The Federal Government has renewed the suspension of commercial flights from Niger Republic to Nigeria and from Nigeria to the nation’s northern neighbouring country by the Economic Community of West African States resolution. This resolution was put forth by ECOWAS in response to the events in Niger Republic on July 26, 2023, when the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted in a coup and replaced by the military junta led by General Abdourrahamane Tchiani. This directive (Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was contained in a letter titled: ECOWAS Restriction on the Republic of Nigeria, from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Aeronautical Information Services dated February 2, 2024 and signed by the Director of Air Traffic Services, Tayo John, on behalf of the agency’s Managing Director and Chief Executive. The directive stated, “By ECOWAS resolutions, all commercial flights from Niger to Nigeria, or from Nigeria to Niger, or from Niger overflying Nigeria, or any state overflying Nigeria to Niger are suspended.” It added that “These restrictions do not affect: overflight aircraft through Niger airspace; aircraft in a state of emergency and special flights.” It disclosed further that “special flights are to obtain authorisation from the permanent secretary, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.”

  The abducted wife of the slain Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti local government area of Kwara State, Olori Iyabo Aremu, and one other person have been rescued. It was gathered that the victims were released on Monday night and arrived in Koro town around 10:45 pm. The Police Public Relations Officer in Kwara, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. Though he did not reveal the identity of the other released victim, reports say the second abductee is the queen’s adopted daughter. According to the police spokesman, the rescue efforts followed a joint operation by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), police, military, vigilante and local hunters. He said security operatives combed the forest between Kwara and Ekiti States after the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the deployment of a police chopper for aerial surveillance “A joint operation comprising the Police, Military, D.S.S, Vigilante/Hunters who tirelessly combed the forest yielded positive results. This operation led to the successful rescue of the wife to the late monarch and one other at about 22:3 hours of 05/02/24. The rescued kidnap victims have been reunited with their families, hale and hearty,” the statement read. “In the course of the investigation, the Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM approved the deployment of a police chopper for aerial surveillance. This is to help comb the forest/boundary between Kwara and EKITI state. Ejire-Adeyemi stated that the “operation also led to the arrest of 13 male suspects who are presently in custody.” “These suspects are undergoing vigorous interrogation with a view towards aiding the arrest of members of the gang at large.” The queen was kidnapped on February 1 when gunmen invaded the palace and killed the traditional ruler, a retired Army general. Last weekend, the gunmen reached out to the monarch’s family for payment of N100m ransom, which has now been reduced to N40m for the release of the two captives. It is however not clear if any ransom was paid before the victims regained their freedom as the police authorities were silent on the matter.

  Tuesday 06 February 2024 Friend turns foe: Edo gov race tears Obaseki, Shaibu’s tight cord apart General overseer accused of N1.3bn fraud denies EFCC arrest Nigerians seek relief as states get N3.3tn allocations EU divided over rape definition in anti-violence law negotiations High cost of living: Niger residents protest hunger, shut down major roads Nigerians are heartbroken, hopeless, Mbaka tells Tinubu High cost of living: APC accuses opposition of sponsoring anti-Tinubu protests Man arrested for beheading girlfriend in Bayelsa Clashes as Senegal parliament delays presidential poll Distillers to protest NAFDAC’s ban on alcohol in sachets Four Dead, Eleven Arrested And Others Injured In Ogun Cult Clashes King Charles III Diagnosed With Cancer – Buckingham Palace Lagos Red Line Rail To Be Flagged Off Month End, Says Sanwo-Olu Blinken Starts Mideast Tour To Press For Gaza Truce Thugs Disrupt Fubara’s Supreme Court Victory Rally Senate To Increase Customs’ Revenue Target Police Arraign Bonse Over Alleged Money Laundering Kenya Arrests ‘Prime Suspect’ In Deadly Gas Blast Zamfara: Prospective Corps Member, Bus Driver Freed Hard Times Will Soon Be Over, Remi Tinubu Tells Nigerians Building materials, labour spike construction costs by 200% FCCPC fumes as loan apps violate regulation amid rising payment defaults Keyamo threatens to sack airport managers over blackout 2024 Budget: Senate to increase Customs revenue target, employment benchmark Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, says Buckingham Palace. It is not prostate cancer, but was discovered during his recent treatment for an enlarged prostate. The type of cancer has not been revealed, but according to a palace statement the King began “regular treatments” on Monday. Buckingham Palace says the King “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”. He will postpone his public engagements and it is expected other senior royals will help to stand in for him during his treatment. No further details are being shared on the stage of cancer or a prognosis. The King, 75, returned to London from Sandringham in Norfolk on Monday morning and the palace says he has commenced treatment as an outpatient. Although he will pause his public events, the King will continue with his constitutional role as head of state, including paperwork and private meetings. He was seen at a church service in Sandringham on Sunday, where he waved to crowds. He had a prostate procedure at a private London hospital more than a week ago. The King had chosen to go public about his prostate treatment, with the aim of encouraging more men to get prostate checks, the palace said at the time. He was said to have been delighted to have raised awareness about the issue, with the NHS website reporting a surge in issues about prostate conditions. For many types of cancer, the chance of getting it increases with age. UK figures suggest, on average each year, more than a third (36%) of new cancer cases were in people aged 75 and over. BBC

