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From Aviashima Toom, Abuja The All Progressives Congress, APC, Youth Progressive Forum FCT, on Monday, faulted an alleged plot to impose a candidate for the  AMAC/BWARI Federal constituency seat in Abuja The APC Youths under the leadership of Zaka Nehemiah as chairman and Tukura Daniel, who made this allegation at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja,  further alleged that the leadership of the party has impose one Abuzari Suleiman on the Constituents. They claimed that Abuzari who is alleglly the FCT minister's relation presently hold an appointment under the Minister and has refused to resign from the position despite wanting to contest for the Assembly seat. Speaking with newsmen at the APC National Secretariat, they said: “we are writing to communicate our strong opposition to the attempted imposition Abuzari Suleiman Ribadu on the loyal members of our party in Bwari and AMAC. The said person connive with some saboteur o destroy our great ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for extending the deadline for the conduct of primary elections and submission of the list of nominated candidates for the 2023 general elections, from 4th to 9th of June 2022.  Chairman of the foremost election monitoring group, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, in a statement on Friday, lamented the extension, noting that the group received the news with great worries and concerns.  He said that, at a time when Nigerians are beginning to have confidence in the electoral umpire some powerful forces are trying to undermine and pressurise it to doing their biddings.  Comrade Rafsanjani stated that: “A lot of political parties have made efforts in conducting their primaries and if the ruling party is still uncertain about the day to conduct its presidential primary elections that shouldn’t be the basis for the extension.” The Group also co...

  By Our Reporter Victim Support Fund (VSF) on Friday distributed relief materials to victims of conflicts and vulnerable people in Konshisha and Oju Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue. The items distributed were beans, rice, garri, sanitary pad, soaps, palm and vegetable oil among others. The State Project Coordinator, Mndepawe Kwaghe said that VSF was intervening in seven LGAs of the state. Kwaghe listed the local governments to include Konshisha, Oju, Ado, Gwer West, Kwande, Logo and Guma, stressing that the intervention would last for six months. "Today we are distributing materials to them for the months of April and May and we are giving them two of each of the items. One for April and the other for May," Kwaghe said. She disclosed that they were intervening in the state as a result of the cry of the governor of the state that the number IDPs keep increasing and donor agencies should wade in to cushion the hardship faced by the di...

From Aviashima Toom, Abuja The National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dayo Israel, has outlined proposed strategic plans for all youth inclusiveness during and after the 2023 general elections. The national Youth Leader had earlier constituted the 12 man high level working committee announced that the team will provide support for APC youths before, during and after the 2023 general elections to enable them discharge their responsibility effectively. He added that the team will seek financial and moral support for youth candidates who are below 40 years old that will emerge with the party ticket post primaries to increase young people’s participation in elections. "And so the purpose of this gathering is for them to give an account to the young people of nigeria on the progress of that high level working group.To engage policymakers and lobby for positions directly from the power brokers in the state, including governors of some state ...

By Our Reporter The Nigerian Air Force School of Air  Intelligence (NAFSAINT), Nigerian Air Force Base, Makurdi on Tuesday graduated 67 personnel.  The Commandant of the school, Air Commodore Emmanuel Ukpong, disclosed this during the combined graduation ceremony of the Advanced Intelligence Course 19/2022, Intermediate Intelligence Course 20/2022 and the Basic Intelligence Course 29/2022 held in Makurdi. Ukpong disclosed that 74 personnel were admitted for the sundry programmes but only 67 ended up graduating. "A student was withdrawn from the course due to health issues while six others were withdrawn for poor academic performance during the conduct of the courses. "Notwithstanding, I am glad to inform you that the course has come to a successful end today with 67 students graduating," Ukpong said. He pointed out that the Advanced Intelligence Course was aimed at producing intelligence operatives meant to function as Desk  Sergeants in the units...

