The lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, has denied allegations linking him to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kalu made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television, where he was asked about his alleged connections with the CIA and Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

The senator explained that his previous involvement in arms trading brought him into contact with both organisations, adding that they monitored his activities because of his business dealings.

He, however, insisted that knowing individuals within the agencies did not mean he worked for them or served as an intelligence operative.

He said, “Even if I know people there, I mean, I’m not working for them. I’m not an agent. Because I was trading in arms, I must know the two organisations very well. They were keeping an eye on me because I was selling arms.”

The former Abia State governor also dismissed suggestions that prominent personalities had described him as an international agent.

According to him, such descriptions do not define his identity, insisting that he knows who he is and makes efforts to maintain his relationships.

Kalu said, “Anybody can say anything. On some occasions, even President Obasanjo himself has called me an international agent. I mean, those things don’t remove anything from my skin because I know myself. I work hard to keep friendships.”

Mossad, officially known as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, is Israel’s national intelligence agency.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reiterated his commitment to restoring petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The former Vice-President made the pledge in a post shared on his X handle on Monday, alongside a campaign video outlining his position on the policy.

“My position stands! I will restore subsidy to make life easier and more affordable for Nigerians,” Atiku wrote.

The video compared petrol prices in Nigeria with those in other oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Iran and Venezuela, arguing that citizens in those nations pay significantly less for the product.

According to the video, Atiku’s proposed subsidy arrangement would apply only to petrol refined locally, excluding imported products. The policy would also remain in place until domestic refineries become self-sustaining.

Atiku was further quoted in the clip as saying, “My position has not changed and will not change. I will restore it.”

President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration speech in May 2023. His administration subsequently promised to channel the savings from the policy into infrastructure development and social services.

Atiku has made the reversal of the subsidy removal a major part of his 2027 campaign agenda. Other promises include reopening Nigeria’s land borders and addressing insecurity.

He reiterated these commitments during the ADC presidential campaign flag-off rally in Sokoto on November 4.

The former Vice-President secured the ADC presidential ticket in May, marking his seventh attempt to become Nigeria’s president.

However, the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified his candidacy on November 5, alongside decisions taken by the party’s David Mark-led leadership.

The ADC has since appealed the judgment and is seeking a stay of execution.

The presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how he rejected an offer of political asylum from the United States despite warnings that he could be arrested if he returned to Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The former leader also recounted how he left the Nigerian Army to pursue farming before his return to the country led to his arrest and imprisonment under the administration of late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Obasanjo shared the experience while discussing his encounter with Abacha in an interview featured in a video published by BBC News Pidgin on Tuesday.

The 89-year-old explained that he ventured into agriculture after leaving office as Nigeria’s military Head of State in 1979.

According to him, his farming business was progressing successfully until Abacha allegedly made plans to eliminate him.

Obasanjo said he had not intended to retire from the Army at the age of 42, but had reached the highest position possible in the military, having become a four-star general and Head of State.

He said, “When I was leaving government as military head of state, there was, I was leaving too early. I didn’t join the army to retire at the age of 42.

“Now I had to retire at the age of 42. At the age of 42, I had become a four-star general. There’s nothing else I can do in the army. I’ve become the military head of state. That’s the highest political office I could rise.

“So what can I do? I decided I would go into farming. It really was going well, and it went well until I was arrested. Abacha had decided that I must be liquidated; otherwise he would not be able to have his way.”

The former President further disclosed that he was unaware of the alleged plan against him until the American ambassador to Nigeria contacted him while he was travelling.

According to Obasanjo, the ambassador informed him that the US government had offered him political asylum because it anticipated that he would be arrested if he returned to Nigeria.

However, he said he rejected the offer because he believed he had committed no offence that warranted an arrest.

He explained that upon arriving in Nigeria, his passport was seized, and he headed to his farm, only to discover that security operatives had surrounded the premises.

Obasanjo said a plain-clothes police officer later approached him, claiming that an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) wanted him to assist with an issue.

He recalled rejecting the invitation, insisting that the AIG should personally come to his farm if he needed his assistance.

The former leader said he eventually drove himself to the police station, where the AIG informed him that he had been instructed to arrest him.

Obasanjo added that he was subsequently detained, and former US President Jimmy Carter later intervened on his behalf, leading to his placement under house arrest.

However, he said security operatives returned one night while he was playing squash at about 1 a.m. and took him away to prison.

He said, “I didn’t know that it was a decision of Abacha that some of us must not be kept free; otherwise, he would feel unsafe. I was put in a place. Then President Jimmy Carter came. He pleaded, and then they put me under house arrest.

“Then they came one day; I was playing squash at about 1 am. They came and said they were taking me away. And they took me away, and from there, I went to prison.”