The Federal Government has announced plans to delist the naira from all peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms. The Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Emomotimi Agama, made this disclosure in a virtual meeting with blockchain stakeholders on Monday. This decision aims to tackle the manipulation of the local currency’s value in the foreign exchange market. The country’s regulatory authorities have been investigating and scrutinising cryptocurrency exchanges in recent months. On March 8, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, stopped its naira services. Details later…

  The federal government says it is not true that are discussions between Nigeria and some foreign countries on the siting of foreign military bases in the country. In a statement on Monday, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, urged Nigerians to disregard the “falsehood”. More to follow…

  Bandits have killed six persons when the assailants attacked the Ambe community of Sanga Local Government Area, Kaduna State, on Sunday night. The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command Mansir Hassan confirmed the incident to Channels Television, saying that one suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack. According to Hassan, police operatives from Sanga Divisional Police Station and troops of Operation Safe Haven upon getting a distress call, rushed to the community and engaged the bandits in a gun duel during which one of the bandits was arrested while the rest escaped into the forest with bullet wounds. Meanwhile, the member representing Jema’a/Sanga Federal Constituency Daniel Amos said in a statement that six people were killed in the attack while eight others sustained injuries and are receiving medical treatment at the hospital. While condemning the latest attack aimed at destabilising the peace and security in his constituency, the federal lawmaker, called on all residents of Sanga Local Government Area to remain calm and peaceful as they work towards finding a lasting solution to the insecurity in the area. “We must continue to promote peaceful coexistence among our diverse communities, irrespective of our differences. “I also call on the security agencies to act swiftly to apprehend the perpetrators of this evil act and bring them to justice. The safety of our people must remain a top priority. We cannot allow the criminals to continue to operate with impunity. “As your representative in the National Assembly, I assure you that I will continue to do my best to attract development to our constituency while working with relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety of our people. “Finally, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones, Arak chiefdom, Sanga Local Government Area, and the government of our dear State. I also pray for a speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries”

  The Umuihe autonomous community, Akaeze in the Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State, has been thrown into mourning following the killing of their traditional ruler, HRH Umazi Ibo Ubani, by suspected gunmen. Tribune Online gathered that there were heavy shootings in the community by the gunmen during an invasion on Friday which created tension in the area as the people scampered for safety. The Coordinator of Akaeze Development Centre, Chinasa Okorie, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Sunday evening, stating that the incident happened at about 10 p.m. on Friday. He however condemned the killing of the monarch, stressing that it will be very difficult to get a traditional ruler of his nature. According to him, the monarch, who is in his 60s, was bold, fearless and intelligent, adding that his wealth of experience would be greatly missed by the community, the local government and the state. “Around 10 pm last Friday, I received a call that there was shooting in the house of our traditional ruler, that after the shooting, it was discovered that our traditional ruler had been killed and that is the traditional ruler of Umuihe Autonomous Community, Akaeze, HRH Eze Umazi Ibo Ubani. “This is a great loss to the community and Akaeze at large because he is a man of integrity, a man that would be difficult to replace because the man is intelligent, he is bold and he is fearless. “The man does not know corruption because, at all times, his integrity is always seen. I am very sad about his killing. It is a great loss to Akaeze Development Centre where I am the leader, Ivo local government and Ebonyi State. “His voice is loud in Ebonyi State, he is a first-class traditional ruler. The killing is a very bad incident”, he stated. Okorie said only security agencies can know the cause of the incident and those behind it. Another stakeholder from the community, Simbad Ogbuatu, also confirmed the attack and killing of the traditional ruler. He noted that the incident has caused tension and apprehension in the community, adding that markets and shops around the community couldn’t open for businesses. “I have been calling everyone and nobody told me there was a crisis or problem in the community to warrant such incident. Maybe when normalcy returns, we will know the cause of everything”, he stated. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, while confirming the incident, said policemen were after the assailants. “Immediately we got a distress call on the incident, we swung into action and the assailants have already left the scene by the time our men moved to the scene but we are trailing the assailants”, he told our correspondent.

