News & Announcements

Justice is currently being demanded by the family of Kabirat Sobola, 22, a former student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta who was allegedly stabbed to death in the capital of Ogun State.

The victim, a National Diploma holder, was allegedly murdered on Friday, February 4, 2023, in Abeokuta.

As police started their investigations into the murder, it was learned that the act had plunged the entire family into mourning.

A family member who went by the name Mrs. Sobola said that the police had not taken sufficient action in this case.

She stated that the family did not believe the boyfriend of the deceased, who is now being held in custody due to the case, should be charged.

According to Sobola, “Kabirat was found dead on her bed with a knife beside her, having a deep cut on her neck and her chest.

“Her phone was missing; the police have neglected these parts without mentioning them in their report.

“When she was declared missing for days, her boyfriend went to make a complaint at the police station on Friday, March 3

“According to the DPO, the boyfriend met him at the counter, saying he was looking for his girlfriend, the DPO suspected him because it was not up to 24 hours.

“He asked him (boyfriend) when last he saw her, and he replied that he still talked with her around 10am on Friday, then, the police said it was just around 1pm, and he was reporting the incident.

“So the DPO detained him. The following day, the parents were also called because everyone had tried calling her but her phone wasn’t reachable.”

According to Sobola, they all proceeded to the girl’s house where they discovered her room was closed even though the police tracker indicated the girl’s phone was there.

She stressed, “When they opened the door, they saw a key on the ground, and they entered and saw the girl’s corpse lying on the bed and a knife was placed beside her.

“She had a deep cut on her neck, and on her left chest, her phone was missing. The police didn’t bother looking for it.

“From their findings about the guy, there is nothing that indicts the guy. They didn’t talk about the phone, knife, or anything.

“The guy is presently at Oba Prison and there would be another proceeding on April 27.

“We want justice for the girl, justice must be done.”

SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state police public relations officer, confirmed the occurrence.

Oyeyemi, however, said that the command’s Murder Branch has taken charge of the situation.

He stated, “What happened is that a boy came to report in Ibara Police Station that he can’t find his girlfriend at home for the past two days, the DPO in Ibara asked him if he was the girl’s parent and he replied that no, then the DPO asked him how he knew that they can’t find her. Then the DPO said they should detain him till the girl’s parents come to the station because it is the parent that has the right to report their daughter missing.

“They detained him and sent for the parents of the girl, when they arrived, they said they don’t know what happened to the girl and they all left with the boy and went to the residence of the girl, on getting to where the girl lived they got to know that the girl had died inside her room.

“From the investigation conducted, it was discovered that it was the boy that killed the girl, it seems they had fought before so, it seems he went to the girl’s house and killed her and he was arrested by the police and the case was transferred to the Homicide Section.”

According to Vadym Huttsait, Ukraine’s minister of sports, 262 Ukrainian athletes have died and 363 sports facilities have been destroyed since Russia invaded and launched the country’s war.

This was disclosed by Huttsait during a Saturday discussion with Morinari Watanabe, the visiting president of the International Federation of Gymnastics.

Huttsait, who bemoaned the harm caused by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, reportedly stated that no athletes from that country should be permitted to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events.

“They all support this war and attend events held in support of this war,” Huttsait said, according to a transcript on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s website.

Russian and Belarusian athletes should progressively return to international competition as neutrals, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Although it has not yet made a decision regarding their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ukraine has stated that its athletes will not be released to compete in 2024 Games qualifying events if they must compete against Russians.

While no international or continental organization has confirmed the number of Ukrainian athletes who have died, according to Reuters, the IOC criticized the war-torn nation’s decision to forbid its athletes from competing in games against Russians.

Following Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a number of Ukrainian national-level athletes have voluntarily enlisted in the military to protect their nation.

Dmytro Sharpar, a figure skater, who died in battle near Bakhmut, and Volodymyr Androshchuk, a 22-year-old decathlon champion and prospective Olympian, were among those murdered this year alone.

The Taraba State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a complete, all-encompassing, and indefinite strike action.

This comes after the state branch of ASUU was given authorization to go on strike by the national organization to enforce its demands, while the state government refuted charges that it owed workers’ salaries.

The union claims that the reason for their action, which resulted from a congress meeting, is based on the government’s inability to pay earned academic allowances, promotion arrears, the partial payment of staff salary, as well as the unresolved staff pension and gratuity system.

The failure to implement agreements and the institution’s perimeter fencing are some of the other grounds for the industrial action, according to Mr. Samuel Shitaa, the ASUU Chairman of Taraba State University.

In response to the strike, the state administration stated in a telephone interview with Commissioner for Tertiary Education Edward Baraya that the union had not informed the state government of their action.

