By Ezinwanne Onwuka
● Politician raises alarm over disputed assassination plot
Ehie Edison, the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, has claimed he was the target of an assassination attempt Sunday that
was aborted by the lawmaker’s security escorts. The lawmaker, at a press briefing Monday, said the gunmen who stormed his residence were led by two senior police officers from the state police command.
The State Assembly spokesperson Ken Uchendu, in a statement sent to local media, said the gunmen were political thugs and cops. He assured the public that footage of the act as captured by CCTV cameras would be made public for confirmation and record purposes.
The attack followed a crisis within the legislature, with Edison declaring himself the Speaker despite a lack of support by 24 of the 32 lawmakers. The Commissioner of Police in the State, has, however, dismissed Sunday’s attack. “The preliminary investigations we have done so far have not revealed any assassination attempt,” he said.
Read more: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/11/gunmen-attack-rivers-assembly-factional-speakers-residence/
● Locals of 13 displaced communities return as military dislodges bandits
Residents of 13 Kebbi villages displaced by insurgents have returned to their homes after four years of turmoil caused by terrorists and bandits in the communities. A government official in the Northwestern State said the residents are resettling fast as peace and tranquillity have returned to the communities.
Markets have reopened and commercial activities have begun because of the relentless efforts of security agencies to drive away the bandits from the long-suffering communities, authorities said.
“Previously, none of our people could sleep; none could go to the markets, and nobody was going to the farm. Now, even villages in neighbouring Niger and Zamfara are enjoying the restoration of security in Kebbi.”
The communities include Sawade, Bakin Gulunbi, Bakin Gulunbi Mai Kpanu, Malekachi, Sakawa, Sabongida, Kauran Mai Zanma, Luga, Angela Kibiya, Angela Dado, Tsirinda, Kasama and Ma’ako.
Read more: https://ait.live/kebbi-banditry-residents-in-13-sacked-communities-return-home/
● Tinubu woos German investors at G20 Summit
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has enthusiastically conveyed his commitment to fostering increased investment opportunities for Nigeria at the G20 Compact with Africa Summit taking place in Berlin.
Tinubu assured potential investors from G20 nations that their money is safe in Nigeria. “Your money is safe. Since I assumed office in May 2023, we have embarked on transformative changes, removing all obstacles hindering businesses,” he said.
The President also said that beyond Nigeria’s natural resources, Nigeria’s young population makes the country an attractive investment destination. “We are eager and ready to partner with you. We have the youngest, largest, and most vibrant youth population in Africa,” Tinubu said.
“Equally, we have every ingredient required in the making of a modern economy: a well-educated population, a massive market, and the political will to bring it all together under my leadership.”
● Central bank postpones rate-setting meeting again
Nigeria’s central bank postponed a bimonthly meeting of its monetary policy committee for a second time since Olayemi Cardoso was appointed to head the apex bank.
Inflation in Nigeria has leapt to 27.33% fuelling a cost-of-living crisis in Africa’s largest economy. Yet, the committee ditched the critical monetary rates-setting meeting to review the economic and financial conditions in the country.
The meeting was slated for November 20 and 21 but it was deferred. “A new date will be communicated in due course,” the bank’s spokesperson Isa Abdul Mumin said in a statement.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s monetary policy committee met last in July and raised its interest rates to 18.75%.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thenationonlineng.net/cbn-fails-to-convene-mpc-meeting-again/
● Authorities nab wanted drug lord 7 years after prison escape
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA], the equivalent of the Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA] in the United States, has recaptured in the national capital a notorious drug peddler, Ibrahim Momoh, seven years after he escaped from prison.
Momoh, whose alias is Ibrahim Bendel, was initially arrested in 2014 with 385 kilograms of cannabis sativa. He was convicted and got a 7½-year jail sentence in July 2015, but he fled the prison in May 2016.
The NDLEA declared him wanted in November 2022, after he narrowly slipped off their fingers during a raid at his drug storehouse. The fleeing ex-convict was nabbed on November 5, 2023, when NDLEA agents surprized him at his hideout in the Dei-Dei area of Abuja. In his possession were 56.9 kilograms of cannabis sativa and 42.7 grams of Diazepam.
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Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
