Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has alleged that his life and those of the company’s management staff are under serious threat.

Ojulari, who disclosed this on Thursday, said the threats are linked to the reforms he introduced in the oil and gas sector, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to revamp the nation’s moribund refineries.

According to him, some powerful individuals opposed to the ongoing changes are allegedly plotting to force him out of office.

The NNPCL boss raised the alarm while receiving a delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.

The Anambra State House of Assembly has suspended the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, Bernard Udemezue, for three months over a social media post disclosing his entitlements as a lawmaker.

The suspension was announced during plenary on Tuesday following the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Rules, Business, Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Majority Leader Ikenna Ofodeme.

Udemezue had shared a message in a WhatsApp group largely made up of his constituents, revealing his allowances and stating that each lawmaker receives ₦10 million quarterly from the state government for constituency projects.

The disclosures angered his colleagues, who described his conduct as unparliamentary. The committee recommended his suspension without salary and barred him from appearing within the Assembly premises during the period.

Reacting to the decision, Udemezue insisted he did nothing wrong, arguing that his intention was to keep his constituents informed about his activities in the Assembly.

He further alleged that his suspension was an act of victimisation, claiming some lawmakers were upset because the revelation exposed that many pocket funds meant for constituency projects.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered six banks to provide the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) with details of all accounts and transactions linked to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.

Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Tuesday after granting an ex-parte motion filed by the IGP’s counsel, Wisdom Madaki.

In the motion, the police told the court that Sowore is under investigation for alleged terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent activities.

Ruling on the application, Justice Nwite held that the request was justified.

“I have listened to the submission of the counsel to the applicant and I have also gone through the affidavit evidence. I am of the view and so hold that the application is meritorious. The prayer is hereby granted as prayed,” the judge said.

The second day of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference in Enugu was on Monday disrupted by protests demanding the release of Bright Ngene, a Labour Party lawmaker representing Enugu South Urban Constituency in the State House of Assembly.

Ngene is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence imposed by a magistrate’s court over a community dispute. His supporters, however, maintain that the conviction was politically motivated.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Release Bar. Bright Ngene Now, a Political Prisoner of Conscience” and “NBA, Please Save Our Democracy”, the protesters accused the state judiciary of deliberately stalling his appeal.

Addressing journalists, protest leader Benedict Kachukwu described Ngene’s incarceration since July 2024 as a miscarriage of justice.

“Due process was not followed in his trial. We appeal to the NBA and senior lawyers at this conference to intervene and ensure justice is done,” he said.

Security operatives prevented the demonstrators from entering the International Conference Centre, venue of the NBA conference. Nonetheless, the protesters staged a peaceful demonstration around the premises before dispersing.

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has uncovered and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country.

The discovery was made during a recent nationwide crackdown on unaccredited institutions.

In a statement outlining its achievements, the commission confirmed the closure of the illegal colleges, stressing its commitment to sanitising the teacher education sector.

“The NCCE identified and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country. The commission also conducted a personnel audit and financial monitoring exercise in all 21 federal colleges of education,” the statement read.

The Presidency has refuted reports suggesting that Nigeria had an empty stand at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga clarified that President Bola Tinubu’s delegation is attending the summit for high-level engagements, not for trade exhibitions.

According to him, the Nigerian team is concentrating on securing strategic partnerships in key sectors, including power, industry, and agriculture.

The clarification followed viral photos on social media showing an empty space marked “Nigeria,” which drew criticism from the public. Onanuga, however, described the reports as misleading.

“Nigeria is not participating as a trade exhibitor,” he said, adding that while some of the concerns were driven by patriotism, they reflected a misunderstanding of the country’s actual objectives at TICAD9.

The Kano State Hisbah Board has unveiled plans to sponsor the weddings of repentant bandits as part of the government’s ongoing reintegration efforts.

Commander-General of Hisbah, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, disclosed this development after more than 1,000 youths surrendered their weapons and publicly renounced violence.

According to him, the initiative aligns with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s programme aimed at helping youths who have abandoned crime to build stable and decent lives.

“This programme is part of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s initiative to support youths who have turned away from crime and want to live a decent life,” Sheikh Daurawa said, while urging the youths to ensure their repentance was genuine. He also appealed to others still engaged in violence to embrace the opportunity.

At the event held at the Police Headquarters in Bompai, Governor Yusuf—represented by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya—stated that the police screening exercise marked the first stage of rehabilitation.

“After this, the NDLEA will also screen the youths to confirm the sincerity of their repentance,” the governor noted.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the 2027 presidential ambition of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, describing it as “dead on arrival.”

Wike, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, was reacting to Amaechi’s recent claims that he knows President Bola Tinubu’s weaknesses and could defeat him in a presidential contest.

According to Wike, Amaechi is fully aware that he stands no chance of clinching the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is currently a member.

“He knows he won’t get the ticket,” Wike said. “I read that he said he knows the weaknesses of the president, so he knows how to defeat him. But he also knew those weaknesses in 2022, when the president defeated him mercilessly in the primary.”

Although there have been speculations about Amaechi’s interest in running for president under the ADC platform in 2027, Wike insisted the former Rivers State governor has no viable pathway to the presidency.