The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Police Command, CP Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman has recovered 15 pump action rifles from suspected gunrunners and arms dealers in the state.
The Commissioner made the disclosure on Wednesday during a press briefing and the parade of some 23 suspected criminals at the State Police Command headquarters.
According to him, on 4th August, 2024, at about 1900hrs based on intelligence received, Police patrol team of Anti-Kidnapping Unit attached to SCID Minna, while on routine patrol along Maikunkele-Tegina Road, Minna, intercepted a Toyota Corolla vehicle, red in colour, with Reg. No. DKA 877 HJ.
He added, “The vehicle was intercepted with three occupants, including the driver, and in the course of interrogation, surprisingly on the guise to ease themselves, the occupants took to their heels and upon the search of the vehicle, fifteen (15) automatic pump action rifles were found with thirty (30) cartridges concealed in a sack in the vehicle.”
The Commissioner explained that concerted effort was ongoing through the investigative process to track the owner of the said vehicle and arrest the fleeing culprits towards unraveling the source and purpose of the pump action rifles.
Danmamman added that if the fleeing suspects were found and arrested in conjunction with the owner of the vehicle, the culprits would be arraigned in court and charged for prosecution.
According to him, the case was still under investigation in the State Criminals Investigations Department (SCID) Minna.
Police recover 15 pump action rifles from gunrunners in Niger
Police recover 15 pump action rifles from gunrunners in Niger
CBN sells $876.26m out of $1.18bn bid to 26 banks at N1,495/$1 in latest Retail Dutch Auction
Following the reintroduction of the Retail Dutch Auction and a bid to reduce the demand pressure in the foreign exchange (FX) market and promote price discovery, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has sold $876.26 million at N1,495/$1 to 26 qualified banks in its latest Retail Dutch Auction.
This was from the total bid of $1.18 billion received from 32 dealer banks.
However, bids from six banks were disqualified, as four banks did not meet up with the deadline while two did not provide bids in their submitted templates.
This represents about 75% of the total bid amount supplied by the apex bank at the latest auction.
This development was announced in a statement signed by Dr Omolara Omotunde Duke, Director, Financial Markets Department.
The statement reads: “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) undertook the sale of foreign exchange (Fx) to end users through a Retail Dutch Auction System (rDAS) to reduce the demand pressure in the Fx market and promote price discovery on Tuesday, August 06, 2024.
“Authorised Dealer Banks were required to submit a comprehensive template that contains the details of Forms A and M of all the outstanding trade backed unmet Fx demand of their customers via email on Tuesday, August 06, 2024, between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. The templates were all password protected with the passwords submitted to the CBN after the deadline for the submission of the bids, thereafter, the bids were opened and collated.
READ ALSO;CBN unveils plans to create new office to manage dormant account funds
“The accounts of all end users were to be funded with the naira equivalent of their bids by Wednesday, 07 August 2024. The settlement for the successful bids is Thursday, August 08, 2024.”
The statement noted: “A total bid valued at US$1.18 billion was received from 32 Authorized Dealers Banks, of which, bids valued at US$876.26 million from 26 banks qualified, while bids valued at US$313.69 million from 6 (six) banks were disqualified. Of the disqualified bids, 4 (four) banks submitted their bids after the cut off time of 3:00 pm, while 2 (two) banks did not provide bids in the template submitted. All bids with Form Q, and unverifiable Form A and Form M on the Trade Portal were disqualified.
“In line with the objective of the CBN to boost Fx liquidity to the market as well as promote price discovery, the Bank approved a cut-off rate of N1495/US$ for the Retail Dutch Auction where bids valued at US$876.26 million from 26 banks qualified.”
The CBN noted that it will publish the total bids submitted by banks and the qualified bids on its website to ensure transparency of the process.
By; Babajide Okeowo
The post CBN sells $876.26m out of $1.18bn bid to 26 banks at N1,495/$1 in latest Retail Dutch Auction appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Trending video of Tinubu begging Nigerians old, says presidential aide
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has claimed that a video showing the president appealing to Nigerians to be patient with his government is old.
According Online, however, reported that the State House shared the video on X.com on Wednesday, passing it as new.
The video was posted on Tinubu and the Presidency’s X and Instagram handles on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 3:29 pm and 3:30 pm, respectively.
In the video, Tinubu pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with his administration, assuring them that the country is transitioning from darkness to dawn.
He acknowledged the ongoing hardships orchestrated by the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.
Tinubu noted that Nigerians’ pain was compounded by what he described as an “avoidable lag” between the subsidy removal and his helpful plans for the country.
