Tuesday 09 July 2024 FG suspends food imports duty, partners states on farming Northern traditional institution under spotlight as govs push long-range reforms Yahaya Bello loses bid to hear N80bn fraud case in Kogi Human rights, democracy, economic growth key issues in Samoa Agreement Fuel stations to operate longer hours to aid PMS supply – NNPC Lagos To Reintroduce Monthly Environmental Sanitation Being Grateful Restrains Me From Taking Actions — Fubara To Critics Insecurity: Need For State Police Is So Urgent – Bode George Fubara Swears In Commissioner, Declares Oko-Jumbo-Led Assembly Legitimate Bandits Attack Katsina Community, Kidnap 25 Persons Fuel Queues Resurface, As NNPCL Blames Logistics, Flooding Russian Missiles Kill 31 In Ukraine, Gut Kyiv Children’s Hospital Court Adjourns El-Rufai’s Suit Against Kaduna Assembly To July 17 Amaewhule-Led Assembly Gives Fubara Seven Days To Re-Present 2024 Budget No Sacred Cows In Fight Against Corruption, EFCC Insists EFCC Opposes Emefiele’s Quest For Foreign Medical Trip Attempted Suicide: Police Arrest Man Who Climbed 120ft Mast Over Hardship 12 states employed 23,092 teachers in 2023 -NUT KWASU expels 175 students for exam malpractices, others Abia to unveil N1bn interest-free business loan Thursday APC govs blame hardship on global challenges Kano orders crackdown on same-sex marriage promoters Court rejects IBD Dende’s request to stop FIJ publications Court restrains Rivers chief judge from accepting impeachment notice against Fubara Budget office: FG spent N5.78trn on debt servicing in first nine months of 2023 Minimum wage: Labour urges NASS to end slave wage FRSC arrests 100 traffic violators in FCT Pressure Mounts On FG To Release Nnamdi Kanu 4 Killed, Several Injured As Centuries-Old Trees Collapse On Traders In Edo CDS: Boko Haram Trying To Embarrass This Govt But They Won’t Succeed Anambra resident doctors to strike over unpaid allowances, poor medical infrastructure Nigeria Air N2.6b investigation: EFCC quizzes Ethiopian Airlines CEO   Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Bandits dressed in a ‘Hijab’ otherwise known as Abaya have kidnapped 26 persons mostly women and children in an attack on the Runka community of Safana Local Government Area, Katsina State. Runka community is just a few kilometres away to the dreaded Rugu Forest which has over the years been harbouring criminals. A source in the community told Channels Television in a telephone call on Monday that the hoodlums invaded the area on Saturday night at about 10:00 p.m. He said the assailants shot sporadically in several places around the community. He claimed that the attack was a result of the activities of bandits informants who are mostly residents of the communities. “The bandits killed nobody in the community except one person who was shot and injured after he attempted to run. As I am speaking to you, he has been hospitalised. “They abducted at least 25 people because even among my relatives, twelve persons were abducted. “There was no security personnel presence during the attack which lasted for hours until after the incident when an armored personnel carrier attached with some police personnel was deployed to patrol the area. “The bandits stationed themselves everywhere in the community. They moved from house to house, breaking and burgling the entrances and taking the occupants to the forest. “During the attack, one of the bandits was overheard having a telephone conversation with an unknown informant telling him that, “Today, we’ve come to your hometown’.” Police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the incident as the spokesman of the command Abubakar Sadiq did not respond to the inquiries from Channels Television. But the chairman of Safana Local Government Area Abdullahi said 22 persons were abducted, though some have managed to escape. “The DPO Safana has deployed and stationed his team alongside soldiers to the area and they have already commenced a rescue operation,” he stated.