  The Edo state house of assembly has suspended three lawmakers over an alleged plot to impeach the speaker and other principal officers. Blessing Agbebaku, speaker of the house, announced the suspension of the lawmakers during plenary on Monday. The suspended lawmakers are Donald Okogbe (PDP Akoko-Edo 11), Bright Iyamu (PDP Orihonmwon south) and Adeh Isibor (PDP Esan north-east 1). The speaker said the lawmakers are being used by some external forces to cause chaos in a bid to remove the leadership of the house. After the speaker announced the suspension, there was a rowdy session in the assembly as the suspended lawmakers questioned the unilateral decision of the speaker. “Mr Speaker, you don’t have the right to unilaterally suspend any member of the house. You must call for votes. Allow members to vote on the matter,” the lawmakers were quoted as saying by NAN. Afterwards, the speaker abruptly adjourned plenary. In April, the assembly impeached Philip Shaibu as the deputy governor after the report of a seven-member investigative panel was adopted. The panel was set up by Daniel Okungbowa, chief judge of Edo, and was headed by S. A. Omonuwa, a retired justice. Shaibu was accused of “misconduct, perjury, and disclosure of government secrets”. Subsequently, Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, picked Omobayo Godwins as his deputy.

  Nigerian female scholar, Professor Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua, has become the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree (Ph.D) in Cybernetics in the world. Cybernetics is the scientific study of how information is communicated in machines and pieces of electronic equipment in comparison with how information is communicated in the brain and nervous system.   Ekeng-Itua is a pioneer educator, administrator and engineer championing leading roles in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) challenges in Africa, and paving the way for the African youth, especially girls. She earned the premiering degree from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom under the supervision of her first Ph.D supervisor Prof. Kevin Warwick and the first human Cyborg in the world. Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua is a multi-award-winning professor of engineering with over 20 years of experience in Engineering and STEM Education cutting across the USA, Europe and Africa, leading the creation of innovative programmes in STEM, whose fascination with technology took root in her childhood in Nigeria. Surrounded by a culture that often-discouraged girls from pursuing scientific fields, she found her passion in understanding how things worked and the potential for innovation. Her thirst for knowledge led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, followed by a master’s degree in Mobile and Satellite Communications Engineering in the United Kingdom. Driven by ambition and a relentless desire to break boundaries, she went on to make history by earning her doctorate in Cybernetics. Despite facing extra-layered challenges as a woman of color in a male-dominated field, gender biases and a lack of readily available role models, she refused to let these obstacles define her. Speaking about challenges encountered in achieving success in a recent interview, Ekeng-Itua said, “Every challenge became fuel for my determination. I realised that my success would not only open doors for myself but would serve as an example for other women and girls who might otherwise doubt their capabilities.”   “I am a Dreamer-Doer-Thinker, so I always had dreams, but my dreams were not necessarily focused on being ‘great’, but more on how I could be a positive change agent, and how to create initiatives, programs and technologies that will impact the world positively. I am human-centric in my approach to making positive change hence, the field of Cybernetics gave me that opportunity as Cybernetics is centered on purposeful design of technologies for society and humans. “This has always been my passion, and pursuing my passion and the dream to disrupt some societal misnomers propelled me to being the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree in Cybernetics. Being the first in anything is always retrospective, for me, the initial focus is always creating positively transformative impact.” The female scholar further said her passion for Mathematics and Physics at an early age informed her choice of career. “I wanted to pursue a career that would give me the opportunity for creativity, innovation, collaboration, and positive impact in communities”, she added. “It was also born from my wish at the age of nine to create platforms that connected the world to foster global unity for progress and appreciative understanding of global cultures. At that young age, I noticed a huge disconnect in what the Global North thought they knew about Africa which I call the Global South.”

  In the fight against cross-border banditry, the Niger Armed Forces have apprehended a notorious Nigerian bandit kingpin known as Kachallah Mai Daji near the border town of Illela, Niger. According to Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Kachallah Mai Daji has left a trail of terror and devastation across northeastern Nigeria over the past decade. “He has killed dozens of people, burnt down villages, kidnapped hundreds and imposed levies on villages for almost ten years,” Zagazola Makama said The bandit leader was said to be particularly active in the Illela region, terrorising villages such as Tozai, Sabon Garin Darna, Darna Tsolawo, Tudun Gudali, Basanta, Ɗan Kadu, Takalmawa, Gidan Hamma, Ambarura, Gidan Bulutu and many others in the surrounding areas. Kachallah Mai Daji was captured by Nigerien forces as he attempted to rustle livestock across the Nigeria-Niger border. “He was apprehended by Nigerien forces when he tried to rustle livestock through the country border,” the report added. On Sunday, no fewer than 11 persons reportedly died and five injured when two vehicles drove over suspected bandit’s landmines in Gamboru-Ngala and Dikwa local government areas of Borno State. (https://punchng.com/landmines-kill-11-injure-five-in-borno/)

