News & Announcements

The Benue State Government has introduced a bill to create the Benue State Widows Commission, outlaw harmful widow-targeting practices, safeguard widows from exploitation, punish offenders, and accomplish related goals.

According to a statement released by Terver Akase, the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity, and made available to journalists in Makurdi, the Ortom administration’s decision to enact the law is based on the fact that the state is home to a number of ethnic groups, each with its own unique cultural norms and practices that have a negative impact on widows after the loss of their husbands.

“These include but are not limited to disinheritance from the assets of a deceased husband, banishment from a late husband’s home, being forced to marry a relation of the deceased husband etc.

“Benue State Council viewed that in some cases, a widow is likened to a property of the deceased to be inherited by his relations.

“Most often, such widows have children for the deceased and have the task of nurturing the
children without any assistance from the relatives of the deceased. In some instances, some are denied their fundamental rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

“It is in face of such a helpless situation of widows that the Ortom administration has initiated the bill in order to assuage the position of widows as regards inheritance of their late husbands’ assets and to protect and guarantee their fundamental rights as well as obviate the obnoxious cultural practices which deny them the right of inheriting their late husbands’ property amongst others.”

The purpose of the bill is to shield widows from monogamous and polygamous unions.

Furthermore, “The Benue State Widows Commission envisioned by the proposed law will have the power and responsibility to support, protect and build the capacity of widows in the state whereby they can own their property and inherit the assets of their deceased husbands. Consequently, the widows can fend for themselves and their children without harassment from any individual or group of persons.

“It shall be the duty of the Commission to, among others, coordinate and monitor the implementation of widows programmes and activities; initiate and support measures which shall enhance the welfare of widows; assist widows by providing support services; create awareness and sensitization of widows on the protection of their rights under a subsisting Widows Protection Law in the State; support international efforts and advocacy to uphold and expand. The rights of widows as enshrined in the international laws and conventions; evaluate the impact of the Commission on the plight of widows and make appropriate recommendations to the Benue State Government.

“There are also provisions in the Bill which annul repugnant cultural practices, create offences and prescribe punishments for infringement. Among the several sanctions stipulated by the Bill is that someone who subjects a widow to any harmful widowhood practice commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment or a heavy fine as contained in the law. The proposed law similarly provides for compensation to the affected widow or widows, among other measures.”

According to the statement, if the measure is approved by the State House of Assembly, it will put an end to one of the long-standing harmful customs among the populace and serve as a model for other regions of the nation to follow.

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano State, has revealed that in eight years, his administration has released 4, 013 prisoners from all Kano prisons.

Similarly, he claimed that in the past eight years, his government has paid out N4. 4 million in fines and compensation to prisoners.

This is stated in a statement released on Friday by Hassan Musa Fagge, the Deputy Governor of Kano State’s Principal Press Secretary.

This was said by the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna, while pardoning 43 prisoners serving time for a variety of offenses at the Goron Dutse detention center on the occasion of the Eid ul-Fitr celebration.

He emphasized that freedom is essential to human life and urged the released prisoners to uphold moral principles wherever they find themselves in society.

Suleiman Inuwa, the controller of the state’s correctional system, noted that the gesture by the Kano State Government to release detainees upon payment of fines, restitution, and pardons will help to relieve congestion in the facilities and maintain tranquility in the yard.

He encouraged other states to follow suit and advised the recipients to serve as excellent ambassadors for the Nigerian Correctional Service by adhering by the law and acting properly.

The governor was congratulated for using the authority granted to him by the constitution to release the prisoners on the advice of the correctional service administration and the council by Abdullahi Rano, the head of the council on the prerogative of mercy.

The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, declared that he could not wait to get back to his Daura home in Katsina state on May 29, the day of the handover.

At the ninth and final Sallah homage by Muslims and citizens of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), headed by the minister Mohammed Bello, Buhari made this statement at the banquet hall of the Presidential House in Abuja.

He said, “Finally, I can’t even wait to go home. I think this is a very good coincidence for me to say goodbye to you and thank you for tolerating me for more than seven and half years now.”

In the meantime, the President has declared that he will relocate far from Abuja, the country’s capital, after the May 29 handover in order to prevent interfering with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s ability to make decisions.

After many years of employment, he stated that he had made the decision to retire to Daura, which is far from Abuja.

