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By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna The ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) has attracted more members, with the defection of four Kaduna State House of Assembly lawmakers and five House of Representatives members along with thousand of their supporters, at a mega rally held on Saturday in Kaduna. With the latest defections, APC now has 13 legislators from Kaduna State in the House of Representatives, leaving the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with three. Also, there are now 26 APC members in the House of Assembly as against eight PDP members, according to statement today (Sunday) by Ibraheem Musa, media aide to…

By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan with agency reports Any report claiming that soldiers have been detained for coup plot against President Bola Tinubu or that such plot even existed, is totally false. This is the position of Defence Headquarters (DHQ). Reacting to an inquiry by The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) this weekend, the Director of Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, a Brigadier-General, described the claims as false. He said the statement issued by the Armed Forces over the arrest of some officers weeks ago never mentioned that the officers were being investigated for a coup plot. “We issued a press…

*Reaffirms Support For Farmers By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Enugu State Government has reassured farmers in the state of sustained support through mechanization, farm input distribution, and land security as part of efforts to boost food production, tackle unemployment, and eradicate hunger in the state. Governor Peter Mbah gave the assurance during the 2025 World Food Day celebration held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization in Enugu,the state capital. The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Chidiebere Onyia, recalled that last year, his administration distributed over 12,000 bags of fertilizer, power tillers, rice…

*Ongoing Strike, Other Sticky Points Remain By Sam Tyav, Makurdi There are strong indications that enormous tasks await the soon-to-be-appointed Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Benue State government-owned Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOAUM) expected to come on board in the next few weeks. The tenure of the substantive VC, Professor Joe Tor Iorapuu, expires in the early days of November, 2025. Recall that Professor Iorapuu few months ago proceeded on retirement leave with the Deputy VC (Academics), Professor Simon Terver Ubwa, subsequently appointed as Acting VC. Investigation has shown that the challenges awaiting the next VC include,among others, sustenance…

House of Representatives Committee on Environment has demanded the immediate submission of counterpart funding details from the project coordinator of Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, Abduhamid Umar. They are also to submit project plans and sites to enable the committee track them while carrying out their oversight functions. This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Thursday by Chooks Oko, Head of Media for the House Committee on Environment Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Rep Mike Etaba, Chairman of the Committee Committee noted that it has become imperative to visit the project sites to immediately confirm that the purpose…

By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan An Ifo, Ogun State-born man, Daniel Akintola, has cried out for help, alleging that a notorious criminal, militant and deadly group is after his life. Akintola said his ordeals in the hands of the gang had been severally brought before security agencies without concrete outcome. Narrating his ordeals to journalists at the weekend, he said: "I grew up in Ogun State, in the Agbado-Sango Ota axis of Ifo Local Government Area. My problem started with the deadly gang when, in August of 2024, I was accosted to join a group called One Million Boys. "I was…

By our reporter International applause alongside a national pat on the back from the highest level came for Acting Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Dr Kevin Okonna, for the remarkable progress being recorded in the nation's prime maritime institution. Secretary General of International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Prince Adegboyega Oyetola, took the position while speaking separately shortly after the Ag. Rector's presentation on the achievements/challenges of the Academy since the December 2017 Technical Advisory Mission by IMO to the Academy. These were contained in a statement issued by the…

Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire in Gaza amid tensions over the flow of aid into the devastated territory, the return of the remains of deceased hostages by the militant group and new casualties from Israeli firing on Palestinians close to new military positions. Regional diplomats and US officials have sought to minimise the significance of the accusations, emphasising that Hamas or Israel still appeared committed to the ceasefire agreed last week. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said today that he was determined to ensure that Hamas handed back the remains of hostages still in Gaza,…

As several Nigerians and groups fine-tune plans to demonstrate for and against the release of detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on 20 October, a team of medical experts from Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said that Kanu's ailment over which fears were raised, is not life-threatening. The team submitted that Kanu can stand trial in court. He is facing trial for alleged terrorism before the Federal High Court Abuja headed by Justice James Omotosho. The medical team was ordered by Justice Omotosho, midway into Kanu’s terrorism trial to ascertain Kanu’s actual health status following conflicting…

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi ‎The paramount ruler of the Idoma sub-nation, the Och' Idoma, HRM Agabaidu John Elaigwu Odogbo, has tasked the Rector and top management team of Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, to work hard and implement sustainable initiatives capable of restoring the reputation of the institution.‎‎The monarch disclosed this when the polytechnic's management team, led by the Rector, Arc. Dr. Henry Ojobo, paid a visit to his palace in Otukpo.‎A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity of the Polytechnic, Mr. Nongomin Jacob, said the monarch acknowledged the contributions of the institution to knowledge and community development in its…