Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has reiterated the troops’ commitment to securing Zamfara State, vowing that notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, would soon be eliminated. Oluyede said this in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital while briefing journalists at the Headquarters of Operation Fansan Yamma. He said the wanted terrorist has been on the run and should keep running. “Bello Turji is on the run as we speak and for everywhere he goes, we follow him there. Let him keep running, it is just a matter of time, he would be removed from the space,” the army…

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun State has announced its withdrawal from the local government elections scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2025. The decision was communicated in a letter signed by the Osun APC Secretary, Alao Olabisi Kamoru, and addressed to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, on Wednesday. The APC cited the recent Appeal Court judgment in Akure as the basis for its withdrawal, stating that the ruling had rendered the planned election unnecessary and unlawful. The letter referenced Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022, which reinstated previously elected local government officials. The letter reads: “Recall that the judgment of…

Nigeria may face a tanker shortage as the Federal Government on Wednesday disclosed plans to ban 60,000- and 45,000-litre capacity trucks. While most tankers hauling petroleum products across the country are around 45,000 litres, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said such capacity would be outlawed. Coming amidst rising tanker accidents that have been fueling deaths and the destruction of properties, NMDPRA issued an immediate ban on petroleum products tankers with a 60,000-litre capacity. In the absence of pipelines, Nigeria relies on tankers to haul petroleum products across the country, a development that has remained a menace…

All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the November 8 Anambra State governorship, Prof. Obiora Okonwko, has said he is on a rescue mission to salvage the state from being plunged further into the abyss. He spoke yesterday at the APC Secretariat in Abuja after collecting the N50 million nomination and expression of interest forms. The forms were bought for him by a group under the aegis of Anambra Coalition for Progressive Change. The Chairman of the United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited declared himself as a frontline runner in the off-season poll. “I am from Anambra Central, the votes are domiciled…

US airline Delta will offer $30,000 to each passenger on a plane that crashed as it landed at Toronto airport this week, the carrier told AFP on Wednesday. “This gesture has no strings attached and does not affect the rights” of passengers, a company spokesman said. On Monday, a Delta Air Lines plane that departed from the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, hit the runway hard at Toronto’s main airport and flipped upside down. A fireball and thick plumes of black smoke engulfed the plane as it skidded to a halt on its roof but none of the 80 people…

The Member Representing Ezza South and Ikwo Federal Constituency bof Ebonyi State at the House of Representatives, Hon Chinedu Ogah has lampooned Abia State Media over alleged misleading narrative concerning the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, regarding the 2024 national budget’s alleged neglect of the South East. The Ebonyi State Federal Lawmaker in a statement by his media office, clarified that the issue of the South East’s allocation in the 2024 budget, which he raised, is already being addressed at the highest levels of government. “The role of the media, particularly bloggers and journalists,…

Veteran actor Dele Odule has addressed the false rumors circulating on social media about his death and alleged arrest.  In a video shared on Instagram, Odule expressed disappointment and frustration with the baseless stories. He specifically called out a blogger for sharing a photo of him with the caption “RIP” Odule assured fans he’s alive and well. “There’s nothing wrong with me, I am very much alive. I don’t understand why someone would wish me dead. This is barbaric, uncalled for, and not fair,” he said. He also addressed another false report that claimed he was arrested for child molestation…

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has pledged to fully implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on the End Bad Governance protest held on August 1, 2024. This is amid revelation by the commission that 10 people lost their lives, while properties worth N11 billion were destroyed during the protest. Receiving the report from the commission’s chairman, Justice Lawan Wada (rtd), during the 25th Kano State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, the governor also announced that a white paper would be issued, identifying those responsible for sponsoring and perpetrating the violent protest. A statement released…

The Netherlands is set to return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, following a request from the Nigerian government, a statement from the country’s embassy said on Tuesday. The transfer agreements were signed on Tuesday by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science and the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). According to the statement, the objects are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year, with the restitution underscoring the strong partnership between the Netherlands and Nigeria. The signing ceremony took place at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, the Netherlands, where the Benin Bronzes were…

Two suspected killers of Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra House of Assembly, have escaped from police custody in the state. The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday night. Recall that gunmen, on 24 December 2024, abducted Mr Azuka, a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly. A joint security team, on 6 February, found the lawmaker’s decomposing body at Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State. The police in the state later confirmed that nine suspected killers of the lawmaker had been arrested. But Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of…