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‘All Eyes On Judiciary’: Tinubu Didn’t Order Billboards’ Removal — ARCON DG

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President Bola Tinubu, according to Olalekan Fadolapo, director-general of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), did not order the removal of “all eyes on the judiciary” billboards in various parts of the country.

ARCON ordered the billboards sponsored by the Diasporas for Good Governance to be removed on Tuesday.

ARCON also disbanded its advertising standards panel, which was in charge of approving billboards aimed towards the presidential election petition tribunal.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s adviser, Phrank Shaibu, called the development an attack on free expression.

According to The Punch, Fadolapo, in an interview on Saturday, said the agency’s decision was not influenced by Tinubu as being speculated in some quarters.

He said the steps taken so far by the council, including the suspension of the director and deputy director of regulations, are administrative procedures.

“Our people are extremely biased. Now, this advert has nothing to do with the presidency, I hope we all know this,” says Fadolapo.

“These adverts have a lot to do with the judiciary; it has absolutely nothing to do with the presidency. I don’t know why they would say that the President asked us or the presidency asked us to punish them. How will the presidency interfere with this?

“The presidency has not at any point in time interfered in this issue. This is an administrative procedure. Someone erred and we looked at it to confirm that they erred and you did not fire them. The easiest thing to do is to give them a fair hearing and in the process of giving them a fair hearing, we are asking them to please step down from the offices they are occupying to be able to investigate properly.

“How does the presidency now come into this? The judiciary is supposed to be the one that they will say is influencing us and nobody in the judiciary has even made a statement on this.

“Don’t forget that there are other adverts worse than this on social media that we are even trying to track and pull down, posting some of these judiciary members’ names, their pictures on social media, and all of that. This has absolutely nothing to do with the presidency; the presidency has not interfered and I don’t think the presidency will interfere. The presidency is dealing with so many things and they have given each agency the independence to do their work.”

Fadolapo said the suspended officials would appear before a committee that would review the entire process and that they would be given fair hearing in the course of the investigation.

He said the council is taking “necessary actions” against the billboard owners, adding that all outdoor organisations involved will be sanctioned.

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Inside Jigawa: One Dead, Groom Hospitalised As Bride Allegedly Poisons Wedding Guests

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A wedding in Jigawa State has turned tragic after a bride allegedly poisoned food served at the reception.

The incident reportedly left the groom critically ill and one of the wedding guests dead.

The incident occurred in the Jahun Local Government Area of the state.

Eyewitnesses suggested that the bride’s actions may have been driven by a personal vendetta.

Speaking on Friday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Shi’isu Adam, confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation was underway.

“We received a report that the bride had tainted the food served at the wedding reception, leaving the groom critically ill.

“Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the alleged food poisoning incident that occurred during a wedding ceremony in the state,” Adam said.

He revealed that the two suspects are the bride and another female, adding that they are in custody and being interrogated by the Criminal Investigation Department of the command.

The police spokesperson added, “We will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served.”

According to the police spokesman, all the wedding attendants who consumed the poisoned food have been discharged from the hospital, except for the one person who was confirmed dead.

“The command is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, and we will provide more details as soon as possible.

“For now, we can confirm that the incident occurred, and we are working tirelessly to unravel the facts. We urge the public to remain calm and assured that justice will be served,” he concluded.

The identities of the deceased, the groom, and other victims have not been disclosed by the authorities.

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Peter Obi Hellbent On Inciting Nigerians Against President Tinubu, He’s A Doomsayer — APC

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Peter Obi’s New Year message as “misleading and an attempt to score cheap political points.”

Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, used his New Year message to criticize President Bola Tinubu, expressing grave concerns over institutional corruption, mismanagement, poverty, hardship, and an escalating debt profile.

The former governor of Anambra stated that corruption has been deeply entrenched in government and nepotism has become the norm under Tinubu’s leadership.

He also demanded “vigorous, positive actions” from the administration to bring succour to Nigerians.

However, in a counter-statement on Thursday, Felix Morka, APC spokesperson, stated that Obi’s assessment contradicted all indicators showing that the nation’s economy is rebounding across various sectors.

Morka accused Obi and members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of relentlessly trying to incite public outrage against the Tinubu administration.

The APC further accused Obi of portraying himself as “a leading doomsayer, omniscient and philosopher’s stone” while failing to deliver “meaningful achievements during his eight-year tenure as governor in Anambra state.”

“In reality, 18 months later, the economy, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has shown a steady record of progress,” the statement reads.

“Despite these and other initial beneficial outcomes of ongoing reforms, the administration is doubling its effort to ensure their fullest benefits for the transformation of our country.

“It is a thing of irony that Obi, who now arrogates to himself to be omniscient and philosopher’s stone, when it comes to our nation’s challenges, left no record of significant achievement, let alone transformation of any kind, in his eight-year tenure as Governor of Anambra State.”

“Like his co-travellers in the PDP, Obi’s obsessive pessimism and endless but futile effort to incite public outrage against the administration is borne out of the realization that Tinubu is unwittingly cementing their political irrelevance by his visionary and full-throttle reform.”

“Under the banner of the Renewed Hope Agenda, President Tinubu is dutifully turning our nation’s fortunes around. We urge Nigerians to remain confident of better days ahead.”

The ruling party added that Tinubu’s goal is to reduce inflation from 34 percent to 15 percent in 2025.

“With the vigour in the administration’s war on corruption, evidenced by ongoing investigations and trial of well-heeled Nigerians, Obi’s pontification on the urgent need to tame corruption is a clear case of carrying coal to Newcastle,” the party added.

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Five Arrested As Police Bust Female-Led ‘Phone-snatching Syndicate’ In Kano

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The Kano state police command has announced the arrest of members of a female-led phone-snatching syndicate operating within the Kano metropolis.

In a statement released on Thursday by Haruna Kiyawa, the police spokesperson in Kano, five members of the group, including its leader, 19-year-old Shamsiyya Adamu, were apprehended.

Kiyawa stated that Adamu was arrested on December 21, 2024, following reports of stolen mobile phones in Unguwa Uku Quarters, Kano.

He named the other suspects as “23-year-old Idris Yusuf, a tricycle rider who aided in transporting the principal suspect to commit crimes; Al’asan Dahiru, 24, who specialised in disposing of stolen items for the principal suspect; Abdulmajid Haruna, 27, who was buying stolen properties; and Salim Auwalu, 21, who was in charge of swindling money from victims’ bank accounts.”

“In the year 2024, the Kano State Police Command received numerous reports from residents of Kano Metropolis about a young lady who steals mobile phones from residential houses,” the statement reads.

“The reports indicated that the suspect was using a tricyclist and a cybercriminal to aid in her operations. The State Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Dogo Garba, raised a special intervention squad, and the principal suspect was arrested on December 21, 2024.

“The syndicate, led by Shamsiyya, specialised in stealing mobile phones from residential houses, using a tricyclist and a cybercriminal to aid in their operations. The suspects would deceive housewives, steal their mobile phones, and swindle money from their victims’ bank accounts.”

“Six mobile phones have been recovered so far, and efforts are ongoing to recover more stolen phones. Thirty complainants, including 29 females and 1 male, have lodged complaints against Shamsiyya, who confessed to stealing their mobile phones on various occasions in 2024.

“Anyone with a complaint against the suspects can contact the investigation team at 08032617800.”

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