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Soludo sacks 21 transition committee chairmen in Anambra   Anambra state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has sacked all the 21 local government transition chairmen in the state. The governor also asked the sacked chairmen to hand over the affairs of the councils to the Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs).  This was contained in a letter signed by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Collins Nwabunwanne, dated May 17, and cited by The Nation. The order, directed the chairmen to hand over to the HLGAs latest on Monday, May 20. The letter read: “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to handover the affairs of your Local Government Council to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), in your respective Local Government Councils. “This directive takes effect from Monday, 20th day of May, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state.

THE US troop withdrawal from Niger, as demanded by the West African nation’s military rulers, has commenced and will be completed by September 15 ‘at the latest,’ according to a joint statement released on Sunday. The statement confirmed that both parties had reached a disengagement agreement, prompting the departure of American.  forces after Niamey declared their presence illegal. Approximately 1,100 American troops were stationed in Niger to assist in combating militant insurgencies. In March, Niger’s military rulers criticised a 2012 security cooperation agreement with the US, describing it as ‘unilaterally imposed’ on the country. The recentdisengagement marks the end of this contentious military presence. Niger also expelled 1,500 French soldiers, accusing them of failing to combat insurgency despite a decade-long deployment. In September 2023, Niger’s military rulers stated that French troops had not succeeded in addressing the insurgency. French President Emmanuel Macron in...

 Helicopter carrying Iran president suffers 'hard landing' A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has suffered a hard landing, the country's state television announced on Sunday. A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a "hard landing" on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating. Raisi was travelling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. State TV described the area of the incident happening as being near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometres (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.

 IMO STATE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT GOV UZODIMMA COMMISERATES WITH FAMILIES OF IMSU JUNCTION ACCIDENT VICTIMS  The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives  at IMSU junction in Owerri on Saturday night as a result of vehicular accident  While the governor yesterday directed immediate response team including security agencies, that assisted in taking the injured victims to hospitals and the fatal ones to the mortuary,  he has further directed the State Commissioner for Health to follow up and ensure that adequate medical attention is given to those on admission. He has equally directed a holistic investigation into the accident with a view to identifying the culprits who should be made to face the full wrath of the law. His Excellency regrets the avoidable loss of lives, including those of innocent students whose future has been abruptly arrested as a result of this tragic event.  While condol...

 NAFDAC Raids Unregistered Cosmetics Shops in Lagos State. In a crackdown on illegal cosmetics sales, NAFDAC has shut down three cosmetics shops and raided others targeting the sale of unregistered "Dr. Teal's" brand cosmetics. This action follows a complaint from the trademark holder regarding potential counterfeit products. NAFDAC seized samples for laboratory testing to ensure safety and authenticity. The enforcement operation took place at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Egbeda, and Ikeja areas. Two suspected shops along Excellent Line at the Trade Fair Complex were targeted, resulting in sealed shops and invitation letters issued to attendants.  Another shop called Cubana Stores (Global Venture) located at Phil Hallmark Plaza, was sealed for stocking and selling the moisturising body and bath range of the alleged unregistered Dr. Teal’s brand. At Okas Global Link Ltd, where large cartons of Dr Teals and other unregistered products were discovered and susp...

 6-yr-old girl bags N21M scholarship after scoring 100% in Maths competition A 6-year-old Nigerian girl, Ugwoezuonu Ogechi Zara bags a scholarship after achieving an extraordinary feat by scoring 100% in the primary category of the National Mathematics Competition. Her exceptional performance earned her a prestigious full scholarship worth N21 million from the Mathematics Association of Nigeria (MAN). This scholarship will cover her education at Evergreen College in Enugu State for six years. The founder of Educare, Alex Onyia, shared this news on his X handle (formerly Twitter) @winexviv, on Friday, May 17, congratulating Zara on the well-deserved achievement.

 NDLEA declares couple wanted, arrests 4 cartel members over cocaine seizures . Intercepts China, UK-bound drug consignments concealed in steel bolts, shea butter; recovers 2,025 explosives in Niger, Kano, Sokoto; arrests 70-year-old grandpa in Borno for dealing in illicit drugs A couple, Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade (alias Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun) and Rashidat Ayinke Owoalade (alias Bolarinwa Rashidat Ayinke), who runs a cocaine cartel from India has been declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA following the arrest of four members of the syndicate in Lagos where a Sports Utility Vehicle was recovered and two houses already traced to them sealed for forfeiture to the Federal Government.  Two members of the syndicate: Imran Taofeek Olalekan and Ishola Isiaka Olalekan were arrested on April 3, 2024 following their bid to export 3.40kg cocaine on a Qatar Airlines flight going to Oman through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos....