Metro
BREAKING: Senate Holding Closed Door Session To Change National Anthem
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… Bill To Be Rushed To Pass 1st, 2nd Reading Today
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday ruled that the legislators should return to the plenary to pass the bill for 1st and 2nd reading today (Thursday).
Senate currently Holding Secret Session To Change Nigerian Anthem, Bill To Be Rushed To Pass 1st, 2nd Reading Today The Nigerian Senate held an executive/closed session on Thursday to deliberate changing the national anthem. The move is to replace the anthem with the former one ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, which was adopted as the country’s first national anthem on October 1, 1960 but was dropped in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday ruled that the legislators should return to the plenary to pass the bill for 1st and 2nd reading today (Thursday).
Akpabio noted that thereafter any Nigerian interested in contributing could attend a public hearing on the matter at the Senate building, a source in the Senate told our reporter.
The Senate President just ruled that we should go back to the plenary to pass the bill – 1st and 2nd reading today, thereafter, any Nigerian who is interested can come to the Senate building for a public hearing,” the source said.
The source privy to the discussions in the executive session revealed that the Senate leadership “wants the bill to bring the old anthem back and wants the bill to pass first reading and second reading today”.
It was learnt that Senators Danjuma Goje and Adams Oshiomhole canvassed for a public hearing before the amendment but the Senate leadership pushed for the new anthem to be dropped for the former one hence the reason why it wanted the bill to pass 1st and 2nd reading today.
The matter was listed in the Senate Order paper on Thursday and it generated arguments and counter-arguments in the executive session. Senator Yahaya Abubakar from Kebbi (a former Senate Majority Leader) advised that there should be consultations across the country because Nigerians because of the hardship in the country as amending or changing the national anthem via a bill would seem like a move to divert their attention away from the economic crisis.
However, SaharaReporters learnt that Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party supported the senate leadership to change the anthem by amending the bill, saying Senator Oshiomhole’s position was wrong. Senator Umeh used Rwanda as an example and hailed the former anthem as a good draft, SaharaReporters was told. Hence, he fully supported the leadership to change the anthem by amending the law and bringing back the former anthem. “He is against any public hearing and stated that a public hearing will open Pandora’s box.
Senator Umeh is an ‘eye service’ (sycophant) man; he wants to please the Senate President. Senator Umeh doesn’t want Nigerians to be part of the decision on whether to drop the present national anthem or not, and replace it with the former anthem. “He said that allowing Nigerians to ventilate their opinions will cause anarchy. He has been doing ‘eye service’ for Senator Akpabio, supporting everything he says. “Two weeks ago during our closed-door/executive session, Senator Umeh even kicked against lifting the suspension of Senator Ningi Abdul despite the fact that the leader of his Labour Party, Peter Obi had supported Senator Ningi. “This is a clear departure from what his party stands for. Senator Umeh needs to be exposed for Nigerians to know his true colour and character.”
Metro
Man k!lls pregnant wife hammer 8 months after wedding
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In a tragic incident, Kelvin Osamede Izekor is alleged to have killed his wife, Ugiagbe Osaiyekemwen Success Izekor, aged 38, merely eight months after their wedding in Edo State.
The event took place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at No. 50 Upper Mission Extension, Benin City.
Sources reveal that the suspect used a hammer to fatally assault Success during a fierce argument.
A wedding invitation below indicates that the couple was married on Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Benin City.
A resident shared the couple’s wedding video in a post on X, expressing shock over the tragic incident.
The spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the husband was about to be lynched by a mob before the police arrived, pacified them and arrested the suspect.
According to unconfirmed reports, the deceased was four months pregnant at the time of her murder.
Neighbours claimed Kelvin had been beating the deceased even before they got married but the abuse became frequent after their wedding.
They claimed that the suspect once attacked Success with a cutlass.
Metro
Boko Haram reportedly raze villages in Adamawa communities, loot property
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Suspected members of Boko Haram have launched an attack against Kwapre and surrounding villages in the Hong local government area of Adamawa state, resulting in widespread destruction.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attack commenced at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25, and extended into the early hours of Wednesday, February 26. During this assault, educational facilities, residential homes, and businesses were engulfed in flames, and valuable items were looted.
Joel Kulaha, the head of Kwapre, along with Abalis Jawaja, the head of King village, recounted to our correspondent the terrifying events as heavily armed militants invaded the communities, setting fire to buildings and absconding with valuables.
It was gathered that no lives were lost, as residents had been forewarned of the attack and fled their homes before the insurgents arrived.
“We escaped with our lives, but everything we own is gone,” Kulaha lamented.
A source said soldiers stationed in nearby Garaha town responded after some time, engaging the attackers in a gun battle and forcing them to retreat.
However, the intervention came too late to prevent the extensive destruction.
Recall that Kwapre has suffered multiple Boko Haram attacks in the past, as Adamawa remains one of the three northeastern states hardest hit by the insurgency.
Metro
Nigerian Police Officer Searches For Lost Pistol At Beer Parlour
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A Nigerian police officer attached to the MOPOL 39 Osogbo Base in Osun State has reportedly lost his service pistol at a beer parlour near the base, sparking concerns over the handling of firearms within the Nigeria Police Force, SaharaReporters has learnt.
SaharaReporters gathered that the incident which was confirmed by a top police officer at the base had thrown the police unit in apprehension, as search continues for the missing firearm.
According to the source, the disappearance of the pistol at the base in Osogbo is just one of several incidents, indicating the lack of accountability within the police force.
“There’s an incident of a missing pistol from MOPOL 39 Osogbo Base. This is coming at a time when the IGP is being quizzed on missing firearms,” the source told SaharaReporters.
The source revealed that the police officer identified only as Inspector Monday had booked the pistol from the base’s armoury late last year.
However, there is no record of its return, raising suspicions about what happened to the weapon.
“He claimed to have returned it to one of the armourers, Inspector Osas, but there is no record of its return in the arms registry. Till this moment, they’re yet to trace the whereabouts of the pistol, as all efforts made in tracing it have proved abortive,” the source added.
The police source revealed further that the pistol was lost at a beer parlour adjacent to their base, where some policemen regularly retire for alcohol even during official working hours.
“They lost the rifle in a beer parlour beside their base. That’s where they drink even during working hours,” the source disclosed.
While the police hierarchy continues to downplay concerns over missing arms, the latest revelations suggest that lapses in accountability and discipline remain a critical issue within the force.
Yemisi Opalola, the Osun police command spokesperson has yet to respond to messages seeking her reaction to the findings. Her phone number was unreachable at the time of filing this report.
There has been a recent, wider controversy surrounding missing police weapons under the watch of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
A leaked internal police memo obtained by SaharaReporters earlier detailed how police personnel misplaced or lost firearms in various incidents, including a deadly ambush by bandits in Zamfara State.
The police wireless message dated September 12, 2024, had also revealed how bandits attacked a security convoy on the Tazame-Yandoto Highway in Kotorkoshi District, Bungudu Local Government Area. The attack resulted in the deaths of five police officers and three soldiers, with four service rifles, including AK-47s, seized by the assailants.
Credit: SaharaReporters
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