“I can’t wait to go to Daura. If they make any noise to disturb me there I will leave for Niger Republic. I deliberately arranged to be as far away as possible. I got what I wanted and will quietly retire to my hometown,” he said.

Yet, Buhari pleaded for forgiveness from any Nigerians he might have offended while performing his job.

According to President Buhari, it was a blessing to have held numerous leadership positions in Nigeria.

President Buhari described himself as being lucky to have led Nigeria in various capacities.

He said, “Having been a governor, minister and president twice, I think God has given us an incredible opportunity to serve as your president. And I thank God for that. So, please, whoever feels I have done wrong, we are all humans. 

He said, “Having been a governor, minister and president twice, I think God has given us an incredible opportunity to serve as your president. And I thank God for that. So, please, whoever feels I have done wrong, we are all humans. 

“There is no doubt that I have hurt some people, so and I wish you would pardon me. And those who think I have hurt them so much, please pardon me,” he added.

Along with family members, Buhari welcomed the group after participating in Eid ul-Fitr prayers at the Mambilla Barracks Prayer Ground in Abuja. He praised Nigerians for their patience during the nearly eight years of his administration.

The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, have arrested a suspected female fraudster for allegedly defrauding a 50-year-old German national of $220,000, after promising to marry him.

The unit spokesperson, SP Eyitayo Johnson, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday, 19 April, 2023, said the suspect lured the victim on Instagram by allegedly feigning romantic intentions towards him.

The statement read in part; “The suspect, a 2019 graduate of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka; who claimed to be a Model and Proprietress of a Massage Spa known as The-Chi-Place, lured the 50-year old victim on Instagram by feigning romantic intentions towards him, thereby gaining the victims’ trust and goodwill.

“Miss Atuonah Chioma promised to marry the victim, invited him to Nigeria for visits on several occasions and convinced him to relocate permanently to Nigeria to live together as husband and wife. 

“In a ploy to dispel suspicion, the victim was made to meet with Atuonah Chiomas’ parents at Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom State where he received their blessings to marry their daughter.

“The victim was persuaded by the suspect (Miss Atuonah Cynthia) to return to Germany to sell his house in Stuttgart, and forward the proceeds of sale, together with his pension and life savings to her domiciliary account in Bank; for the purpose of purchasing a house in Nigeria where they will both live as husband and wife as well as to establish a joint business outfit as indicated in the bank transfer narration.

“During interview session, the suspect admitted in her statement that the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Dollars ($220,000USD) was transferred to her account by the victim. 

“Part of the proceed was then used to buy a 2-Bedroom Terrace apartment at Zara Estate, Ikota Villa, Lekki Phase II, while some of the funds was sent to support her mother’s business and to pay medical bills of her father.

“Efforts are ongoing to recover other proceeds of the crime.”

Microblogging site, Twitter has stripped notable Nigerian musicians of their Legacy verification tick.

The microblogging platform, on Thursday, removed the verification badges of the Nigerian singers, Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid and Peter Okoye.

Recall that Twitter owner, Elon Musk, had in March, in a tweet accompanied by links to subscribe to the premium program, hinted at plans to commercialize verification tick.

He said, ”We will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks on the 1st of April. To keep your blue checkmark, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue.”

Announcing the final date for the free Blue badge removal on his verified Twitter handle, Elon Musk wrote: “Final date for removing legacy Blue checks is 4/20.”

The removal of the Legacy Blue Tick of the Nigerian superstars may be connected to the non-payment of their verification subscription fee announced by Musk.

Reacting to his Blue Tick removal, in a tweet on Friday, Peter Okoye said, ”Elon Musk is a business man period.”

Dominic Raab announced he was stepping down on Friday as UK deputy prime minister after being faulted in a workplace bullying inquiry, dealing a fresh blow to the beleaguered Conservatives.

The resignation presents a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had pledged a fresh start after his predecessors’ turbulent tenures, some two weeks before local elections at which the Tories are expected to lose seats.

Sunak is also battling to claw back a chasm of lost ground to the main opposition Labour Party before a general election next year.

Raab, who stood in for former prime minister Boris Johnson as he battled Covid in 2020, had promised to quit if any claims against him were upheld.

