Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed two worshippers at Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state.

The worshippers were attacked during the church’s Sunday service.

The gunmen were said to have surrounded the church before they started shooting sporadically.

A yet to be ascertained number of worshippers were also abducted from the church.

Ishaya Jangado, president of the Kaduna Baptist Convention, confirmed the attack.

“The incident occurred this morning but we don’t know the exact number of people that were kidnapped yet,” he said.

Mohammad Jalige, spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, was not reachable for comment over the incident.

Reacting, Joseph Hayab, chairman of Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), described the attack as “another sad story of how deteriorating our insecurity has become”.

“Citizens are being killed like chickens with only press statements as consolation,” he said.

“These evil people have troubled us for too long.

“I condole the families of the Baptist denomination and Kaduna Christians for this loss and urge our security agencies to separate war against enemies of Nigerians from politics. No one knows who will be the next target.”

Chikun LGA is one of the areas where telecommunications services had been suspended by Kaduna state government to fight banditry and kidnappings.

The attack on the church comes months after suspected bandits invaded the Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Kaduna, abducting 121 students.

Most of the students had since been freed.

The Cable

Nigerian superstar singer, Wizkid, has revealed the title of his next album and its release date.

Fondly referred to as Big Wiz, the multiple award-winning singer assured his fans that he would not let them wait for so long before releasing the new album.

The grammy award winner while celebrating the first anniversary of his previous album, Made In Lagos, took to his verified Instagram page stating that the album is titled, More Love, Less Ego.’

Sharing a picture of his Made In Lagos album cover, the singer wrote in his caption section, “1 year already!! Thank you for riding with me. I’m just very grateful for all the love and blessings. Promised not to make you wait too long for the next one. “More Love Less Ego” dropping on the last day of tour! I love you!”

Ever since the album, Made In Lagos, was released last year, it has been breaking records internationally. For instance, on October 11, 2021, Wizkid’s smash hit single, ‘Essence’ hit a new peak of No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

More so, on August 31, 2021, Wizkid’s groundbreaking single, ‘Essence’ featuring Tems became the most searched song on the music search platform, Shazam.

Lauretta Fagbohun, Ogun

The Ogun state government has assured that the Adatan-Moore Junction road will be asphalted within 2 weeks, while the Lafenwa-Rounder-Ayetoro road in Abeokuta will be completed in 6 Months.

The assurance was given by the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Saturday, while inspecting road projects across four local government areas of the state.

The governor, who toured Sagamu, Obafemi-Owode, Abeokuta South and Abeokuta North LGs, also promised to construct the deplorable Siun-Owode Road in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.

Speaking with newsmen after inspecting the new Gateway City Gate at the Sagamu Interchange, Abiodun equally said the road from Ofada to Mowe would soon receive his government's attention.

"We are rebranding this state to suite our status as the industrial capital of Nigeria. We will continue to do more to attract investors to our state. The beautification of this Gateway City Gate is part of our efforts to provide the needed ambience for those who chose to reside and do business here", the governor noted.

He said 600 housing units are being constructed at Kobape as part of the 1,000 units constructed in less than  two years of his administration.

On the Lafenwa-Rounder-Ayetoro road, Abiodun attributed the slow pace of work to difficulty on some sections of the road and lack of fund, adding that it would be redesigned to six lanes from its initial 17 lanes.

He assured that the road would be delivered in the next six months.

While inspecting Adigbe-Opako Road, the governor stated that contract for the road was renegotiated to accommodate other road facilities such as street lights.

He noted that the road which is at 85 percent completion stage would have its drainage covered

Reiterating his administration's resolve to ensure that the people enjoy dividends of good governance, Abiodun said the Adatan-Moore Junction road, Adatan, Abeokuta, awarded by the last administration, would be asphalted in the next two weeks.

Residents of the areas visited by the governor expressed their delight and lauded the state government for attending to the roads which were in very bad shapes for a long time, saying the construction would lessen their plight and improve the socio-economic activities in the areas.

The governor also inspected the Oba Erinwole Road in Sagamu.

Other roads inspected include Olomore-Sanni Road in Abeokuta North; Lafenwa-Olorunda Road, Abeokuta North; Adatan-Gbonagun Road, Abeokuta South; Panseke-Adigbe Road, Abeokuta South and Gateway City Gate, Obafemi- Owode LG.

The Federal government has again extended the ongoing national identification number (NIN) and subscriber identity module (SIM) integration exercise till December 31, 2021.

The deadline was shifted from the previous date of October 31.

Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, conveyed the approval of the federal government to extend the deadline in a statement issued on Saturday.

The statement was jointly signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, director of public affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

“Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has conveyed approval of the Federal Government to extend the deadline for the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification. Citizens and legal residents are urged to complete the process before the end of the year 2021,” the statement reads.

“The decision to extend the deadline was made further to appeals by the Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders, soliciting for a further extension to ensure better compliance with government’s directive and to avoid widening the digital divide.

“The extension would also provide the enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, as well as foreigners, diplomatic missions, those in other areas that were hitherto unreachable, and increase enrolments in countries with a significant number of Nigerians.”

