UNIBEN Students Protest Assault By Soldiers, Shut School Gate

 Students of the University of Benin on Thursday staged a protest against the Nigerian Army over alleged assault on their colleague by soldiers from S&T Barracks, in Benin City. 

CAMPUS GIST gathered that trouble started when some soldiers stormed one of the banks on campus to withdraw money from the Automated Teller Machine (ATM). 

Eyewitnesses told this online media that the soldiers would not join the queue or take permission from anybody but forcefully push their way to the front in their numbers.

They were said to have descended heavily on a female student who they assumed was recording their ungodly act on tape. This did not go down well with other students on queue.

Not satisfied, the soldiers, it was gathered, attempted to forcefully abduct the student to their barrack apparently to deal with her but for the quick intervention of the school security department. 

In a bid to carry out their plan by all means, the soldiers reportedly pounced on and assaulted the school's security personnel including the Chief Security Officer (CSO). 

The development reportedly led to retaliation from civilians. In a viral video seen by this Reporter, one of the soldiers could be seen on the floor being taught a “lesson” he wouldn't forget in a hurry. He would later manage to escape and call for backup. 

Staff and students were, however, seen stopping a van belonging to the Nigerian Army apparently conveying the backup soldiers from entering the University's premises. 

Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigerian Army, S&T Barracks proved abortive. As at the time of filing this report, Management of the University was yet to react to the development. 

But, the students have not taken to the University main gate, blocking a part of the ever-busy Uselu-Lagos expressway and disrupting vehicular movement. 

They claim some of their wounded colleagues and security personnel have been taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for medical attention.

Their is tension on campus over fears that the soldiers who have now retreated to their base may return in group to cause trouble for the students. As at the time of filing this report, the University main gate was still shut. 

Linda Ikeji With Cast Of Dark October At The Movie’s Premiere

 Linda Ikeji has premiered the movie Dark October, based on the true life story of Aluu 4 who were brutally murdered while schooling in Uniport by indigenes of their host town, Aluu.

The parents of the 4 victims had written to Linda Ikeji through a NGO asking her to stop the release of the movie because she did not have their permission to document the tragic experience as a movie.



Linda Ikeji and Cast at the Movie Premiere of Dark October

Soldiers Rescue 30 Kidnapped Kaduna Travellers

 Soldiers of the One Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, on Thursday, rescued 30 kidnap victims on the Kaduna-Birnin-Gwari Road, Kaduna State.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of the division, Lt. Col. Musa Yahaya, who disclosed this in a statement, said the troops encountered the bandits while escorting the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Maj. Gen. S. E. Udonwa, who was on operational visits to Operation Whirl Punch Headquarters in Birnin Gwari.

According to Yahaya, the troops engaged the bandits and overpowered them, forcing the criminals to withdraw.

He said the troops recovered two motorcycles from the hoodlums.

The Army spokesman said, “The gallant troops rescued 30 kidnapped victims, recovered two motorcycles and immediately cleared the highway for free flow of vehicular traffic. The rescued victims were escorted to Udawa and Birnin Gwari to continue their journey.”

El-Rufai: We Will Unmask Aso Villa Cabal Working Against Tinubu

 Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Thursday said he will expose the “elements” in the Presidential Villa who are working against the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and want him to lose the 25 February election.

Mr El-Rufai, in an interview with TVC News Thursday evening alleged that the currency swap introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was meant to incite voters against the APC and was orchestrated by the forces who are bent on ensuring that the APC presidential candidate loses the election.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the CBN announced the new naira notes policy last October and initially gave 31 January as the deadline for the use of the old notes. The CBN chief, who announced the policy, had sought to challenge Mr Tinubu for the APC ticket but was forced to withdraw from the race due to public pressure as many questioned the correctness and legality of the bank chief joining active politics.

On Thursday, Mr El-Rufai said the unnamed people hiding behind President Muhammadu Buhari are pursuing their interests by inciting the voters against the APC through the currency swap.

“We are not against the policy, cashless is the way to go, but you can’t do it in a few weeks. Allow time for every farmer, trader, student, and market woman in the village and to the city to be able to take their money in the banks and get new currencies or take the bullion van to them with the security and change their money.

“It is not everywhere that POS work, and it’s not everywhere you have bank branches. Let’s look for reasonable times according to the CBN Act before the legal tender ceases to exist,” the governor said.

Mr Emefiele and President Buhari had defended the policy, saying three months was enough for people with old notes to change them to new ones. However, the scarcity of the new notes has caused suffering for millions of Nigerians with many spending hours in queues to get cash.

