Daily News Roundup

The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday in Kano State, expressed optimism that his party would capture Kano State and Nigeria as a whole, come 2023 elections. Tinubu, who was accorded a rousing reception was in Kano for the flag-off of the Northwest presidential campaign rally.

. Commissioner of Cooperatives and SMEs Development in Bauchi State, Sa’adatu Bello Kirfi has resigned her position. She resigned 24 hours after her father, Muhammadu Bello Kirfi was removed as the Wazirin Bauchi. 

Kirfi wss dethroned for allegedly disrespecting Governor Bala Mohammed.

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  The spiritual director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka, yesterday returned from the monastery after eight months of suspension. A video circulating online captured a crowd welcoming Mbaka at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

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. Electricity distribution companies have quietly increased the amount payable by power consumers across the country. Although most of the Discos did not make this public, power users have kicked against the move, describing it as a fleece amidst the harsh economic reality in Nigeria currently.

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. The Nigerian Medical Association, South-South Zone, yesterday threatened to shut down all hospitals in Delta State to protest the murder of one of its members, Dr. Uyi Iluobe by gunmen who attacked his hospital, Olive Clinic, at Oghareki, in the Ethiope West Local Government Area on New Year’s Eve.

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 Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday expressed confidence that whoever he adopts as candidate will be victorious at the February 25 presidential poll. The governor said the insults being hurled at him would not make him change his mind on working for his yet-to-named preferred presidential candidate.


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 Chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State have shunned Governor Seyi Makinde by organising a rally for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The chieftains, who include Elder Wole Oyelese, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and a former deputy governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi, said the G-5 crisis is between the governors and the National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, not with Atiku.


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 An FCT High Court has stopped an application seeking to remove the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu from office over alleged false asset declaration. Justice M. A. Hassan on Wednesday refused the application alongside the 14 reliefs brought by the claimants.


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 The Department of State Services (DSS) says it has arrested a high commander of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdulmumin Ibrahim Otaru, aka Abu Mikdad, in connection with the explosion around the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland in Kogi State.

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is prospecting for crude oil in more locations across the north, after discovering the commodity in Bauchi and Gombe States. NNPC stated that it was currently taking coordinated steps for more frontier exploration in the region, as part of measures to shore up the country’s oil output and reserves.

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The Kano Police Command said a 28-year-old man, Sulaiman Idris, and his wife, Maimuna Halliru, 20, on Monday, were both found dead on their matrimonial bed while warming themselves with charcoal fire.

This was contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Haruna Kiyawa, Kano State Police Command.

According to the statement, the couple’s dead bodies were discovered two days after on 02/01/2023 at about 2300hrs

“On 03/01/2023 at about 2100hrs, a report was received from Kwa Village, Dawakin Tofa LGA, Kano State that a couple, one Sulaiman Idris, ‘m’, 28 years old and Maimuna Halliru, ‘f’, 20 years old were discovered not to have come out of their matrimonial home since 02/01/2023 at about 2300hrs,” the statement noted.

According to him, findings revealed that they lit a charcoal fire to warm their room due to cold weather, locked up and got suffocated by the smoke which emanated from the charcoal burning while they were asleep.

According to the statement, there was a smoke odour in the room as the grandmother of the husband forced the door open, and met the couple’s lifeless bodies.

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A team of Police detectives from Ofuoma Division and Ekiugbo Community Vigilante arrested three members of a blackmail gang, identified as Cornelius Emene, 32, and Nelson Aghogho, aka Little, and Ufuoma Tunde.

The suspects were arrested by the Police after a victim lodged a complaint at Ofuoma Division Police Station that she sighted one of the hoodlums that kidnapped her in December 2022. She was reportedly held hostage in a hotel in Iwherekpokpor Community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, during which her captors took nude pictures of her, recorded her on video while inserting a candle on her private part and used the video and photos to blackmail her parents to pay a ransom.

The Delta State Police Command in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe confirmed the arrest.
According to him: “During preliminary investigation, the suspect made useful statements that led to the arrest of two other suspects, Nelson Aghogho, aka Little and Ufuoma Tunde (female). He also gave accounts of how they kidnapped another student of the School of Health and Technology Ofuoma, Ughelli North LGA.”

The statement clarified further: “The modus operandi of the syndicate is to lure unsuspecting young girls on Facebook, get them to a hotel, drug them, gang-rape them, hold them hostage and demand ransom from their parents to secure their release.”

DSP Edafe said numerous sex videos of previous victims used for blackmail purposes were found on the suspect’s phone.

The three suspects are currently in custody and investigation is ongoing, Edafe informed.

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