Author: straightnewsng.com

For a second time, the transmission mast of FM radio station belonging to an aide of Governor Udom Emmanuel in Akwa Ibom State collapsed Wednesday morning, March 24, almost leading to the loss of lives. The latest incident came after the facility, owned by Mixx Radio 88.7FM located at Shelter Afrique Estate in Uyo, the State capital, suffered a partial collapse on January 7. The new station is built and owned by Mr. Friday Ben, also known as Dollie Popman, the Special Assistant on Protocol to Governor Udom. On Wednesday, residents living close to the mast escaped death and injuries by the…

A middle-aged woman in Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State is confined in the state police command for conspiring with four others to murder her 19-year-old step-son. The woman identified as Christiana Wilson together with others is alleged to have murdered one Edidiong Wilson. The Commissioner of Police Mr. Andrew Amiengheme who paraded the suspects before newsmen on Friday at the state Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo, also paraded four others for attempted murder, kidnapping and child abduction. Amiengheme said the principal suspect, Christiana Wilson confessed failure of the step-son to return N100,000 she gave him to keep…

The remains of Obong Udo Ekpenyong, Akwa Ibom Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, were interred in his country home, Ikot Oku Usung in Ukanafun Local Government Area of the state on Friday, March 26. Aged 64, Ekpenyong died on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, from supposed COVID-19 complications. Earlier, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State had paid last respect to the departed state chairman of the party. On Friday morning at the state secretariat of the party in Atan Offot, Uyo, a brief service officiated by the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District Chairman of the party, Pastor Cletus Eshiet was held…

Against the rising wave of insecurity, Akwa Ibom State government has banned the operations of motorcycles and tricycles in Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency of the state effective Friday, March 26. The constituency comprising Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim and Obot Akara Local Government Areas will experience the ban from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. In a press release dated March 25, 2021 and signed by Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, Secretary to State Government said ”The Government of Akwa Ibom State has observed in recent times, an increase in the frequency of criminal activities in  Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency. ”These criminal activities…

Nigerians may buy a litre of petrol for more than N200 in April, this year, National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has indicated.  The NNPC Group General Manager (GMD), Mele Kyari gave the indication Thursday while reacting to a question about the status of petrol’s pump price in the country. Kyari who spoke during the weekly presidential ministerial media briefing held at the presidential villa, Abuja said the NNPC absorbs the cost differential which is recorded in its financial books. He added that the NNPC pays between N100-120 billion a month to keep the pump price at the current level, insisting that…

A High Court in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced INEC returning officer, Prof. Peter Ogban, to 36 months imprisonment for committing election fraud. Delivering judgment, Justice Augustine Odokwo, ordered Ogban to pay a fine of N100, 000 for count 2, which is falsification of result in Etim Ekpo/Oruk Anam Collation Centre during the 2019 National Assembly election on February 24. Ogban, who acted as the Collation/Returning Officer during the 2019 National Assembly elections, was standing trial for allegedly manipulating and falsifying the scores of election results in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas. Pleading for leniency,…

AstraZeneca, British-Swedish drugmaker, Wednesday,  revised down by three percentage points the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine. This was after American authorities raised concerns that results reported from its US trial were outdated. The company now says its vaccine is 76 rather than 79 percent effective at preventing any kind of symptomatic COVID, saying it remains 100 percent effective against severe Covid. The move came after an independent panel of experts appointed to supervise the trial expressed concern that AstraZeneca had failed to include updated data in its initially released figure. The US National Institutes of Health then issued a highly…

A Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a military impostor to eight years imprisonment on a two-count charge of impersonation and cybercrime brought against him by the Uyo Zonal Office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Henry Mfon Asuquo’s journey to jail started on January 3, 2019, when operatives of EFCC arrested him at Ayara Street, Nung Udo in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state following a petition by one Itoro Tom. Itoro, the petitioner had alleged that Asuquo swapped her Subscriber Identification Module, SIM card, and fraudulently withdrew N700,000 from her account domiciled at…

Auditions will soon commence for season six of the  BBNaija reality TV show, DSTV Nigeria, Wednesday, March 24. The Big Brother Naija reality TV show debuted in 2006 and Laycon won N85 million which was the star prize for 2020 season. A statement on its official Twitter handle indicated that the popular reality TV show will top previous seasons as organisers announced the winner will go home with a grand prize of N90 million being the highest so far. The organisers announced that it is offering customers on its DStv and GOtv platforms the opportunity to be among the first…

A Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has ordered Senator Bassey Albert Akpan to enter defence over the alleged N204 million fraud, rejecting his no-case submission. Senator Bassey popularly known as OBA is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a six-count charge of alleged money laundering and for being in possession of six vehicles worth N204 million, provided by one Olajide Omokoro whose companies allegedly executed contracts for the Akwa Ibom State government. The EFCC through its counsel, M. S. Abubakar, closed its case after calling several witnesses and tendering documents that were…