Former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has expressed disappointment over the recent wave of defections by members of the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

According to Tambuwal, no politician with a conscience would join the APC, given the current economic situation in the country.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the North-West Zonal meeting of the PDP in Kaduna on Saturday, Tambuwal attributed the defections to “stomach infrastructure” rather than the interest of the people.

He said, “People leave parties for different reasons, but what I have been observing in recent times are defections not based on the interest of the people but on stomach infrastructure.”

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Tambuwal, who represents Sokoto South Senatorial District in the Senate, questioned the rationale behind the defections, stating that no politician with a conscience would align with the APC, considering its policies and the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

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“I believe no one with a conscience will join the APC. With the current policies being driven by the APC government, the economic doldrums it has plunged Nigerians into, the hardship across the country, and the dismal performance of Tinubu’s administration, there is nothing attractive beyond stomach infrastructure.

“Defections based on stomach infrastructure are not worrisome. But all of us who believe in this country and in serving the people must unite and work towards ensuring that by 2027, we vote out this administration that lacks focus, compassion, and direction,” he added.

The senator urged PDP members and other Nigerians to come together and work towards defeating the APC in 2027.

Meanwhile, the North-West PDP has vowed to unseat the APC in the next election.

According to a communiqué read by the North-West Zonal Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bello Gwarzo, the party resolved to swiftly address all conflicts at the national level.

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has revealed that over 11,553 underage candidates have registered for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Oloyede made the disclosure in Lagos on Friday while inspecting approved computer-based test centres where candidates are being registered.

According to Oloyede, a total of 782,027 candidates have been registered in the last 10 days.

“Now, we have registered 782,027, and 11,553 of them are underage. So, you can see that as we are registering, the system is reporting from all over the country. Out of the expected two million candidates, we’re not yet at the 14th day.

“Monday will mark our 14th day. So, in two weeks, we would have completed about half of our registration process, and by that time, we expect to have over one million candidates registered. So far, everything has been smooth,” he said.

Oloyede pointed out that on Friday alone, 443 underage candidates were registered, with 18,813 candidates successfully registered that morning.

“Today alone, we have 443 underage candidates, and out of the 18,813 registered this morning, 443 are underage. This year, we’ve introduced a system that allows us to identify and track underage candidates.

“This will help us understand their issues and even identify those who might be genuinely gifted but still underage,” he explained.

He also spoke about a growing trend of parents enrolling their children early, stating, “It has become a common thing now, where parents whether mothers or fathers are registering their underage children, sometimes due to pressure or other reasons.”

He noted that the registration process for this year’s examination has experienced both commendable progress and notable delays, according to an official statement issued earlier this week.

Oloyede shared insights into the ongoing technical challenges and improvements.

“You are here. You were here last year. See if you can find any power outages, network failures, and so forth. I just heard recently that due to the technical measures put in place this year, things are a bit slow,” he said.

Oloyede acknowledged the delays while hinting that the situation was being actively managed.

Despite some criticisms, Oloyede noted that Nigerians’ desire for efficiency can sometimes clash with the systems put in place to regulate the process.

He said, “No, it’s not a bit slow. You know Nigerians generally want to have things their own way. Look at these students. In other climes, they have to register on their own. Nobody should be doing registration for them.”

He went on to emphasise the effort being made to ensure the system is thorough, stating that while some students had the option of having assistance with registration, many were not taking the process seriously.

“But go and see the attitude. Even when we have engaged people to be doing the enrollment for them, something they are supposed to do on their own, they are even not attentive.”

To mitigate potential issues, Oloyede disclosed that new measures were being introduced to ensure candidates fully engaged with the registration process.

He added, “What we do is that we put some safety valves into it. For example, for a candidate who is registered, we expect him to read certain rules. Before he will say, I agree. In the past, once he said, I agree, it goes. But we have now put a time limit. A time-space that whether he likes it or not, he must read because the system will not go until that time elapses.”

Despite the challenges, he pointed out the significant progress in registrations.

Oloyede said, “This is the first time that we have been registering 80,000-plus. Yesterday, we registered close to 100,000 across the country. And we have budgeted for 60,000 per day. That’s what we use in our planning.”

“But from the third day, we started 80,000, 90,000 per day. So, which means we will finish long before the time.”

A total of 18 kidnapping and armed robbery suspects were on Friday apprehended along the Benin – Auchi axis by the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) with pellets and several charms recovered.

ESSC’s Corps Commandant, Friday Ibadin who made this known on Saturday, said the arrests were made during a bush combing exercise along Benin – Auchi Road by Equedion Camp, close to the Army Checkpoint.

Identifying 17 out of the 18 arrested suspects as non-indigenes of the state, Comm. Ibadin reassured Edo Citizens of government’s commitment to ensuring and providing an enabling environment for them during this farming season.

He stressed that his men will continue to assert more effort to that ensure Edo State is completely free of criminals.

Ibadin said on sighting his men, the suspects took to their heels but were chased to a camp were 18 persons were arrested.

“17 of the 18 arrested suspects are non – indigenes, while one is an indigene from Agbede community,” he said.

Ibadin said thirty-eight (38) fully loaded locally made guns and charms were also recovered in the process.

“Our men will continue to comb the bushes and sensitise locals to ensure our forests are rid of this criminals and that Edo State is safe and secured for all.

While handing over the suspected criminals to the DPO of Agbede Police Station, Ibadin sued for closer synergy between the corps and other security agencies in the state, maintaining that collaborative effort is required to completely combat criminal elements in the state.

He added that the arrests by the Corps is coming few days after Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo ordered security agencies to flush out criminals in the state and make Edo forests and bushes safe and secured for farmers, and all Edo people.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has suspended its chief driver attached to Uyo Zonal Office in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Akwaowo Jonah Emmanuel for alleged sexual violations and exploitation of female suspects.

Emmanuel was suspended without pay over accusations of sexual violations and exploitation of female suspects, including minors retrieved on transit and kept in the agency’s custody pending conclusion of investigation.

The suspended official accused of promising freedom for female suspects in custody if they agree to his sexual advances.

The agency said the suspension followed a report of the interim committee set up by the management to investigate the allegations against Mr. Emmanuel.

However, it said final decision of the Senior Staff Committee deliberating on the matter, would determine the fate of the official in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules.

The Commission’s decision was contained in a letter referenced NAPTIP/PwP/462/T1 titled; “Update and Proactive Response by the Management of the NAPTIP on the Allege Sexual Harassment of Victim by Mr. Jonah Akwaowo Emmanuel”, dated February 10, 2025, and made available to LEADERSHIP in Uyo by its Press Officer, Mr. Vincent Adekoye.

It reads: “That the attention of NAPTIP, has been drawn to the above incident and the various inquiries by the media partners on the matter.

“That I am directed to point out that due to the Director General, Binta Adamu Bello’s zero tolerance to such behavior that constitutes gross misconduct by any officer, the agency promptly reacted and below are the updates on the matter.

“The officer in question was on January 16, 2025 issued a query.

“A panel of inquiry comprising of officers of the Command, was constituted to investigate the matter thoroughly. The panel had several sessions during which all parties involved were invited. It interrogated the officer involved, took testimonies from victims as well as other relevant persons, and submitted a report to the Headquarters as directed.

“Based on the report of the Committee, the management subsequently suspended the officer via a letter dated February 6, 2025 from office without pay”.

Earlier, an Abuja-based Human Rights Crusader, Barrister Jacob Udobang of Jacob B. Udobang Associates had petitioned the agency, exposing some of the illicit activities of some staff of Uyo Zonal Office and demanded that the matter be transferred to the headquarters for impartial investigation.

“We are watching and also synergising with our partners for a world press conference except we receive a positive response from the commission,” he vowed.

NAPTIP DG, Binta Bello, however appreciated the concerns of the stakeholders in the matter and assured that, the officer concerned would be made to face the full wrath of the law including prosecution, if found guilty.

Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, has insisted that his allegations that three Nigerian lawmakers asked for $150 million bribe to prevent his arrest and prosecution in Nigeria for alleged financial crimes were true.

Gambaryan made the allegations on his X handle on Friday, naming Ginger Onwusibe, Philip Agbese and Peter Akpanke as the lawmakers. 

He claimed the legislators asked him to wire the funds to their cryptocurrency wallets.

As of the time of this report, Onwusibe and Agbese had denied the allegation, threatening to seek redress in court.

In a post on X on Saturday, the Binance executive said: “Many requested that I stay on and provide further commentary on the issues I posted about yesterday. Here’s the hard truth: what I shared was meant to fill in the gaps left by Wired and NPR’s reporting.

