Former Governor of Lagos State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has donated the sum of N50 million to families of victims of the recent killings by bandits on communities in Niger State this month alone.

Tinubu, who made the donation on Thursday when he paid a visit to the state, decried the security situation in the country and said it can be fixed with prayers and self-belief.

He asked Nigerians not to see the nation’s security challenges as s a hopeless situation.

“We share in your grief, I am here for the people of Niger State, hearing and reading of disasters, banditry and cattle rustling every day, just like what happened on Wednesday again,” he said.

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In his remarks, Governor Abubakar Bello endorsed the presidential aspirations of the National Leader of the APC ahead of the 2023 Presidential election.

While receiving Tinubu at the Niger State Government House, said he is looking forward to seeing him lay the kind of foundation he laid for the massive transformation in Lagos for Nigeria.

“Lagos is a country within a country, and we saw the foundation you laid there, we are looking forward to seeing you replicate it for Nigeria,” he said.

Bello who appreciated the former Lagos state Governor for sympathising with the State government and people over the incessant banditry attacks.

On the security situation in the state, the governor said no where is safe in the country and recounted how some villagers in Mashegu were murdered in cold blood by bandits while observing their early morning prayers in the Mosque.

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He stated, “Where are we safe, in a place of worship, people can be killed. We are not dealing with human beings, but people whose heart has been cemented for evil, no amount of talking or dialogue can change them.

“Recently, they went to a village while they were observing their early morning prayers. They locked the door and started shooting indiscriminately, killing 18 and only those that forced the door open survived and few days later they did same in another village.”

He appealed to the Federal Government to change its approach to the ongoing war against banditry and terrorism, calling for a technological driven warfare, rather than conventional approach.

“We don’t fight conventional warfare. Let’s use technology even though it is expensive, the situation can be addressed that way

“The era of sending soldiers to the forest is over when we can deploy drones to monitor movement of bandits and hit target effortlessly,” he added.

Tinubu Donates N50m To Victims Of Banditry In Niger State

The House of Representatives has said it will investigate alleged missing firearms and ammunition belonging to the Nigeria police force in excess of 178 thousand since in 2019.

This is sequel to the report of the Auditor-General to the public accounts committee of the house.

The report suggests that the arms and ammunition which the police claim to have purchased, cannot be accounted for.

The matter was raised by the Deputy Minority Leader of the House on Thursday as a motion of urgent public importance, owing to the state of insecurity in the country.

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Reps To Investigate Alleged Missing Firearms, Ammunition

The House of Representatives has rescinded its decision on the compulsory direct primaries clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The lawmakers reversed the move during a plenary session on Wednesday and instead, adopted the direct and indirect primaries. It also expunged the consensus option.

During the plenary, the lawmakers had gone into a closed-door session after which the chamber became rowdy. But the reason for the rowdiness was unclear as they were seen in different groups conferring.

Earlier in the day, the Senate had towed the same line, recommending both direct and indirect primaries.

The lawmaker’s move is coming weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari had declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, citing the compulsory direct primaries clause.

In a letter to the National Assembly, the Nigerian leader had faulted the move, saying it is expensive and also against the spirit of democracy.

“The amendment to the sequence of the elections in section 25 of the Principal Act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission to organize, undertake and supervise all elections provided in section 15 (a) of the third schedule of the constitution,” Buhari said in a letter to the lawmakers.

“The amendment to Section (138) of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process and the amendments to section 152 (3)-(5) of the Principal Act, may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections.”

Buhari’s move had triggered reactions from several quarters including the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to rig the 2023 elections.

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House Of Reps Rescinds Decision On Direct Primaries

The Grammy music awards will be held in Las Vegas for the first time this April after being postponed because of the surge of Omicron-variant Covid-19 cases across the United States.

The 64th annual Grammys — featuring nominees including Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo — had been due to take place in Los Angeles on January 31.

Hosted by Trevor Noah, the show will now take place on April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time and to put on a world-class show,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said in a statement.

The organizers had previously said that hosting a Los Angeles ceremony on January 31 — the original date — “simply contains too many risks.”

The Grammys are one of several entertainment industry events that have been delayed in the hope that sky-high Covid caseloads will drop in the coming months.

Film and television events such as the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards have also been postponed, while this week’s Sundance film festival is taking place online.

The Oscars currently are still on for March 27, one week before the rescheduled Grammys.

Jon Batiste, the jazz and R&B artist and bandleader, garnered the most nominations for this year’s Grammys with 11.

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As a knock-on effect of the move, country music’s CMT Music Awards will switch from April 3 to later in the same month.

Omicron has become the main coronavirus variant in the United States

A record surge in the number of cases fueled by the variant has yet to recede in California, the nation’s most populous state, which has passed seven million recorded cases.

