1. Popular Nigerian cross-dresser and internet personality, Okuneye Idris, widely known as Bobrisky, was on the run on Saturday after police raided a nude party he organised in Lekki area of Lagos. Bobrisky put up the party in celebration of his 28th birthday, but it was disrupted by the Nigeria Police, who invaded the place and dispersed guests. However, the cross-dresser left the event centre before the police stormed the place. Five people were said to have been arrested.
2. National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, yesterday, predicted victory for the party at the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. Tinubu spoke in Benin City at the 90th birthday of Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom. He said expects nothing less than victory in Kogi and Bayelsa States, declaring that there is no other political party in contention.
3. Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Kabir, on Saturday, lamented the abduction of his people. He called on Muslims to embark on aggressive prayers for Allah’s intervention to end the menace. He said the bandits have killed his people and kidnapped women and children. According to him, there is no option than to resort to prayers since Islam teaches that prayer is the only weapon against calamities. Kabir commended the Katsina Government for giving logistic support to the security agents to tackle the bandits.
4. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Saturday told the Federal Government to jettison the planned RUGA scheme, saying the association was opposed to the implementation of the programme anywhere in Nigeria. The President of CAN, Pastor Samson Ayokunle, announced the position of the association at a church leaders’ summit in Lagos on Saturday. Bobrisky has since reacted to the incident with apologies to his friends and family who showed up for his party. He said nothing can break him.
5. Governors of South-East geo-political zone, on Saturday, rose from an expanded meeting and resolved to commence a joint air operation to flush out bandits from all forests in the zone. The governors also restricted inter-state movements of herdsmen and their cattle as well as foot movement of cattle and herdsmen from communities to communities across farmlands in the zone. The forum commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for being the first to commence the operation of Forest Guards in the South East and encouraged the remaining states to launch theirs.
6. Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State on Saturday ordered for the immediate commencement of construction work on the new Ruga settlements in the state. Matawalle issued the directive in Gusau after receiving the new Ruga master plan from the project consultant, Emmanuel Ozigi.T He said the project, which is going to be located in the three senatorial districts of the state will be fully and jointly funded by the state government and the 14 local government councils of the state. He said the Ruga project will not only be beneficial to the Fulanis but all citizens of the state as the derivable benefits are enormous and a way of boosting the economy of the state and its citizens. The governor said that already, the required funds for the scheme had already been earmarked and set aside.
7. The Lagos State Police Command yesterday released the 123 male passengers that were intercepted along Moshalashi road, Agege alongside 48 motorcycles that were coming from Jigawa State. The 123 traders from Northern part of the country were detained by Lagos State government on Friday. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana in an earlier statement said the vehicle and passengers were searched but nothing incriminating was found.
8. The Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Yola has dismissed a petition seeking to nullify the election of the state governor, Ahmadu Fintiri. The Action Peoples Party (APP) and its Governorship Candidate in the last general election, Bitrus Meda, had taken Funtiri, his deputy Crowther Seth, their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the tribunal, complaining that he was unlawfully excluded from the election that produced Fintiri as governor. Giving the judgement on the petition on Saturday, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adediran Adebara, said the petitioners failed to prove their claim of unlawful exclusion beyond reasonable doubt. He dismissed the petition and awarded legal cost of N1,000,000 against the petitioner: N300,000 each in favour of first, second and third respondents, and N100,000 for the fourth respondent, that is INEC.
9. For the second time in three days, the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the weekend shifted the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary. The party had earlier shifted the date from Thursday, August 29 to Saturday, August 31, 2019. The party, in a new development, said in a deference to a court order, the National Working Committee has shifted the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary to Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 September, 2019.
10. Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State on Saturday said the arrest of 123 okada riders by Lagos State government is an act of dehumanizing people. He said state government had already contacted the Lagos state government over the unlawful arrest of 123 okada riders who were indigenes of Jigawa state. He said after getting in touch with officials of the Lagos state government, he also spoke to the APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who assured of their unconditional release. The motorcyclists and their bikes were however, released on Saturday.
