William Troost-Ekong, Super Eagles captain, has joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kholood FC from PAOK Thessaloniki FC in Greece.

The transfer was announced on the Arabian club’s X account on Friday.

According to Al-Kholood, the 30-year-old defender will play for the club “in the 2024-2025 Saudi Pro League competitions”.

Ekong’s move to the Arabian Peninsula was confirmed a few hours after he posted a heartfelt farewell on social media to PAOK Thessaloniki FC.

The Eagles captain thanked the fans, management and his teammate at the Greek club for making his brief stay “amazing”.

He had only joined the team in July 2023 on a three-year contract.

“Dear PAOK, after an amazing year and season in Thessaloniki, I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to share and be part of those moments with you,” the farewell reads.

“I want to thank the president, club staff, medical team, General Lucescu, assistants and especially my teammates who have become my family, for the belief and hard work that resulted in an unforgettable championship and special European nights.

“To the fans, thank you for the support through difficult times. Toumba is something special, and now I understand what MONO PAOK means. I wish everyone another successful season and I will continue to follow PAOK. All the best.”

During his lone season with PAOK, Ekong led Nigeria to a silver medal-winning campaign at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. He was named the competition’s best player after scoring three goals.

Security sources, on Friday night, confirmed that twenty medical students that were kidnapped in Benue State have just been rescued.

According to the sources that spoke with Channels TV, the operation was coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser.

Security agencies – the police, DSS and military personnel and equipment were involved in the operation, with the support of the Benue state government.

Though the student have regained their freedom according to security sources, details of the rescue operation are still sketchy at the moment.

Naija News recall that the students, who were en route to the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) annual convention in Enugu, were ambushed during their journey.

The students were said to be travelling in a convoy of two buses and were coming from the northern part of the country when they ran into the ambush on Thursday evening at about 5:30 pm.

A day after the abduction of the students, their abductors had established contact with victims’ families, demanding a ransom of ₦50 million to secure the release of their hostages

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says its operatives have arrested Hyginus Nkwocha, a suspected billionaire internet fraudster, in Abuja.

In a statement on Thursday, Dele Oyewale, spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, said 35-year-old Nkwocha was arrested at the Ever-Green Estate in the Lugbe area of Abuja on Wednesday.

Oyewale said the suspect was taken into custody after operatives acted on credible information that confirmed his involvement in internet-related offences.

He said items recovered from the suspect included “a sum of 2,200 dollars, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, and a MacBook”.

“Other items recovered include a gold chain and pendant, a gold bracelet, a gold neck chain, a Mercedes Benz ML 350, a Chevrolet Camaro, and a Mustang car,” he added.

“Also recovered are some properties at Cookies Court 2, located in Ocean Palm Estate, Ajah, Lagos; Unit C8, Lugbe Airport Road, Abuja; and Cookies Court 2, 2nd Avenue, Ocean Palm Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State.”

The EFCC spokesperson added that the suspect will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.

In February, the EFCC arrested 26 suspected fraudsters in Abuja.

Items recovered from them included a Toyota Tacoma, a CLS Mercedes 450, three Lexus cars, 40 phones, and seven laptops.

In the same month, the agency arrested 14 undergraduate students of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) for suspected internet fraud.

There are indications that the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced a production test-run of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) before it is released in September.

This is according to a recent report by Reuters.

The publication stated that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is undergoing test runs for petrol production, with full operation expected to commence by mid-September.

Citing a note by IIR Energy, an oil industry monitor, the publication said the commencement date could be extended further.

According to the report, IIR said in a note to clients that “it is possible that there could be further extensions”.

Recall that the Nigerian government had said Dangote Refinery would commence petrol production in September 2024.

This was contained in a statement by a Nigerian Government Committee headed by Finance Minister, Wale Edun on the implementation of crude oil sale in Naira to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.

However, Dangote Refinery or its owner, Aliko Dangote has not issued any comments on the commencement, except the mid-August, which he earlier announced in July 2024.

Dangote has announced several dates that the refinery would commence petrol production, which did not materialize.

Recall that Dangote announced on May 18, 2024, that from June, the refinery would begin producing petrol, adding that Nigeria would not have to import the product again.

Similarly, in June, he stated that due to a minor delay, the refinery would commence petrol supply in July.

