Top Summary From Nigerian Newspapers For Thursday, January 9th, 2025

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Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian newspapers.

1. At least 11 people lost their lives and 31 huts were burnt to ashes in Gululu village, Jahun and Miga local government areas of Jigawa State. Suleiman Abubakar Jahun, a Fulani elder who lost five children, recounted the horrific incident, saying he was at home when people informed him of a fight between Hausa and Fulani communities.

2. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani says telecom tariffs will soon increase but not by 100 per cent. Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, on Wednesday in Abuja, Tijani said consultations and engagements were ongoing.

3. The Lagos State Special Offences Court, on Wednesday, dismissed an application filed by former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice Rahman Oshodi, in his ruling, held that the court had the jurisdiction to try Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile.

4. The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, police command has intercepted a white Peugeot 15-seater bus popularly known as ‘J5’ transporting 59 children suspected to have been trafficked. The children are between four and 12 years old. A team of policemen led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sarki Umar was said to have stopped the vehicle with registration number, KMC 283 ZJ along the Abuja-Kano route on January 6.

5. The Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, says it has neutralised 310 terrorists and dismantled critical logistics bases in the Lake Chad region. Troops of the task force killed the terrorists during Operation Lake Sanity 2, a major offensive designed to combat insurgency in the region. The Force Commander, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Salau stated this during the MNJTF Operation Lake Sanity 2 Medal Parade held on Wednesday at the MNJTF Headquarters in Farcha, N’Djamena, Chad.

6. Gunmen have kidnapped two Catholic Sisters in Anambra State. The two Sisters are Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Grace Mariette Okoli. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, along Ufuma road as the sisters were returning from a vocational association meeting in Ogboji, in Orumba South local government area.

7. The China Development Bank has announced the approval of a $254.76m (€245m) loan to support the Kano-Kaduna railway project in Nigeria. According to information released on its website, the financial backing is expected to ensure the seamless continuation of the construction work.

8. Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, on Wednesday, declared that he is not worried about being reelected in the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Yusuf also emphasised that he would not lose sleep over the 2027 elections, as leadership is ordained by the Almighty Allah.

9. The Naira on Wednesday depreciated to N1,655 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,650 per dollar on Tuesday. Likewise, the Naira depreciated to N1,545 per dollar in the official foreign exchange market.

10. Nigeria’s Armed Forces has dropped to 39th in the 2024 Global Firepower, GFP, rankings. This marks the third consecutive decline after being ranked 36th in 2023 and 35th in 2022. 145 countries were considered in the annual Global Firepower review.