Author: Iduozee Efe Paul

The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has called for an urgent traditional ritual known as “Bisusu” to safeguard the state from potential calamities. The Esere of Benin, Chief S. O. Obamwonyi, who stated this in a statement on Wednesday on behalf of the Oba, said the directive instructs all traditional leaders, including Chiefs, Enigie (Benin Dukes), Igie-Ohen (traditional priests), and Edionwere (village heads), to immediately conduct the ritual using traditional items associated with the ceremony. The statement emphasized that the ritual would “wave away evil from our land, especially before, during, and after the forthcoming gubernatorial election in our dear…

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said it declined to sign the Peace Accord, which was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) because several of its leaders had been arrested without reason ahead of the election. The State chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, stated that the party would only consider signing the accord if the police released its arrested members. He called for the arrest of certain APC members who he alleged were responsible for the Benin Airport attack on July 18, 2024, which resulted in the death of Police Inspector Akor Onuh. Onuh was attached to Monday Okpebholo, the APC governorship…

The Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said that INEC had mopped up some of the uncollected Permanent Voter Cards across the 18 Local Government Areas of Edo State. Prof. Yakubu, who stated this in Benin City during the stakeholders meeting ahead of the Edo State governorship election, said the PVCs would be warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) until after the Governorship election. He said Edo State now had a total of 2,629,025 registered voters adding that in their commitment to transparency, the Commission has made available soft copies of the entire register of…

The Police in Edo State has arrested Esan West Local Government Council Chairman, Collins Aigbogun, following a petition written by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo to the Inspector General of Police indicting him over the political violence that erupted in Illeh community. The Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, who confirmed the arrest to journalists at the police headquarters in Benin, said Aigbogun was brought to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the command in Benin by the Divisional Police Officer on invitation. He said that on arriving at the office of the CID it was discovered that the…

The convoy of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo has crushed one Emmanuel Edionwe and four of his friends to death on Warrake Road around Uzebba axis in Owan West Local Government Area of the State. The sad accident has left the families of the deceased traumatized and devastated with many of them shattered. The victims were returning from a burial when they met their death. The bodies of the victims were deposited at the Edo State University, Uzaurie Mortuary in Etsako West Local Government Area. It was gathered that Okpebholo’s convoy rammed into the…

The governor of Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti, has called on Labour Party faithful in Edo State to vote for the governorship candidate of the party, Olumide Akpata, and be vigilant so that their will would not be circumvented. He gave the charge when he visited the state to galvanize votes especially the Ibo speaking groups for the governorship candidate of the party in Edo. Mr. Otti said the forthcoming governorship election in the state was a crucial one and they must ensure that their votes were guarded jealously. He said though the party may not have the guns and…

The Edo State House of Assembly has countered the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun’s, indefinite suspension of the Edo Security Corps, citing constitutional provisions that legitimize the corps’ existence. The Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian, at a press briefing, in Benin City, argued that the IGP lacked the authority to suspend the corps, established by law on June 13, 2024, and assented to by Governor Godwin Obaseki on June 14, 2024. Egbetokun at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last Wednesday pronounced the suspension. Aiguobarueghian referenced Section 11 subsection…

The Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry, has called on INEC to continue to engage and consult with the community of persons with disability, IFA, and other organizations of persons with disabilities to identify areas to be improved for more inclusive and accessible electoral processes. He said lNEC should as well work closely with IFA, and other organizations of persons with disabilities to harvest and update the data of PWD voters, that INEC should make intentional steps to ensure that qualified PWDs are employed as staff and adhoc staff members. Jerry, who said this at a press conference…

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has called for the relaxation of the rules for the verification and certification of nurses and midwives by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts globally. He also said the country can only get out of its economic doldrums if the government invests more in health, education and human capital. Mr. Obi, who made the assertions when he visited St. Philomena Midwifery and Nursing School in Benin City, Edo State, said countries that are said…

The authorities of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), have set up a committee to probe the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against a professor in the Faculty of Arts. The Secretary of the investigation of the committee, B. D. Jonathan, said in a circular made available to journalists in Benin City that all staff and students of the University with relevant information on the allegation against the professor should send them to the investigation committee. The institution instituted the investigation after a graduate of the university took to social media and called out the lecturer. She alleged that she suffered…