FCT indigenous groups protested what they described as exclusion from a new ambassadorial list, arguing that Abuja’s host communities deserve fair representation in federal appointments. The demonstration reflects longstanding demands for stronger inclusion of the capital’s indigenous populations.
Stakeholders called for a review of the list and a broader policy conversation on equity in national appointments.
2025-12-09
Punch Newspapers
2025-12-09
The EFCC denied reports that it raided or sealed the Abuja residence of former petroleum minister Timipre Sylva, saying the property was only marked as part of an ongoing investigation. The commission urged the public to avoid mischaracterising standard investigative processes.
The clarification followed heightened political and public interest in the scope of anti-corruption probes within the petroleum sector.
2025-12-10
Punch Newspapers
2025-12-10
A media aide to former petroleum minister Timipre Sylva criticised the EFCC for sealing his Maitama residence, alleging shortcomings in notice and due process.
The development adds to public debate around high-profile anti-corruption actions and political accountability.
Source: Daily Trust, 2025-12-08
Three women have been feared dead, as a result of stampede while several others suffered suffocation during a looting spree that occurred at a huge warehouse located in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Abuja.
Reports had it that some who were suffocating were helped out of the building and being assisted with sachets of water.
The looting spree was the climax of restiveness which started at about 8:43am when some youths gathered within the routes to the warehouse.
The restiveness heightened when the youths, who were later joined by commercial motorcyclists, gathered in hundreds, shouting and expressing anger over the sufferings in the land. The motorcyclists might have fueled the raid as they came with stories of looting and raid incidents from other parts of the country, the Nation Newspaper reported.
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At about 9am when personnel of the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC), the Nigeria Police and the Brigade of Guards of the Nigeria Army, who arrived the venue early, blocking the roads with their vehicles, could no longer control the crowd and being were overpowered, the youths and women forced their ways into the warehouse, broke the doors and part of the wall and began looting all items inside the building, including COVID -19 palliatives.
The warehouse, said to have been built within five months by the Gwagwalada Area Council for the purpose of storing the COVID-19 palliatives was further damaged when some hoodlums climbed fences from adjacent compounds near WAEC office while others fought their ways through the back of Fidelity Bank premises, breaking parts of the roofs to gain entry.
The crowd of looters grew even larger as youths from the surburbs of Angwa Dodo, Wazobia Parks, Tipper garrage, Passo and surrounding areas of Gwagwalada markets also stormed the warehouse of COVID-19 palliatives.
According to videos circulating on the internet, the crowd of looters were heard saying: “This is our money, these people are wicked to have hidden these products and refused to share them.”
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In a report by The Nation items looted were listed as bags of rice, cartoons of indomie noodles, spagetti, macaroni, bags of fertilisers, Indorama products, brand new motor bikes, grinding machines, bags of salt, bags of Sugar, and cartoons of soaps.
However, by 11.23am, some reinforcements of security operatives forced their ways into the massive warehouse, which had COVID 19 written on it and shut it down without the use of tear gas or fire any shots, which could lead to stampede and more deaths.
Nigeria Police Force has commenced investigations into the viral video showing a man seemingly wearing a Nigeria Police “uniform” vaping Shisha.
The viral video showing a man seemingly wearing a Nigerian Police Uniform vaping “Shisa”
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The police, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the investigation would “amongst other things seek to forensically establish the authenticity of the video, the true identity of the man in the uniform – whether he is in fact a policeman, an impostor or an actor in a movie scene.”
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The statement added: “However, while not being prejudicial to the ongoing investigations, it is necessary to state that the character exhibited by the man in the uniform is not a true reflection of who we are as a regimented law enforcement agency – our trainings, discipline, norms and tradition.”
Members of the public with useful information that could assist police investigations are enjoined to provide same via: pressforabuja@police.gov.ng, or direct mesaage on Nigeria Police Force’s social media platforms.
Photos: President Buhari presides over a Virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council Meeting in State House on 1st July 2020
Idowu Sowunmi
Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to the suspended National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has reaffirmed their strong opposition to the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting called by the party’s factional Acting National Chairman, Victor Giadom.
This was coming as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) berated President Muhammadu Buhari for violating his oath of office by using the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Chambers and government resources to conduct the affairs of his party.
NWC, in a statement by the factional Acting National Chairman, Hillard Eta, and the Acting National Secretary, Waziri Bulama, explained that they were consulting their lawyers and other stakeholders on the dissolution of NWC and other decisions taken at the NEC meeting on Thursday.
