IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The verbal crossfire between former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai and presidential media aide Daniel Bwala continued on Thursday when the ex-governor said he would have still excoriate the All Progressives Congress (APC) if were in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu as a minister.

On Monday, El-Rufai spoke at a national conference in Abuja, saying he no longer recognise the APC and that the party has tended toward a one-man show. “You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he had said, criticising the leadership of the party. Bwala responded on X and said El-Rufai would not have expressed such a position if he were in the cabinet of the President.

He said, “My Senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam.”

Replying to the presidential aide on X, El-Rufai said, “I was cabinet minister 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.

“If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it – first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.”

Tinubu nominated El-Rufai as minister in August 2023 but the ex-governor’s nomination was rejected by the Senate. Since the incident, El-Rufai has not been seen in a gathering of APC chieftains. The former governor has also not been seen around the Aso Villa, the seat of power, or near the president whom he vigorously campaigned for in the last poll.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a committee to resolve the current crisis over the position of the National Secretary of the Party. Both Samuel Anyanwu and Udeh Okoye are laying claim to the position of the national secretary and the case is currently before the courts.

The crisis took another dimension when supporters of both men clashed at the PDP secretariat on Wednesday during the party’s BoT meeting. The PDP BoT chairman, Adulphus Wabara, in a communique after the meeting, announced that the committee will be led by Barr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.

According to Wabara, the committee is to interface with the parties, study the situation and report to the Board for further action. He noted that the Acting Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, assured the BoT that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting will hold as scheduled in scheduled in February 2025 “to address all pertinent issues and reaffirm our shared commitment to the unity, discipline, and ideals that bind us together as members of the PDP.”

The BoT meeting was presided over by the chairman, Adolphus Wabara, and it was attended by other prominent members including the acting national chairman of the party, Umar Damagun; ex-Niger governor, Babangida Aliyu; ex-Kaduna governor, Ahmed Markafi; and ex-Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido.

Interpol announced on Thursday that 45 individuals have been arrested across West Africa in the past three months in operations targeting drug trafficking and terrorism financing.

Among those apprehended was a suspected Islamic State member near the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border and a North African individual allegedly attempting to travel through Europe to join ISIS in Syria.

Authorities also seized over $50 million worth of cocaine in Cabo Verde and 10 tonnes of amphetamines in Burkina Faso.

“This operation marks a crucial step in dismantling transnational crime networks that threaten regional stability and hinder efforts toward peace and development in West Africa,” Interpol stated.

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the rescue of two construction workers from the rubble of a collapsed three-story building along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in Awka.

The structure, located near the CBN building and adjacent to Diamond Pizza, was at the roofing stage when it suddenly collapsed late Wednesday while workers were still on-site. Eyewitnesses reported that the building caved in without warning, prompting bystanders and passersby to initiate rescue efforts before emergency responders arrived.

State police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga stated on Thursday that the rescued workers were rushed to the hospital and are responding to treatment. No fatalities have been recorded.

Authorities have since cordoned off the site, and investigations are ongoing. The site engineer and the building owner have been invited for questioning, while the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority has set up a panel of inquiry to determine the cause of the collapse.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay former U.S. President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a lawsuit over the suspension of his social media accounts.

Trump filed the lawsuit in 2021 after Meta suspended his accounts following the January 6 Capitol riot. The settlement represents a major concession from the tech giant and a win for Trump, who has long criticized social media platforms for alleged censorship.

During Meta’s quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised the Trump administration’s support for American tech companies and emphasized the importance of redefining relationships with governments.

According to The Wall Street Journal, approximately $22 million from the settlement will go toward funding Trump’s presidential library, while the remaining $3 million will cover legal fees and compensation for other plaintiffs involved in the case.

Meta, however, has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the agreement.

A joint security operation has successfully dismantled a kidnapper’s hideout in Enugwu Agidi, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, resulting in the arrest of a key suspect and the seizure of a large cache of weapons.

The operation, which took place at 12:15 am on Thursday, January 30, 2025, involved coordinated efforts from the newly launched ‘Udo Ga Chi’ and ‘Agunechemba’ security initiatives.

Acting on reliable intelligence, security forces apprehended Mr. Chukwudi Tansi, who is suspected to be a member of a kidnapping syndicate.

During the raid, authorities recovered a significant haul of weapons, including two AK-47 rifles, eight pump-action shotguns, and four locally-made pistols.

Other seized items included three packets of cartridges with 101 rounds, four empty AK-47 magazines, three machetes, a Baofeng radio, a motorcycle, and various charms.

This operation is part of ongoing efforts to bolster security in Anambra State, with authorities remaining committed to intensifying their fight against criminal activity.