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 Peter Obi has blamed hunger and systemic failures for the recent spate of stampedes across the country.  Scores of persons were dead, and many others wounded in the tragic incidents in Ibadan, Oyo State; Okija in Anambra and another one in the nation’s capital of Abuja. The stampedes happened in a space of five days with the last two occurring on Saturday morning during food distribution campaigns. Obi, who was the Labour Party (LP)’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, said the incidents underline the rising hunger in the country which has led to desperation. “I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food,” Obi, who is a former governor of Anambra State, wrote in a post on his X account Saturday afternoon. “While I will not cast blame but instead appreciate the organizers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the...

  Nigerians were stunned on Tuesday as social media was awash with reports of an only child, Segun Olowookere, who was sentenced to death in Osun State for stealing fowl. There were different versions of what truly transpired and why the convict was given what many considered a harsh punishment for the offence. Olowookere was put into detention in 2010, noted that the complainant in the matter was a family member of the convict. He was arrested when he was barely 17 years old when the crime was committed. In an exclusive interview with newsmen, Olowookere explained the actual circumstances of his sentencing. Olowookere was arrested alongside another convict, Sunday Morakinyo, in Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government of Osun State, in November 2010. They were accused of robbing a policeman attached to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Okuku, Tope Balogun, of two fowls and eggs. On January 30, 2013, the police arraigned them before Justice Jide Falola of the state High Court in Ikirun fo...

  Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has mandated government hospitals to provide free treatment to the people that sustained injuries during a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja. This was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, on Saturday in Abuja. According to Wike, the FCT Administration would ensure that the injured received adequate medical attention. Also, Anambra State Government has expressed deep grief over the tragic loss of lives in the stampede that occurred during a rice-sharing event in Okija town, Ihiala Local Government Area of the state on Saturday. The governor of the state, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, in a press release by his press secretary, Mr Christian Aburime said anyone sharing food items to indigent people must henceforth prioritize their safety. He said that the Anambra State government had initiated a thorough investiga...

 Over 25 million phones stolen in one year – FG The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report of the National Bureau of Statistics, a Federal Government agency, shows that Nigeria recorded 25.35 million phone theft cases between May 2023 and April 2024. According to the report, this was the most common type of crime within the period under review. The report read, “The number of crimes experienced by individuals in Nigeria was analysed over a period of time. The results show that theft of phones (25,354,417) was the most common crime experienced by individuals, followed by consumer fraud (12,107,210) and assault (8,453,258). However, hijacking of cars (333,349) was the least crime experienced by individuals within the reference period.” It also noted that most phone theft cases occurred either at home or in a public place, and about 90 per cent of such cases were reported to the police. Despite the high rate of the incident being reported, only about 11.7 per cent of t...

 Christmas: Fear spreads among northern churches over fresh bomb attacks Barely three days to Christmas and New Year celebrations, many Christians living in the northern part of the country have expressed fear of terror attacks in states plagued by violence and terrorism. Sunday PUNCH gathered that the situation had dampened the festive spirit of some northerners, forcing many families to reconsider their plans for the season.  Recall that multiple bomb explosions had killed three persons, including a child in the Bassa community of the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State last Thursday. The explosions were believed to be landmines as they went off while children played on their way to the farm. Also, in early December, bombs exploded in two separate locations in the Dansadau district of Maru LGA of Zamfara State, killing several people as well as leaving many injured. While the tragic incidents happened on Friday, December 6, 2024, 12 people were reportedly killed two...

 Edo tribunal: PDP, APC, INEC line up 290 witnesses The Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission will call 290 witnesses to prove their cases at the ongoing governorship election petition tribunal in Edo State. The candidate of the PDP in the September 21 governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, had approached the tribunal, praying the panel to invalidate the declaration of the APC candidate, Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the poll. On Saturday, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, disclosed that the parties had agreed to call 290 witnesses. Justice Kpochi, who adjourned the hearing to January 13, 2025, added that the petitioners were expected to call their witnesses within 21 days or less, while respondents would have 10 days each to call their witnesses. He said the tribunal would sit daily from 10 am, except on Sundays and other public holidays gazetted by law. The panel chairman also disclosed th...

