POLICEMEN from the Sapele Division in Delta State, in collaboration with Mr. Michael Diden, Special Adviser to Governor Uduaghan on Security, weekend, stormed the hideout of a kidnapping syndicate at Ugbolode and rescued the abducted wife of a local government area councillor, Mrs Toyin Oritsejafor.

Former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and their contemporaries in the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF abstained from Sunday’s inauguration following a collective decision to boycott the occasion.

INDICATIONS emerged, yesterday, of plans by the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to give the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, a soft landing over the alleged N10 billion scam levelled against him. Vanguard gathered that the Speaker is under pressure to indict two front runners for the Speaker and deputy speaker, Messrs Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Emeka Ihedioha over the scandal.

AS President Good Jonathan was yesterday swore in for a four -year tenure, workers in the nation’s Petroleum industry have called on the President to ensure among other things, an end to importation of petroleum products and gas flaring in Nigeria.

GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, said, yesterday, that the just concluded general elections in the country were not perfect, but there was a substantial improvement when compared to the past.

FOUR persons including a London- based Nigerian were shot dead, weekend, in Lekki area of Lagos after a gang of armed robbers raided a filling station (names withheld) in the area.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, weekend, restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and its Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi from removing Chief Osa Osunde as the Chairman of Afribank Nigeria Plc.

Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said that his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, handed over an empty treasury to him, lamenting that he inherited a debt of over N108 billion.

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, yesterday took oath of office for a second four-year tenure, saying the best way to demonstrate gratitude for the mandate of the people “is by working tirelessly towards meeting their expectations”.

Prominent Nigerians, and indigenes of Lagos State along with traditional rulers on Sunday graced the colourful and epoch making inauguration ceremony of re-elected Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State as the 15th Governor of the state.

Imo State goverrnor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, said yesterday that his administration would audit the accounts of the state government, rather than engage in the ritual of probing the immediate past Ikedi Ohakim’s administration.

A renowned journalist and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Guardian Newspapers, Dr Reuben Abati, weekend, lamented that the people of the Niger Delta region have not optimally benefited from the creation of Niger Delta Ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which were supposed to address their needs.

THE Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA, has protested its exclusion by President Goodluck Jonathan from the invitation extended to certain political parties to meet with him on Wednesday, June 1, in Abuja.

GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State yesterday took the oath of office for another four-year tenure with a pledge to deploy more resources to the education sector while consolidating on the achievements made in the area of infrastructure development during the first tenure.