Postponed Grammy Awards Moved To Las Vegas

Nigerian Idol returns to the big screen with a fresh season and new judges on the show.

Music stars D’Banj and Simi were revealed as judges on Tuesday as the countdown to the show’s premiere in February 2022 begins

D’Banj and Simi replace season six judges Seyi Shay and DJ Sose to join Obi Asika on the panel.

Popular radio and TV personality, IK Osakioduwa, will be returning as the host of the show.

Speaking on their new roles, D’Banj and Simi promised to bring their A-game to match Asika’s proficiency and words of improvement to the contestants from the auditions to the finale.

Speaking on the introduction of new judges for the new season, Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola during the unveiling said: “We could not think of a better trio to be the season’s judges than Obi Asika, D’banj, and Simi. The three of them combined bring decades’ worth of experience in the music and entertainment business, as well as individual mastery of their crafts.”

D’banj, excited to be selected as one of the judges, said, “I was out of the country when I found out that I was going to be a judge for this season of Nigerian Idol and I couldn’t contain my excitement. I’m coming in with my own strategy so viewers should expect a bang.”

Nigerian Idol season six ended last year with Kingdom Kroseide emerging winner after months of the intense contest. He won a grand prize of N30 million in cash and N20 million worth of other gifts.

Nigerian Idol Returns With Dbanj, Simi As Judges

Microsoft announced Tuesday a landmark $69 billion deal to purchase US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, grabbing the sex harassment scandal-hit firm as the tech colossus seeks to boost its power in video games.

Merging with troubled Activision will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony, it said, a major shift in the booming world of games.

“This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Activision, the California-based maker of “Candy Crush” has been hit by employee protests, departures, and a state lawsuit alleging it enabled toxic workplace conditions and sexual harassment against women.

Over the past seven months the company has received about 700 reports of employee concerns over sexual assault or harassment or other misconduct, in some cases separate reports about the same incident, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

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Nearly 20 percent of Activision Blizzard’s 9,500 employees have signed a petition calling for CEO Bobby Kotick to resign.

“Acquiring Activision will help jump start Microsoft’s broader gaming endeavors and ultimately its move into the metaverse with gaming the first monetization piece of the metaverse in our opinion,” Wedbush analysts said after the news broke.

“With Activision’s stock under heavy pressure (CEO related issues/overhang) over the last few months, Microsoft viewed this as the window of opportunity to acquire a unique asset that can propel its consumer strategy forward,” Wedbush added.

Microsoft has just marked 20 years of the “Halo” video game franchise that turned its Xbox console into a hit.

Microsoft launched a host of initiatives to mark two decades of both Halo and the Xbox, including a virtual museum exploring key moments in the console’s history.

Xbox remains a key player in a video game industry now thought to be larger than the movie sector, with market research firm Mordor Intelligence valuing it at $173.7 billion in 2020.

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Troubles, meanwhile, have stacked up for Activision over its sex harassment and discrimination scandal.

In July, California state regulators accused the company of condoning a culture of harassment, a toxic work environment, and inequality.

In September the Securities and Exchange Commission launched a probe into the company over “disclosures regarding employment matters and related issues.”

And two months later the Journal reported that Kotick, accused of mishandling the harassment complaints, had signaled he would consider stepping down if he failed to quicky fix the company culture. He has led the company for more than three decades.

Late last year chief operating officer Daniel Alegre pledged a 50 percent increase in female and non-binary staff over the next five years so that they will account for more than a third of Activision’s workers.

Microsoft To Buy US Gaming Giant Activision-Blizzard For $69bn

Salihu Lukman,the Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), has resigned from his position.

Lukman submitted his resignation letter to the Chairman of the Forum Abubakar Bagudu on Monday.

Details of the letter are not available at this time but it is not unconnected to the convention controversy of the party.

Lukman has been vocal about his stance on the national convention, warning the caretaker committee against the further delay of the national convention.

Governors of the APC had earlier Sunday met behind closed doors at the Kebbi Governors Lodge in Abuja.

The governors deliberated on the contentious national convention of the party and also insisted on holding the planned February convention of the APC.

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director general of progressive governors' forum 

Salihu Lukman Resigns As DG APC Governors Forum

Pep Guardiola has praised the way his Manchester City players have dealt with adversity on and off the pitch after they strengthened their grip on the Premier League title race.

City, who beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday, are 11 points clear of second-placed Liverpool after 12 straight league wins and closing in on a fourth English title in five years.

Guardiola cited the example of full-back Joao Cancelo, who suffered facial injuries in an attack at his home last month.

Cancelo has started all three of City’s games since, helping them come through a tough period in which they have been badly hit by a coronavirus outbreak.

“In this season there are personal problems for the players,” said Guardiola. “They are human beings, they have families, there are problems sometimes.

