Two soldiers and a civilian have been killed in Niger in a fresh suspected jihadist attack in the restive region of Tillaberi, the defence ministry said. The attack was carried out by “terrorists on some 20 motorcycles” in the Tabala village, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the capital Niamey, according to a ministry statement released late on Wednesday. It marked the second attack in a week in the region, after armed bandits killed around 20 people in another village in the Tillaberi earlier this week, public radio reported on Wednesday. Tillaberi is in the vast and unstable “three borders” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where insurgents have carried out attacks for years despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces. Niger is ruled by military leaders who seized power in a July coup, citing a worsening security situation as justification for the power grab.

The rise in revenue by Discos prompted calls for improved services from the power firms, as consumers condemned the Discos’ inability to deliver satisfactorily. Power consumers complainPower consumers condemned the rise in the revenue of electricity distribution companies amid the worsening state of power supply nationwide. “Now, you have over 60 per cent of unmetered customers and the Discos will bring bills to these customers whether these Discos supplied power or not to the power users. In February, The PUNCH reported that Discos overbilled customers by N105bn, and were to face sanctions from NERC. Abuja Disco, for instance, overbilled its customers without meters to the tune of N17.874bn, while Eko Disco over-billed its unmetered customers by N13.137bn.

The Tata Punch EV, which we recently bought from the Mumbai Tata Motors store, is a wonderful addition to our family. It is big enough for our little family trips to the Alibaug beaches, with room for...Read More

The United States is less than six months away from sending either Joe Biden or Donald Trump back to the White House. For many voters mulling this decision, the economy is front of mind. A majority of Americans believe the US is in recession, according to a Harris poll conducted for the Guardian. Do you know how the US economy has been performing? Plot your answer on each chart, and then hit ‘submit your guess’ to see how it squares with reality.

Trucks Transit Parks Limited (TTP) has partnered with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to deploy electronic-tag technology for trucks across the nation’s ports to boost efficiency and security in the maritime sector. This partnership, aligning with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Committee (PEBEC) goals, will ensure the technology is provided at no cost to truckers. The e-tag system will apply to all trucks entering major ports like Apapa and Tincan Island, including those owned by industrial companies. He said it would also improve the ease of doing business for truckers and the maritime or blue economy. He said this strategic initiative not only supports the broader objectives of the NPA but also promotes technological advancement and improved business conditions within Nigeria’s maritime industry.

The Managing Director of Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown, has been awarded shares under the company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan. This was disclosed in a document filed with the Nigeria Exchange Group and signed by the Company Secretary, Edith Onwuchekwa on Tuesday. Brown was granted 4,943,445 units of vested shares, valued at N14.644bn for 2962.30 per share between 2014 and 2022 subject to statutory deductions. “Following statutory deductions of 937,278 ordinary shares at a price of N 2,962.30 per share, Brown will have 4,006,168 units of shares. PUNCH had reported that the shareholders of Seplat Energy Plc commended the company’s dedication to environmental sustainability and approved the payment of US 15 cents as dividends.

Seven Palestinians, including a doctor, have been killed by Israeli forces during an operation in Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry has said. The UN says at least 480 Palestinians – members of armed groups, attackers and civilians – have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Ten Israelis, including six security forces personnel, have also been killed in the West Bank. The West Bank-based Palestinian health ministry said seven people had been killed and nine wounded, two of them seriously, by Israeli fire during Tuesday morning’s operation in Jenin. The ministry accused Israeli forces of intentionally killing the doctor.

Iranians have gathered in Tabriz, the capital of the East Azerbaijan province, to mourn at a farewell procession for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other people in the helicopter, including crew members, were also killed in the crash. After the procession in Tabriz, the bodies of Raisi, 63 and Amirabdollahian, 60, will be transferred to Tehran for another ceremony. Organisers in Mashhad said they are planning a “glorious” burial on Thursday for Raisi in the holy city. ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNEIranian President, other World leaders that died through air crash

Last year in December, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, announced the mechanical completion and flare start-off of the biggest crude refinery in Port Harcourt. On March 15, 2024, it was reported that the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, stated that the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operations in about two weeks. Dangote is coming soon and the Port Harcourt refinery is almost ready too and that is very good. We need that competition for the benefit of the nation.”The new timeline coincides with a proposal by the Dangote Refinery to commence petrol production by ending of next month (June). Everything has been completed in terms of our work, and once we get those approvals, it will start operations.”

The rise in food prices in sub-Saharan Africa, is partly due to global factors, as the region imports most of its top staple foods. The country has a large agricultural sector, and there have been efforts to boost local production to reduce the dependence on food imports. Comparatively, the figure was $644,000 or 23 per cent less than a $2.7bn disbursed by the apex bank for food importation. Kabir said, “If you look at the regime we came out of on the dependence of importation and the numbers before that 2023 figure. We spent more on food importation before 2015 but between 2016 and 2021, the figure dropped from our observations.

Mr. Sunday Adeyemi, a school owner in Ibadan, has reportedly disappeared with funds earmarked for students’ WAEC and NECO exam fees, leaving their educational prospects in jeopardy. The shocking revelation came to light through Adejoke Lasisi, the founder of Planet 3R, who took to Facebook to share the distressing news. According to her post, many parents had gone to great lengths, even borrowing money, to ensure their children could take these crucial exams. However, their hopes were shattered when they discovered that the school had not registered their children for the exams despite collecting the fees. ALSO READ: Polytechnic lecturers reject new governing council membersThe school owner’s actions were described as a betrayal of trust, especially considering he had operated “The Lord’s Favour” school for more than two decades.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as top Hamas leaders, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Biden’s expression of support for Netanyahu over the ICC bid comes despite recent disagreements with Israel over its conduct in the Gaza war. “The United States fundamentally rejects the announcement today from the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,” Blinken said in a statement. ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNEWorld leaders react to death of late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi

Ememobong said that the current administration in the state had been quite consistent with infrastructure development. ”Remember that the governor recently invited former President, Goodluck Jonathan to inaugurate that project; it shows how serious we take the business of governance. The essence is to ensure the even distribution of dividends of democracy to the Akwa Ibom people. He noted that the governor had not only performed creditably in the area of road infrastructure but had ensured human capital development. ADVERTISEMENTThe commissioner said that the governor recently spent ₦400 million to empower no fewer than 800 entrepreneurs in the state.

The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, has revealed that the arbitrary hike in cement prices is directly responsible for the increasing cases of building collapse in the country. “You will agree with me that this is one of the key culprits of building collapse. I am trying to connect the hike in the price of cement with the standardization in our building and the direct connection to building collapse. Gbwefi, who agreed with the COREN President that the cost of cement is directly related to building collapse, added that it also impacts tenancy rates. “Anything that has to do with livelihood should be treated as an emergency,” the Committee Chairman said.

“We’ve sealed 840 event centres and social facilities for safety violations and non-compliance with extant laws,” Oyerinde said. “Fire safety officers from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) successfully rescued 376 victims, preserving property estimated to be worth ₦152.22 billion. Oyerinde stressed that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had prioritised fire mitigation and emergency response strategies. He noted that the state constructed fire stations, modern workshops for Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and an access road to the 3rd Relief Camp. He said that this was part of its ongoing emergency, safety, and security initiatives.