PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

 Divided Supreme Court allows Trump administration to begin enforcing ban on transgender service members Tue May 6, 2025 The Supreme Court said Tuesday that the Trump administration can begin immediately enforcing a ban on transgender service members in the military. The decision is a major victory for President Donald Trump in his effort to get the high court to unlock various parts of his second-term agenda that have been held up by lower courts reviewing scores of legal challenges to his policies. As is often the case in emergency rulings, the court did not explain its reasoning. The three liberal justices publicly dissented from the decision, but also did not explain their position. During the president’s first term, the high court permitted Trump to enforce a similar – yet slightly more permissive – ban on trans service members. That prohibition was later reversed by President Joe Biden. Under the new ban, “service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit...

  Ohio cops discover a raccoon named Chewy.... attempting to smoke the evidence during a traffic stop.  This hilariously disturbing encounter took place during a traffic stop in Springfield Township, Ohio on May 5th. Police pulled a car over on South Arlington Road due to the vehicle's registered owner having an active warrant. They were not ready for the direction this stop took. After the police took the car's owner, 55-year-old Victoria Vidal into custody without incident, officers went back to the vehicle only to discover another suspect in the process of getting high on the suspect's (large) supply.  Upon his return, Officer Branham discovered Victoria's pet raccoon, Chewy, in the vehicles driver's seat with a meth pipe in his hand. Officer Branham exclaimed, "the raccoon has the pipe! Oh my God he's trying to smoke it!" Chewy did not attempt to start the car and flee the scene. Although, after watching the video, we firmly believe Chewy could hav...

 Kaduna Among Safest States In Nigeria – Says Gov. Uba Sani Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has described the state as one of the safest in Nigeria, attributing the achievement to sustained collaboration between government and traditional institutions. Speaking during the official handover of 23 vehicles to traditional rulers—an initiative facilitated by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas—the governor highlighted the absence of ethno-religious crises since his administration began in May 2023. Governor Sani credited the success of the state’s non-kinetic security strategy to the proactive roles played by traditional leaders, particularly in intelligence gathering and community engagement. “Our traditional leaders have been instrumental in maintaining peace. They work tirelessly with security agencies, staying connected to grassroots communities. This synergy is why our non-kinetic approach to security is yielding results,” he said. He emphasized that the vehi...

 TECHNOLOGY-BASED POLICING: IGP INSPECTS HOME-BASED SECURITY TECH FACILITIES The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., in the company of the Force Management Team, has conducted a strategic inspection tour of the security technology facilities in Briech UAS, Kuje, FCT, today, 6th May 2025 The tour included engagements with tech entrepreneurs, demonstrations of surveillance tools, drone-based patrol systems, and several other technological developments established by Nigerian Tech Gurus. The IGP also reaffirmed the Force’s readiness to collaborate with the Nigerian tech ecosystem to co-develop scalable, security-focused solutions tailored to the country’s unique challenges. This initiative aligns with the strategic direction of the Nigeria Police Force to enhance operational efficiency, foster transparency, and strengthen trust through innovation-driven policing. ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI FPRO, FHQ, ABUJA. 6th May 2025. More photos be...

 LASG REVOLUTIONISES EMERGENCY RESPONSE WITH NEW EMS AGENCY Bolstered by the Governor's decisive approval, the Lagos State Government, through the Office of Transformation, Creativity, and Innovation (OTCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is set to launch a groundbreaking Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency. This strategic initiative marks a paradigm shift in pre-hospital care, poised to deliver critical ambulance emergency services to those in urgent need across the state. The OTCI, spearheading this transformative effort, will elevate the existing department into a robust and authoritative body. This new agency will be equipped with a comprehensive corporate planning model, ensuring efficient coordination of ambulance emergency medical responses statewide. The core objectives include significantly reducing response times, enhancing the quality of patient care during emergencies, and ultimately lowering mortality rates. By integrating innovation and creativity, t...

 Nigerian Government Insists on CBT for WAEC, NECO by 2026 The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transitioning the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026, citing the need to curb widespread examination fraud. Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the decision on Tuesday, addressing concerns over the integrity of public examinations. The move follows the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, which showed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400, raising alarm about secondary school learning outcomes. Alausa described the UTME results as a reflection of rigorous examination standards enabled by CBT, which has significantly reduced cheating in JAMB exams. “JAMB’s computer-based system has strong security measures, nearly eliminating fraud. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO,” he said...

