Author: Khadija Abubakar

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…

MINISTER of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced the discontinuation of the Bilateral Education Agreement, BEA, scholarship programme. Mr Alausa made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by newly elected officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS. He described the BEA programme as an inefficient use of public resources, noting that many of the courses pursued abroad under the scheme were readily available in Nigerian universities. “I was asked to approve N650 million for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme when I assumed office in 2024. “I refused. It’s not fair…

THE Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared Tuesday, April 29, 2025, as the first day of Zulki’ida 1446AH. This announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday by the Wazirin Sokoto and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto, Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu. The statement read, “The declaration followed the absence of any positive report from the National Moon Sighting Committee and the Sultanate Council’s Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs regarding the sighting of the new crescent on Sunday, April 27,…

THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has intercepted a group of suspected trafficking victims en route to Libya through the Babura border in Jigawa State. Speaking during the handover ceremony in Gusau, the Zamfara State Commander of NAPTIP, Aliyu Abubakar, revealed that nine victims were intercepted by operatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service. Out of the total, three of the victims were identified as indigenes of Zamfara State. The three female victims are from Yankuzo village, a community ravaged by banditry under the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State The victims had previously fled…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has expressed willingness to allow eligible Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards to vote in the 2027 general elections, but insists that such a move must be backed by legislative amendments. The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, told this newspaper on Wednesday that the commission was committed to expanding voter access through technology, but emphasised that legal provisions must first be updated to accommodate any shift from the current PVC-only system. The initiative followed remarks by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in December 2024 during a quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral…

THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has revoked the licences of 574 schools that were found guilty of examination malpractices. The examination body stated that the schools will not be allowed to conduct examinations even as the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) commences from Thursday, April 24, 2025. The Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut made this known during a press briefing on Thursday at the headquarters of the examination body in Lagos. Dangut said WAEC had forwarded the list of the affected schools to the federal government. “This year, we have shared with…

THE All Progressives Congress has closed its national secretariat in Abuja, commonly called Buhari House, following the killing of its Director of Administration, AbdulRauf Adeniji. The APC announced this in a memo titled “Secretariat closure for the mourning of the director of administration” on Thursday. Reports indicate that Adeniji, who was kidnapped several weeks ago, was killed last month. The ruling party stated that the secretariat would remain closed until Monday, April 14, 2025. The APC encouraged all staff to use this mourning period for quiet reflection and prayers for the director’s family and loved ones. The party also announced…

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has identified Ondo, Bauchi and Edo states as the epicentres of the Lassa fever outbreak in the country. Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, during a media briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, said that those states accounted for over 70 per cent of confirmed cases reported so far in 2025. Idris said that the three states contributed 71 per cent of the 660 confirmed Lassa fever cases recorded between January and the end of March 2025, with Ondo accounting for 30 per cent, Bauchi, 25 per cent, and Edo, 16 per cent.…

ISAIAH Yesufu, a Director of Certification, Compliance and Monitoring at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), on Monday, testified against former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Mr Sirika and his brother, Ahmad, and two companies with abuse of office and contract fraud. The contract was for the construction of the terminal building at Katsina Airport. Mr Yesufu, who is a prosecution witness, said this in his evidence at the trial of the former minister that the BPP was not aware of the split in contract. They are being prosecuted on 10 counts of…

NO fewer than 200,000 Nigerians use online dating platforms monthly to find life partners despite security concerns ranging from identity fraud, catfishing and predisposition to scammers. Co-founder of Tramatch International Limited, Elijah Bassey-Kokoette, made this known to journalists at a webinar, themed ‘Love, Relationship, Technology.’ He revealed that online dating was fast gaining momentum across the globe and in Nigeria as more individuals were seeking relationship partners online based on specific search criteria. He also said technology was key to tacking online dating scams and reducing individuals’ exposure to scammers, identity theft and impersonation, among other ills associated with online…

THE Federal Government has renamed an oncology centre at the National Hospital Abuja after a former First Lady, Maryam Sani Abacha. Tbis is following a request made by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Mrs Tinubu had previously called for the renaming of the radiotherapy unit at the National Hospital, Abuja, as a tribute to Maryam Abacha’s contributions to the hospital’s establishment. She made this appeal during the hospital’s 25th-anniversary celebration, themed “Celebrating 25 Years of Quality Healthcare Services and Specialized Medical Care.” In her remarks, the First Lady emphasized that the National Hospital was made possible due to the…