The National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters has put forward a proposal to reduce the salaries of legislators and executive members by 30% and 40%, respectively.

This proposal was discussed on Monday during an interactive session led by Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters.

The session included members of the judiciary and representatives from political parties, focusing on the review and amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.

The proposed salary cuts aim to reduce government expenditure and are part of a broader discussion on cost-saving measures.

Naija News reports that the committee also reviewed other proposals, including conducting all elections; presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and State Houses of Assembly, on a single day to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

Additionally, political parties suggested linking voter registration to the National Identity Number (NIN) for improved security and cost efficiency.

They also proposed that the appointment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman should no longer be the responsibility of the executive branch but rather be an open process advertised to interested candidates.

Senator Alli assured that the joint committee would continue to engage with INEC and the public to ensure that future elections are conducted smoothly and with minimal disruptions.

A Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has accused the Nigerian authorities of turning bandits operating in North-west and North-central Nigeria into religious fighters like Boko Haram insurgents operating in the country’s North-east.

Mr said a recent video of a jubilant terrorism kingpin, Bello Turji, and his armed bandits celebrating “victory” over the Nigerian military and claiming they are fighting for God was an indication that the group has adopted the ideology of Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the bandits on Thursday burnt down two Nigerian military Mines Resistant Armour Personnel (MRAP) vehicles stuck in the mud in the country’s northwest Zamfara State.

Mr Gumi, in a Facebook post, said the video uploaded by Mr Turji’s group had identified the bandits as Boko Haram members rather than people fighting against ethnic marginalisation.

Mr Gumi said he had advised Nigerian authorities to be careful in fighting the bandits so as not to push them to become guerrilla fighters and terrorists.

He said in the video showed that the groups had abandoned their initial fight against marginalisation and adopted the Boko Haram doctrine of fighting and killing in the name of God.

He wrote: “Radicalisation of Bandits: I warned against the danger”.

“Initially Bandits were fighting an ethnic war that could easily be resolved. I warned if the kinetic approach is intensified, they will turn into ideologically motivated guerilla warfare. Nobody listened.

“The difference between the former and the latter is that ideological war is mostly intractable, BH (Boko Haram) as an example. They commit the same crime, but this time, they think they are serving God. The picture is gloomy,” the cleric said.

This newspaper reported seeing a video of a jubilant terrorism kingpin, Mr Turji, and his armed bandits celebrating “victory” over the Nigerian military after burning down two Mines Resistant Armour Personnel (MRAP) vehicles stuck in the mud.

Soldiers abandoned the vehicles during an operation in the troubled Zamfara State in the country’s northwest region.

In the video, Mr Turji and his lieutenants are celebrating with victory slogans.

“Bello Turji has seized two trucks. Nigerian Army Bello Turji is coming for you, Insha Allah, if you don’t allow peace to reign. We are telling you and your clerics that we are with Allah”, Mr Turji says as he moves towards the stuck vehicles.

The hundreds of mostly youth bandits are dressed in combat regalia Bello Turji and are chanting “Allahu Akbar” and proclaiming “victory” over the army.

On Thursday, soldiers from the Nigerian Army 1 Brigade in Gusau, stationed at Zurmi, carried out an offensive against terrorists in a forest in the Kwashabawa area of the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

The soldiers abandoned the vehicles and retreated from the scene because they could not move ahead in the dangerous areas with their plan to attack terrorist leaders in a meeting.

A former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation during the 2023 elections, Doyin Okupe, has revealed reasons why he and the Labour Party candidate in the election, Peter Obi, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to Okupe, he and Obi left the PDP because they both agreed and believed that the next President of Nigeria must be a Southerner, preferably an Igbo man from the South-East, but the party was not working in that direction.

Speaking on Monday in a chat with journalists in Lagos, Okupe said his political agreement with Obi, however, ended after President Bola Tinubu won the election and was further affirmed by the courts up to the Supreme Court.

The former presidential media aide said these in reaction to online attacks from supporters of Obi, popularly known as Obidients, who were criticising him on X for dumping their principal and backing the policies of the present administration.

