Today’s Headlines: Armed Men Kidnap AAC Presidential Candidate Omoyele Sowore In Ekiti, Vandalise Eatery, Tinubu Prays For Peace, Unity In Nigeria

Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has reportedly been abducted by armed men in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, with his whereabouts currently unknown.

Eyewitnesses told SaharaReporters that the incident occurred on Friday at Tawakalitu Restaurants and Catering Services, where the armed men reportedly stormed the premises and forcibly took Sowore away.

The eyewitnesses identified the attackers as political thugs allegedly linked to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The footage from the scene shows several tables and chairs damaged, while parts of the establishment appear to have been vandalised. A vehicle outside the restaurant was also damaged, while another had a flat tyre.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu performed Umrah in the early hours of Friday in the holy city of Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering prayers of gratitude to Almighty Allah and seeking His continued guidance and protection for Nigeria.

Tinubu also prayed for God to guide the country’s leaders with wisdom, strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among Nigerians, and grant the “nation lasting relief from insecurity and other challenges.

”In a statement made available to State House correspondents by Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency said “during the spiritual exercise, President Tinubu circled the Holy Ka’abah at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, in worship, devotion, and thanksgiving to Almighty Allah for His blessings on Nigeria and her people.”

The Federal University of Science and Technology, Kabo, Kano State, has secured accreditation for 20 courses, including medical programmes, ahead of the commencement of its maiden academic session.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, congratulated the university’s Governing Council, management and staff on the achievement, urging them to sustain the progress and uphold high academic standards.

Barau spoke on Thursday when the Pro-Chancellor and Chairperson of the Governing Council, Grace Laoye-Tomori, led members of the council on a courtesy visit to him at the National Assembly in Abuja.

According to a statement issued on Friday by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Laoye-Tomori briefed Barau on the accreditation of the 20 courses, describing it as a major step towards the commencement of academic activities.

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revealed what he claimed was the reason he did not contest for the Senate after completing his second term as governor of Rivers State.

Speaking at the commissioning of a pedestrian bridge at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre in Abuja on Friday, Wike disclosed that he turned down the opportunity to become a lawmaker because the position would limit his freedom to express his opinions.

He said, “Many governors today, when they are done, they want to go to the National Assembly, but I said that I won’t go. They asked me why, and I said I would be prevented from speaking my mind.

“Since I won’t be able to speak my mind, there is no need for me to go there. That is true. Everybody has forgotten what this country was before now.”

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