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Reps Hit Back At Senate, Ignore Bills For Concurrence

Reps hit back at Senate, ignore bills for concurrence

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday stepped down second reading of two bills transmitted to it from the Senate for concurrence in protest against the alleged abandonment of bills from the House by the upper chamber.

The affected bills were titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide for Establishment of Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria; and for Related Matters’ and ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Aboh; and for Related Matters.’

A mild drama had played out when the House got to Items 2 and 3 in the Bills section of the day’s Order Paper.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, asked that the first bill be stepped down as the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, who was to lead the debate on the legislation, was not on seat.

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, before ruling on the prayer, asked to meet with some leaders of the chamber, who approached him where he was seated.

After some minutes, Gbajabiamila asked Fulata to guide the House on what action to be taken on the bill.

Fulata said, “We have 69 of our bills awaiting concurrence by the Senate. They have concurred with 17 of our bills. We have concurred with 14 of their bills. So, what is outstanding? The information still not complete is how many Senate bills with us that are awaiting concurrence. Once we get the statistics, we will have a complete picture.”

In his ruling, Gbajabiamila said, “Okay, I agree. We will step that matter down until we get the full picture of the numbers. Thank you. The matter is stepped down.”

The House had on June 9, 2021, the third time within four months, accused the Senate of not concurring with bills transmitted to it, threatening to reciprocate by not passing bills from the other chamber.

The House was to consider among others, ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act, No. 2, 2019 to extend the Tenure of the Resolution Cost Fund.

Ado-Doguwa had urged the lawmakers to pass the Senate bill.

However, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said, “Leader of the House; please, I think you should talk to the Leader of the Senate that many bills are outstanding from the House in the Senate that require the same mutual concurrence. And we will begin to study it. That is your responsibility.”

On March 16, 2021, Ado-Doguwa had partly said, “I want to put it straight that we will always concur with bills coming from the Senate and we expect the same from the Senate to concur with our bills that go to the Senate.”

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Police foil N14m ransom payment, rescue kidnap victim, arrest suspects

A kidnap victim, Semiu Ogunniyi, who was abducted from a hotel in Ikare-Akoko, Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State, has been rescued by police operatives and local hunters.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Wilfred Afolabi, who disclosed this, revealed that one of the suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction of Ogunniyi, Muhammed Babuga, was arrested in the course of the rescue operation.

According to Afolabi, the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of N14 million for the release of the victim, after which the movement of the suspects was trailed through actionable intelligence.

The police boss disclosed that during the interception, the suspects engaged the operatives in a fierce gun duel, with several suspects sustaining gunshot injuries during the exchange of gunfire.

While speaking with newsmen at the headquarters of the state police command, Afolabi added that two suspected kidnappers, Ibrahim Umar, 25, and Paul Osanyinduro, 38, were arrested in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Council Area of the state. Abubakar Bamoh, 30, a logistics provider for the kidnappers terrorising various parts of the South-West, was also arrested.

He said, “Command also arrested 3 suspected kidnappers who have confessed to their involvement in various kidnapping cases across the state. This operation marks yet another success in the Command’s ongoing offensive against kidnapping and violent crime in the state.

“Acting on credible intelligence regarding the activities of one Abubakar Bamoh, male, aged 30 years, an indigene of Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command swung into action and successfully apprehended the suspect at one of the Fulani camps in Igbara-Oke, Ondo State.”
(Daily post)

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SERAP demands explanation over missing N500bn oil revenue from NNPCL

Allow 7m Nigerians to complete voter registration or face legal action, SERAP tells INEC

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mr Bayo Ojulari, to immediately account for and explain the whereabouts of the N500 billion oil revenue the company allegedly failed to remit to the Federation Account between October and December 2024.

In a letter dated May 17, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP cited recent revelations by the World Bank which showed that out of N1.1 trillion earned from crude oil sales and other income in 2024, only N600 billion was remitted by the NNPCL, leaving a staggering N500 billion unaccounted for.

The organisation is demanding full disclosure and recovery of the missing funds, and has threatened legal action should the company fail to act within seven days.

“SERAP is writing to request you to use your good offices and leadership position to promptly account for and explain the whereabouts of the missing N500 billion, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited failed to remit to the Federation Account,” the letter stated.JAMB’s

SERAP also urged Ojulari to identify and surcharge those responsible for the missing funds and hand them over to anti-graft agencies for investigation and prosecution.

“SERAP urges you to promptly identify those suspected to be responsible for the alleged missing oil money, surcharge them for the full amount involved, and hand them over to the ICPC and the EFCC,” the group wrote.

Citing the World Bank report, the group noted that revenue from oil sales and other sources was expected to be fully paid into the Federation Account and shared by all tiers of government, but the NNPCL failed to comply.

“Nigerians have the right to know why the NNPCL is remitting only 50 per cent of the gains generated from the removal of petrol subsidies to the Federation Account,” SERAP said.

“The failure by the NNPCL to remit the money is a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anti-corruption laws, and international obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption.”

SERAP warned that the alleged disappearance of such a large sum has serious implications for economic development, poverty alleviation, and the provision of basic public services at a time of national hardship.

“Despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived very little benefit from oil money primarily because of widespread grand corruption, and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators,” the group added.

It stressed that the failure of the NNPCL to uphold transparency and accountability standards has worsened the country’s fiscal crisis.

“The missing oil revenue reflects a failure of NNPCL accountability more generally and is directly linked to the institution’s continuing failure to uphold the principles of transparency,” SERAP noted.

Citing paragraph 3112(ii) of the Financial Regulations 2009, the group said any public officer who fails to account for government revenue “shall be surcharged for the full amount involved and handed over to either the EFCC or the ICPC.”

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Security Operatives Nab ‘Wanted’ Kidnapper In Abuja Hajj Camp

Security operatives have reportedly arrested a wanted kidnapper at the hajj camp in Abuja.

A security source at the camp confirmed the arrest to our correspondent, on Sunday.

He said the suspect was nabbed during screening of pilgrims who were preparing to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia. He disclosed that the suspect identified as Yahaya Zango resided at Paikon -Kore in Gwagwalada area council of the FCT.

The source said security agencies had declared him wanted, following his alleged involvement in some kidnappings.

He said the suspect presented his passport alongside other Muslim contingent from Abuja who were on their way to observe this year’s hajj. “It was this afternoon during the screening at the hajj camp in airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” he said

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