The July target was then moved to August before the government announced on August 20 that the plant would release PMS in September.

The development comes as the refinery grapples with a crude supply crisis and other challenges.

Cuppy posted pictures from her recent water baptism at the Holy Trinity church in Brompton, UK, reflecting on her re-dedication.

In her caption, she wrote:

This summer, I made THE best decision of my life— to fully dedicate my life to God. Baptism isn’t just a ceremony; it’s a transformation. I am a new creation, reborn in His grace ?️✝️

The way to live us actually to die…

Ofcourse I am still DJ Cuppy, but now, every beat, every moment, has a deeper meaning. I see life in a new, brighter light. At 31, I finally understand what it really means to live a purpose driven life. Each day, I’m learning to live with intention, guided by something bigger than myself. Thank You, Father, for Your Salvation ?? #GodsVeryOwn

Isah Bawa, the Emir of Gobir in Gawata town of Sokoto state, has been reportedly killed by bandits.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Shuaibu Gobir, the Magaji of the town, said they received the news of the emir’s death on Tuesday.

The traditional ruler was abducted at the Kwanar Maharba area in Sokoto while returning from an event three weeks ago.

Earlier, in a viral video, the traditional ruler was shown tied up by his abductors, pleading with the state government to pay the ransom to the bandits for his release.

“My brothers and sisters, friends, and the state government, I am informing you that I have reached the deadline today. I am pleading with you all to help me,” the traditional ruler said.

“These people (bandits) are tired of us and have done their best to ensure the government intervened in my situation, but nothing has been done.

“I am 74 years old, and I have served the government for over 40 years.”

Gobir said the bandits killed the district head on Tuesday.

“The information I received is that the gunmen shot him yesterday [Tuesday] after the Asr prayer, and those who went to negotiate the ransom saw the emir’s body lying on the ground,” he said.

He said the body of the Emir had not been recovered yet, adding that they are currently working on rescuing the son who was kidnapped alongside the traditional ruler.

“On Tuesday morning, the leader of the kidnappers called and inquired about the ransom. When they asked to speak with the emir, he replied that the emir was warming himself by the fire,” he added.

“When Kabiru was contacted, he confirmed that the emir was there warming himself, but he kept pleading for the ransom to be paid to secure their release.”

When contacted, Ahmad Rufai, police spokesperson, said the family of the district head was yet to report his death at the station.

THE prolonged petrol scarcity worsened in Lagos, Ogun and other states, yesterday, as independent marketers started lifting the product from private depots at N780 per litre, from N595 per litre, indicating an increase of 31 per cent.

The marketers believe the hike in price reflects the current demand and supply of the product in the domestic market.

Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, who confirmed this in an interview with Vanguard, also expressed optimism that the bad situation could improve in the coming days.
Chief Ukadike noted that more trucks have left the depots in the past few days, adding that though independent marketers are still sourcing the product at a higher rate, more marketers can load their trucks.

According to him, “NNPC has started releasing products to independent marketers. The queues you are seeing now are ghost queues. They appear in the morning but disappear in the afternoon or evening. It will continue like that until supply stabilizes in the coming days and becomes sufficient enough.

“You must also remember that we are in the rainy season and it takes some time for trucks to come up north. In a few days, I believe the situation will ease.”

Petrol distribution challenges, which have gone on for about six weeks have led to long queues at filling stations across the country with several marketers jerking up their pump prices.

Checks around Abuja yesterday showed that while queues have eased slightly at the stations around the central area, the supply situation remains tense in other parts of the Federal Capital Territory.

Pump prices also remained high, ranging from N685/litre at outlets operated by major marketers to N950/litre at stations managed by independent marketers.

He said: “So we sell as we can buy and put up markups and margins to be able to make little profit. The transportation cost is a lot higher now. The product we normally bring in at N800,000 now costs N3.5 million because of the high cost of diesel and maintenance cost of the trucks.”

He disclosed that IPMAN is still waiting to meet with the management of the Dangote Refinery ahead of the expected release of petrol from the refinery, stressing that independent marketers are determined to remove middlemen from their dealings with the refinery.

