FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has successfully secured the release of six Nigerian women who were wrongfully detained in Cape Verde over baseless trafficking accusations.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed via a statement on  Wednesday, April 16 that the Nigerian Mission in Guinea Bissau worked closely with the Cape Verdean authorities to ensure the women’s release.

She noted that the women had travelled to Cape Verde for vacation but were unfortunately arrested on unfounded human trafficking charges, which were eventually proven to be false.

Ebienfa mentioned that the minister expressed his satisfaction with the successful resolution of the matter and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerians abroad.

READ ALSO:

• Trump mulls closure of US embassies in Africa
• Breaking: Virgil van Dijk signs new contract at Liverpool
• Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

The statement read, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to happily inform you that the Nigerian ladies who were detained in Cape Verde have all been released and have left the country, too.

“The Ministry engaged Cape Verde authorities via our Mission in Guinea Bissau to secure their release.

“The six ladies travelled to Cape Verde for a holiday and were unfortunately detained on allegations of trafficking, which turned out to be false.”

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

A lawmaker in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike were captured engaging in a fight.

In a video circulating on social media, the Chief Whip of the Assembly, Hon. Gabriel Ogbara, was seen engaging in a heated struggle with the Ogbia Ward 8 Coordinator of the pro-Wike political group, the NEW Associates.

READ ALSO:

• How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister
• Hoodlums attack Senator Natasha’s family residence in Kogi
• ISWAP terrorists kill 3 Customs officers in Kebbi, burn patrol vehicles

The footage was posted by George Turnah, a known supporter of Wike and a former legal adviser to the PDP in the South-South zone.

Turnah, who was recently suspended by the Bayelsa PDP, has been at loggerheads with Governor Douye Diri over plans to organize a rally in Yenagoa in support of Wike. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Despite both Diri and Wike belonging to the PDP, the two powerbrokers have been locked in a quiet political rivalry, particularly over control of the party’s structure in the South-South. Governor Diri currently chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum.

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has blamed previous Nigerian presidents and leaders for the lingering crisis in the country’s power sector.

Speaking while receiving a World Bank delegation in his Abuja office, Adelabu said successive administrations failed to take decisive action, leading to the degeneration currently plaguing power generation, transmission, and distribution.

He, however, expressed optimism under the current administration, noting that President Bola Tinubu has shown genuine concern and given total support toward reforms aimed at revamping the power sector.

“We actually have a past that we are not proud of. Over the years, we have only been paying lip service to transforming the power sector but have not worked the talk.

“Previous administrations have kept on doing the same thing all the time and you cannot get different results for that, which is why we have decided to do things differently this time. In all the segments across the sector, we must run away from the past,” Adelabu said in the statement by Bolaji Tunji, his special adviser on strategic communications and media relations.

He said the neglect of critical power infrastructure over the years, “including thousands of kilometres of transmission lines and hundreds of thousands of transformers”, has deepened the challenges in the sector.

“How will you explain the kind of infrastructure that we put together for our transmission network across the country? Thousands of kilometers of power line, thousands of power transformers, hundreds of thousands of distribution transformers that we have not maintained over time and expect them to keep sustaining our energy supply. It is not possible,” Adelabu said.

READ ALSO:

• Hoodlums attack Senator Natasha’s family residence in Kogi
• ISWAP terrorists kill 3 Customs officers in Kebbi, burn patrol vehicles
• APC Rep aspirant escapes assassination attempt in Abuja

“How do we allow our people to be vandalising infrastructure and expect stable electricity? So how do you have a sector with over 12 million customers and our meter is not more than six million and we expect to have a stable industry? No, it’s not possible. So what has happened with past governments?

“In 1984, when the military was in power here, we achieved a 2000 megawatts. Between 1984 and 2023, it took us 40 years to add additional 2000 megawatts. Now we have an average of 5,800 megawatts generation within one and a half years that we came to the office.

“What I’m saying is that, if the past administrations have been adding things like this, we will not be where we are today. And that is why I said that President Tinubu is actually laying the kind of foundation that we need for our country to grow”, he added.

He blamed the Muhammadu Buhari administration for stalling on the Siemens power deal signed in 2019.

“We entered into the Siemens contract in 2019. We never lifted a finger until 2023, when this government came on board. So you can now imagine since this President came in and now look at the mileage we have achieved,” he said.

The minister, however, noted that the pilot phase of the Siemens power project is nearly complete in under two years, expressing confidence in a brighter future for the power sector.

The minister implored the World Bank team to continue to support the Tinubu’s administration to ensure that the investment of the current administration succeeds.

“One thing that this administration has brought to the table is the seriousness, the determination, the commitment to make sure that the power sector is transformed.

“There is very little you can achieve in your agriculture sector, in your transportation sector, in your defense, education, or health; without stable and efficient electricity supply.

“That is why the President is really focusing on this, and he is supporting whatever we need to do to make sure that we transform this sector. He is ready to give us that support”, he noted.

How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

(DailyTrust)