“The reality is that last year was incredibly painful for me and my family. I dedicated my life to fighting crime as a Special Agent with the United States Department of the Treasury and as a compliance profession.  It was an honor to serve my country and it was a blessing that they came to my rescue and mobilized the full force of the U.S. government when I was in need.”

Gambaryan recalled the pain his family went through during his incarceration.

“Being dragged through court on outrageous, baseless, and trumped-up charges didn’t just hurt me—it also brought immense pain to my family,” he wrote.

“I don’t want to see my kids cry because I’m not around. I don’t want to see videos of my 75-year-old mother on television in tears. I don’t want to see my wife crying on TV. I want to put this nightmare behind me and move on.

“What I shared was factual, based on my personal experiences and conversations with those who have direct knowledge of the events I discussed. Information that was shared with both Nigerian and U.S law enforcement. So please, allow me to leave this behind and find peace.

“I am no longer in law enforcement. The responsibility of seeing this through to a logical conclusion now falls on those still serving in United States and Nigeria.”

Flagging off the distribution of thousands of bags of rice, salt, cartons of Spaghetti, marghi, sets of wrappers, blankets among, and vegetable oil among others, Seyi said, the gesture is to cushion the hardship faced by students in the affected schools, including University of Maiduguri, College of Agriculture, College of Nursing, College of Health and Federal College of Fisheries, Baga.

Represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students and Engagement, Hon. Sunday Adebayo Asefon on Saturday at College of Agriculture Maiduguri said, the idea was muted last year in the peak of the crisis when Seyi paid sympathy visit to Borno State Government and donated materials worth N500 million, after which leaders of Students Union Government (SUG) accosted Seyi at the airport seeking for extensional support to students affected by the disaster.

He explained that “Seyi been a committed leader for Youth Empowerment, and keying into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration irrespective of tribe, religion or political considerations, collaborated with his friends and provide additional relief items to the affected students which were distributed today”.

He commended all the SUG leaders, the Committee Chairman and his team, as well as the security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police for their unwavering support which led to the smooth and successful conduct of the exercise.

Seyi further revealed that his door are always open to Nigerian youths in giving them hope, as they are the future leaders of tomorrow.

He enjoined the Chairman of the Committee and his team as well as SUG representatives to do justice and transparently distributed the relief items to the real beneficiaries, even as he prayed God to forestall future occurence of any natural or man- made disasters in the country.

In their goodwill messages, the President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Comrade Lucky Emonefe, Senate President of Students Affairs, Comrade Babatunde Akintaye and the Chairman of the Committee for distribution of the items, Comrade Mallam Sadiq praised President Tinubu for approving billions of naira as scholalrship loan to Nigerian students, in which Borno students alone who applied for the scheme have received over a billion as scholalrship intervention.

They also bailed Setup Tinubu and his friends for coming to the aid of students affected by the flood in the state, even as they enjoined the benefitting students to utilise the items for their own good, and continue to pray for peace and development in the country

The Association of Igbo Town Unions, ASITU, on Saturday, said it has written a petition to the United Nation, UN, and the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, against the Lagos state government over the alleged demolition of properties belonging to Igbo people in Ebute Ero Market in Lagos. 

The ASITU’s National President, Chief Emeka Diwe, spoke to newsmen in Owerri, while reacting to reports of the destruction of the properties. 

According to the ASITU’s statement, “The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing, systematic demolition of lawfully acquired properties belonging to Igbo people in Lagos State. The demolition of trading plazas belonging to Igbo businessmen at Ebute Ero Market in Lagos on Friday, February 14, 2025 by agents of the Lagos State Government amounts to a calculated expropriation of our people from their legitimate businesses. It represents an assault on justice, equality, and the fundamental principles of property rights.”

ASITU said they were angry because “Despite repeated appeals for fairness and adherence to the rule of law, the Lagos State Government has continued its brazen campaign of selective demolition, disproportionately targeting Igbo-owned properties under various pretexts. It must be noted that the these buildings and businesses complexes being demolished were never illegally built. They all came into being through the authorization of this same government masterminding their destruction today.

“This anti-Igbo brigandage in Lagos is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated anymore, because it is reminiscent of the litany of injustices which our people have had to historically endure in Nigeria.”

