The CP Olatunji Disu-led Rivers State Police Command has taken its war against cultism to the camp of one Ikem Thankgod notoriously called General 2man, known as a close ally to 2Baba, the neutralised killer of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), SP. Bako Angbasim. General 2man was said to be a terror in the Ahoada West Local Government Area and neighboring local government areas with one of his nefarious activities being the shooting to death of Inspector Usang Ude on April 13, 2023. A team of police officers was reportedly deployed to the Ogbologbo community in Ahoada West on Monday to bring an end to the reign of terror of General 2man. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP. Grace Iringe-Koko, said during the operation, General 2man and his gang opened fire on the police tactical team. The statement said though the kingpin evaded arrest, his second-in-command, ThankGod Uchechi aka, ‘Pastor SP,’ and his third-in-command, ‘Western King’ Okpo Emenike were fatally wounded. Many gang members reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries while two loaded AK-47 rifles and eight magazines were recovered from the gang. Concerted efforts were said to be on top gear to bring General 2man and his fleeing gang members to justice and put an end to his reign of terror. The statement listed most of the nefarious and brutal activities of the fleeing kingpin. The statement said: “On March 5, 2024, he also murdered four persons, namely, Henry Kirirka, Patience Henry, Abigail Victor, and Chigozie Okpo. He also slaughtered one Samuel Philip without provocation. Last month, he buried several persons alive, including Christmas Ede and Agode Gamany. Advertisement “He has carried out a lot of kidnapping activities within and outside the Ahoada West Local Government Area. His catalogue of criminal activities also includes armed robbery and vandalisation of valuable properties. “He coordinates the deroofing of public buildings and the selling of the roofing sheets. He also constituted himself as an authority that approves social events within the Local Government Area. This has made him attack and disrupt weddings, burials, etc., which he did not approve of”. The statement described the development as a giant step in its ongoing onslaught against cultism and other related crimes in the state. “The Commissioner of Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu psc , while commending the tactical team for their efforts, reiterates his commitment to fighting crimes in the state. He equally urged members of the public to feed the police with reliable information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspects and other criminal elements in the state”, the statement said.

  His eminence Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and president General Nigeria Supreme council for Islamic affairs (NSCIA) has declared Wednesday the 10th of April 2024 as the first day of Shawwal 1445AH (Eid el Fitr Day) as moon is not sighted anywhere in Nigeria. Sultan made the statement shortly after receiving the Sultanate Council Advisory Committee in Religious Affairs in conjunction with the National Moon Sighting Committee. The committee in their report stated that it had not received any report from various moon sighting committees across the country confirming the sighting of the new moon of Shawwal 1445AH on Monday 8th April 2024 which was the 30th day of Ramadan 1445AH. The statement further reads, “Tuesday 9th April 2024 is the 30th day of the month of Ramadan 1445AH. His eminence the Sultan after accepting the report, declared Wednesday 10th April 2024 as the first day of Shawwal 1445AH (Eid el Fitr Day) accordingly.”

