Gunmen who kidnapped Mr. Isaac Bature Gbaja, an Assistant Manager with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Lafia, Nasarawa State branch, have demanded N10m ransom.

Gbaja was kidnapped alongside two other persons on Monday night, November 13, 2023.

A close associate to the CBN staff who pleaded for anonymity told Daily Trust that Mr. Gbaja was abducted alongside the other victims around 8pm at his wife’s joint near MACFES Royal Suites, along Kwandere Road, Tudun Gwandara, Lafia, Nasarawa State.

“Three Fulani guys, wearing face masks came from nowhere and leaned on the CBN staff’s car, then asked those at the joint who owned this car, they answered that they don’t know the owner. So the kidnappers said since they don’t know the owner of the car all of them (customers), including the shop owner should stand up and let them go. That’s how they were taken away,” the source said.

According to him, the woman told them that the kidnappers were about ten in number, three came and effected the kidnap, then others joined them, as they took their victims on bush parts.

He disclosed that two hours after the incident, the Gbaja's wife was released by the kidnappers to go and source for 10 million naira to secure the release of her husband.

The source said a total of five persons were kidnapped, one escaped, the woman was released, while they went away with the CBN staff and two others.

Actress Rita Edochie has taken to her Instagram page to throw shade. 

She shared a picture of herself and her husband Comr Tony Edochie on their wedding day 33 years ago, and stated that she was welcomed by all and sundry in her husband's family, "unlike some persons who thought they could come through the back door," as a wife.

She wrote;

‘’EVERYWHERE DEY QUITE

WETIN DEY HAPPEN NOW ?

 

LEGITIMATELY MARRIED AT AGE 22 IN 1990

 (WEDDING)

WAS WELCOMED AND ACCEPTED BY ALL AND SUNDRY RIGHT IN MY GREAT HUSBAND'S FAMILY

COMR. TONY EDOCHIE

(BOTH NUCLEAR AND EXTENDED)

 

UNLIKE SOME PERSONS WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD COME IN THROUGH THE BACK DOOR.... JUST DEY PLAY.....''

A pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), David Musa, has been killed by his abductors after payment of N1,000,000 ransom in Kogi State.

It was gathered that the cleric was abducted from his farm on Saturday, November 11, 2023, in Obajana, Lokoja Local Government Area of the state.

A member of the church identified as Mary said the pastor was killed shortly after the ransom was delivered on Tuesday night, November 14.

“The pastor went to his farm that ugly day. So, his wife was waiting for him to return home, but she didn’t see her husband. When night fell, the wife raised an alarm, and the church people, including residents of the community, went to his farm to search for him,” she explained.

“It was then that they discovered that the pastor had been kidnapped. The abductors got in touch with the family, demanding N20,000,000. Since the church and the family could not raise such an amount of money, they pleaded with the kidnappers, and they reduced the ransom to N1,000,000.

"The kidnappers insisted that, when they are bringing the money, they should come along with recharge cards, chicken, and many alcoholic drinks for their consumption. Two of the church members were sent to deliver the money and the items requested by the kidnappers.

"When they went to the kidnappers’ den, they saw our pastor alive. They now instructed our pastor and the two other church members who brought the money to start going home.

"Unfortunately, they later called the pastor to come back, and he did as instructed because he knew that there was no way he could run from their place since his abductors were holding sophisticated weapons.

“When he was coming back to them, they immediately shot at him, and he died. That was how they later brought his lifeless body back to Obajana. This incident has thrown the entire church and the community into mourning.”

A message posted on social media platform of the church on Wednesday morning reads: “It is with a heavy heart, but in total submission to the will of God, that I write to inform you that the abductors of our brother, Pastor Musa David, have killed him after collecting a ransom of one million naira last night. Let our prayers be with the family, the church, and the DCC in this trying moment.”

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP William Ayah, who confirmed the incident on Thursday, November 16, said those behind the killing will be arrested and prosecuted.

The PPRO added that the command has begun an investigation into the incident.

The National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, on Thursday, decried cases of violence, intimidation, and vote-buying, among other practices during last Saturday’s off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states.

