit-at-home period. Sources within the Aba Area Command of the Nigerian Police Force disclosed that an exercise was conducted along major roads and identified trouble spots. This…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over N200bn and made about 3,000 convictions in one year under the leadership of Ola Olukoyede. President Bola Tinubu appointed Olukoyede as the chairman of the anti-graft agency in October 2023. Since then, the spokesman of the EFCC Wilson Uwujaren said the commission has recorded successes in the fight against corruption in the country. “In terms of recoveries and convictions which are usually the attention of the media, he has also done a lot in terms of one year,” Uwujaren said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show The Morning…

Security agencies in Abia State are on high alert, beefing up their presence in major cities and suburban areas ahead of the two-day sit-at-home order called by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). To boost public confidence, the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) conducted a confidence patrol exercise in Aba, involving various units of the NPF. This move aims to prevent any potential disruptions and ensure peace during the sit-at-home period. Sources within the Aba Area Command of the Nigerian Police Force disclosed that an exercise was conducted along major roads and identified trouble spots. This…

Victor Boniface, the Nigerian Super Eagles striker, is lucky to have escaped a serious car accident in Germany with only minor injuries. The 23-year-old Bayer Leverkusen player was involved in a crash on Sunday, just hours after helping his team secure a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. According to Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface sustained only two minor injuries to his hand, and is otherwise fine. This is a huge relief, considering the severity of the accident, which left his car badly damaged. Boniface had shared footage and photos of the smashed vehicle on social media, showing his hand…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has sounded the alarm on Nigeria’s growing number of out-of-school children, citing it as a significant security threat to the nation’s future. He warned that the staggering 20 million children not in school are vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups like Boko Haram and bandits in the next decade or so. Obasanjo made these remarks in Bauchi during the commissioning of projects undertaken by Governor Bala Mohammed. “Let me emphasise what we want to do, human capacity building, education and human capacity building very important. World Bank says we have over 20 million children who should…

The transmission company blamed aged infrastructure as old as 50 years for the frequent grid collapses in the country. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has promised a backup or buffer system to ensure that Nigerians won’t be thrown into blackout whenever the national grid collapses. TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, stated this Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme. He blamed aged infrastructure as old as 50 years for the frequent grid collapses in the country. Abdulaziz said, “Presently, we are doing the scatter system for the whole network and it is funded by the World Bank, and the project will…

The Nigerian Army has clarified that there’s no leadership vacuum despite the absence of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja. According to Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, Lagbaja is on official leave, and Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, the Chief of Policy and Plans, has taken over as acting COAS. Nwachukwu, a major general, emphasised that Lagbaja’s absence is not affecting the operations of the service. “There have even been insinuations that there is a leadership vacuum, with officers confused about what to do. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said on Saturday. “To be very clear, the…

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP has said it would not embark on protests against the November 2 Local Government election or institute any legal actions against the Chairman of Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, ABSIEC, Professor George Chima. The Action Alliance, AA and the Allied People’s Movement, APM had recently called for the removal of ABSIEC Chairman Professor George Chima, a boycott of the elections and also called for a peaceful protest as well as a threat to stop the local government election through legal actions. The aggrieved parties based their reasons on alleged high administration fees charged…