DESPITE the compliance of Ahiara Mbaise Catholic priests to the papal directive, to abide by the decision of the Pope through individual letters of apology by the affected priests, it appears the battle has only shifted ground, as the number of Mbaise indigenes in the diaspora who had appended their signatures to a proposed protest letter to the Catholic Pontiff has increased to 375.

The House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc Committee investigating the OPL 245 Malabu oil deal has resolved to invite ex-President Goodluck Jonathan over alleged diversion of $1.3 billion.

NO fewer than 18 houses were torched following a renewed boundary fight between Aguleri and Umuleri, both in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, with the people of Umuleri appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to quickly intervene in the matter before it engulfs the area.

Guinness Nigeria Plc has secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, to open offer for N39.7 billion Rights Issue to its existing shareholders.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, yesterday, said the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Kelechi Nwagwu, declined to carry out the planned protest against his government because “no reasonable and patriotic Imo man or woman will come out for a protest rally against a government that has achieved so much in six years.”

THE Senate, yesterday, began a probe of over $3 billion spent since in 2005 by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, on the dredging of Calabar, Lagos and Bonny Channels without appreciable work carried out on them.

The Chief Medical Director of Lagos Uni-versity Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Professor Chris Bode, yesterday, raised the alarm on a fake recruitment platform for doctors.

Kiagbodo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, has elected Mr. Jones Obulu, as chairman-elect to pilot the affairs of the community for the next two years with a charge to tackle the herdsmen’s menace that has brought untold hardship to farmers in the area.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, dismissed an application by the Niger Delta ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tomopolo, challenging the charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.

The Indigenous Contractors Forum, ICF, operating with the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, has urged Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, to implement the law establishing DESOPADEC as well as pay the outstanding debts owed contractors in the last two years.