Two agents of the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, walked away from the National Collation Centre for the presidential election results at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday. A member of the 8th National Assembly from Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye; and a former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha; an agent of the Labour Party, amongst others staged a walkout on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu over dissatisfaction on the process of the collation of results from state collation officers for the presidential election (SCOPs). The protest started around 4:30pm at the resumed collation exercise of the February 25 presidential election results for the second day. Melaye, Ihedioha as well as the agents of the Labour Party and other parties had complained that the results presented by INEC SCOPs weren’t uploaded on the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV), as ...

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Idowu Owohunwa, has announced that several arrests have been made inrelation to electoral violence recorded in some parts of the state on Saturday. The Commissioner made the disclosure on Saturday while speaking with journalists on the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. “I can confirm that several arrests have been made but at this moment it is still an ongoing process. So, I cannot conclusively say this is the number of Polling Units violence was recorded, but at the end of the day we will do a post-election evaluation and come up with specifics,” CP Owohunwa said. However, the Lagos police chief said the instances of violence were isolated, noting that the polls were mostly peaceful in the state. “It was an admixture of very peaceful conduct in most parts, but we also recorded isolated instances of thuggery. Like I said earlier, we anticipated them and we have multiple teams to respond in the fastest ma...

  The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has directed the closure of the country’s borders throughout Saturday for the presidential and National Assembly elections. The Comptroller General, NIS, Isah Jere Idris, gave the instruction to command comptrollers across the country in a circular on Thursday. The circular titled ‘Border Closure for the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections’ read: “The Federal Government has directed the total closure of all Land Borders effective from 00:00 hours on Saturday 25th February, 2023 to 00:00 hours Sunday, 26th February, 2023. “Accordingly, all Command Comptrollers especially those in the Border States are to ensure strict enforcement of this directive.” Meanwhile,The Police Service Commission (PSC) has charged police operatives to ensure Nigerians vote freely in Saturday’s general elections. PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement on Friday said the success of the 2023 general polls depends largely on the commitment of the polic...

Gunmen have assassinated  Labour Party (LP)’s senatorial candidate for Enugu East Oyibo Chukwu and his personal assistant. The Enugu Police Command spokesman Daniel Ndukwu confirmed the development in an early Thursday statement. He said the incident happened Wednesday when the assailants on a Hilux vehicle, attacked and set ablaze Chukwu’s campaign vehicle. The spokesman said they “attacked and set ablaze the campaign vehicle of the Labour Party, at Eke-Otu Amechi-Awkunanaw Enugu, burning to death the Party’s Senatorial Candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Barr. Oyibo Chukwu (male) and his Personal Assistant (male) with him in the vehicle. “However, the miscreants were repelled by security operatives while attempting to also attack the convoy of the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) at Eke, Agbani, Nkanu West LGA.”

        Professor Mahmood Yakubu - INEC Chairman The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the movement of categorical materials from the branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the local government area offices across the country ahead of the presidential and national assembly election on Saturday. In Lagos State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Segun Agbaje, who is overseeing the process in the state said the INEC is ready for Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections. The INEC REC also said the materials are secure and intact. The collection of the sensitive materials and distribution to Electoral Officers for onward takeoff to various INEC Local Government Offices took place at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Marina amid heavy security. The Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, said the force is not encountering any challenges so far and they envisage the process will go on smoothly. Securit...

  The United States Embassy in Nigeria has notified its citizens in Nigeria on possible protests and restricted movements on February 25 and March 11. In a notice on its website, the Embassy advised its nationals to avoid rallies as “they can turn violent with little or no notice”. The Embassy also urged American citizens in Nigeria to have three days of food and water at home in case movement restrictions are extended beyond election days. The notice was titled, ‘Security Alert – Possible Protests Leading to Elections and Restricted Movements on Election Days’. “The Government of Nigeria will restrict the movement of all personal vehicles on election days across the country,” it read in part. “Information from the Government of Nigeria indicates that only law enforcement personnel and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-accredited election observers will be allowed to move freely along the roads.” “Based on past election practice, we anticipate personal vehicles will ...

  The Presidency has denied claims that President Muhammadu Buhari wants to install an interim government.  The head of state and  the Commander in Chief of the armed forces discarded  the allegations. In a statement on Friday, a spokesman to the President, Garba Shehu, said the talk of interim government and truncation of democracy is way off the mark. “The talk of interim government and truncation of democracy is way off the mark. Those who peddle it stand to gain nothing- nothing at all -but the creation of panic and the incitement of the public against the federal government,” Shehu said. “It is another dangerous dimension by people who are afraid that they may lose their elections. Elections, just a week ahead, will hold and Nigerians will vote for the All Progressives Congress, APC, (and any others if they so wish) on the basis of their choice.” While admitting that there is a problem with the way the currency swap has gone, the presidential media aide said the...