They insisted that the NEC meeting was illegally convened by the suspended Deputy National Secretary of the party, Victor Giadom.
Giadom’s NEC meeting attended by Buhari, among others dissolved the 18-member NWC and other decisions.
“The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress wishes to reiterate its earlier position that Chief Victor Giadom has no authority whatsoever to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee of our great party.
“Article 25(b) of the constitution of the APC is explicit that only the National Chairman or the National Working Committee is given the prerogative of summoning meetings of the National Executive Committee of the party either for statutory quarterly meetings or for emergency meetings. The same provision of the constitution makes it compulsory for a notice of minimum of 14 days in respect of statutory quarterly meetings and seven days in respect of emergency meetings.
“We note that Chief Victor Giadom had convened and conducted a virtual meeting purportedly to be a National Executive Committee meeting of our party wherein certain far-reaching resolutions were purportedly reached. While the National Working Committee is studying the unfolding drama, it will be consulting with stakeholders and team of lawyers on the next line of action.
“Therefore, all members of our great party and concerned Nigerians are urged to remain calm pending the outcome of the consultations.”
Other NWC members privy to the statement apart from Eta and Bulama include: the National Vice Chairman (North-west), Inuwa Abdulkadir; National Vice Chairman (South-west), Bankole Oluwajana; and the National Vice Chairman, (North-central), Ahmed Wambal.
Meanwhile, PDP has condemned the use of public facilities by the President to host the NEC meeting, saying it’s the height of corruption.
“Our party describes this action of Mr. President, in using public facilities and resources for APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, as the height of corruption as well as a desecration of the sanctity of the seat of power and our national values,” the opposition party said.
PDP added that “never in the history of our nation has governance been so devalued to the extent of using the hallowed chamber of the highest executive body in the country, where high-level executive decisions are taken, for an illegal, wrongly constituted and Nicodemus meeting of a political party.”
The party said: “This shameful development is a further manifestation of the level of impunity, recklessness, disrespect for rules and disdain for our laws by the APC administration, whose latest action exposes a move towards instituting the art of running processes and programmes through illegality, illicitness, illegitimate and unlawful means driven by crude force and naked power.
“Furthermore, it is an indefensible double standard for President Buhari, whose administration has been hounding and prosecuting innocent Nigerians for allegedly using public resources for activities of their political parties, to use the resources and facilities of the FEC chamber for his party’s NEC meeting.
“It is even more distressing that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, is part of this desecration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by functioning as a notary public to a political party and using official facilities of FEC chamber to administer oath of office to a functionary of a political party, in total disregard to his oath of office, the code of conduct prohibitions under the 5th Schedule and extant public service rules.
“This is the same Attorney General, who has been prosecuting others for alleged but unsubstantiated use of public resources for activities of their political parties.”
PDP noted that by using government facilities and resources to promote the activities of his party, the Attorney General has become culpable of the same offence for which he has been prosecuting innocent Nigerians.
“Malami has therefore become ethically challenged to continue in office as the Chief Law Officer of our nation.
“Our party therefore demands that the Attorney General should immediately resign from office and surrender himself for prosecution
“It is even more disgraceful that the furtive APC NEC meeting at the FEC Chamber was convened in total violation of the APC Constitution, which prescribes 14 days notice for regular NEC meeting and 7 days notice in the case of an emergency meeting under Article 25 (b) (i) and (ii) respectively.
“Such a coup against their own party’s constitution renders the purported APC NEC meeting illegal and decisions taken therein, a complete nullity.
“Significantly, the kind of marshal orders and threats which President Buhari was issuing out at the so called NEC meeting without allowing for a debate was a sad reminder of his days at the Supreme Military Council in 1984.
“This raised questions on the democratic content of the charade called a NEC meeting by the APC.
“Moreover, now that the Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, has been sworn in as the Chairman of APC Caretaker Committee, he has made himself a full administrative officer of the APC and as such, should immediately resign as the Governor of Yobe state, in keeping with Article 17 (iv) of the APC Constitution which prohibits such dual mandate,” PDP said.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, counseled APC leaders to note that “Nigeria is a nation governed by law and as such their party will not be allowed to use their crisis to destroy our democratic order.”
The Management of Trademore International Holding Limited has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a 48hour ultimatum to unseal its property, which was ‘wrongly’ seized.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its legal representative, Nwoke Kalu, the company accused the EFCC of lacking due diligence in their operation that led to the sealing of its estates that include Luxury Apartments, Millennium Apartments, and Ogwumabiri Event center located along Bank Road and Finbars Road, Umuahia, Abia state.