“Obi and I left the PDP because we both agreed and believed that the next President must be a Southerner, preferably an Igbo man from the South-East. Unfortunately, we lost that election. Another Southerner, Bola Tinubu, won the election. This is God’s will. He gives power to whom He wishes. My political commitment and agreement with Obi ended and expired there. I am too experienced in this game of politics for my subsequent political disposition and destiny to be tied to Obi’s ambition. Impossible.

“For me, that cooperation ended with the Supreme Court judgment, right or wrong. There must be order in a society.” Okupe said.

Speaking further on why he opted to support Obi for the 2023 presidential election, Okupe said it was time for the presidency to go to the South and that he aligned with the Igbo candidacy since they had not had the opportunity to produce the country’s president before.

The former presidential aide said he didn’t support Obi because he believed the LP candidate was politically superior to him or because of friendship but purely out of principle.

“I was convinced in my heart that if the presidency was going to the South, then it must be an Igbo man from the South-East because I believe in equity and justice. You can also verify this with Papa Adebanjo. He is still alive. I did not support Obi because he was politically superior to me or because he was a friend or an associate.

“My unalloyed support and commitment to Obi was based on principle. Throughout my period as a DG campaign, I used my own car and never received one naira from Obi as a salary. It was a mutual friend who funded me personally throughout. This can be verified. In difficult times, I borrowed a substantial amount of money to ensure our zonal campaign in the South-West was a grand success. I was refunded by Peter Obi months later.

“You (Obidients) all hailed, praised, and honoured me because, in your understanding, you believed I was just a foolish politician who left his comfort zone to come and help you fulfil your own agenda. You were all wrong,” he added.

A French pensioner went on trial Monday for allowing scores of strangers to rape his wife after he drugged her, in a case that has horrified the country.

Fifty men, recruited online, are also being tried in the southern city of Avignon alongside the main suspect, a 71-year-old former employee at France’s state-owned power utility company EDF.

Police counted a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom were identified.

The men, aged between 26 and 74, are accused of raping the 72-year-old woman who, her lawyers say, was so heavily sedated she was not aware of the abuse that went on for a decade.

Presiding judge Roger Arata announced that all hearings would be public, granting the woman her wish for “complete publicity until the end” of the court case, according to one of her lawyers, Stephane Babonneau.

The trial will nonetheless be “a horrible ordeal” for her, said another of her lawyers, Antoine Camus.

“For the first time, she will have to live through the rapes that she endured over 10 years,” he told AFP, adding that his client had “no recollection” of the abuse that she discovered only in 2020.

The woman, who arrived at the court supported by her three children, did not want a trial behind closed doors because “that’s what her attackers would have wanted”, Camus said.


– Some came back six times –

Police began to investigate the defendant, Dominique P., in September 2020 when he was caught by a security guard secretly filming under the skirts of three women in a shopping center.

Police said they found hundreds of pictures and videos of his wife on his computer, visibly unconscious and mostly in the foetal position.

The images are alleged to show dozens of rapes in the couple’s home in Mazan, a village of 6,000 people around 33 kilometers (21 miles) from Avignon in Provence.

Investigators also found chats on a site called coco.fr, since shut down by police, in which he recruited strangers to come to their home and have intercourse with his wife.

Dominique P. admitted to investigators that he gave his wife powerful tranquilizers, especially Temesta, an anxiety-reducing drug.

The abuse started in 2011, when the couple was living near Paris, and continued after they moved to Mazan two years later.

The husband took part in the rapes, filmed them and encouraged the other men using degrading language, according to prosecutors.

No money changed hands.

The accused rapists include a forklift driver, a fire brigade officer, a company boss and a journalist.

Some were single, others married or divorced, and some were family men. Most participated just once, but some took part up to six times.


– Murder probe –

Many have said they thought they were simply helping a libertine couple live out its fantasies, but Dominique P. told investigators that all were aware that his wife had been drugged without her knowledge.

An expert said her state “was closer to a coma than to sleep”.

Her husband told prosecutors that only three men left the house quickly after arriving, while all others proceeded to have intercourse with his wife.

Dominique P., who said he was raped by a male nurse when he was nine, is ready to face “his family and his wife”, his lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told AFP.

This trial may not be his last.

