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Cash crunch: NLC warns FG of mass protest, again, banks cut withdrawals •CBN fresh disbursement fails to reach banks, S’West banks source cash from northern branches •Nigerians running out of patience, can’t bear current pains, Labour tells Tinubu govt, CBN The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Tuesday, expressed concerns over the lingering cash scarcity in the country.  Five days to the Christmas Day celebration, the congress said in a statement by its National President, Joe Ajaero, that the situation had serious implications for citizens, insisting that urgent steps must be taken to address it. Bank customers have been groaning over their inability to access cash to meet daily needs, despite assurances from the Central Bank of Nigeria.  The banks have continued to ration cash over-the-counter, while many ATMS are not dispensing cash. However, NLC in the statement warned the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria that a mass public protest was imminent if nothing was d...

Three die, others injured in Ogun auto crash Three passengers were reported dead and others injured in a fatal accident that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, on the Oru Ijebu-Igbo Road in Ogun State. According to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity said, the driver, who was said to be a learner, miscalculated while on the wheel, which caused a collision between the Toyota Camry car and a tricycle. “The car driver left his lane and miscalculated, only for him to hit a tricycle into the ditch. Among those dead was the tricycle driver.” Speaking in an interview with newsmen the spokesperson for Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident, while adding that the Toyota Camry owner fled with his family after realising the casualty he caused. “The Toyota Camry owner, wife, and his child were inside the vehicle, as he was teaching his wife how to drive. Unfortunately, he was doing that on the highway. Which is even wrong...

Two remanded for killing friend over bags of rice A Magistrate’s Court sitting in the Yaba area of Lagos State has remanded two friends, Noah Tovohome and Rajay Zannu, to a correctional centre for allegedly plotting and killing their friend, Segun Zusu, over 36 bags of rice. The duo was brought before Magistrate Linda Balogun on Tuesday on two counts bordering on murder. It was gathered in court that the defendants, Tovohome and Zannu, plotted with a boat driver who was conveying Zusu’s goods from Seme to kill him and steal the bags of rice. However, on that day, they intercepted the boat around 2 am, at Novo River in Seme, used a plank to beat Zusu up, and threw him inside the river. They thereafter carried the bags of rice to Badagry, sold them for about N1.4m to a businesswoman and shared the money. The police prosecutor, Chekwube Okeh, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on November 12, 2023. According to Okeh, the offence contravenes Section 222 and is punisha...

Trump ineligible to run for president over role in Capitol riot, court rules Trump ineligible to run for president over role in Capitol riot, court rules Donald Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 because of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. The historic decision based on the 14th Amendment, barring Trump from the presidential primary ballot, sets up a battle before the nation’s highest court about the fate of next year’s election. In a 4-3 ruling that will soon be appealed — and that is likely to inspire fierce criticism from Trump’s supporters and vocal applause from those who have condemned his behavior around Jan. 6 — a majority of Colorado’s seven justices wrote that the former president “engaged in insurrection.” “President Trump’s direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country we...

Nigerian naira falls to record low on official market (Reuters) - Nigeria's naira dropped to a record low against the dollar on the official market on Tuesday in thin trading, swinging widely to levels seen on the unofficial parallel market, where the currency trades freely. The naira fell as low as 1,248 to the dollar, during mid-day trading, LSEG data showed after it opened at 927 naira on Tuesday. It later recovered to 845 naira. Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso has said he would allow market forces to determine exchange rates while setting clear, transparent and harmonised rules governing market operations. The comments and chronic dollar shortages on the official market have prompted the naira's official exchange rate to drift towards the parallel market level. The currency sold at around 1,225 naira on the parallel market on Tuesday, while it was quoted at 1,002.50 naira on the one month non-deliverable forwards market .  

  Nnamdi Kanu accepted S’Court judgement — IPOB’s lawyer The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court against him, according to IPOB’s Lead Counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor. The apex court had on December 15 set aside a judgment by the lower court that dismissed the terrorism charges against Kanu. A statement on Tuesday by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, quoted Kanu as saying this during a visit by his legal team led by Mike Ozekhome, SAN. Ejiofor stated that Kanu accepted the court’s verdict not because the court is perfect, but because he respects its final decision. The statement partly read, “The eventual verdict of the Supreme Court was conveyed to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and he expressed reservations about the outcome. “However, Onyendu elected to accept this outcome because of the finality of the Supreme Court decisions, and not because they are infallible, but because the Supreme Court is the final court in the land. “Nevertheless, in...

Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers crisis advisory, says Falana Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, on Tuesday, said while the President of Nigeria may intervene in the crises rocking the states, his intervention must always be grounded in the provisions of the Constitution. The Senior Advocate made this known in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja. “I agree with former Governor Tunde Fashola SAN, who has said that President Tinubu has no constitutional role in resolving the political crisis in Ondo and Rivers States. Therefore, the intervention of the President in both cases is purely advisory,” Falana said in the statement. Speaking further, the lawyer noted that the presidential reinstatement of the 27 defected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the Presidency, “is alien to the Constitution in every material particular. “The seats of the cross carpeting members have been declared vacant by the Speaker known to law. To that extent, the Independent N...

Shock as groom calls off his wedding minutes to walking down the aisle, claims he’s not ready for the marriage Groom reportedly calls off his wedding just a few minutes to walking down the aisle with his bride as he claims that he is no longer ready for the marriage. The incident was reported by a Facebook user identified as Longji Benshak who shared the account and a photo of the alleged couple. In his narration, it was gathered that the man stood his bride up while she was still doing make up. He sent some of his kinsmen, according to Longji, to break the news to the bride. His reason for cancelling the wedding was that he just realized that marriage is a serious business and he wasn’t ready for the seriousness of the union. Longji wrote … “Today is the supposed wedding day but just as the bride was about to do makeup the grooms kinsmen and parents showed up to break the news to her that their son wasn’t interested in the wedding anymore [Reasons been that he wasn’t ready for the mar...

Man arrested in Adamawa for allegedly ki!ling court clerk who went to serve him with court summons The police in Adamawa state have arrested a 43 year old man identified as Linus Dimas, a resident of Kugama Wuro Jibir, Mayo Belwa Local Government, for allegedly k!lling a court clerk who went to serve him a court summon.  In a statement released, the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, says on December 18, the suspect rejected the court summons served to him from Yauba Usman, a staff of Nasarawo Jereng Area Court and st&bbed him with a kni!e severally thereby inflicting deep cuts on him. Nguroje said the court clerk was immediately rushed to Hospital but was confirmed d£ad. He added that the state Commissioner of Police has directed that the case be discreetly investigated.  

Gunmen kidnap Akwa Ibom High Court Judge, kill orderly Gunmen on Monday kidnapped a high court judge, Justice Joy Uwanna, and her driver, in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. It was gathered that the judge’s orderly was killed in the attack which occurred along Uyo-Okobo road. The Chairman of the Oron branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Toroscho Eyene, who confirmed the development to newsmen on Tuesday, said the judge was kidnapped on her away to Uyo after a court sitting. He disclosed that members of the association have scheduled a meeting with the State Commissioner of Police and the Department of State Services, DSS, tomorrow (Wednesday). Eyene said, “Yes, the sitting Judge in Oron was kidnapped yesterday (Monday) on her way back to Uyo after a court sitting. By tomorrow, Wednesday, we are moving down to Uyo to meet with the Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durusinmi and the DSS on the issue.” The Public Relations Officer of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, ...

A giant snowman is now the main attraction at a park in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.  Adorned with a bright red hat and a matching scarf, the 18-meter-tall snowman is crafted from 2,000 cubic meters of snow. ⛄️⛄️⛄️ #ChinaSeen. Watch videos and more photos below. 

December 19, 2023 Press Conference by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the end of its Emergency Meeting on the Political Developments in Rivers State. No Remedy for 25 Former Rivers Assembly Members- PDP …Counsels Them to Prepare for Fresh Election The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that there is no remedy for the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) vacated and lost their seats by reason of defection from the PDP, the Party platform upon which they were elected into the House of Assembly. Our Party insists that having now vacated and lost their seats, the only option available for the former lawmakers, if they wish to return to the House of Assembly, is to seek fresh nomination and re-election on the platform of any political party of their choice in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Fede...

