The United States House of Representatives adjourned without a Speaker on Tuesday night, following the failure of Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to secure the majority of votes required. The incident became a political drama for the first time since 1923 they had failed to choose a leader after a first round vote. According to BBC, the commencement of a new Congress was supposed to be a victory stage for the Republican Party as it took control of the lower chamber following November’s elections. It was, however, a reversal of what was expected as McCarthy faced a revolt from within his own ranks and made history for all the wrong reasons. The California congressman has lost three consecutive votes for Speaker so far, and it is uncertain what his path to victory could be when the House returns today to try all over again. They will keep voting until someone wins a majority. And even if McCarthy finds a way, analysts warn, the turmoil on the floor of the House predicts a riotous two years of moderate and right-wing Republicans at war with each other. A Republican party unable to effectively run the lower chamber of Congress could hamper its ability to carry out some of its core functions like passing spending bills or raising the debt ceiling.

  At least five persons have been feared killed, as a new year carnival staged by youths loyal to two warring monarchs in lkare Akoko, Akoko North East area of Ondo state, turned bloody. Consequently, the two monarchs, Olukare of Ikare, Oba Akadiri Saliu Momoh and Oba Adeleke Adegbite-Adedoyin II, the Owa-Ale of Iyometa, Ikare, have been summoned by both the state government and the security agencies over the breakdown of law and order in the community. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has directed that security personnel be deployed to the troubled community. The major street in lkare, remained deserted at the time of filling in this report, with both soldiers and police officers patrolling the ancient town. An age-long rivalry exists between the two monarchs. Sources told vanguard that intense shootings began on Tuesday evening and continued Wednesday morning. Shop owners hurriedly closed shop while tension gripped the community Vanguard gathered that the use of the Okoja area for the use of the carnival sparked the bloodbath It was gathered that youths from the Olukare area prevented some Owa Ale youth’s use of the Okoja area for celebration and the Owa Ale youths retaliated by stopping the carnival. A local told vanguard that “You know Ikare is divided and Okoja is like a centre between the two. The Owa Ale people wanted to use the place but Olukare youths stopped them. “When the Olukare wanted to use the place for the carnival on Tuesday, the Owa Ale people stopped them and there was a crisis. The shooting was much that the town became deserted. “This morning (Wednesday) the youths mobilised for another attack and the shootings continue. Many shops have been closed down but the police have intervened.” Contacted, the state police image maker, Funmi Odunlami was silent on the casualties but confirmed that .any people were seriously injured during the bloody clash Ondo Police spokesman, Funmilayo Odunlami, said the police have been able to calm the situation and returned normalcy to the area. Odunlami told vanguard that ” the warring parties have been warned to maintain peace , Police and soldiers are patrolling the town to ensure law and order within the area.

  Minister of Interior and Former Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the February 2023 General Elections, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been described as fake news and a creation of the imagination of jittery politicians who are bent on maligning the Minister in order to cause disaffection between the duo. A statement signed by Sola Fasure, the media adviser to Aregbesola on Wednesday titled, ‘Jittery Politicians Scared of Full Reconciliation’, stated that there is a well coordinated sinister plot to frustrate the reconciliation efforts being championed by notable individuals and other key stakeholders. “We are observing a sinister and coordinated effort to frustrate the reconciliatory moves being championed by notable stakeholders within and beyond our party to rally all necessary factors for the success of our Party at the February 2023 Presidential Election. “Just last week, jittery politicians who are authors of this malicious manuscript, paid a handful of rent-a-crowd comedians to react to a non-existent ‘attack’ and regurgitate the storyline again, with the intention to frustrate a series of reconciliation steps for their selfish interest”, Fasure noted. The Minister’s Adviser further stated that some known interest keeps promoting a narrative that he’s attacking or has once attacked Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing it as fake news and targeted at maligning his person. “The social media news making the rounds is targeted at maligning the person of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as concerns an alleged attack on the person of the presidential candidate of our Party, The All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is FAKE news and simply not True. “We urge well-meaning Nigerians to be wary of the evil machinations of this cult of fifth columnists, whose sole business is to cause dissatisfaction, manufacture distractions and sow seeds of doubt”, Fasure revealed. The statement further said the Minister is focused on his current ministerial duties and ensuring his party, the APC emerges victorious at the Presidential election in February 2023. Read the full statement below; JITTERY POLITICIANS SCARED OF FULL RECONCILIATION. The attention of The Media Office of the Minister of Interior has been drawn to social media news ascribing false statements to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as concerns an attack on the person of the presidential candidate of our Party, The All Progressives Congress , Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is FAKE news and simply not True. A pattern has clearly emerged of sinister and coordinated effort to frustrate the reconciliatory moves being championed by notable stakeholders within and beyond our party to rally all necessary factors for the success of our Party at the February 2023 Presidential Election. Just last week, jittery politicians who are authors of this malicious manuscript, paid a handful of rent-a-crowd comedians to react to a non-existent ‘attack’ and regurgitate the storyline again, with the intention to frustrate a series of reconciliation steps for their selfish interest. We urge well-meaning Nigerians to be wary of the evil machinations of this cult of fifth columnists, whose sole business is to cause disaffection, manufacture distractions and sow discord within the APC and the progressive fold. For the umpteenth time, the general public is advised to note that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is focused on delivering key reforms in the Ministry of Interior and its agencies as championed by President Muhammadu Buhari, and also ensure that the APC emerges victorious at the 2023 General Elections.