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the 2022 November/ December Senior School Certificate of Examination (SSCE) results, with 57% of candidates scoring five credits and above. The Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Wushishi, made the official announcement of the results at the NECO headquarters in Minna on Thursday, saying that a total of 60,133 candidates registered for the examination. Wushishi noted that 33,914 candidates representing 57.36% got five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics. He, however, stated that state governments still owed the council over N3 billion for the SSCE examination in the country. According to him, out of the total registered 53.04% were male while 46.96% were female. The total number that actually sat for the examination was 59,124, he added. Speaking on the issue of examination malpractice, he said, “11,419 candidates were booked for various forms of malpractice is , as against 4,454 in 2021, which...

  President Muhammadu Buhari has   addressed  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release old N200 notes into circulation to co-exist with new N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes for 60 days. But, he said old N500 and N1,000 banknotes are no longer legal tender in Nigeria. The President, who made this known in a nationwide broadcast on Thursday, directed the CBN to allow the new notes available to all citizens. The President apologised to Nigerians over the difficulty experienced in the implementation of the naira redesign policy. “To further ease the supply pressure, particularly on our citizens, I have given approval to the CBN that the old N200 bank notes be released back into circulation and it should also be allowed to circulate as legal tender with the new N200, N500 and N1,000 bank notes for 60 days from February 10, 2023 to April 10, 2023 when the old N200 note ceases to be legal tender,” he said. The President lamented that the currency in circulation grew from N1.4...

Residents of Ibadan, Oyo State took to the streets in protest against the condition hard to endure  by the naira notes swap and fuel price hike. Also, a ngry youths in Warri,   Delta   State, today, set fire to the  ATM   booth of an Access   Bank   branch.  An attack on the Benin branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was stopped by a combined team of policemen, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, with two people feared killed. The situation has since led to a standoff between the CBN and the governors of various states, including Kano, Ogun and Ondo, who challenged the apex bank and/or the banks in their respective states that continue to reject the old currency. Meanwhile,The Supreme Court of Nigeria has adjourned the case on the naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) till Wednesday, February 22 for hearing of the consolidated suits by 10 states. At the last hearing, the Court had temporarily banned the implementatio...

  President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed to the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift its blanket visa ban on Nigerians. The President made an appeal on Tuesday during a telephone conversation with the President of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhab, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Buhari had formerly called Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to condole with him on the death of his mother-in-law, Sheikha Maryam Al Falasi, during which important issues of mutual concern between the two countries came up. According to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari requested that his UAE counterpart review the blanket visa ban imposed on Nigerians intending to travel to the UAE. The President recalled that mutually beneficial excellent relations have subsisted between the two nations over many years, symbolised by robust economic interactions and regular consultations on matters of common in...

  Popular Nigerian hilarious skit maker 26-year-old Favour, who was well-known on social media , reportedly died in a boat accident. The deceased’s elder sister Elizabeth Daniel, who announced this on her Instagram page, said the actress died in a boat accident on Sunday, February 5, 2023. She wrote, “ It is with a heavy heart but in total submission to the will of our creator. I wish to announce the passing of my youngest sister. “Favour Agiounim Daniels, known and loved by so many. Nickname Omoge, Amama, Omo, small pin charger and the names goes on!!!!!. “My Amama, my baby girl I will miss you. “I call her my shining light, she was simply beautiful. She had a boat accident on 5th of February 2023. She has now taken her rightful place in the one-room with her creator. “I know that for sure. The giver of life I can’t question your decision.” In addition, t he E ntertainment Community   are grieving the recent death of a loved one.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday met with the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of Africa Affairs, Molly Phee; and the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard. The meeting was held in Abuja, after Yakubu had converged on 2023 general elections with leaders of political parties . The US Assistant Secretary of State, in her remarks, pointed out that the forthcoming general elections “matter to the United States,” because according to her, the US is interested in consolidating democracy, and doing so peacefully. She also expressed her conviction that the elections would be peacefully conducted and democracy protected, as the country has demonstrated since 1999. She said:” The United States wants to encourage a successful election that is free, fair and peaceful in Nigeria. I am happy to say that we have great confidence that you will have a successful election.  “Since 1999 Nigeria has been mo...

  Whitney Adeniran, 12, reportedly passed away while participating in inter-house sports at Chrisland International School, Opebi branch, according to her father Michael Adeniran, who has gone to social media to express his grief. Adeniran said his daughter passed away on Thursday at the Agege Stadium, which the school leased for its athletic events. He has since urged the police and the Lagos State Government to look into the case and bring justice for his murdered child. The post partly reads: “To the biggest shock of my life by 1 pm in the afternoon, I got a call from my wife that she was informed that our daughter slumped at the inter-house sport and she was rushed to the clinic. “My wife was at the venue even before the event started. She was never informed or called until they have conveyed our child out of the venue before they informed her. On arrival of my wife at the health center where they took my daughter. my daughter was lying dead with her lips black and her tongue b...

