The Nigerian Army has described as misconceived, a viral video insinuating that troops participated in the looting spree that occurred on Thursday, the first day of the hunger protest, in Kano
Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director Army Public Relations, in a statement said contrary to the misconception portrayed in the video, soldiers of 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army responded to a distress call following a hoodlums’ attack on Barakat Stores in Kano Metropolis.
According in him, the swift intervention of the soldiers prevented the hoodlums from having a field day.
The statement said the troops intercepted some of the hoodlums and recovered some of the looted items, which they were conveying back to the Store, when another distress call of a planned attack on the Kano State Government House was received.
“Considering the urgency of the imminent attack, the troops immediately diverted to respond to the distress call in order to protect the Government House from the hoodlums’ attack.
“It was in the course of the response to distress call about possible attack on Kano Government House, that the video was shot.
“The fluidity and urgency of the distress call explain why troops in the video were not overly bothered when some hoodlums even stole from the troops’ truck while in motion. At that juncture, preventing the attack on the Government House was more expedient,” the statement added.
According to the statement, the troops eventually moved the recovered gallons of cooking oil and other items back to the Store, where they were safely handed-over to the rightful owner.
“The management of Barakat Stores has acknowledged and appreciated the effort of the troops and their professional conduct in a letter conveyed by the organization’s General Manager,” the statement said.
Protest: Soldiers did not loot Kano store – Nigerian Army dismisses looting video
Protest: Soldiers did not loot Kano store – Nigerian Army dismisses looting video
Kaduna Electric disconnects Govt House over N2.9bn deb
The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company has disconnected the supply of electricity to the Kaduna State Government House and other state government facilities due to unpaid bills totalling N2.9 billion.
A statement by the Head, Corporate Communication, AbdulAzeez Abdullahi on Friday, noted that Kaduna Electric made repeated attempts to resolve the issue, including consultations with state officials, before issuing a disconnection notice on July 21.
According Online reports that the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service sealed the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company over a N600m tax liability.
Speaking to newsmen after the exercise in the early hours of Friday, the Executive Chairman of KADIRS, Jerry Adams, said the operation was an execution of a court order to restrain KAEDCO over the liability due to the state.
Adams explained that the N600m tax liability was from 2015 to 2022 when they did all the reconciliations with KAEDCO agreeing to pay a substantial amount of the liability.
The executive chairman, however, lamented, “Till this moment, since last year that the liability was established, KAEDCO has not met what it committed to do.
“We are backed by the law to seal and take over their premises in order to ensure compliance, and that is what we executed this morning.”
However, Kaduna Electric’s statement added that the outstanding balance for electricity consumed from January 2024 to July 2024 alone amounts to a staggering One Billion, One Hundred and Sixty-Six Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-One Naira, Eighty-Seven Kobo (N1,166,856,991.87).
This figure, including the historical debt, has left the State Government with a huge debt that currently stands “at a total of Two Billion Nine Hundred and Forty -three, Million Sixty Thousand One Hundred and Sixteen Naira Seventy-Seven Kobo (N2,943,060,116.77),” according to KAEDCO.
It noted further that despite a recent payment of N256,920,963.88 made on May 9, 2024, for electricity consumed between September 2023 and December 2023, the Kaduna State Government’s debt remains significantly high.
“This payment, though substantial, has not been enough to clear the accumulated arrears,” it said.
Kaduna Electric’s decision to disconnect power came after repeated attempts to address the payment issues, including several consultations with state officials.
In contrast, other states under the Kaduna Electric franchise, namely Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara, have maintained their accounts in good standing, regularly meeting their electricity payment obligations and other repayment obligations with Kaduna Electric.
According to the statement, a disconnection notice was formally issued on July 21, 2024, and was received by the Office of the Governor on July 22, 2024.
The move, it said, reflected the company’s need to meet its own financial obligations amidst the broader challenges facing the electricity sector.
Kaduna Electric has emphasised that the disconnection was a last resort after all other avenues for resolving the payment issue had been exhausted.
“The company is now focusing on fulfilling its commitments to the electricity market and ensuring stability in its operations and sustainability as a Company.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had previously intervened in the Disco by installing an Administrator and Special Board to oversee the Company during a transitionary period prior to an official takeover by the current investors.