Mr El-Rufai had on Wednesday alleged that the Aso Villa cabal working against Mr Tinubu were doing so because their preferred candidate did not win the APC primary. He did not mention any names but there were allegations that close aides of Mr Buhari encouraged Mr Emefiele to seek the APC presidential ticket. After Mr Emefiele withdrew from the race, the aides allegedly backed Senate President Ahmad Lawan who came fourth in the APC primary.

Mr El-Rufai said he believes that the cabal members are only using the currency swap policy, in the name of Mr Buhari, to exact revenge.

He said those people working in the name of the president to inflict pain on Nigerians will be exposed after the election.

“Unmasking them (cabals) is not as joyful as defeating them,” he said. “They will be unmasked in time. We have defeated them when they wanted their people in the national working committee of the APC. We have defeated them when they wanted their own anointed person to be the presidential candidate without due regard, due process or even respect for those of us who are governors, that put the party together, campaign for it and deliver the election twice.”

“We didn’t matter, we are governors and (people saying) governors are corrupt, they are bad, meanwhile, none of them has contested an election and won an election and if they did they won’t win.

“I have been elected twice with over a million votes as governor of Kaduna State, I can claim to speak for the people, (but) none of these (cabals) can. We will come to the unmasking stage; this is not the stage. The stage now is to draw the attention of Nigerians that there are elements that are doing this and they don’t mean well to our party, they want to incite voters against our party so that we lose the election.

“Now once Nigerians know that they will know where the funny decisions are coming from and once the election is done and settled, by the grace of God in about three weeks and I am confident, we are not sleeping, we are going to work hard until 27 February when the election results are out and by the grace of God, Bola Tinubu is elected and other candidates of the APC, then we will unmask them (Cabals),” he said.

Accept Labour Party Candidates In 24 States, Court Tells INEC

 A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the nomination of candidates of the Labour Party (LP) in 24 States of the federation for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.

The court ordered that the electoral body must accept the list of the candidates in the 24 states either manually or through its electronic nomination portal.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo in his judgments in 24 different suits brought before him by the Labour Party held that INEC violated sections 31, 33 and 36 of the Electoral Act 2022 in rejecting Labour Party candidates in the affected states on the ground of non functionality of its nomination portal.

The 24 states affected by the Court order are Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, Benue, Bauchi, Ebonyi and Ekiti States.

The rest are Katsina, Bayelsa, Niger, Rivers, Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Borno, Osun, Adamawa and Cross River states.

The Labour Party had last November conducted substitution nominations for its candidates who withdrew from the 2023 general elections in the affected states.

The withdrawals were communicated to INEC by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party along with notification of the October 27 date to conduct substitution nomination primary elections.

However, at the point of uploading the fresh candidates names, INEC claimed that its nomination portal was faulty and declined to accept the candidates list manually promoting the 24 legal actions.

Justice Ekwo in the judgment said that the evidence of the Labour Party through exchanged letters with INEC in the nomination issue was credible and proceeded to attach probative value to it.

The judge held that the consequences of non-functional electronic nomination portal cannot be visited on the Labour Party.

Justice Ekwo agreed with the Labour Party that nomination and submission of candidates list cannot be rejected by INEC from any party untill 90 days to the general elections.

The judge said that the time the Labour Party sought to submit a list of its candidates in the 24 states was more than 90 days to the 2023 general elections, and hence, within time allowed by law.

Justice Ekwo held that INEC was bound to accept the Labour Party’s candidates list manually once its electronic nomination portal is faulty.

The judge subsequently ordered INEC to open its website for the purpose of allowing the Labour Party to submit a list of its candidates or accept the same manually with immediate effect for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.

Danfo Buses Start Accepting Bus Fares Via Cowry Cards

 Lagos State goes Cashless in All form of Transportations including Danfo with Cowrie Cards

1. Train
2. BRT Buses
3. Water Transportation
4. Public Transportation owns by individuals

Nigeria Decides 2023: Presidential Contest Is Between Atiku, Obi – Dogora

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara has said evidence shows that the race for the 2023 presidency is between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party candidate and ex-Anambra Governor Peter Obi.

Dogara took a swipe at the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying he always dances at his campaign rallies because he has nothing to say, alleging that the former Lagos governor has staggering allegations of fraud and moral corruption against him that weighs down on his integrity and capacity.

Commenting on Peter Obi, he said: “As for the Labour candidate, I don’t have much to say about him because I don’t know him and that’s what scares the daylight out of me. At the level I have operated in Nigerian politics, I am supposed to know a number of things about him but regrettably, that is not so.

On the former Kano State Governor, Musa Kwankwaso, of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dogara said NNPP has not carried a nationwide campaign required for the presidency.

“The crucial role we can play as Christians is to examine the character of the candidates running for offices especially the highest office in the country and disallowed those of them that we know are not a reflection of our moral ethos,” he said.