News

Tories select councillor Louie French for Old Bexley and Sidcup byelection

The Conservatives have selected a candidate to contest the Old Bexley and Sidcup byelection after the death of MP James Brokenshire.

Louie French, a councillor for eight years and the former deputy leader of Bexley council, will face candidates from Labour and the Reform party in a byelection, the date of which has not yet been announced.

The announcement on Saturday comes after former Cabinet minister Brokenshire, who had lung cancer, died aged 53 earlier this month.

French, to whom Brokenshire was a friend and mentor, is likely to be viewed as the favourite to win the seat, which has been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1983.

“It’s an honour to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Old Bexley and Sidcup, where I hope to carry on his [Brokenshire’s] excellent work,” he said. “I will campaign to ensure that outer London areas like Old Bexley and Sidcup are not forgotten or left behind by the mayor of London and City Hall.”

He also pledged to improve access to GPs and other healthcare services and build on Brokenshire’s work with Queen Mary’s hospital.

Oliver Dowden, the Conservative party chair, praised French’s appointment, saying: “Louie will build on James’s exceptional record as a strong voice tirelessly standing up for the people of Bexley.”

French will run against Daniel Francis, a Bexley councillor for Labour, and Richard Tice, the leader of Reform, formerly known as the Brexit party.

Francis, a former leader of Bexley’s Labour group on the council who has lived in the area for his entire life, claims residents are “fed up of being taken for granted by the Tories”.

He tweeted from the campaign trail today: “Only Labour can provide the change our constituency needs.”

Meanwhile, Tice said he will be standing on a ticket of low taxes and pledged to campaign for a referendum on the 2050 net zero emissions target.

The former MEP described the seat as “traditionally Conservative”. He said: “Voters here did not expect the prime minister to deliver con-socialism, a highly taxed, highly regulated nanny state.”

The south-east London seat, which was previously held by former prime minister Ted Heath, was won by Brokenshire with a majority of close to 19,000 in the 2019 general election.

He served as secretary of state for Northern Ireland and for communities and local government under Theresa May and held multiple junior government positions under David Cameron and Boris Johnson. He was MP for Hornchurch from 2005 to 2010 and then for 11 years as MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup.

News

Police arrest 9 suspects over communal crisis in Kogi

The Police Command in Kogi State has arrested nine suspects in connection with a communal crisis in Itamah area of Kogi.

The crisis occurred after the assassination of the community traditional ruler, Onu Itamah Job Shagari.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday.

The late Chief Job Shagari was on Aug. 12 assassinated by some gunmen who invaded the community.

The traditional ruler’s death had created rift between two families — the Okenyi Abu-Atika and Shagari-Ebijegor, resulting in communal crisis.

But the police said they had arrested nine suspects and they were trailing other suspects.

“What the police are calling for now is for peace to be allowed to reign in Itamah community.

“The destruction done in that community is very unfortunate and uncalled for.

“We want a situation where the aggrieved families should come to round table for dialogue toward finding a lasting solution.

A situation where the community members are involved in an eye for an eye, the whole community will be blind and there won’t be peace there at all,” he said.

Onuoha denied the allegation that the command did not respond to petitions brought before it on arson and hostilities that left some houses and other property razed destroyed.

Mr Akoh Jonah, spokesman of the Okenyi Abu-Atika, claimed that more than 40 houses were burnt during the crisis, alleging that the police arrested 11 members of his family

News

Police arrest two suspects with AK-47 rifle in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested two suspects with a fabricated AK-47 rifle and ammunition in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

Spokesperson of the command, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, September 12, 2024. He said the suspects were nabbed by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit while trying to sell the rifle for N580,000.

“The Bauchi State Police Command is unwavering in its efforts to combat the proliferation of small and light arms within the state. In furtherance of this commitment, the Taskforce operatives, led by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit attached to the Command, have successfully apprehended two suspects in possession of a fabricated AK47 rifle and ammunition at Boto Market in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi state,” the statement read.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects, who travelled from Plateau State to Boto market, negotiated the sale of the rifle for N580,000.

“The apprehended suspects are: Abdulgafar Mohammed, male, 18 years old, from Barkin Ladi, Plateau State and Yusuf Isa, male, 25 years old, from the same address.

“A discreet investigation is ongoing, after which the suspect will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

Under the stewardship of the Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Mohammad, psc, Anipr, the Command has escalated efforts to locate and apprehend the manufacturers of such weapons, irrespective of their location. Ultimately, the Command aims to assure the public of its dedication to eliminating illegal firearms in the state and urges the citizens to understand that.

“Mankind must put an end to organised crime, or organized crime will put an end to mankind”, and on the “ keyboard of life, let us as citizens always keep a finger on the escape key to survive.”

News

Police arrest 19 year old undergraduate for kidnapping, killing of a female student in Kogi

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested Paul Jeremiah, 20, for the alleged murder of Damilola, a 19-year-old first-year student at the Federal University, Lafia, Kogi State.

SP William Ovie Aya, the Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed Jeremiah’s arrest on Thursday in Lokoja.

According to him, investigation is underway to determine the details surrounding the incident.

Damilola was reported missing on September 4, 2024.

Reports indicate that Jeremiah and his accomplices initially demanded a ransom of N10 million for her release.

However, after receiving N400,000 from Damilola’s family, Jeremiah, said to be a Kaduna State indigene, was dissatisfied with the amount and subsequently killed Damilola and mutilated her body.

The Police spokesman did not disclose how Jeremiah was apprehended but confirmed that he is currently in custody.