Monday 10 July 2023 Cost of living: More Nigerians may join Japa train as hardship worsens Adamu, NWC members on collision course over APC account audit Engineer’s decomposing corpse found in Abuja apartment Bank customers lose N472m to fraudsters in three months –Report Yari not invited for ignoring Tinubu’s phone call – DSS Immigration officer shoots protester dead in Ogun community 2023 Elections: I Supported Tinubu, Worked Against Atiku 100% — Fayose G5 Should Be Appreciated, Wike Must Serve In Tinubu’s Govt – Fayose President Tinubu Emerges ECOWAS Chairman Plateau Gov Imposes 24-Hour Curfew On Mangu LGA Over Attacks Gabon President Ali Bongo Says Will Run For Third Term Court Orders Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari Govts To Account for $5bn Abacha Loot 18 Partygoers Die In Lagos Auto Crash PSC Dismisses Three Senior Police Officers Over ‘Misconduct, Abuse Of Office’ Missing Ex-ASUU President Found In Turkey NDLEA Seizes 4,560kg Skunk In Lagos, Adamawa, Osun Why Local Rice Price Continues To Rise – Millers, Farmers PCC Begins Probe Of Airlines Over Flight Delays, Baggage Loss, Others Gov Orders Arrest Of Ekiti APC Chairman’s Kidnappers Edo IDP Camp Seeks More Support To Sponsor Inmates’ Education Alia Condemns Killings In Benue APC postpones NEC meeting over Tinubu’s election as ECOWAS chair Seychelles bans Nigerian passport holders from holiday visits Economy: More children hit the streets in search of what to eat Banks in earnings windfall under high interest rate regime Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  The Code of Code Bureau (CCB) says it was not true that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) raided its offices. On Friday, a report alleged that officers of the DSS “removed” all incriminating files relating to Tinubu and close aides from ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). However, in a statement on Sunday, Daniel Okafor, CCB director of education and advocacy services, described the publication as “misleading”. “While the CCB would have preferred to ignore the write-up given the unprofessional manner the story was put together, doing so will give the tale some value and help the writers achieve their aim of misinforming and misleading the general public about an event that happened only in their minds,” Okafor said. “The CCB wishes to state unequivocally that at no time did the DSS or any apparatus of the federal government of Nigeria carry out any raid or search for incriminating documents on the president and his associates at its head office in Abuja or any of the offices in the states and the FCT. “It is also necessary to state clearly that at no time since this government assumed office on 29th May 2023 was any directive received from the federal government of Nigeria to cover up any matter regarding the president and his associates as conveyed by the publication. “The general public is therefore urged to disregard the publication as fake news because it has no iota of truth and evidence.   “The CCB, however, reassures the Nigerian people that as a foremost anti-corruption agency, it will continue to discharge its functions as contained under paragraph 3 of part 1 of the third schedule of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, as amended.” TheCable had reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) also dismissed similar claim that its office was raided by the DSS.

  The Republic of Seychelles has placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders applying for short-term visa or holiday purposes. Seychelles confirmed this in a rejection mail it sent to a travel content creator.   The content creator shared a screenshot of the mail via Twitter yesterday. “We regret to inform you that your application has been denied, as per immigration regulation, for now we are not accepting any NIGERIAN passport holder for holiday purposes. Kindly contact http://www.ics.gov.sc/ (Seychelles Immigration) or call 248 4 293 636 for more information,” the content of the screenshot read.   As caption, she wrote, “It seems Seychelles just placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders. The thing with having a Nigerian passport is you can be postponing travel plans until you become Bill Gates and immigration policies will be like Dey play” This comes just six months after Nigeria signed a pact for direct flights between the two countries. Before the ban, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles which allows Nigerian citizens free entry without a visa for 30 days. Meanwhile, Nigerian Twitter users have exploded in anger over the ban. Below are some of such comments: @Nkemsdairy said: “Being Nigerian can be challenging at times. Just yesterday, my authorization form to Seychelles was denied at Kotoka airport, while my Ghanaian friend’s was approved right before my eyes. It’s hard to express how disheartened I felt ????” @Nefo9: “And I really wanted to visit Seychelles after watching the YouTube documentary by @tayoainafilms. This is crazy. This people don’t rate us at all. A whole Giant of Africa. ????????????” @Aogsstout: “Even Mozambique now denies Nigeria Passport Holders . You will need extra documents to visit. Whereas other West African passport holders don’t. Nigerian fraudsters and drug dealers have done grave damage to our reputation as a people.” @IK101: “Bali, Mauritius, now Seychelles, yet another place where Nigerian fraudsters have created a bad image for everybody. The discrimination will continue until Nigerians tackle the fraud culture we now have amongst us. We’re too loud when we make Money. It’s disgusting.” @tee_pro1: “This is one of the reasons we need sensible leaders that can bring Nigeria back to its position in the global affairs. We have all the resources to be better and to be respected.” DailyTrust

