Officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, working together with Nigerian Army Guards Brigade troops, have apprehended six bandits who were causing terror in parts of the nation’s capital.

A statement issued on Friday by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joesphine Adeh said the suspects were arrested during clearance operations in some identified bandits camps in Kaduna and Niger States bordering the FCT.

The PPRO said the operations were carried out between June 30 and July 4, 2024, when the operatives stormed some identified bandits camps in Gidan Dogo and Jerei forests, Kaduna State, and Niger State.

The suspects include Inusa Musa, Isiya Adamu, Kare Gambo, Aminu Musa, and Muhammed Ibrahim.

According to police, the criminal elements have voluntarily confessed to being involved in a string of kidnappings in FCT and its environs.

“While the operatives are still navigating the identified bandit camps and hideouts in the forests and hills in and around FCT, the commissioner of police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, psc, mni, reaffirms the command’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the security and safety of residents of the nation’s capital”, she added.

Afrobeats singer, Ayra Starr has opened up that she has a hidden talent people don’t know about.

The singer revealed that her hidden talent is sleeping.

According to her, she can sleep anywhere even while in the water or standing.

She disclosed this in a recent interview with Capital Xtral, London, United Kingdom.

“My hidden talent is sleeping, I can sleep anywhere. I can sleep standing, I can sleep in the water or pool,” she said.

Starr also revealed that her energy stems from being a Nigerian.

The co-host, Manny Norte asked, “Where do you get your drive from?”

Ayra Starr replied, “I’m Nigerian, that’s just it. I’m African. It’s in us.”

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), has announced the suspension of the Warri-Itakpe rail service after a train derailed on Thursday.

It was gathered that the train was travelling from Itakpe in Kogi to Ujevwu in Delta when the accident occurred at about 7.15pm.

A digital strategist who was on board when the accident happened, Ediri Oyibo, informed The Cable, that the train wobbled along its track at several locations during the journey.

He said, “As a frequent user of the train service, riding on the train from Ujevwu to Itakpe on Wednesday, 3rd of July 2024, I practically had my heart between my teeth when the train wobbled along its track at several locations; one, on top of a valley crossing.

“Riding on the train, something told me the Warri-Itakpe train service is a disaster waiting to happen. A derailment on top of a valley crossing will spell doom.

“Passengers on the trip reported how the train had earlier overshot a station it was supposed to stop due to brake failure.”

A broadcast journalist, Taribio Walson-Oweifawari, who was also on the train, said the coach before hers almost fell off a high point when the train derailed.

She wrote in a post on Facebook, “My coach is VIP and it is Coach 1. The coach immediately after ours was Coach 2 and it derailed. Hai!!! I just kept shouting Jesus when it looked like ours was going to tumble. Just a little bit more, that coach would have fallen off the high point, and taking our coach with it.”

On Friday morning, the railway corporation announced the suspension of train operations on the route.

The NRC said, “Due to an unexpected fault, train operations are suspended for today. We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”

Last year, NRC suspended operations on the Warri-Itakpe rail service after a train derailed at kilometre 30, Ajaokuta-Itakpe section of the track.

In May, a train travelling from Kaduna to Abuja derailed in Jere.

Tunde Ednut, the popular social media influencer, has narrated how singer Peter Okoye of P-Square gave him a bundle of dollars to spray on strippers.

Ednut revealed that the incident took place in 2017 at a US club.

Reflecting on the incident in a post on his Instagram page, Ednut disclosed that he pocketed the money and quietly left the club.

While advising his followers to always make smart decisions during tough times, he expressed gratitude to the singer.

He wrote; “2017, in America. Peter P-Square carry me go strip club. I was broke.

“He gave me a bundle of one dollar to spray on top n*ked women wey dey dance. I pocket am. I left him and his friends and went home. He made my night.

“Me that was broke, make I spray wetin? I shall see you guys later. UWESE OO! Thank you! Be calculative at all times.”

Afrobeats star, Adekunle Gold has praised his wife, singer Simi after the release of her new album ‘Lost And Found.’

According to Adekunle, he is lucky to have a wife that constantly makes him proud.

He went on to declare to Simi that she would always be great.

On his X handle on Friday, Gold wrote: “Na me know wetin God do for me. Make your babe dey give you bragging rights like this! Ha! Simi you will always be great!

#LostAndFoundTheAlbum.”

Simi, had, during her album listening party in Lagos on Thursday night, praised her husband Adekunle Gold for his support, especially for inspiring one of the songs on the album ‘Men Are Crazy’ featuring Tiwa Savage.

She explained that Gold gave her the idea for the song.

Evans Abifade, a driver has reportedly  killed a 27-year-old travel consultant, Oluwatobiloba Bukola Fisayomi Arike, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

It was gathered that the deceased was on her way to buy food near Agro Bus Stop, via Ojodu-Berger, in Akute on Wednesday afternoon, June 3, 2024, when the speeding car struck her, killing her on the spot.

The driver was apprehended by an angry crowd and handed over to the police while the young woman’s lifeless body was wrapped in a polythene bag by officers from the Ajuwon Police Station and transported to the mortuary.

