Author: Khadija Abubakar

THE Kano State Police Command has confirmed that nine unexploded ordnances (UXOs) have been recovered at the site of Saturday’s deadly explosion at Yongxing Steel Company in Mariri Quarters, along Ring Road in Kano. This newspaper reports that the blast, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. on June 21, claimed the lives of five persons and left several others injured. According to the police, the explosion was not caused by an IED bomb as initially feared but by a UXO that accidentally detonated during the offloading of scrap materials. Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Hussaini Abdullahi, In a statement on…

THE Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has conferred the “Media-Friendly Governor of the Year” Award on Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, in recognition of his administration’s commitment to press freedom, open governance, and strategic engagement with the media. The award was presented to the Governor at the NUJ’s 70th Anniversary Gala/Award Night and Book Presentation, held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. The event was chaired by veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, and attended by leading figures in government, media and civil society. Governor Inuwa Yahaya, represented by Commissioner for Environment, Water and Forest Resources,…

KANO State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has announced a major redevelopment initiative for the Farm Centre GSM Market, pledging an investment of over N2 billion to restore, expand, and modernize the bustling commercial hub. This was contained in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Saturday. The intervention, according to the governor, is a direct response to recent fire outbreaks that devastated parts of the market and a broader effort to meet the growing needs of traders and customers. Governor Yusuf made the announcement during a visit to the market on Friday where he was…

MINISTER of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has dismissed the formation of the new opposition party, the All Democratic Alliance, as a failed attempt to recreate the 2013 coalition that birthed the All Progressives Congress. In a post shared via his official X account (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Keyamo ridiculed the move, describing it as a “pedestrian joke.” “If they are thinking of recreating what the APC did in 2013, then this is nothing but a pedestrian joke; a complete mockery of that seismic political coalition,” keyamo wrote. The proposed party, driven by the National Opposition Coalition Group,…

A WITNESS in the ongoing trial of Olu Agunloye, former Minister of Power and Steel, on Monday told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja that neither Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria nor the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the controversial $6 billion contract awarded to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited for the Mambilla Hydropower Project. Testifying before J.O. Onwuegbuzie (Justice), Umar Babangida, the third prosecution witness (PW3) and an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), revealed that Obasanjo made it clear, both in writing and during a meeting with investigators, that he…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 19, 2025, for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arraignment. The senator is being dragged before the court for alleged defamation. The federal government dragged her to court over the allegation she made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. The date was initially set for June 3 but was adjourned following procedural delays. The charge was a result of the claims made by Akpabio and Bello. The senator has expressed confidence that the truth will prevail, even as civic groups demand that the Attorney General and Inspector General…

SUSPENDED Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi West) has raised the alarm that her official telephone line has been cloned and is being fraudulently utilised to intimidate some Nigerian dignitaries. In a petition to the Director of the National Cybercrime Centre, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, through his lawyers, M. J. Numa and Partners, dated June 4, 2025, Akpoti-Udughan said the “unknown persons are impersonating her personality to make unsolicited calls and deliver messages pretending to have originated from her.” She added that this deployment of advanced cyber tools collectively suggests the existence of “a coordinated attempt to compromise” her identity and possibly…

THE Federal Government has commenced the payment of N44,000 minimum wage arrears to former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The commencement of the payment fulfills an earlier promise tied to the recent upward review of corps members’ monthly allowance from N33, 000 to N77, 000. The payment applies to those who completed their service before the new allowance took effect earlier this year. Former corps members have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm receipt of the payment, expressing their gratitude and relief. One user, @Kingpin_black1, posted: ”Thank you NYSC. Thank you President Tinubu. Nigeria will be…

THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested 127 foreign nationals in the Hotoro Ring Road area of Nasarawa Local Council, Kano State, for their involvement in various cybercrimes and irregular migration. This came as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with other stakeholders, received 111 Nigerian returnees from Niamey, Niger Republic, as part of ongoing efforts to support voluntary returnees. This was disclosed on the agency’s X handle yesterday. Meanwhile, the Kano State Comptroller of Immigration, Kabir Danja, said the arrests were made during an operation based on credible intelligence targeting a hideout where the suspects were allegedly…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has distanced itself from misleading messages circulating via a spoofed version of its 66019 short code. JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement on Wednesday, stated that these messages are not from JAMB, describing them as fraudulent and intended to sow confusion. Dr. Benjamin said the messages instruct candidates, some of whom have already sat for the resit examination and received their results, to reprint their examination slips for a resit examination. He added that there are currently no scheduled examinations, and candidates who have successfully completed the resit examination…