“We are still anticipating that Dangote will invite us as one of the major stakeholders in the downstream of the oil and gas distribution chain. We will be one of their major off-takers. We are serious about the issue of third parties and that this is what IPMAN is trying to erase. Third parties’ involvement increases cost of the product and we don¡¯t want that to happen,” he added.

Scarcity worsens in Lagos, Ogun, others

Checks indicated that the situation in Lagos, Ogun and other states that had recorded improvement in the past few days, yesterday, worsened as long fuel queues reappeared in many parts of the states.

There were several long queues at some filling stations, especially the outlets belonging to the NNPC and major oil marketers, which sold it at about N568 per litre while their independent counterparts sold it at between N900 and N950 per litre.

However, others without the product simply shut their gates against motorists and other buyers while hawkers were seen freely hawking it at higher prices, ranging between N1,000 and N1,500 per litre, depending on location.

Transporters lament, jerk up fares by over 200%

Further checks indicated that there was a significant increase in transport fares and motorists passed the cost of the high price to commuters in Lagos, Ogun and other states.

It now costs about N6,000 to travel from Ikorodu to Victoria Island, Lagos, a trip that used to cost less than N2,000 before the shortage.

Mr. Emmanuel Okonkwo, a Sienna bus driver who plies Lagos to Owerri said: “Naturally, the fuel scarcity is affecting our business negatively. Nowadays, there is no fixed fare for trips again, you fix what you like and the way it suits you to enable you remain in business. The worst aspect of it is that people are no longer traveling like before, hardly could one get full load in Toyota Sienna bus. If you are lucky to get full load, you should thank your star.

“In most cases you get four to five passengers and after all expenses, you discover that you are left with nothing to go home with. We are not finding it easy at all, because it takes a long time to get full load, departure and arrival time also have been affected. Drivers get to their destinations late as a result of queuing for fuel on the road. 

“In most cases they have to sleep in any town before proceeding the next day due to fear of insecurity. In fact things are no longer the same.”

Another driver , who operates from Lagos to Port Harcourt, Mr. Eugene Eze noted that the scarcity was affecting their business because they queue all day to get fuel and at the end not having passengers on ground like before. He said that outside Lagos, fuel is sold at between N900 to N1,000, and this affects our profit.

He said: “We are working for nothing under the present fuel scarcity situation. The dilemma is that we can’t increase fares because passengers cannot afford the high fares.

“The danger is that we will be out of business if the fuel price continues the way it is. The vehicle maintenance is getting higher by the day and the option is to stop putting the vehicles on the road.

“Presently drivers spend a full day to search for fuel which they purchase at very high price. Our business is heading towards extinction. We are not even talking about extortion by local government officials and law enforcement agents on the road that collect toll fares from the transporters. It is very tough for us. Government should hear our cry and help us before we become unemployed,” he said.

Price rises as few depots have product

A visit to some depots in Lagos, including at Satellite Town yesterday, indicated that many of them have depleted their stocks, thus resulting in price hike.

However, it was gathered that some operators have concluded plans to further increase their depot prices to N800 per litre, from over N780 per litre.

Regulator not monitoring

The checks indicated that officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, were not physically present at filling stations to monitor activities, thus culminating in irregularities, including pump manipulation.

Rains, lightning, thunderstorms, cause of shortage — NNPC

However, NNPCL¡¯s Vice President (Downstream), Dapo Segun, attributed the shortage to rains, lightning and thunderstorms.

Speaking during a press conference at the NNPC Towers, he said: “We apologise to Nigerians for the fuel queues. Many of the challenges we’re facing are outside our control, but we’re doing our best to address them.

“The recent rains have made the Escravos channel difficult to navigate due to siltation, which has significantly hindered our ability to transport petroleum products, especially PMS, across the country.”

He said lightning and thunderstorms culminated in suspension of fuel discharges, adding that the situation is worsened by the poor states of roads in the country

Nigeria becoming failed state — PENGASSAN

However, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Engr. Festus Osifo, who is also President of the Trade Union Congress TUC, attributed Nigeria’s current economic hardship to government policies like floating of the currency.

Engr. Osifo stated the above in his address on Wednesday in Abuja, at the 3rd edition of PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit with the theme, “The future of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry: Energy mix, energy security, artificial intelligence, divestment and crude oil theft.”