  Internet access has been temporarily cut in Senegal after some citizens took to the streets to protest President Macky Sall’s postponement of the presidential election. In a statement on Monday, the ministry of communication, telecommunications, and digital economy said the internet disconnection was done “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order”. On Saturday, Sall cited conflicts within the constitutional council, the body that screens candidates for the presidency of the country, as reason for the postponement of the election. The council also compiles the list of candidates and manages disagreements arising from the election of the president and members of the national assembly. It also declares the results of the votes. Of the over 200 candidates, only 20 were approved, leading to protests within political parties and citizens of the country who accused the council of selectively picking and shunning certain candidates. “I will initiate an open national dialogue to bring together the conditions for a free, transparent and inclusive election in a peaceful and reconciled Senegal,” Sall said in a national broadcast. The internet shutdown, which will be the third in Senegal in the last nine months, comes a day after a private television channel was cut off air after the government accused it of inciting violence in its coverage of the protests. Amnesty International, Senegal chapter, condemned the government’s actions and urged the authorities to “respect freedom of the press and the rights of the citizens to be informed”. On Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) asked Senegal to swiftly set a new date for the presidential election while underscoring the importance of democratic processes. Opposition leaders had termed the election postponement as a “constitutional coup”. But while delivering his speech, Sall reiterated that he would not be seeking a third term.

  The Federal Government says it has begun enforcing the ban on the importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET, and glass bottles of 200 ml and below. This was disclosed by the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, on Monday at a press conference in Abuja. The agency announced that the deadline given to manufacturers of the mentioned products to cease production in sachets and PET bottles, elapsed on January 31, 2024.   “As of January 31, 2024, there is no alcoholic beverage in these categories that are registered by NAFDAC. I also want to inform you that the agency has started enforcement actions to enforce the implementation of this policy. The window period given to manufacturers by NAFDAC to sell off all alcoholic drinks in this category elapsed on January 31, 2024. “To this end on the first day, after the elapse of the window period, the agency commenced nationwide enforcement actions on February 1, 2024 to enforce the implementation of the new policy. “This situation is of course not acceptable, and the agency views this as flagrant disobedience to the laws of Nigeria. NAFDAC views this matter seriously and will engage all statutory means, which may include prosecution, to deal with the matter. “I want to use this medium to ask all holders of alcohol in sachets, PET and glass bottles, empty sachets, PET bottles, empty glass bottles, and other packaging materials of these banned products to immediately report to the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC for hand-over of same to NAFDAC for destruction, to prevent sterner measures including prosecution.” Adeyeye noted that the decision was based on a high-powered delegation that consisted of the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, and other relevant agencies. “This decision was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018. “As a commitment to the decision reached at the end of this Committee meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by 5 percent with effect from 31st January 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by 31st January 2024”. She also noted that the decision was taken in the best interest of the country to protect under-aged and Nigerians in general. “The people who are mostly at risk of the negative effect of consumption of the banned pack sizes of alcoholic beverages are the under-aged and commercial vehicle drivers and riders. “The World Health Organization has established that children who drink alcohol are more likely to: use drugs, get bad grades, suffer injury or death, engage in risky sexual activity, make bad decisions and have health problems. “The World Health Organization also stated that harmful consumption of alcohol is linked to more than 200 health conditions including infectious diseases (tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS) and non-communicable conditions (liver cirrhosis and different types of cancer). “It is also associated with social problems such as alcohol addiction and gender-based violence. “To curb the menace of abuse of alcohol, the World Health Organization recommended some actions and strategies to Policy-Makers that have shown to be effective and cost-effective, which include: regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages (in particular to younger people) and regulating and restricting the availability of alcohol.”

  A yet-to-be-ascertained number of travelers from Umuahia, Abia States, in two luxury buses have been kidnapped in Inyele Eteke in the Olalamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State. Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened on Friday, February 3, 2024. A social media influencer, Chude Nnamdi, who broke the news on his X handle, said that the two buses belong to GIG and ABC Transports. Chude said that his wife was in one of the hijacked buses but could not ascertain the number of persons in the two buses. The Kogi State Police Command, while confirming the incident, also could not ascertain the number of people in the buses. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the area commander who led his team to the area saw the two buses but did not see the occupants and, therefore, could not ascertain the number of people on the two buses. “Yes, the incident happened, but the DPO, local vigilantes, and hunters have been in the bush in an effort to rescue the victims” Aya said in a statement issued on Monday in Lokoja. The PPRO added, “The CP has deployed additional Tactical Squad consisting of Quick Response Unit, Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Unit, as well as conventional police personnel to the area to continue with the bush combing and to ensure all victims are rescued unhurt.” “The report reaching me this morning is that a GIG and ABC transport buses heading to Abuja were hijacked by kidnappers yesterday in Kogi State. “The GIG bus left Umuahia at 7:30am and was hijacked at Kogi State. GIG company said they have contacted security services and they are tracking them. The kidnappers phoned this morning via my wife’s phone and were demanding N15 million,” Chude said.

  Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court Abuja has denied bail to five Port Harcourt-based men allegedly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. They were charged with terrorism offences by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The suspect were accused of burning the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, amongst other offences, last year. Their bail applications, filed and argued by Lukman Fagbemi, was rejected and dismissed for lacking in merit. Justice Olajuwon refused them bail on the ground that they did not provide special circumstances to warrant their respective release from remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre Abuja. Delivering ruling on the bail applications, Justice Olajuwon said the defendants, especially Chime Ezebalike and Prince Oladele, failed to give cogent and verifiable evidence to back up their request for bail.   The judge further said that the defendants are charged with terrorism offences which are not ordinarily bailable. The five defendants charged with terrorism are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.