The statement further disclosed that over 66 million unique NIN have been issued, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN.

“However, a significant part of the populace is yet to be registered into the National Identity Database (NIDB), which may be due to some challenges which the Federal Government has looked into and has made efforts to alleviate, hence the need to extend the deadline,” the statement adds.

“As of October 30, 2021, there were over 9,500 enrolment systems and over 8,000 NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country. This has significantly eased the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.

“The unique 66 million NIN enrolments, with an average of 3 to 4 SIMs linked to the NIN, is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to ensure the success of the project.

“With the creation of additional NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country, and many more coming up, the remaining citizens and legal residents living in the country and the diaspora should be able to obtain their NINs and link them with their SIMs before the end of the year.

“The Minister enjoins Nigerians and legal residents to make use of the opportunity of the extension to enrol for their NINs and link with their SIMs.

“On behalf of the FGN, the Minister, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, and the Director-General/CEO of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, urge citizens and legal residents to take advantage of the window to complete the process of enrolment and verification before the end of the year 2021.”

The Cable

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said the court processes leading to the security operatives’ invasion of the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili, on Friday, has criminal overtones.

Malami said this in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, on Saturday to deny his involvement in the raid.

Gwandu, had earlier denied the minister’s involvement in the raid in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, citing irregularities in the documents filed before a magistrate’s court in Abuja to obtain a search warrant which the invading security operatives tried to execute at Odili’s home on Friday.

Elaborating on the alleged irregularities in a statement on Saturday, Gwandu maintained that there was no unit like the ‘Joint Panel Recovery’ which was said to have applied for the search warrant in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

“What we have is ‘Assets Recovery and Management Unit’ the mandate of which does not include stings operations,” the statement said.

It said numerous “incongruities” in the documents circulated in relation to the saga “revealed traces of criminal actions”.

Among others he cited alleged incongruities in the documents, was the name on the letterhead – ‘Ghost’s Account For Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Tax Recovery Panel’.

He also pointed out alleged “ambiguous reference to ‘Ministry of Justice’ without clarifying as to whether it is Federal or State Ministry and of which state’.

He added that office address on the letterhead “is not the address of the Federal Ministry of Justice”.

He also counted the e-mail address on the letter as part of the irregularities showing the document had nothing to do with the AGF office.

“All these deductions would have assisted a discerning mind to arrive at a reasonable conclusion of criminal undertones associated with the court process on the basis of which the purported search warrant was procured,” the statement said.

Investigations

Malami also indicated that he had reached out to police authorities to intensify investigations and prosecute those involved in the matter.

“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has since reached out to the relevant authorities for an intensified wider investigation on the matter for necessary actions leading to the prosecution of anyone involved in the matter in view of the fact that the only names on record from the process filed in court are a purported police officer who claimed to be “O/C Assets Recovery Team” and one Aliyu Umar a deponent in the affidavit,” the statement added.

Security operatives invaded Odili’s home in Maitama, an upscale part of Abuja, on Friday.

Both the State Security Service (SSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had denied being part of the raid.

The invasion brought back to mind the SSS operatives’ invasion of homes of various judges, including those of two Justices of the apex court, in 2015.

The two Supreme Court justices were Sylvester Ngwuta (now deceased), and John Okoro. A home of a now retired judge of the Federal High Court, Adeniyi Ademola, was also invaded.

Both Ngwuta and Ademola were prosecuted by the AGF office, but the cases were struck out by the trial courts in the end.

PT

The fierce battle for the office of the deputy national chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has come to an end with the election of former Oyo State deputy governor, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja.

Arapaja, until recently the PDP national vice chairman (South-West) beat ex-Osun state governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola after garnering  a total of 2,004 votes while the latter could manage 705 votes.

Arapaja’s emergence again underscores the growing influence of governors, many of whom had their choices, coast home to victory at the convention without breaking a sweat.

He was said to be the candidate of the Oyo state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.

The race for the office initially had Arapaja, Oyinlola and Professor Wale Oladipo who latter stepped down paving way for a two-horse race pitching the ex-governor against the erstwhile deputy governor.

Vanguard

The newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, has given a quit notice to the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying “we are taking back the country.”

Speaking in the early hours of Sunday after his election at the national convention of the party in Abuja, Ayu said: “The PDP is back. We are determined. The other one is a contraption.

“In two weeks time you will see the power that will come back in PDP in every state. A small group of people decided to divide Nigeria. We will unite the country and move ahead to develop this country.

“We did it before, we will do it again. The other party can never hold a convention… It is a challenge. This is a quit notice to the other party. We are taking back the country. We will develop the country.”

Meanwhile, results have emerged for the three positions contested at the 2021 Special National Convention of the PDP. After a keenly contested election for the office of the Deputy National Chairman (South), former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, scored 705 votes. The office was won by Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja with 2004 votes.

Inthe contest for National Youth Leader of the party, Suleiman Mohammed Kadede won with 3072 votes against Usman Elkudan who scored 200 votes. Ambassador Umar Damagom won with 2234 votes against Hajiya Ina Ciroma 365 votes.

