Abia State Government has banned the use of motorcycles otherwise known as ‘Okada’ in Umuahia the state capital; and Aba the commercial nerve centre. This was contained in a press statement released Sunday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Mr Kazie Uko. Although no reasons were given for the ban, the statement said the ban would become effective from Monday, August 14. The statement read in part:”Effective Monday, August 14, 2023, any motorcycle seen on the streets of Umuahia and Aba townships being used for such purpose will be impounded by the security agencies.” According to the statement, security agencies have been directed to arrest any individual caught violating the order, for possible prosecution. It urged members of the public to comply with the order.

  The National Judicial Council (NJC) has dismissed a viral letter claiming it has transfered statutory powers and functions regarding appointments and promotions of judges to state governors. In a statement on Sunday, Soji Oye, director of information at NJC, said the letter dated July 14, 2023, and allegedly signed by Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria and NJC chairman, has “no iota of truth”. The NJC said the letter which stated that Umar Abubakar should be appointed the substantive chief judge of Kebbi, and outlining several key points regarding the order of seniority, never emanated from the council. “The fake letter titled ‘Order of Seniority of Judges of the High Court of Kebbi state and recommendation of Justice Umar Abubakar as the substantive chief judge of Kebbi state’, addressed to the chief judge, stating that ‘under section 10 of the existing law of Kebbi state 1996, His Excellency, the governor, has the power to determine seniority of judges and the NJC has no power to override or reverse the decision of His Excellency’,” the statement read. “It further stated that the office of the head of court/chief judge is purely a political appointment to be decided by the governor of a state. “For the purpose of clarification and avoidance of doubt, the NJC hereby emphatically disclaimed the letter as there is no iota of truth in it, and no such letter ever emanated from the office of the chief justice of Nigeria or the Council. “The public is hereby advised to discountenance the letter and its content.”   Oye further said the council has reported the “unfortunate case” to the relevant security agencies to investigate and bring to book whoever is behind the letter.

  At least four males have been killed in a communal clash which erupted between Oyofo and Awha communities in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State on Friday. The clash which is over land ownership started at about 10am also resulted in the burning of five motorcycles and a tricycle. JOURNALIST101 learnt that the land has been in dispute for over 60 years with both villages claiming ownership of the vast expanse of land. A statement by the Spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, indicated that the state Commissioner of Police Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the deployment of policemen to the affected communities. He said that normalcy has been restored to the affected areas while 12 persons directly involved in the clash have been arrested. The statement reads: “The Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the deployment of Police Operatives to Oyofo and Awha villages in Ezeagu Local Government Area, following the communal clash between the villages on 11/08/2023 at about 10am. “The deployment is to maintain the normalcy already restored in the area after the clash, which led to the murder of four males and the burning of one tricycle and five motorcycles. “Twelve male suspects have been arrested in connection with the clash and murder of the victims, while preliminary investigation shows that the clash is a result of land ownership dispute between the villages. “Further development shall be communicated, please,” he said.

  Communities of Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State have decried the disappearance of over nine children in the area. This was even as armed men suspected to be kidnappers on Friday evening killed a prominent leader of Neke Odenigbo-Nike community in Isi-Uzo Local Council of Enugu State, Chief Cyril Mbah and one other person before abducting an unascertained number of people A source in Ogoni, yesterday, said that within a period of three weeks, the whereabouts of over nine children were unknown. According to the source, five children went missing in Bera community, Gokana Local Council of the state. The source, who did not want his name in print, hinted that two children were earlier declared missing in Nweola community and two in Mogho all in Gokana, just as he urged parents to keep eyes on their children. The source said: “The rate of missing children in Ogoni is alarming. Today, Saturday, I have been informed that five children have been declared missing in Bera community, two missing in Nweola and two cases reported in Mogho. Please keep an eye on your children.” President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, who confirmed the development, noted that the trend may not be unconnected to ritual activities, stressing that MOSOP has started a sanitisation process to end the ugly trend. He said: “We are trying to see what we can do by liaising with traditional rulers to bring the situation under control because it is alarming.”

