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Senate holds special session for Buhari today
The Senate has said it will hold a special session today in honour of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced this at plenary yesterday in Abuja.
Akpabio said the tribute session would reflect on the late President’s legacy and contributions to national development.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held a special session in honour of the late President.
During the special FEC session last Thursday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his predecessor led the country with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint.
Buhari died in a London hospital on July 13 where he was receiving medical attention. He was 82.
The former President was buried last week in Daura, Katsina State, in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from within and outside Nigeria.
Buhari was President between 2015 and 2023. The retired Army General was also the Head of State between 1983 and 1985.
Also, the Senate has denied reports alleging that it had approved the creation of 12 new states.
The resolution of the Senate followed a motion raised by Senator Abdul Ningi, drawing the attention of the Red Chamber to the “fake news”.
Ningi, a member of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, spoke under Order 42 during yesterday’s plenary. He made efforts to clarify what he called a “fake, toxic, and irresponsible” narrative circulating online.
“Mr. President, I rise on the indulgence of the Senate and your leave, pursuant to Order 42, to make a personal explanation.
“Over the past week, social media has been awash with claims that the Constitution Review Committee has submitted a proposal for the creation of 12 states,” Ningi said.
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The Bauchi Central senator clarified that as a member of the main Constitutional Review Committee and the Zonal Public Hearing held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, no such report had been submitted.
He added: “Our report from the zonal public hearing in Maiduguri has not even been submitted to the main committee.
“I have also contacted other zonal leaders and confirmed that no such reports have been tabled or forwarded. This story is baseless.”.
Ningi urged the public to disregard the misinformation and cautioned against the spread of unverified reports capable of misleading citizens and creating unnecessary tension.
Commenting on the development, Akpabio faulted the rising trend of misinformation and manipulation on social media.
The Senate President warned that unchecked misuse of digital platforms by Nigerians could destabilize the country.
“In my view, social media is garbage in, garbage out. I just hope that the way Africans use social media will not break our society. That is my only hope,” he said.
Akpabio shared an example of how fake news has impacted governance and appointments.
“You’ll see where even the appointments we make are manipulated. People will fake letter-headed papers and write that a nominee has rejected an appointment.
“Then they start lobbying for the same position, while the original nominee isn’t even aware of the false rejection,” he said.
Akpabio emphasised that the Senate had not concluded any constitutional amendment process, especially on state creation.
“It’s important that the public know that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has not even concluded the process of getting a final report for deliberation on constitutional amendment.
“Therefore, no single state proposed or otherwise has been created,” he said.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced that members can now decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on their personal conscience.
The organisation made this known in a statement issued by its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York and made available on its website on Friday.
According to the statement, “the decision to accept red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood is a matter of personal conscience.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce adjustment to blood transfusion policy
It added that “each Witness must decide whether or not to donate blood for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions for use by another person.”
However, the organisation said its position on whole-blood transfusion had not changed.
“The long-standing refusal of whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, a core teaching based on the command to ‘abstain from blood’ (Acts 15:20), is unchanged,” the statement said.
International spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the organisation’s World Headquarters, Paul Gillies, said, “Blood remains sacred to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who continue to regard life and blood as precious gifts from God.
“We recognise that medical decisions involving blood components are a matter of conscience between each Witness and their God, Jehovah.”
The organisation said the adjustment “follows earlier updates regarding blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures.”
It added, “Since the Bible does not comment on such decisions, they are a matter of individual conscience. That same reasoning has now been extended to the four main components of blood.”
On medical care, the statement said, “Jehovah’s Witnesses love life and want the best available medical care. They do not practise faith healing, and they seek out doctors who can provide effective treatment in accord with their wishes, values and beliefs.”
Gillies said local congregations would not interfere in members’ personal decisions.
“Congregations do not involve themselves in personal decisions that rest with the individual conscience. We will continue to respect and support the personal decisions of our fellow believers.
“We are grateful, too, for the many skilled and compassionate physicians who provide quality medical care that respects our personal wishes regarding blood,” he said.
The organisation said Jehovah’s Witnesses number “over nine million worldwide, in congregations across more than 200 lands.”
Recall that the religious group had clarified its position on the use of a member’s own blood during surgery and other medical procedures.
The clarification allowed individual Witnesses to decide whether their blood could be removed, stored and returned to them during medical treatment, while the organisation maintained its position against receiving blood from another person.
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The Nigerian Army has dismissed as fake and unverified a purported intelligence alert warning of planned Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks on schools, churches, mosques, NYSC orientation camps and other public institutions across the country.
Anele said the Army was aware of the circulation and had heightened vigilance across its formations and commands to prevent attacks on vulnerable facilities.
She described the purported intelligence as speculation and urged the public not to treat the document as an official Army security alert.
The response followed the circulation of a document purportedly signed by one A.M. Sodiq, which claimed that Boko Haram and ISWAP were planning coordinated attacks across several parts of the country.
The document listed churches, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations as possible targets and alleged that suspected ISWAP operatives had begun surveillance of selected locations.
It further claimed that the alleged attacks could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.
However, the Army disowned the document, maintaining that it did not originate from the institution.
The Army assured Nigerians that security formations remained on heightened alert and were taking necessary measures to protect schools, places of worship and other vulnerable public facilities.
MINNA, Niger State — An engine oil seller in Minna, the Niger State capital, has reportedly sustained serious injuries after allegedly being shot during a police operation to disperse protesters.
The victim, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed Dada, was reportedly standing outside his shop at Tunga Market when he was struck by a bullet.
Ibrahim’s brother, Yakubu Dada Mohammed, said the victim was not part of the protest and was attending to customers at his engine oil stall when the incident occurred.
According to him, Ibrahim was simply trying to earn a living and support his family when a police officer allegedly fired a shot that hit him in the head and severely injured his face.
«“He was not among those protesting. He was standing in front of his shop selling engine oil when one of the police officers fired a bullet that struck his head and badly injured his face,” Yakubu said.»
Ibrahim is currently receiving treatment at Minna General Hospital, where his condition was reportedly described as critical.
The incident occurred amid protests in Minna over the reported deaths of 37 miners who were allegedly in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Reports indicate that 65 miners were arrested on September 15 and 16, with 37 subsequently reported dead while in security custody.
The protests, which began on Thursday, continued into Friday as security personnel moved to disperse demonstrators. Security forces were reportedly accused of using tear gas and live ammunition during the operation.
However, the circumstances surrounding Ibrahim’s shooting have not been independently established.
The Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, appealed for calm and said the incident would be investigated.
The case has since heightened concerns over the conduct of security personnel during the ongoing protests.
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce fresh adjustment to blood transfusion policy
Army speaks on Boko Haram, ISWAP attack alert as fake
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