 PETROAN Warns of Fuel, Goods Price Hikes Amid Nigeria’s Foreign Import Ban The Petroleum Products Retail Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against the hasty implementation of the newly announced Nigeria First Policy, which includes a ban on foreign goods imports. The association warns that the policy could trigger significant price increases for fuel and other essential goods. In a statement issued Tuesday, PETROAN’s National President, Gillis-Harry, expressed concerns about the policy’s potential to disrupt the supply of premium motor spirit (petrol) and other imported products. The Nigeria First Policy, unveiled by President Tinubu on Monday following a Federal Executive Council meeting, aims to bolster the nation’s economy by prioritizing local production. While commending the initiative, Gillis-Harry urged the government to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences, particularly in the petroleum sector, where local refinin...

 Edo Assembly Speaker, 17 LGA Chairpersons, Others Defect from PDP to APC The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, along with 17 local government area chairpersons, councilors, and other political figures, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors were formally received into the APC during a ceremony in Benin City by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, and other prominent APC leaders. Governor Okpebholo praised the defectors for their decision, stating that their move strengthens Edo State’s path to progress under the APC’s leadership and with the support of President Bola Tinubu. “Edo is on the right track, and together, we will achieve greater development,” Okpebholo said.

 Atiku Slams Tinubu’s Aide Bwala, Rejects ‘Political Opportunist’ Criticism Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply rebuked Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, dismissing him as a “political opportunist” and “turncoat” after Bwala suggested Atiku accept that the presidency may not be his destiny. Bwala, who served as spokesperson for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the remarks during a televised interview on Monday. “If I could meet Alhaji Atiku Abubakar face to face, I’d tell him to believe in destiny. It seems it may not be God’s will for him to govern Nigeria,” Bwala said, claiming Atiku had lost 60-70% of his political base. In a fiery response on Tuesday, Atiku’s media office labeled Bwala’s comments as “sanctimonious pontificating laced with bitterness and duplicity.” The statement accused Bwala of hypocrisy, noting his past role in Atiku’s campaign. “It is ironic that Bwala...

 Education Minister Links Low UTME Scores to End of Malpractice  The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has attributed the low performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to the strengthened integrity and security measures of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination process, which have significantly curbed cheating. Speaking on Tuesday, Alausa said the UTME results, which showed over 1.5 million of 1.95 million candidates scoring below 200, should not be seen as a national failure but as a true reflection of students’ academic preparedness when exams are conducted fairly.  “JAMB’s computer-based testing (CBT) has robust security measures that have nearly eliminated cheating,” he stated. The minister highlighted that other national examinations, such as those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), lack similar anti-cheating mechanisms, leading to widespre...

 Rwanda promises to sign DRC peace deal in US in June Rwanda's foreign minister says a final peace deal to end a crisis gripping the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo would be signed in mid-June in Washington, AFP reported. M23 fighters, who UN experts and the United States say have received military support from Rwanda, have made rapid advances in the eastern DRC since January, seizing key cities and vast areas of territory in fighting that has killed thousands. Last month, the DRC and Rwanda agreed at talks in the United States to reach a draft peace deal by May 2, raising hopes of an end to the crisis sparked by the M23's lightning offensive. It raises questions about the US mineral interests in the region given the peace deal is tied to mineral deals with Washington. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told AFP news agency there was still no agreement on the content of the deal but the next steps would involve "consolidation of the contributions of the par...

  In a bid to maintain its high pedigree of inspiring the Centre of Excellence, organizers Lagos-Ikeja City Award will, on its 16th edition this year, celebrate 100 outstanding personalities, men and women of integrity, dignity and unwavering passion for national development, who have all through dints of hardwork, focus and resilience, immensely contributed to the sporadic growth of the economic development of the commercial capital of Nigeria. For a whopping 16 years, Lagos-Ikeja City Award has been a fronliner in celebrating deserving individuals, governments, corporate orgnizations amongst others and the award event has gathered a massively magnificent reputation as a result of its high standard. According to the organizers, led by the indefatigable media entrepreneur, Sola Olugbemiro, His Excellency, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State will be the Chief Host of Lagos-Ikeja City Award while topnotch corporate guru, Omooba Segun Adewale frpa, the Gr...

 Press Release  Information Ministry Commences Mid-Term Performance Review in Line with Presidential Deliverables The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has commenced the review of its second quarter performance in alignment with the deliverables set by the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit (CDCU) in the Presidency. Speaking during the review session held in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the meeting was convened as a follow-up to the performance bonds signed between him and the heads of agencies under the Ministry in August 2024.  He said he had earlier signed a Performance Bond with President Tinubu on the key deliverables of the ministry.  According to the Minister, the review is aimed at assessing progress made so far and ensuring that all agencies remain on track in meeting their respective mandates as outlined in the performance bond. “We are here to listen to the Heads ...

