Eight students of Madonna University in Rivers state have reportedly been burnt to death in a road accident. The incident was said to have occurred along the Trans-Saharan road in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state, on Saturday while the students were travelling to Taraba state. It is understood that the undergraduates were returning home after the school announced a break for the forthcoming elections. Their bus was said to have caught fire and got burnt beyond recognition, leaving eight dead and 10 other occupants seriously injured. Those injured were rushed to the Alex Ekwueme Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki, the state capital, for treatment. When contacted by TheCable Lifestyle, Benedicta Egoyibom, an official of the institution, confirmed the incident. She, however, did not go into details, insisting the matter is under investigation. “Yes, it is true. The school is trying to gather more information about how the incident happened,” she said. The development has continued to elicit reactions on social media from families and friends of those who died in the accident. Ezra Usman, a parent of one of the late students, took to his Facebook page to lament the incident. “Grace Usman Ezra, I never knew sending you to Madonna university will lead to your untimely dead. 18 of you left Madonna to Jalingo yesterday only to hear the news that your bus had an accident and caught fire, 8 out of 18 came out from the bus,” he wrote. “It is well with 10 of you and the rest that are alive, I pray for your speedy recovery and my God comfort us all that lost our children.” Chris Anyanwu, Ebonyi police spokesperson, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him on the matter — as of the time of this report. On February 9, the federal government directed the closure of universities across the country for three weeks for the conduct of the coming elections.

  The trial of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu continued on Monday at the Old Bailey court in Central England, the United Kingdom.   Ekweremadu is standing trial for allegedly plotting to harvest the kidney of a 22-year-old street trader. Also being tried alongside the Nigerian lawmaker are his wife – Beatrice, 25-year-old daughter Sonia, and a doctor, Obinna Obeta. They are accused of conspiring to exploit the man for his organ. Channels Television had on February 6 reported how the four accused persons appeared in London’s famous Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, for the start of the trial, after previously pleading not guilty. They face life imprisonment if convicted. In Britain, it is legal to donate a kidney, but not for reward. Prosecutors say regardless of whether the Lagos street trader gave his consent, a crime was committed by the wealthy Nigerians. At the continuation of the trial on Monday, Channels Television’s correspondent, Juliana Olayinka who witnessed the proceedings said the victim told the court the version of his story. The court’s gallery was filled with people who were eager to monitor the events in the temple of justice. Speaking through an interpreter, the victim said he arrived in the UK on February 20, 2022, to provide his kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu.   “For the first time ever, we have been hearing from a key witness which is a 22-year-old alleged victim who has been giving his own testimony via a video link. He has been speaking through an interpreter,” Olayinka said. “Today marks the actual day, this time last year, that he arrived in London. We know what happened after that arrival if you have been following this case extensively. “He, of course, was to come to the United Kingdom to provide his kidney for Sonia Ekweremadu who suffers from a severe significant kidney disease.” Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice were arrested by the British police on June 23 last year on allegations of human trafficking and organ harvesting that violate the country’s Modern Slavery Act. The Ekweremadus and the doctor are accused of conspiracy to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, under UK legislation on modern slavery. Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly planned to have a kidney removed from the man so that it could be given to Sonia.

  Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has disclosed that the continuous scarcity of new naira notes is creating a hardship for the people, saying even as a governor, he does not have the redesigned currency. While lamenting over the suffering the increasing scarcity has unleashed on the people of the state, he said This is as he stated that he has been deploying a state network to douse tension and ensure the safety of banks and the CBN state office. Addressing CBN officials in his office on Monday, Governor Adeleke decried the increasing shortage of the new notes, calling on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to sanction financial institutions involved in such anti-people activities. “The situation is getting out of hand. The CBN must act fast. Any bank hoarding the new notes must be sanctioned. We should not treat such banks with kid gloves.” “My people are patient but we should not take their patience for granted. That is why I called this meeting. Why is the new notes not available? Is the supply small or inadequate? “, the Governor queried. He expressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the CBN for the currency swap, informing the CBN team that the state is sacrificing a lot to maintain peace and calm frayed nerves. “The new notes are not available. Even as a State Governor, I don’t have the new notes. You can see how hard it is for our people to access the new currency if their Governor is not getting them. We should not overstretch the cooperation we are enjoying from the citizenry. We are expected as elected and appointed leaders to respond to the needs and aspirations of our people “, Governor Adeleke admonished. Responding, the CBN state director, Oluyemi Adeyemi in response commended the state Governor for his proactive steps that have saved the state from naira-related riots. “We must thank Mr Governor for reaching out to the people, for diffusing tension, for keeping the state peaceful. We are aware of the day Mr Governor stopped some angry youth from demonstrating and from attacking the CBN office.” “On our part, we are working hard to make the new notes available. Let me say that the CBN has issued queries to some banks. I assure Nigerians that we are working hard to make the new notes available”, the CBN official stated. At the end of the meeting, a monitoring mechanism was set up comprising state and CBN officials to ensure allocated new notes get to the populace. endorsement of Atiku/ Okowa

  Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Smart Adeyemi, has described the Naira Redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN as a calculated attempt to ridicule the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and its presidential candidate, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu ahead of Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Adeyemi spoke on Monday in Abuja when he visited the National Secretariat of the party to obtain his N50 million Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to participate in the April 10 Kogi State Governorship Primary Election of his party. Adeyemi who said his experiences as a journalist and ranking lawmaker has prepared him for the onerous task of governance, added that he would ensure to put a stop to frivolous foreign trips by state officials, saying for the past nine years he has not travelled abroad. He also dismissed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying he is not in the equation for the presidential contest. According to him, the presidential race is between Tinubu and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party who he said would come a very distant second. He said; “I am supporting Asíwájú and Shettima not because they are APC but because of their past records and down contemporary issues in the Nigerian nation. “We must commend the Northern Governors for supporting power shift to the South. “Are you aware that Emefiele aspired for the presidency? When he lost out, he felt he had put in so much money in politics. So he wanted a cover and so he brought his cousin, Gov. Okowa to come and contest election and he bankrolled them. What audacity will a person (Atiku) who wants to be president of Nigeria ignore 5 of his own party governors? The audacity was not out of courage. The CBN governor should explain the role he played in the PDP convention and the emergence of Okowa. This is why Atiku cannot also remove the party chairman, Ayu because all of them were involved in the discussions which brought in Okowa. “The Naira redesign was a calculated attempt to ridicule the APC government and manipulate the people to vote for the PDP but Nigerians are wiser today. They now know why you are having this problem. Why do you think a ruling party will work against the interests of the people who we are asking to reelect us? “Why will anybody ask you to vote for Atiku? Was he not in charge of privatisation? Was he not the one who sold out assets to non performing companies? All those who do not know the history will be shouting Atiku. Atiku is not in the equation. “Northern governors in the APC insisted on power shift to save Nigeria from crisis. History will forever be kind to them. This election is between Asíwájú and Obi. Atiku is not in the race. Atiku cannot be in the race. They brought this redesigning of our currency to ridicule APC. Asíwájú creates wealth. Atiku sold our wealth and resources. I pity Peter Obi because politics is it the way you are seeing it. Just yesterday, the entire Labour Party structure in the Northwest collapsed its structure for the APC. So, how is he going to win election? Maybe he is a man for the future but on this election, the strength is not there. It is beyond street politics. I am from Kogi. There is no Labour Party presence in my constituency. Winning election is about strategic thinking and planning not about talking too much”, he added. Speaking on his ambition, Adeyemi promised an all-inclusive administration, saying he would place special emphasis on women, children and persons with disabilities. He added that he would build technology hubs for the youth and ensure to consolidate on the achievements of the present administration in the state.

  Foremost right activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has written the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, demanding details of the new naira notes disbursed to commercial banks nationwide. Falana also demanded that the CBN provide the list of customers who have withdrawn more than the N100,000 maximum sum required by the CBN. Recall that the apex bank had maintained that it printed enough new N200, N500, and N1,000 notes to go around, with claims that politicians are hoarding the new notes. But, in a letter from Falana Chambers signed by Femi Adedeji, ESQ, dated February 16, 2023, Falana demanded that the CBN provide details on how the new notes were disbursed to commercial banks. According to Falana, there is an unprecedented social dislocation, pains and pangs for the masses of Nigeria at the present time as a result of the twin problem of currency and fuel scarcity. “In other to bring the situation under popular control, it is considered imperative for the CBN to urgently disclose the amount of new currency notes printed and distributed through the commercial banks for public knowledge, on the following grounds,” he stated. The letter partly reads, “Our attention has been drawn to your statement wherein you claimed that some unnamed politicians have mopped up the new naira notes made available to all commercial banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria. “We are compelled to request you to furnish us with information concerning the amount of the designed notes of N200, N500, and N1,000 denominations made available to each commercial bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria. “Furthermore, we also request you to furnish us with the list of customers of the commercial banks who collected more than N100,000 approved by you from the commercial banks,” it stated. Falana also threatened to take legal action should the CBN fail to provide the information in seven days. “As this request is made pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, you are required to accede to our request within seven days of the receipt of this letter. “TAKE NOTICE that if you fail or refuse to furnish us with the requested information before the deadline of seven days we shall not hesitate to pray the Federal High Court to compel you to accede to our request.”

  Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing by the Supreme Court of the case between the Federal Government and three Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC regarding the Naira swap policy, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu has meet with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. The barely an hour meeting which held at the APC National Secretariat on Monday also had in attendance the plaintiffs, Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state; Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. Details later…

  The Anambra State Police, have disclosed that four officers paid the supreme prize in a vicious attack on one of their stations by gunmen in the early hours of Monday. However, three of the attackers doesn’t make it alive while two were arrested, according to DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State In a statement made available to newsmen, Ikenga stated that the gunmen attacked Awada Police Station in Idemilli North LGA of Anambra State using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and automatic firearms, at about 2:20am on Monday. “In response to the attack, police operatives attached to Anambra State Command engaged the assailants jointly with troops from 302 Artillery Regiment of the Nigeria Army, in a gun duel and three members of the outlawed group were fatally wounded while three Kalashnikov rifles and one Automatic Pump Action gun were recovered from them. “Other items recovered from the assailants include a brown Lexus 330 with reg no. GWA 415BB ABJ, one unregistered KYMCO motorcycle suspected to be stolen properties, charms and other incriminating items.   “During a mop-up operation by police/military operatives, two male suspects reasonably believed to have participated in the attack were apprehended. Regrettably, four police operatives paid the supreme price while a section of the station, one police patrol vehicle and three exhibit vehicles parked in the premises were set ablaze by petrol bombs thrown into the station by the assailants. “Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police CP Echeng E. Echeng* has since visited the incident scene, and after conducting spot assessments, ordered the immediate deployment of all the command’s operational/investigative assets to track down fleeing members of the murderous gang. The CP further appeals to residents of Awada and the good people of Anambra State to remain calm as the police, in collaboration with sister agencies, will not rest on its oars until the criminal elements tormenting the state are brought to justice.