 Bandits abduct chief, police officers, many residents in Taraba ambush In a tragic overnight incident, armed bandits descended on the quiet community of Pupule in Yorro Local Government Area, Taraba State, abducting a total of 16 residents, including the district head and second-class chief, Alhaji Umaru Nyala, a police inspector, and a sergeant. The brazen attack unfolded around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, catching the unsuspecting residents of Pupule in their sleep. Among the victims were key figures in the community, including the district head and law enforcement officers. Confirming the distressing development, SP Abdullahi Usman, the spokesperson for the Taraba Police Command, revealed that Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Eribo, has swiftly ordered a comprehensive manhunt for the assailants with the primary objective of securing the safe rescue of the abducted individuals. Usman shared, “The strike force and anti-kidnapping squad of the police are currently combing the bushes with ...

Mayorkun vows never to perform in Calabar again after being robbed Nigerian singer, Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, popularly known as Mayorkun, has vowed never to perform in Calabar, the Cross River State capital again. He announced this via his X (formerly Twitter) page on Tuesday morning, saying he wishes other artists coming into the city to perform “good luck.” He wrote, “Calabar, You’ll probably never ever see me again, good luck to the other artists coming for your festivals tho.” The singer, who performed at an event in Calabar recently, was said to have been robbed while there, according to fans who reacted to his post via the comment section. Some of the fans claimed that Mayorkun’s multi-million naira necklace was stolen in Calabar. Meanwhile, singer Iyanya has reacted to the alleged robbery of his colleague, Mayorkun in Calabar. He appealed to whoever stole from Mayorkun to return the item and he would personally compensate the person. Quoting Mayorkun’s tweet, he wrote, “My Calab...

 Block SIMs without NIN, NCC directs MTN, Airtel, others The Nigerian Communications Commission has directed MTN Nigeria, Airtel and other telecommunications firms to fully bar phone lines without National Identity Numbers and those whose NINs have not been verified.   This was disclosed in a corporate notice that MTN Nigeria filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited revealing the directive from NCC and the attached deadlines for the barring.   In the statement signed by its Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, MTN Nigeria said, “This is part of an industry-wide directive that requires phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs to be barred on or before 28 February 2024. With regard to NINs that have been submitted but not verified, such lines are to be barred on or before 29 March 2024, where five or more lines are linked to an unverified NIN. “Similarly, where less than five lines are linked to an unverified NIN, such lines are to be barred on or befo...

Joshua has lost respect –Wilder Deontay Wilder has fired an early shot at rival Anthony Joshua by claiming that the British boxer has ‘lost the respect he once had’ among fellow heavyweight fighters. The pair are on a collision course and could finally go head-to-head next year, providing they can each win their bouts on the exciting The Day of Reckoning card taking place in Saudi Arabia on December 23. Wilder will be taking on the experienced Joseph Parker, while Joshua will look to conquer his southpaw demons against Otto Wallin. The 38-year-old, who last fought over a year ago, reckoned that Joshua’s defeats to Oleksandr Usyk have seen him lose his standing within the heavyweight division and explains why the likes of Jarrell Miller have been confident enough to fire insults his way. “At the press conference, I didn’t need to say much about Anthony Joshua.” Wilder told Instant Casino. “Everyone, especially Jarrell Miller, had already said plenty. “Even though I’m not a fan of Miller...

Thai farmworker Wichian Temthong was kidnapped by Hamas militants soon after arriving for work in Israel.  For 51 days, Thai farmworker Wichian Temthong woke up in a dark Gaza tunnel, captive of the Hamas terrorists who had raided the kibbutz in southern Israel, Kfar Aza, where he had arrived just the day before to tend avocado trees. Speaking no language other than Thai, he was unable to communicate with his captors. But, he recalled in an interview this week with the BBC, it was the warmth of his fellow captives, three young Israeli men held in the tunnel with him, that helped him survive the physical and mental stress of the ordeal. "Every day my foreign friends and I tried to support each other. We would shake hands and do fist bumps. They would cheer me up by hugging me and clapping my shoulder. But we could only communicate by using our hands," recalled Temthong. Then on Sunday, he learned who the three men were: Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka, all three m...