 Yuletide: Stranded Borno travellers lament vehicle scarcity amid transport hike Some travellers leaving Borno State to the North Central and Southern parts of Nigeria have expressed frustration over insufficient vehicles to convey them from various parks across Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. The travellers who shared their frustration with PUNCH Online on Saturday, in Maiduguri claimed that the cost of air tickets has increased, and are only left with the option of boarding trucks to locations where they can easily find vehicles going to their states. One of the travellers, Olaitan Abey, told our correspondent that he had been in the park for more than 4 hours without seeing a bus. “I came to Borno Express today around six this morning, with the hope of leaving around 8:am. Shockingly, I met a lot of people. Most of the people that have gone came to book since yesterday. “Myself and a few of us have agreed to follow any truck going towards Yobe, if before 11: 30, there is sti...

 Oyo, FCT, Anambra stampede deaths show gravity of economic distress in Nigeria — Ezekwesili Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said that the recent stampedes in Ibadan, Okija, and Abuja signalled the gravity and scale of economic distress in the country. Ezekwesili maintained that “Nigerians have become victims of widespread food poverty, especially among low and peripheral middle-income families.” The statement comes after no fewer than 20 residents of Okija community in Anambra State lost their lives in a stampede. The stampede occurred on Saturday during an event for the distribution of rice. On the same day, an unspecified number of people died following a stampede in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The unfortunate incident occurred when one of the Catholic churches in the FCT was distributing food items to vulnerable persons. Over 35 people, mostly children, died during a stampede at a carnival in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, a few days ago. ...

  Oleksandr Usyk Defeàts  Tyson Fury To Retain Title  Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to retain his unified heavyweight world titles and prove his status as a generational great with another close points win in their rematch in Saudi Arabia. Having inflicted a first career defeat on Briton Fury by split decision in May, Usyk's astuteness and will to win once again prevailed at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena as he retained his WBA (Super), WBC and WBO titles. Fury, 36, found success in the first half of the fight. Some of the more eye-catching shots came from the Morecambe fighter, but the volume of punches and cleaner work were from Ukrainian Usyk. All three judges scored it 116-112 to the 37-year-old champion. Usyk, an Olympic gold medallist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion, extended his undefeated record to 23 pro wins. "He [Tyson Fury] is a great fighter, he is a great opponent. An unbelievable 24 rounds for my career. Thank you so much," Usyk said. Two-time...

 NDLEA arrests businessman at Kano airport for body packing large consignment of cocaine ...Nabs ex-convict, businesswoman over Italy, South Africa-bound drug shipments at Lagos airport; recovers 1million pills of opioids in Borno, Anambra raids Attempt by an import and export businessman, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing 6 kilograms into the country through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano, has been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. The seizure, which is the single largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since the creation of MAKIA Command of NDLEA in 2006 was made on Sunday 15th December 2024 during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Olisaka who claims to be into import and export business was subjected to body screening during which he was found to have packed hundreds of coc...

 MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI, ON THE REPORT OF INVESTIGATION INTO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS ON THE AUGUST 2024 #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTS HELD ON 22ND DECEMBER, 2024 AT THE FORCE HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, Recall that Amnesty International, on the 28th of November 2024, released a report titled "Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests," where several allegations were made against the Nigeria Police, including the killing of at least twenty-four (24) persons in six northern states during the protests. The claims made by Amnesty International in this report were at variance with the records available to the Nigeria Police. All recorded incidents of violence during the protests were documented by the police in all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These records are available at both the ...

 Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rocks South Africa's Northern Cape A moderate earthquake struck western South Africa early on Sunday, with tremors reported across several regions. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the magnitude 5.3 quake occurred at 02:51 local time, 101km west of Brandvlei, a small town in the Northern Cape province. Strong tremors were felt as far away as Cape Town. There have been no official reports of casualties or property damage so far.