However, in a post via his official X handle on Wednesday night, Onanuga claimed that the video posted by the Presidency is old and not a new one as widely circulated.
Onanuga said Tinubu has not made any other public statement since his last broadcast on Sunday, adding that the video was from the broadcast made by the President in 2023.
He wrote: “Trending video of President Tinubu is an old video
“A trending video of President Tinubu which came out on Wednesday is not a new video. It’s a clip from the broadcast he made last year.
“President Tinubu has not made any other public statement since his last broadcast on Sunday.”
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Foreign, local beggars evacuated from Aba, handed over to Immigration, communities
Abia State Harmonized Task Force (ABSHT) says it has evacuated beggars and other destitutes at Bata Junction in Aba South LGA of the state.
The evacuated destitutes, who are of foreign origin, have been handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service, TVN learnt.
Those who are from Nigeria were taken to their various communities and handed over to their community heads, while the remaining beggars were taken to a rehabilitation centre.
An official statement released by the ABSHT on Tuesday said that its team from Aba south, ably led by the mayor of Aba south, Mr. Uchechukwu Wogu successfully evacuated the beggars along Bata Junction, Aba, Owerri Road.
“These destitute beggars have been constituting nuisance in the area and causing random accidents hence the need for their evacuation.
“Those evacuated include both Nigerians and non Nigerians; the non Nigerians were handed over to the Immigration Service, while the Nigerians were returned to their various community heads and the remaining taken to a rehabilitation centre,” it said.
The statement noted that “the Abia State government had initially announced the restriction of nefarious activities that obstructs movement and free flow of traffic on roads.
“The Abia State Harmonized Taskforce is committed to restoring sanity to our roads and reducing the menace of unnecessary obstruction in the environment.”
Foreign, local beggars evacuated from Aba, handed over to Immigration, communities
Housing ministry, Airforce partner on affordable housing
The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has partnered with the Nigerian Air Force to provide affordable housing for its personnel.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, to the Ministry in Abuja.
This was revealed in a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, FMHUD, Badamasi Haiba, on Thursday.
Dangiwa stated, “As the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, we recognise the importance of providing suitable housing for members of the Nigerian Air Force. We assure you our commitment to working with you towards meeting the needs of our Air Force.”
The partnership is part of the Ministry’s Renewed Hope Housing Agenda, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which aims to provide 50,000 affordable housing units nationwide.
The programme has started in 13 locations across the country, with various purchasing options available, including outright purchase, rent-to-own, instalment payments, and mortgage loans with a single-digit interest rate.
Dangiwa also offered the National Housing Programme estate in Bauchi to the Nigerian Air Force at a discounted rate, with instalment payments. He directed the Permanent Secretary to coordinate an assessment tour of the NHP site in Bauchi to facilitate a speedy process of acquisition.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Bala Abubakar, commended the Minister for his achievements and requested collaboration on providing affordable housing for Air Force personnel.
He also appealed for the NHP Bauchi housing units to be sold at a discounted rate with friendly payment terms, citing its potential to enhance the operational readiness of the force.
Four players to watch in Olympics men’s football final
The sport’s very biggest stars may be missing from the Olympics men’s football tournament, but others have stepped up to make an impact over the last two weeks.
AFP Sport picks out four key players to follow in Friday’s final between hosts France and Spain:
Jean-Philippe Mateta
The bruising 27-year-old Crystal Palace striker scored 16 goals in the Premier League last season, including 14 in his last 16 appearances.
Despite those impressive statistics, he was never likely to be called up to the full France squad for Euro 2024. But coach Thierry Henry chose him to lead the line at the Olympics and Mateta has had a big impact.
His tally of four goals has been bettered only by the six of Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi. All of Mateta’s strikes have come in the last three matches, with one in the 3-0 win over New Zealand in the final group game. That was followed by the winner in the quarter-final against
Argentina with a terrific near-post header at a corner, and then a crucial brace in the semi-final against Egypt as France came from behind to win 3-1 after extra time.
Fermin Lopez
The last year has seen Barcelona attacking midfielder Lopez, 21, enjoy a remarkable rise to prominence. He established himself as a regular for his club, scoring 11 goals in 42 appearances including one in a Clasico against Real Madrid.
Lopez then made the Spain squad for Euro 2024 and made one appearance on their run to glory in Germany. He came straight from there to the Olympics where he has started all of Spain’s matches except a defeat by Egypt in their final group game when qualification for the knockout stage had already been secured.
