Connect with us

News

Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers  Headlines: Oyo schools kidnap: Terrorists open talks, give condition

Published

on

1. Suspected terrorists who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from three schools in Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa towns in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have opened communication channels with the state government, Saturday PUNCH can report.

Two highly credible sources told our correspondents that the hoodlums refused to speak directly with the families of the victims

2. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has exclusive ownership of the eNaira digital currency platform. In a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining eNaira Payment Solutions Limited from presenting itself as the registered owner of the “eNaira” trademark.

3. The decision by some former ministers of President Bola Tinubu to resign from the Federal Executive Council in pursuit of elective offices ahead of the 2027 general elections appears to be yielding mixed fortunes, with only two securing party tickets so far. Five former cabinet members stepped down from their positions after the Presidency directed political appointees seeking elective offices to resign before participating in party primaries

See also  Presidency backs Christian Senate president, Betara, Gagdi step down

4. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has accused Dangote Petroleum Refinery of attempting to monopolise Nigeria’s fuel market through a lawsuit challenging import licences granted to rival marketers. In court documents, the state oil company argued that granting Dangote’s request to void or restrict fuel import permits would undermine competition and expose Nigeria to supply disruptions, price instability and threats to national energy security

5. The Nigeria Democratic Congress has constituted a 20-member National Selection Committee to oversee the screening and selection of aspirants seeking the party’s governorship and National Assembly tickets ahead of the 2026 elections. The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu.


6. The Naira on Friday appreciated to N1,376 per dollar in the parallel market, the same threshold as the official market rate, from N1,387 per dollar on Thursday. But the naira depreciated to N1,375 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM.

See also  Breaking: Tinubu suspends Betta Edu

7. The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Friday accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, of blocking access to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai after senior leaders of the party were denied access to him at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The opposition party said the restrictions surrounding El-Rufai’s detention were raising fresh concerns about political persecution.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in

8. Lagos State has declared Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, following his victory in the party’s primary held on Thursday. According to the electoral officer, Hamzat secured 657,917 votes out of the 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, polled one vote.

9. United States President Donald Trump has directed that Nigerians and other nationals applying for green cards must return to their home countries to apply for the process except in extraordinary circumstances. The new immigration development was disclosed on Friday. According to a press statement issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency said the policy was aimed at restoring what it described as the “original intent” of US immigration law.

See also  Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines This Saturday morning: Why Tinubu sacked service chiefs — Presidency

10. A major crisis erupted within the African Democratic Congress in Benue State on Friday following violent scenes, protests and growing allegations surrounding the party’s primary election process. The protesters, who carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, warned against any move capable of sidelining the Idoma nation in the party’s governorship arrangement, insisting that Benue South deserves a fair opportunity to produce the party’s candidate.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Two Oyo commissioner, special adviser resign

Published

on

By

Two senior officials in the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have resigned their appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

The officials are Ayobami Ojo, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Simeon Oyeleke, the ministry’s Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.

In separate letters dated November 2, and addressed to Mr Makinde, both officials said their resignations would take effect immediately, while thanking the governor for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for their decisions.

In his letter, Ojo referred to his appointment letter dated 22 June 2026 and formally announced his resignation as commissioner.

“With reference to your letter dated 22nd June, 2026 (SP.S.662/2/VOL.IV/192), I respectfully write to formally resign my appointment as Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, with effect from today, 2nd November, 2026,” he wrote.

He described his time in government as an honour and said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the state.

See also  Debased 34-year-old man sexually molests friend’s 10-year-old daughter, blames devil

Oyeleke also tendered his resignation with effect from 2 November.

In his letter, he thanked Mr Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.

He also expressed appreciation for the governor’s leadership, support and encouragement during his time in office.

“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements. I also remain committed to the peace, progress and development of Oyo State,” he wrote.

The latest resignations come amid a series of exits of political appointees and other officials from the Makinde administration in recent months.

It would be recalled that Segun Ogunwuyi resigned as the governor’s chief of staff on 12 October, a position he had held since July 2021. His resignation took immediate effect, although he did not state a reason for his departure.

A few hours after Ogunwuyi’s departure, Makinde appointed Bashorun Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his replacement.

See also  NDLEA arrests 12 Apapa Seaport dockworkers over alleged link to seized N9.5b cocaine

On the same day, Tara Adefope, the Director-General of the Oyo State Due Process Office, also resigned from her position, while in late October, Kabiru Salami, the governor’s Executive Assistant on Security Coordination, also tendered his resignation.

Other officials who have left the administration include Funmi Arulogun, a Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, who resigned in August, citing personal and political considerations.

Babatunde Oduyoye, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, also resigned in July, while Fatai Owoseni, a former Commissioner of Police who served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Security resigned in May.

Continue Reading

News

Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Campaigns: OK Movement insists on independence

Published

on

By

1. The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. 

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common  political objective.

2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid got a big boost at the weekend with endorsements from across the country. His achievement, the need for consolidation, national cohesion, and other reasons were adduced for the show of solidarity. The presidential election is billed for January 16, 2027

3. The Federal Government has vowed to crack down on inflated public contracts and procurement violations, warning heads of government-owned agencies, corporations, councils, authorities and commissions that they risk sanctions for breaching procurement regulations. The government raised the alarm over contract awards that exceed approved price benchmarks.

See also  DSS alerts on planned bandit, terrorist attacks on tertiary institutions in Sokoto

4. The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event. The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

5. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, including two Arabs, a commander and several of their foot soldiers in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Army said they were neutralised on October 31, 2026, by combined troops of the Joint Task Force deployed to Kukawa following a massive ISWAP terrorists attack on their locations.

6. United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following a request by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would allow the teenager’s mother to travel to the United States and attend her son’s funeral.

See also  Breaking: Tinubu suspends Betta Edu

7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two Nigerians based in Europe after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46kg while attempting to travel from Abuja to Paris, France. The suspects, identified as Aliocus Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

8. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University, Bokkos, while another person sustained injuries during an attack on off-campus student residential areas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that the incidents, which occurred on Saturday evening at about 8:40pm, had heightened concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university campus.

9. An early-morning fire outbreak at the weekend destroyed no fewer than 110 buildings and structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in the Kano metropolis. The Kano State Fire Service, while confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the inferno razed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures across different sections of the market.

See also  Debased 34-year-old man sexually molests friend’s 10-year-old daughter, blames devil

10. The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.

Continue Reading

News

Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

Published

on

By

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

See also  BUSTED: NDLEA Intercepts N8billion cocaine, arrests drug baron at Lagos airport

Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

See also  BREAKING: Pastor dead as church collapses in Benue

“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

Continue Reading

Trending News