  The Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Adamu, has approved the sacking of a senior traditional title holder and member of the Emirate Council, Bello Kirfi, for being disrespectful to the Governor, Bala Mohammed. Mr Kirfi was also stripped of his position as the Wazirin Bauchi, a title reserved for the Emir’s top administrative adviser and a kingmaker. This was the third time a traditional ruler was sacked or suspended for an alleged rift with the governor. A letter addressed to Mr Kirfi, who is a known ally of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, by the Emirate Council’s spokesperson, Shehu Mudi, stated that he was sacked for being disloyal and disrespecting the governor. “I am directed to refer to a letter received from the Ministry of Local Government Affairs with reference No: MLG/LG/S/72/T dated 30th December 2022. “The content of the said letter indicated your disloyalty and disrespect to the Executive Governor of the State and the government. It, therefore, directed for your removal with immediate effect. “In view of the above, you are hereby removed from office as Wazirin Bauchi and also as a Council Member of Bauchi Emirate,” Mr Mudi said. The relationship between Mr Kirfi and the governor deteriorated soon after Mr Mohammed was sworn in. But the rift between both men became undeniable last year following the commencement of the campaign for this year’s election. Mr Mohammed recently wrote to the PDP Chairman, Iyiorchia Ayu, alleging that he was being sabotaged by “godfathers” close to the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Atiku. Though Mr Mohammed didn’t mention the names of those godfathers, it was believed he was referring to Mr Kirfi, a former House of Representatives speaker, Yakubu Dogara and Abdul Ningi, who are all known to be close allies of Mr Atiku. Not the first time PREMIUM TIMES reports that this was not the first time a traditional title holder is losing his position after falling out with Mr Mohammed. In 2021, the flamboyant Yakubu Shehu was suspended as the Wakilin Birnin Bauchi “for disrespecting the emir by dressing in regal robes befitting an emir” during a royal durbar at the Bauchi State Government House. NAHCON State AD NAHCON Tour Operator AD NAHCON Cargo Operator AD Kogi AD The lawmaker was also said to disregard and refused to greet the emir when he entered the place with his entourage. Mr Shehu, who is the House of Representatives member representing the Bauchi metropolis, was a member of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP. Despite the reasons given for the sack, Mr Shehu said he was suspended for not joining the governor’s PDP when he decided to leave the PRP, under which he was elected as a federal lawmaker. Instead, he rejoined his former party, the APC. In 2022, a former House of Representatives speaker, Yakubu Dogara, was suspended as Jakadan Bauchi by the emirate over a crisis in Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro areas. The council accused Mr Dogara of involvement in the crisis but he accused the state government of orchestrating the suspension. Mr Dogara allegedly got in trouble with the governor for rejoining the APC from the PDP. They are from the same political zone, Bauchi South.

