The Federal Government said, yesterday, that 55 well-placed Nigerians stole a whopping N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013, an amount that would have been enough to provide significant developmental projects across the country.

The military, yesterday, invaded some Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, with gunboats in search of militants, who carried out a three-day bombing of crude oil and gas pipelines in the state, from last Thursday.
This came as ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, wrote President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that top members of his party, All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa and Delta states were responsible for the ongoing vandalization of crude oil and gas pipelines in the creeks of Delta state.

Rumblings over whereabouts of the 2016 Budget proposal of the Federal Government in the Senate came to a climax yesterday as the Senate accused the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Senate), Senator Ita Enang of doctoring and circulating fake copies of the budget proposals.

The financial sector appears to have entered a heightened pressure, yesterday, as both the foreign exchange and stock market sustained major negative trends.

A web of conspiracy was, yesterday, being woven around the circumstances that led to the disappearance from the Senate, of hard and soft copies of the 2016 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly last December.

Governor Seriakae Dickson was, yesterday, returned as the winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election. This followed the declaration of the results of the supplementary elections conducted at the weekend in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and 101 polling units in six other local government areas. The supplementary elections followed the cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw and the 101 units due to irregularities in the governorship election conducted on December 5, 2015.

The Presidency said, last night, that it would not interfere in the arrest and probe of a close associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, Jafaru Isah, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged involvement in the Dasukigate scandal.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, yesterday, teamed up with other eminent Nigerians to give President Muhammadu Buhari a robust defence after the president came under criticisms for insisting that the Federal Government would not release former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), and the founder of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, despite several court directives to that effect.

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, made a robust defence of the integrity of all 36 ministers in his cabinet challenging anyone with a contrary view to present evidence against such a minister.

Speaking in his first media chat, the president said the first gains of the war against corruption would become evident by the end of March, next year, even as he accused erstwhile National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) of having allegedly committed atrocities against Nigeria through reckless disbursement of billions of government funds.

The Federal Government, yesterday, stated that effective January 1, 2016, Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, would be sold at N86 per litre by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Retail stations, while other oil marketers would sell at N86.50 per litre.