Connect with us

Headline

JUST IN: Buhari’s Aide Appointed As NDDC Board Chairman

Published

on

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed his aide on new media, Lauretta Onochie, as the substantive chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Buhari, in a letter addressed to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, also announced the nomination of 15 others as NDDC board members.

The letter, which was read at Wednesday plenary, requested the Senate confirm the nominees.

Advertisement

Buhari had, in October 2020, nominated Onochie as National Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to represent Delta State.

Her nomination was greeted with massive outrage, with many opposition politicians and civil society groups calling for her rejection on the grounds that she was too partisan to serve in a sensitive institution like INEC.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: FG Unveils Redesigned Naira Notes To General Public [PHOTOS]

Advertisement

She was also accused of being a card-carrying member of All Progressives Congress, a claim she denied three times during her screening.

The Senate rejected her nomination based on federal character principle.

The chairman of the screening panel, Senator Kabiru Gaya said there was currently a serving commissioner of INEC from Delta State, where Onochie hails from, and confirming her appointment would violate constitutional provision.

Advertisement

 

Advertisement
Comments

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

on

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Indian National Arraigned In Lagos Over Alleged N22m Supermarket Fraud

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

Advertisement

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts Indian Lady With 72 Parcels Of Heroin ON n Chocolate Wraps

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Advertisement

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

on

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Advertisement

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Continue Reading

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

on

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:US Restricts Entry Routes For Travellers From DRC, Uganda, South Sudan Over Ebola Outbreak

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Advertisement

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending