Three persons alleged to have killed 17 officers and men of 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army, Otuama, Delta State, last Thursday have been arrested.

This is according to a report by Vanguard.

The report stated that the suspects were arrested in Port Harcourt yesterday and moved to Army headquarters, Asaba, where they are currently being held.

However, the military yesterday moved in swamp buggies to the besieged Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State in continuation of the ongoing razing of the community.

The two swamp buggies, which were offloaded from trailer trucks onto barges at the Bomadi Police Division waterfront, were then transported to the creeks.

A source who spoke from a neighbouring community disclosed that the heavy vehicles were seen transported on barges through their community waterways towards Okuama.

“Yes, I saw them passing through our river towards Okuama. They’re heavy machines, but nobody can tell their mission there,” she said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Akugbene community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State has been released from detention by men of the military Joint Task Force, JTF, Bomadi Division.

It was gathered that the community chairman and others detained Monday over the harbouring of the fleeing chairman of Okuama and other suspects secured their release yesterday after producing the alleged perpetrators under the community’s custody.

The security situation at Bomadi and its environs is still tense, as armoured vehicles and men in uniform are seen strategically in the town.

Popular Canadian rapper, Drake has gifted a pregnant fan $25,000 after she appealed to him to be her baby daddy.

According to People Magazine, this happened at the Frost Bank Financial Center in San Antonio, Texas, as part of his “It’s All a Blur Tour with J. Cole”.

The 'One Dance' crooner saw the expectant mother in the front row with a sign pleading for him to be her rich baby daddy in a now-viral concert video.

His well-known song, Rich Baby Daddy, which includes Sexyy Red and SZA, was referenced in this course.

After spotting her, he said:

“She’s got a sign that says I’m five months pregnant, can you be my rich baby daddy?’.Well, first of all, I don’t wanna offend your real baby daddy, but I would love to.”

Drake stated that he wanted for the safety of the expectant fan to remove her from the packed mosh pit.

Then he proposed to give her $25,000 so she could start a profitable baby business.

He declared:

“First of all, get you out of the pit so we can put you somewhere safe like the VIP or some s,” he told the fan. “Cause you can’t be pregnant getting bounced around. When I start playing some of these slappers, we can’t have you getting pushed around. Second of all, I’d love to give you $25,000 so you can be a rich baby mama.”

The Tinubu-led federal government has commenced the nationwide distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari announced the development during an interactive session with the National Assembly joint committee on Agriculture Production Services and Rural Development, on Tuesday.

The committee chaired by Senator Saliu Mustapha (APC -Kwara Central), had asked the Minister to divulge how the federal government was planning to curb the high cost of food items in the country and make it affordable to the citizenry.

Replying, Kyari disclosed that they had received a directive and approval from President Bola Tinubu to distribute 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains.

According to him, “We have received directive and approval from Mr. President to distribute for immediate impact 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains free of charge to the Nigerian population.

“This was received in mid-February, as we are speaking we have a record of the distribution being carried out, but I will want to plead with the Honorable House Members and Distinguished Senators that some of the movements can’t be made public but a lot of states have started receiving their grains.

“We are distributing to State capitals in the first instance as you all are aware of the risk involved in the vandalisation of foodstuff, so we are working with the office of the National Security Adviser and other national security agencies.

“Furthermore, 58,500 metric tons of milled rice from mega rice millers will also be released into the market for stabilization.”

He said that the action of the Federal Government had become imperative to cushion the impacts of hardship on Nigerians which he said, will soon become a thing of the past.

Nollywood actor, Prince Emeka Ani has hailed skit maker Sabinus after they collaborated on a project.

Speaking about it, the veteran actor said his phone briefly froze when he received an enormous credit alert from Sabinus.

Ani praised the fellow actor and AMVCA-winning comedian for the wonderful manner he treated him during the project.


In a now-viral video, he revealed that Sabinus had driven a Prado Jeep to pick him up from Asaba, Delta state, for a project involving the creation of a skit in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state.

He revealed that the whole production process had lasted 15 mins but he was lounged in a very expensive hotel and given the best treatment.

He noted that the credit alert he had received was big enough to freeze his phone for some few seconds.

His words …

“During my stay, he accommodated me in one of the finest hotels in Port Harcourt and arranged for a Prado Jeep to take me back to Asaba. Truly grateful for the royal treatment. Nobody has given me such respect and priority.

“After shooting a 15-minute skit with Sabinus, I was treated like royalty. He paid me before I even left Asaba, and the alert from him froze my phone for a few seconds.”

Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti state has reacted to the statement made by Afe Babalola (SAN), who opined that previous governors of the state did not do well in office hence the reason for hardship in the state.

Recall that the founder of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), on Monday, said all the past governors who managed the affairs of the state before the incumbent, Biodun Oyebanji, failed to develop it.

Speaking at the commissioning of the multi-system hospital annexe in Odo-Ado, Igirigiri road, Ado Ekiti, Babalola commended Oyebanji for doing a wonderful job so far.

The legal luminary added that the former governors abandoned the vision of those who laboured for the creation of the state.

However, in an interview with Premium Times on Tuesday, Fayose said that contrary to Babalola’s assertion, all past governors of the state did their best and contributed to Ekiti’s development.

However, the former governor said Babalola remained a leader he respects and would never want to join issues on any matter.

Fayose said Babalola himself is trying at everything he is doing, but that he would not finish every good thing he intends to achieve.

He also expressed the belief that Babalola must have been misquoted, adding that the senior lawyer had, in 2018, described him as a patriot not only to Ekiti State and the Yoruba race but also to Nigeria.

He said: “He is our leader, we owe everything to him, we cannot join issues with him, we will continue to respect him. In this case, he must have been misquoted.

“I want to believe he must have been misquoted, Governor Adebayo did his best. Governor Fayemi did his best. I did my best.

“In fact, what Baba said about me in 2018 does not correlate with what you are saying he said about me yesterday.”

Some parts of the nation's capital, Abuja and Kogi State are experiencig blackout due to the collapse of a power station.

The two areas earlier mentioned are under the coverage of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

On Tuesday, the AEDC informed its customers in Zamani Estate, Abacha Road Mararaba, Ruga Juli and other parts of Abuja that a technical fault on 33kv feeder k6 from AT9 Karu Transmission Station was responsible for the power outage.

“The management of Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc wishes to notify its esteemed customers that there is currently a technical fault on 33kv feeder k6 from AT9 Karu Transmission Station, managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

“The areas affected in Abuja are: Zamani Estate, Abacha Road Mararaba, Ruga Juli, Old Karu Road, Glory Estate and environs,” the Disco said in a statement.

The AEDC disclosed that the TCN maintenance crew was working to ensure the supply of electricity to these areas was restored soon, regretting any inconvenience caused.

Earlier, the TCN had announced its maintenance crew would carry out planned maintenance on its TR3 45MVA and TR2 60MVA power transformers in its 132/33kV Okene Transmission Substation.

The maintenance was scheduled to run from Tuesday to Wednesday, from 10 am to 03pm on each day.

Ex-BBNaija star, Doyin has stated that she can never be in a relationship with someone in the limelight.

The reality TV star, in a recent interview with Hip TV, said she does not want her family in public space and wants some sanity outside the social media buzz.

She said she has always dated men in the corporate world, insisting she doesn’t see herself dating a public figure.

Doyin added that she has known her current partner for about a decade.

She said: “I don’t see myself dating somebody in the limelight. All my life, I’ve always dated men in the corporate world. Those are the men I met; maybe it is because of what my life was like before. I have known my current partner for like 10 years.

“I don’t just see myself dating someone in the limelight. I don’t want my family out there. Let me be out there. But I want to go back home to some sanity.

