Author: Maryam Garba

OPERATIVES from the Federal Capital Territory police command on Saturday foiled a child trafficking attempt, arresting four suspects, including a church General Overseer. The arrest followed a distress call received around 2:00 a.m. from officials of Wazobia Motor Park, Gwagwalada, who reported a man exhibiting suspicious behavior while attempting to travel with a young child. The police, in a statement by the command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the police emergency response team swiftly responded and apprehended one Isreal Ajah as he attempted to board a vehicle bound for Owerri, Imo State, with a seven-year-old boy in his custody. Adeh said…

NIGERIAN pilgrim identified as Hajiya Zainab from Plateau State has returned a missing $5000 to a Russian owner in Saudi Arabia. The money, approximately ₦8,240,000 using an exchange rate of ₦1,648 per USD, was found by the Nigerian pilgrim in Masjidul Haram in Makkah on Tuesday. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and Plateau State Pilgrims Board, led by Hon. Daiyabu Dauda, had confirmed the development. “She demonstrated exceptional integrity and honesty by returning $5,000 she found in Masjidul Haram to its rightful owner. That’s a remarkable act of kindness,” Dauda said. Meanwhile, NAHCON says discussions are ongoing with…

THERE are growing concerns over Nigerian pilgrims’ breach of medical screening protocols for Hajj following the delivery of a baby by a female pilgrim from Zamfara State in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. This is despite the standing health regulations in Saudi Arabia that prohibit pregnant women from participating in the pilgrimage. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), have repeatedly issued health advisories banning pregnant women from participating in Hajj due to the physical demands and potential medical complications. Yet, year after year, cases of pregnant Nigerian pilgrims continue to surface. The…

A 75-YEAR-OLD female pilgrim from Edo, Mrs Adizatu Dazumi, has died at the ongoing 2025 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia after a brief illness. The late pilgrim was from Jattu Uzairue in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo and passed away on Monday at the King Fahad General Hospital, Makkah. Malam Musah Uduimoh, Chairman of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, confirmed the incident on Tuesday. According to him, Dazumi fell ill shortly after performing Tawaaf- the circumambulation around the Kaaba- and was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. “In line with Islamic tradition, she was buried in Makkah…

NIGERIA’s First Lady and wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has doled out a cash award of Twenty-Five Million Naira to World Record holder for the world’s largest art canvas, Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke. Kanyeyachukwu, a 15-year-old autistic artist, set the record in November 2024 by creating a massive painting featuring a multi-colored ribbon, the symbol for autism, surrounded by emojis, covering 12,304 square meters. Receiving Kanyeyachukwu in her office on Monday, Senator Oluremi Tinubu stated that the financial support was for his artistic prowess and should be channeled towards his education. She expressed her admiration for Kanyeyachukwu’s heroic achievements…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the results of its resit examination conducted for candidates affected by the technical error during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. In a statement released on Sunday morning by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the board announced the results, revealing that out of the 336,845 candidates rescheduled for the examination, 21,082 were absent. No explanation was provided for the high number of absentees, but JAMB announced a mop-up exam for candidates who missed the initial UTME, including those whose absence had no specified reason. The Board in the statement raised concerns…

THE Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Friday lamented the misuse of Artificial Intelligence for creating and disseminating deepfake videos depicting public officials in compromising situations. The Minister, however, stated that the Federal Government was collaborating with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to clean up the social media space while safeguarding freedom of expression. The minister, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim on Friday spoke while receiving the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Alhassan Yahaya, who paid him a visit. Idris said: “We see…

AN officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abubakar Abdulkadir Mayos, has returned $505 and 30 Saudi Riyals in lost Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) to an intending pilgrim in Yola. BTA is a foreign currency allowance given to pilgrims to cover personal expenses such as meals, transportation, and shopping outside of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)’s contractual arrangements. Officials of NAHCON traced the rightful owner, Maimuna Salihu, a pilgrim from Taraba State, to the Yola Pilgrims’ Camp. The funds were returned to her amidst cheers from fellow pilgrims and commendations from officials, including the Director…

A NIGERIAN man and a US national, Omololu Akinlolu, 38, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm in the ongoing assault case involving US singer, Chris Brown. UK police who charged the American R&B with assault earlier this week have charged Akinlolu in connection with the 2023 incident, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Saturday. Akinlolu will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in northwestern England, according to AFP. Brown, the Grammy-winning 36-year-old former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was on Friday remanded in custody until June 13 by a court in Manchester. He faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm…

