Author: Farouk Abbas

SENATOR Orji Kalu representing Abia North Senatorial District has dismissed suggestions that the growing endorsements for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid stem from concerns over opposition alliances. Addressing Senate correspondents before plenary on Tuesday, Kalu maintained that the wave of support for the President is a direct result of his performance and policy direction, not political anxiety. “The APC is not afraid of any opposition coalition. We are the ruling party and we love Nigeria. That is why many of us are investing in industries across the country to create jobs beyond government efforts,” he said. The former Senate…

THE Nigeria Police Force has commenced investigation into the explosion that rocked the outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) along the Mararaba-Nyanya Bypass, on Monday. Confirming the incident, the FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the Police command received a distress report on May 26, 2025 at approximately 2:50pm, regarding an explosion along the bypass. “Upon receipt of the report, officers of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit were immediately deployed to the scene. The affected area was swiftly cordoned off for clearance and analysis to ensure the safety of commuters and residents,” SP Adeh said. Adeh added…

THE Wole Adesina-led Social Democratic Party (SDP) has firmly declared that the party is neither for sale nor lease to any political coalition or movement. In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Alfa Mohammed, stressed that the SDP would not be used as a platform for launching attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or to promote any coalition that lacks a credible alternative agenda for Nigeria’s transformation. “The SDP National Executive Committee unequivocally states that the party is not for sale or lease to any group, and will not be part of any…

A GROUP of heavily armed kidnappers have invaded Grow Homes Estate in the Chikakore area of Kubwa, Abuja’s largest suburban town, holding residents hostage for over an hour. According to terrified residents, the incident occurred between 12am and 1:30am early Monday morning. One of the residents said he witnessed a man and a woman being taken away by the kidnappers. However, by daybreak, the woman was found within the estate, having been released by her captors for reasons that remain unclear. At the time of filing this report, the exact number of abducted victims is still unknown. “The incident happened…

A HIGH-LEVEL coalition meeting involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and others descended into chaos as delegates from Jigawa State disrupted the proceedings. The ongoing coalition meeting at the Abuja Continental Hotel, organised by the National Political Consultative Group (North), was briefly disrupted following a disagreement over representation for Jigawa State. Tensions rose when former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, announced a delegate to speak for the state. In protest, several Jigawa delegates stormed the stage, blocking the individual from speaking and insisting they would not…

THE Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has issued a warning to Nigerians to be wary of crooks and fraudsters exploiting the recent takeover of the 753-unit housing estate linked to former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The Ministry clarified that no process has yet begun for the sale of the estate, and anyone claiming otherwise is a scammer. In a Saturday press statement titled “Confiscated 753-Unit Housing Estate Not on Sale Yet, Beware of Scammers”, signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Badamasi Haiba, the Ministry stated on X: “The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development…

TWO persons have been hospitalised after a Diamond training aircraft operated by the Aviation Training School in Ilorin crash-landed, this newspaper gathered. The incidents, according to staff members of the aviation training school, occurred around 4:00 pm on Friday. The unfortunate incident occurred during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at the Ilorin International Airport. A simulated instrument approach, often referred to as simulated instrument flight is a kind of flight where a pilot flies using only the aircraft’s instruments for navigation and control. In place of instrument meteorological conditions, the pilot wears a view-limiting device, such as an…

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed a violent attack on Efab Global Estate in the Idu Industrial Area of Abuja, where over 20 gunmen invaded the estate on Wednesday, injuring at least five security guards and robbing multiple homes. Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers launched the assault around midnight in a well-coordinated operation, firing sporadically to instill fear and chaos. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the estate’s security personnel were overwhelmed during the onslaught, with five guards sustaining machete injuries before the assailants moved on to rob six homes. The armed men reportedly…

THE Supreme Court has struck out a suit by the 36 states’ governments and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) challenging the federal government’s application of recovered looted funds. In a judgment on Friday, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court was unanimous in holding that the suit was wrongly instituted before the apex court. In the lead judgment, prepared by Justice Chidiebere Uwa, but read by Justice Mohammed Idris, the apex court held that the plaintiffs wrongly invoked its jurisdiction. It held that the subject matter of the suit, marked: SC/CV/395/2021, was within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.…

FORMER Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has pledged his unflinching commitment to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027. According to him, on undeniable indices, President Tinubu and his team have done exceedingly well for the country, despite global challenges. “On merit, he deserves the support of well meaning Nigerians,” he said. In a statement signed by Ohiare Michael, Director, Yahaya Bello Media Office, the former governor said he has no ambition to vie for the presidency in 2027. Reacting to a recent online post adorned with picture of a rally held in 2022 to mislead…