He has also been charged with a 1991 murder and rape, which he denies, and an attempted rape in 1999, to which he admitted after DNA testing.

Experts said the man does not appear to be mentally ill, but in documents seen by AFP, they said he had a need to feel “all-powerful” over the female body.

The trial is to last until December 20.

The Briton accused of inciting insurrection against President Bola Tinubu’s government, Drew Povey has urged the Nigerian government not to treat protests as treason.

Mr Povey, whom the Nigerian government said also bears the name Andrew Wynne, said this in a statement in reaction to the government’s allegation of building “a network of sleeper cells to topple” the Bola Tinubu administration “and plunge the nation into chaos.”

Povey’s bookshop located at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had earlier been raided and sealed.


Part of the charges against him was enabling some #EndBadGovernance protesters “with intent to destabilize Nigeria.”

The statement on the letterhead of his bookshop reads: “PROTEST IS NOT TREASON – release all the detainees! The mass protests over #EndBadGovernance and #EndHunger frightened the government. But rather than addressing the peoples’ demands, the government turned to repression.

“Perhaps 40 people were murdered by the police and other security forces, thousands were arrested and many still remain in captivity. In Abuja, the authorities have attacked the so-called leaders and organisers of the protests. Ten people face ridiculous charges including treason, mutiny and levying war against the state.

“The NLC promised a general strike to protect its President, Joe Ajaero, from arrest and detention in relation to similar charges. Despite the flimsy nature of the evidence against the detainees, they face long years in prison unless the trade union movement is prepared to protect them. On 7th August the NLC said it, “condemns in the strongest terms the human rights violations perpetrated by security forces against peaceful protesters.”

“The first person to be arrested in this case was Eleojo Opaluwa. He is a former colleague of Joe Ajaero, working for NUEE, the electricians union, as an organiser in Abuja. He is also the Vice Chair of the NLC in Kogi State. He has now been detained for over 4 weeks with no tangible evidence. His family was told that he had received a WhatsApp message from one of the other alleged leaders. This was after Eleojo had actually been detained.

“The ten detainees have been accused of conspiracy to commit a range of serious crimes. However, they barely know each other. Five of them may have been members of a WhatsApp group set up to organise the protests in Abuja. But the other five are unknown to these comrades. They may be a few of the flag waving protesters from Kano who were added to extend the range of the organizers to cover the main protests from Sokoto to Maiduguri

“There appears to be a conflict between the government and the police investigating this case. The head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) told the detainees’ lawyers that he would have released them, but that he had orders from above not to set them free. So the police have developed what appears to be a ridiculous case involving the owner of Iva Valley Books. They are claiming that he goes under the name of Andrew Povich, a Russian-sounding name, and that he has now left Nigeria for Russia.

“Neither of these claims are true. Yomi, who works for Iva Valley Books, has, like the other detainees, been treated in a terribly inhumane manner. He was arrested in front of his wife and three-year old daughter. All their phones were confiscated by the police. This was despite appeals from his wife that they needed a phone to get money for food.

“He was then imprisoned illegally and held in chains, beaten and tortured for three days. His only involvement was to design flyers for the protests on the instructions of his boss. The NLC has shown that it has the power to protect its President. It now needs to extend this action to protect its other officers, its members and the general public.”

Turkish giants Galatasaray have reached an agreement with Napoli to sign Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen on loan.

The deal comes after Osimhen’s proposed transfers to Chelsea and Al-Ahli fell through during the summer transfer window.

The loan move to Galatasaray offers Osimhen an opportunity to continue his career in Europe, following a successful spell with Napoli, where he made a significant impact in Serie A. Despite interest from top clubs, negotiations with Chelsea and Al-Ahli did not materialize, leading to Galatasaray stepping in. 

Details of the loan agreement, including the duration and potential option to buy, are yet to be fully disclosed. However, this move is seen as a strategic acquisition for Galatasaray, bolstering their attacking options as they aim for success in both domestic and European competitions.

Osimhen, known for his speed, strength, and goal-scoring ability, is expected to be a key player for the Turkish club, bringing his experience and talent to the Süper Lig. Fans of Galatasaray are eagerly awaiting his arrival, hoping he will replicate the form that made him a standout player in Italy.

