Author: Cecilia Attah

Nigeria has finished second at the 13th African Games after raking in 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals in 25 sports at the competition. Nigeria got its highest medals in weightlifting as the team brought home 32 medals; 16 gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals. In athletics, which was Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, 22 medals were won. Nigeria also raked in 12 medals in wrestling, eight gold medals in boxing and 13 medals in arm wrestling. Egypt finished first with 189 medals, comprising 101 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze. South Africa took…

President Bola Tinubu has welcomed the release of the abducted Kuriga School Children in Kaduna State. Tinubu’s message is contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled, ‘President Tinubu welcomes release of Kuriga school children, said schools must be safe and secure for learning.’ The President also emphasized on the importance of close synergy and collaboration between all tiers of government on issues of Security in his reaction to the release. The President also commended the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Kaduna State Government for the diligence and dispatch with…

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have seized over 44,948.1kg of illicit drugs and arrested eight suspects in multiple raids across Lagos, Edo and Ondo states as well as seized 11 vehicles owned by the drug cartels. This was Disclosed by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday. The statement noted that “no less than 14,310.8625 kg of psychoactive substance was razed on 5.7 hectares of farms in Ohosu/Ugbogui forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Edo State on Tuesday, March 19.” Five suspects including 67-year-old Sunday Otulugbu; Agbayeogor Joshua, 39; Kelvin…

Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf has denied spending N6 billion on the Ramadan feeding programme in the state.  The governor on his official X handle Sunday morning dismissed the reports as rumour, saying his administration budgeted N1,197,700,000 for the programme. Reports claiming that the administration had budgeted N6 billion for the programme sparked outrage especially on social media. The governor urged the media to verify information before reporting. “Over the past few days, I’ve observed heightened media speculations about our government purportedly budgeting the sum of six billion naira for the Ramadan Feeding Program.” “I wish to categorically state…

The Director General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called for the protection of schools through the Safe Schools Initiative in Nigeria. Okonjo-Iweala was reacting to the rescue of school children from Kuriga area of Kaduna State. Recall that the 287 Kuriga school children recently abducted by the bandits in Kaduna State have regained their freedom. This was disclosed by Governor Uba Sani in the early hours of Sunday. Reacting, Okonjo-Iweala posted on X: “Wonderful news on the release of the abducted children from Kuriga!! Thanks to the Security forces and all in Govt involved in their…

The Kaduna State Government has announced the release of the 287 schoolchildren kidnapped from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State. This was revealed in a statement signed by the state governor, Senator Uba Sani, early hours on Sunday. The statement partly read, “I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released. “Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for prioritising the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed. While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times.…

Abosede, mother of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has alleged that the father, Joseph, buried the late singer before he died. Abosede disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH titled, “Uncensored: Mohbad’s mother opens up on late son, ex-husband, Naira Marley.” She said she was not aware of the day Mohbad died despite being in his (Joseph) house for 10 days shortly before the late singer’s demise. “I actually did not know when my child (Mohbad) died. His father did not tell me. I was in his house for 10 days, shortly before he…

Nigeria’s male handball team on Friday defeated their counterparts from Benin Republic 38-20 in their third-place match to win a bronze medal at the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana. The team, also known as Golden Arrows, had lost to DR Congo in the semi-finals of the event to cut short their dream of a gold medal. The team was determined to defeat Benin Republic to finish on the podium for the first time since the Abuja 2003 Games, and they did so in style. They had less turnovers, scored more from the wings, and defended better to earn a…

Gunmen have abducted 10 people at the Taraba/Benue border community in Jootar, located in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State on Friday. According to an anonymous source, the driver of the vehicle managed to escape the abduction and recounted the incident. The source revealed that the driver of the Sharon bus shared that he had picked up the passengers at Takum junction in Wukari, Taraba State, with a total of ten people on board. He said, “He was to drop them (passengers) in Gboko where they ought to connect the vehicle to Akure. “They took his phone. He…

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has denied a viral report claiming that a corps member was deployed to the Amotekun Corps for the compulsory one-year service program. The assistant Director, Press and Public Relations, NYSC Oyo State, Ms Christy Olatoye who made this known in a statement on Saturday, said Amotekun was not included on the list of employers on the NYSC database. She, however, said the Western Nigeria Security Network code-named “Amotekun” remained a respected organisation. She reaffirmed that a posting letter with such deployment did not emanate from the NYSC in Oyo State. “The attention of the…

Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced that the death toll for Friday night’s terror attack at the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow has risen to at least 115, including three children.  121 people are believed to have been hospitalised, with about 60 of them, including a small number of children, being described as in “serious” or “extremely serious” condition. So far Russia’s ministry of health has published the identities of 41 people known to have been killed. Russia’s Federal Security Service has issued a statement confirming it has arrested 11 suspects after the Crocus City Hall terror attack…

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting electricity generation from 3,500 megawatts to 6,500MW in the upcoming three to six months Adelabu who made this known during a working visit to various power projects in Lagos on Friday, said the aim was to improve power supply nationwide to meet the growing energy demands. Adelabu emphasized the urgency of boosting electricity generation capacity, saying, “3,500 megawatts is not acceptable and we have plans to increase the capacity to a minimum of 6,000 to 6,500 within the next three to six months. While highlighting the pivotal…

The Defence Headquarters has declared that no fewer than 97 persons are wanted. Factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, is one of the 97 people just declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters for alleged terrorism and allied acts against the nation’s security. Also wanted by the state in a public notice issued by the DHQs are alleged terror gang leaders in the North East, North West, North Central and South East. The names and pictures contained terrorists from the North East and North West as well as insurgents in the South-East and North Central.…

President Bola Tinubu, late last night, reacted for the first time to the allegation of budget padding by Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi State, and concluded that those alleging malicious embellishment of the 2024 financial Budget didn’t understand its arithmetic.  Tinubu said he knew the arithmetic of the numbers that he brought to the Senate, when he presented the 2024 budget and also knew what he got back when it was passed. “Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. “I…

The Niger Defence Ministry said that 23 soldiers were killed in a “terrorist” ambush in western Niger during an offensive near the border with Burkina Faso and Mali. the ministry also said that the soldiers were engaged in a security sweep in Tillaberi on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the three border areas, and were killed during a “complex ambush”,  adding that “about 30 terrorists had been neutralised”. The army raids were “designed to reassure local people ”who were being targeted by armed groups engaged in “murders, extortion and cattle rustling” It said more than 100 “terrorists” had attacked an army…

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has cautioned revenue officers in the state against collecting taxes from vegetable sellers and other petty traders. Mr. Nwifuru gave the warning in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Monday Uzor, in Abakaliki during the swearing-in of members of the Revenue Appeal Commission in the state on Wednesday. The governor asked revenue officers to refrain from tax collection from vegetable sellers, calling it an inhumane practice. “There is no reason to collect tax from people selling their farm produce in the local markets; I want you to go for big, big business owners.…

The Senate has passed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024.   The Senate’s Resolution came after it had reviewed the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, which had looked into the Bill. This is as the bill, last week, passed a second reading. The chairman of the committee, Senator Muntari Dandutse (APC – Katsina South) presented the report during plenary. President Bola Tinubu had last week forward the Bill to the National Assembly for its review and passage. By suspending pertinent sections of its standing rules, the Senate had granted…

The Nigerian Army said that its troops in a prompt response to a distress call, obstructed the abduction of three persons by bandits at the outskirts of Kwatarkwashi Village in Gusau LGA.  The Director, Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. According to him, the troops engaged and overpowered the bandit in the shootout that followed, forcing them to abandon the three kidnap victims, who were immediately rescued by the troops. According to him, one of the victims sustained injuries and has been evacuated to a hospital for further medical attention,…

A late-night fire outbreak on Tuesday in Kumbotso local government area of Kano State resulted in the destruction of no less than 40 shops valued in millions of naira. These shops were situated within a large commercial shopping complex in Kano metropolis. According to an eyewitness report, about  40 shops within the business premises, located near Zawaciki Housing Estate, were engulfed by the fire. Another eyewitness, Musa Ahmad, told journalists that the shops affected included provision stores, cement shops, PoS outlets, and many others. It took the efforts of the State Fire Service with three trucks of water to extinguish…

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, have been given 72 hours to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Anti-Malaria. They are required to explain the reported theft of $300 million intended to fund malaria research since 2021. The committee decided that the permanent secretary be arrested if she failed to honor their summons again since she had failed to appear before the committee after three invitations. As he read the resolutions, Committee Chairman Amobi Godwin Ogah expressed dissatisfaction with his colleagues…

