Headlines

Following the recent jailbreak of over one hundred inmates at the Niger Republic, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has placed his men to be on alert and secure all borders leading to Nigeria.

The Service disclosed this in a circular signed by the Acting Deputy Comptroller General, MC Dike has directed all Comptroller of Command and OCs of formation along Niger to be on Red alert and track any suspicious movement encroaching Nigeria territory.

The service stressed that this circular becomes very important as it is suspected that such criminal elements may sneak into Nigeria to join other terrorist gangs to continue to perpetrate mayhem and menace in Nigeria hence all officers working with Nigerian Border with Niger are therefore expected to increase their vigilance end partner with other security agencies in tracking these fleeing terrorists.

Inspector Akor Onu, a security operative attached to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State for the September 21 election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has been shot dead in Benin by thugs.

The attack took place during the victorious homecoming of the reinstated Edo Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu.

Others injured with the standard bearer of APC in Edo are on admission in an undisclosed hospital in Benin.

Shaibu and Okpebholo, who flew in the same aircraft from Abuja arrived Benin Airport around 1:18 p.m to rousing welcome by their teeming supporters.

They sang victory songs amid drumming and dancing to celebrate Wednesday’s judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja, which reinstated Edo Deputy Governor.

As their convoy left the airport and linked the dualised Airport Road, thugs in a Toyota Sienna vehicle in front of the Miracle Centre of the.Church of God Mission, started shooting sporadically at the vehicles of Shaibu, Okpebholo and others.

The shooting led to the death of the police inspector with many motorists, pedestrians and residents scampering to safety, causing confusion in the densely-populated neighbourhood.

The reinstated Deputy Governor drove off speedily and headed for his nearby residence in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) Benin and quickly moved to the various hospitals to empathised with the injured.

The shooting led to many injuries with many rushed to hospitals in Benin and environs for treatment.

The attack took place despite the presence at Benin airport of Edo Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, whose officers and men displayed bravery but the thugs laid ambush for the convoy.

Okpebholo’s legislative aide in charge of media and communication, Godswill Inegbe, alleged the thugs were led by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Edo (name withheld).

He lamented three riot policemen were shot with one dead.

Many people were reportedly injured as armed thugs opened fire on the convoy of Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, and Phillip Shaibu, the former Deputy Governor of Edo State at the Benin Airport on Thursday.

The incident occurred around 2 pm as the duo arrived from Abuja aboard a chartered private jet.

Eyewitnesses reported that the unknown gunmen, travelling in a Toyota Sienna bus, positioned themselves at the airport’s exit gate and unleashed bullets on the convoy carrying Okpebholo and Shaibu.

In reaction, the security details attached to the APC candidate and Shaibu retaliated with gunfire.

Reports have it that businesses in the area hastily closed, and drivers abandoned their vehicles to escape the crossfire.

The situation was however brought under control by the timely intervention of the Nigeria Police mobile squad, who fired shots that forced the attackers to flee in their vehicle.

This incident comes on the heels of a Federal Court ruling in Abuja, which reinstated Shaibu as the Deputy Governor and ordered the Inspector General of Police to restore his security details. The court’s decision nullified Shaibu’s impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, men from the Edo State Security Network took over the office of the state’s deputy governor, Marvellous Omobayo, located at Osadebey Avenue in the Government Reservation Area.

Earlier, Shaibu had instructed a large crowd of youths to join his convoy to the office.

President Tinubu has approved a N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers with a promise to review the national minimum wage law every three years.

The Nation reports the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are at the Presidential Villa, Abuja for a scheduled meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said: “President Tinubu also promised to find ways to assist the private sector and the sub-nationals to pay the minimum wage.

“President Tinubu announced the decisions at the meeting held with leaders of TUC and NLC on Thursday in Abuja, the second time the parties met in 7 days.

“The Labour leaders applauded President Tinubu for the fatherly gesture as the President also promised to use his discretionary powers meet the demands of university unions demanding unpaid 4 months salaries.”

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has granted approval for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigerian tertiary institutions to admit candidates from the age of 16.

This followed objections and pleas by heads of tertiary institutions present at the policy meeting on the 2024 admission organised by JAMB and held in Abuja on Thursday.

The policy meeting is a forum for critical stakeholders in the admission processes into tertiary institutions in the country, including university vice-chancellors and registrars, rectors and registrars of polytechnics, provosts and registrars of colleges of education, the JAMB registrar and other officials of the examination body, and principal officers of monotechnics.

LEADING REPORTERS reported that the minister had, earlier in his speech, directed the institutions not to admit candidates under 18.

The minister’s comments drew loud grumbles from the audience consisting mainly of heads of tertiary institutions, registrars, and their admission officers.

But the minister said it was a matter of law and policies, adding it does not require his comments as it was a provision of Nigeria’s policy on education.

“JAMB is hereby instructed from admission this year to admit only eligible students. That is those who have attained 18 years by our laws,” he had said.

“Our laws require students to be in school from six years —Yes, there are those who do that from five—, and remain in primary school for six years, basic education for three years, and secondary school for three years… It doesn’t require a statement of the minister… we are only restating what is in the law,” he added.

However, while considering the memorandum for the 2024 policy meeting on this year’s admissions, heated arguments ensued over the minister’s directive on underage admissions.

The representative of Elizade University moved the motion for objection.

He called for the adoption of 16 years as many of those categorised underage candidates have already taken the UTME without anticipating the directive.

But the JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, who convened the meeting said it was not a new policy or directive.

The minister, however, agreed that candidates from the age of 16 be admitted and the meeting approved it.

“For practical reasons, we will go with that,” Mr Mamman said, finally drawing applause and cheers from the audience.

A Bill seeking to establish a federal agency for the conduct of local government elections on Thursday, July 18, scaled first reading in the Senate.

The Bill titled, “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024” was sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, (APC – Niger East).

Details shortly……

Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday, July 18, resolved to sacrifice 50 percent of their monthly salaries to address the current economic crisis in the country.

The speaker inferred that each lawmaker’s salary was about N600,000 monthly.

The Deputy Speaker had proposed an amendment to a motion appealing to young Nigerians planning a protest as a result of the hardship in the country, saying members should consider sacrificing 50 percent of their pay to address hunger in the land.

However, when the Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen put the motion to voice vote, the majority of members voted in favour of the motion.

In proposing the amendment, Kalu reminded members that the House took a similar decision during the COVID-19 era and that it worked very well for the country.

The Speaker commended members for their resolve to sacrifice part of their salaries to address hunger in the land just as some members asked the Executive to also make sacrifices in line with what the Lawmakers have done.