Several protesters who took part in the August 1-10 #EndBadGovernance demonstrations have been remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre after being charged with treason by the Federal Government.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the protesters’ remand pending the hearing and ruling on their bail application, which is scheduled for September 11, 2024.

The decision came after the accused pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge, which includes allegations of terrorism. 

The charges, which have sparked significant concern among human rights advocates, have brought attention to the government’s handling of the protests, which were primarily focused on issues such as hunger and misgovernance.

More details are expected to emerge as the case progresses, with the next court session set to determine the immediate future of the accused protesters.

A former Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Labour Party, Dr Doyin Okupe, has stated that his relationship with the party’s candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, ended immediately after President Bola Tinubu emerged.

Okupe also mentioned that he had agreed with Obi never to accept any political appointment from him upon his emergence.

The former presidential spokesperson made these remarks to journalists in Lagos on Monday to ward off insults from Obi supporters, popularly known as Obidients, who were criticising him on X for backing the policies of the present administration.

According to him, those abusing and insulting him for supporting Tinubu’s economic recovery plan are ignorant, stressing that Nigeria’s project is bigger than that of any individual or political party.

He said, “I supported Peter Obi out of a commitment to patriotism and nationalistic fervour, not because I don’t know who I am in national politics or where I come from. I told Peter Obi, and we both agreed, that I would not hold any position in his government if he won. Obi is alive, kindly verify. If it is not true, let Obi publicly say that I am lying.

“Obi and I left the PDP because we both agreed and believed that the next President must be a Southerner, preferably an Igbo man from the South-East. Unfortunately, we lost that election. Another Southerner, Bola Tinubu, won the election. This is God’s will. He gives power to whom He wishes. My political commitment and agreement with Obi ended and expired there. I am too experienced in this game of politics for my subsequent political disposition and destiny to be tied to Obi’s ambition. Impossible.

“For me, that cooperation ended with the Supreme Court judgment, right or wrong. There must be order in a society.

To me, the allegations of rigging do not hold water. All elections in Nigeria from the 1st Republic to date have been rigged in one way or another, except perhaps Abiola’s election. In America today, the majority of Republicans believe the election that brought Biden in as POTUS was rigged. However, the Americans did not bring down their country because of that. They patiently waited for the next election and are making efforts to correct the imperfections.”

Providing insights into his reasons for supporting Obi from the beginning, the LP’s former campaign DG maintained that he was convinced that the presidency was going to the South and that he aligned with the Igbo candidacy since they had not had the opportunity before in the country’s history.

“I was convinced in my heart that if the presidency was going to the South, then it must be an Igbo man from the South-East because I believe in equity and justice. You can also verify this with Papa Adebanjo. He is still alive. I did not support Obi because he was politically superior to me or because he was a friend or an associate.

“My unalloyed support and commitment to Obi was based on principle. Throughout my period as a DG campaign, I used my own car and never received one naira from Obi as a salary. It was a mutual friend who funded me personally throughout. This can be verified. In difficult times, I borrowed a substantial amount of money to ensure our zonal campaign in the South-West was a grand success. I was refunded by Peter Obi months later.

“You (Obidients) all hailed, praised, and honoured me because, in your understanding, you believed I was just a foolish politician who left his comfort zone to come and help you fulfil your own agenda. You were all wrong,” he added.

Okupe further stated that he was not narrow-minded when he was a critic and that Obidients should adopt a similar approach in the future.

The announcement of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) on being unable to sustain fuel supply is a game plan, according to experts.

On Sunday, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, admitted that the national oil company is owing suppliers, but did not specify the exact amount.

“NNPC Ltd has acknowledged recent reports in national newspapers regarding the company’s significant debt to petrol suppliers. This financial strain has placed considerable pressure on the Company and poses a threat to the sustainability of fuel supply,” Soneye said in a statement.

Experts have, however, suggested that the announcement is part of a game plan from the government, which may lead to 950/1,000 per litre price for petrol.

They alleged that government officials had been pushing this narrative in the last two weeks.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, had, on Monday, asked the NNPCL to halt the sale of fuel below landing costs, arguing that this would help curb smuggling to neighbouring countries.

The Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) recently disclosed that the landing cost of petrol as of July, 2024, was N1,117 per litre.

It also revealed the landing costs of AGO (Diesel) at N1,157 for a 20KT vessel and ATK at N1,217 for a 15KT vessel landing in Apapa, Lagos.

An independent oil marketer, who preferred anonymity, said: “It was almost inevitable for the pump price to not rise, as this is one of the outcomes of a fully deregulated market.

“The NNPCL remains the main importer, with private importation remaining limited. This situation is worsened by Nigeria’s declining crude oil output, which impacts the country’s capacity to import refined products. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has noted the dwindling output of many nations, including Nigeria”, the marketer said.

A former chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ejigbo Depot in Lagos, Mr Akin Akinade recently said: “Our members have no direct supply from NNPC. We buy from Third Party. We buy at DAPMAN Depot in Abule Ado.

“They sell to us N840, N850, and by the time you add transportation to that, there is no way our members would sell less than they are selling. If they bring down their price, we are also going to bring down our price. We are in business to make money”, he said.

In a chat with Daily Trust, Chief Executive Officer, 11 Plc (formerly Mobil Nigeria), Tunji Oyebanji said: “Selling below the cost, whether from import or local refineries, is not sustainable. If they sell at economic price, perhaps others can import, supply will improve, and the financial strain will not be on them alone. It’s either that or these supply disruptions will continue indefinitely. I am baffled why they have not been upfront about this since instead of denials.”

British national, Andrew Wynne and a Nigerian, Lucky Ehims were declared wanted by the Nigerian security agents, Police on Monday placed N20m (Twenty Million Naira) bounty on them.

Police in a statement on Monday afternoon said a reward sum of N10,000,000 awaits any person(s) with information leading to the arrest of British national, Andrew Wynne and a Nigerian, Lucky Ehims .

Vanguard had reported how Police had launched a comprehensive investigation into the activities of a foreign national and subversive elements plotting to undermine the democratically elected government in Nigeria through unconstitutional regime change and orchestrating violence across the country.

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyuwa Adejobi said “Following extensive intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies, nine suspects have been apprehended, who received substantial financial backing from foreign sources to destabilize the country.

“Preliminary findings suggest they orchestrated and funded violent protests, disseminated false information, and engaged in other unlawful activities to create anarchy and justify their illegal plot to overthrow the democratically elected government.

“Investigations have identified a foreign mercenary, Andrew Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich or Drew Povey), a British national, who built a network of sleeper cells to topple the government and plunge the nation into chaos.

“He rented a space at Labour House, Abuja, for an ‘Iva Valley Bookshop’ and established ‘STARS of Nations Schools’ as a cover for his subversive activities.

“Documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Andrew Wynne issued directives, monitored progress, and provided finance and operational guidance to achieve unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.

“He mobilized and deployed several billions of naira to his Nigerian collaborators, urging them to mobilize the public to violently storm police facilities and military barracks, anticipating a bloodbath that would instigate international condemnation of the Nigerian government.

“These acts are in clear violation of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 and other relevant laws.

“Since the commencement of investigations, Andrew Wynne has fled the country. He and one of his local coordinators, one Lucky Ehis Obiyan have accordingly been declared wanted and global hunting for them has commenced in connection with this investigation.

“The ten other suspects already apprehended have been arraigned before a competent court of law on Monday, September 2, 2024, for Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion, and Cybercrime.

“They include; Angel Love Innocent (Female), Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Michael Tobitoba Adaramoye aka Leni, Suleiman Yakubu, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Abayomi Adeyemi, Abdulsalam Zubairu (M), Nuradeen Hamis, and Bashir Bello.

“These acts are in clear violation of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 and other relevant laws

The force also appealed to the public to assist in any useful information that will help their investigations, saying if Andrew Wynne and Lucky Ehims are seen, they should be arrested and “hand over to the nearest Police Station, or to the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Force Intelligence, Force Headquarters, Abuja, or call 08035179870, 09133333785, 09133333786. A reward sum of N10,000,000 awaits any person(s) with information leading to the arrest of each of them”.