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T he Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Wednesday disclosed that the Federal Government had saved N68 billion on personnel cost in 2017. This brings the aggregate savings by the Government on personnel cost since 2007 to date to N288 billion. The Minister made this disclosure during her presentation of "Status Update on the Implementation of Federal Executive Council (FEC) Approved Projects" at the Council's meeting. The FEC meeting was presided over by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari. The savings, Adeosun explained, were funds that would have otherwise gone unaccounted for which, she added, were now free for the Government to fund capital projects. She said the savings were achieved despite increased in personnel, including the employment of 10,000 by the Nigerian Police. She confirmed that a total of 511 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had been captured under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel In...

Q: How were the abductors able to return the girls without military or police confrontation? #DapchiBriefing #DapchiGirlsAreBack A: Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed provides the answer in this video: Q: How were the abductors able to return the girls without military or police confrontation? #DapchiBriefing #DapchiGirlsAreBack A: Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed provides the answer in this video: pic.twitter.com/Etc9gIISo8 — Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) March 21, 2018

C ontrary to the claims of two ministers of President Muhammadu Buhari, Sahara Reporters can report that a handsome ransom was paid to Boko Haram to secure the release of Dapchi girls freed by the insurgents early Wednesday morning. Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed as well as Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan-Ali had denied that ransom was paid to Boko Haram to secure the freedom of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in their school in Dapchi, Yobe State on 19 February. The two ministers said instead of paying a ransom, the federal government relied on 'backchannel negotiations" to ensure that the girls were released by Boko Haram. But investigations by Sahara Reporters revealed that the federal government not only made ransom payment to the insurgents, it also exchanged some Boko Haram prisoners in return for the Dapchi girls. However, the lie that no ransom was paid to secure the return of the Dapchi girls followed a consi...

T he Kogi state office of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has announced dates for the commencement of the recall of the embattled Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye. Prof. James Apam, Kogi State Electoral Commissioner said following recent appeal court ruling, INEC will restart the recall process. In this vein, he said the Commission has fixed the last Saturday of April as the verification date. The first Saturday in the month of May has been selected by INEC as the day for conducting a referendum that in line with the electoral law. Speaking with stakeholders in a forum at Lokoja on Wednesday, the commissioner said that the commission will ensure that it invites all those who signed the recall register to come forward to identify their signatures. According to him, if the initial processes are successful, the Commission will proceed to the next stage during which a referendum would be conducted, and all registered voters in the sena...

D apachi School girls to meet with President Buhari at Abuja. The abducted Dapchi schoolgirls released by Boko Haram early Wednesday morning are on their way to Abuja to meet President Muhammadu Buhari The Secretary of the Parent’s Forum for the missing girls, Mr Katchalla, told Saharareporters on Wednesday afternoon that the girls have been taken to Maiduguri Airport where they will be flown to Abuja to meet with Buhari.  Mr Katchalla who is a father to Aisha, one of the freed students, said though he has met with his daughter, all the girls are on their way to Abuja to meet with the President before they finally settle down with their families. President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier sent four ministers to Dapchi town to get more information about the release of the girls. It is expected that the ministers will lead the girls to meet with the President.  More details will be brought to you shortly.

T he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has handed over one of its workers in Nasarawa State to the State Security Services (SSS), for interrogation over alleged sale of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) forms. The INEC Administrative Secretary in Nasarawa State, Opaleke Otolorin, made the fact known in a statement on Wednesday in Lafia. Mr. Otolorin said the action followed a social media report indicating that one of its workers in Karu Local Government Area of the state was issuing the CVR forms to members of the public for a fee. He said the case was promptly reported to the SSS for investigation, adding that the suspect was thereafter taken into custody for interrogation. Mr. Otolorin said the suspect had already made statements to the service as investigation was ongoing in the matter to ascertain his level of involvement and possible prosecution. He therefore advised members of the public to refrain from offering fees, gratification or ...

T he Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has confirmed that 91 girls and a boy have so far been released by their abductors. Mohammed disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday. He said, “As of now, I can confirm that 91 girls and one boy have been released. The event is developing. “Many of the girls that were released were not dropped in one place. “Some were dropped on the road and they went back naturally to their parents Houses. “They are now being asked to come and be documented at a centre and as at five minutes ago, I was told 91 girls and boy had been documented.”

B oko Haram terrorists who came to Dapchi to drop off abducted #DapchiGirls preached in the town to a large gathering for up to 20 minutes. A security source said Nigerian gov't exchanged some fighters of Boko Haram who left in their 9-vehicle convoy. Source: Sahara Reporters

B oko Haram terrorists receiving a "heroic" welcome as they dropped off high school girls abducted from Dapchi in Yobe state #DapchiGirls VIDEO: Boko Haram terrorists receiving a "heroic" welcome as they dropped off high school girls abducted from Dapchi in Yobe state pic.twitter.com/CEvnusweNL — Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) March 21, 2018 Video Credit to Sahara Reporters

B oko Haram insurgents have warned parents in the northeast of Nigeria not to endanger the lives of their children by putting them in schools. Eyewitnesses revealed that Boko Haram insurgents told people in Dapchi town when they dropped the abducted schoolgirls that parents should not put their daughters in schools again. “Don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” witnesses say Boko Haram warns as Nigerian schoolgirls freed, tweeted Associated Press on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Dapchi town is on lockdown as security officials poured into the town to track down fleeing insurgents.  Residents confirmed sounds of helicopters and surveillance aircraft hovering over the city. Many are wondering why the military failed to arrest the insurgents when they came to the town with vehicles to drop the girls.  Boko Haram, it was learned, used the same vehicles used in abducting the schoolgirls last month in their school to drop them off at the center of ...

T he Nigerian government has said no ransom was paid to Boko Haram to secure the release of Dapchi schoolgirls released by the insurgents early Wednesday morning. Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed as well has Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan-Ali said that instead of paying ransom, the federal government relied on 'backchannel' negotiations to ensure that the girls were released.  "The released Girls are in Dapchi and being documented; Situation is developing; release is outcome of “backchannel” negotiations; no ransoms were paid," the ministers said. They added that more information on the girls would be made public later in the day.  SaharaReporters early Wednesday broke the news of the release of the kidnapped girls. However, 5 out of the 110 abducted students were said to be dead while one is still in custody of the kidnappers.  The freed students are currently undergoing medical checkup. Source: Sahara ...

A Magistrate Court 18 sitting in Abuja has sentenced a civil servant, Aminu Maru, to one year in prison for leaking sensitive government documents.  The court, however, gave Mr. Maru the option of paying a fine of N100,000. The conviction followed his guilty plea on Tuesday.  Mr. Maru was a staff of the office of Accountant General of the Federation but seconded to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).  He was arraigned by the State Security Service for allegedly leaking official government documents to non-civil servants for a fee.  A source in the SSS informed PREMIUM TIMES that the service is currently investigating a lot of civil servants over allegations of “selling” official government documents to people who use same to blackmail top government officials.  “We are investigating many persons and more will be taken to court soon. The measure is being taken because of the high rise in leakage of sensitive governmen...

N igerian Islamist militant group, Boko Haram today returned 105 girls kidnapped from a high school compound in Dapchi a few weeks ago. Sources tell Saharareporters that the militant group came with the girls in 9 vehicles same way they took them away. There was confusion in the area as members of the community scampered into the bush as the terror group appeared in the area, first dropping off one the girls in a nearby village and then driving into the center of Dapchi town to drop off the rest of the girls. Five of the girls are dead according to our source. It is not clear if the Nigerian government paid any ransom to get the girls released. Source: Sahara Reporters