“The Administrator of Kaduna Electric had committed to an agreement with the Kaduna Inland Revenue Service to pay N20 million monthly, this includes statutory monthly tax payments as required, this agreement has been honoured since the takeover by the current Management.
“The situation has highlighted the urgent need for improved financial management and timely payments by government entities to avoid disruptions in essential services.
“The public and stakeholders await further developments on how the Kaduna State Government will address the arrears and restore power to the affected government offices,” the statement added.
Protest: FCT Commissioner of Police took away my phone – Attacked journalist Oyekunle [VIDEO]
![Protest: FCT Commissioner of Police took away my phone – Attacked journalist Oyekunle [VIDEO]](https://tvn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-01-1.39.51-PM.jpg "Protest: FCT Commissioner of Police took away my phone – Attacked journalist Oyekunle [VIDEO]")
Jide Oyekunle, one of the journalists attacked during the first day of the nationwide protest in Abuja, has accused the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benedict Igwe, of taking away his mobile phone.
Journalists covering the ongoing nationwide protests were reportedly attacked by the Police on Thursday in Abuja.
A viral video on social media captured the moment Jide Oyekunle was picked up by operatives of the FCT Police Command.
Condemning the development, the International Press Centre, IPC stated that some of the affected journalists were injured or arrested, and had their working tools damaged.
However, SP Josephine Adeh, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command, told TVN that the report was false.
But speaking after his release in a now trending video, Oyekunle, who is the FCT Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman and a photojournalist with Daily Independent, stated that the CP ordered his arrest and collected his phone from him.
He said “The Commissioner of Police Benedict Igwe, right in my very presence, ordered my arrest and personally collected my phone from me and went away with it. As I’m speaking to you now he is still with my phone.”
Watch him speak;
He said the FCT Commissioner of Police,Benedict Igwe ordered his men to to do this to him,
He’s Jide Oyekunle, NUJ Abuja chairman, pic.twitter.com/EPHc8Tlgnk
— Chude Nnamdi (@chude__) August 2, 2024
Watch the video of his arrest
He said the FCT Commissioner of Police,Benedict Igwe ordered his men to to do this to him,
He’s Jide Oyekunle, NUJ Abuja chairman, pic.twitter.com/EPHc8Tlgnk
— Chude Nnamdi (@chude__) August 2, 2024
Protest: FCT Commissioner of Police took away my phone – Attacked journalist Oyekunle [VIDEO]
Low patronage crashes perishable food prices in Lagos
Prices of some perishable food have crashed by about 50 per cent amid the ongoing nationwide hunger protest, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The protest with hashtag #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria is planned to end on 10 August.
It is aimed at calling the Federal Government’s attention to the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Some traders and buyers at the Ile-Epo food market in Alimosho/Agege area of Lagos state, confirmed the development in separate interviews with NAN on Friday in Lagos.
NAN reports that local food markets across the area witnessed fewer activities than usual due to the ongoing nationwide hunger protests.
A tomato trader at Ile-Epo market, Agege area, Mr Rabiu Aliu, said the price of some perishable food items ranging from tomatoes, chilli pepper and others dropped to minimise loss due to low patronage caused by the protest.
“A 50kg basket of tomatoes now sells for between N40,000 and N50,000 as against N80,000 to N100,000 two weeks ago.
“A 25kg basket sells between N18,000 and N19,000 as against N30,000 to N40,000 two weeks ago.
“We have no choice but to sell off because few customers are available to buy the produce. The purchasing power is actually low at the moment,” Aliu said.
Also speaking, another trader, Mrs Mukit Afolabi, said that the price of perishable items had dropped in the market as a result of the hunger protest.
“On Day 1 of the protest, tomatoes were even cheaper because there was no one to buy.
“I bought 5kg basket of tomatoes at N4,000. As of two weeks ago, it sold for N12,000. So, I think the protest is contributory to the drop in price.
“However, rodo (scotch bonnet pepper) is still expensive. On Monday, a bag was sold for N40,000 but today, a bag sells at N84,000 because it is currently unavailable in the market.
“No produce truck has delivered any pepper since Wednesday, the day before the protest began,” Afolabi said.
