Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Tension has gripped residents of Anambra State over the safety of the kidnapped member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Justice Azuka. Hon. Azuka, according to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, was kidnapped by yet-to-be identified gunmen somewhere at Ugwunakpamkpa area at about 9.20pm on Christmas Eve while returning home for Christmas celebrations. SP Ikenga also said that a team of operatives of the Command had been deployed to rescue the lawmaker and arrest his abductors to make sure they face the full wrath of the law. However, a source…

The Nigerian Army’s Joint Task Force Northwest Operation, Fansan Yamma, has called on the public to rely on verified information to prevent misinformation and unnecessary panic regarding its operations. This appeal was made in a statement issued late Wednesday by Lt. Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, Coordinator of the Joint Media Coordination Centre for Operation Fansan Yamma. The statement addressed recent reports alleging that a military fighter jet bombed civilian structures in Silame Local Government Area, Sokoto State. Lt. Col. Abdullahi clarified that all military operations are conducted following rigorous intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions. He emphasized that these measures are critical,…

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has pledged ₦670 million to combat malnutrition and enhance maternal and child health services across the state. This was announced during the official flag-off of the second Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Kumbotso Local Government Area. Governor Yusuf disclosed that ₦500 million of the funds will serve as counterpart funding to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for various nutrition initiatives aimed at addressing malnutrition among children and pregnant women. Additionally, ₦170 million has been earmarked for the renovation and upgrading of malnutrition treatment and referral centres. Speaking at the event,…

Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza. He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world”) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning. “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” the 88-year-old pontiff said, his voice strained and breathless. “May…

Elder statesman Bode George says President Bola Tinubu’s Monday media chat lacks empathy and humanity, stressing that the President, through his statements, is unfeeling to the plight of suffering Nigerians. Drawing inferences from three food queue stampedes that claimed 67 lives in Nigeria last week, George said “there is hunger and anger in the land” yet the President continues to insist that his reforms are working while many Nigerians are becoming poorer by the day and businesses collapsing. “We are not feeling it, it is going worse by the day,” George said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.…

President Bola Tinubu says the Federal Government has subsidised transportation costs for Nigerians as part of moves to ease the hardship during the festive period. In his Christmas message for 2024, Tinubu said the government has provided free train rides and subsidised road transport. “For those travelling during this festive period, I wish you safe journeys. Rest assured, the government is taking all necessary steps to ensure our transportation routes are secure and convenient,” Tinubu said in a message he signed. “We also provide free train services and subsidized road transport costs on 144 routes nationwide to ease your travels.”…

Pope Francis will open the Holy Year of the Catholic Church in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday evening. In a solemn ceremony on Christmas Eve, the 88-year-old pontiff will open the Holy Door, which is otherwise walled up from the inside, and pass through it. The News Agency of Nigeria reported Tuesday that the Catholic Church normally celebrates a Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee Year, every 25 years. According to Catholic belief, believers can gain forgiveness of their sins through prayer and penance during a Holy Year. This also includes a pilgrimage to Rome and passing through Holy…

Venezuelan authorities have set free another 223 prisoners who were arrested during post-election protests, the prosecutor’s office announced Monday, bringing the total number of protesters released to 956. More than 2,400 people were arrested — and at least 28 killed — after widespread demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro’s declaration of victory in July’s elections, which the opposition said it had won. “Over the course of today in coordination with the criminal courts a new group of cases were reviewed,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Relatives of the detainees have been protesting and holding vigils for weeks to…

The All Progressives Congress has hit back at the Peoples Democratic Party over the latter’s criticism of the recent deaths recorded during stampedes at palliatives distribution sites across the country. APC spokesman, Felix Morka in a statement described PDP’s stance as “callous”. He said at a time of national grief over stampedes in Oyo, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory that resulted in the death of citizens, the PDP seized the moment to engage in callous political chicanery. Morka also said Nigerians have not forgotten the ill-fated 2014 recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS which led to the…

The Arewa Think Tank, a Northern group, has expressed excitement over President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the military to end banditry in 2025. The group’s convener, Muhammad Yakubu, said the President’s order is a welcome development that has rekindled hope in the current administration’s ability to tackle insecurity. According to Yakubu, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, had disclosed that Tinubu had directed the military to ensure that banditry is brought to an end by next year. “We are happy to hear that Matawalle told All Progressives Congress (APC) members at his Gusau residence about the directive…