Lopez, a native of Andalusia, has scored four goals on Spain’s run to the final, including a brilliant brace in the quarter-final against Japan and the equaliser in the semi-final against Morocco. He then set up Juanlu Sanchez’s winner in that game, and France will need to find a way of stopping him if they are to win gold on Friday.
Michael Olise
It will surely not be long before Olise is called up by Didier Deschamps to the full French national squad. He has been a constant menace for opponents on the right wing for France at the Olympics, from where he has scored two goals including the killer third in the semi-final against Egypt. He also set up the equaliser in that game with an explosive run from deep.
Olise, 22, came to the Olympics fresh from joining Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace for a reported 60 million euros ($65.6m). That was after he scored 10 goals in 19 games in the Premier League last season.
A former member of the Chelsea and Manchester City academies, Olise was born and brought up in London to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother.
Pau Cubarsi
His Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal was the sensation of Euro 2024 despite only turning 17 on the eve of Spain’s final triumph against England. Centre-back Cubarsi is a few months older, having celebrated his 17th birthday in January, but he is comfortably the youngest player in Spain’s Olympic squad named by coach Santi Denia.
A revelation for Barcelona last season, Cubarsi just missed out on a place in Spain’s squad at the Euros but has been a regular at the Olympics in central defence and will have a key role to play up against the French attack of Mateta, Olise and veteran captain Alexandre Lacazette.
AFP.
Kogi APC, SDP trade words over alleged fake news
The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council in Kogi State has accused the Social Democratic Party of deliberately pushing out fake news using the identity of the party to claim victory.
Recall that the SDP had been challenging the victory of Governor Usman Ododo on the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Whereas the election petition tribunal as well as the Appeal court have decided the outcome in favour of Ododo.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, stated that the SDP had been adopting some surreptitious and nefarious publications to discredit the judiciary.
“Our attention has been drawn to some surreptitious and nefarious publications by the embattled Social Democratic Party, which has continued to hide behind one finger to push out fake news in the name of the All Progressives Congress,” he said.
He said that the strategy has been to be using the identity of the APC to claim judicial victory to compromise the course of justice by assuming APC is privy to future judicial decisions.
“This strategy was deployed during proceedings at the lower tribunal and it failed. They brought the same failed strategy to the appeal proceedings and it failed. Unfortunately, they have not learnt from their perennial failures. They are at their lying and propaganda best again.
“Their puerile and grossly unintelligent blackmail has continued to give them the result that represents the identity of the embattled party. The SDP’s blatant disrespect for the judiciary, logic and truth has continued to put them on the precipice of ignominy.
“It is our utmost belief that court cases are won in the law courts and not on the rough streets of propaganda. Only those who know they have bad cases resort to propaganda. Our party and its candidate have put their defence before the Supreme Court and will allow the Honourable Justices to do their job. We are not going to prejudice the likely decision of the Supreme Court.
“We urge the SDP and its propaganda amoeba to stop their attack on every institution of government. Our party is not interested in their macabre dance on the grave of lies, blackmail, propaganda, sensationalism and celebration of falsehood. The woeful attempts of the SDP and its candidate to prove their allegations at the lower tribunal and at the Court of Appeal must have gotten the better of them. Their frustration is understandable but not enough reason to tarnish the image of our Honourable Justices. Those who come to equity must come with clean hands.
“We urge our supporters to remain undaunted. We believe in the rule of law while our opponents believe in the reign of falsehood and propaganda. Only a failure continues to adopt a strategy that has always brought failure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Muri/Sam Campaign Organisation who responded on behalf of the Muri/Ajaka campaign organisation, David Ijele, said the party has to speak out to prevent a similar miscarriage of justice at the Supreme Court.
“It has come to our attention that senior appointees of the Kogi State Government and supporters of the All Progressives Congress took to social media on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, to celebrate a purported victory in the case. This celebration included the dissemination of placards and graphics congratulating Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress.
“Similar occurrences have been observed before the tribunal judgment and the Court of Appeal proceedings, where the judgments were leaked to the public and reported by mainstream media before the court even resumed sitting on the day of judgment. For example, the Sahara Reporters news platform published a copy of the judgment several hours before the court commenced sitting.
“As a campaign council and an interested party in this case, we have every right to call out these irregularities. We shall not tolerate any further attempts to influence the judiciary through the misuse of state treasury funds.
“We are calling on the Supreme Court judges to uphold justice and maintain public confidence in the judiciary’s ability to deliver impartial and well-reasoned judgments. As the process is about to begin, we categorically reject the current panel setup and urge the relevant legal authorities, particularly the National Judicial Council, to closely monitor and ensure a thorough process in selecting judges for the Kogi State case”, he said.
