Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know this Thursday morning

Good morning! Here are 10 things you need to know this morning:

1. A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday stopped five telecoms firms from suspending the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign fund-raising SMS platform. The court restrained Etisalat, MTN, Glo, Airtel and Visafone from giving effect to a directive by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that they must stop broadcasting fund raising SMS for the APC.

2. A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), has asked the federal government to arrest of ex-Niger Delta militants, including Mujahideen Dokubo-Asari and Government Ekpudomenowei(akaTompolo) over their recent threat that they would declare war against the nation if President Jonathan loses the February 14 election. Danjuma said the threat was very reckless.

3. The Campaign Organisation of former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said that leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who continue to blame the governorship candidate of the All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Labaran Maku for decamping to APGA were not sincere to him as he did so after all other options to stay in the party had failed. The campaign organization condemned David Mark whom it said could not handle those who decamped to APC in his state, but has resolved to attack Maku over his own decision.

4. President Goodluck Jonathan at a campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Igwuruta-Ali, Ikwerre Local Government of Rivers State, said Governor Rotimi Amaechi was wrong when he said he has not done anything for Rivers people. He however admitted that he did not pay special attention to the South South so he is not
perceived as having an ethnic agenda. He promised to develop the South South if given another opportunity.


5. An acclaimed Spokesman of the Boko Haram militants, Abu Musab Abul-Barnawi, has stated in a new video clip shot in a TV studio that Baga was recently seized by his group after due to strategic economic reasons. The Spokesman who wore mask alongside the interviewer however boasted that the group would not give up any of the captured territories as they are now under islamic rules.

6. The Federal Government on Wednesday reacted to the recent attack on Jonathan’s government by former CBN governor, Charles Soludo, saying that the five-year tenure of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria was a disaster to the banking sector, wondering why the same man who failed at different capacities should attack a performing government.
The reaction was contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

7. Amnesty International on Wednesday claimed that despite several warnings regarding the invasion of Baga and Monguno, Borno State, by the Boko Haram militants, the military failed to protect civilians, after ignoring all the warnings. It said it had all proofs of warnings issued to the military regarding the attacks.

8. Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has accused the Gov­ernorship candidate of the Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, of owing the state over N1.6 million in Land Use charges for four years, cautioning Lagosians not to vote for a tax evader who is aspiring to be their next governor.

9. A media group associated working for the Boko Haram insurgents has published two images showing child soldiers in a military training camp. The children in the photos dressed in dark clothes with their heads covered with garments. They were seen practising with their guns.

10. Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen shot into crowd of people at Yangal village in Zango-Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing seven residents, leaving 12 others critically injured. Report says one of seven persons killed was an 87-year-old woman, identified as Mama Hauwa Bello.

Culled from DailyPost