A foodstuff trader, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, also affirmed a drop in the price of rice and beans.
“A 50kg bag of short grain rice now sells for N73,000 as against N83,000 last month. While the long grain sells for N78,000 per 50 kg bag as against N87,000 to N88,000.
“A paint bucket of honey beans now sells for N10,000 as against N12,000 it was sold in July. Other varieties now sell for between N8,000 and N9,000,” he said.
NAN reports that other items such as groundnut oil and palm oil recorded tremendous increase in price.
Mrs Hope Osagie, a trader of the produce at the Agege Market, said that the price of the produce had increased in the last couple of days.
“A 25 litre of groundnut oil now sells at N60,000 as against N38,000 that was sold a month ago.
“While a 25 litre of palm oil now sells for N36,000 as against N27,000 in July.
“We really do not know the reason for the hike but generally food stuff prices have been rather unpredictable,” Osagie said.
However, a buyer, Mrs Anuoluwa Olayinka, expressed excitement over the drop in the price of tomatoes and other perishable items.
“I bought as much as I could afford as I saw the price had dropped.
“Well, there are just few people in the market, which is quite unusual for a Friday. So, I guess traders just want to sell off to minimise loss,” Olayinka said.
Another buyer, Mrs Ada Uzor, said that “foodstuff prices are unpredictable but I think the protest contributed to the slight price drop of some items.”
NAN.
Fulham sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal
Fulham FC has confirmed the signing of Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee.
The England international has penned a five-year contract, keeping him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2029, with a Club option to extend by a further 12 months.
A versatile attacking player, he primarily operated off the left wing or as a number 10 for the Gunners but is also comfortable on the right, or in a slightly deeper midfield role.
Details later
Tosin, with over six years’ experience, conducts incisive interviews, pens engaging features, subedits and delivers impactful stories for the digital sphere.
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Police urge medical workers to report FCT gunshot patients
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has called on medical personnel to report anyone with gunshot wounds to the police.
The command said it engaged some hoodlums in a fierce gun duel with many of them escaping with gunshot injuries, adding that the hoodlums had taken advantage of the hunger protest to embark on massive extortion and assault on innocent citizens along the Lugbe end of the FCT.
The command, in a statement on Friday by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the residents alerted the police about the incident.
Adeh said, ”Following distress calls on the activities of some hoodlums who took advantage of the ongoing protests which began on Thursday, August 1, 2024, to block the Lugbe end of the Shehu Musa Yaradua Expressway at about 10 pm, embarked on a massive robbery and assault of innocent citizens which led to an exchange of fire with police operatives in the Lugbe area of Abuja.
“The FCT Command, hereby, puts all medical personnel in and around the Federal Capital Territory on high alert to the possibility of receiving victims with gunshot wounds.”
Adeh said the command was requesting in line with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017.
The spokesperson said, “In line with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017, it is instructive to note that such patients come under medical emergencies that require urgent attention to save the life of the patient and should be accorded all necessary medical assistance.
“However, the police division/formation within the jurisdiction of such a hospital or healthcare facility should be informed to interview such patients to ascertain their person/roles in the prevailing security situation in the FCT.”
Adeh said the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, warned against committing crimes under the guise of protest.
She said, “The Commissioner of Police hereby warns unscrupulous elements who may want to hide under the guise of protest to carry out heinous crimes such as armed robbery, shop breaking, rape, assault on innocent citizens and vandalisation of public property to desist from such as police officers and other security agents have been put on red alert to curtail them and maintain law and order.”
The police boss while “appreciating residents of the FCT for their continuous cooperation, assures that all relevant measures will be emplaced to ensure that the current protests do not infringe on their fundamental rights or cause them losses or damage to their property.”
Those encouraging protests in Northern Nigeria should reconsider – Shehu Sani
Former Nigerian senator, Shehu Sani, has urged those encouraging protests in Northern Nigeria to reconsider, following scores of deaths recorded on the first day of the nationwide hunger protest.
Sani made this appeal in a statement posted on his X account on Friday.
He spoke as protesters continued the hunger protests on Friday in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos, Katsina and other states despite at least ten deaths recorded on Thursday.