The report’s author Adam Tolley concluded Raab “acted in a way which was intimidating” at a meeting while foreign secretary and by threatening a civil servant with “unspecified disciplinary action”.

At the justice ministry, he was at times “abrasive” but not “abusive”, the report’s author added.

Even though he was cleared of all but two of the eight allegations against him, he blasted the conclusions of a lawyer-led inquiry launched last November.

In a lengthy riposte in the Daily Telegraph, he described the six-month investigation as “Kafkaesque” and a trial by media “fuelled by warped and fabricated accounts”.

– Low bar –In his resignation letter, Raab called the two findings against him “flawed” and said they “set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government”.

The bar for bullying was set so low, he said, that “it will encourage spurious complaints against ministers and have a chilling effect on those driving change”.

Raab also resigned from his post as justice secretary, where he has notably had to battle a backlog in criminal cases caused by years of under-funding and disruptions caused by the pandemic.

He previously served as Brexit minister and foreign secretary but was moved from that post after being criticised for failing to return from holiday as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

Sunak — who succeeded the short-lived Liz Truss in October last year — vowed to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability” in government after Johnson’s rollercoaster tenure.

The prime minister said he accepted his resignation “with great sadness”, praising his record in government and for promising to resign if any of the complaints were upheld.

He replaced Raab at justice with lawyer Alex Chalk and made Oliver Dowden deputy prime minister.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Sunak of weakness, for not sacking Raab before he quit.

Sunak previously sacked Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative Party chairman over his tax affairs.
Gavin Williamson, a former defence secretary who kept a tarantula on his desk while in charge of party discipline in parliament, quit over expletive-laden messages.

– Fight-back –Former lawyer Raab, a karate black belt, has denied bullying civil servants working for him during his time at the Brexit ministry, foreign office and Ministry of Justice.

He rejected allegations of an overbearing manner with colleagues, insisting that ministers “must be able to exercise direct oversight with respect to senior officials over critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people”.

Not to do so, he said, would mean the loss of “the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial responsibility”.

He also maintained ministers “must be able to give direct critical feedback on briefings and submissions to senior officials in order to set the standards and drive the reform the public expect of us”.

“Of course this must be done within reasonable bounds,” he went on.

Tolley said there was “no persuasive evidence” that Raab shouted at civil servants or swore, and there was “no sound basis” he was vindictive or used physical gestures in a threatening way.

No one told Raab — who described himself as “demanding, driven and focused on detail” — that his communications with civil servants at the three ministries could amount to bullying, he said.

But Tolley said he could have realised it was a possible issue, as senior officials raised his management style with him.

Raab said he was “genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt”.

But he maintained the public had a high expectation of ministers working on their behalf.

The suspended Adamawa State resident electoral commissioner Hudu Ari’s whereabouts are unknown, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

After his inaction during the Adamawa supplemental governor’s election, the commission made this information public.

Festus Okoye, the national commissioner for INEC, revealed this on Friday during an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

According to reports Ari’s declaration of Binani as the election’s victor while the results of the collation were still being tallied caused controversy.

The electoral umpire called Ari to its Abuja offices .

On Thursday, the commission informed President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired) of Ari’s inaction, and Buhari decided to suspend Ari until the outcome of an investigation by the Inspector General of Police into the matter.

“We don’t know where he is because, after this particular incident, the Commission wrote him and also called him on the phone. He never returned any of the calls, he never answered any of the calls.

“We asked him to report to the Commission on Sunday we didn’t see him, we asked him to report on Monday we didn’t see him. So up till this moment, he has not reported and we don’t know his whereabouts,” Okoye said.

Okoye added that the police must issue an arrest warrant for Ari after he failed to show up for work or return calls from the commission.

“Well, that is the responsibility of the Nigerian police. If they feel that his presence is absolutely needed during the investigation and he is nowhere to be found, it is their prerogative and discretion to declare him wanted.

“We wrote to the Inspector General of Police and Secretary to the Government of the Federation. We have received a response from the Inspector General of Police and they have already commenced an investigation.

“My understanding is that the moment the Inspector General of Police concludes the investigation regarding the REC and every other individual who is involved and a prima facie case is established against the REC the file will be made available to the commission and the commission will begin prosecution of the REC,” he said.