GUNMEN have abducted a 76-year-old retired Major of the Nigerian Army, Joe Ajayi, from his residence in Odo-Ape, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Ajayi, a former chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kabba-Bunu chapter, was reportedly kidnapped around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. According to a local source, the assailants stormed the area and fired sporadic gunshots for over an hour before whisking the retired army officer away to an unknown destination. Community members have expressed deep concern about Ajayi’s deteriorating health, made more fragile by his age, and the potential risks posed by his captivity. The…

THE Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a fresh cut in the pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) nationwide. The new rates now range from ₦875 to ₦905 per litre, depending on location. A breakdown of the revised prices shows, Lagos:₦875, South-West ₦885, North-East: ₦905, North-West & Central: ₦895, and South-South & South-East: ₦905. Prices indicate a ₦15 reduction per litre across all regions and partner retail outlets, applying to all major fuel marketers in partnership with the refinery, including MRS, Ardova, Heyden, Optima Energy, Techno Oil, and Hyde Energy. Before the new price template, Lagos residents paid ₦890 per…

THE Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has stated that criminals on the red list of the International Police were arrested at Nigerian airports. Tuni-Ojo also revealed that criminals declared wanted by various countries across Europe were arrested within two days at the point of entering the country. He said the arrest was made possible due to the heavy investment in surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment at the nation’s border points. He stated this on Tuesday at a regional workshop on Maritime Border Security titled “Regional Maritime Border Security in the Context of Counter Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea,” in Lagos…

THE Federal Government, through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has taken delivery of the 753 housing units in Abuja recovered by the EFCC from the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. Olukoyede, at the handing over ceremony to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, vowed: “We will monitor the completion and transparent disposal of the properties.” The development unfolded at a time when the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI), in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), rallied the Economic…

THE Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, on Tuesday revealed that the commission has discovered an account opened by a foreigner to receive payments from Nigerians seeking a six-week degree abroad. The ICPC boss made this disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholders’ advocacy event on asset tracing, recovery, and management put together by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) with the support of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA). Aliyu noted: “Within some weeks, we were able to discover that a foreigner…

FORMER National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party and former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, disclosed that Olusegun Obasanjo was chosen over Bola Ige, Olu Falae, and Abraham Adesanya in the interest of national unity. In an excerpt from his autobiography, Being True to Myself, launched on May 13, Lamido stated that Falae, Ige, and Adesanya were not seen as capable of being fair and effective presidents for Nigeria. In Chapter 9, titled Abdulsalami’s Transition and Formation of the PDP, he explained that the decision to support Obasanjo was driven by a desire for a Yoruba who could lead…

A BILL to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age has passed second reading in the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation was sponsored by the Speaker, Tajjudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago. Leading the debate during plenary on Thursday, Ago said the bill aimed to encourage citizens’ participation in the electoral process, noting that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales legislative scrutiny. Although the bill passed second reading, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Akwa Ibom State, Mark Esset, said enacting a law to make voting…

THE World Bank has revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has only been remitting 50 per cent of revenue gains from the removal of the Premium Motor Spirit subsidy to the Federation Account. This disclosure is contained in the latest World Bank Nigeria Development Update, which highlights concerns over fiscal transparency and revenue management following the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. It said out of the N1.1tn revenue from crude sales and other income in 2024, the NNPCL only remitted N600bn, leaving a deficit of N500bn unaccounted for. The biannual report, titled “Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth,”…

FORMER Kano State governorship candidate, His Excellency Ibrahim Ali Amin Little, has paid a courtesy visit to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in Abuja. The visit, according to sources close to the Kano politician, was both a show of solidarity and a move to deepen consultations around the ongoing merger talks gaining traction among northern political blocs. Amin Little expressed strong support for the merger initiative, describing it as a timely and strategic effort to unify progressive minds for the greater good of the region and the country at large. During the…

A FEDERAL Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, on Tuesday, berated the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for wrongful usage of her X-handle (Twitter). Justice Slyvanius Oriji, delivering the judgment, in a fundamental enforcement rights suit filed by Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, against the suspended senator, held that such conduct should not be from a person of her status. Ali Bello had, on May 21, 2024 instituted the suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/2574/2024, against Natasha as sole respondent, alleging breach of privacy among others. Bello through his counsel, Adeola…