  BENUE ASSEMBLY REJECTS NASS SUMMONS, URGES SPEAKER NOT TO APPEAR 6th May, 2025         The Benue State House of Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the Speaker, Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, to disregard the summons from the National Assembly Public Petition Committee. The Assembly argued that the summons contravene the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended. The House plans to take legal action against the National Assembly, while also requesting investigations by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Inspector General of Police into the individuals who signed the petition. The Benue State House of Assembly also called on the National Assembly Caucus from Benue State to come for proper engagement with the House to ascertain why the state is portrayed in bad light at the National Assembly. Lending his voice on the notice sent by the National Assembly summoning the Speaker and leadership of the Assembly to appear on Thursd...

 Lagos arrests 74 during clean up operations in Lekki Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce, have arrested 74 individuals during a clean-up enforcement operation across several areas in the Lekki axis of Lagos Island. The operation targeted areas including Falomo Bridge, Eko Hotel Roundabout, Oniru Beach, Nigerian Law School, Lekki Phase 1 and 2, and the 1004 estate.  A total of 74 people including 72 men and two women,  were arrested during the exercise as authority helps  restore order and cleanliness in the affected locations. This was disclosed via a post on the X handle of the Lagos Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab on Tuesday, May 6. The post reads: Earlier today at about 1a.m, Tuesday, 6th May, 2025 the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce team embarked on its usual clean up enforcement operation around Lekki axis in Lagos Island. "The areas visited during  the operation includes; Falomo bridge, Ek...

 PLATEAU: COMMANDER OPERATION SAFE HAVEN ORGANISES STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT TO DE-ESCALATE SECURITY TENSION IN BARKIN LADI In a bid to de-escalate the growing security tension in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State orchestrated by a recent security breach, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN, Major General Folusho Oyinlola met with critical stakeholders to strategize ways the security situation could be addressed. Addressing the stakeholders, the Commander commended the people of Barkin Ladi for their cooperation with security agencies and disposition to peaceful coexistence over the years. He added, that Barkin Ladi must not be allowed to slide into unavoidable conflict by strengthening the early warning mechanism for prompt response and action.  Major General Oyinlola, maintained that security agencies are intensifying their operations and combativeness to frustrate the activities of the marauders and...

 CP ORUTUGU CALLS ON STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS OF IDEMILI NORTH TO ASSIST WITH INFORMATION TO UNRAVEL THE PERPETRATORS OF THE SUSPECTED MURDER OF A PREGNANT LADY FOUND HANGING ON A CASHEW TREE ALONG UKE/IDEANI ROAD The Commissioner of Police *CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc MNIPS PhD* today 6th May 2025 called on Stakeholders and Community leaders of Idemili North to assist with information to unravel the perpetrators of the suspected murder of a pregnant lady found hanging on a cashew tree along Uke/Ideani road.  The *CP* described the incident as unfortunate and a stark example of "man's inhumanity to man and ordered a thorough investigation into the incident to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. To this end, the Command calls on members of the public to help identify the deceased, as Police Operatives from Ogidi Police Division have recovered the body and deposited it in the mortuary.  Further developments would be communicated accordingly. *SP Tochukw...

 Nigeria's Wrestlers dominate African Championships as NSC applauds historic feat The National Sports Commission (NSC) has showered praise on Team Nigeria following their remarkable performance at the 2025 Senior African Wrestling Championships held in Morocco. Nigeria emerged overall champions at the tournament, topping the medal table with an impressive haul of 10 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal from a 15-athlete contingent. The women’s team stood out, clinching nine of the ten gold medals and securing their 14th overall title. The victory also marked a significant milestone for the men’s team, with Nigeria reclaiming the continental title in men’s wrestling for the first time in four years. Former junior international Steve Simon Izolo led the charge with a gold-medal win, signaling a strong resurgence for Nigeria in the male category. NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, commended the wrestlers for their outstanding showing and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to supporti...

 Court Jails Two Internet Fraudsters in Kaduna    The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction and sentence of one Al-Mustapha Isah Gupa and Qareeb Adekunle Yusuf before Justice I. A Isiaka of the State High Court, sitting in Kaduna.   They were prosecuted on a separate one-count charge, bordering on cheating and impersonation.    The charge against Yusuf reads "That you Qareeb Adekunle Yusuf (a.k.a Teddy Swims) (M), between January and April, 2025 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, cheated several unsuspecting victims of the total sum of $200.00USD (Two Hundred US Dollars) when you falsely presented yourself as Teddy Swims, on Facebook (an online social media application), and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Code Law of 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law".   That of Gupa reads: "That you, Al-Mustapha Isah Gupa...

