Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
The Rivers State House of Assembly has disclosed plans to ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Adolphus Enebeli. This decision was made during the 134th legislative sitting, on Wednesday, with the lawmakers stating that the probe would focus on the commission’s financial activities over the past year. Assembly said this move was “to ensure transparency and accountability in public institutions”. This followed the warrant of arrest issued against the RSIEC chairman and four senior officials of the…
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, for Friday, March 21. This decision was confirmed on Wednesday after the case file was transferred to Justice Omotosho following a reassignment. Kanu is facing a seven-count terrorism charge brought against him by the Federal Government. Justice Omotosho was assigned the case after Justice Binta Nyako, the previous judge presiding over the matter, recused herself. Justice Nyako’s recusal on September 24, 2024, followed allegations of bias raised by Kanu and his legal team, who requested…
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was on Wednesday denied access to the official quarters of the state House of Assembly along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, where lawmakers loyal to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, have been holding their sittings. Fubara, who arrived at the complex in the company of top government officials, including the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, and his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, met a locked gate, effectively preventing his entry. Speaking to journalists at the scene, the governor accused Speaker Martin Amaewhule of deliberately avoiding him, stating that several calls placed to the lawmaker…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of five nominees as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, President Tinubu stated that the nominations were in line with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the president to appoint electoral commissioners subject to Senate approval. The five nominees are: Umar Yusuf Garba – Kano; Saad Umar – Bauchi; Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako – Anambra; Mohammad I. Ngoshe – Borno and Dr. Owede Kosioma Eli – Bayelsa. In…
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday extended his condolences to the family, friends, and associates of a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dubem Onyia, who died on Monday at 73. Tinubu conveyed his condolences through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, titled ‘President Tinubu mourns former Foreign Affairs Minister Dubem Onyia.’ Tinubu described Onyia as a brilliant administrator, accountant and respected political leader. The deceased hailed from Enugu State in the South-east. Apart from being a Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, he served as chairman of the International Technical Commission for…
The Federal High Court has dismissed reports that the newly assigned judge in the case of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has stepped down. The FHC, in a statement signed by the Chief Registrar, Sulaiman Hassan, on Tuesday described the report as “false and misleading.” A publication circulating on social media had claimed that Justice John Tsoho, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, was the new judge in Kanu’s case and had withdrawn, citing the illegality of his arrest. However, in the statement, the chief registrar said the claim was “entirely unfounded,…
The Nigerian House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to ensure the blocking of all pornographic sites in the country. The House wants the Commission to compel on all internet service providers to block all such contents with immediate effect. An All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmaker from Katsina State, Dalhatu Tafoki, sponsored the motion. Moving the motion leading to the passing of the resolution, Tafoki argued that cyber pornography was becoming a global problem, adding that Nigeria had not taken adequate steps to address it. According to him, Nigeria is a “highly religious country” where major faiths…
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has dismissed claims that he banned evangelism in the state, clarifying that his focus was strictly on curbing noise pollution, which is already prohibited under an existing public health law. Soludo faced criticism after a viral video showed him confronting an unidentified street preacher in a market on Saturday. In the footage, the governor ordered the preacher to stop causing a disturbance, reminding him of the law against noise pollution. He advised him to take his preaching to a church or a designated space, warning that violators risked a fine of ₦500,000. His action…
Operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 28 suspected ponzi scheme operators in Minna, Niger State. In a statement on X.com on Tuesday, EFCC disclosed that the suspects were apprehended after credible intelligence linked them to fraudulent investment activities with a company, Q-Net Ltd, which operates from a three bedroom apartment in Al-Bishiri Estate, Minna. The statement partly read, “Victims were lured to believe that the company was international with affiliates in Dubai, India, Indonesia and Thailand and made to part with between $790 to $850, amounting to N1,462,000 as registration fee…
American comedian and actor Druski has responded after he was dragged into a sexual assault lawsuit against embattled music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. A woman named Ashley Parham accused Druski and others of sexually abusing her amid her ongoing legal battle with Diddy. Speaking in the 87-page document, the plaintiff says Druski was instructed by Diddy to assault her while he watched the whole thing. Part of the document reads, “Instead of immediately r*ping Plaintiff, Defendant Druski doused Plaintiff with more oil/lubricant and then jumped on top of Plaintiff’s naked and oiled body treating it like a slip and slide…