Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 9th July, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 9th July 2023.

Sheikh Gumi Offers To Join Bandit Negotiation Team

A prominent Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has indicated his willingness to be part of negotiations with bandits for the sake of national peace.

Speaking with Trust TV, he expressed this willingness, stating he is prepared to contribute to the process if asked by President Bola Tinubu.

Sheikh Gumi stressed the need for a comprehensive approach involving scholars, emirs, and university professors to achieve lasting peace in affected regions.

“I don’t have to lead it, but I would volunteer myself to be part of it. It’s not about leadership; it’s about a holistic package that addresses the issue,” he noted.

He applauded the former Zamfara state governor, Senator Sani Yarima’s recent suggestion to negotiate with bandits and grant them amnesty, akin to former Niger Delta militants.

ICPC Speaks On DSS Carting Away Files Implicating President Tinubu

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has debunked a report claiming the Department of State Services (DSS) raided its office to cart away some files implicating President Bola Tinubu and some of his close aides.

This follows earlier claims by an online news platform that the DSS allegedly carted away sensitive files from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC).

The report claimed the DSS carried out a secret raid on CCB and ICPC, carting away files implicating President Tinubu and some of his close aides.

However, the ICPC in a statement on Saturday said the allegation of a raid on its office should be disregarded by members of the public.

Tinubu Arrives Guinea-Bissau For ECOWAS Summit, Visits Nigerian Troops

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived Bissau, capital of Republic of Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, on Saturday.

President Tinubu also used the opportunity of the summit to visit the Nigerian contingent stationed in the country under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.

The 63rd Ordinary Session summit, which will open on Sunday July 9, 2023, will be the first international engagement of the President within the African continent since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

President Tinubu’s whose plane touched down at the International Airport in Bissau at exactly 5.30pm local time will be the centre of attraction at the summit.

Tinubu ‘Considers’ Ending Boko Haram Amnesty Program

President Bola Tinubu is considering halting the De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration Programme for repentant Boko Haram insurgents due to its immense financial burden.

The Nigerian government is considering shifting its focus from this costly amnesty program towards fortifying military operations in the Northeast to expedite the end of the insurgency.

Amidst these considerations, plans are in place to transfer another 1,000 insurgents from a detention facility in Kainji, Niger State, to a rehabilitation centre in Gombe State.

Previous Chief of Defence Staff, General Godwin Irabor, revealed in January that over 83,000 insurgents had surrendered to the Nigerian Army through the Operation Safe Corridor program.

Innoson Withdraws Scholarship Awarded To Mmesoma After Latest Revelation

Innoson Vehicles, a Nigerian automotive manufacturer, has revoked a scholarship granted to Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme.

This action came after an Anambra investigative committee revealed on Friday that Ejikeme falsified her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.

According to the committee, the student acknowledged that she had manipulated her scores.

In a statement released on Saturday, Cornel Osigwe, the Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson, confirmed the decision to rescind the scholarship.

Osigwe stated that the company made this “difficult decision” in response to the confirmed fraudulent actions by the student.

JAMB: Anambra Govt ‘Indicts’ Mmesoma Of Result Manipulation

A student, Mmesoma Joy Ejikeme has reportedly been indicted of manipulating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score result.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed by the Committee set up by the Anambra state governor, Prof. Charles Soludo to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged forgery of a JAMB result.

The Committee made its finding known in a 8-page report it submitted on Friday.

Recall that Mmesoma had said she scored a total of 362 in the examination, contrary to the real score sent to her by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

JAMB had insisted that Mmesoma’s actual score was 249, not the 362 she claimed.

Tinubu: DSS Allegedly Arrests Senator Yari

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have reportedly arrested and detained for two nights a former Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari.

According to Peoples Gazette, Yari was allegedly arrested after multiple telephone calls to his lines from President Bola Tinubu rang through last month following the tussle for the Senate President of the National Assembly.

One senior security officer and a State House aide disclosed that the DSS arrested Yari on Thursday morning and detained him for “thinking the president is a joke,” as one official put it.

“He was asked why he ignored the president’s phone calls during the Senate leadership battle,” an official said.

Certificate Forgery: NYSC Tenders Documents Against Gov Mbah

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Enugu State has started hearing the case brought forward by the Labour Party and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga.

They contest the election of Dr Peter Mbah as the state governor, arguing that he did not secure the most legitimate votes in the March 18 governorship election.

They also allege that Mbah submitted a counterfeit National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to win the election.

The petitioners began their defence by presenting the NYSC as their first witness. The NYSC, represented by the Director of Certification, Aliyu Abdul Mohammed, brought forward several documents, including the alleged counterfeit discharge certificate and the original discharge certificate that Mbah should have received.

They also presented a letter from Oma and Partners, a law firm based in Abuja, asking the NYSC to verify the certificate Mbah provided to the INEC.

Tinubu To Emerge Next ECOWAS Chairman

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to emerge as the next chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Recall that Tinubu leaves Abuja on Saturday ahead of the Sunday meeting of the heads of state of the regional political and economic bloc.

According to TheCable, the Nigerian leader is expected to take over from President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau.

Diplomatic sources made this known to the aforementioned platform.

Father-In-Law To Sultan Of Sokoto And Emir Of Bichi Passes Away

Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, and Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi in Kano state, have suffered a personal loss.

Abubakar Imam Galadanchi, their father-in-law, has passed away in London following a long illness.

Aminu Haliru, the Public Relations Officer of the Sultanate Council, confirmed the unfortunate news on Saturday.

He noted that both the Sultan and the Emir of Bichi are married to the daughters of the deceased.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.