  Olaniyi Nasiru Ojikutu A 39-year-old Nigerian, Olaniyi Nasiru Ojikutu, has been sentenced to nearly seven and a half years in a United States prison for his role in a multi-year romance scheme. The US prosecutors said Ojikutu, a permanent legal resident of the United States, opened about 25 bank accounts in his own name, a fake name, and a shell company name through which nearly $3.4 million in fraudulently obtained proceeds were transferred. Ojikutu, including nine others, were indicted in a Chicago-based sting operation, Operation Gold Phish, that identified cybercrimes that targeted older people. He was sentenced to 88 months in prison on Wednesday, Feb. 8, after he was charged in 2019 with wire fraud in the operation, Fox32Chicago reported. After he was charged, Ojikutu fled to Canada by bus but he was arrested seven months later, with the Canadian authorities turning him over to the United States in January 2020. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last July. Pr...

  Atlanta Police declared Jonathan Soto, 39, as the suspect wanted in the Feb. 4 murder of Michael Gidewon, co-owner of the Republic Lounge. APD’s Homicide Unit is asking for the public’s help in locating Soto. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can submit a tip anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), online www.StopCrimeATL.org or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). Gidewon, 50, was found shot to death outside the Westside nightclub on Saturday morning.  According to the Atlanta Police Department’s preliminary report, officers responded to the club at 990 Brady Ave. just before 7 a.m. on Feb. 4. Officers located Gidewon, who had sustained a gunshot wound, He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Witnesses said Gidewon had been involved in an argument with a patron believed to be Soto just before the incident.   Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of So...

  International football player Christian Atsu has been perfectly rescued following Monday's earthquake in southern Turkey, Ghana Football Association said on Tuesday. "We've received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let's continue to pray for Christian," the Ghanaian FA posted on Twitter. Atsu's former club Everton also stated on its official Facebook page: "We are relieved to hear Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued and is recovering in hospital. Our thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria." Until now , over 5,000 deaths have been confirmed in Turkey as well as in Syria with over 21,000 people injured following earthquakes that rocked the region on Monday.

  Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu MFR,  known professionally as  Burna Boy Grammy award-winning singer, Burna Boy has lost the two categories he was nominated for the 65th edition of the Grammy awards.  The 2023 Grammy Awards was held on Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, U.S.   He lost to  become eventually  the  only Nigerian artiste to win two Grammy awards in one night.   South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode won the award of ‘Best Global Music Performance’ ahead of Burna Boy with their song ‘Bayete’ while Masa Tukumi took the ‘Best Global Music Album’ with Sukura. Nigeria’s Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems, won the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by Future, featuring Drake. Beyonce received her 32nd trophy at the ceremony making her the most decorated artist in Grammy’s history. https://youtu.be/EtsYC267NCE

  Beijing has expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and protest" against Washington's decision to shoot down its balloon, accusing it of "overreacting" and "seriously violating international practice." US military fighter jets on Saturday shot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean in a mission President Joe Biden said is a success. Multiple fighter and refueling aircraft were involved in the mission, but only one -- an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia -- took the shot at 2:39 p.m. (1939 GMT), using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, a senior U.S. military official said. The United States believes the balloon was involved in using spies to obtain information  but China has discredited the allegation, claiming it was a civilian research vessel blown off course. Soon aftreward, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday morning local time expressing its "strong dissatisfaction and p...

Dismembered human penis   discovered in an Alabama gas station parking lot is reported to have belonged to a motorcyclist who died in a traffic accident early Monday, authorities said.   It was found at about 6.22 a.m. on Monday at a gas station along Interstate 10 in Mobile.according to a local news outlet. The deadly crash happened around 6 a.m. Monday in the eastbound lanes of I-10 between I-65 and Dauphin Island Parkway near Mobile.  "The deceased was riding a motorcycle and lost control and fell off," a police spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, multiple vehicles struck him." "The appendage located at the gas station is not related to a murder or an assault," the spokesperson said. Police said the victim, whom they identified as 29-year-old Christopher Means, was found in the middle lane of eastbound I-10. Responding officers pronounced him dead at the scene,  according to a local news outlet.

                           Xi Jinping                                                                            Joe Biden The Chinese  government has  pressed Washington to remain “cool-headed”  as it investigates news that a suspected Chinese-operated spy balloon has been flying over sensitive U.S. airspace. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing that authorities were still learning about the matter, adding that politicians and the public should withhold judgment “before we have a clear understanding of the facts.” “We have noticed relevant reports and are learning about this matter. What I want to emphasize is that speculation and conjecture are not conducive to a proper settlement of...