 Sudan to cut ties with UAE, defence council says Sudan will cut ties with the United Arab Emirates, the army-affiliated defence council said on Tuesday, following army accusations that Abu Dhabi supports the rival Rapid Support Forces in the nation's civil war, Reuters reported. The defence council accused the UAE of supplying the RSF with advanced and strategic weapons that enabled it to carry out damaging strikes on facilities in the city of Port Sudan since Sunday, a major escalation in the two-year-old conflict. The UAE has repeatedly denied such charges. The council said it had decided to respond to the aggression by every means to preserve the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

 Police arrest officer caught assaulting young man in viral video An officer of the Nigeria Police Force has been caught on camera harassing a yet-to-be-identified young man in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja, the nation's capital. In the video, which has since gone viral, the officer was seen hurling abusive words at the young man, who claimed he was only trying to support his neighbour during a dispute. The officer alleged that the man insulted him, which he said justified his aggressive behaviour and his order for the man to follow him to the "area command." Following public outrage over the video, the Police Complaint Response Unit confirmed via a post on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle that the officer had been arrested. The unit also called on the victim to visit their office and provide additional details to aid further investigation. The Police unit, while reacting, wrote on X: "Dear #chude__, the officer in the viral video have been identified and arre...

 PDP chieftain threatens Wole Oke with recall over defection Diran Odeyemi, a former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has vowed to initiate a recall process against Wole Oke, the House of Representative member representing Ijesa North (Obokun/Oriade) Federal Constituency who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Oke, who is a fifth term federal lawmaker, announced his resignation from the PDP in a letter dated April 16, 2025 and addressed to his PDP Ward 7 Chairman in Obokun local government area, marking the end of his long association with the party. Appearing on radio current affairs programme on Rave FM, Osogbo, Oke had stated that the PDP lacked the political strength to win future elections in his constituency. He criticised the capacity of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s appointees from the area, claiming they were politically and financially weak. Reacting to Oke’a comments, Odeyemi in a statement challenged Wole Oke to...

 Judge sanctions Nnamdi Kanu's sister-in-law for live-streaming court proceedings A woman, Favour Kanu, has been sanctioned by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, for streaming on Facebook, proceedings of the court case involving her brother-in-law, Nnamdi Kanu. Favour is the wife of Prince Fineboy, the younger brother of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who is being tried for alleged terrorism. Justice  Omotosho on Tuesday,  barred  Favour from attending three court proceedings after admitting and apologising to the court engaging in the act. Kanu’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, also apologised on her behalf. But the trial judge was particularly miffed that Favour had at the last adjourned date done a similar thing. Her phone was then confiscated by the court for recording what happened in court. Kanu is slammed with a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism. He, however, had pleaded not-guilty at his re-arraignment bef...

 Speaker Abbas Condemns Killings, Warns of Widespread Flooding House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen has condemned renewed violence in Borno, Plateau, Benue, and Kwara states, urging swift security action. He also warned of expected flooding in over 30 states and called for improved disaster preparedness.  Abbas highlighted IMF praise for Nigeria’s fiscal reforms, pledged legislative support for economic stability, and announced plans for constitutional and electoral reforms. He affirmed the House’s support for the state of emergency in Rivers and unveiled public engagement activities to mark the 10th Assembly’s second anniversary.

 Senate Forms 18-Member Committee to Oversee Rivers State Sole Administrator The Nigerian Senate has established an 18-member committee to oversee the activities of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, in a move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the state’s governance. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the formation of the committee, chaired by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during Tuesday’s plenary session. Akpabio emphasized the committee’s critical role in ensuring effective legislative oversight, underscoring its importance to democratic processes in Rivers State. The committee comprises Senators Adamu Aliero, Osita Izunaso, Osita Ngwu, Kaka Shehu, Aminu Abass, Tokunbo Abiru, Adeniyi Adebire, Sani Musa, Simon Lalong, Asuquo Ekpeyong, Adams Oshiomhole, Ireti Kingibe, Onyekachi, Idiat Adebule, Ide Dafinone, Mohammed, and the Clerk of the Senate. Akpabio noted that the committee’s composition might be rev...

 Drug war: First Lady Senator Tinubu, UNODC, Marwa charge states on community-based interventions  …’62,595 suspects arrested, 11,628 convicted and 10.3million kilograms illicit drugs seized in 51 months’ State governments have been charged to embrace and entrench community-based interventions that will curb the impact of the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking at the grassroots in line with the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP). The charge was the highpoint of remarks by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa; Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Cheikh Ousmane Toure as well as ECOWAS representative, Dr. Daniel Amankwaah at a training workshop organized by NDLEA for the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum in Abuja on Tuesday 6th May 2025. In her keynote address to the gathering, Senator Tinubu who...