  A Shari’a Court sitting in Kano on Wednesday ordered the remand of two brothers, Saifullahi Hamisu, Mujahid Hamisu and one Hassana Surajo, in a custodial centre for allegedly enticing a married woman. The defendants, who live at Bachirawa Quarters Kano, are facing a three-count charge of aiding, abetting and enticing a married woman. The Prosecutor, Mr Aliyu Abideen, told the court that one Abubakar Ahmad of Fagge Quarters Kano reported the matter at SCID Bompai Kano on Dec.22, 2022. Abideen alleged that on the same date at about 4:00pm the defendant criminally conspired and trespassed into the house of the complainant situated at Dorayi Quarters, Kano. “The defendants pretended to be relatives of the complainant’s wife (Fatima Alhassan). “As a result, the complainant discovered that the first defendant Saifullahi was enticing his wife and were chatting on WhatsApp. “The said Saifullahi was the ex-boyfriend of the complaint’s wife.” Saifullahi pleaded not guilty while the second and third defendants pleaded guilty to the charge. He said that the offence contravened the Kano State Shari’a Law. The court ordered that the defendants be remanded in a custodial centre. He adjourned the matter until Feb.17, for a hearing. (NAN)

  A roadside petrol seller identified as Akpan Okon Akpan has allegedly burnt his friend to death over a phone charger. Okon was said to have set the victim identified as Junior Ime Philip ablaze and left him to die after a disagreement over a phone charger. The Akwa Ibom Police Command confirmed the development after the suspect was arrested by operatives of the command. Parading the suspect and others at the command headquarters in Uyo, the Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, said the suspect doused the victim with petrol during an altercation and ignited the fire that lead to Philip’s death. “On 15th December 2022 relying on a petition from Rev. Emmanuel Ime ‘m’ of Ikot Ekwere Ubium Village in Nsit Ublum LGA, at about 6:30pm, operatives of the homicide unit of the SCID Uyo, arrested one Akpan Okon Akpan ‘m’ of same address who poured fuel on his brother, one Junior Ime Philip and set him ablaze leading to his death because of a disagreement over a phone charger.” Narrating what led to his action, the suspect said, “I don’t know the guy before, he ran into my shop and said he was looking for someone who collected his charger, I told him that such a person was not in my shop. Out of anger, he took a bottle and started fighting me and I fought back. “I used the petrol I’m selling and poured it on him, honestly I didn’t know what I was doing until he started burning and people gathered, we were trying to put out the fire but it was already late because when they took him to hospital, he died there.”

  A child forensic specialist, Mrs Olabisi Ajayi-Kayode, on Tuesday, told a Lagos State Sexual Offences Court, Ikeja, that a 15-year-old minor allegedly defiled by her aunt’s husband, Dr Olufemi Olaleye, said the defendant told her virginity was outdated. She stated that the victim also told her that Olaleye, the Medical Director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, after raping her, used tissue paper to whip off the blood that came out of her private parts. Ajayi-Kayode, a lawyer who works with Cece Yara Foundation, said in her findings, she discovered that the child was introduced to sexual activities by Olaleye. Olaleye is facing two counts of defilement and sexual assault by penetration of his wife’s niece. The lawyer, who was led in evidence in chief by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, said the victim narrated to her that the defendant started by putting his hand under her nightgown and touching her private parts. She explained that the defendant would ask the victim to perform oral sex on him, adding that he usually perpetrated the act in a section of the sitting room not covered by the Closed Circuit Television camera. Ajayi-Kayode, who testified before Justice Ramon Oshodi as the third prosecution witness, said the teenager mentioned to her that the defendant asked her if she was still a virgin. She said, “He asked, ‘Are you still a virgin?’ I said, ‘I am’ and he said, ‘Why are you still a virgin? It’s no more in vogue; girls of 12, 13, and 14 years old are no longer virgins. As a medical doctor, I can cover for girls who lose their virginity and get pregnant. Well, the decision is yours.’ “Then he asked her that, ‘Can we be friends?’ And innocently, the girl said she replied that, ‘We are already friends.’ “We asked her if any other person had done this to her before, and she said no. The child said the first time the aunt’s husband had sex with her, it was painful and there was blood and he took tissue paper and whipped it off.” The witness further narrated that the victim told her that on one particular occasion, the survivor was waiting by the security house based on the instructions of her aunt that she should not be staying alone inside the house, but when the defendant arrived, he asked her to follow him inside the house. She said, “When they got inside the house, he asked her to prepare ‘amala’ for him. In the process of doing this, he came into the kitchen and took her to his study, had sex with her, and warned her not to tell anyone. “She said it became overwhelming for her and she started soliloquising that she was tired of what the doctor was doing to her, not knowing that the driver heard her.” Ajayi- Kayode added, “The aunt’s husband has been engaging the child in sexual activities over a period of time, not just once, and he used threat, and coercion. “He used his disposition as the aunt’s husband to gain access to the child for sexual activity. And the threat and coercion were to maintain control over the child. He took advantage of the girl’s naivety by telling her that virginity is no longer in vogue.” After the expert’s narration, the prosecution counsel asked the court to admit the witness’ findings and certificate of compliance in evidence. During the cross-examination of the witness, the defence counsel, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, tried to fault her evidence, stating that she drew conclusions based on her interaction with the child. She responded that she also spoke with a psychologist and the police. When asked if she saw a medical report before speaking with the victim, she replied, “I didn’t see any medical report but the DPP told me about a medical report.” Further hearing was adjourned till January 4, 2023.

  Some students of the Federal Government College, Ijaniki, Lagos State, have been caught after absconding from school to lodge female classmates in hotels for sex romps. PUNCH Metro gathered that the students, who were all boarders, had on different occasions jumped the school’s fence with their female counterparts and stayed out of school for days. Findings by our correspondent revealed that the students involved in the act were between the ages of 14 and 17. It was learnt that for more than three sessions, including the just concluded first term, some of the students, numbering about seven males and five females, had been leaving the school unnoticed. However, the school authority got to know about the escapades after one of the students impregnated a female classmate. A source told PUNCH Metro that the students also engaged in threesomes and heavy use of drugs like codeine, molly, among others. “There is a possibility that some staff are also involved in the whole atrocities because how will a secondary school student leave the school environment for days without anyone noticing? Some of the staff are benefiting from it somehow,” he added. Some parents, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone, blamed the school management for negligence. They also lamented an alleged plot to cover up the scandal. A parent, who asked to be identified only as Alex, said, “This is happening because of the negligence of the principal and the housemasters and mistress. If something like that goes hidden, my children are in that school; they can become victims.” Another parent, Johnson Smith, said the school failed in its duty to protect students in boarding houses. He said, “The management needs to intensify efforts at cleansing the school because these bad eggs will corrupt our children. Something urgent needs to be done in ensuring that discipline is restored.” The Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association of the school, Olusola Tokede, confirmed that some students absconded from the school. He, however, refuted claims that the school was trying to cover up the incident. Tokede insisted that the students were caught by the school management at hotels on two different occasions after noticing their absence. He added that some of the students involved were expelled, while others were suspended. The PTA chairman also revealed that the school had engaged the service of local security guards to ensure the environment was being monitored. He said, “We were the ones who told the parents about it on the platform (WhatsApp). I don’t know why some parents are trying to be mischievous by saying the school did not do anything about it. “If parents failed to train their children, they will pollute others. Can you imagine a child between ages 15 and 16 having up to N1m in her account? They went to do twosome: two girls, one boy. They were caught before the end of last session. You can imagine that a 15-year-old that should be a virgin is already engaging in immoral activities. They are rotten from their various homes and we are working hard to stop them from polluting others. “It is not correct to say we have not done anything. We are trying, but you know that no matter what we are doing if a child is not well trained at home, they will always come up with such acts. We have sent out warnings that I will not spare anybody; it is really an unfortunate situation. “One of the students was expelled because she was pregnant. We also expelled the boy that impregnated her. Some of them that were caught were also suspended, but they will be allowed to come back to write the exam. Everything we are doing, we are trying to marry everything together being a parent and a teacher.” Efforts to get the school proved abortive as the phone number attached to its Facebook page did not connect. A teacher in the school, who said he was not around when the incident happened, refused to release the contact of the principal, Mrs Tofunmi Akamo. The PTA chairman, when asked to assist, said the principal was outside the country and was unreachable.