Princess Diana's Dress Breaks New Fashion Record Sells for £900,000 A gown worn by Princess Diana broke a new fashion record, going under the hammer in Hollywood for over £900,000. The ballerina-length velvet evening dress was worn by the late Princess in 1985 whilst on a royal tour in Italy with her then-husband Charles, and again to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986. Sold alongside a matching illustration, it fetched a grand total of 1,148,080 US dollars (£904,262) at Julien’s Auctions. It had previously been estimated by experts as likely to sell for 100,000 dollars (£78,776). But due to its actual sale price, the gown, which came complete with shoulder pads, a blue organza skirt, a large bow, and a sash, is now the new record holder as the most expensive dress worn by Diana sold at auction. The previous record holder, a 1991 velvet gown by Victor Edelstein, fetched 604,800 dollars (£476,437) at an auction in January. The collector’s item worn by Diana was constructed wit...

Ibadan Court Jails Investment Fraudster 75 Years Justice Bayo Taiwo of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, on Thursday, December 14, 2023 convicted and sentenced Olaniyan Gbenga Amos to seventy five, 75, years imprisonment for multiple investment fraud. He was convicted alongside his firm, Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited. They were prosecuted on 35-count count charges by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, bordering on obtaining by false pretences, contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.   Count 35 of the charge reads: “That you Olaniyan Gbenga Amos and Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited on or about the 20th of February, 2020, at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N1,540,000 (One million, Five Hundred and Forty Thousand only) from Akinlabi Qasim Dada, when you false...

A Black Couple Marks 15 Years of Marriage Surrounded by Their 11 Children in Joyous Celebration. An African-American family has gone viral after sharing their photos on Instagram in celebration of their 15th wedding anniversary with their 11 children. The husband, identified only as Kaymo, posted several beautiful oceanfront photos on his Instagram account @TheAmazinKaymo with a bio that reads, “Husband to a Queen that Gave Me 11 Kids.” The couple were not only celebrating their anniversary, but they were renewing their vows. A caption for the photos posted reads: “15 year anniversary! 2005 We got married at the courthouse, no wedding, no rings… 15 years and 11 kids later, our kids make us so glad to share this moment with them.”  

 Kaduna Church Awards Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, Another For 'Promoting Religious Tolerance, Peace' In Communities The Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (Christ the King Cathedral), in Kaduna State has honoured Islamic preacher, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and Pastor Yohanna Buru, for "promoting harmony and tolerance" among the residents of the state. According to Pastor Christopher Solomon of the Church, the selection of Gumi and Buru was a result of their remarkable contributions to humanity and their dedicated efforts towards peace, the News Agency of Nigeria. He said that the duo were recognised as ‘Peace Ambassadors’ for their unwavering commitment to peace-building in the state. “Their efforts in promoting religious tolerance and fostering better understanding have played a significant role in mitigating religious extremism and attacks among adherents of different faith-based organizations,” he said. In response, while receiving the honours the award recipients expressed thei...

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences court (mobile) yesterday sentenced an arrested fake LASTMA officer, DAVID OLUCHUKWU who poses as 'Badejo Hakeem' to a 4-month jail term for impersonating and extorting money from motorists particularly commercial bus driver in Lagos.

Kaduna Bombing: Don't Demoralise Our Troops, CDS Urges Nigerians The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has urged Nigerians to be careful with their words and actions in order not to demoralise the troops of the Nigerian Army. Speaking during the Sunrise Daily programme on Channels TV on Tuesday morning, the CDS reiterated that the recent bombing by the Nigerian Army in the Tundun Biri community in Kaduna State was accidental, urging Nigerians to understand that the incident was not deliberate. He said, "We understand that generally everybody feels bad. We actually feel bad also. Anytime we have mistakes, we take ownership and we feel extremely bad about it, especially when we lose our own troops in the war. "We just want Nigerians to understand that the incident was never deliberate, we will never deliberately target our citizens. Our mandate is to protect innocent Nigerians, and we'll continue to do that. "It is unfortunate that out of the 99% su...