1. The federal government has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to provide security for the 17 Edo All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who gave the order in a letter, explained that the directive became necessary to prevent breakdown of law and order in the state.
2. Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has condemned Thursday’s incident at the House of Assembly. He declared that the action of the lawmakers was a coup and treasonable, noting that the inauguration of the lawmakers was an “illegal assault on our democracy.”
3. An Abuja Mobile Court on Friday convicted Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley for violation of interstate travel ban, non-use of face mask, breaking of social distancing order and attending a concert despite COVID-19 restriction order. Naira Marley was fined N200,000 by Magistrate, Idayat Akanni.
4. The Edo State House of Assembly under the leadership of the new Speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror with seventeen members of the 7th Assembly had their first sitting today. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror in his remark ordered the closure of all bank accounts and directed the executive to stay clear of the house activities.
5. The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has reacted to recent events at the Edo State House of Assembly, describing Governor Godwin Obaseki’s actions as “the gravest possible assault on constitutional democracy and the rule of law and escalation of violence and tension in the state he purports to govern.” Tinubu said this in a statement he signed on Friday, accusing Obaseki of making mockery of Nigeria’s constitution by blocking the timely inauguration of 2/3 of the elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly, and now resorting to the strong-arm tactics of dictators.
6. Aisha, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been reportedly flown abroad for medical treatment. Reports said she left Nigeria for Dubai, UAE over the Sallah weekend due to persistent neck pain.
7. Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi State has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to retain the current armed force service chiefs against the backdrop of calls from several quarters to replace them. Umahi who gave the advice on Friday in Abakaliki while laying the foundation stone of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, said that instead of replacing the service chiefs, the president should increase military funding and other logistics as well as enhance programmes that would make them work optimally.
8. The Katsina State Government has stated that normalcy is returning to the state with farmers and others going about their usual duties. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Ibrahim Katsina, on Friday, the state government said the activities of bandits have been degraded to the barest minimum following the tireless efforts of the Nigerian Army and other security forces.
9. The Federal Government has reacted to the warning that insurgents were penetrating the West African region. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, therefore, appealed to developed nations to make available the requested platforms it needs to effectively prosecute the war against terrorism and insurgency.
10. The United States Embassy in Nigeria, on Friday, expressed its disappointment over the interference of security personnel in politics, ahead of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States. It also issued a warning to political actors in Edo State, over the spate of violence, which is causing tension ahead of next month’s polls.