The Nigerian Army, on Monday, said the Okuama village in Delta State, Ughelli South Local Government Area where military personnel were slain had turned to propaganda.  Despite information stating that over 20 persons had been taken into custody, it denied any reprisal on the community. Additionally, they asked that the Okuoma community in Delta state, Ughelli South Local Government Area identify the killers of its men and officials. Still, on Monday, the Defence headquarters released the names of the Army personnel who were killed on Thursday, during a peace mission to Okuama. The Army stated that their number was 17…

All schools in South Sudan will be closed starting on Monday in preparation for a severe heatwave expected to last for two weeks. With temperatures predicted to climb to 45C (113F), the health and education ministries have advised parents to keep all children indoors. The statement released late on Saturday did not say how long schools would be closed, but it did threaten to revoke the registration of any school found to be open within the warning period. The ministries said they “will continue to monitor the situation and inform the public accordingly”. Peter Garang, who lives in the capital,…

An unidentified person associated with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the last general election, has allegedly been accused of embezzling N60 million that was donated to his campaign. This claim was made public on Sunday by @MissPearls, a strong supporter of Obi, in a series of posts on her X handle. According to her, N60 million was donated to Obi, everything was “pocketed” by a greedy middleman. She also revealed that the former governor of Anambra State has learned of the occurrence and is now demanding that the donor receive a refund from the unidentified middleman.…

On Sunday night, Terrorists kidnapped 87 villagers after launching a fresh attack on the Kajuru-Station community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A member of the Kajuru-Station Youths, Harisu Dari, confirmed the incident on Monday. Harisu reported that the terrorists raided the village at around 10 pm, stating that they forcibly entered several shops, looting food items and other valuable goods. This attack came barely two days after 15 women and a man were abducted in the Dogon-Noma community of the same local government. Over the past two weeks, Kajuru and Chikun Local Government Areas have emerged as…

The Sokoto Central market is currently on fire, with the motorcycle section of the market affected. An eyewitness who spoke to reporters revealed that the fire started early this morning, but its cause remains undetermined at present. However, another source revealed that the Sokoto Central market fire started from a dump site close to the motorcycle section. Reacting, the chairman of Motorcycles Marketers Association, Shehu Muhammad, said they could not identify the number of motorcycles destroyed by fire because the fire was still raging. “We cannot quantify the number of motorcycles burnt down by the fire now because the fire…

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the ministry of defense and security agencies that the government will not, under any circumstances, pay ransom to kidnappers, bandits, or other criminal elements in exchange for the return of the abducted individuals. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this while briefing newsmen at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the President at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja on Wednesday According to Idris: “Mr President has also reiterated his zero tolerance for payment of ransom. That was also mentioned by Mr. President at the council today…

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has expressed dissatisfaction towards the misconduct in Ajaokuta Steel Company and urged President Bola Tinubu to order a thorough investigation into reported mismanagement. They added ‘’If there are individuals or group of individuals protecting the corrupt managers of the Ajaokuta Steel Company and hereby shielding them from any form of probe and judgement, it simply means that they are beneficiaries of the ill-gotten proceeds of the mismanagement or they have other personal interests that are not people-friendly and that are tantamount to water down or nullify President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s fight against corruption.…

The escalating insecurity in Nigeria, exemplified by recent kidnapping incidents, notably the abduction of students in Kaduna, has sparked significant alarm. The nation is contending with a surge in kidnappings, where innocent civilians are targeted by criminals seeking ransom or engaging in self-kidnapping for financial gain. Recent reports have unveiled a troubling pattern, such as the abduction of over 280 pupils and teachers from Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School in Kuriga, Kaduna State by bandits on the 7th of March, 2024. Security Analyst Dr. Kabiru  Adamu has attributed the deteriorating security situation and resurgence in Nigeria to the…

Prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has expressed readiness to lead a dialogue with armed bandits who abducted about 287 school children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state. The Muslim cleric said that in order to expedite the release of the kidnapped school children, President Bola Tinubu should give him the opportunity to negotiate. He stated that Tinubu must not repeat the mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to dialogue with bandits. He added, “The government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate…

A tragic incident unfolded in Lagos state, as a woman named Folashade Nimotalahi reportedly took her own life by jumping into the river from a moving boat. The distressing event occurred when she boarded a boat from Igando in Lagos State to Ogun.  Upon investigation, it was found that she had left behind a bag containing a bottle of sniper, Alimosho General Hospital cards, and some drugs before removing her life jacket and leaping into the river, this heartbreaking incident has sparked conversations about the challenges individuals face that can lead to such extreme actions. The Lagos Police Command’s spokesperson,…