  Irked by the agony of unpaid salaries, some staff of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) have called on the Federal Government to save their souls over unpaid salary arrears running into over 17 months. The affected staff numbering over 700, in a statement in Kaduna, at the weekend, said they were captured on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for the payment of their salaries, but to no avail. They also alleged that some workers, who are elitist, were selected and paid at the detriment of the other embattled staff. Their statement, entitled, “Complaint Against Non-payment of Salary,” was jointly signed by the Chairman, Muhammad Suleiman, Secretary, Benjamin Ishiaka and the Public Relations Officer (P.R.O), Andulsalam Ibrahim of the affected staff group. However, when contacted, the Information Officer of NBAIS, Muhammad Y. Sambo confirmed the issue of salary arrears, saying: “The Board has no reason to withhold any staff salary, if government releases it”. The statement by the affected staff read in part: “We were employed since January 2021 by the National Board for Arabic & Islamic studies (NBAIS). We were adequately captured into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) on December 2021 and it is very unfortunate to this day, only a few persons, who constitute about 30 per cent of employed staff received their salary, while the remaining 70 per cent are left with their fate hanging in the air and a backlog of 17 months of outstanding unpaid salary arears. “This has brought untold hardships and great damage to us and our families. We lost the job we were managing to sustain ourselves, thinking a better opportunity had come when we took appointment with NBAIS. “At some points in time, we were asked by Human Resources Department to submit a copy of the appointment letter and IPPIS slip for payment against the month of August 2021 which did not materialise and since then, things have become stagnant. No salary or any other information from the Board. “However, after careful consultation and investigation, we were able to see an approval letter from the president and the ministry of education for our recruitment, upon mounting pressure, the HR alleged that our problem is from the budget office not with the Board, like wise we received another opposite information from the budget office which is contradicting. “It is on this note that we are appealing to the press to kindly investigate the matter to save our souls and to have our salary together with arrears. We fail to see the reason why some persons were selected and got paid. We strongly believe that this is the government of renewed hope that an ordinary man in the street shall see better days”.

  Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has called on Nigerian youths not to be discouraged by the current situation of the nation. Obi via a Twitter thread on Saturday to mark World Youth Day, urged youths “to remain steadfast, positive and hopeful for the coming of a New Nigeria that will be anchored on youth development and productivity”. “The current political confusion and economic challenges in our nation should not discourage our youths, but instead, motivate them to remain committed and resolute in the struggle for a new and better Nigeria,” Obi said. “Unless we remain committed to the struggle for a better nation, we will not be able to achieve the New Nigeria of our dreams. We must remain resilient and persevere against every hardship and obstacle on our journey to a new nation.” The former governor of Anambra further said many of the challenges facing the country can be tackled if leaders pay attention to youth development. He said the “high level of insecurity and the social vices associated with youths, like drug and other substance abuse” will be whittled down if we build a better economy, where the youths are productively engaged. “According to reports, Nigeria tops in the ranking of countries with the highest rate of unemployment in the world, with a 33.3% unemployment rate. “And further findings show that Nigeria’s unemployment rate would further rise to 40.6%, showing that more than half of the population in their productive age are not working. “As a result, the nation will continue to stagger under the weight of many economic and social challenges. “By providing a conducive economic environment and supporting the growth of small businesses in the country, the nation will rise above many of its challenges. “I remain committed to building a new Nigeria anchored on youth development because their energy, skills, and potentials are critical ingredients needed to move our nation from consumption to production.”

  Police in Oyo State have arrested a grandfather for allegedly seizing his daughter’s day-old baby in Oyo town and selling the same to a baby factory in Abia for N700,000. Five accomplices of the grandfather were arrested at the baby factory. Commissioner of Police in Oyo state, Mr Adebola Hamzat, told newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday that the grandfather took the baby girl from her teenage mother, Sarah Chukwuka, on July 10. He was later arrested at his hideout in Ibafo, Ogun. “The suspect, who identified himself as the biological father of the teenage mother of the day-old baby girl, confessed to the crime. “He explained how he took the baby from the mother, pretending that he would hand over the baby over to a caregiver. “The suspect also explained how he moved the baby to Abia where he sold her to the owner of the baby factory at Obehi in Okwa West Local Government Area of the state for N700, 000. “A raid on the baby factory led to the arrest of a female suspect identified as Bunmi and four other accomplices,’’ Hamzat said. He said a bundle of new birth certificates and some equipment used in labour rooms were equally recovered from the factory. The police commissioner said the five additional suspects could not explain the parentage of the babies recovered from the factory. Hamzat also paraded six other suspects arrested for robbery, kidnapping and cultism and car theft. He said the suspects robbed a victim of expensive mobile phones, laptops, and jewellery and some other valuable items worth millions of Naira in Ibadan while armed with machetes, jack knives and other dangerous weapons. Hamzat said the suspects also confessed to series of previous criminal activities they had masterminded at different locations in the Oyo State capital.

  The Government of Anambra State has announced the ban on all forms of open advertisement of herbal medicines in the state. This was disclosed in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu, on Saturday. Nwosu also said the state government had directed that all advertisements for herbal drugs must be approved by the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Herbal Medicine and Pharmaceuticals before they could be displayed in any public space or media platform. He gave the categories of herbal medicines to include products made from botanicals or plants, that are used to treat diseases or to maintain health. He listed it as a medicinal product and herbal supplements made from plants and used for curative or preventive purposes. According to him, the exercise is targeted at regulating and controlling the use of herbal substances which has been on the increase among residents of the state. Before the ban, Anambra was noted as a place where open advertisements of herbal medicine in motor parks and other strategic places are rampant, where many residents have often depended on herbal medicine, popularly called “Agbo”, as a remedy for a range of illnesses and diseases. However, the increase in cases of some illnesses such as kidney failure has been attributed to the indiscriminate use of herbal medicine (Agbo) in the state. “The ban on open advertisement of all forms of herbal medicines in the state is to contain the excesses and the indiscriminate use of herbal concoctions among the people,” the statement added