In a statement on Thursday, the peace committee said, “We are not unaware of the glitches recorded during the elections. Sadly, we have noted that some of the old ways remain and ordinary people continue to collude with corrupt members of society to stall the processes of our elections.

“The persistence of the culture of vote-buying, intimidation, and voter apathy, among others are disturbing. A democratic culture will only grow if we participate in cleaning up the process of our elections because, in the end, we are the victims. The corruption of the process will lead to the emergence of corrupt leaders if we collude with merchants of corruption.”

The body, however, said was “grateful to all critical stakeholders who worked round the clock to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible.”

It said, “Our appreciation goes to the staff of INEC, security agencies, traditional rulers, leaders of political parties, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, the media and others who ensured the success of the elections in the three states.

“We express our gratitude to voters in the states for defying obstacles and threats by performing their civic duties. We encourage our people to remain resilient and to use our experiences to correct the mistakes in the process of our elections.”

A Kwara State Chief Magistrates Court in Ilorin, on Thursday, finally granted bail to the embattled Isese adherent, Abdulazeez Adegbola, alias Tani Olohun, who is facing defamation charges brought against him by some Muslim faithful.

Tani Olorun, who had been in custody for 91 days, during Thursday’s court appearance, sought the permission of the magistrate to speak in the open court.

When given the floor, the traditionalist pleaded for the forgiveness of the Islamic scholars whom he had allegedly defamed and from all Muslims all over saying they should forgive him and promising never to repeat such act of posting negative videos on his social media handles again.

Speaking in Yoruba language, he said, “I want to seek forgiveness from the Islamic scholars and the entire Muslims worldwide. I didn’t mean to hurt them or debase the Islamic religion.

‘’I didn’t know what I was doing was wrong when I was doing it. I want them to forgive me. I promise not to do such a thing again.”

Following a bail application by his lawyer,Ademola Bank, the court admitted him to bail in the sum of N2m and three sureties in the like sum.

The magistrate said one of the sureties must be a community leader while the second must own landed property within the jurisdiction of the court or in Oyo State where he (Tani Olorun) claimed to be a resident.

Earlier while moving the bail application, Bank said his client had begged for the forgiveness of Islamic scholars and urged the magistrate to grant him bail in liberal terms.

Counsel for the two complainants, Labeeb Lagbaji and Modirasatu Mohammed Islamic group; Taofeeq Olateju and Y.Y Ajibade, respectively did not oppose the bail application moved.

Tani Olorun’s lawyer, after the court proceedings, told The PUNCH, “We will struggle to meet all the conditions of the bail as spelt out in the ruling of the court.”

Oil marketers stated on Thursday that the reason behind the long queues at petrol filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger States is the insufficient supply of Premium Motor Spirit by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited.

The NNPCL, which is the sole importer of the product, refuted the oil marketers’ claim, attributing the queues in the affected areas, particularly Abuja, to “price war”.

The queues for petrol at filling stations in Abuja and its neighbouring states in particular, as well as some South-East and South-South states, have persisted in the past few weeks.

“The queues have continued because there is an insufficient supply of products. If we have enough products, it will bring down these acts of profiteering among marketers,” the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, told our correspondent.

He added, “It is when the products become very difficult to access that is when you start to see cases of profiteering. But if everywhere is littered with products, you won’t experience what we are seeing now.

“In Port Harcourt, for instance, our tickets have been tied down. For the past three weeks, we have not been able to load products, leading to queues at the few stations that have products. But the government, which is actually represented in this business by NNPCL, keeps saying that it is expecting stock.”

Ukadike noted that though NNPCL had promised to discharge some vessels of PMS at Warri, Lagos and Calabar soon, the products had yet to arrive.

This, according to the IPMAN official, was among the reasons private depot owners had raised the cost of their products, leading to the hike in the pump prices of petrol at retail outlets.

“We heard that there is a vessel that is coming to Calabar to discharge, so Port Harcourt and other states in the region are still expecting it. Also, we heard that another vessel is going to discharge in Lagos. Warri is also expecting a vessel.