WIVES of the 36 State Governors of the federation have called for greater visibility and communication capacity to support their social intervention work, saying their efforts often go unnoticed despite complementing state-led development programmes. Speaking at a media and leadership retreat in Abuja on Wednesday, Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, said that as wives of elected governors, they are often the intersection of compassion and influence. The retreat, tagged “Leading With Impact,” brought together wives of governors from across the 36 states to explore strategic communication, media engagement, and narrative building. It…

CITIZENS of Nigeria and Pakistan might be restricted from applying for United Kingdom (UK) visas, the UK Home Office has announced. According to The Times, a UK-based publication, the UK is moving to prevent citizens of countries that are likely to stay in the region beyond the approved duration and eventually seek asylum. Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were highlighted as countries in this category. To prevent this, the UK Government has said citizens of these countries may face tougher restrictions when applying to work or study in the UK. “Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive…

NIGERIA accounts for 31 percent of global malaria deaths and 27 percent of total cases worldwide, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. The country also accounted for nearly 40% of worldwide malaria deaths among children under five. About 55 million cases of malaria and 90,000 malaria-related deaths occur in the country every year, while the economic burden of the disease in the country was estimated at $1.6b (N687 billion) in 2022 and may increase to about $2.8b (N2 trillion) in 2030. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles…

POPULAR political praise singer, Alhaji Dauda Kahutu, otherwise known as Rarara, has married his longtime lover, Aisha Humaira. The bride, a Kannywood actress, is a band member of the entertainer and his chorus singer. Former governor of Katsina state, Aminu Bello Madari, alongside other dignitaries attended the event which held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Friday. Although the two lovebirds have been in the news for long for a potential union, their eventual wedding Fatiha caught many of their fans and followers by surprise. The event which reportedly took place after the Juma’at prayer was said to be…

WORKERS of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) have called off their strike after the Federal Government’s intervention. The workers had protested over poor working conditions, grounding flights across the country on Thursday. But after a meeting with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in Abuja, the strike was called off. The workers were concerned over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, ignoring requests to include omitted staff in past allowances, and neglecting key training programmes, among other matters. The meeting was attended by the Director General, NiMET, Officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),…

THE World Health Organization chief acknowledged Tuesday that US funding cuts had left the UN agency with a huge budget gap, forcing it to slash operations and lay off staff. “The sudden drop in income has left us with a large salary gap and no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states, according to a transcript of his opening remarks. The United Nations health agency has been bracing for the planned full withdrawal of the United States — traditionally its largest donor by far — next January. US President Donald…

THE United Kingdom Home Office received 22,619 asylum applications from Nigerian nationals from 2010 to 2024, according to findings by this newspaper. This is as Nigerians accounted for one in 30 UK asylum claims over the period, ranking 11th on the Home Office’s newly released year-end Asylum and Resettlement statistics. According to the Home Office, nearly twice as many Nigerians (2,841) applied for asylum in 2024 as in 2023 (1,462). Overall, 2024 saw the highest number of asylum applications to the UK, with 108,138 people, a 378 per cent rise from 2010. Most were first-time claims by South Asian and…

FRESH from implementing a N15 price reduction in its loading cost for Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, the Dangote refinery has again slashed its refined products prices to make them cheaper, cutting its ex-depot rate to N835 per litre. The new price is a reduction of N30 from N865 per litre implemented six days ago, marking a 3.5 per cent decrease and N45 from N880 per litre sold by the facility last Wednesday. This price slash also marks Dangote’s third downward adjustment in under six weeks. This newspapere gathered that the refinery informed its customers in a notice…

THE International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has announced the appointment of prominent media personalities to its standing committees, aimed at promoting press freedom and responsible journalism in Nigeria. The committees include Fundraising, Programming, Advocacy, and Membership, each comprising seasoned industry professionals. Notable appointees include Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mrs. Funke Egbemode; former Managing Director of Champion Newspapers, Mr Emma Agu; and former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Mr Gbemiga Ogunleye.…

A 24-YEAR-OLD Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents to gain admission into a university in the United States. On Wednesday, April 9, Ojedeji admitted to fraudulently securing a student visa and gaining admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023. He acknowledged using falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report to obtain the visa. The plea was entered in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri, according to a statement released by the U.S.…

MEMBERS of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday morning picketed the Ministry of Steel Development Complex at Wuse 2 in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The aggrieved unions demanded better welfare for themselves and their colleagues working in the ministry. They also opposed what they described as the unjust sack of workers and a ban on workers’ rights to practice unionism. The labour unions led by Eche Asuzu barricaded the main gate of the ministry’s headquarters in the nation’s capital and prevented staffers of the ministry from gaining access to their offices. Carrying placards…