Newspaper Headlines Today Friday 24th December 2022

Below are today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan on Friday told Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s, LP, presidential candidate, that whoever emerges the next president must work towards uniting the nation. Jonathan stated this when Obi paid him a courtesy visit at his home in Bayelsa State.

2. The Rivers State campaign office of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been sealed off. The Rivers State PDP presidential campaign council said the action was based on the orders of the Rivers State government.

3. Ahead of the February 2023 presidential election, loyalists of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, have predicted outright victory for the former Vice President. They said they were confident of the PDP candidate’s victory with or without the support of the five governors who are currently not participating in the party’s electioneering.

4. The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has urged police personnel in Ebonyi State to ensure that the incessant burning of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s offices stops immediately. Baba gave the order on Friday in Abakaliki while addressing personnel of the force as part of activities marking his visit to the state.

5. The Benue State Police Command on Friday said it had begun a manhunt for the abductors of a Catholic priest of Otukpo Diocese in the state, Fr Mark Ojotu. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had abducted Ojotu, said to be the Chaplain of St. Mary’s Hospital, Okpoga, in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state.

6. Yusha’u Kebbe, a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State on Friday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Kebbe announced his defection at a press briefing in Sokoto, citing alleged poor leadership and lack of people-oriented projects from the PDP-led administration in the state as some of the reasons for his action.

7. Bandits, in their numbers, on Thursday struck in Mulo community in Mashegu Local Government area of Niger State, killing the village head, Usman Garba. Three other members of the community that were abducted along with the deceased village Head were taken away after the village head was killed a few meters from the community.

8. Barring any new development, the House of Representatives will insist on the reversal of the cash withdrawal limit policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). A ranking lawmaker said it is the general opinion of the lawmakers that the policy be reversed.

9. The military high command on Friday said it commenced an investigation on the alleged killing of innocent civilians last Sunday in airstrikes targeted at terrorists by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) at Mutumji community in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

10. Bandits have raided three communities – Azara, Jangala and Kadara – in Kagarko and Kachia LGAs of Kaduna State, abducting 37 residents in the last three days. It was reported that the victims were mostly women, including three nursing mothers, and children.