Headlines
Suspended Ogun LG Councillors Protest at Assembly Complex
Local government councillors across Ogun State on Thursday occupied the premises of the state House of Assembly in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, protesting their suspension by the state lawmakers.
The Assembly had during plenary last week suspended all the 236 councillors in the state over allegations of financial misappropriation.
The councillors, who stormed the Assembly complex as early as 8am on Thursday, prevented lawmakers and workers from gaining entrance into the complex.
They were armed with placards with different inscriptions such as ‘The lawmakers are the lawbreakers’ ‘Respect Supreme Court on local government tenure,’ and ‘OGHA led by Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi, don’t rubbish Dapo Abiodun’s administration through your selfishness,’ among others.
While the protest was ongoing, the convoy of the Speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, arrived the premises.
The protesting councillors immediately charged at his convoy and hurled abuses at him.
Adekunbi later disembarked from his vehicle and addressed the protesters.
He urged them to find a better way to present their grievances, saying calling him names would not solve the problem.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, a councillor from Abeokuta South East Local Council Development Area, Azeez Oloyede, told Adekunbi that they were surprised that the Assembly could take such a decision.
On the allegation of financial misappropriation, Oloyede said they did not receive any correspondence on the allegation before the decision was taken.
He said, “We heard the rumour that we were suspended; why is it that it is when the issue of local government autonomy is being addressed that you are suspending us from office?
“Till this moment, there is no allegation against us and before we can be suspended, is there any allegation against us? Not at all.
“We don’t even believe that because up till now, we have not received any letter to that effect and when we got to our various offices, we were being harassed by local government workers and career officers.
“As far as we are concerned, there is nothing like suspension. What is our offence that warrants this kind of rumour that we, the legislators and chairmen, are suspended?”
Adekunbi later told journalists that the Assembly acted within its power.
He claimed that the Assembly had received a lot of petitions against the administration of local government area in the state and that he had brought same unofficially to the notice of the chairmen.
The Punch
FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.
Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.
“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.
There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.
“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.
AFP
Iran, on Wednesday, shut the Strait of Hormuz following fresh Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, raising fears that a fragile ceasefire with the United States could collapse less than a day after it was reached.
The closure comes amid renewed hostilities that have cast doubt over efforts to halt more than a month of fighting. While both Iran and the United States had earlier declared victory after brokering the truce, fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across Iran and parts of the Gulf, alongside intensified Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.
In Beirut, Israeli strikes hit residential and commercial areas without prior warning, leaving at least multiple people dead and many others injured in what has been described as one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
Iranian state media confirmed the closure, with IRNA reporting that the move was taken “in the wake of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.” The development has heightened concerns over the stability of the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States.
Authorities in Iran also imposed strict controls on maritime movement in the strategic waterway. Ships near the strait were instructed to seek permission from Sepah, a special operations unit under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, before passage. A radio message cited by The Wall Street Journal warned that any vessel attempting to cross without approval “will be destroyed.”
Earlier in the day, Iran had indicated a willingness to reopen the strait during the proposed two-week ceasefire, noting this would be done with “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” U.S. officials, meanwhile, said American forces could assist in managing ship traffic, although details remain unclear.
U.S. President Donald Trump also told ABC News he was open to a “joint venture” arrangement with Iran that would involve charging tolls for vessels passing through the strait.
However, reports of ceasefire breaches soon emerged. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a role in negotiating the agreement, said on X that violations had already been recorded, further deepening uncertainty over whether the truce will hold.
The Presidency has come up with reasons behind President Bola Tinubu’s absent at the commissioning of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s projects in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Tinubu was noticeably absent at the scheduled project commissioning in Lagos, sparking public curiosity.
However, Sunday Dare, his Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation, has clarified the reason behind the last-minute development.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Dare revealed that the President had to prioritise urgent national security matters over the event.
According to him, although Tinubu is currently in Lagos, he has been deeply engaged in high-level State duties, particularly ongoing security briefings tied to recent developments across the country.
“The president has been busy taking constant briefs and has to prioritise when it comes to state matters, especially security,” Dare stated.
He referenced rising security concerns, including recent unrest linked to incidents in Jos, noting that the President has been closely monitoring the situation and working directly with intelligence agencies.
Dare emphasised that Tinubu remains fully engaged behind the scenes, actively coordinating with security operatives and receiving continuous updates to address emerging threats.
The absence, he stressed, should not be seen as neglect of official duties but rather a reflection of the President’s focus on safeguarding national stability at a critical time.
Tinubu skipped the Lagos commissioning not out of disregard, but to handle pressing security issues demanding immediate presidential attention.