Zamfara House of Assembly begins review of 14 LGs’ accounts for 2023
The Zamfara State Auditor General has presented the 2023 Report on the 14 Local Government Councils’ accounts to the State House of Assembly for review.
TVN reports that the Report was deliberated upon during Wednesday’s plenary session.
The motion to debate the Report was presented by the House Majority Leader, Hon. Bello Muhammad Mazawaje Tsafe, and seconded by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Adamu Aliyu Gummi.
Mazawaje noted that the presentation of the Auditor General’s financial Report on the Local Government Councils was very crucial, to allow the State lawmakers to deliberate and take necessary steps.
Two lawmakers, Hon. Rilwanu Marafa Nagambo of Anka and Hon. Mikailu Aliyu Dangulbi, of Maru South constituencies, highlighted the importance of examining the Report to ensure its quality and accuracy before approval.
The lawmakers suggested that the House Public Accounts Committee should be assigned the responsibility of a detailed study of the Report to ensure acceptable standards.
After an extensive debate, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki directed the Public Accounts Committee to scrutinize the Auditor General’s Report and report back with recommendations for necessary actions.
In another development, the House called on all relevant authorities to provide statements of account and all documents related to pension payments in the state to its relevant committees.
This was presented by Hon. Rilwanu Marafa Nagambo Anka, and supported by members representing Zurmi East and Birnin Magaji constituencies, Hon. Halliru Abdullahi Kuturu, and Nura Dahiru Sabon Birini, respectively.
Zamfara House of Assembly begins review of 14 LGs’ accounts for 2023
Abiodun orders refund of recruitment fees to applicants
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has directed the chairman of the state civil service commission to refund all administrative fees currently being charged in relation to the ongoing recruitment into the state’s civil service.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The governor directed the Civil Service Commission to refund all administrative fees, even though these are standard and historical fees that have been in place for decades.
“These fees are charged by the Civil Service Commission on behalf of third-party independent examiners who administer and supervise the Computer Based Test (CBT),” the government said.
The government said it acknowledges the current economic situation in the country had also taken into consideration the ultimate aim of the recruitment exercise.
“The aim is to alleviate the suffering of the citizens and create employment in the state. This necessitates the directives to immediately refund fees paid along with a waiver for any new applications,” the government said.
NAN.
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Protest against Govt policies not peculiar to Nigeria – Ganduje
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, says challenges and protests against government policies are not peculiar to Nigeria.
Ganduje reacted to the ongoing protest on Wednesday in Abuja when he played host to some leaders of the party from the United States of America.
The APC national chairman, who said even developed economies have their challenges, assured that whatever challenges that were being faced in Nigeria currently, would soon be over.
“There is no doubt, as a developing country, even the so-called developed economies have their turbulence in one way or the other.
“So, it is not surprising that Nigeria is having its own share of the problem. This is not the first time.
“You will recall that whenever there is a reform agenda, obstacles must be on the way, as a result, people must suffer in one way or the other.
“But, in the long run, everything will be according to the plan,” Ganduje assured Nigerians.
He also emphasized that President Bola Tinubu came into power with the intention to introduce reforms that would secure the country’s future.
He explained that the country’s institutions were weak, adding that strong institutions were needed to implement whatever good policies the government had.
Ganduje stated that President Tinubu was doing all he needed to secure the country’s future in the interest of all.
He expressed optimism that in a matter of time, the country would come out from its current challenges because Tinubu was working very hard on the economy.
Ganduje, who said that positive results would be achieved soon, described the visit of the party’s U.S. leaders as historic and a day that would not be forgotten in a hurry.
Prof. Adesegun Ladejo, who led the delegation, said they were in the party’s secretariat to show support for its leadership and the Tinubu-led administration in spite of the challenges.
This, he said, was even with the discouragement they got from some Nigerians in the diaspora, adding that their visit was to also harmonise their relationship with the party’s national leadership.
“In spite of the discouragement, we insisted on coming, in the face of all the turmoil that they projected will happen or is happening,
“We are here to support our President and Ganduje, our party’s national chairman and our country’s leaders,” he said.
The delegation included Mr Oyakhilome Bello, APC U.S. National Youth Leader, Alhaji Sama’ila Maigyara, National Publicity Secretary and Alhaja Khirat Ajiboye, Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
Protest against Govt policies not peculiar to Nigeria – Ganduje