The Nigerian Army said troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI said two bandit kingpins have been neutralised and one arrested, after an offensive operation in the criminals’ hideout at Yartasha and Chabi villages in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

A statement by Major General Musa Danmadami, Director of the Defence Media Operations said one of the bandits escaped with bullet wounds

It said the troops further conducted an ambush on bandits and discovered a large herd of rustled animals at Dan Marke village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The statement explained that the troops neutralized another bandit and recovered two AK 47 rifles, one hundred and fifty (150) rustled cattle, and forty (40) rustled sheep amongst other items.

It said the military high command commended the troops and pleaded with members of the public to always provide useful information relating to criminal activities.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has debunked reports that it’s recruiting.

The commission gave the denial in a series of tweets on Sunday.

The anti-graft agency said a statement inviting unsuspecting applicants to submit applications through a dubious EFCC Recruitment 2023/2024 Application Portal dated 7th April 2023 was false.

“The Commission wishes to notify the public that it is currently not recruiting. Any information to the contrary circulating in social media is false and the handiwork of mischief makers aimed at defrauding hapless job seekers.

“The Commission would not hesitate to continue to apply the full wrath of the law to bring perpetrators to book,” it said.

Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, has penned an emotional letter to his supporters, widely known as ‘the Obidients’.

Obi, who came third in the recently concluded presidential election, said he and Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mate, were mindful that his supporters had suffered vituperations, physical attacks, loss of rights and privileges, including hateful trolls, indignities and vexatious fighting words.

His statement is contained in a series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle on Monday and is coming on the heels of an alleged audio conversation between him and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church.

Baba-Ahmed had also been accused of making a speech characterized as treason by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture.

Obi noted that even those they had long regarded as civic leaders and the conscience of the nation joined in attacking his supporters.

He also urged them to bear attacks as necessary sacrifices they would make to create a new Nigeria.

While urging the ‘Obidients’ not to relent or be lured into unnecessary conflicts, Obi assured his team remains fully structured, focused and steadfast in addressing the ills in the country.

The former Anambra State governor added that he and Baba-Ahmed would use all lawful and peaceful means allowed under laws and constitution to reclaim their mandate to create a new Nigeria.

Part of his statement read, “My Obidients, a very happy Holy Month of Easter and Ramadan to you all. As we celebrate the Easter and look forward to a joyous Eid El Fitr, we pray for God Almighty’s guidance, protection and blessings as we face and pass through a litany of challenges in our dear country, Nigeria- flawed electoral processes, insecurity, weak institutions, multidimensional poverty, unemployment, inflation, lack of justice, fairness, equity, opportunities and many more.

“As we reflect on these challenges and look forward to a New Nigeria that is POssible, Datti and I are painfully mindful that for the mere reason of being OBIdient, most of you have suffered vituperations, physical attacks, loss of rights and privileges, hateful trolls, indignities and vexatious fighting words, even from some of those we long regarded as civic leaders and conscience of our nation. Please bear such attacks as the sacrifices that we are all required to make in order to create a New Nigeria, where justice, equity, fairness, love and prosperity shall reign.”

The Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA), has commenced the implementation of the Nigeria Anti-Corruption Performance Public Reporting (NAPPR) Project 2023 in partnership with anti-corruption agencies in the country.

The aim of the MacArthur Foundation-funded project is to conduct research, advocacy, public engagement and capacity development of Nigeria Anti-Corruption Agencies (EFCC, ICPC and CCB), CSOs, and media organizations on NAPPR project and to publish the first edition of a Harmonized Anti-Corruption Performance Report for 2017-2022.

Speaking during separate advocacy visits to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the project manager Dr Suleiman Amu Suleiman, said the project was to support Nigerian anti-corruption agencies to develop a standard reporting template that would correctly highlight and project their work locally and globally.

“It will build the capacity of the ACAs to develop and present their performance in such a way that will be more appreciative by Nigerians and in line with metrics used by global anti-corruption rating bodies like Transparency International,” he said.

At all the ACAs visited, the team lead explained the different components of the project which include research, advocacy, round table meetings with stakeholders and training for ACAs and the media. Dr Suleiman emphasized the need to support CMPA in the development of a standardize template for reporting to bridge the gap in reporting anti-corruption activities in Nigeria.

The various representatives of the ACAs who spoke during advocacy described the project as timely and advised the Centre to implement the project in line with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which is a working document for ACAs in Nigeria.

They also advised the Centre to develop domestic perception index for measuring anti-corruption performance in Nigeria as against the index used by international organizations.

Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA) is an independent not-for-profit organization incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2022. It focuses on anti-corruption, research, public policy analysis, transparency and accountability to strengthen social, economic and democratic governance in Nigeria.

The Chinese government said its delegation headed by its ambassador to Nigeria has met with President-elect Bola Tinubu to discuss diplomatic and trade relations.

China said it had identified people-to-people cooperation, which leads to cultural exchanges, as one of the main focus areas in its relationship with Nigeria and other countries.

Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, said this at a one-day seminar held at the University of Abuja on Tuesday day.

He added that he was ready to work with the new administration to be sworn in on May 29.

“I have talked with the president-elect and the vice-president-elect, and I believe we shared a lot of ideas, and I have also shared my ideas and practices with the current President Buhari, and China believes that the current president has set a very solid foundation for the next government,” Mr Cui said. “In spite of the challenges Nigeria faced, the country has smart, hardworking and talented people.”

The seminar had as its theme ‘Chinese Harmony and China-Nigeria Symphony’.

Mr Cui said policy coordination, financial integration, facilities connectivity, and trade and investment were the other cooperation priorities of its government.

The ambassador explained that policy coordination included planning and supporting large-scale infrastructural development projects, and financial integration included enhancing monetary coordination and bilateral financial cooperation.

He also described trade and investment as facilitating cross-border investments and supply chain cooperation, and the facilities connectivity included building facilities to enable connectivity along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The BRI, also called the New Silk Road, is a China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch globally.

The initiative was launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping and had a collection of development and investment initiatives originally devised to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure.

The project has, however, expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America.

Moreover, Mr Cui said the trade value between China and the BRI countries was ¥13.8, approximately N923 trillion or $2 trillion, which Nigeria is part of.

“The BRI is an initiative proposed by the Chinese government aimed at promoting Nigeria-China, Africa-China relations. It is good to try to increase trade among the big countries, not only the individual countries. Nigeria and China have huge potentials, which both countries can work together to harness,” explained the Chinese ambassador.

Mr Cui added, “The most important thing is how we can increase our productivity in Nigeria, and I am working hard on trying to build industries, trying to get Chinese investment. I do believe in the future that we can have products exported to Chinese markets.”

The envoy, who said BRI had achieved its objectives, urged both countries to explore the extensive consultations, enjoy the contributions, and share the benefits.

The Kano State Fire Service said three female passengers died while 13 others were injured when a commercial bus caught fire on Tuesday.

The spokesman for the fire service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident in a statement.

The commercial vehicle, a Toyota Hiace with registration number XE 222 TRN, caught fire around the Government Technical College in Nassarawa local council.

According to the statement, the incident occurred while the bus from Ajingi LGA to Kofar Wambai caught fire.

The statement said fire personnel and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel put out the fire and rescued most of the victims, but three women were burnt beyond recognition.

The deceased included Surayya Umar and Zeenai Babaji. The name of the third individual was not provided.

The remaining 13 injured victims were taken to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.

The bus driver, Muhammed Gali, 35, and his bus conductor Hassan Danladi, 30, were not injured. They were handed over to the police.

The incident was attributed to a speed limit violation and a rear tyre blowout.

Ten months after Francis Catholic Church located in Owo, Ondo State, was attacked by gunmen, the Church on Sunday, April 9, reopen for religious activities.

MAIDAWAAREWA reports that on June 5, 2022, gunmen attacked the church and killed some of the worshippers while others were left injured.

The governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, had visited the scene to commiserate with the church and the entire town.

Relief materials and funds were donated to victims and families of those who lost their loved ones.

In March 2023, Akeredolu disclosed that the construction of a memorial park in honour of the victims of the attack has begun.

The governor of the state is an indigene of the town.