  Two policemen and three vigilante operatives otherwise known as Neighbourhood Watch Group have been confirmed dead after attack by a gang of rampaging hoodlums in Igga community in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu State. One villager was also confirmed dead when combined security operatives allegedly invaded the community following the attack on them by unknown gunmen. It was gathered the hoodlums on Friday evening attacked and killed the security operatives at Ada Rice Production Nigeria Limited, a farm settlement close to the community following an operation by the suspected ESN members to comb the area to ward off invading herders who attacked the nearby Nimbo community earlier in the week. Village sources told newsmen that a day after the attack on the security operatives, soldiers and army and policemen invaded the community Saturday night, burning houses and shooting sporadically. A viral video also showed several houses, motorcycles and other properties burning in the raging flames while some shops were looted in the community. A voice heard in the background of the video said: “This is Igga Community being burnt down by the military and the police from Adani Division. “They are burning houses and shooting sporadically and on people. The community is in danger. Come to our aid. We are not safe. They are shooting at us The development, it was gathered, prompted a protest by women and children in the community, whose video also went viral on Sunday. One of the villagers, who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity, said that the security operatives razed several houses during the invasion of the community. “Last night, army and police invaded Igga Community and burnt many houses and in the process, one of us, Richard Okoye died. He was running for his life when he fell and died. “They came into the community yesterday (Saturday) at about 10 p.m. and stayed till 12 to 1 a.m burning houses and looting people’s shops. We all ran away and asked our youths not to retaliate”. While informing those with alternatives had fled their homes, the villager added that those still taking refuge in the forests were now living in fear, not knowing whether the attack would continue. Confirming the killing of the operatives, the Enugu Police Command said the unprovoked and unwarranted attack and gruesome murder of two Policemen and three Neighbourhood Watch Group members were carried out by “harboured criminal members of the Igga Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, in the evening hours of Friday, May 3, 2024”. The command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed that on the same date, when the incident happened, a combined security team of three policemen and four Neighbourhood Watch Group provided security for a team of visiting investors from Lagos on a tour of a proposed agricultural investment site in the area. However, the team was ambushed and attacked by a large group of the criminal elements, who opened fire on them. “Upon the unprovoked sudden attack, members of the team scampered for safety, while an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who led the team, one Neighbourhood Watch personnel, and the three (3) member team of investors were later rescued by a policemen team that immediately mobilized to the crime scene. But the eventually murdered members of the team went missing and unaccounted for. “However, in the course of a full-scale investigation and a search and manhunt operation launched thereafter, three males suspected to have masterminded the attack were arrested. “Their revelations during interrogation led to the discovery and recovery of the slain policemen and Neighborhood Watch Group members in the forest on May 4, 2024. “Their lifeless bodies were taken to the hospital, confirmed dead by doctors, and deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy”.

  High Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, has explained that the Igbos will suffer more than other tribes in Nigeria if the country fails, calling on Nigerians from the South-East, both home and in the Diaspora, to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration to succeed. Iwuanyanwu stated this when he received the leadership and members of the Igbo Community Assembly in his Abuja home last week. According to him, the Igbos did not vote for President Tinubu during the last general elections because they believed it was the turn of the South-East to lead the country. He added however that following Tinubu’s declaration by both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the apex court in the country, he deserved to be supported for Nigeria to succeed. He said, “So, as your leader, I have proclaimed that Igbos, as good citizens of Nigeria, will support him. We are going to support him because we want Nigeria to be a success. If Nigeria fails, Igbos are going to suffer more than any tribe.” Continuing, he explained that the Igbos have invested more than other tribes in the country, stating that if Nigeria has a problem, they will be affected more. “If Nigeria is a corporate body like a company, I think we (Igbos) have more investments than many other tribes. Like Abuja for example, the Igbos have a lot of investment here. So if Nigeria has a problem, Igbos are going to suffer. So, if the government fails, Igbos are going to suffer more than any group because Igbos have more investments in most parts of the country than other groups. “I think it is my duty as your leader to say that we are going to give every support we can to help the government to succeed. But we also expect the government to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that what belongs to us is given to us. Nobody likes a situation where what he has is taken from him. “You all know that the President worked for MKO Abiola and Abiola was my friend. I knew him (Tinubu) that time through Abiola. It is true that we didn’t support him during the election because we believe that it should be an Igbo person. Now we have no reason not to support him and I don’t have anything whatsoever against him. All we require now is to expect him to ensure that what belongs to us and what we have already is not taken away from us,” Iwuanyanwu said.