Meanwhile, family and friends have called on the Ogun State Police Command and Governor Dapo Abiodun to investigate the killing of the National Open University graduate.

The family fears that justice may not be served, suggesting that the police might release the reckless driver without proper prosecution.

A friend of the deceased wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, July 4: “The police refused to take a statement from us but granted the driver who killed you his wish of going to hospital for treatment. More than 24 hours now and no statement about your gruesome death.

“Nigeria Police is the failure that keeps failing.”

Lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara have described a recent appeal court ruling as a miscarriage of justice.

This is as they declared intention to appeal the recent Court of Appeal judgment regarding the jurisdiction of the Rivers State High Court in suit number PHC/1512/CS/2024.

Speaker of the pro-Fubara lawmakers, Victor Oko-Jumbo announced this during a plenary session held on Friday in Port Harcourt.

Oko-Jumbo said their legal team has been instructed to urgently appeal to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision.

He clarified that contrary to speculations, the Court of Appeal did not rule that Martins Amaewhule and 24 others did not defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Oko-Jumbo emphasized that there cannot be two Houses of Assembly in Rivers State or any other state in Nigeria, and asserted that Amaewhule and his team are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, in line with the earlier declaration by Ehie Edison, (former Speaker, now Chief of Staff to the governor), which has not been overturned by any court of competent jurisdiction.

During the plenary session, the Rivers State Transport Company Reform Bill 2024 and the Rivers State Emergency Management Bill 2024 were passed after their first reading.

A security man, Henry Musa, has been arrested by the Police in Niger State.

The man was nabbed for allegedly stealing a vehicle entrusted in his custody in Anambra State at Sabon-Wuse in Niger State.

The command in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) SP Wasiu Abiodun in Minna said the suspect was picked based on reliable information received by the police attached to the Sabon-Wuse in Tafa local government Division.

He explained that Musa was arrested on Tuesday 2nd July,2024 with a Toyota Camry vehicle bearing Reg. No. LND 851 CJ, is suspected to have been stolen from Anambra State.

The PRO stated that the suspect was seen at Dikko, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in the Tafa area of Niger State with duplicate copies of the document to sell the vehicle.

According to him ”The Police operatives of the Division were quickly mobilised to the area and the suspect was taken into custody with the vehicle”

”During interrogation, he confessed that he was a security man in a hotel at Awka and that the key of the vehicle was entrusted to him by the owner But he decided to take the vehicle away, and was going to Dikko to dispose of it”.

He added that the suspect is under investigation and will be transferred to SCID for further investigation and prosecution immediately after the investigations.

Popular singer, Paul Okoye’s fiancée, Ivy Ifeoma has confirmed her pregnancy.

This is as she showed off her baby bump in a recent video.

It would be recalled that news had it that she was expecting a baby with the Afrobeats musician.

They had both held their wedding introductions some months ago, during which Paul Okoye had gone to meet the family of his fiancée, Ivy Ifeoma.

Read some comments from netizens below:

Miss Editemi wrote: “Pregnancy suits her. So pretty

Ruth Lala05 wrote: “Safe delivery”.

ojiugo_01 said: “She wants to give birth”

Watch the video below:

Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, has been summoned by the House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs Social Development, to appear before the panel on Tuesday, July 9, to give a detailed breakdown on the alleged diversion of about N1.5 billion meant for payment of contractors.

The chairman of the committee, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara (APC, Lagos) gave the directive at an interactive session with officials of the ministry.

Ogbara said the minister is expected to come with relevant documents to defend the whereabouts of the money.

The interactive session followed a petition by contractors of the ministry to the House over non-payment for contracts executed running into billions of Naira.

The committee also ordered the Ministry to stop all contract processes contained in 2024, until the issue of the alleged diverted money is resolved.

The committee also asked the minister to come before it with details of the special account allegedly opened for the Chibok girls as well as the memorandum of understanding signed with the American University of Nigeria for the training of the girls.

The committee chairman alleged that the Ministry initiated new contracts not captured in the 2023 budget and diverted the N1.5bn into those contracts instead of using the money to pay old contractors.

Hon. Kafilat Ogbara said the Ministry awarded fresh contracts in 15 states of the federation, similarly not captured in the 2023 appropriation while owing contractors.

“Money for contractors has not been paid and money released has been diverted. So how do you pay these contractors”, she asked.

She disclosed that there is an ongoing probe of the Ministry by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) on overhead release of November/December 2023 to the tune of N1.5bn.

She said the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding MoU with the American University of Nigeria, Yola for the payment of Chibok girls’ school fees for seven years.

The committee is probing the N1.5 billion allegedly meant for the payment of contractors but allegedly diverted by officials of the Ministry.

Responding to some of the allegations, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Amb. Gabriel Aduda explained that in 2023, the ministry’s total budget was N13.6 billion with N3.4 billion, translating to 25 percent, while the unreleased balance stood at N10.2 billion”.

Director of Finance of the Ministry, Aloy Ifeakandu said he only complies with official directives from his superiors. He added that the records are available.

He said: “I resumed the ministry in September 2023, I wouldn’t know what happened before I came. The individual contractors have their files, it can be traced, as at the time I took over, there was no balance in the vote.”