He questioned why ASUU would make such a choice when the current administration is making every effort to resolve the problems before it leaves office.

Bala Dan-Abu, the special assistant to the governor on media and publicity, also responded by stating in a news release that the departing governor owes no employee pay.

Statement partly read, “The outgoing administration of his excellency, arc Darius Dickson Ishaku, executive governor of Taraba state, is not owing any group of workers in the state monthly salaries and, therefore, will not be leaving behind any burden arising from unpaid emoluments for the in-coming administration.

Anthony Joshua, a boxer born in Nigeria who beat Jermaine Franklin, was praised for his tenacity and effort by the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who also congratulated Joshua on his victory.

The nation was proud of the boxer, Tinubu claimed in a tweet on Sunday.

“Congratulations Champ! @AnthonyJoshua. Determination and perseverance always pay off. Nigeria is proud of you!” the President-elect wrote in the tweet.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), is said to have praised Joshua and praised the talented fighter for defeating Franklin.

Buhari praised the boxer’s tenacity in a statement released late on Saturday by Femi Adesina, Special Assistant to the President for Media and Publicity.

He praised Joshua for his bravery and self-control both inside and outside the ring, and he hoped that his achievement would pave the way for one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history.

Joshua, a former heavyweight world champion, defeated Franklin by unanimous decision on Saturday night at the 02 Arena in London to resume his winning ways.

Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, declared on Sunday that he never campaigned for any candidates in the run-up to the country’s general elections in 2023 or spoke on their behalf.

In response to the leaked audio between the cleric and Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, on the eve of the presidential election, discussing the mobilization of Christians in Kwara and Kogi states to vote for him, Oyedepo said this while addressing the congregation at the church’s headquarters, Faith Tabernacle, in Ota, Ogun State (Obi).

The clergyman claimed he never spoke to any group of individuals on behalf of any politician, all the while making a subtle reference to the allegedly leaked phone call between him and Obi.

He continued by saying that, prior to the election, he offered his prayers and counsel to all political parties.

He asserted that no one had ever instructed him on what to say or do in this world.

Oyedepo added, “I have never campaigned for anybody or spoken on anybody’s behalf and I will not do that till I go to heaven.

“There is no (political) party in this country that didn’t come to me for prayers and advice.

“I advised them, some, they didn’t take. Those who chose to take it saw results; those who said no are still going about it.

“If you still come again, I will still tell you, it doesn’t change,” he maintained.

Professor Rufai Alkali, the national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, has submitted his resignation.

Alkali announced his decision to resign in a letter addressed to the party’s national secretary, citing the need to free up positions so that other leaders could take over and build on the achievements established during the brief time he served as the party’s national chairman.

The letter headed, ”Letter of stepping aside from the post of National Chairman, New Nigeria Peoples Party,” read, ”I am pleased to write and convey to you that I have stepped aside as the National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party with effect from today, Friday March 31, 2023.

“Following keenly the events before, during and after the recent general election held on February 25 and March 18, 2023, it is my humble view that our party, the NNPP, has a great future and potential to emerge as the leading political force that is capable of winning the presidential and all other elections in 2027.”

“To achieve this, we must think ahead and plan ahead. And the time is now. Our great party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party will require major and fundamental structural and systemic changes and reorganisation at all levels of the party in order to strengthen its base, improve its operational capabilities and generally enhance its competitive advantage over and above all the other 17 political parties on the Independent National Electoral Commission nominal roll.

“Since, we as a party, all believe in and aspire to bring in a better Nigeria through the astute leadership of our leader, His Excellency, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, I believe no sacrifice is too much from each and every one of us.

“I am convinced this change must start from me. This is precisely why I have decided, with all sense of responsibility, to step aside from the office of the National Chairman of our party to give room for fresh hands to take over to build upon and improve on our modest contributions. I wish I had done more.

”By this letter, I also wish to inform our National Leader and presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, members of the National Working Committee and our entire members nationwide that I am still and will remain a bonafide member of our party and I pledge to serve and offer support to our party at all levels to ensure the continued progress and advancement of our party.”

He specifically thanked the party’s National Leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice presidential candidate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, the Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Boniface Aniebonam, the Board of Trustees Secretary, Buba Galadima, members of the National Working Committee, members of the governorship and National/state House of Assembly, and all party members nationwide for their kindness, support, and encouragement throughout his tenure as the party’s chairman.

“I pray, may God bless and reward you all With His bountiful mercies and blessings. Long live the New Nigeria Peoples Party. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The letter, dated March 31, 2023, was also copied to the party’s national leader and presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso; the board of trustees’ chairman, Boniface Aniebonam; and the secretary, Buba Galadima.

Arome Danjuma, the primary suspect who is accused of ambushing and stripping a female naked in a viral video, has been detained by the Kogi State Police Command.