  The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Monday, voided the national convention that returned the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, and his National Working Committee back to office To fill the vacuum, the stakeholders said the congress will set up a transition committee to oversee the affairs of the party pending when new officers will be elected in three months. In attendance at the gathering were representative of the Chairman of NLC Political Commission, Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku ; former President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwahed Omar; Chairman, LP Board of Trustees, Sylvester Ejiofor; Coordinator of Obidient Movement, Dr. Moses Paul and LP Plateau Governorship Candidate, Chief Yohana Margif. Others are Coordinator of Labour Party Patriotic Members Congress, Dr. Kingsley Okundaye; Kaduna LP Governorship Candidate, Jonathan Asake and representative of Persons with Disability in Labour Party, Ihekwoaba Paul. The resolution taken by the unionists on Monday also raised concerns on the need to conduct a forensic audit of LP in line with the demand of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, following allegations of corruption, forgery and fraud levelled against the leadership of the party. These were contained in the communique released after the NLC stakeholders meeting and made available to The PUNCH. The communique partly read, “”Owing to the current vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party, the NLC Political Commission consequent on its status in the Constitution of the Labour Party as a registered trustee of the Labour Party, a status that was further buttressed by a Federal High Court consent judgment delivered on March 20, 2018 by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, moved for an immediate constitution of a transition committee with a mandate to set up structures at national, state, local government and ward level for the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the Labour Party. “The stakeholders meeting passed a vote of no-confidence on the purported Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State and regards as inconsequential the leadership that claims to have emerged from the illegal Nnewi Convention. INEC and all relevant security organisations are hereby notified and should be officially written immediately to recognise the transition committee as the interim leadership of LP pending the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention “The committee once constituted should fully take over the secretariats of the Labour Party all over Nigeria and shall immediately set up an assets recovery process of all the properties of the Labour Party. The committee shall also ensure that all the cases of fraud, impersonation and forgery of government documents pending against a few discredited former officers of the Labour Party are forensically audited and culprits are diligently prosecuted as demanded by leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. It is unfortunate that the actions of these few dishonourable characters have splashed mud on the white satin of Labour Party. “Pursuant to the foregoing, the committee shall within three months of its constitution ensure the conduct of an inclusive national convention of the party starting from ward congresses to local government congresses to state congresses culminating in an all-inclusive and expansive national convention in Abuja. Finally, we reiterate that the Labour Party is a Party for all Nigerians regardless of ethnic, religious, regional, social and economic orientation or status.” When called for reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said the NWC cannot be intimidated by the NLC stakeholders and their ‘co-travellers.’ He said, “We are not interested in whatever they do and LP won’t give credence to any statement they issue. You can imagine the level of impunity with which these people are acting. They have no power to do anything.” The vote of no confidence passed on Abure and his NWC comes few hours after scores of LP supporters took to the streets of Abuja to protest harassment and continuous interference in the affairs of the party. The protesters, who went carrying placards with various inscriptions that read “If you are not for Abure, go and seek another political party” and “Abure is our chairman”, vowed to resist any attempt to take over control of the party. Solidarity songs of ‘We want Abure’ rent the air as the protest march took off from the new Federal Capital Territory chapter of the party secretariat to the Gudu venue of the NLC stakeholders meeting. They were, however, prevented by security operatives from gaining access to the premises.

  The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited owes around $3 billion to fuel traders for imported petrol. According to Reuters on Monday, three sources confirmed the development. The debt is coming amid the removal of petrol subsidy in the country. On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on petrol — a development that immediately led to a spike in the price of the product and spiralling inflation across board. The president had, however, said the removal of the petrol subsidy was a challenging but necessary decision to secure the country’s energy future. According to the publication, NNPC, Nigeria’s major petrol importer, still struggles with payment for imported petrol due to the incessant depreciation of the naira and rising global fuel prices. “They are paying, but it’s slow,” one of the sources told Reuters. Five sources, the publication said, confirmed NNPC was taking more than 130 days to make the payments instead of within 90 days. According to Femi Sonoye, NNPC spokesperson, the company was “not aware of any such debt nor any financial issues of such magnitude”. “Our focus remains on sustaining sufficiency in the supply of petroleum products in Nigeria,” Soneye said. Also, the sources said NNPC’s suppliers, including international traders like Vitol, Mercuria and Gunvor as well as Nigeria-based trading houses, are still supplying fuel. On February 29, the federal government said petrol importation into the country had dropped by 50 percent since the removal of the subsidy. This was disclosed by Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, who said the reduction in importation was due to the removal of subsidy.

  Authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday said no moon crescent marking the beginning of Shawwal and the end of Ramadan has been sighted. With this development, the Ramadan fasting will be 30 days while the Eid-el-Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday in the Kingdom. “The crescent moon was NOT sighted in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Eid Al Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday, 10th April 2024,” Haramain, a Saudi-based online resource outfit, wrote on X. On April 7, Muhammad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, asked Muslims in Nigeria to look out for the new moon of Shawwal 1445 AH on Monday. Since March 11, Muslims across the world have abstained from eating, drinking, and any form of sexual relationship from dawn till dusk to observe Ramadan fasting which is either 29 or 30 days. This development comes a day after the federal government announced Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays.