Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor is currently lobbying the Director-General of the secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, SaharaReporters has learnt. The DSS or State Security Service (SSS) has accused the CBN governor of being involved in the financing of terrorism. It said preliminary investigation revealed various acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities perpetrated by Emefiele and his involvement in economic crimes of national security dimension. But a Federal High Court in Maitama, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja recently issued an order restraining the DSS from arresting, detaining or questioning Emefiele. EXCLUSIVE: How Investigation By Secret Police, DSS Linked Nigerian Central Bank Governor, Emefiele To Terrorism Financing, Economic Sabotage, Murder Jan 18, 2023 Image Emefiele Emefiele returned to the country from the U...

Casemiro celebrates after United defeated Manchester City. For years, Manchester United ruled over English football, collecting 13 Premier League trophies between 1992 and 2013, as well as the world’s best players and legions of fans. But since the retirement of legendary manager Alex Ferguson in 2013, United fans have watched their kingdom crumble, as another was being built across town at Manchester City. But a 2-1 victory on Saturday over City, albeit in controversial circumstances, has suddenly placed Manchester United in the Premier League title race and seemed to confirm a resurgence at last for United fans. Now, their team has won 12 of its last 13 games in all competitions and is on a run of nine consecutive victories, after a poor start to the season in which it was bottom of the table at one point, and obliterated by City 6-3 in October. So what is behind the resurgence of one of the world’s biggest clubs? Erik ten Hag Since Ferguson retired in May 2013, United have cycled th...

People gather near the wreckage of the passenger plane in Pokhara. [Yunish Gurung/AP Photo] A passenger plane has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, killing at least 16 people on board. There were 72 people on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines when it crashed on Sunday, according to airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula. The passenger plane crashed near Pokhara International Airport. [Yunish Gurung/AP Photo] Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the plane was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara in central Nepal, and urged security personnel and the general public to help with the rescue efforts. Hundreds of rescue workers were scouring the hillside crash site. Rescuers at the site of the crash in Pokhara. [Yunish Gurung/AFP] The ATR72 is a widely used twin-engine turboprop plane manufactured by a joint venture of Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, according to its website. The plan...

Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo] Death toll from a Russian missile attack that destroyed an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 20, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko says, while 73 people were injured. Russia carried out three air raids, 57 missile attacks and 69 attacks from heavy weapon rocket salvo systems on Saturday, Ukraine’s top military command says. Ukrainian forces are fighting to retain control of Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the regional governor says. Russia cancelled at the last minute a scheduled exchange of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian body dealing with prisoners says. ‘ More pressure building’ on sending weapons to Ukraine: AJ Correspondent In his nightly address Zelenskyy has said that the way to stop Russian attacks, such as the latest one in Dnipro, is if the internatio...

A 31-year-old footballer in Bayelsa State, Peremobowei Ernest, reportedly drowned on October 19, 2022, after rescuing five passengers of a boat that capsized in Yenagoa. His younger brother, Ebisine, shares his grief with ALEXANDER OKERE of The PUNCH. Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Ebisine Ernest. I am 25 years old. I am a footballer. I play for a grassroots football club in Port Harcourt. It is called the Cardinal Football Club. How are you related to the late footballer,Peremobowei Ernest? He was my elder brother. I am the last child of my mother. How many siblings do you have? My mother is the first wife of my father. She had 10 children. We lost one of my elder brothers when I was a baby. out of the water. He said when he could not find Peremobowei, he started shouting that somebody was missing but before people came and started using boats to search for Peremobowei, he was already gone. Do you know who the other passengers are? I know two of them. One of them was like an...

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promises to send Challenger 2 tanks after phone call with Ukraine leader Zelenskyy. United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pledging to provide tanks and artillery systems to Ukraine amid renewed missile attacks by Russia on Ukrainian cities. Sunak offered to send Challenger 2 tanks and other artillery systems in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, the British leader’s Downing Street office said in a statement. The statement did not say how many or when the tanks would be delivered to Ukraine. Sunak said the tanks were a sign of the UK’s “ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine”, according to a readout of a phone call with Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for the military support on Twitter, saying “the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners.” Always strong support of the UK is now impenetrable and ready for challenges. In a c...

Queen Ojanga Korth, the mother of Heidi, the estranged wife of Sina Rambo, has accused singer Davido of threatening her daughter's life. Sina Rambo, who is the son of the Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke and Davido are cousins. His wife, Heidi, had in 2022 announced the end of their marriage whilst claiming she was the breadwinner of their family. Heidi's mum on Friday shared a supposed chat between Davido and his cousin, Sina Rambo, which she claimed the latter sent to her family, where Davido said he would deal with Heidi for bringing his wife, Chioma into the matter. In an update on Saturday, the older Korth restated her accusations and said if anything happens to her daughter, Davido should be held responsible. She said, "For those of you saying I posted an old chat I'd like to make it clear to all that Davido did not send me that screenshot or ever chatted with me. His cousin Sina Rambo sent his chat with his cousin Davido to my older brother yesterday and it ...

The capture of the salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine would enable Russian troops to envelop the nearby city of Bakhmut. Russia says its forces have seized control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar after weeks of intense battles but Kyiv said its troops were still fighting in the town. The Russian defence ministry claimed on Friday that its forces had wrested control of the salt-mining town, where buildings have been reduced to rubble since it became the focus of a relentless Russian assault. “The capture of Soledar was made possible by the constant bombardment of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile forces and artillery of a grouping of Russian forces,” it said. Control of the town would allow Russia to cut off Ukraine’s “supply lines” in the nearby, strategically important city of Bakhmut and then “block and encircle the Ukrainian units there”, said the ministry. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a late-night video address on Friday that Kyiv’s forces...

NNPC The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Friday announced the discovery of oil in Nasarawa State and said it was set to drill the first foot of an oil well in the Northern state. It said the discovery was in continuation of its oil exploration activities in the country’s inland basins, adding that it would spud the first oil well in Nasarawa State in March 2023. On January 5, 2023, news media outlets reported that NNPC was prospecting for crude oil in more locations across the north, after discovering the commodity in Bauchi and Gombe states. The report stated that NNPC was taking coordinated steps for more frontier exploration in the region, as part of measures to shore up the country’s oil output and reserves. The company had disclosed this in a document on the frontier exploration services activities of the NNPC from 2020 to 2022, as outlined some prospective states where oil was expected to be discovered include Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, ...

ALieutenant Colonel of the Nigerian Army, N.B. Ahmed has been abducted following an ambush on a military convoy by gunmen suspected to be terrorists. WEXERES NEWS gathered that the senior military officer was abducted along Tsafe (Zamfara)/Funtua (Katsina) road on Friday, January 6. The abducted officer is the new commanding officer of the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Sokoto. “Our new boss who resumed on Friday was attacked while being escorted to Kano. He was taken away by the gunmen,” a military source told SaharaReporters. A military signal exclusively obtained by WEXERES NEWS also confirmed the incident. The signal was however silent on others travelling with Ahmed. It read, “TEXT: SP SITREP ON KIDNAPPED OF SNR OFFR. LT COL NB AHMED (N/12022). A/N SNR OFFR WAS KIDNAPED ALONG TSAFE/FUNTUA RD ON 06 JAN 23 AT ABOUT 2000HRS WHILE TRAVELING TO KANO FOR WEEKEND. THE SNR OFFR JUST TAKES OVER COMD OF 8 BOD AS A CO ON THE SAME DATE. THIS IS FOR YOUR INFO AND NEC ACTION. PSE ACCEPT FOR A...

Kehinde Fatinoye and Bukola A couple – Kehinde Fatinoye and Bukola – has been killed in a mysterious fire incident shortly after returning from a New Year/Crossover service in Abeokuta, Ogun State.  A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of the duo who reside in the Ibara Government Reservation Area of the capital, the Ogun State Police Command spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi told WEXERES NEWS  The suspected arsonists are believed to have trailed the couple to their private residence before setting the home ablaze. According to the police spokesman, the suspected arsonists also kidnapped the victims’ son alongside the housemaid and threw them into a river along the Adigbe-Obada axis of the town. Until his death, Kehinde was a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) while his wife Bukola worked with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition with their remains later packed by policemen and health ...

Guaranty Trust Bank has announced the suspension of international online and Point of Sales (PoS) transactions on naira Mastercard effective from December 31, 2022. With this development, customers of the bank are required to obtain dollar cards for international transactions. In a statement to its customers, the bank said customers would not be able to make international transactions on Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sales (PoS) using their naira Mastercards. “We write to inform you that you will no longer be able to use your naira Mastercards for international online and PoS transactions effective December 31, 2022. “Kindly note that you can use your GTBank dollar card for international spending requirements.” According to the bank, its dollar card allows a daily $1,000 or an equivalent in the local currency transaction, adding that there would be no withdrawal limit on “annual spend and PoS transactions” for the dollar cards. Earlier, in September, First Bank announce...