“So, with the few depots that have petroleum products now, you will know that there will be serious profiteering and scrambling for PMS. It is, therefore, important for NNPCL vessels to come in with products, particularly as we approach the Yuletide.

“But they (NNPCL) have assured us that there will be enough products during the Christmas period,” Ukadike stated, but stressed that the fuel importer did not inform marketers when the expected PMS vessels would arrive.

The oil marketer further stated that the cost of PMS in most states outside Lagos and the South-West was about N650/litre, describing the average price of N640/litre in Abuja is cheap.

“The N640/litre price in Abuja is cheap when compared to the N660/litre average price in the South-East. In fact, in Owerri, Imo State, it is N670 and in Anambra it is N700/litre. So, those of you in Abuja are lucky.

“Do you know that it is getting close to N800/litre in remote areas in the far North? This is based on reports we receive from our members. That is the situation. There is insufficient supply of products and this often leads to profiteering.”

Also speaking on the issue, the Secretary of IPMAN, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, stated that though the queues being experienced in some states were due to low supply volumes from NNPCL, it could also be attributed to the forthcoming festive season.

“Yes, products are not as readily available as before, which is why many retail stations are not dispensing nowadays. However, you should know that during the festive period towards the end of the year, we always experience queues.

“This is why the government should intervene now by flooding the country with products so that those who want to catch-in on the season to profiteer would not be able to do so,” Shuaibu stated.

However, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, told our correspondent that the position of oil marketers as regards the re-emergence of fuel queues was not true.

“That is not true. The recent tightness in Abuja is essentially a price war, which is typical of any competitive market. Motorists would rather queue at filling stations that offer lower prices than others.

“While NNPC retail is selling at N613/litre in Abuja, other marketers’ prices range from N625-N650/litre,” Soneye stated.

Meanwhile, it was observed that while the queues at NNPCL stations were longer, similar scenarios played out in Conoil and Total filling stations opposite the Abuja headquarters of NNPCL, and other outlets across the capital city and its neighbouring states.

American rapper and actor, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, popularly known as Snoop Dogg, has announced his decision to quit smoking.

The rapper, who disclosed on an exclusive preview of Martha Stewart’s iHeartRadio podcast in 2022 that he started smoking at the age of 18, stated thoughtful consideration and discussions with his family as reasons for this decision.

American rapper and actor, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, popularly known as Snoop Dogg, has announced his decision to quit smoking.

Making the announcement on his X account on Thursday, the 52-year-old artist emphasised the importance of respecting his privacy during this time.

In the post, he said, “After much consideration and conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.”

Snoop Dogg rose to fame in 1992 with his feature on Dr. Dre’s debut solo single, “Deep Cover,” followed by his contributions to Dre’s debut solo album, ‘The Chronic.;

Since his emergence on the music scene, Snopp has sold over 23 million albums in the United States and 35 million worldwide.

His achievements include an American Music Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and 17 Grammy Award nominations.

A trending video captured the daring feat, featuring Mr Roose navigating the bridge and train tracks at the CMS bus stop in Lagos.

Red Bull, the driving force behind the project, enlisted Mr Roose known for his jaw-dropping tricks and unique performances.

Gboyega Akosile, Chief Press Secretary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, shared the vision behind the initiative on Instagram.

He said: “Red Bull is aiming for the Perfect Lagos Selfie with Jaan Roose, showcasing the beauty of Lagos State in collaboration with the Lagos Safety Commission. Stay tuned for the Perfect Lagos Selfie.”

“Jaan Roose is an Estonian slackliner and Guinness World Record holder. Slacklining is a sport that can be a balance training, recreation and moving meditation.

“This project is to showcase the beauty of Lagos State and the Red Bull team is working together with the Lagos State Government through the Lagos Safety Commission. Stay Tuned for the Perfect Lagos Selfie.”

Jaan Roose

The 31-year-old Estonian dynamo has turned slacklining into a heart-stopping spectacle around the globe.

