Hello Nigeria, welcome to Naija News’ summary of the top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday October 13, 2021

The Senate empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the best mode of transmission of election results.

Naija News reports that the Senate made the decision while reviewing the Election Amendment Law.

Under a new amendment to Article 52 (2) of the Election Law Amendment Bill, the Senate decided that “voting in an election and the transmission of results under this draft law must comply with the procedure determined by the Commission, which may include electronic voting ”.

Following the decision of the legislators, INEC will be empowered to decide how to transmit the election results – either electronically or manually.

Armed men suspected of belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) held hostage on Tuesday the convoy of Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano of Anambra state, for about an hour.

The incident occurred as attackers disrupted the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) campaign train at Odata High School in the Ihiala local government area in the state, before the election of the governor of November 6.

There are reports that “the governor’s convoy was held up for about an hour, while there was gunfire everywhere,” even as Anambra police public relations officer, the DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed that members of the Anambra Police Command repelled the attack in Odata.

While confirming that there had been an attack in Ihiala, the police spokesperson listed the exhibits recovered from the attackers: an AK 47 rifle, two magazines with 30 rounds, a Lexus 350 SUV, a jeep Rav 4, a Mercedes Benz and a Toyota Corolla.

Naija News reports that Ikenga said the preliminary investigation revealed that the thugs started shooting sporadically when the governor’s convoy arrived at Odata High School, but security officers took control.

Following the publication of its report on the verification of private planes in the country, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday threatened to seize 29 planes whose owners were not paying legal import duties.

Customs public relations official Joseph Attah told a press conference in Abuja that all 29 planes would be seized if the owners did not show up when the given 14-day ultimatum expired.

Naija News recalls that customs announced on May 31 its intention to check the documents for importing private planes into the country. The exercise took place from June 7 to August 6 at the Department of Tariffs and Trade of the Service.

Attah explained that during the stipulated period, 86 private jets or aircraft operators showed up for the exercise and presented the relevant documents for verification.

According to him, 57 of them have been verified as commercial charter operators and have been duly authorized to operate.

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has condemned the killings and destruction of property in the village of Izombe, in the local government area of ​​Oguta, in Imo State.

Naija News reports that the Nigerian army clashed with young people in the village, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and a suspected escapee from Owerri prison named Obele.

The incident, which happened on Friday last week, also led to the burning of some houses in the community.

Speaking on Tuesday during a visit to Izombe, Governor Uzodinma said his administration was looking for the culprits behind the violence in the community.

The governor added that he would form a committee to begin the process of helping to rebuild the houses.

Uzodinma, however, gave a seven-day warning to young people in the region to return the weapons at their disposal or to face the law.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s special adviser for media and advertising, Femi Adesina, said the current administration is tackling insecurity head-on.

Naija News understands that Adesina made this observation during a recent interview on Channels Television, where he compared the current situation in the country to what was “witnessed in 2015”.

While defending her principal’s achievements so far in fighting the insurgency, Adesina said the current government has and is doing well on insecurity, but many people mistake it for stagnation.

Adesina admits that although at one point insecurity issues under the current government “exploded again and he turned into a hydra,” he is optimistic the government has gone to great lengths to end it. the threat.

St. Albert The Grand Institute of Philosophy, a Catholic-run seminary located in the Fayit community of the Kagoma chiefdom, in the Jama’a local government area in Kaduna state, was attacked by gunmen suspected of being terrorist bandits.

According to reports, terrorist bandits invaded the seminary on Monday evening.

The terrorists stormed the school around 8 p.m. and started shooting sporadically, forcing everyone to safety.

A source who spoke to NewsWire about the incident said the attack lasted more than an hour before local hunters and vigilantes stepped in and “hunted down the terrorists.”

Another report said some students at the school had been kidnapped by terrorists while others were injured.

Kaduna Police Command confirmed the development.

The Senate approved Tuesday that all political parties must use the direct primary mode in selecting candidates.

Naija News reports that the Senate has approved four articles of the Election Law Amendment Bill.

Recall that former Senate Speaker Bukola Saraki noted that while Nigerians are concerned about the lack of electronic transmission of results in the proposed amendment to the electoral law, there is another potential problem in the law that could clog the country’s electoral process.

While identifying this problem in the bill as the provision that makes direct primaries mandatory for parties, he urged members of the National Assembly to save the country from the trouble that will be caused by the proposal to make direct primaries. mandatory.

Naija News reports that Saraki, who said so in a statement released on Monday by his spokesman Yusuph Olaniyonu, observed that many political parties lack the infrastructure to successfully conduct direct primaries at all times. levels, while the attempt would lead to litigation that could jeopardize the general election.

The former Senate speaker, who urged federal lawmakers not to create a new problem in an attempt to solve another, said the option of direct primaries would also put pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ), whose officials must monitor all primary elections.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has released veteran Nollywood actor Chiwetalu Agu from custody.

Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) National President Emeka Rollas made this known in a statement made available to Naija News on Tuesday.

Rollas said the veteran actor was released after consultation with the DSS and was received by him and a colleague, Steve Eboh, at DSS headquarters.

He added that the elated veteran actor thanked God for surviving the ordeal and commended the leaders of the Actors Guild of Nigeria for their tireless efforts to secure his release.

Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle said on Tuesday that hundreds of bandits were killed or arrested.

He further stated that his administration would not allow complacency in the fight against banditry.

Matawalle said this during the swearing-in of the secretary of state government, head of department, 18 commissioners, 16 special advisers and three directors general.

The head of the All Progressives Congress said the state was going through a critical period and was trying to evade attacks by bandits.

Matawalle in his statement attributed recent successes to security measures taken to flush out criminals.

Nigerian army troops and two Nigerian Air Force (NAF) gunships killed scores of Islamic State terrorists in West Africa province, ISWAP.

Naija News understands that ISWAP terrorists were on a mission to attack the Ngamdu military base.

It was established that the clash took place on Tuesday in Ngamdu, a border town between Yobe and Borno states.

The terrorists attempted to attack a military base in the area before being arrested by troops who had been put on alert.

The attack, planned by ISWAP fighters, was repelled by military helicopters, supported by troops from the Ngamdu Super Camp.

A security source told PRNigeria that ISWAP elements stormed the town aboard MRAP and armed trucks.

These are the main headlines of Nigerian newspapers today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you tomorrow.