I’m submissive to my partner even now that we are not married. I believe that two people cannot lead a successful relationship. They will clash. One person has to be more agreeable. That’s why I keep saying a woman’s most important job is choosing the right man to lead her.”

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has made a damning accusation against the military.

Following the killing of military personnel in Okuama Community, Delta State, IYC alleged that military men invaded Igbomotoru 2 in Bomo-Ibe Clan of Bayelsa State in the early hours of Sunday 17th March, 2024 and killed 40 people.

While condemning the recent killing of military personnel, the council maintained that Okuama is not also a community in Bayelsa State.

The President of IYC, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, in a statement issued Wednesday, emphasised that the killing of the military personnel did not happen in an Ijaw land and has nothing to do with the Ijaw nation.

It added that the council has also set up an investigation and fact-finding team which is open to supporting the military and other security agencies to get to the root cause of the matter, and possibly bring the killers to face the law.

The council pleaded that while fishing out the killers, that the whole community should not be destroyed because of the action of a few individuals.

It said: “We as a council condemn in its totality the killing of military personnel on official peacekeeping assignment at Okuama Community in Delta State.

“This incident is devilish and inhuman and therefore, no sane minded person can support such an act in any guise.”

The council said as the largest ethnic block in the Niger Delta region, it was concerned about the stability and business-friendly environment of the oil rich region, stressing that “whatever that happens in any part of the region is of serious concern to us.”

It said as a people, what they had experienced over time “is that when an individual does something bad to military men operating in the region, reprisal from the military is always against the entire community.”

The council further noted that: “As we speak, the fears of our people have shown up again as the said Okuama Community has been completely burnt down and all the occupants made homeless, and are now refugees in neighbouring communities.

“We will also draw your attention to the onslaught going on in one of our Ijaw communities in Bayelsa State, Igbomotoru 2 in Bomo-Ibe Clan where the Nigeria military evaded the community at early hours of Sunday 17th March, 2024.

“They opened fire on innocent men, women and children. They killed over 40 people and still counting, without any form of provocation.

“As a council, we condemn what the military is doing in Igbomotoru 2 community.

“What is happening in this community is purely a humanitarian crisis. As we speak, they have held every member of the community hostage as there is no entry or exit to the community. People are now starving to death.”

The council called on the President Bola Tinubu and the Chief of Defence Staff to call the military to order.

A member of the House of Representatives Saidu Abdullahi (APC-Niger) has explained why he wanted a law passed to grant five months leave for female and male workers who lost their spouses.

Abdullahi spoke when the bill he sponsored on the issue scaled second reading at the plenary of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by Abdullah.

While presenting the bill, Abdullahi said the legislation, if passed, was to place Nigeria among the top countries in the world in terms of workers’ welfare as the law existed in many countries.

“This crucial piece of legislation aims to address the pressing issue of supporting individuals who have lost their spouses, helping them navigate the challenging period of widowhood,” he said.

He said that research findings had shown that in Nigeria, public sector organisations grant up to 14 days leave for workers who lost their spouses for the burials.

“Therefore, one may say the 14 days prescribed by Public Sector Rules is sufficient but when one looks at the prevalent cultural and religious practices of Nigeria, it seems inadequate.

“It is always necessary that an organisation looks at the cultural context as the way people mourn is deeply rooted in culture.

“In Eastern Nigeria, for instance, the burial of the deceased usually takes place after a few weeks or months and the mourning period for a widow in modern times is three months, even though traditionally it is up to a year.

“In Islam, while mourning is usually three days, the waiting period for a widow is up to four months,” he said.

Abdullahi added:“During this period the bereaved spouse receives visitors for at least a month.

“Therefore, with our culture in view, giving a widower 30 days and a widow five months of widowhood leave for the death of a spouse may be reasonable.”

In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas referred the bill to the House Committee on Public Sector Reforms for further legislative actions.

(NAN)