NEWS

Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, has firmly rejected allegations that Iran carried out a drone attack on the United States embassy in Riyadh earlier this week. Saudi authorities had claimed that Tehran targeted the diplomatic compound with drones, an accusation that Iran has strongly denied. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of launching missile and drone strikes against its territory and has warned that the kingdom reserves the right to defend itself, including responding with retaliation if necessary. Iran had earlier dismissed claims that it attacked the massive Ras Tanura Refinery, one of the largest oil facilities in the Middle East, after Riyadh alleged that the refinery was targeted twice with drones. Reiterating Tehran’s position, Enayati s...

Joani Reid has stepped down from the Labour Party whip while an internal party investigation takes place following the arrest of her husband on suspicion of spying for China. Reid’s husband, David Taylor, is believed to be one of three men detained by counter-terrorism police on suspicion of assisting foreign intelligence services. Two other men, Steve Jones, 68, and Matthew Aplin, 43, were also arrested during coordinated police operations. All three were later released on bail while the investigation continues. In a statement shared on X, Reid confirmed she had voluntarily suspended herself from the party whip and would not sit as a Labour MP until the inquiry is concluded. “This week has been the worst of my life. The shock of recent days has been difficult for me and my fa...

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a new Exit Benefit Scheme that will allow retiring Federal Civil Servants to receive a gratuity equal to 100 per cent of their total annual earnings. The scheme, scheduled to begin on January 1, 2026, aims to ensure that civil servants who have spent at least 10 years in the Federal Civil Service leave service with improved financial security and dignity. The approval was confirmed in a statement issued by Eno Olotu, Director of Public Relations in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. According to the statement, the decision followed detailed discussions and technical recommendations from an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee established by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service. The committe...

Jimoh assured the public of justice, citing ballistic and autopsy reports guiding prosecution. Four police officers have been the dismissal over their involvement in the tragic killings of seven traders at Owode Onirin market in Lagos on August 2025. The policemen killed the traders during a clash between landgrabbers and traders at the Owode-Onirin area of the state. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh confirmed the sack of the police officers on Thursday. Olohundare who spoke to journalists at Ikeja Police Officers’ Mess assured that investigation is ongoing into the Owode Onirin killings. He said the dismissed officers, brought from Nasarawa by the principal suspect ‘Ariori’, were involved in the unlawful killings. Jimoh assured the publ...

Noem, who previously served as governor of South Dakota before joining Trump’s cabinet in 2025, had been a central figure in the administration’s immigration crackdown. U.S. President Donald Trump has removed Kristi Noem as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, replacing her with Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin in a major shake-up of the administration’s national security leadership. Trump announced the decision on social media, saying Mullin would assume the role at the end of March and lead efforts to strengthen border security and advance his administration’s immigration agenda. The president thanked Noem for her service but said she would move to a new role as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a security initiative aimed at combating drug c...

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he must play a role in determining who becomes the next leader of Iran following the death of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Speaking in an interview with Axios on Thursday, Trump stated that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s 56-year-old son, is widely viewed as the likely successor but insisted he does not support the idea. “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” Trump said. “I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.” Trump was referring to Delcy Rodríguez, who became acting president of Venezuela earlier this year after U.S. forces captured former leader Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to New York to face drug-related charges. The U.S. president said he woul...

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved medical fellowships awarded by recognised professional medical colleges as equivalent to PhD degrees, ending a long-running debate about academic qualifications required for medical professionals in Nigerian universities. The decision follows years of disagreement over whether medical doctors must obtain a traditional PhD before advancing to the rank of professor in academic medicine. In 2016, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria set up a committee that concluded that a PhD should remain the qualification for teaching basic medical sciences. However, the committee also recommended that teaching clinical aspects of medical programmes should require a fellowship from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Ni...

UK's Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood has announced a new pilot scheme that will offer some migrant families up to £40,000 to voluntarily leave United Kingdom, as part of a broader overhaul of the country’s migration system. Under the proposal, up to 150 migrants will be eligible to receive £10,000 per person, including children, with a maximum payment of £40,000 per family if they agree to leave Britain within seven days. Mahmood said the increased incentive would be offered to failed asylum seekers and argued the policy could reduce the cost of supporting migrants who remain in the country. “Failed asylum seekers will now be offered an increased incentive payment of £10,000 per person, and up to a maximum of £40,000 per family,” she said while outlining the reforms in Westminste...

The management of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, has complained about the large number of unclaimed corpses in the hospital mortuary. Speaking in a local broadcast station in Benin City, Professor Adebola Ehizele, Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee in charge of Research and Ethics, said the bodies, which have been in the hospital’s mortuary from January 2023 up until June 2025, risk being given mass burials by the hospital. Ehizele added that the unclaimed corpses are about 462, out of which 350 are children. She said the management has given a grace of six weeks for the owner’s of the corpses to claim them and that at the expiration of the deadline the corpses would be disposed off through mass burial. A statement issued by the management of the ...

A fire outbreak has destroyed St. Mary's Catholic cathedral in Wukari, Taraba State. It was gathered that the incident, which occurred on Wednesday night, March 4, 2025, completely razed the church building.  Fr. John Laikei, Director of Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, said the fire started shortly after electricity was restored in the area where the church is located. He described the incident as a “major setback” for the diocese, adding that members were still in shock over the development. The priest said the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. "I can confirm that it coincided with the restoration of electricity. I must also inform you that the authorities have yet to evaluate the extent of the damage caused by the fire,” h...