From setting world records to performing as a Hollywood stuntman, Roose’s journey is as breathtaking as the high lines he conquers.

When he embarked on his slacklining odyssey at 18, little did he know it would catapult him into the limelight, captivating audiences with mind-bending tricks.

As the first and only athlete to execute a double backflip on a slackline, he has become a three-time world champion, holding a treasure trove of world records and pioneering feats in the sport.

His prowess extends beyond the realm of competitive slacklining. Hollywood beckoned, and he answered, performing daring stunts in films like Assassin’s Creed. He even shared the stage with pop icon Madonna during her MDNA World Tour.

For Jaan, the thrill of showcasing his extraordinary talent goes beyond competition. His globetrotting adventures include a 100m-high acrobatic performance in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021 and a daring 500m-long slackline traverse between two mountains in Kazakhstan the following year.

In 2023 saw him redefine heights once again, completing a mesmerizing 150-metre walk on a slackline across two points of a single building in Doha, Qatar.

A list of 22 Justices of the Court of Appeal nominated by the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, for elevation to the Supreme Court has been sent to the National Judicial Council, NJC.

The names of the nominees, who hail from various regions in the country, were revealed in an FJSC document on Thursday.

The North-Central region has six nominees, while the South-West and South-South regions have two nominees each. The South-East region also has six nominees, and the North-East has two nominees.

The development is coming after the retirement of Justices Amina Augie and Mohammed Datijo which left the Supreme Court with only 10 serving justices.

Below is the list of the nominated justices:

SOUTH-EAST

1. Hon Justice Nwaoma Uwa (Abia State)-Priority

1A.Hon Justice Onyekachi Otisi (Abia State) -Reserve

2. Hon Justice Obande Ogbuinya (Ebonyi State)-Priority

2A. Hon Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua (Imo State)- Reserve

3. Hon Justice Anthony Ogakwu (Enugu State)-Priority

3A. Hon Justice Chioma Nwosu-lheme (Imo State)-Reserve

SOUTH-SOUTH

1. Hon Justice Moore Adumein (Bayelsa State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Biobele Georgewill (Rivers State)-Reserve

SOUTH-WEST

1. Hon Justice Adewale Abiru (Lagos State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (Osun State)-Reserve

NORTH-CENTRAL

1. Hon Jummai Sankey (Plateau State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo (Plateau)-Reserve

2. Hon Justice Stephen Adah (Kogi State)-Priority

2A. Hon Justice Ridman Maiwada Abdullahi (Nassarawa State) -Reserve

3. Hon Justice Baba Idris (Niger State)-Priority

3A. Hon Justice Joseph Ikyegh (Benue State)-Reserve

NORTH-EAST

1. Hon Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani (Bauchi State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Abubakar Talba (Adamawa State)

NORTH-WEST

1. Hon Justice Muhammad Lawal Shuaibu (Jigawa State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Bello Aliyu (Zamfara State) -Reserve

2. Hon Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar (Kebbi State)-Priority

2A. Hon Justice Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero (Kano State)-Reserve

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has asked the Federal Government (FG) to disclose the assets and deficits the President Bola Tinubu government inherited from the past administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said Nigerians deserve to know and that governance is about “transparency and strict accountability”.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, had reportedly lamented that the Tinubu administration inherited a bankrupt country from the Buhari government.

Also, Tinubu, on Monday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, had said that his administration inherited serious liabilities but also assets from his predecessors.

Reacting, Obi said officials of the Tinubu government must “disclose what they inherited which had qualified us for bankruptcy status”.

“One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability. This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited. What is inherited should be disclosed to enable the public to know where we are and where we are headed.”

Obi said the previous APC government made a similar claim in 2015 against the previous administration.

“Rather, they took our debt profile from N12.6 Trillion in 2015 to N87 trillion in 2023 when they left office without improving on any indices of development: Education, Health, Poverty eradication, and Security.

“Instead, the condition of the nation on every development index got worse, leading to the present sad state. Nigerians know things are bad, and they experience it daily. What they now want to hear regularly are measurable and verifiable steps to improve the situation.