The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has again been indicted by some arrested suspects of Offa bank robbery.

The Nigeria Police Force said the Senate President is still under investigation after the suspects indicted him in their confessional statements.

Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood who addressed journalists in Abuja said the two suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery and their confessional statements indict Saraki.

The Police claim that the arrested suspects have confessed to being political thugs for the Senate President and they accompanied Senator Saraki to the palace of the traditional ruler of Offa, Olofa of Offa on a condolence visit after the robbery.

The latest revelation comes after Saraki was earlier indicted by five of the Offa bank robbery suspects who confessed to the crime on Sunday.

The five gang leaders claimed that they were political thugs of the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The Senate President however, denied the allegations.

The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment a new National Commissioner and three new Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The incoming National Commissioner of INEC is Festus Okoye who is to represent the South-East Geopolitical Zone.

The new Resident Electoral Commissioners are Attahiru Garba for Niger State; Ahmed Mahmud for Zamfara State, and Monday Udo-Tom who fills the slot for Akwa Ibom State.

The confirmation of the appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC, chaired by Senator Suleiman Nazif.

The Senate Committee on INEC had for the third time rejected the nomination of Ahmed Mahmud from Zamfara State on grounds of petitions from the State Governor.

But the Senate voted against the recommendation after Senator Kabir Marafa and Senator James manager came to defence of the nominee by faulting the Committee’s stance that he was not an indigene of the state.

The leadership of the House of Representatives has come down hard on Abdulmumuni Jibrin and referred him for investigation for allegedly misrepresenting what happened during the Joint Executive Session of yesterday.

The attention of the House was drawn to publications credited to Jibrin on behalf of his National Assembly Parliamentary Support Group, saying that the resolutions adopted at the Joint Session were not a true reflection of what happened.

In his complaint; Sunday Karimi from Kogi State urged the House to refer the comments by his counterpart from Kano State to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for investigation.

Sunday Karimi said the Abdulmumunin Jibrin lied when he said only PDP members of the National Assembly were allowed to speak during the session.

In his response; the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, decried a situation where lawmakers would not be present during sitting to get a clear picture of what is happening.

Dogara said the sitting of yesterday was for every lawmaker, adding that anyone who said it was for PDP should have raised his voice.

The Speaker subsequently referred the matter to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate and to report back to the house.

With this development; Abdulmumunin Jibrin faces the risk of suspension if indicted in the report of the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

If that happens, it would mark the second time the Kano State lawmaker would be suspended from the House of Representatives of the Eighth National Assembly.

Jibrin previously bagged a suspension for one hundred and eighty legislative days in connection with the 2016 Budget padding scandal.

But he managed to secure a court order voiding the suspension and the release of his financial entitlement during the period of his absence.

In another development member of the House of Representatives; Muhammed Kazaure, has also been subjected to investigation.

Kazaure, who represents Kazaure-Roni-Gwiwa-Yankwashi Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, had alleged that there was a plot to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

The attention of the House was drawn to the comment by Kazaure in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday by his colleagues - Nicholas Ossai from Delta State and Kingsley Chinda from Rivers State.

Both lawmakers alleged that their Jigawa State counterpart accused them of gathering signatures to impeach the president, following which he was directed to appear before the House Committee on Rights and Privileges for questioning.

The Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree has called on aggrieved members of the party to return to the reconciliation table for the interest of the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Flag-Amachree said infightings among party members will not do the party any good but instead destroy its vision come 2019 and beyond.

Addressing party members at the Port Harcourt International Airport on his arrival after his swearing-in in Abuja, the APC state chairman said the concern of party members should be to remove Governor NYESOM WIKE from bricks house.

Flag-Amachree accused Governor Wike of running Rivers State government as his private business adding that it will end after general elections.

Our correspondent reports that the APC state Chairman Party move to the state party secretariat to swear-in the twenty three local government chairmen of the party and state executive and instructed them to inaugurate the wards executives.

The State Publicity secretary, Chris Finebone and Eric Wigbani who is the chairman of APC in Khana local government who spoke on behalf of the newly inaugurated executives assured that they will comply with the directives of the party and ensure victory for the party.

Contrary to reports of indefinite adjournment by the National Assembly, the Senate today resumed plenary to consider some pending legislative matters, with its President, Bukola Saraki presiding.

Our correspondent gathered from a close source to the National Assembly that what was adjourned indefinitely yesterday was the Joint Session, which was held behind closed-doors for the first time in nineteen years.

Meanwhile; the Senate has advised the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, to withdraw his statement that the Anti-Grazing Law enacted by the Benue State Government was responsible for the killings in clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

The Senate also observed a moment of silence after receiving reports of fresh killing of twelve people and destruction of houses and properties in Benue and Taraba states.

Senators Emmanuel Bwacha and Banabas Gemade came under Order Forty-Two and Fifty-Two to table their reports under matters of security concerns.

Senator Bwacha said it was inhuman for the Defence Minister to have suggested that the Anti-Grazing Law was responsible for the killing, while Senator Gemade implored the Senate to demand that the comment be withdrawn.

