News In Bits Today 26/05/16

Here are things you need to know this morning:

- The new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, Thursday, blew up the main gas pipeline, which provides electricity to the Escravos tank farm in Delta state.

The pipelines belong to Chevron.In a tweet sent via its Twitter handle,@NDAvengers, the militant group, confirmed that the latest attack on oil facilities was prompted by Chevron’s refusal to fix a major crude pipeline blown up by the group earlier.

- The Senate on Wednesday summoned the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele for a brief on the state of the nation’s economy. This is coming less than 24 hours after the bank’s monetary policy committee, MPC, meeting which made some far-reaching decisions about the naira.

-An Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, quashed the appeal by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and two other pro-Biafra agitators challenging what they termed, “strange procedure” adopted in their trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

- The Nigeria Police Force, Wednesday disclosed that it has arrested five of the suspects involved in the midnight raid on Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State on April 25 . A statement by the Force PRO, Bisi Kolawole, said Operatives of the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) based on credible technical intelligence swooped on the following suspects : Mohammed Zurai, Ciroma Musa, Sale Adamu, Suleiman Laute and Haruna Laute, and recovered one Gionee L88 mobile phone with memory card containing the video recording of the massacre in the community.

-. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Wednesday rearrested Nnamdi Okonkwo, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc in Lagos. His rearrest is reportedly connected to the discovery of $153 million in new funds also laundered through the bank by former Nigerian oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. According to the report, also arrested is one of the bank’s Heads of Operations.

- A bill seeking the amendment of sections 136 and 181 of the 1999 Constitution (emphasising on the death of a candidate during an election) on Tuesday scaled through second reading in the House of Representatives. The House’s Deputy Speaker, Yusuff Lasun, who presided at the plenary, referred the bill to the Special Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution.

- The Federal Government has again been ordered by the court to allow the detained former National Security Adviser, Colonel Muhammad Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to have unhindered access to his lawyers for consultation and briefing to enable him prepare adequately for his trial. The court also granted one-month permission to former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa who is standing trial along with Dasuki to go to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the Lesser Hajj.....hian!

- Report has claimed that eight of the 12 former members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party have disowned Ali Modu Sheriff and have accepted the outcome of the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which dissolved their committee. The former eight members of the NWC disclosed this in a statement they jointly signed that they had resolved to support the party’s national caretaker committee headed by a former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, to steer the affairs of the party...LMAO!

-President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said the sharp drop in the price of oil globally had put Nigeria in a volatile situation. The President said the country made a terrible mistake by relying solely on oil. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving the outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Saeed Koozechi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

- Members of the House of Representatives were on Wednesday angry following the failure of key stakeholders to attend an investigative hearing on the recent killings in Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, particularly in Agatu villages. Report claims both the Benue State Governor and the Inspector General of Police were absent from the hearing.

Dailypost reportage.