According to reports, Danjuma and his friend, who is still at large, committed the heinous deed in the state’s Dekina Local Government Area’s Achigili village near Abocho.

At a press conference held on Saturday at the command center in Lokoja, Police Public Relations Officer SP William Aya stated that investigations were still ongoing to catch the other suspect who was on the run.

The public strongly denounced the occurrence, and the state PPRO said that those responsible will face the full force of the law.

The culprit will shortly be charged to court, the police official further stated.

The survivor, who went by the name Alami, claimed that one of the accused made an attempt to marry her but she turned him down.

She described the situation, saying, “One of the guys asked me to marry him, but I declined. At around 8 o’clock on Sunday, the 19th of last week, when I was leaving work to go home, he assaulted me, dragged me inside his house, and began hitting me.

“Another person was waiting in his house carrying knife and axe threatening to kill me if I don’t pull off my cloth. I had no option but to obey them if not they would have killed me in the room. When I pulled off my cloth, they started filming my nakedness and later posted it on the internet. They just want to destroy my life”

The suspect, Danjuma, admitted his guilt during an interrogation, highlighting the fact that he had planned the atrocity with his friend.

The Director of Research Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Women Affairs, who is also the Secretary of the Kogi State GBV Technical Workgroup, responded to the occurrence by calling it one of the most savage in recent memory on behalf of the Commissioner of Women Affairs. He called the behavior “animalistic,” which he claimed would be illegal in the state.

Isaac stated that the ministry is working to stop all instances of gender-based violence in the state and issued a warning that anyone attempting to continue such behavior in Kogi State would face serious consequences.

Eunice Agbogun, the executive director of the Challenged Parenthood Initiative, expressed her reaction as well and called the conduct inhumane.

“This is the height of gender-based violence. This is a serious crime against humanity. We feel that this case must go through the entire process and justice must prevail. Am glad that the police have prevailed.

“We are glad that the perpetrator has been arrested and we have been assured by the police that justice will prevail.

“We will follow up on this case as this is a strong warning to other perpetrators of GBV out there as it will no longer be business as usual.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has chosen nine Senior Advocates of Nigeria to defend the outcomes of the presidential election on February 25.

According to City Lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, will lead the group (SAN). Stephen Adehi (SAN), Oluwakemi Pinheiro (SAN), Miannaya Essien (SAN), and Abdullahi Aliyu are additional team members (SAN).

Four SANs who work for INEC’s legal department and are team members together with Garba Hassan, Musa Attah, and Patricia Obi, it was learned via a member of the legal team.

For the defense of the outcomes of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections on March 18 and the presidential and national assembly elections on February 25, INEC allotted more than N3 billion.

The panel has announced Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress’s presidential candidate, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election on March 1, 2023.

Rev. Fr. George Gorap, the executive secretary of the Plateau State Christian Pilgrims Board, has issued a warning to travelers on the 2023 Christian pilgrimage to Jordan and Israel, advising them to avoid any plans to flee while on the journey.

During the pilgrimage exercise that Plateau, Ekiti, Osun, and Kwara pilgrims were participating in both Jordan and Israel on Sunday, Gorap delivered the warning.

According to Gorap, who was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria, the pilgrims must follow the law in order for their states to maintain their respectability both inside and outside of Nigeria.

His words were, “It is believed that people come here knowing exactly why they are here but on the other hand some people want to abscond and it is quite unfortunate.

“The best place to be is at home, people make the mistake of thinking far from the essence and the importance of coming here as pilgrims.

“It is our hope that after this exercise, these Nigerians will return home and grow the country together.”

“Therefore, I urge you to shun the urge to abscond because if you are caught, you will face the full wrath of the law,” he advised.

Gorap continues by saying that the pilgrimage fosters Christian growth, unifies Christians of all denominations, and promotes overall unity.

He added that it served as a reminder that people were merely pilgrims on earth traveling to heaven. He claimed that pilgrimage prepared a believer most effectively for his ultimate journey to heaven.

The Ukraine authorities have kicked against Russian Presidency in the United Nations Security Council.

The presidency of the UN Security Council is rotational amongst the 15 members with each member becoming President after presiding for a month each.

However, the US said that Russia is a permanent member of the Council, as such, it could not block Russia from assuming the presidency.

The other permanent members of the council are the UK, France, and China and others.

Ukraine therefore  urged members to oppose Russia’s bid because Russia invaded Ukraine the last time it presided over the Council.

According to the BBC, the development highlights the fact that the Security Council is being led by a country whose president is wanted for alleged war crimes.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba has described Russia’s presidency as a strong reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the Security Council to reform, accusing it of not preventing Russia’s invasion.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin.