Nelson Ugwuagbo

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Student Loans Re-enactment Bill into law at the State House in Abuja.

According to a tweet by the Special Assistant on Social Media to the president, Olusegun Dada, the bill signing took place at the State House in the presence of the leadership from the National Assembly, ministers, and major education stakeholders.

The new legislation repeals the previous Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act of 2023 and re-enacts the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill from 2004.

The executive bill establishes the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a corporate body tasked with receiving, managing and investing funds to provide loans to Nigerians pursuing higher education, vocational training and skills acquisition programs.

In a remarkable turn of events, 30 children, primarily girls, who were abducted in Kasai Village in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State have been safely released.

The abduction, carried out by bandits while the victims were gathering firewood, sent shockwaves through the community on Monday.

However, less than 24 hours later, the children found their freedom, thanks to the diligent efforts of law enforcement and community stakeholders.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Katsina State Police Command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq confirmed the release to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday.

“Following a concerted effort by the command, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, we’ve achieved a positive outcome,” ASP Sadiq stated, underscoring the swift action taken by authorities upon receiving the distressing report.

He further assured the public that the police were committed to investigating the incident thoroughly, with the dual objectives of rescuing the kidnapped victims and apprehending those responsible.

The news of the children’s release was also confirmed by Muhammad Batsari, a resident of the affected area.

Overjoyed by the turn of events, Batsari shared, “I received a call this morning informing me that all the kidnapped victims had been released by the bandits.”

In a brazen assault on Monday night, bandits struck at a mosque in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, abducting numerous worshippers during the Tahajjud congregational prayer.

Tahajjud prayer is a vigil normally held in the last 10 days of Ramadan preceeding Eid-el-Ftr.

LeadingReporters gathered that the attackers stormed the mosque during the night prayer and kidnapped the worshippers

Mannir, however, expressed uncertainty about the exact number of persons taken as captives.

“While the number of abducted individuals remains unconfirmed, authorities are actively pursuing the assailants,” Mannir added.

As at the time of this report, no ransom demand has been made, and no group has claimed responsibility for the audacious attack, adding to the prevailing sense of insecurity in the North-West.

This assault comes on the heels of heightened concerns over escalating banditry and related criminal activities in Zamfara State. Recall that just a week ago, Governor Dauda Lawal engaged in discussions with President Bola Tinubu to address the mounting security challenges in the state.

A fire outbreak that began in the early hours of Tuesday engulfed several shops at Owode Market in Offa, Kwara State.

A video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters captured the moment some of the shop owners were mourning as they watched their properties destroyed by the fire.

“This light is too much. This is not caused by NEPA (electricity). Maybe some people were cooking and the fire started from there because this light is much,” one of the traders said in the video.

A source from the town on Tuesday morning said the fire was eventually quenched by the personnel of Federal Fire Service and Kwara State Fire Service.

The source added that no fewer than five shops were affected by the inferno.

“The authorities are still assessing the situation, but personally, I know at least five shops were affected. The worth of goods and properties destroyed can’t be said now until the assessment finishes.

“There are also several claims as to the cause of the fire until we wait for the fire service to release their statement on it,” the source said.

Meanwhile, barely eight months ago, there was a report about a midnight fire razed a residential building in the town and destroyed property worth N6.5m.

The incident that occurred at about 1:05am at Kowope compound, Olorunkuse area, Offa, affected a two- bedroom flat and four shops.

In December, no fewer than 14 shops were reportedly razed by fire in two incidents that occurred in the Tanke area of Ilorin in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State between Tuesday evening and the early hours of Wednesday

At least, seven shops at Zion Overcomer, Opposite Duro Suleiman house, University Road, Tanke, were reportedly burnt while the second incident also occurred at Tanke Oke-Odo area on University Road at about 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday, where another seven shops were destroyed by fire.

While confirming the incidents, the Kwara State Fire Service said that its men attended to the two fire incidents at different locations in the Tanke area and saved 16 out of the 31 shops engulfed by the raging fire.

The spokesman of Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, who confirmed the incident at that time, had said the quick intervention of the firefighters saved property estimated to be worth N13.3m.

Editor of FirstNews Online Newspaper, Segun Olatunji, has regained his freedom after spending 12 days in custody.

Gunmen in military uniform had invaded Olatunji’s residence at Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos State, on March 15, 2024, and whisked him away.

While the journalist’s family did not receive any communication from his military, the management of the media platform linked the incident to a story published by FirstNews.

Concerns about his location continued until the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) said its checks showed the editor was in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), an agency under the command of Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who, in turn, reports to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Chris Musa.

Hours after the IPI made the disclosure, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told some editors that the military had confirmed that the editor was in their custody.

Meanwhile, in a strongly-worded statement on Wednesday, IPI called on President Bola Tinubu to activate the powers of his office as Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to direct the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to produce Olatunji.
“IPI Nigeria has received inquiries about this matter from all over the world. The Institute has also contacted the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Defence Headquarters, and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation seeking information on Mr Olatunji and demanding his release. All efforts in this direction have so far failed.

“That has triggered speculations among journalists and human rights activists around the world that the Nigerian military may be keeping some vital information away from the public concerning the journalist’s safety.

“IPI is therefore calling on President Tinubu to direct the Nigerian military authorities to immediately release Mr Olatunji or charge him to court if he has committed any offence. The international community should also pay attention to the unjust detention of Mr. Olatunji by the Nigerian military,” said the statement signed by IPI President, Musikilu Mojeed, and Tobi Soniyi, its secretary.

Consequently, on Thursday morning, Olatunji was released to the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), according a message by the Secretary of the Guild, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren.

As at the time of his release, the DIA didn’t say what Olatunji’s offence was.

Elon Musk, the CEO behind X , has set the platform abuzz with groundbreaking updates, sending users into a frenzy of excitement.

Also the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX, Musk declared on Thursday that accounts boasting 2,500 verified subscribers will now unlock premium features at no cost, while those surpassing the 5,000 mark will soar even higher with Premium+.

The billionaire, who acquired X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, revealed this via his X handle, igniting a wave of anticipation and applause. 

Musk made massive announcements to the delight of platform X users.

The tweet read, “Going forward, all X accounts with over 2500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free and accounts with over 5000 will get Premium+ for free.”

X Premium subscription offers account owners a host of perks, including minimized advertisements, eligibility for revenue sharing, and additional features.

Meanwhile, the X Premium+ subscription takes it up a notch with exclusive benefits like an ad-free experience and priority reply privileges.

Musk had earlier confirmed on Wednesday amid the growing rivalry with OpenAI that the Grok AI chatbot, which was only accessible for X Premium+ users before now, will now be accessible to all Premium users soon.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s mega filling station located along Bank Road, Galadima Aminu Way in Jimeta, Yola, the Adamawa State capital was gutted by fire on Wednesday.

According to reports, the fire began around 9.15 pm on Wednesday.

As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire was not yet ascertained.

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Senstor Abdul Ahmed Ningi, through his lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has requested reinstatement to the senate.

Ningi, representing the Bauchi Central Senatorial District, was suspended on March 12, 2024, by the senate for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded with N3 trillion.

Ningi, in a letter through Falana, accused the Senate President Godswill Akpabio of violating his client’s fundamental right to fair hearing.

He advised Akpabio to his Ningi’s suspension or be reported to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC.

The human rights lawyer disclosed that Akpabio caused him to be put on trial before the Senate on March 14.

In a letter dated March 25, 2024, addressed to Akapbio, the lawmaker said that the Senate President pronounced him guilty and suspended him.

“At the end of the trial, you pronounced our client guilty and declared,” the letter reads in part.

“That the Senate do suspend Senator Abdul Nigin (Bauchi North) for three months and he should forfeit all his entitlements and be disallowed from the precincts of the National Assembly Complex during the period of the suspension.

“He should also apologise to the Senate in writing, thereafter the senate can consider his remorse and recall him”, part of his letter read.

The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has confiscated banned pharmaceutical products, valued at millions of naira, in Onitsha, Anambra State, during a raid.

The agency also bust factories manufacturing fake alcoholic beverages in Enugu and Imo states.

NAFDAC’s Director, South East Zone, Martins Iluyomade, revealed this while briefing newsmen in Awka on Wednesday.

He said drugs intercepted in Onitsha included 892 bottles of codeine syrup, 26 packs of Rohypnol tablet (Flunitrazepam) and 16 packs of swings tablet (Flunitrazepam).

Others were six rolls of Teka Tramadol capsules 100mg, 10 packs of Super Terpentol tablet 200mg and eight packs of Osaka Tramadol capsules 100mg.

Iluyomade applauded the Coordinator of NAFDAC in Anambra, Louis Mmadubuatta,
for a successful operation, saying the drugs posed grave public health danger.

According to him, the drugs were dangerous psychoactive substances, especially Rohypnol, which, he said, was largely used by kidnappers, rapists, cultists and ritualists, on their victims.

“These are controlled drugs which should not be found in an open market or in the hands of individuals,” he said.

Iluyomade said other breakthroughs made included the discovery of a factory under the name BEST IJAW at Ibagwa Aka, in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, which specialised in the production of an unapproved dry gin.

He said the factory had eight PVC containers filled with substances suspected to be ethanol and drums of substances equally suspected to be ethanol.