A British High Court, the Royal Court of Justice, Queens Bench Division, Court 1, sitting in London, yesterday, ordered the immediate release of former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, from prison, saying the move to hold him after serving out his sentence was illegal.

Five years after the Federal Government lost a whopping $1.6 billion to some of its influential citizens through the sale and revocation of a controversial oil block, known as OPL 245, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, filed charges against the high profiled suspects.

There were indications that the Federal Government will be running a more expensive government next year, following the budget breakdown given yesterday by Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, which indicated a personnel cost budget at seven-year high of N1.86 trillion.

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, revealed weekend, that his wife, Nkechi, was in control of at least four ministries in the state.

His declaration drew the ire of some stakeholders, including Igbo National Council, INC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, who described the statement as reckless.

FRESH facts emerged, last night, on how the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, allegedly awarded spurious contract of N220 million for the removal of wild grass and the provision of 115 hectares of simplified village irrigation in Yobe State and how the company allegedly subsequently transferred the money into another firm, Rholavision Engineering Limited, said to be owned by the SGF.

Reacting to President Buhari’s budget statement that no provision was made for Joint Venture, JV, cash calls from January, 2017, Chambers Oyibo, former Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, said it is in line with what the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, earlier stated about having alternative funding.

By Henry Umoru, Emman Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Joseph Erunke & Kelechukwu Iruoma ABUJA— PRESIDENT Muhammudu Buhari, yesterday, presented a budget proposal of N7.298 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year, envisaging a funding revenue of about N4.94 trillion. Though the overall expenditure and revenue figure are 20.4 per cent and 28.1 per cent higher than N6.06 […]

THE Federal Government, yesterday, accused International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in Nigeria of falsifying gas flare data to cut down on payment of penalties, as a result of which the country is losing between $500 million and $1 billion in revenues that would have accrued from the penalties.

AS casualty figures from the bloody re-run national and state legislative elections in Rivers State rise, security authorities, yesterday confirmed that a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, Alkali Mohammed was killed alongside his orderly, and both men beheaded, during an ambush by cultists at Uju community in Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area.

Tragedy struck in the least anticipated place, yesterday, Reigners Bible Ministry, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, after the church building collapsed during a service.

The Federal Government has said it was looking the way of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank for some of its external borrowings to boost the economy out of recession.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court, who is facing 16-count charge bordering on money laundering, age falsification and alleged illegal possession of multiple international passports, yesterday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was not ready for trial.

By Kingsley Omonobi, Ben Agande, Jimitota Onoyume, Omeiza Ajayi & Dave Ihemnachor ABUJA—Ahead of  Saturday’s parliamentary rerun elections in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, were, yesterday, locked in a war of words over alleged plans to unleash violence. In the face of the claims and counter-claims, including […]

New facts emerged yesterday that the CBN advanced the Federal Government the sum of N1.193 trillion as Ways and Means as at 2nd December 2016. A fact sheet of the accounts of the Federal Government with the CBN, obtained yesterday from Presidency sources disclosed that the Federal Government did not borrow above its limit from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Anger flared in the land last night, following a strident attempt by the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu’s move to resuscitate the defunct Northern Nigeria Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies,NBAIS, using funds from the federation account.