....... says he is an imposter From Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Department of State Services has disowned one Adio Oluwole Bashir, who claims to be a former staff of the security agency who led the team that arrested the suspected killers of David Imoh, a sound engineer, who was killed in Lagos about two weeks ago. Bashir in an online publication had claimed further that the killers of the sound engineer, who were of Hausa origin, were exchanged with Christians. However, the DSS in their statement issued by its Spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, on Monday, said Bashir is neither a serving nor a former staff of the DSS but a mere impostor out to smear the agency for personal gains. Afunanya further said in the statement that the DSS hereby dismisses a false online publication authored by one Adio Oluwole Bashir who purported to be a former staff of the Service. Bashir claimed to have led the team that arrested suspected killers of David Imoh, a sound engineer allegedly murdered on...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Crime Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CCAN) received with shock the news of the demise of Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Donal Awunah. A statement issues by the, Chairman, Crime Correspondents Association of Nigeria Hassan Zaggi and it's General Secretary Festus Fifen noted that before his demise in the early hours of Monday, May 23, 2022, Awuna was AIG in charge of Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State The statement added that Awunah who was appointed Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) by the then IGP, Ibrahim Idris, in 2016, was one of the exceptional and hardworking Spokesman the Nigeria Police Force ever produced. He worked closely and was very supportive to the Association when he was Force Public Relations Officer. The EXCO and the entire members of CCAN, therefore, condole with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, the immediate family and indeed, Benue State, over the huge loss. While the pray for the repo...

From Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, on behalf of the Force Management team, and Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, regrets to announce the demise of an eminent communicator, ardent officer, and Member of the National Institute, AIG Donald Ngorngor Awunah, which occurred in the early hours Monday 23rd May, 2022, at Garki Hospital Abuja, after a brief illness.  A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in Abuja, said AIG Awunah, who hailed from Benue State, was a one-time Spokesperson for the Force, and was until his death the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 16 Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.  The statement said, the late AIG Awunah was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on 15th March, 1988, and was a dedicated officer with great passion for training and development and was at a time the Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos.   The Inspector-General of Police, ack...

By Our Reporter The Commissioner for Finance in Benue, Dr David Olofu, has lauded the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for conducting a peaceful primaries for Houses of Assembly and Representatives across the state on Sunday. Olofu stated this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Makurdi. The commissioner stated that the process was very transparent and peaceful, attributing it to the wisdom of Gov. Samuel Ortom and the party leadership in the state at ensuring due process and diligence. He also acknowledged the efforts of the electoral officers, various security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for making the process transparent and credible. "From the distribution of materials to deployment of electoral officers and the eventual conduct of the primaries across the state, we must give credit to Ortom and the party leadership at the state. "What I saw in Apa and from what I gathered from my colleagues across the st...

From Aviashima Toom, Abuja Controversies continue to trail as groups protest the authenticity of former national chairman of the All Progressive Congress Party chairman, Comrade Adams  Oshiomhole's membership status after his suspension from the party at his council ward remains an unsettled issue. The group, on Friday stormed national Secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanding the intervention of the national chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, to prevail on Oshiomhole from contesting the Edo North senatorial seat come 2023. Coordinators of the group,  Concerned Afemai APC Members,  Steven Asemah and Ojo Evbouan in their Statement, drew the attention of the party to a serial controversies  and  burden hanging on the former national chairman, especially relating to his non-credibility to participate in the ongoing APC Nomination Exercise for the 2023 general election. According to them,  based on a subsisting indictment on May 14th 2020, by Justic...

From Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigerian Police says a discrete investigations have been ordered into the alleged fraud in sales and allocation of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) shops in Lagos state. The police equally dissociated the wife of the IGP, and current President of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Hajia Hajara Alkali Baba, and the Association from the allegation. A statement signed on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in Abuja said that it is coming on the heels of a publication in the media alleging that some shops belonging to POWA, were sold fraudulently to multiple buyers causing ruckus between the buyers, while the petitioners called for the Inspector-General’s of Police intervention.  According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, is hereby mandated to carry out thorough investigations into the matter, and come up with a detailed report. "Aggrieved petitioners...

By Our Reporter A governership aspirant on the platform of the All progressives Congress (APC) in Benue, Mr  Terwase Orbunde, has pledged to synergize with the Federal Government (FG) to enhance the development of the state if elected governor in 2023. Orbunde, stated this on Friday when he led some members of his campaign team on an interactive visit to the expanded State Executive Committee of the party at the APC state Secretariat in Makurdi. He further pointed out that the first civilian governor of the state, Late Mr Aper Aku, was able to achieve  much for the state because he was working in synergy with the government at the centre. He stressed that his priorities would include enhanced security, agriculture, power and solid minerals development. The former Chief of Staff to Gov. Samuel Ortom stated that his administration would encourage clustered settlement pattern in order to boost security and agricultural mechanisation. "I will make the state the protein...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has for the fourth time adjusted its 2023 election preparation timetable. The party’s presidential primary will now hold on 29th and 30th of May 2022 at the Eagle Square in Abuja. The National Publicity Secretary, Morka Felix, told journalists on Wednesday that the National Working Committee (NWC) approved a revised timetable for National Assembly and governorship primaries. He said Governorship and House of Representatives primaries will take place on May 26th, while Senate and House of Assembly primaries will hold on 27 of May 2022. He also said Election appeal for Governorships and House of Representatives will hold on 27th of May, while Appeal for Senate and House of Assembly will take place on 28 of May 2022. Asked to confirm if former President Goodluck Jonathan submitted his Presidential nomination forms on Wednesday as rumoured, he responded that he was not aware of such development.  

.......Recovers 61 Firearms, 376 Ammunition, 22 Cartridges, N2m in Major Operations By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau Special Tactical Squad (FIB-STS) have arrested 31 suspects connected with major violent crimes including kidnapping, culpable homicide, rape and unlawful possession of firearms. The successful onslaughts on the crimes suspects followed the directives from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba to clampdown on the perpetrators of crimes and criminality, as well as cutting off their supply of arms. In a statement signed on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in Abuja disclosure that the FIB-STS similarly recovered a total of 61 firearms including 41 AK rifles, 8 Type 06 rifles, 4 Light Assault Rifles (LAR), 4 pump action guns, 2 locally made firearms, 1 G3 rifle, 1 dane gun, 376 rounds of live ammunition of different calibres, and cash s...

By Our Reporter Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) Nigeria Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Chapter, has sunk a borehole for her host community, Veterinary Layout North Bank to be precise in benue state The borehole was commissioned by Wife of the Commander Corps of Engineers, Mrs Adebukola Kadiri on Tuesday in Makurdi. Performing the function, Mrs Kadiri said that the core objective of the association was assisting the vulnerable and the needy. She further said that the association's core objective of assisting the needy was aimed at raising their standard of living in the barracks and their respective host communities. "This is in line with the vision of NAOWA's National President, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya which is sustaining legacies and upholding the tenets of unity and service. "I am therefore, happy to join you here in the Veterinary layout to commission the project. "The actualization of the project is indeed a te...

By Our Reporter Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Makurdi on Tuesday organised a medical outreach for Akile community in benue state to commemorate the 58th anniversary of NAF. The Guest of Honour, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Tactical Air Command (TAC), Air Vice Marshal, Abraham Adole, said the outreach was part of the activities for the commemoration of NAF Day 2022. Represented by the Commander 131 Engineering, Air Commodore Olanrewaju Oyename, Adole stressed that the importance of the good health in achieving success in our day-to-day activities cannot be overemphasized as there was no community without health challenges. "In recognition of this fact, NAF has not only contributed to improve its healthcare facility to cater for the well being of her personnel but has also regularly extends the same gesture to host communities. "The medical outreach today is not only timely but vital as it affords Akile community the opportunity of having their h...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja A group under the eagie of Concern APC Youth Taraba state has called on some political leader to embrace peace rather than fanning the embers of discord capable of igniting crises amongst members of the party in Taraba State. The also condemned in strong term the campaign of Calumny against the Taraba State Chairman, Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi. Convener of the group, Adamu Garba in a statement said that the  Campaign of calumny and character assassination against the chairman, from an alleged protest sponsored groups parading themselves as APC EXCO at the APC National Secretariat Abuja was  likely to embarrass or have adverse effects on the party or can bring the party to ridicule and hatred of which any of the above mentioned activity is an offence, contain in Article 21 of the APC Constitution 2014 as  amended. "It is highly disheartening that people who are supposed to be elderstatemen in the party will be sponsoring campaign of calumny ...

By Our Reporter Benue Children Parliament has called on government at all levels to take drastic steps to end the menace of sexual harassment. They made this known during the inaugural session of the children parliament organized by the Save the Children International and Benue State Government in Makurdi. The Sixth Speaker of the children parliament, Master Callistus Ugboho, further lamented the rising wave of sexual assault on children especially the girl child. Ugboho said that indecent dressing by young girls was the major cause of the ugly trend. Meanwhile, all members of the parliament who spoke on the  matter said urged parents to discourage immoral dressing amongst their girl child. They also appealed to government and nongovernmental organizations to embark on sensitization at the rural areas with the aim of curtailing the ugly development. "Parents should guide their children on what to view on television and social media.  "Victims of sexual abuse alway...

     By Aviashima Toom, Abuja About 28 presidential, 145 guber, 351 senatorial and 1197 House of Representative aspirants set to face screening committee Today, The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continued with the process of electing candidates that will fill it's elective position at the 2023 general election has began the screening of aspirants jostling for elective offices promising to present credible candidates to fly the flag of the party at all levels. Inaugurating the screening committees Saturday in Abuja, the National Organizing Secretary, Amb. Suleiman Muhammad Argungu gave a breakdown of the various elective offices. He said: “We have so far 145 aspirants for the gubernatorial and we have constituted three panels to screen the governorship aspirants. “And also have 351 aspirants that have also partake and returned the senatorial aspiration forms. “While we have 1197 aspirants for the House of Representatives with 10 panels”. On the preside...

