Read today's newspaper headlines [Tuesday, January 19, 2016]

For today, Tuesday, January 19, 2016:

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

8 killed, as IPOB members, police clash in Aba

It was a theatre of confusion, yesterday in Aba as eight members of the the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, were allegedly shot dead by the military during their peaceful protest over the continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, according to the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful.

55 Nigerians stole N1.34 trn in 8 years

ABUJA —The Federal Government said, yesterday, that 55 well-placed Nigerians stole a whopping N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013, an amount that would have been enough to provide significant developmental projects across the country.

Transcorp lists N10bn bonds on NSE, FMDQ

Transcorp Hotels Plc, yesterday, listed N10billion corporate bond simultaneously on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange Plc to become the first entity to be listed on both exchanges this year, despite persistent decline in the stock market. READ MORE:

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THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Julius Berger, RCC's Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contracts illegal

Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited on Monday said the recent court injunction, which it secured setting aside a new concession agreement granted to Motorway Assets Limited to finance the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and manage the road was not meant to stall the redevelopment of the road.

Two die in pro-Biafran agitators, soldiers' clash

AT least, two persons were feared dead in Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State, on Monday following a protest by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra. The pro-Biafran supporters had defied several warnings by the state government and security agencies against protesting the continued detention of the Director, Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Budget: Buhari seeks cut in Villa allocations

President Muhammadu Buhari wrote the Senate over the 2016 budget because of some obvious omissions and errors discovered in the version he presented to the joint session of both chambers of the National Assembly, on December 22, 2015, The PUNCH has learnt.

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THE GUARDIAN

Poultry farmers berate govt over outbreak of bird flu

FIVE communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Council, Delta State were invaded by the military yesterday morning. There was no direct explanation for their action. But The Guardian learnt that the soldiers invaded the communities in search of militants near the locations where pipelines were blown up .

Crude oil prices plunges to $27.67 per barrel

The turmoil in the international oil market may be far from easing as the crude oil price plunged below $28 per barrel yesterday. The free fall in crude oil price may further harm Nigeria’s 2016 budget which is currently benchmarked at $38 per barrel against a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016. READ MORE:

Buhari's budget fails integrity test, says senate

AN alleged discovery of strange projects in the second version of the budget 2016 document brought by the presidency to the National Assembly was responsible for its rejection, the Senate declared yesterday.

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THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Lassa fever hits Ekiti, Delta

THERE was panic yesterday in Ido Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Government Area, Ekiti State and Asaba, Delta State following the confirmation of two Lassa fever cases. The victim in Ekiti State, a Nursing student, is now on admission at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI) after testing positive to the virus on Saturday.

Naira firms up at parallel market

The naira yesterday made a sudden recovery in the parallel market, following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) easing of forex policies. The naira appreciated to N295 against the dollar from N305 on Friday, after the apex bank lifted the ban on dollar transfers and allowed dollar deposits into domiciliary accounts.

55 public officials on trial for alleged N1.34tr fraud

The period of the looting spans the last three administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obsanjo, the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan. Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, who made the disclosure yesterday at a media briefing in Abuja, said all the 55 were in court, being tried in the last eight years. He urged the judiciary to speed up the cases.

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Business Day

2016 budget under threat as oil price nears production cost

The current dip in oil prices will significantly reduce the Federal Government’s take from the profits of oil and gas companies this year, raising further questions about the viability of the 2016 budget document. Oil prices at less than $28 per barrel, make production unprofitable for many smaller Nigerian companies that pump at a cost

Farm yields set to increase as military clears Boko Haram

The production of food and cash crops such as rice, wheat, onions, vegetables, tomatoes, Gum Arabic and beans is set to rise, as the military weakens Boko Baram and captures more territories that were previously in the grasp of the insurgents in Nigeria’s North-East.

N2.1trn equities loss questions Market Makers liquidity role

The recent fall which pushed Nigerian equities to seven year lows with a N2.01 trillion loss is raising questions on the role of Market Makers (MM) introduced to the stock market barely four years ago when a similar loss scenario played out.