Today's Headlines: Senators reject Tinubu’s request for troops deployment, Senate screens Keyamo, Salako, Mamman, four others

Niger Coup: Senators reject Tinubu’s request for troops deployment

Senators have rejected the request by President Bola Tinubu for permission to deploy Nigerian troops to Niger Republic as part of an ECOWAS force to reinstate the democratically elected president of the country,

President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed on 26 July in a coup led by his presidential guards.

ECOWAS leaders at a meeting in Abuja four days later gave the coup leaders a seven-day ultimatum to restore constitutional order or face the possible use of force. The regional body imposed sanctions on the coup leaders with Nigeria also cutting electricity supplies and closing its borders with the poor West African nation.

Following the refusal of the coup leaders to backtrack, West African defence chiefs said they had drawn a plan for military action as part of which President Tinubu wrote the Senate for permission to involve Nigerian troops in the action.

However, at an executive session on Saturday, the senators rejected the request by the president.

According to a senator who attended the meeting, senators agreed to pass a resolution condemning the coup and to commend ECOWAS leaders on their efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger, but they ruled out military options.

Senate screens Keyamo, Salako, Mamman, four others 

The Senate will today continue with the screening of the ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu.

Altogether, seven nominees will appear before the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly in a session which begins at 11 a.m.

Those that will appear before the lawmakers today are Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), Uba Ahmadu (Taraba), Lola John (Lagos), Ishak Salako (Ogun), Bosun Tijani (Ogun), Festus Keyamo (Delta) and Mairiga Mahmud (Kano).

Mr Keyamo, a senior lawyer and minister of state for labour and employment in the preceding Buhari administration, and Mrs Mahmud were not originally part of the two lists earlier transmitted to the Senate by Mr Tinubu. Their nomination was announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary on Friday.

Midway into the proceedings on Friday, the senate president read a letter from Mr Tinubu replacing one of the two nominees from Kano, Maryam Shetty with Mrs Mahmud. The president did not state the reason for the action in his correspondence to the Senate.

Bosun Tijani apologises to Senate over unpatriotic tweets

One of the ministerial nominee from Ogun State, Bosun Tijani has apologised to the Senate over his tweets from four years ago.

Tijani was tackled on Saturday, during his screening, by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North Senatorial District, accusing him of being unpatriotic after his profile was read out.

Senator Buhari said “On the 21st of July 2019, Dr Bosun tweeted against Nigeria that he does not appreciate the Nigerian passport and Nigeria as a nation.”

Buhari went ahead to ask the nominee to clarify whether he still believes in Nigeria and the country’s passport.

Addressing the Senate, Tijani apologised saying he tweeted out of a frustrating experience with the Chinese Embassy.

“I tweeted in anger. I am sorry” the ministerial nominee from admitted.

Although the session become rowdy, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio urged other lawmakers to forgive the nominee and said he accepted his apology on behalf of the Senate.

Notorious cult leader, 2Man surrenders to police in Rivers

The leader of a cult group terrorising parts of Ogbologbolo community and its environs in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Ikem Thankgod, has surrendered to the Ahoada Police Division.

DAILY POST gathered that Thankgod was the leader of a cult gang known as Greenland.

It was also gathered that the decision of the cult leader, popularly called, 2 Man to surrender to the police may not be unconnected to the recent massive onslaught of criminal elements and busting of their camps by the police, in collaboration with other sister security agencies in the state.

On Friday, Thankgod was reported to have submitted one AK 47, one G3, and one Mark 4 rifle, as well as AK-47 live ammunition to the police when he surrendered.

The Youth President of Ogbologbolo community, Buduzhi Ogbani told journalists that the decision of the cult leader is a welcome development.

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