Five police officers were slain by gunmen at the Okpala Interchange in Imo State’s Ngor Okpala Local Government Area on Friday morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Chinaka Nwagu, who were from the Amankwo Okpala community, were also killed.

Due to the occurrence, business operations at the intersection and throughout the entire neighborhood have unexpectedly stopped, causing a situation of panic.

The dead officers traveled from the neighboring Abo Mbaise police district to eat at the crossroads, according to a source who identified himself as Uche and was related to the couple.

He claimed that some gunmen arrived on the spot and started shooting at the policeman while they were eating.

When three police officers were slain at the spot, he claimed that two more fled to a nearby shooting, where they were killed along with a couple who owned the shop they ran into.

According to the witnesses, the attackers hauled away their five guns after killing the police officers.

The source said, “It is a black Friday in our community. Gunmen around 8am shot five policemen dead at Okpala junction. The policemen drove in a white coloured Hilux from Aboh Mbaise Police Division to eat at the junction.

“As they were eating, gunmen drove to the place and opened fire on them. Two out of the five policemen ran to a nearby shop where a couple sold meat pie and sachet water. After killing the three policemen, they came two the shop where the two other officers were hiding, and killed them. They also killed a husband and wife that owned the shop.

“They took away their rifles and drove off. This is so unfortunate. Our community is bleeding. Everybody is confused. The couple just relocated from Lagos about one year ago. We just deposited their bodies in a mortuary. The market is shut. People here ran away out of shock and fear. This is unbelievable.”

Dominic Okpor, another person, claimed to have driven across the Owerri-Aba Road and saw the dead bodies of the police officers.

Okpor described it as horrible. “The bodies of the five policemen were lying on the road as we drove through. Their Hilux was also parked at the junction. The scene was horrible. It is terrible. God have mercy.”

When reached, Henry Okoye, a spokesman for the state’s police, stated that he had not yet received a briefing on the murder case.

However, he made the commitment to look into the matter and get back to our correspondent, but as of the time this report was submitted, he had not yet done so.

In the same Ngor Okpala LGA, on March 27, some fleeing militants ambushed and killed five members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Seoul announced on Friday that it would send a military aircraft and soldiers to remove South Korean citizens stuck in Sudan, where fighting has claimed hundreds of lives since it started last week.

Similar measures are being taken by Japan, which on Friday despatched a military jet to attempt and retrieve its residents from the country affected by the violence.

Violence broke out between soldiers loyal to Sudan’s army head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who is in charge of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of more than 300 individuals (RSF).

Despite requests for an end-of-Ramadan ceasefire from international powers, there was intense shooting and explosions on Friday in Khartoum, the country’s capital, and elsewhere in the nation.

The military C-130J transport jet and personnel will be dispatched by Seoul’s defense ministry to evacuate its citizens.

“The fighting in Sudan still continues and the Khartoum International Airport in the capital city, where our nationals are located, is closed,” the ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.

Until they are able to conduct the evacuation, the South Korean military troops and aircraft will be placed on standby at a nearby US military facility in Djibouti, it added.

According to Seoul’s foreign ministry, there are 26 South Koreans in the African nation, including diplomatic workers, who are awaiting evacuation.

President Yoon Suk Yeol requested assistance from authorities earlier on Friday, according to his office, after being informed on evidence indicating that the situation in Sudan would grow worse before it gets better.

Furthermore on Friday, the Self-Defense Forces of Japan (SDF) reported that a C-130 transport plane had left for Djibouti.

The SDF tweeted a picture of the aircraft taking off along with the statement, “swiftly conduct required arrangements for the transportation of Japanese personnel and others in the Republic of Sudan.”

Tokyo has reported that there are about 60 Japanese citizens in Sudan, including diplomatic personnel.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa State, Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has been immediately suspended by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired), pending the outcome of the Inspector-General of Police’s investigation, Usman Baba, into the REC’s conduct and actions during the state’s recently concluded contentious supplementary election.

The President has also ordered the IG to investigate Yunusa-Ari right now and to bring charges against her if she is proven guilty.

This information was disclosed in a statement obtained by our correspondent on Thursday night from Willie Bassey, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s Director of Information.

Bassey said, “Also, the President has directed investigation by the IGP, Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, of the role of their officers in aiding and abetting the conduct/actions of Yunusa-Ari, and if found culpable, appropriate disciplinary actions, should be meted out to them.”