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NNPC, NCDMB, NPA, Shell, NLNG, NCC, Zenith, Access Bank back Realnews 12th anniversary lecture

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2 years ago

November 14, 2024

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SOME bluechip companies and organisations are supporting hosting the Realnews 12th Anniversary Lecture at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday, November 19, starting at 10 am.

The organisations include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, NCDMB, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Shell Nigeria, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Zenith, and Access Bank Plc.

Expressing Realnews’ appreciation to the organisations, Maureen Chigbo, its publisher, prayed to God to bless them and give their management the wisdom to lift their organisations to greater heights and prosperity.

Chigbo also expressed her deep appreciation to all the banks, institutions, companies, and other organisations that have placed online advertisements on the Realnews website in the last 12 years.

“Without their support, we would not have remained in business all through the years to do what we love best – investigative journalism,”

The theme of Realnews 12th Anniversary Lecture is “Africa in World Shifting Geopolitics: Matters Arising on Democracy, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Resources”.

The Lecture which will be chaired by Ms. Beatrice Eyong, Country Chair, UN Women, will be delivered by Ambassador Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Dr. Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President of Policy Center for New South, Rabat, Morocco, will keynote the conference.

The lecture, which will be held at the Sheraton Hotel by 10 am will feature Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman as the Special Guest/discussant along with Engr. Shehu Tijjani, Managing Director, Amal Technology Ltd.

Chigbo, the publisher of Realnews, said there will be an investiture of all the speakers into The Realnews Hall of Fame immediately after the Lecture. Chigbo explained that the Realnews Hall of Fame was established to honour only those who played key roles during the anniversary lectures.

Realnews, a general interest magazine, is an online publication that thrives on investigative journalism. We have expertise in reporting the oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental challenges. We aim to unearth exclusive stories about real people and the challenges they face in their day-to-day activities. We do this bearing in mind that government can only act to influence the lives of people positively if they are aware of their true situation. Hence, our objective is to use our investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors we focus on and produce an unbiased report that will influence the government and decision-makers to take actions that will make society better.

Realnews is populated by seasoned journalists who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of the profession. The online publication believes that journalism as the fourth Estate of the Realm can contribute its quota towards building a fair and just society where fundamental human rights are respected and citizens have the freedom to pursue their interests anywhere in the world without hindrance. Its editors have a combined experience of several decades in active journalism practice and are highly dedicated to serving humanity. Hence its motto: “For God and Humanity.”

The Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series was established to commemorate our society’s best minds and tap into them to enrich the discourse on our national development.

The 11th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), Senegal, on the “Threats of Illicit Funds Flow to the African Economy”. The 10th Anniversary lecture in 2022 on “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections” was delivered by Brig General Buba Marwa, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; 9th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews in 2021 was delivered by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on “Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective”; 2020 Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Managing COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience; Former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana gave the 2019 Lecture on Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West Africa while Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke on Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections at the 2018 Lecture. The 2017 Fifth Anniversary Lecture on African Leadership in a Turbulent Era was delivered by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of Education and former World Bank Vice President.

The 2016 Fourth Anniversary Lecture on Security and National Development in Plural Democratic Society was delivered by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel; the 2015 Realnews Third Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on November 19, 2015, under the theme: It’s The Nigerian Economy, Stupid? The Second Realnews Anniversary Lecture on Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in 2014 was delivered by Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

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Police parade Doctors, others over alleged Organ Trafficking in Nasarawa

Published

7 hours ago

August 28, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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The Nigeria Police Force has paraded four suspects, including two nephrologists, over an alleged organ-harvesting syndicate in Nasarawa State.

According to the police briefing reported by Channels Television, the suspects allegedly targeted vulnerable young men, luring them into kidney donations and paying them far less than the alleged value of the organs.

Police said one victim was allegedly paid about $1,250, while another reportedly received N7 million after his kidney was removed.

Investigators also alleged that forged documents, including birth certificates, affidavits, consent letters and identification documents, were used to facilitate the procedures and conceal the identities of some victims.

One alleged victim recounted during the briefing how he was deceived into donating his kidney.

A representative of Wellington Clinic, where some of the procedures allegedly took place, also addressed the media, claiming that the hospital only provided the platform for the surgeries and was unaware of the alleged illegal activities involving changes to donors’ identities.

The police said investigations are ongoing as they work to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate.

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How doctors unlawfully removed kidneys of over 10 youths — VDM’s Lawyer reveals

Published

7 hours ago

August 28, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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The lawyer to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, Marshall Abubakar, has alleged that vulnerable young Nigerians are being lured into illegal kidney harvesting schemes by medical practitioners and their agents under the guise of medical procedures.

According to Abubakar, more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to an alleged illegal kidney harvesting network involving medical practitioners and their agents.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, Abubakar said the case came to light after a young man approached the Martin Luther King Centre, headed by VeryDarkMan, with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.

He said the centre independently verified the report at two hospitals in Abuja, including a government medical facility in Jabi, where the absence of the young man’s left kidney was reportedly confirmed.

He said the young man was allegedly given about $1,300 after the procedure, while his identity was changed and an affidavit obtained in another name in an attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding the operation.

Abubakar further alleged that other youths had been similarly targeted around Masaka, Nyanya and Mararaba, with some allegedly recruited through agents.

He claimed that kidneys harvested from some victims were subsequently sold for between ₦50 million and ₦70 million, while the donors received only a fraction of the proceeds.

Abubakar described the alleged practice as a criminal enterprise, stressing that lawful organ donation requires informed consent and must not involve financial inducement.

He also alleged that the families of the affected youths were not informed before the procedures and only became aware after the cases emerged. (Channels)

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Gunmen kill APC chairman in Kogi, abduct another

Published

13 hours ago

August 28, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

Kogi govt stops salaries of 231 civil servants

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Gunmen have killed the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, and abducted another occupant of his vehicle.

The incident occurred on Thursday along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway, around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afusat Saliu, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Lokoja on Friday.

Saliu said the attack occurred at about 5pm when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire on motorists.

She said a blue Toyota Corolla, with registration number GWA 636 CH, was subsequently found abandoned along the highway.

“The driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken into the bush by the assailants,” the statement said.

The police spokesperson said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified operations in the area, with personnel combing the surrounding forest to locate and rescue the abducted victim and apprehend the assailants.

She said the deceased had been evacuated to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for autopsy, while the command was pursuing all available leads in connection with the incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, directed sustained security operations along the affected corridor and ordered efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The command urged motorists and residents along the route to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the police or other security agencies.