The Abia Police Command has arrested 10 members of a dare-devil armed robbery gang that allegedly robbed a bullion van on July 26 and carted away about N390 million. The Commissioner of Police, Janet Agbede, said that the suspects belonged to a 14-member gang that specialised in bullion van robbery in different parts of the country. She said that they were arrested at different times and locations in Abia, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Imo. Parading the suspects before newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Umuahia on Monday, she said that the arrest was made possible by “a special intelligence,…
Author: Newsdesk
The Debt Management Office (DMO) said Nigeria’s total public debt stock, which was N41.60 trillion ($100.07 billion) in March rose to N42.84 trillion ($103.31 billion) by June. According to a statement obtained from DMO’s website o Tuesday, the total debt represents the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It, however, said that while the foreign component of the debt remained at the same level of N16.61 trillion ($39.96 billion), the local component increased to N26.23 trillion ($63.24 billion). The local component of the country’s borrowings…
The chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami has disclosed that the mandate of the Service is to collect taxes that are due to the federation and the federal government and not to grant tax waivers to any taxpayer in the country. Nami, in a statement by the Special Assistant (Media and Communication) to the chairman, Johannes Oluwatobi Wojuola made available to ASHENEWS on Monday, was reacting to allegation that his Service granted waivers to some companies. Among the companies alleged to have got the waiver include Dangote Sinotruck Limited, Lafarge, Honeywell, etc on pioneer status between…
The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in a biggest single operation in the agency’s history, has busted a warehouse in an Ikorodu estate of Lagos State. A statement by the Head, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi made available to newsmen on Monday, said the agency’s operatives seized 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of cocaine worth $278,250,000 (equivalent to N194,775,000,000) in street value. The statement said, “four drug barons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager were arrested in the well coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos state. Names of suspected barons “Kingpins of the…
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’abba has said that governors have been the country’s issue since 1999. Na’abba made the allegation when he hosted a delegation of the Na’abba Youth Organization. According to him, Nigerians were now running from politics because governors have pocketed political parties and now decide who would contest for positions in elections. He said that the governors’ action had crippled the country’s democracy. “Since 1999 governors have been the problem of the country. They contributed to the death of democracy within the political parties. “And when there are no elections within the…
Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of FBN Holdings Plc (FBNH) and its subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN), ‘B’ from ‘B-’ with a stable outlook. Fitch also upgraded their Viability Ratings (VR) to ‘b’ from ‘b-‘. The global rating agency said this in a report that the upgrade of the Long-Term IDRws that of the VRs, reflects the corporate governance irregularities publicly raised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in April 2021. “This include two longstanding related-party exposures, have largely been addressed and therefore risks to capitalisation have receded, helped by strong internal…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says democratic elections will contribute significantly to the advancement of Nigeria’s development aspirations. Mr. Deryck Fritz, Chief Technical Adviser for Election from UNDP, made the statement at a two-day workshop for INEC staff ahead of the 2023 general elections. Fritz spoke at the event with the theme: “Review of indicators and capacity building on Election Monitoring and Support Center (EMSC) Report Validation.” He said UNDP, as an entity entrusted with organizing elections, should not be partial, rather it should serve interests of all Nigerians, including women, youths, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and traditionally marginalised groups.…
An Ikeja Special Offences Court, on Monday, sentenced a 31-year-old teacher, Idowu Daniel, to seven years imprisonment for sexually assaulting his 16-year-old student within a school premises. The convict was charged with defilement. Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo held that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of defilement against the defendant, as the survivor failed to show up in court to testify. “However, the confessional statement by the defendant, which was made voluntarily, showed that he sexually assaulted the minor. “The defendant admitted to have fondled the breast of the victim twice and tried to have sex with her but he could…
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has blocked roads leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The mass action is in continuation of their protest against the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The students, who defied the heavy downpour, caused gridlock on the road leading to the airport leaving many travellers stranded. The students who were blocked by security operatives from gaining access to the airport took over the road, preventing traffic flow both inward and outward from the facility. The protesters were led by NANS National Taskforce Chairman, Olumide Ojo; Vice…
Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as “Hushpuppi” has tendered his apologies and appreciation to presiding Judge Otis D. Wright and the United States justice system for “upholding the law against criminals like myself.” Hushpuppi apologised for his actions and commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the thorough investigation that saw his arrest in Dubai and prosecution in the United States. According to Peoples Gazette, Hushpuppi, in the handwritten letter addressed to Wright and filed on Friday at the United States District for the Central District of California, took full responsibility for his crimes and apologised to both…