JUST IN: Oduah loses bid to stop bulletproof cars probe

A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, against the Attorney General of the Federation and three others.

Justice Okon Abang, who dismissed Oduah’s suit for want of jurisdiction today, ordered her to pay a cost of N15,000 to the AGF.

BIAFRA: We won’t resort to violence in self-defence —IPOB

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has denied earlier reports that it has resolved to resort to violence with the security agencies who have been killing their members during protest and prayer sessions. In a statement issued yesterday in Nnewi by the IPOB Media and Publicity Officer, Mr. Emma Powerful, he said  there was never  a time IPOB  threatened to resort to violence in its agitation for the release of its leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra. He said  those who were quoting IPOB or any of its coordinators or spokespersons as saying so, were either trying to be mischievous or trying to paint a picture of IPOB being a violent group that will be tagged a terrorist group by the international community .

Diezani alone extended oil contract, says ex-NNPC GMD

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke unilaterally extended crude oil for refined products (oil swap) contracts, a former Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD) Austin Oniwon alleged yesterday.

Oniwon alleged that “the minister at the time extended the contract between the Petroleum Product Marketing Company  (PPMC) and its trading partners Duke Oil Company Incorporated and Trafigura Ltd, a non-resident trading company, without recourse to due process.

Alleged N2.1bn fraud: EFCC re-arraigns Dokpesi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today, re-arraigned the Chairman emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc, ‎High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

Dokpesi ‎who was initially docked before the court on December 9, 2015, is facing a six-count criminal charge. He was alleged to have ‎received about N2.1billion from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, for Peoples Democratic Party’s ‎presidential media campaign. According to the charge which was signed by the Deputy Director, Legal and Prosecution at the EFCC, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, the fund was released to the accused person by the erstwhile NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, rtd, ‎between October 2014 and March 19, 2015. 

Borno evacuates over 600 IDPs from schools

Borno State Government has commenced the evacuation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from schools to permanent resettlement camps across Maiduguri, the state capital.
The decision followed the state government’s plans to open public schools in the metropolis which have been closed for nearly two years.

Nigeria struggles as Buhari wrangles with budget, naira

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari finally swore in his cabinet in November, nearly six months after taking office, he hoped to shake off his nickname “Baba Go Slow”. But troubling errors in the budget of Africa’s largest economy and the continuing free fall of the naira on the black market have both Nigerians and investors worried that Buhari still isn’t moving fast enough to address a deepening economic crisis. Since its peak in 2014, the global price of oil — which accounted for two-thirds of the Nigerian government’s revenue — has plunged by 70 percent, decimating economic growth and the naira.

Boko Haram hungry, desperate —Lai Moh’d

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the spate of suicide bombings and attacks on soft targets by Boko Haram, lately as actions of hungry and desperate terrorists.

Sacked agency heads working for PDP — Oyegun

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said, yesterday, that President Muhammadu Buhari sacked heads of 27 federal parastatals on Monday because they were compromised by the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He said the APC had no apologies for the gale of sack that rocked the agencies. Oyegun, who disclosed this to State House correspondents after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, said the sack was not about APC members filling the positions left by the sacked parastatal chiefs, but about weeding out those sabotaging efforts of the Federal Government to bring development to Nigerians.

Tompolo: No clue on whereabouts, 4 days to court appearance

WARRI—FOUR days to the February 19 date given by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to the nation’s security agencies to produce the former ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, there is no clue on his whereabouts. Also, his Ijaw relatives are not ready to give up the former militant leader, who the people of Gbaramatu-Ijaw in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, regard in very high esteem.

I’m not ready for trial —Dasuki

ABUJA— Former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki,  has said he was not ready for trial until the Federal Government complied with an order of the Federal High Court granting him bail.

Jonathan’s camp, senators kick as Sheriff leads PDP

A MAJOR step to restore the strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – the choice of an acting national chairman –  was off the target yesterday.

The main opposition party sank deeper into crisis after a section of its leadership picked former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff for the top job.

Obasanjo awarded $841m Abuja rail project without engineering design

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo awarded the $841m Abuja rail project without engineering design and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2007, an official of Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) told a Senate panel yesterday.