He said: “A country that cannot meet its energy needs or guarantee energy availability for its citizens is on the path of becoming a failed state.

“As an association, we have mounted the rostrum over time, both on the streets and in the boardroom, to champion this cause, and we will not relent until victory is certain.

“As we gather here, let us not lose sight of the broader state of our nation. Nigeria stands at the crossroads, and our actions and decisions here in the next few days will provide a framework for a policy thrust for government towards shaping the economic outlook of our country.

“It is incumbent upon us to drive positive change, foster economic growth, and ensure our people’s prosperity. Recent policy directions by the government have placed untold hardship on Nigerians. Chief among them is flotation cum devaluation of the Naira, which saw our currency sliding from 450 Naira officially in May 2023 to the current exchange rate of about 1,600 Naira.

“This is the reason why the landing price of PMS today is over 1,000 Naira (reintroduction of subsidy), the reason why AGO is selling for over 1,300 Naira, and the reason why all imported commodities are over the roof today. The over-arching impact of this on Nigerians can only be imagined rather than experienced.”

Emmanuel Ayoola, former chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is dead.

Musa Aliyu, ICPC chairman, announced Ayoola’s death in a statement on Wednesday.

Ayoola, who was the second ICPC chairman, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

He served as the commission’s chairman between 2005 and 2010, after succeeding Mustapha Akanbi.

Ayoola served the country in various capacities. He was appointed as a high court judge in 1976 and rose through the ranks to the supreme court.

He retired as a justice of the nation’s apex court in 2003, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70.

He was born on October 27, 1933, in Ilesha, Osun state.

Ayoola attended Temidire Model School from 1939 to 1943 for his primary education and Ilesha Grammar School from 1944 to 1950 for his secondary education.

Ayoola obtained a law degree in 1957.

He studied at several institutions, including the University of London and Oxford University London.

In 2002, the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) appointed Ayoola as a judge of the appeals chamber of the special court for Sierra Leone.

The court was set up to try those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone civil war.

He was president of the court from 2004 to 2005.

In a tribute, the ICPC chairman said Ayoola’s death “marks the end of an illustrious chapter in the history of Nigeria’s judiciary and the broader legal profession”.

“A jurist of international repute, his legal career spanned over five decades, encompassing private practice and notable tenures on the Bench both in Nigeria and abroad,” the statement reads.

“His exceptional integrity, brilliant legal analysis, incisive judgments, and steadfast commitment to justice distinguished him as a towering figure in the legal profession.”

Aliyu said during his days as the ICPC chairman, Ayoola was “unwavering in his commitment to the fight against corruption—a cause he championed with vigour and a profound sense of duty”.

He said Ayoola’s contributions to the Nigerian judiciary and his international engagements, including his service as chief judge of the Gambia and his role at the special court for Sierra Leone, “reflect his dedication to upholding the rule of law and justice globally”.

“Justice Ayoola’s exemplary life and work have left an indelible mark on the legal profession, inspiring generations of legal practitioners and public servants,” he said.

“As we mourn the loss of this extraordinary jurist, we also celebrate a life well-lived, one dedicated to the pursuit of justice, fairness, and the betterment of society.

“The ICPC and the entire nation have lost a venerable elder statesman. However, his legacy will continue to guide and inspire our ongoing efforts in the battle against corruption, providing hope for a more just and fair society.”

The federal government has approved the upward review of the cost of obtaining the country’s passport.

KT Udo, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), announced the new passport fees in a statement on Wednesday.

Udo said the increase of the passport fee by the federal government is “part of its efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of the Nigerian standard passport”.

The NIS spokesperson said the 32-page passport booklet with a validity of five years now costs N50,000 from N35,000, while the 64-page booklet with 10-year validity is N100,000 from N70,000.

He added that the increase takes effect on September 1.

“Based on the review, 32-page Passport booklet with 5-year validity previously charged at Thirty-five Thousand Naira (N35,000.00) will now be Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000.00) only; while 64-page Passport booklet with 10-year validity which was Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000.00) will be One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) only,” the statement reads.

“However, the fees remain unchanged in Diaspora.

“While the Nigeria Immigration Service regrets any inconvenience this increase might cause prospective applicants; it assures Nigerians of unwavering commitment to transparency and quality service delivery at all times.”