Nelson Ugwuagbo

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction of the price of diesel from 1200 to 1,000 naira per litre.

While rolling out the products, the refinery supplied at a substantially reduced price of N1,200 per litre three weeks ago, representing over 30 per cent reduction from the previous market price of about N1,600 per litre.

A statement by the organisation on Tuesday night explained the significant reduction in the price of diesel is expected to positively affect all the spheres of the economy and reduce the high inflation rate in the country.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, arraign a businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over allegation of abusing the Naira currency.

Cubana Chief Priest will be arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on a three-count charge of allegedly spraying and tampering with the Naira notes at a social event contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

In the charge filed on April 4 by the EFFC’s prosecutor, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Rotimi Oyedepo, and seven other lawyers representing the executive chairman of the anti-graft Commission, it was alleged that Okechukwu Pasca on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.

In count 2, it was alleged “that you, Okechukwu Pasca,l sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”

In Count 3, it was alleged: “that you, Okechukwu Pasca,l sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”

Recall that the EFCC on April 5 secured the conviction of popular cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, on similar charges for which he was sentenced to six-month imprisonment.

President Bola Tinubu has declared April 7 as National Police Day.

Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made this known on Monday night during the maiden edition of the Nigeria Police Awards and Commendations ceremony held in the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

The president identified a complete overhaul of institutional mentality and memory of police officers as fundamental in his administration’s ongoing bid to transform the force into a modern, professional and accountable institution.

According to Tinubu, his administration had initiated wide-ranging reforms to revitalize the nation’s police force since assuming office in 2023.

He, therefore, stressed the need to engage men and women of the force in training and capacity-building to equip them with the expertise required to carry out the arduous task of modern policing.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government had approved the first week of April as police week and the last day of the week as the National Police Day.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in our tradition of honouring the Police Force in the life of this great nation, we have approved the adoption of the first week of April as Police Week.

The Nigerian Police has apprehended the leader of a “one chance” robbery gang in Abuja who physically attacked a pregnant woman, causing her to lose her pregnancy.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made this known on his X account on Sunday.

Adejobi wrote, “This is a ring leader of one chance robbery gang in Abuja. He used this wheel spanner to beat a pregnant woman (one chance victim) until she had a miscarriage. The woman had been waiting for a child for more than eight years.

“This is wickedness. Anyway, he’s having a trial in the court and has been arrested for the same offence again.”

Nigeria’s electricity grid has collapsed again,
The grid collapsed around 2:42 am on Monday, with generation dropping to 64.70megawatt.

Only one generation company, Ibom Power, was active according to data from the Independent System Operator (ISO), a branch of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, has shown.

This is the sixth collapse in 2024.
LeadingReporters gathered that as of 8am on Monday, the latest data from the ISO showed that the grid is currently generating 266.50mw of electricity from Okpai, Geregu and Ibom power.

Confirming the collapse in a statement, Jos DisCo said: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred in the early hours at about 0242Hours of today, Monday, 15th April 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.”

The company’s head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, expressed hope that the grid is restored for normal power supply to its esteemed customers.

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen who attacked the ex-Governor Samuel Ortom’s Chief of Staff, Terwase Orbunde, Friday evening and abducted his wife and housemaid have opened negotiations with the family demanding N100 million ransom for their release.

Orbunde who is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital in Makurdi for injuries he sustained from gunshot, told a close family member that the abductors spoke to him at about 8:30 am on Saturday themselves and through the captives.

According to him, “his wife and house help were very calm when they spoke with him.”

He revealed that during the attack which took place at about 6pm, the gunmen were speaking Fulani among themselves and communicated with him in Hausa saying they would contact him on phone.

Orbunde said they told him that he should be prepared to send money to them, vowing that if he failed to do that, they would kill his wife and maid.

It could be recalled that gunmen Friday, April 12, 2024 attacked Orbunde when he went to supervise work on his farm between Genocide Cemetery and Angus Memorial College, along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The former Chief of Staff was shot on the forearm while his wife, Kashimana Orbunde, and maid Patience Ogute, were abducted.

Channels Television’s reporter, Joshua Rogers, who was kidnapped near his residence at Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Thursday, has regained his freedom.

He was said to have been released around 10pm on Friday.

One of his colleagues with Channels TV in Port Harcourt, Charles Oporum, confirmed his release to news correspondent on Friday.

“Yes, he has been released. He was released about an hour ago, and he has reunited with his family,” Oporum said.

The management of the television station, in a short statement, also confirmed the development.

The statement read, “Channels Television reporter, Joshua Rogers, who was abducted last night in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has been freed.

“We thank our viewers and all those who expressed concern over the unfortunate incident.”

Rogers is the Government House, Port Harcourt correspondent for Channels TV.