Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Wednesday, 24th August, 2022

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 24th August 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the gruesome murder of an Islamic cleric in Yobe State by some army officials.

Naija News had reported earlier that one Sheikh Goni Aisami was murdered on Friday by some suspected soldiers.

The state police command has since acted swiftly to arrest the officers involved in the act.

Reacting to Aisami’s killing, President Buhari in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the soldiers’ act as barbaric.

The Nigerian leader said the soldiers’ act is capable of watering down citizens’ trust and care to assist military men.

He said the perpetrator’s act has no place in the military training, adding that their action negates the entire ethos of military life which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been warned by Nigerian governors that elections may not hold in some northwest states due to the security challenges in the zone.

Some of the affected states include Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

According to The Cable, the governors informed President Buhari about the security issue in a policy brief.

The brief was part of the political economy situation review sent to the president in July 2022.

The governors in a review asked the president to expedite actions on various promises to address insecurity.

President Buhari was charged by the governors to establish military bases in Birnin Gwari, Rijana, Kachia and Mararraban Jos in Kaduna state and Kontagora and Gwada in Niger state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has objected to conferring the Attorney-General of the Federation additional power to make rules or regulations for the proposed Electoral Offences Commission.

Naija News reports that INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, made the reservations at a public hearing organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on the bill to establish the electoral offences commission.

According to Yakubu, some clauses in the Electoral Offences Commission Bill, may hamper the independence of the commission when established.

The public hearing was chaired by Hon. Aisha Dukku.

The Committee set up by the Zamfara State Government on Armed Banditry and Related Offenses has disclosed that notorious bandit terrorist Bello Turji must publicly lay down his arms and announce that he has repented.

Naija News reports that the state Deputy Governor, Hassan Nasiha, had on Saturday claimed that Turji had embraced dialogue and pledged to turn against other terrorists.

According to Nasiha, Turji embraced the peace initiative of the Zamfara State Government as part of efforts to end banditry.

He further stated that the decision of Turji to embrace peace has brought peace to the three local government areas affected by banditry.

Recall that several bandits, including Auwalun Daudawa, who masterminded the abduction of Students in Kankara, Katsina state, in December 2020, had publicly surrendered their arms and pledged to be peaceful.

But some of these terrorists returned to the bush and resumed operations.

Speaking on Tuesday, the chairman of the committee, Abdullahi Shinkafi, said most of the bandit terrorists are not sincere.

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, has said the north cannot hold all top positions in the party.

Naija News reports that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have been involved in a cold war after the presidential primaries.

Angered by his snub for the party’s vice presidential candidate, Wike has called on the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to honour an earlier agreement and resign.

In a statement to journalists on Tuesday, Senator Jibrin insisted that only the North cannot produce the presidential candidate, National Chairman, or BoT Chairman.

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has reportedly held a meeting with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Naija News understands based on inside sources quoted on Tuesday that the two politicians met in Paris, France.

It was further gathered that loyalists of Governor Wike including Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde and his colleague from Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu also attended the meeting.

The sources quoted by The Cable also suggested that Wike, who is having a running battle with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar may reach agreements to support Tinubu and the APC in the 2023 elections.

The sources added that some horse-trading is part of the agenda of the meeting but Wike has no immediate plan to dump the PDP but will remain within the party and work against Atiku.

The United State Government (US) is set to return over $23 million Abacha loot to the federal government of Nigeria.

This is coming after Nigeria and the US government reached an agreement on the loot.

The agreement signing ceremony was held in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami on Tuesday, Naija News understands.

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard signed on the behalf of the US government, while Malami signed on behalf of the Nigerian government.

Malami while speaking after the agreement was signed said the fund when returned would be used for three ongoing projects.

According to Malami, the projects include the ongoing Abuja-Kaduna road and the 2nd Niger Bridge.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday reversed the ratification of the suspension of Barrister Joyce Oduah as Secretary General of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Giving her verdict on an application filed and argued by Mr Ayotunde Ogunleye on behalf of the plaintiff, the court judge, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed held that the NBA’S National Executive Committee (NEC) which gave legal effect to the suspension of the plaintiff acted in bad faith and in utter disregard to the proceedings of the court.

Mohammed overrode the earlier verdict on grounds that the action was an affront to the rule of law and a violation of the court’s proceedings in the matter.

Naija News reports that Oduah was suspended from office last week on the grounds of gross misconduct.

Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has replied to Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka over his statement on the Federal Government’s proscription of the group.

Naija News earlier reported that Soyinka had questioned the decision of the government to proscribe IPOB while the Fulani pastoral group, Miyetti Allah group, is not.

According to Soyinka, the inciting statements made by some leaders of the Miyetti Allah group and the threat against other citizens of the country calls for the attention of the government.

In a chat with Channels Television on Monday, Soyinka said if IPOB can be outlawed for pursuing a secession plan, then Miyetti Allah should also be banned for its roles and unguarded statements in the frequent farmer-herders clashes in the country.

Reacting in a tweet via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, Ejimakor said the group cannot be compared to Miyetti Allah, stressing that the two are completely different.

The lawyer said IPOB is registered worldwide, respected by nations and nonviolent, while Miyetti Allah is not.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has refuted claims that he is behind the plot to remove the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Ortom was reacting to an allegation made by a group known as Tiv Youth Council that he and some PDP leaders are plotting to unseat the Ayu following the crisis rocking the opposition party.

But in a statement on Tuesday by his media aide, Terver Akase, Governor Ortom accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of being behind the mischievous allegation.

Ortom, who is in France, said he has no issue with Ayu, stressing that the PDP is already working to resolve the feud within the main opposition party;

The Benue governor, however, said the attempt by the ruling APC to him as one who fights other illustrious Benue sons is nonsensical and nauseating reasoning.

Those are the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.