Reacting to the continuation of the protest amid bloodshed and destruction of properties, Sani appealed that rioting in the North should be discouraged.
“With scores dead, hundreds injured and properties worth billions of Naira belonging to private businesses and government destroyed by hoodlums, mostly in Northern states, those wishing to encourage the continuation of this protest, especially in the North should reconsider.
“At our end it’s violent protest without visible leadership and must be discontinued,” he said.
Those encouraging protests in Northern Nigeria should reconsider – Shehu Sani
Mr. Macaroni criticises govt’s response to ongoing #endbadgovernance protests
Prominent Nigerian actor, content creator, and citizen activist Adebowale ‘Debo’ Adedayo popularly known as Mr. Macaroni‘ has taken to social media to criticise the government’s response to ongoing #endbadgovernance protests.
Mr Macaroni in a post shared on his X page (formerly Twitter) while responding to Benjamin Hundeyin’s post stated that the protests in Lagos State have been peaceful thus far.
Mr Macaroni wrote; “This is proof that the protests are always peaceful and with good intentions until state-sponsored thugs are sent to disrupt the protests. The police, in their complicity, will ignore the infiltrators and start to attack peaceful protesters. This is how it happens not only in Lagos but in other states in the country.”
He did, however, use the medium to call out members of the Nigeria Police Force, accusing them of targeting peaceful protesters rather than sponsored thugs.
“At the end of the day, the government will then attempt to rewrite history as if it didn’t happen before our very eyes. This is exactly how it happened with EndSars and the records will forever be there to point at the real enemies of Nigeria who unleashed terror and mayhem in our society,” he added.
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Police fire teargas at protesters, journalist in A’Ibom
Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Friday fired tear gas canisters at a group of protesters who had gathered at the Ibom Plaza to continue the nationwide hunger protest for the second day.
A journalist with the New Nigerian Newspapers in Akwa Ibom State was also teargassed while interviewing the protesters.
Over 15 protesters displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “End Bad Governance in Nigeria,” “End Hunger in Nigeria,” and “Reduce Fuel Price to N100,” among others.
Our correspondent reports that the protesters were singing and chanting solidarity songs when the police opened the canisters on them and marched them to Unity Park, along Udoudoma Avenue, where they had been restricted.
One of the protesters who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity at the plaza, before the police intervened, said they were protesting because life in Nigeria was becoming increasingly unbearable for the average person.
“We are here to protest against the high cost of fuel. In this country, we can do better as a people. We cannot produce crude oil in Nigeria and buy fuel for N900 per litre. This is unacceptable.
“An average person can no longer feed their family because of the current state of affairs. The Federal Government claims to have increased the minimum wage, but it is worthless as it cannot even buy a bag of rice. If you earn N70,000, you need to borrow N20,000 to buy a bag of rice.
We want the price of a bag of rice to be reduced to N10,000 and the price of fuel to drop to N100,” he said.
The protesters were dispersed by security personnel on the first day of the protest following restrictions and heavy rainfall early on Thursday morning, which lasted for several hours.
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SPYRO TO CLERGY: Use your platforms to support ongoing protests
Nigerian musician Oludipe Oluwasanmi David popularly known in music circles as Spyro has taken to social media to urge Nigerians to use their platforms to support the ongoing protests.
The ‘Who Is Your Guy’ crooner who made the call in a post shared on his Instagram page said that he wishes men of God could speak up for the people as they did in the past.
The musician also emphasised in his post on social media the need for tangible action over prayers and also added that even the bible said ‘‘faith without works is dead’’.
READ ALSO: Singer Spyro sends love message to American actress Meagan Good
He wrote; “I wish men of God could speak up for the people now as it was in the days of old… This is not a time to PRAY, it is a time to ACT, even the Bible says FAITH without WORKS is dead. In the Bible days, men of God were strong tools that God used to challenge the government and liberate the people. MOSES, your people need you now.”
Spyro, who rose to prominence after the release of his hit ‘Billing’, stated that he would not be posting anything entertainment-related in solidarity with the demonstrations.
“I personally think it is quite insensitive to post anything entertainment. The Country is bleeding and we are all affected whether or not we agree to that fact. I am very much affected,” he noted.
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