NEWS

No fewer than 11 people have died from diphtheria in Niger State within the past few days, raising fresh concerns over the spread of the potentially deadly disease in Chanchaga and Katcha Local Government Areas. The latest fatalities are part of the 17 deaths recorded from 124 confirmed diphtheria cases in the state between January and early August. The Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, NSPHCDA, said 74 patients have so far been treated and discharged from focal areas in Bida and Agaie Local Government Areas, while surveillance has been stepped up in Suleja. Executive Director of the agency, Dr Junaidu Inuwa, blamed part of the rising casualty rate on the failure of some parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated. Inuwa spoke in Minna duri...

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a major decline in cholera cases but warned that the disease is still spreading in parts of the country. NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, gave the warning on Friday during a briefing on the cholera and diphtheria outbreaks in Nigeria. Idris said more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases had been reported in 35 states and around 195 local government areas since the beginning of the year. Although the number of cases has fallen, he said the death rate among reported cases was much lower than during the same period last year. “This is important progress. But I want to be very clear: the outbreak is not over,” Idris said. He warned that cholera infections could rise again between late August and Oc...

Gunmen have k!lled Hon. Ishaq Onu Yunusa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman of Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.  Yunusa was attacked and m8rdered along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway, around Ojuwo Olijo, in Ofu Local Government Area on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The spokesperson for the Kogi State Command, ASP Afusat Saliu, confirmed the attack in a statement on Friday.  The PPRO stated that the command has launched a manhunt for the assailants. According to Saliu, the incident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. when the gunmen reportedly emerged from the surrounding bush and opened sporadic fire on motorists. Following the attack, a blue Toyota Corolla with registration number GWA 636 CH was found abandoned along the highway. The driver, identifie...

The traditional Ugandan ruler named as the world's youngest monarch has di£d aged 34, his prime minster announced. Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was just three years old when he became king of Tooro in western Uganda in 1995 after the de@th of his father. The cause of King Oyo's de@th was not disclosed, but a Ugandan government minister was quoted in local media saying that he had been critically ill and was seeking treatment in the US. Oyo, who Guinness World Records listed as the world's youngest reigning monarch, ruled over more than two million people. He was the 13th monarch of his kingdom. Announcing his de@th, Tooro's Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki called his passing on Thursday, August 27, an "immeasurable loss" to the royal family and the people of Tooro. "I ...

15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have reportedly been abducted by gunmen in the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis of Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. A relative of one of the victims, who spoke with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), said the corps members were abducted on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 while travelling from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to Abuja. The victims were members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II and had reportedly concluded their orientation camp activities before beginning their journey. According to the relative, identified as a family member of one of the abducted corps members, the youths were travelling in two buses when they were attacked. He told FIJ that h...

King Harald V of Norway, Europe’s oldest monarch, has d!ed at the age of 89, after 35 years on the throne. He died on Friday, August 28, just after 6:35am, the Royal House of Norway announced on its website. Harald is succeeded as monarch by his son Haakon. He leaves his wife of 57 years, Queen Sonja, two children, and five grandchildren. His granddaughter Ingrid Alexandra now becomes heir to the Norwegian throne. Harald was Europe’s oldest monarch. The popular king modernized the royal house but refused to follow in the footsteps of other aging monarchs who have abdicated in recent times. His son now automatically becomes King Haakon VIII. Harald was crowned king after his British-born father, King Olav V, died in January 1991, and reigned during an oil-and-gas-driven economic...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the President Bola Tinubu administration to investigate and prosecute him if it has evidence linking him to any wrongdoing in the controversial $16 billion power sector expenditure. Atiku said there was no reason for the allegations to continue resurfacing decades after leaving office if successive governments had genuine evidence.He made the remarks in a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. The former Vice President accused the administration and its supporters of reviving old allegations as a distraction from growing demands for accountability over the funds saved from the removal of petrol subsidy. Atiku noted that the National Assembly had previously investigated the po...

Neurosurgeons in London, UK have performed the world’s first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour, saving the sight of a 48-year-old man, health officials have said. The surgery was performed in May at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London hospitals NHS foundation trust, but details were kept secret until Thursday while the patient, Rhys Hibbert, recovered. While the surgical team remained in full control, the AI system analysed live camera footage during the operation, helping identify key structures such as nerves and blood vessels that should be avoided near the 11mm (0.4in) tumour on Hibbert’s pituitary gland. “When I came round … I could see everything in the room clearly,” said Hibbert, who was abl...

Three major UK airports have been affected by a cyber security incident in which the personal data of around 8.7 million customers was accessed, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has confirmed. The group, which operates Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport, said an unauthorised third party had gained access to customer information but stressed that airport operations and aviation security had not been compromised. A MAG spokesperson said on Thursday, August 27,: “Manchester Airports group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party. “A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and fast track bookings and in-airport wifi sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports. We immediat...

A total of 67 Nigerian returnees from South Africa have arrived at the Murtala Mohammed Int’l Airport in Lagos State. The returnees arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a South African Airways flight on Wednesday night, August 26.  They were received by some Federal Government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. The latest development brings to 150 the number of Nigerians repatriated with the assistance of the philanthropic group, following the earlier return of 83 Nigerians. Speaking to the returnees, representatives of the group, Ikem Ume-Ezeoke and Chief Charles Mba, welcomed them back to Nigeria and presented each person with...