TENSION gripped Rano Local Government Area of Kano State following a violent incident that led to the death of a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and one other individual. According to a press release issued by the Kano State Police Command on Monday, the crisis began on Sunday evening when a motorcycle mechanic identified as Abdullahi Musa was arrested for alleged reckless and dangerous riding. He was believed to be under the influence of intoxicants at the time of his arrest. The police stated that Musa developed health complications while in custody and was rushed to Rano General Hospital. “He unfortunately…

THE Federal Government has concluded plans to sell a sprawling estate linked to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to low and middle-income Nigerians. The massive property, comprising 753 housing units, was recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in December 2024. According to the EFCC, it is the largest single asset recovery since the agency’s inception in 2003. It covers over 150,000 square metres and includes duplexes and other apartment types. The estate was recovered following a final forfeiture order issued on December 2, 2024, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital…

THE Founder and President of MAAUN Group of Universities, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, generously donated a 60-seater bus to Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, Kumbotso, Kano State. Professor Gwarzo announced the donation when he led some management staff of MAAUN on a courtesy visit to the College Provost, Dr. Kabir Ahmad Gwarzo, over the weekend. Professor Gwarzo, who congratulated the Provost on his appointment, said the gesture was part of his commitment and effort to support educational development within the state and beyond. He reaffirmed MAAUN’s dedication to strengthening its partnership with Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education to help the…

A 16-YEAR-OLD candidate during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Olamide Aderibigbe scored 98 in mathematics. Aderibigbe, a student of Starville International School, Jabi, Abuja, also scored 86 in Physics; 68 in English and 84 in Economics. The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while giving a breakdown of the 2025 UTME statistics, noted that 12,414 of the over 1.9M who sat the UTME scored 300 and above, with only 4,756 scoring 320 and above. Last year, out of 1.9 million candidates who sat the 2024 UTME, only 8,000 candidates, or 0.5 per cent, scored…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja, saying over 1.9 million candidates sat for the examination across the country. He revealed that it is withholding the results of 39,834 candidates due to issues related to examination malpractices. According to the JAMB boss, 80 individuals are currently being interrogated over various forms of examination fraud, with Anambra State recording the highest number of suspects, 14 in total. Oloyede also stated that 467 underage…

THE Kano State Government has imposed a sweeping ban on all live political programmes aired across the state’s numerous broadcast platforms. The government says the move is meant to curb the spread of inflammatory and culturally offensive content, but critics are calling it a thinly veiled attempt to muzzle opposition voices. The ban was formally announced by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, during a quarterly stakeholders meeting with media executives held at the ministry’s headquarters. A statement signed by the Director of Special Duties, Sani Abba Yola, said the forum was designed to foster…

A SELF-ACCALIMED President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, has said the claims he made against President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, are false. In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku addressed the claims which he made in a video that went viral on social media. In the video, he alleged that Seyi Tinubu and the Minister of Youths and Sport, Ayodele Olawande, invited him to Lagos, where he was offered N100 million to support President Tinubu. He stated that he rejected the offer, leading to his abduction on April 15, 2025. According to Atiku, after…

THE Nigeria Police Force has warned that no additional charges should be imposed for the inspection of tinted glass permit applications. In a statement, the Force warned against any unauthorised demands for payment during the process, labelling such as illegal. The statement reads: “No additional payment is required for the physical inspection process for tinted permit applications. “Any request for such illegitimate charges should be reported immediately. The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to transparency, accountability, and public trust.”

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, offering a full picture of how Nigerian candidates performed in the examination conducted across the country. Students and parents had lamented frustrations and chaos emanating from Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which began on Thursday, April 24, across the country. There were reports of network and technical issues affecting the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) computer-based test (CBT) centers, potentially delaying or preventing candidates from taking the examination. According to JAMB official figures, a total of 1,955,069…

THE Kaduna-Kano railway station is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2025. This is according to a statement by the ministry on Thursday. “Construction of the 202km Kaduna-Kano railway station, at the tune of $1.2 billion, is nearing a major milestone, with completion by Q4 2025,” the statement read. Spanning over 13,000 m², originally flagged as Nigeria’s biggest train station, the Kaduna-Kano railway station is reportedly on par with that of Lagos. Also according to the statement, the Zawaciki railway station will serve as a hub for the Kano-Katsina line and is on par with Maradi in…