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 STATEHOUSE PRESS STATEMENT No Link Between VP Shettima’s Remarks At Book Launch And Certain Media Reports The Office of the Vice President has noted with stern concern the gross misrepresentation of the remarks made by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, during the public presentation of the book, "OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block," by Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Some news outlets have irresponsibly twisted the Vice President's account of how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan floated the idea of removing him from office, then as governor of Borno State, in the most intense and critical phase of insurgency in the North East region of the country. The sensational reporting disappointingly tried to erect a highly mendacious argument about the state of emergency declared in Rivers State and the subsequent suspension...

 KANO STATE POLICE COMMAND 11TH JULY, 2025                PRESS RELEASE KANO STATE POLICE COMMAND APPEALS FOR RESTRAINT FOLLOWING RECENT RELIGIOUS PREACHING CONTROVERSY The Kano State Police Command is aware of the recent controversy surrounding the preachings by Sheikh Abubakar Lawan Triumph, which has generated heated discussions and concerns among certain groups. While acknowledging the rights to freedom of expression and worship, we are also mindful of the need to maintain public peace and order. In response to the situation, on 10th July, 2025, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, having invited the Sheikh, has initiated discussions with relevant stakeholders, including government officials, religious leaders, and community representatives, to address the concerns and ensure that necessary measures are put in place to prevent any potential escalation. The Command therefore, urges all citizens to remain calm and exercise restraint, avoi...

 28-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Raping 12-Year-Old Neighbor in Burgersfort Burgersfort Regional Court sentenced a 28-year-old man to 16 years of direct imprisonment for the brutal rape of his 12-year-old neighbor. The crime mullcrime took place in the Shushumela Section of Burgersfort on 8 November 2024. According to court proceedings, the incident occurred around 7:00 PM when the victim was walking home alone after accompanying a friend. The accused, armed with a knife, forced her into an abandoned house where he repeatedly raped her. The victim was released the following morning and reported the crime to her family, who immediately informed the police. A rape case was opened, and the suspect was arrested the next day, 09 November 2024, following a massive manhunt. The case was handed over to the Burgersfort Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit, led by Sergeant Mahlatse Mangoale. The accused, who abandoned bail and pleaded guilty on 12 June 2025, ...

 ICC deputy prosecutor says 'war crimes, crimes against humanity' ongoing in Sudan's Darfur There are "reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity" are being committed in Sudan's western Darfur region, the deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said, TRT Afrika reported. Outlining her office's probe of the devastating conflict which has raged since 2023, Nazhat Shameem Khan told the UN Security Council on Thursday that it was "difficult to find appropriate words to describe the depth of suffering in Darfur." "On the basis of our independent investigations, the position of our office is clear. We have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity, have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur," she said. The prosecutor's office focused its probe on crimes committed in West Darfur, Khan said, interviewing victims who fled to neighbouring Chad. ‘The...

 NNPCL GMD Bayo Ojulari Faces Senate’s Ire for Ignoring Summons Over Missing N210 Trillion The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has once again failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, defying a 10-day ultimatum to address allegations of unaccounted funds totaling N210 trillion. During Thursday’s hearing, Ojulari sent representatives to stand in for him, but the committee, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada, refused to engage with them, insisting that only the NNPCL GCEO himself could respond to the 11 critical financial queries raised in the company’s audited financial statements from 2017 to 2023. Senator Wadada described Ojulari’s repeated absence as a direct affront to the National Assembly’s authority and a violation of its oversight responsibilities. “The Senate will not tolerate further disregard,” Wadada warned, vowing to set a new date for Ojulari to appear in person. This marks the ...

 Dangote Doubts Revival of Nigeria’s State-Owned Refineries, Cites $18bn Wasted Investment Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has expressed skepticism about the possibility of Nigeria’s state-owned Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries ever functioning again, despite an estimated $18 billion spent on their maintenance. Speaking on Thursday during a visit by Global CEO Africa members from the Lagos Business School to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote criticized the operational inefficiencies of the refineries managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). Dangote highlighted that his 650,000-capacity refinery allocates over 50% of its output to Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), while the state-owned refineries, even when operational, dedicated only 22% to petrol production. He recounted a failed attempt to acquire the refineries in 2007 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, noting that the deal was reversed by Obasanjo’s s...

 Jonathan Alleges Buhari Administration Targeted His Allies Over OPL-245 Scandal Former President Goodluck Jonathan has claimed that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari launched a targeted campaign against key officials of his government following the end of his tenure in 2015. Speaking through former Senate President Pius Anyim at the public presentation of a memoir titled *OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigerian Oil Block* by former Attorney-General Bello Adoke in Abuja on Thursday, Jonathan highlighted the controversy surrounding the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245, also known as the Malabu Oil deal. The OPL-245 scandal involves the 2011 acquisition of the oil block by Shell and Eni for $1.3 billion, with allegations that $1.1 billion was funneled through intermediaries as bribes to Nigerian officials. Initially awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas in 1998 under the late General Sani Abacha’s regime, the block became the subject of global corruption probes, c...