Top news from Nigeria today

Good morning from MEZIESBLOG!

Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. Ahead of the commencement of congresses and the National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress, the party’s National Working Committee and the governors had a crucial meeting on Wednesday. The closed-door meeting was held at the Imo Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

2. The Senate on Wednesday resolved to hold an executive, closed-door briefing on the December 25 United States airstrikes on terrorist targets in Sokoto State. This followed concerns raised by Bauchi Central Senator Abdul Ningi over Nigeria’s sovereignty and alleged exclusion of the National Assembly.

3. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed the allegation that the newly implemented tax laws were changed after their passage by the National Assembly. He maintained that the versions gazetted and signed into law accurately capture the decisions taken by lawmakers in both chambers.

4. A major in the Nigerian Army has been killed following an attack on a military patrol by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area in Borno State. Sources said the officer, who commanded the Damasak military base, was leading a foot patrol of about 30 soldiers early on Friday when the team came under explosives and gunfire from the insurgents.

5. Oyo State Police Command, on Wednesday, arrested two suspected armed robbers and recovered several stolen vehicles following an intelligence-led operation in Ibadan. The suspects, identified as David Okhaie and Balogun Afolabi, were apprehended by operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit after credible intelligence triggered an intensive manhunt across the Ibadan metropolis.

6. Tension gripped Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State, on Wednesday, following the continued closure of the Onitsha Main Market and its adjoining markets, as traders protested the enforcement of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s directive. Heavy security presence, comprising soldiers and police officers took over all entry and exit points to the Onitsha Main Market.

7. Two officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration workers’ Joint Union Action Committee on Wednesday approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking leave to challenge an interlocutory ruling of the National Industrial Court delivered on Tuesday. The applicants, Rifkatu Iortyer, President of JUAC, and Abdullahi Saleh, Secretary-General, filed a Notice of Motion before the Abuja Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal.

8. The Federal Government has unveiled plans to deploy military veterans to help secure Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces as part of strategies to strengthen national security and drive economic activities in conflict-affected areas. This followed the inauguration of an 18-member committee by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, tasked with reclaiming ungoverned spaces for economic viability.

9. The Zamfara State Police Command has intercepted a vehicle conveying 954 explosive materials suspected to have been intended for use by bandits operating in the state. The command’s spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the driver, Mustapha Mohammad, had been arrested.

10. Operatives of the Commissioner of Police Special Assignment Team of the Delta State Police Command have dismantled a suspected cult killing network linked to recent violent clashes in Ughelli town, arresting 11 suspects and recovering weapons and other incriminating items. It was gathered that the operation followed renewed cult-related violence and killings in Ughelli and other parts of the state.