President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has announced the postponement of the resumption of international flights till September 5th, 2020.

Recall that the Federal Government had earlier announced that international flights would commence operations on August 29th, 2020 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Information gathered revealed that resumption date was shifted with a week to allow the government provide logistics and perfect COVID-19 preventive strategies at entry ports into the country.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Shuaibu Nuh, revealed the news during a Presidential Task Force COVID-19 briefing in Abuja.

He said while airlines and airports were ready to operate, other non-aviation logistics prompted the one-week extension.

“We have other non-aviation logistics we are still working on, mostly the COVID-19 protocol tests and online platform,” he said. “We need to get this ready.”

Mr Nuhu described September 5 as a “sacrosanct date”, noting that “the initial announcement was anytime from the 29th.”

“In due course, we will be announcing the protocols for the resumptions and we will be giving further details,” he said. “Hopefully early next week, we will release this.”

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has been accused by the All Progressives Congress in the State of planning to arrest it’s leaders over staged kidnappings in the state.

 

The Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, made the claim in a statement released on Thursday.

Mayaki further stated that Obaseki and the PDP have concluded plans to fake the kidnap of some identified PDP members across the state and blame the APC for their disappearance.

He said Obaseki is already intimidating the Police to join in the plot by arresting and remanding APC leaders over the staged kidnappings to prevent them from continuing their grassroots mobilization of voters.

The statement read: “We have been made aware of plans by the outgoing Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his party, the PDP, to stage kidnappings of some of their members across the state and blame the APC for their disappearance.”

“We have confidentially obtained the list of some PDP members penned for the fake kidnappings in Edo South Senatorial District and the proposed cash allowance the Governor is offering them in exchange for their cooperation in the reprehensible plot.”

“We are also aware that Mr. Godwin Obaseki is already mounting pressure on the Police to play along with this shameful plot. He has requested that they commence arrest of our leaders across the state and keep them in detention over the fake kidnappings just to keep them out of circulation and prevent them from continuing their grassroots mobilization of voters.”