It was part of their resolve that; “Given the failure of domestic institutions in Nigeria to address these grievances and rein in on the ravages levied against our hardworking patriots in Lagos, ASITU has formally petitioned the following international bodies to intervene and hold the Lagos State Government accountable for these atrocious acts:

“The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) – To investigate Lagos State’s actions as a violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to property, non-discrimination, and freedom from targeted dispossession.

“The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) – To bring Nigeria to account under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the protection of property rights for all citizens without bias.

“⁠The ECOWAS Court of Justice – To seek legal redress for affected individuals whose rights have been violated in contravention of regional human rights standards. Also, the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – To document these abuses and amplify the plight of the Igbo people facing targeted property destruction.”

He continued by saying: “This is not just a legal battle—it is a fight for justice, dignity, and equal citizenship in a country that belongs to all Nigerians. We demand an immediate end to these discriminatory actions and full accountability from those responsible.

“ASITU, in view of the foregoing, reiterates its call on Ndigbo in the diaspora to embrace the Aku Ruo Ulo investment initiative, which aims at the gradual, seamless and steady repatriation of a portion of their investments to Igboland, so as to unleash the potential of our land and make it the oasis of prosperity in Nigeria.”

Mike Elvis Tusubira, a Ugandan taxi driver, has been living with HIV since 2022, when he tested positive.

For him, the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has been a boon to the 1.4 million people living with HIV in Uganda. He said that over the next three months, “it will be a matter of life and death”.

“The suspension of all USAID activities has affected me deeply. I don’t know what to do next. What will happen to me?” he said.

“My doctor told me he left the hospital I was going to. What will happen to my child and my partner?”

I’m worried about my future. And there’s no future in reality. Because there are no shelters, no medicine, no condoms, nothing.”

A test showed Mike’s wife was HIV-negative – and she was taking a medication that reduced the risk of contracting the virus.

Since the USAID project was suspended, he and his partner have not been able to access the same medical care they used to. The uncertainty has caused their relationship to start to suffer.

Uganda is among the top ten countries in Africa to receive USAID funding. According to U.S. government data, the country received $295 million in health assistance from the agency in fiscal year 2023—third behind Tanzania, which received $337 million, and Nigeria, which received $368 million.

The health sector in Uganda is highly dependent on aid provided to the country.

USAID supports the country’s health programs, including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and leprosy. It also supports women’s and children’s health programs and emergency health assistance.

Uganda receives 70 percent of its HIV treatment from foreign aid. BBC

A woman who accused hip-hop stars Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 dropped her civil lawsuit on Friday, court records showed.

Jay-Z — real name Shawn Carter — was accused in December of raping the girl with Combs at a party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September of 2000.

The document filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York claims the accuser “hereby gives notice that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice” — meaning the suit cannot be refiled.

It was not immediately clear if the stars had reached a settlement with the woman, who has not been identified.

But 55-year-old billionaire Jay-Z welcomed the closure of the case, which he slammed as “frivolous, fictitious and appalling.”

“This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims,” he said in a statement.

“I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

The complaint said Combs and Carter — who is married to pop superstar Beyonce — took turns assaulting the plaintiff as another celebrity stood by and watched.

“Many others were present at the after party, but did nothing to stop the assault,” it went on.

“Carter has been with Combs during many such instances described herein. Both perpetrators must face justice.”

Combs, also 55, has separately been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.

“Federal prosecutors allege that he sexually abused women and coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence.

He has denied all charges, and his criminal trial is currently slated to begin on May 5.

Nigerian actress, Biodun Okeowo has opened up about why she stepped away from acting.

She revealed that her decision was due to the unfair treatment she received from some film marketers.

According to Biodun Okeowo, these marketers made unreasonable demands and tried to damage her career.

She shared specific instances of how they affected her work, including being excluded from projects and removed from movie posters.

Biodun Okeowo stated that as a result of these experiences, she lost her passion for acting and began to turn down roles. Eventually, she made the difficult decision to leave the industry.

“Marketers were the reason I left the movie industry after blacklisting me for refusing to remove my panties. They even told producers to stop featuring me in movies and went as far as removing my head from the poster of a film where I played the lead role.

“How many of their wicked actions should I even talk about? They did so much damage to my career that I eventually got tired of acting and walked away by myself. I developed so much hatred for a job I once had so much passion for that I began to turn jobs down,” she revealed.