  The Department of State Services on Sunday denied that Senator Abdulaziz Yari was arrested because he refused to take President Bola Tinubu’s phone call. The Spokesman of DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, in a statement issued on Sunday. The statement posted on the Twitter handle of the DSS described the claim as laughable and inconsequential. While confirming that Yari was invited by DSS, Afunanya in the statement said the senator knew the reason behind his invitation. He also denied accusations that the Service was snooping on Judges on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Afunanya also denied reports that Service stormed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and Code of Conduct Bureau and carted away certain files from them. He debunked reports that there is a rumble in the DSS due to nepotism. He said the Service ordinarily would not have responded to the inaccuracies but for the “fickle-minded and vulnerable persons as well as the unsuspecting public” that may take the lies for facts. Afunanya in the statement, said, “The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to false reports by sections of the online media particularly SaharaReporters, Peoples Gazette, and Jackson Ude. “The so-called news platforms variously and wrongly fed the public with misleading narratives and accusations against the Service. “For instance, SaharaReporters wrote that the Service stormed the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and carted away certain files from them. “Jackson Ude falsely claimed that there is a rumble in the DSS due to nepotism. He further accused the Service was snooping on Judges on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. “On its part, Peoples Gazette reported that Senator Abdulaziz Yari was arrested for alleged refusal to pick up the President’s phone call (whatever that meant). “There are other variants of unsubstantiated and anonymous petitions flying around against the DGSS, his family, and some officials. “To set the record straight, the DSS did not execute operations at the ICPC and CCB or remove files from their offices. “Instructively, the two agencies have, on their own, refuted the news in widely circulated press statements. It is petty, if not laughable, to report that Yari was invited for refusing to pick up the President’s call. This is the height of junk journalism. Yari knows why he was invited. “In fact, the Service denies all the allegations as they lack any factual basis or credibility. They are only figments of the creators’ imaginations. “This is more so that the publishers in question have been noted in and outside the country for their notoriety for peddling fake news, sensational and gutter journalism. Without a modicum of proper and civilised behaviour, they indulge in character assassinations and sundry blackmail as a business,” the statement added.

  A former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities Dipo Fasina, popularly known as ‘Jingo’ who was earlier declared missing has been found in Turkey. The former ASUU chair was said to have been missing since Saturday, 1 July. In a tweet by The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission on Sunday, Fasina was found at the airport and would be on his way to Nigeria on Monday. NIDCOM also commended Nigeria’s High Commission in Turkey for the collaborative efforts to locate the scholar.   NIDCOM wrote: “The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Turkey, has successfully located Prof Fasina, who went missing for a few days at Istanbul Airport while connecting on a flight back home. “Mr Fasina, 76, was travelling to Algeria when he was said to have missed his connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey.” “A big thanks to the Nigerian Ambassador to Turkey who immediately sent officials to the Airport to physically locate him in the very busy and huge Istanbul Airport.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emerged as the new Chairman of the Economic Communities of West Africa States, ECOWAS. President Tinubu said ECOWAS will take democracy seriously, stating that democracy is very tough but it is the best form of government. More to follow.

  The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu State has commenced sitting on the petition filed by Labour Party and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, against the election of Dr Peter Mbah as the governor of the state. At the resumed hearing on Friday, the petitioners presented the National Youth Service Corps as its first witness in defence of their petition. Edeoga and his party is challenging the election of Mbah on the grounds that he did not secure the highest lawful votes cast in the March 18 governorship election and that the respondent, submitted a forged NYSC discharge certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Testifying before the tribunal on Friday evening, NYSC tendered among others documents, including the alleged forged discharge certificate, as well as the original discharge certificate which Mbah ought to have collected. The corps also tendered a letter written by Oma and Partners, an Abuja-based law firm, which had asked the Corps to scrutinise the discharge certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission by the governor. The petitioners, represented by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who is the lead counsel, alongside Dr Valerie Azinge, SAN, Ifeanyi Ogenyi Esq, and others, led the Petitioners Witness 1 (PW1) in evidence. The third respondent, the Peoples Democratic Party, its counsel, Anthony Ani (SAN), objected to the admissibility of the document and opted to move a motion dated and filed on the 7th day of July 2023, which sought to pray the tribunal to strike out the written deposition of the PW1 on the grounds of incompetence. The 1st respondent, INEC, as well as the 2nd respondent (Peter Mbah) aligned themselves with the submission of Ani and prayed the court to strike out the written deposition of Mohammed (PW1) for lack of competence. The matter was adjourned till Tuesday, July 11, 2023 for further hearing.

  The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the dismissal of seven police officers over misconduct and abuse of office. PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the decision was taken at the 21st plenary of the commission which was presided over by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi on behalf of the PSC Chairman, Solomon Arase. Besides the dismissal of the cops, nine other officers were reduced in rank, including a Commissioner of Police, Ani said. “The Police Service Commission has approved the dismissal of three senior Police officers over cases of misconduct and abuse of office. Nine other officers were reduced in rank including a Commissioner of Police,” the statement read. “The Commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand on 16 officers and reprimand for another 18. It directed that letters of warning should be given to two other Officers. “The Commission had earlier approved the appeal for adjustment on the date of promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police of ACP Woke Iheanyi Kingsley and reinstatement of CSP Anaele Samuel Onuoha in compliance with a court judgment.” During the meeting, the PSC also approved the compulsory retirement of an Assistant Commissioner and directed a refund of all entitlements wrongly paid to him. It approved the posthumous promotion of late Inspector Ifeanyi Oroke to the next rank of ASP II for acts of gallantry and reinstated one dismissed Inspector Augustina Oko to take effect from the date she was dismissed. The commission is expected to reconvene on Tuesday, July 11 for its 21st plenary meeting.