..… Recover 36 AK47 Rifles, 2,045 Ammunition, 1 Truck, Others By Aviashima Toom, Abuja Operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau-Intelligence Response Team (FIB-IRT) have recorded massive successes against agents and collaborators of violent crimes in major operations across the country. They have arrested 23 suspects of violent crimes such as culpable homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, arms trafficking, possession of prohibited firearms, rape, amongst others, including the killers of ex-Zamfara State gubernatorial aspirant and owner of Famak British Schools, Alhaji Sagir Hamidu, at Rijana. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in abuja It also revealed that the FIB-IRT from follow-up investigations recovered a total of 52 firearms including 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launcher, 1 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), 36 AK47 Rifles, 2 English shotguns, 5 locally-made sh...

By Our Reporter Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) has trained 50 women and youth on production of Bio-Mass Briquttes. The training was organised by GIFSEP in conjunction with Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) on Friday at Ugondo Community in Makurdi. The Executive Director, GIFSEP, Mr David Terungwa, said that bio-mass briquttes was aimed at curtailing indiscriminate falling of trees for charcoal purposes. Terungwa further stated that the bio-mass briquttes could even be used for a longer period as compared to charcoal. He said that its production required only little efforts and the process was less tedious. Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Break Free from Plastics Awareness Initiative, Mr Ibrahim Shamsudeen and Mr Andy Kene, said that the bio-mass could be produced using rice chaffs, sawdust, leaves, cassava peels, coconut and palm kernel shelves. The duo said that the items listed above are usually burnt until the...

  By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Department of State Services DSS has distanced itself from the purported report from an online media, calling for tenure elongation of the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration The report titled “Nigeria’s Secret Police, DSS Tests the Water on Tenure Elongation for Buhari, Tells Journalists, CSOs 2023 Elections May Not Hold” was described and misleading and mischievous by the Agency. A statement signed on Thursday by the Public Relations officer of the service Dr. Peter Afunanya, in Abuja the DSS categorically stated that the information is false and obviously fabricated to malign it and mislead the populace. The statement read thus “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to a misleading and mischievous publication by SaharaReporters titled Nigeria’s Secret Police, DSS Tests the Water on Tenure Elongation for Buhari, Tells Journalists, CSOs 2023 Elections May Not Hold. In the said report, the Service w...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu says his administration has repositioned Lagos from what it used to be under the previous administration. The governor stated this on Tuesday while submitting his nomination form to re-contest for a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Abuja. Speaking to journalists, Sanwo-Olu said he is optimistic of winning his re-election because of his performances in the past three years in office. “And we have grown the city from what it used to be three to four years ago before we took over. Now it receives the highest foreign direct investments because the environment is safe and secured,” he said. “So we are not fed up, we were sincere with ourselves and we hope that in future engagements, all the aspirations we have in our region will come to pass. We have done almost three years in the office and it's been 3 years of monumental changes that we have in the state and by the way we ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Chairman of Blueprint Newspapers Limited and frontline gubernatorial aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger state, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi has said he would work from his first hour in office as Governor to achieve his agenda of a greater Niger state if given the mandate to fly the flag of his party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Malagi who addressed the media while submitting his nomination and expression of interest forms to APC executives on Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja said his roadmap for the development of Niger state will build on the solid foundation that already exist in the state. He said Niger state is by far one of the frontline states in Nigeria given its abundant human and natural resources and promised to unleash the capacity of the people of the state to propel Niger state to an enviable position in the comity of states in Nigeria.  According to Ma...

 By Aviashima Toom, Abuja After months of pressure to return back to power, former President Goodluck Jonathan has finally bows to pressure, joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential race. A group called the Normadic Pastoralists and Almajiri communities (APAC) led by Ibrahim Abdullahi picked the expression of interest and nomination forms for the former President on Monday in Abuja According to him, they have purchased the form for the former president, to come back and rule this country and continue with the good work he has started. Abdullahi stressed that, the former president brought a comprehensive policy of reformation and integration of Almajiri into the mainstream educational system in Nigeria. “It was the dream and the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan, that if that programme had continue would one day, produce from the almajiri system of education, doctors, engineers, unlike what is obtained today. “Unfortunately, that programme was kept asi...