The People’s Democratic Party has backed the resolution reached by the National Assembly against the Executive Arm of the Federal Government.

The PDP said the position of the federal lawmakers was a vindication of its stance on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The opposition party at the national level commended the lawmakers for the courage in standing up for democracy, rule of law and national stability and cohesion.

The PDP recalled that it had consistently pointed out acts of misrule, constitutional violations and abuse of rights of citizens, as well as highhandedness and erosion of democratic norms under President Buhari.

In a statement released by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party further accused the President of foisting a siege mentality on Nigerians and well as being aloof to important issues of state, thereby resulting in the escalation of violence and killings across the country.

The PDP spokesman said Mr. President must be called to order through appropriate legislative instruments, and urged other democrats across board to support the National Assembly to save Nigeria’s democracy from misrule.

A venue has been secured for the much-anticipated historic summit between the United States and North Korea, which is planned to take place on Tuesday next week.

The White House has confirmed that the meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un will hold at the secluded Capella Hotel in the Singaporean island of Sentosa.

However; many details of the historic summit are still unconfirmed, even though President Trump disclosed yesterday that plans were moving along very nicely.

You will recall that the US leader had two weeks ago unilaterally cancelled the summit due to what he considered to be threatening statements by Pyongyang officials.

Following the developments there will be restriction on the Singaporean airspace during the summit between the United States and North Korea next week.

This was made known in separate notices published on the websites of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The statements noted that the airspace over Singapore will be temporarily restricted for parts of 11th, 12th and 13th of June, adding that aircraft that breach the restriction may be intercepted.

It said all aircraft arriving into Singapore Changi Airport will be required to reduce speed and face some restrictions on runway use for reasons of national security.

Aviators are also warned to keep clear of the Paya Lebar Air Base – a military facility on the east of the island, which has been used by U.S. presidents on past visits.

In the meantime; the Southeast Asian city-state has already increased security across the island of Sentosa, less than a week to the big event

Seven years after his maiden visit to Nigeria, top Britain chess Grand Master and former World Champion Challenger, Nigel Short is set to arrive in Nigeria for chess related programme.

According to the President of Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), Mr Lekan Adeyemi, the visit to Nigeria is coming under the auspices of Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa whom over the years, have had chess developmental projects on the continent of Africa.

During the four-day visit to Lagos, the grand master will have training, exhibition programmes with chess players and stakeholders and general promotion of the game in the country.

Grand Master Short, at the peak of his career, was ranked third-rated player in the world and is currently the only active chess player over the age of 50. As a global ambassador of the game, he has visited more than 100 countries, both playing and promoting the game.

Defence Minister Mansur Dan-Ali called for the suspension of implementation of Anti-Open Grazing Law in the affected states, while at the same time stepping up negotiations for safe routes for herders as a means to reduce tension in the areas.

Details are emerging from the closed-door security meeting convened by President Muhammadu BUHARI at the State House in Abuja yesterday.

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has revealed some of the issues that were raised at the meeting in a statement signed by his Public Relations Officer, Colonel Tukur Gusau.

According to a copy of the statement obtained by our correspondent, the Defence Minister is reported to have raised alarm over incessant killings and kidnappings by armed bandits across Nigeria.

Mansur Dan-Ali particularly made reference to the wave of criminal activities in the North-West, which he said was becoming alarming and worrisome.

Dan-Ali specifically mentioned the situation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway as a source of concern due to the frequent incidence of mass kidnappings of travellers in recent times.

He also underscored the upsurge in incidents of security concern in Zamfara State, characterized with killings and kidnappings around Anka, Maru, Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafara local government areas.

In the North-Central states, the Defence Minister observed that incidents of clashes between armed herdsmen and farmers in Benue and Taraba states have reduced considerably.

He said several arrests have been made in connection with the killings and destruction of properties, while in the North-East, the Boko Haram Terrorists activities have been contained, resulting in significant improvement in security in the Zone.

For the South-South and South-West geopolitical zones, the Defence Minister noted that illegal oil bunkering, militancy and pipeline vandalism were on a decline in the Niger Delta.

He attributed the feat to efforts by the Federal Government to engage stakeholders in dialogue, while security operatives deployed under “Operation AWATSE” in the South-West, have continued to dislodge militants and pipeline vandals from Arepo and other areas in Lagos and Ogun waterside.

In conclusion, the Defence Minister suggested to the National Security Council the need for Defence Headquarters to launch a Joint Task Force Operation similar to Operation SAFE HAVEN in Jos to cover Zamfara and Birnin Gwari axis of Kaduna State.

He also called for the suspension of implementation of Anti-Open Grazing Law in the affected states, while at the same time stepping up negotiations for safe routes for herders as a means to reduce tension in the areas.

Furthermore; the Security Council was informed about the urgent need for the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services to prosecute all the suspects arrested in the states.

The council also discussed the need to hasten the establishment of a National Commission on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons as well as ways to engage diplomatic channels to ensure that United States sanctions do not affect Nigeria.