Read today's newspaper headlines [Thursday, February 4, 2016]

Find out what is making headlines all over the country from the covers of The Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian and more.

For today, Thursday, February 4, 2016:

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

S-court upholds A-Ibom, Abia govs’ elections

ABUJA—The Supreme Court, yesterday, upheld the outcome of the April 11, 2015, governorship elections that brought Governors Udom Emmanuel and Okezie Ikpeazu of Akwa Ibom and Abia states respectively to power. In the case of Governor Emmanuel, a seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court, in a unanimous judgement, vacated the decision of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct fresh election in the state. READ MORE:

SACKED 3,000 WORKERS: NLC insists Imo’ll be shut down

LAGOS—NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday insisted that there would be a total shut down of Imo State once the 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government to recall the 3000 sacked workers and tackle their unpaid salaries and other benefits expires. The Imo State government is alleged to be owing workers of the state’ agencies including Imo State Water Corporation and Imo State Transport Company, between three and 15 months salaries and other benefits.

How 11 escaped death in Lagos-bound Bristow helicopter incident

Lagos—Eleven persons yesterday escaped death after a Bristow 5B BJQ helicopter en-route Lagos from an off-shore location in Port Harcourt ditched into the Atlantic Ocean. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the helicopter was carrying nine passengers and two crew members when the incident happened. READ MORE:

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THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

My goal is to rescue Chibok girls alive – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said his government would not rest until the over 200 schoolgirls, abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State in April 2014, were rescued alive. He also, for the first time, reacted publicly to the attempt by a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, to disrupt the collation of the results of the 2015 presidential election, describing it as a desperate attempt to maintain the status quo for selfish reasons.

$2.1bn scandal: ThisDay publisher, Obaigbena, returns N350m

There were indications that the Publisher of ThisDay Newspaper, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, has returned the sum of N350m to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. A top operative of the commission, who confided in our correspondent on Wednesday, said Obaigbena returned the money to the commission on Tuesday. The operative said Obaigbena was expected to pay an outstanding N200m next week. READ MORE:

EFCC recovers $14m from oil firm

The ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission into the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation yielded fruits with the recovery of $14m oil funds from one of the companies operating in the upstream sector of the nation’s economy. An operative of the EFCC, who confided in our correspondent, said that the amount translated to N4,380,95,866.00bn at the rate of N303 to the dollar. It was stated that the company was expected to pay the money which was described as royalty for crude oil to the Federal Government between 2012 and 2012.

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THE GUARDIAN

Supreme Court affirms Ikpeazu, Emmanuel winners of Abia, Akwa Ibom guber polls

The Supreme Court has upheld the elections of Gabriel Emmanuel and Okezie Victor Ikpeazu as duly elected governors of Abia and Akwa Ibom states, respectively. The apex court also yesterday, set aside the earlier judgment of the Appeal Court, which nullified the elections held on April 11, 2015. The sitting was presided by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmood Mohammed alongside Justices Tanko Ibrahim Mohammed, Bode Rhodes-Vivor, Kudirat Kekerekun, Suleiman Galadima, Kumai Akaahs and Centus C. Nweze. READ MORE:

German police arrest two Algerians ‘linked to IS’

German police have arrested two Algerians they suspect of links to the Islamic State group and are hunting for two others in operations in Berlin and other regions, they said Thursday. The four “from the jihad scene are under investigation over suspicions that they are planning a serious act threatening the security of the state”, Berlin police told AFP.

EFCC quizzes Badeh, Magu seeks UAE’s support over loot

IN line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive of January 15, 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday began the interrogation of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Mashal Alex Badeh. Badeh who has been on an administrative bail was asked to report back to the commission on Monday, February 8 .Meanwhile, pioneer chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), and foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tom Ikimi was yesterday sighted at the EFCC headquarters in Wuse 2 Abuja.

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THE NATION NEWSPAPER

MTN hires top U.S. lawyer to fight $3.9b fine

Telecommunications giant MTN has hired a former United States Attorney General Eric Holder to help challenge the $3.9 billion fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for failing to disconnect unregistered users, the Financial Times reported yesterday. Citing people familiar with the situation, the newspaper said Holder, the immediate past U.S. top law officer, pleaded with Nigerian officials last month on behalf of the telecoms company. Africa’s largest mobile phone company was handed a $5.2billion penalty last October, prompting weeks of lobbying that led to a 25 per cent reduction to $3.9 billion. READ MORE:

Boko Haram war: Buhari assures EU of human rights protection

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Strasbourg, France, assured the European Union (EU) that his administration will protect the fundamental human rights of persons during military operations against Boko Haram. Addressing a special session of the parliament, the President said his government shared the EU’s commitment to peace and security, respect for human rights, democracy and good governance, equality and tolerance, as ways of developing prosperous and strong societies.

Supreme Court okays Ikpeazu’s, Emmanuel’s elections

The Supreme Court last night upheld the elections of Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel and Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. A seven-man bench presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously allowed the nine appeals filed by parties in the two cases. The court will give its reasons for the judgment in the Akwa-Ibom State on February 15. It will do the same on February 26 in the Abia case. READ MORE:

IGP: we’ll introduce stun guns to replace firearms

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has said that stun guns will soon be introduced as part of efforts to reduce casualties associated with misuse of firearms by police officers. He added that the police management was considering swapping officers, who have stayed more than three months in the Northeast to avoid deterioration of their health. Arase spoke in Abuja when he met with senior police officers to brainstorm on the roadmap for the year.

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Business Day

MTN enlists former US attorney-general to challenge $3.9bn fine

MTN has engaged Eric Holder, the former US attorney-general, to help challenge a $3.9bn fine imposed by Nigerian regulators for the company’s failure to disconnect unregistered mobile phone subscribers. Holder, who returned to Washington-based corporate law firm, Covington and Burling, after standing down as attorney-general in April, made an initial visit to Abuja last month… READ MORE:

UN security council says financiers of Boko Haram terrorists must face justice

Members of the United Nations (UN) security council have underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the reprehensible acts of Boko Haram terrorists to justice. The call for such action came following the horrific terrorist attacks of January 30, 2016 on Dalori village in north eastern Nigeria, killing at least 85…

Ex-US attorney general meets NCC over MTN fine

Former US attorney general Eric Holder has held preliminary discussions with the CEO of Nigeria’s telecoms regulator, NCC Umaru Danbatta regarding the unprecedented fine imposed on MTN, the regulator’s spokesman, Tony Ojobo, has said. MTN Group Ltd. hired the former U.S. Attorney-General in the hope that his involvement will help talks with Nigerian regulators about…