Churchill Choken

Ahead of the burial of Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife, Ugoeze Meme Sally, parents of the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, security operatives have virtually taken over the Anambra, Imo and Abia axis of the South-Eastern region of the country. The burial is holding on Friday at lsiama Afaraukwu, Umuahia North Local Government area of Abia State. IPOB and security agencies have been trading words over the burial ceremony. Abia State police authorities had threatened to disrupt the burial, should members of the IPOB show up there, perhaps to forestall possible breakdown of law and order. Our correspondent who was on his way to the burial ceremony, reports that no fewer than 10 checkpoints manned by military and police operatives were mounted between Onitsha and Uli. The security operatives were however very civil in the discharge of their duties. Commercial bus drivers and passengers however did not take kindly to the traffic snarl occasioned by...

FEC approves engineering design for six-lane Abuja-Kano highway The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved N867.2 million for engineering design of an additional lane on the Kano – Abuja highway, to make it six-lanes. The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the weekly cabinet meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. He said: “The Ministry of Works and Housing presented a memorandum to appoint a consultant for the engineering design of the additional lane for the Abuja-Kano highway for the sum of N867.263 million. “The Council approved that memo for the work to be executed in five months. “Abuja-Kano is already under construction, it was awarded in December 2017 but we now reviewed that project, giving that the road was built in the early 90s and the traffic that has grown there now so as we are doing the construction we might expand the carriage...

The Rivers Police Command has banned the use of sirens, revolving lights, spy and covered number plates in the state. A statement signed by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, said the Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, banned the aforementioned facilities due to the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on the abuse and indiscriminate use without appropriate approvals. The statement said the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State command, appealed to the residents of the state, particularly banks, companies, private individuals and security personnel except those on covert operations to show understanding by complying with the directive and immediately remove the unauthorized and prohibited facilities or face prosecution. The statement further said the taskforce headed by the officer In charge, CP Monitoring Unit, CSP Grace Wonwu, has been given the marching order to enforce compliance, arrest defaulters and impoun...

The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Kogi chapter Comrade Onuh Edokah charges workers in the state to remain resolute as the state government has set up machinery to tackle all issues surrounding the payment of minimum wage in the state. Edokah gave the charge on Wednesday during the 7th Quadrennial state delegates conference of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) , Kogi state chapter. The NLC boss while speaking to newsmen at the venue of the congress urged civil servants in the state to expect a better deal from government, saying the union was still negotiating with government and hopeful of getting desired result at the end of negotiations. “The state government has set up a committee to look into the payment of 30,000 naira minimum wage to workers of the state. “We are hoping that by the end of the thirty days government gave the committee, they will come out with a chat that will be the true position of the minimum wage in Kogi state and we are ex...

The Osundairo brothers, Abel and Ola and Jussie Smollett The Nigerian brothers, Abel and Ola Osundairo, at the centre of the Jussie Smollett ‘hoax’ attack scandal said they are prepared to testify at his trial and that they will not feel vindicated unless the Empire actor is found guilty of lying to police. the brothers expressed their readiness to give testimony via their lawyer, Schmidt Rodriguez. Smollett was charged on Tuesday with lying to police in a six-count, grand jury indictment which revived the case against him. Last year, he was arrested after claiming to have been the victim of a racist, homophobic attack in Chicago. He iss now due in court on 24 February. The Osundairo brothers, who knew Smollett, said he paid them to stage the attack against him and that they went along with it for $3,500, not knowing the media storm it would create. Smollett’s attorneys, over the last year, have accused the brothers of lying. The 37-year-old star was charged b...