  A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, denied businessman Ibrahim Dende’s request to prevent an investigative journalist, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Fisayo Soyombo, from writing further about him. The court declined to hear the application but instead directed the claimant’s counsel to put the defendants on notice. Dende filed this request as part of his lawsuit against Soyombo and the FIJ following an undercover investigation that portrayed him as a “smuggler and gunrunner.” A certified true copy of the court’s proceedings from May 21 revealed that IBD Dende had previously sought an ex parte order to restrain Soyombo, FIJ and Arise from further defamatory publications before serving court processes on them. The court declined to hear the application and instead instructed the claimant’s counsel to notify the defendants. Soyombo, in response to repeated complaints about Nigeria’s porous borders, investigated by attempting to illegally import 100 bags of rice from the Republic of Benin into Nigeria. He succeeded without any security resistance, using information from corrupt Nigeria Customs Service officials who betrayed patrol teams by informing smugglers of their colleagues’ schedules and the optimal times for smuggling. His report, titled “Undercover As A Smuggler,” also implicated Dende as the biggest smuggler in the South West and was followed by several tweets about smuggled goods mentioning Dende as the mastermind. On May 3, Dende, known as IBD Dende, filed a lawsuit for alleged defamation against Soyombo, FIJ and Arise Group after the television station aired the smuggling documentary. During the resumed hearing on July 2, Justice Binta Mohammed of the FCT High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, heard IBD Dende’s application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants from further defamatory publications. In the written argument submitted by Dende’s counsel, it was contended that the first and second defendants had consistently defamed and maligned Dende’s character. It was alleged that Soyombo continued to publish statements about Dende as recently as June 3, subjecting him to a social media trial while the lawsuit was still pending. Hence, counsel argued that the court needed to grant an injunction to stop the “continuous and daily defamatory publications” against the claimant, pending the final determination of the suit.   He asserted that the right to freedom of expression under the constitution does not permit any journalist to defame someone’s character, discrediting the viral video published by FIJ, which labelled Dende as a smuggler and gunrunner. In the affidavit filed in response to FIJ, Dende maintained that the video showed nothing more than a “verbal altercation” with customs officers and could not be concluded to involve smuggled goods belonging to him. He stated that he is a licensed customs clearing and forwarding agent, whose job is to facilitate the transport of goods into and out of Nigeria. Contrary to IBD Dende’s application for an injunction, FIJ affirmed the truth of its publications about Dende, urging the court to dismiss the application. They argued that the injunction was unconstitutional, as it sought prior restraint of the press and would stifle press freedom. In the written argument submitted on behalf of Soyombo and FIJ, their counsel contended that suppressing the press before a trial violates the constitutional right to free speech and freedom of the press. They stated that the press has a public duty to expose wrongdoing and should not be subjected to censorship or restrictions in the public interest. The counsel also argued that granting the application for an injunction to prevent further libel would prejudice the main suit by implying that previous publications were defamatory and required halting further defamatory content. The counsel added that IBD Dende, who had admitted under oath to assaulting law enforcement officers, did not deserve the equitable relief of an injunction against the press. FIJ contended that those who seek equity must do so with clean hands, stating that ranting an injunction in favour of a party who has engaged in such misconduct, as shown in the video, would be a “perverse incentive.” Soyombo and FIJ have also filed a defence to the main suit along with a list of witnesses to testify. The counsel concluded their arguments, and the court reserved its ruling on the application for an interlocutory injunction to a later date, which will be communicated to the parties.

  The Parish Priest of St. Raymond Catholic Church Damba, Gusau, Zamfara State, Mikah Suleiman has regained his freedom from bandits who kidnapped him two weeks ago. Suleiman’s release was announced in a statement on Sunday, July 7, 2024, by the Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Pascal Salifu. The statement read, “We are overjoyed to announce the safe release of Fr Mikah Suleiman, who was kidnapped on 22/06/2024. ‘We extend our heartfelt gratitude to God for His protection and to everyone who offered prayers and support during this challenging time.   “Our thanks also go to the authorities and all involved in securing Fr Mikah’s release. He is currently receiving the necessary care and support.” Salifu urged people to “continue to keep him in your prayers as he begins his recovery.” The state Police Public Relations Officer, Yazid Abubakar confirmed the priest’s abduction on Saturday, saying, “Yes, the incident happened early hour of today, the Reverend Father was kidnapped in his residence. We were not informed when the incident happened but what I gathered was that the man stays alone not in the church. “We have deployed our tactical squad to go after the kidnappers with the aim of rescuing the victim unhurt.” More so, the acting Chancellor of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Nuhu Iliya had urged the Christian faithful to pray for the “quick and safe release” of the priest. “We equally commend him to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, for his speedy release from the hands of his abductors,” Iliya said. In early June 2024, bandits abducted the presiding priest of St. Thomas Parish, Zaman Dabo Community in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Gabriel Ukeh. The parish priest was abducted at the rectory in the wee hours of Sunday. The Vicar General (Pastoral), Emmanuel Kazah disclosed this on Sunday in a press statement obtained by PUNCH Metro

  Monday 08 July 2024 North-Central tops as police record 1,702 murder cases FG probes fuel smuggling, cuts supply to border towns Mother, daughter die in gas explosion, two hospitalised Hijrah: States declare holiday, govs call for peace Tinubu special investigator urges lawmakers to stop wastage Tinubu Re-Elected As ECOWAS Chairman NASS Budget Not Up To One Per Cent Of National Budget, Says Senate Spokesman Gabriel Attal Resigns As French PM NASU, SSANU To Commence Nationwide Protest Tuesday NDLEA Arrests Couple, Recovers N2.1b Drug In Raid On Lagos Cocaine Syndicate National Grid Fully Restored After ‘Partial Disturbance’ – TCN Court Orders Buhari’s Minister To Account For N729bn Payment To Poor Nigerians CAC Extends Deadline For PoS Operators’ Registration By 60 Days CJN To Swear In 12 New FCT High Court Judges Wednesday FG Unveils State-Owned Schools Eligible For Student Loan Scheme Missing UNN female student found dead on campus Gunmen abduct two journalists, wives in Kaduna Why CBN insists on another recapitalisation — Cardoso 2027: Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso, Amaechi must unite to chase out Tinubu — Lukman Kidnap of Fouani: Police arrest company driver, 2 other workers 78-yr-old ex-Labour leaders kidnapped in Kaduna Brewing industry choking over high cost of raw materials Gov Aliyu Vows To Punish Officials Who Diverted Workers’ Sallah Gifts Pro-Fubara Assembly to screen another commissioner nominee Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…