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By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Appeal Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State capital, has ruled against Union Bank Nigeria PLC and ordered the bank to pay the sum of N5.5 million for violation of contractual agreement it entered into with its customer, Mr. Godwin Akor Nyinya. Delivering judgment in a suit between Nyinya vs Union Bank Nigeria PLC, marked CA/ MK/ 248/ 2022, Justice Isa Bature Gafai said the lower court, which had handled the matter earlier on, was wrong in dismissing the appellant's suit. Justice Gafai, who set aside the judgment of the lower court, granted N5 million as general…

By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, visited Malam-Fatori, headquarters of Abadam Local Government Area (LGA), on Sunday, engaging directly with soldiers and returnees from past insecurity in the area. The visit was aimed at encouraging the military in their efforts to restore normalcy and build community resilience, according to a statement signed and made available to journalists today by Zulum's media aide, Abdurraman Bundi. Malam-Fatori is a border community located on the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin which was displaced by terrorists about nine years ago. At the 68 Battalion headquarters where he interfaced with…

There was huge drama today at the Abuja residence axis of Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as primary school children in their uniforms gathered in front of the entrance to take academic lessons. The pupils, whose teachers have been on strike since March this year and who have consequently been left confined to their homes, were being tutored by accountability expert and social media critic, Martins Vincent Otse, more popularly known as VeryDarkMan (or VDM). Obviously, the scene was a public bid to get Wike to play a more proper leadership role to end the strike on…

*As Smart Schools Resume September *Ex-APC State Chair, Nwoye, Demands State Police By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu As part of the sweeping education reforms introduced by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration, the Enugu State Government has announced ongoing intensification of training for more than 18,000 public school teachers with phase 1 already concluded. The training is a preparatory move ahead of the resumption of Smart Green Schools across the state, set to begin in September 2025. This was even as the state government stated that it would partner with local governments on intensive training of teachers for phase 2 of the programme,…

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has directed the immediate and indefinite suspension of the Special Adviser on Documentation, Research, and Planning, Mkor Aondona, following his arrest by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged involvement in sextortion, cyberbullying, and blackmail. A statement by the governor's Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Tersoo Kula, on Sunday said the decision was informed by his unwavering commitment to uphold integrity, discipline, and accountability in public service. According to the statement, the Governor stated that any official of his administration found wanting in matters of criminality…

Iran’s parliament has voted to shut down the vital Hormuz shipping channel in retaliation against Donald Trump’s attack on the country, prompting fears of a sharp spike in oil prices that could cause a global recession. In Nigeria, petrol price is at risk of increasing from the current average of between N925-N950 per litre as prices are dependent on global rates. Trump ordered air strikes against three important nuclear programme sites in Iran this weekend with the U.S government saying the strikes completely obliterated Iran's nuclear ability. A barrel of Brent crude was selling for about $77 on Friday, June…

By our reporter Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, in his crosshairs over the roiling insecurity in the North-Central State, asking him to be alive to his responsibilities of securing the lives and properties of people of the state rather than allegedly playing politics with same. Alia belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Ortom,who completed his second term in office on May 29,2023, is of the now-opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a statement today, Ortom warned Gov. Alia to stop using him (Ortom) as a scapegoat for the persistent…

*Judge Says Shell, Subsidiaries Can Be Sued For Liability Residents of two Nigerian communities, Bille and Ogale, both in Rivers State, who are taking legal action against Shell over oil pollution are set to take their cases to trial at the high court in 2027. Ogale is located in Eleme Local Government Area, and Bille is in Degema Local Government Area. In 2021, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Shell's parent company could potentially be held liable for environmental damage to both communities. Members of both communities in the Niger Delta, which have a combined population of about 50,000, are…