Author: Farouk Abbas

THE Nigerian Correctional Service, on Wednesday, said that the number of prisoners on death row had risen from 3,590 in September 2024 to 3,688 in March 2025. This represents a 2.73 per cent increase or addition of 98 prisoners within six months. The Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Mr Sylvester Nwakuche, gave the figure when he appeared for screening before the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Sen. Adams Oshiomhole. The NCoS also sought strategic collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to speed up…

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has achieved a significant breakthrough in its ongoing battle against criminal elements, as officers successfully neutralized a notorious kidnapper, Dogo Saleh. FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, announced the development in a statement on Wednesday, assuring residents that the command remains committed to eliminating threats to public safety in the FCT and neighboring states. According to the statement: “In a well-coordinated intelligence-led operation, FCT Police operatives neutralised a notorious bandit, Salisu Mohammed, alias “Dogo Saleh,” following an intense counter-kidnapping operation aimed at dismantling a syndicate responsible for violent crimes along the…

THE Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed appeals filed by the Rivers State Attorney General and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, effectively paving the way for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the tenure of former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili. In a ruling delivered on Monday, March 10, 2025, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice John Okoro, upheld the leave granted by the Court of Appeal to the EFCC, allowing the anti-graft agency to challenge a long-standing perpetual injunction that had barred it from probing Odili’s administration. Odili, who…

THE House of Representatives has ordered a total shutdown of adult (pornography) websites nationwide. The lawmakers directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enforce the immediate shutdown of the websites in the country. The Green Chamber gave the directive during plenary on Tuesday. The lawmakers charged all internet providers must block access under the new directive. Hon. Dalhatu Tafoki sponsored the motion, calling it a step to “protect societal values.” He said, “I would like to move a motion for the need to block internet websites hosting pornographic content and sanction the internet service providers responsible for the posting. The…

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to immediately suspend the implementation of increased ATM transaction charges and the removal of free ATM withdrawals for customers using other banks’ ATMs, as outlined in a recent circular by the apex bank. Adopting a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Marcus Onobun (PDP, Edo), the House called for the suspension of the policy pending proper engagement with relevant House committees. While presenting the motion, Onobun noted that the CBN recently issued a circular revising ATM transaction fees under Section 10.7 of the CBN Guide to…

JUSTICE Obiora Egwatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has adjourned the suit filed by the Senator Representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to March 25, 2025. Senator Natasha had approached the Federal High Court, seeking an Order restraining the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges of the Senate from investigating her. The Court subsequently grant the order last week but the Senate on Thursday suspended the Senator for six months after it considered the report of the Committee. At the day’s proceeding, counsels for the first, Second and third defendants told the court that they had not been…

THE House of Representatives has secured the commitment of seven oil and gas processing companies to remit a total sum of $37. 43m (About N58bn to the Federation Account before August 2025. The commitment came against the backdrop of a probe into the financial records from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission which flagged significant lapses in royalty payments and reconciliation processes in the oil and gas sector. The promised repayment forms part of a ₦9tn outstanding liability queried by the Auditor General for the Federation in his 2021 report submitted to the National Assembly. The debts, some of which…

AMNESTY International Nigeria Supporters Group in Osun State has called on stakeholders to work towards ending the rising cases of femicide in the country. The Osun State Coordinator of the Group, Joshua Oyebode, made this known on Saturday while speaking during a street awareness and walk organised to commemorate International Women’s Day. Participants in the walk, dressed in black T-shirts with the inscription ‘Stop Femicide’ had converged on Old Garage, Osogbo and moved through MDS Road before terminating the awareness campaign at Olaiya Area of the Osun State capital. Oyebode, who noted the increasingly hostile environment women in the country…

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned in very strong terms the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate over her allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio. This newspaper reports that the Senate on Thursday suspended Senator Natasha for six months for violation of the Red Chambers rules. Her suspension followed her dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio who she accused of sexual harassment, a claim the latter has denied. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday, the PDP asserted that the action of the Akpabio-led Senate leadership…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed May 8 for ruling on the admissibility of a judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in suit number FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023 between Mr Ali Bello and Incorporated Trustees of American International School. The Defendant’s Counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had, before proceeding on cross-examination of the EFCC’s third witness, Nicholas Ohehomon, from AISA, sought to tender the document, which had decided on the issue of payment of fees or refund in the ongoing case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. The…