Contestants for the other 18 offices including the National Secretary of the party Senator Samuel Anyanwu, were elected.

Motion for Adjournment was moved by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makimde as he presented the team to “rescue Nigeria.” The convention was brought to an end at 4.30am

This day

Rauf Olayemi, Bauchi

The academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that it would sponsor a bill at the National Assembly to force political office holders to return their children from foreign universities to Nigeria. 

The President of the Union, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke made this known to Nigerian Newstrack, in its Bauchi Zone, at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), on Thursday at a one-day summit on 'State of the Nation'. 

Osodeke said those who control Nigerian resources do not prioritise the nation's education. "Today, our leaders and those who control our wealth have completely abandoned education. Nigeria is riding on abandoned education and what they do as an alternative is creating avenues for themselves: having abandoned and killed our education, they looked for somewhere they have invested in education to send their children, relatives and others.

"In Nigeria today, if a commissioner, a governor or a president has a headache the next day he joins the plane. He is afraid of going to the clinic where his people are to get treatment. That's where we are today.

"As a union, we are having a proposition to be put forward to the House Committee on ICT to work on it. We are going to storm the National Assembly with a bill. That bill is titled 'bring back your children'. We are going to mobilise the students, NGOs –all of us will storm the national assembly and will ensure that a bill is passed."

He said anyone who joins political office in Nigeria must bring their children to Nigerian school; either university, college of education, secondary or primary. "If the children of these people are in the country's universities, our education would not have been where it is today. With this, they will pay attention to the problem," he said.

ALSO, the Union presented N100,000 each to six indigent students in both state and federal universities in Bauchi, Plateau and Gombe. One of the beneficiaries,  Iqmat Temitope Popoola, a 300level of Agricultural Economics at the ATBU was elated receiving her cheque.

Security operatives, on Friday, conducted a search on the home of Mary Odili, a justice of the supreme court, in Abuja.

The supreme court justice is the wife of Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers state, who is currently on the watchlist of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The security operatives, who were made up of soldiers and officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), identified themselves as members of a joint task force.

The security operatives, who came with a search warrant, said they received information on “illegal activities” going on in the house.

Our correspondent visited the residence of the judge on Friday night and observed heavy security presence involving the police and army.

Several persons were also seen seated at the front of the judge’s residence.

The security operatives were, however, said to have not discovered anything of interest in relation to the alleged illegal activities, and left after about an hour.

Meanwhile, EFCC has denied the involvement of its operatives in the search.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to claims in a section of the media that operatives of the Commission today, October 29, 2021 stormed the Maitama, Abuja home of a Judge of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili, purportedly to execute a search,” Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, said in a statement.

“The Commission by this statement wishes to inform the public that the report is false as it did not carry out any operation at the home of Justice Odili.

“If there was any such operation as claimed by the media, it was not carried out by the EFCC.

“The Commission enjoins the public to discountenance the report.”

The Cable

Documents have revealed that the warrant presented by security operatives to search the Abuja residence of Mary Odili, a justice of the supreme court, carries a wrong address.

The security operatives, who stormed the residence on Friday, said they received information on “illegal activities” going on in the house.

Documents seen showed that one Aliyu Ibrahim had, on October 13, deposed to an affidavit stating that he has “observed some illegal activities going on in some houses within Abuja and its environs”.

“That I am sure and convinced that the kind of activities going on in those houses within Abuja is illegal and hereby report the said matter to the law enforcement agency,” the affidavit reads.

“That I hereby state that all information provided by me to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

“That this affidavit is made in good faith and for record purposes.”

Consequently, one Lawrence Ajodo, identified as a chief superintendent of police and a member of the investigation team under the asset tax recovery panel of the ministry of justice, sought a warrant to carry out a search.

“That on the strength of the affidavit, we seek for a search warrant to enable us carry out investigation at No. 9, Imo street, Maitama, FCT, Abuja,” the police officer had said.

The warrant was granted on Friday by Emmanuel Iyanna, a chief magistrate at Wuse zone 6 magistrate court.

However, the address for which the warrant was obtained is not that of the judge.

While Odili’s address is 7, Imo river street, Maitama, the address on the warrant is 9, Imo street, Maitama.

The search warrant also did not carry the name of the occupants of the premises.

Speaking to journalists at the premises on Friday, Mike Ozekhome, lawyer to Odili, described the warrant as one with “fundamental flaws”.

“It is a fundamental flaw. A search warrant must have the name of the person that you want to carry out a search on his or her house,” he said.

“Also, if they were looking for Imo street, they should look for Imo street elsewhere. There is an Imo close nearby. There is another Imo close somewhere in Garki, but this place is number 7, Imo river street.

“For that reason alone, they missed the point badly.

“If one wants to give them the benefit of doubt, one can say it was a genuine mistake which was why they quietly withdrew, contrary to the information circulating that justice Odili resisted search.

“On the other hand, it might be politically motivated to embarrass the justice of the supreme court and to embarrass her husband.”

The Cable