The company in its demand called on the EFCC to immediately remove the notice of seizure placed on all its estates.
According to the statement, the Trademore estates are owned by a private businessman and have been wrongly marked as properties of a PDP chieftain under the agency’s investigation.
It stated: “As a company, we are deeply startled by this development as the owner of these properties is a successful business man with no involvement in politics whatsoever.
“We expected a thorough due diligence from an organisation like EFCC before going ahead to mark our housing estates,” it said.
“This shouldn’t be happening because it sends a bad signal to those planning to invest in Nigeria. There should be an enabling environment for businesses like ours to operate without being caught in political games or be victims of inaccuracies.”
The company stated categorically that its estates in Abuja currently accommodate over 30 staff of the EFCC.
It therefore urged the EFCC to unseal its estates to enable it return to normal business and also tender an apology forthwith, as its integrity and the interest of its clients remain paramount.
Officers of the Nigerian Police Force have taken over the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
This comes two days after a team of security operatives sealed off the party’s office in the nation’s capital, purportedly on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
Thursday’s incident also comes ahead of the APC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled to take place at the Presidential Villa.
As early as 9am, two Toyota Hilux patrol vans and two Peugeot 604 cars were stationed at strategic positions around the party’s secretariat.
Members of staff at the secretariat who had arrived early were asked to move out of their offices.
The APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Mr Victor Giadom had on Tuesday got the Presidential backing to convene the National Executive Committee meeting expected to hold virtually from the Presidential Villa.
However, the other NWC led by Senator Abiola Ajimobi faulted the convocation of the meeting which was described as illegal.
In a statement jointly signed by the National Vice Chairman (South South), Mr Hillard Eta, and the acting National Secretary, Mr Waziri Bulama, the NWC said they would not attend the NEC meeting convened by Mr Giadom.
Just as the incident on Tuesday, the seal off is also alleged to be at the instance of the Inspector General of Police who directed the Commissioner of Police at the FCT Command to ensure that nobody is allowed into the secretariat.
Shortly after arriving at the APC secretariat, Bulama who was also denied entry into the premises said the police sealed off the place, based on orders from above.
Idowu Sowunmi
It’s no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari has recognised Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman, with a promise to attending the virtual meeting called by Giadom tomorrow afternoon.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari admitted that he has been well schooled and legally advised accordingly on the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman. Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon.
“We urge the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.
“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly,” said a statement by Shehu, in response to enquiry by some journalists.
Sources at the Presidency said Buhari’s new position was made possible by the intervention of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Amaechi’s singular effort has made some political analysts to describe him as the new kid on the block of Nigerian politics.
“He (Amaechi) understands the game of power. He practises politics with so much dexterity and sagacity. His influence looms larger than life in the Presidency. When he speaks and analyses politics, every one is often taken awe.
“That’s how he succeeded in winning President Buhari and other key people in Presidency to accept the candidacy of Victor Giadom as the Acting National Chairman of APC. The deal is done. Welcome to a new era in the ruling party,” said the source.
Amaechi’s intervention was coming after Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and Giadom made unsuccessful frantic efforts to meet Buhari over the APC crisis.
Though the duo visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday night, they could not see the President. Instead, the President’s Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, attended to them.
Earlier, Amaechi claimed he had decided to keep out of the crisis rocking APC because he did not want to get involved in politics, noting that he’s not sure what the cause of the crisis was.
He had said: “What is happening in APC, I don’t know; what is happening in Rivers State, I don’t know. What I’ve done is to keep away from politics. Even if I’m bothered, it’ll be internally.
“There’s nobody there (in the party) who is a child; we’re all adults. I don’t want to get involved in politics.
“Nigerians know me for being blunt and honest. Some see it as arrogance, some see it as being brash, whatever it is. What do I need to say that I have not said before? It’s internal dynamics of politics, it’s internal struggle.
“So, I have said it several times. When we fought in 2015, I said this country cannot continue the way it is going. I’m not helpless, but I’m doing what they call ‘siddon look (sit down and look).”
But, on Wednesday his politics of “siddon look” took flight to unknown destination as he moved in to save the party from further crisis.
With Giadom’s recognition, it may be politically difficult for Adams Oshiomhole and his sympathisers to return to the leadership mantle of APC.
As APC supporters and Nigerians await the official statements of Mr. President tomorrow afternoon during the party’s virtual meeting called by Giadom, one thing seems to be certain for now: there’s a new sheriff in town and the ruling party may not be the same again.