THE federal government, on Thursday designated and listed some individuals including Simon Ekpa and entities on the Nigeria Sanctions List following their involvement in terrorism financing. The individuals and entities were recommended for designation by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee during a meeting that was held in Abuja on Thursday. According to government documents, the development was in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The unit explained that the Attorney-General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, said the they must be thereupon designated to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List. It…

Case Adjourned To March 7 (Tomorrow) THE Federal High Court, in Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned the alleged money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to March 7, 2025 (tomorrow) for continuation of trial. When the matter was called on Thursday, Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, called its witness on subpoena, Williams Abimbola. Abimbola, a Compliant Officer with the United Bank for Africa Plc, confirmed to the court that a further subpoena was served on the bank. Justice Emeka Nwite admitted the subpoena and marked…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has granted automatic employment to 774 fellows of the national health programme. The President stated this while speaking at the presidential launch of the programme in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Addressing the young fellows tasked with monitoring Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across all 774 local government areas, Tinubu declared, “You are hired,” pledging employment after their one-year tenure. “The Coordinating Minister and the champion of this program have requested approval and luckily the Minister of Finance is here also. “This programme is designed to expose you to best practices and keep you of the knowledge and skill…

NIGERIA has been ranked sixth in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index with a score of 7.658, moving up from eighth place in 2023 and 2024. According to the 2025 report released on March 5, 2025, Burkina Faso topped the index with a score of 8.581, followed by Pakistan (8.374), Syria (8.006), Mali (7.907), and Niger (7.776), which ranked second to fifth, respectively. Somalia (7.614), Israel (7.463), Afghanistan (7.262), Cameroon (6.944), Myanmar (6.929), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.768), Iraq (6.582), India (6.410), Colombia (6.381), and Russia (6.267) ranked seventh to sixteenth. The report recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria…

THE Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment and abuse of office petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, declaring it “dead on arrival”. The committee on Wednesday cited procedural violations and legal constraints During the probe session, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Neda Imasuen, cited Order 40 of the Senate Standing Orders, explaining that Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself rather than having it endorsed by another individual, thereby rendering it procedurally invalid. Additionally, he noted that the matters raised in the petition were already before the court, making them…

THE Federal Capital Territory Police Command has intercepted a former immigration officer who was attempting to sell sophisticated firearms to bandits operating in the Abuja-Kaduna forests. The dismissed officer whose name was not disclosed was arrested following an intelligence-led operation by the police. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mustafa Mohammed, said the operation prevented the arms from reaching criminal elements who he said could have made them deadly. Mohammed said, “Acting on intelligence, the command intercepted these guns from a dismissed immigration officer attempting to sell them to bandits terrorising…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. He reacted to the allegations on Wednesday at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after a week’s recess. Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.” The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was…

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the appointment of six Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs). In a statement on Tuesday, the commission’s spokesman Ikechukwu Ani also announced the promotion of the Commissioner of Police Enugu State Command, Uzuegbu Kanayo to the next rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG). The new DIGs are Sadiq Abubakar, Commandant Police Academy, Wudil, Kano; Benjamin Okolo, former AIG, Zone 16, Yenagoa and presently AIG Department of Information Communication Technology, Force Headquarters Abuja; and Williams Adebowale, Commandant, Police Staff College Jos. Others are Bzigu Bali, AIG FCID, Annex Enugu; Idegwu Ukuoma, AIG…

NEW statistics by the Transmission Company of Nigeria revealed that power generation climbed to 5,713.60 megawatts on Tuesday. The latest data by TCN pushes the country’s 2025 generation feat to the highest since four years ago. According to the TCN, the whole of the 5,713MW recorded on Tuesday was successfully transmitted. The country recorded a 5.543MW generation on February 14. “This was recorded on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 21:30 hours, with the new generation peak of 5,713.60 megawatts (MW), surpassing the previous peak generation of 5,543.20MW achieved on February 14, 2025, by 170.40 MW,” the TCN stated. It clarified…

THE House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to eight oil companies to appear before it to defend allegations of failure to remit about N9.4 trillion in royalties to the Federation Account. The oil firms are among the nine companies scheduled to appear before the subcommittee constituted to investigate non-remittance of royalties contained in the Report of the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation. Of the nine companies invited to appear before the committee yesterday, only Belema Oil Producing Limited, whose team, led by Managing Director Ahmad H. Sambk, was at the National…