“For example Joao — he had an incredible episode a couple of weeks ago with the family at home. How should you react in that situation?

“The way he reacted was exceptional. He said he wanted to play against Arsenal, in the cup (against Swindon) and play Saturday.”

Guardiola said he was satisfied more by the continuing success and high standards of his side than the trophies they win.

“These guys, every single game, give everything for this club and this is so hard to find in modern football,” he said.

“We are humble enough to run without the ball and try to do our best every single game. This is my — our — biggest achievement as a club, as a team, by far.

“To win and win after four years, in this country, in this league, this is outstanding. This, for me, is the best title I have or will have when I leave Manchester City.”

Pep Guardiola Lauds Man City’s Mental Strength

A Chinese court has sentenced two people to death for attempting to smuggle 400 kilograms of methamphetamine by sea from Southeast Asia to Taiwan, state media reported.

Ten other people with the same smuggling ring were handed between 10 years and life in prison over the “extraordinarily large” operation, China News Service said.

Chinese and foreign trafficking gangs operating out of China’s southeastern coastal province of Fujian arranged for fishermen to smuggle the contraband in December 2020, according to the report issued Wednesday.

The verdict by the court in Fujian was announced in “recent days”, China News Service said, citing local police.

The death penalty is commonly applied for drug-related crimes in China, where an unknown number of executions take place every year in secretive circumstances.

Fujian, which lies about 160 kilometres from Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, has a long history of smuggling migrants and goods overseas through organised networks.

A total of 20 suspects were arrested over the smuggling operation and the 400 kilograms of meth seized along with a ship, the report said, citing an unnamed coastguard official.

Since July 2018, the Fujian provincial coastguard has seized 3.7 tons of drugs in nine operations, the report added.

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China Sentences Two To Death For Smuggling Drugs To Taiwan

Three students from the Plateau State Polytechnic have been kidnapped by gunmen at Bam village in Heipang Area of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

The students, who were kidnapped on Wednesday, comprised two females and one male.

The victims were abducted from one of the private hostels known as the ‘Plateau Embassy’ in the polytechnic in the late hours of Wednesday.

The incident has however been reported to security agencies by neighbours.

Confirming the incident, the military information officer of Operation Safe Haven, Major Ishaku Takwa said troops have been directed to rescue the victims unhurt.

He stressed the importance of the public in supporting the fight against crimes with credible and prompt information to security agencies and report any suspicious movement in their vicinity for prompt action.

Gunmen Kidnap Three From Plateau State Polytechnic

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Publicity Secretary in Ebonyi State Nwoba Chika Nwoba has slumped in court.

Nwoba slumped around 3 pm when he was brought to the Magistrate Court 3 inside the Ebonyi Judiciary Headquarters Abakaliki by the Police on Wednesday.

He had been in police detention since Sunday when members of Ebubeagu Security outfit handed him over after arrest.

He is being accused of spreading fake news on social media, a crime punishable under the controversial cybercrimes law signed into law last year.

The PDP in the State had claimed that he was beaten by Ebubeagu officials who arrested him before the Police rescued and placed him under arrest.

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The Police had failed to arraign him on Tuesday despite bringing him to the court premises.

His lawyer complained on Tuesday that the Police had refused him medical treatment despite the injuries he sustained from the alleged beating.

When he was brought to court on Wednesday, he slumped as he was about entering the court.

Efforts to resuscitate him failed, forcing the Police to rush him out of the court premises possibly to a hospital.

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However as journalists prepared to leave to file their reports, he was brought back by the Police.

At the time of this report, he was still in the car in a slumped state under the sun.

His lawyer, Luke Nkwegu told reporters the police claimed to have been ordered to bring him back to the court and arraign him dead or alive.

It was gathered that the court was waiting for the Magistrate to appear for his arraignment.

Ebonyi PDP Publicity Secretary slumps in court

Gunmen have abducted Anas Bashiru, another staff of the Federal College of Education Technical (FCET), Gusau.

The victim was kidnapped at his residence in Kortorkorshi around 1:00 am and was taken to an unknown destination.

Reports gathered states that Bashiru is one of the data processing officers of the college but resides outside the college campus.

Bashiru’s abduction comes barely 24 hours after a lecturer’s wife of the same institution and his two daughters regained their freedom.

A staff of the institution who pleaded for anonymity confirmed the incident on Wednesday.

“It is true that one of the staff of the college was abducted at his residence in Kortokoshi the outskirts of Gusau, the state capital,” he said.

According to the Staff, the victim was abducted last Tuesday at his residence.

The abductors are yet to make any ransom demands.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Shehu Muhammad said he was unable to confirm the incident.

Gunmen Abduct Another Zamfara College Official In Gusau

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.