NEWS

Manchester United have decided not to participate in the EFL Trophy and National League Cup during the 2026-27 season as part of changes to the club’s youth development programme. The move comes after the club secured a return to the UEFA Youth League through qualification for the Champions League and due to a smaller group of players transitioning between the Under-18 and Under-21 teams. United joined the EFL Trophy in 2019 after the competition was expanded to include Premier League academy sides. However, the club’s youngsters struggled in both tournaments last season, failing to progress beyond the group stages. With at least eight matches guaranteed in the UEFA Youth League, club officials have opted to focus on other development pathways, while retaining participation in the...

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on senators to be fully present at Wednesday’s plenary session as the National Assembly prepares to debate and vote on the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police across Nigeria. Akpabio described the bill as a historic step toward strengthening the country’s security framework, stressing that constitutional amendments require broad participation from lawmakers. He urged senators to take their legislative responsibilities seriously and support the reform. The Senate President noted that the proposed law would create a legal framework for state police while including safeguards against abuse. He added that the reform would promote community-based policing by involving local governments, traditional rulers, youth ...

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has barred serving officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force from engaging in unauthorised social media activities, including creating videos, live streaming, posting skits, and monetising content on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other similar platforms while identifying themselves as police officers. In a circular dated June 22 and signed by his Principal Staff Officer, the police boss warned that any officer found violating the directive must face severe disciplinary measures, including immediate suspension from duties, forfeiture of salary, demotion, dismissal from the Force, and possible criminal prosecution. The IGP expressed concern over the growing and most disturbing trend of police personn...

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested police officers captured in a viral video allegedly extorting money from motorists in the state. The spokesperson for the command, ASP Agabe Kaborlo, who confirmed this to newsmen, said the command had seen the viral video recorded by an activist, Comrade Phils, in which he accused a team of officers from the Old GRA Police Station, near the Rivers State Government House and close to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s residence, of systematically targeting motorists, particularly those with tinted windscreens. According to the complaints, the officers, allegedly led by ASP Geoffrey, disregarded valid tinted glass permits, including factory-fitted ones, and demanded cash payments starting from N100,000. The command in its state...

Senator Garba Maidoki, who represents Kebbi South Senatorial District, has officially left the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing alleged injustice and unresolved internal issues within the ruling party. The announcement was made on Tuesday during plenary after a letter conveying his decision was read on the floor of the Senate by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. In the letter, Maidoki explained that his departure from the APC was driven by what he described as a prolonged internal crisis that had negatively affected his political ambitions and confidence in the party. He further accused the APC of failing to uphold its core values of justice, peace, and unity, particularly during the recently concluded primary elections i...

The Anambra State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable development with new policy decisions and project approvals aimed at tackling erosion, strengthening education, improving healthcare delivery and boosting the state’s economy. The government also approved contracts worth ₦640 million for key infrastructural projects designed to enhance social cohesion, stimulate economic growth and improve public service delivery across the state. This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, following the third meeting of the Anambra State Executive Council held at the Government House, Awka, on June 22. According to the statement, the Council took several decisions, including co...

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate. The proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state police across the federation. The move follows repeated calls by the President for constitutional reforms to enable states to play a greater role in securing their territories. In February, Tinubu urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, describing the reform as necessary to tackle terrorism, banditry and other security threats. During his Democracy Day address earlier this month, the President vowed that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law, insisting ...

Former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, is set to file a no-case submission in his alleged wiretapping trial. This follows the decision of the Department of State Services to close its case against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday. The DSS is prosecuting El-Rufai on an amended five-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful interception of communications and breach of national security. According to the charges, the former Kaduna State governor had claimed on Arise Television during a live interview in February that he had intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which allegedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him, an offence the agency said was contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) A...

Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has issued a strong warning against Yoruba individuals allegedly working with criminal elements involved in kidnapping across the South-West region. Speaking at the palace of the traditional ruler of Igboho in Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State, Igboho accused some Yoruba indigenes of aiding Fulani-linked criminal groups in the abduction of residents. He declared that anyone found collaborating with kidnappers would face severe consequences, insisting that such actions amount to betrayal of their communities. According to him, individuals from Igboho or any part of Yorubaland who assist criminal groups in carrying out kidnappings would be held accountable for their actions. Meanwhile, the Arewa C...

The Federal Government has lined up 30 witnesses to appear in court during the trial of six individuals accused of allegedly plotting to remove President Bola Tinubu’s administration through unconstitutional means. The case, which is before the Federal High Court in Abuja, involves a retired major general, a former naval officer, a police inspector, and three other defendants facing charges connected to an alleged coup attempt. The defendants are identified as retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Victor, Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. Court documents filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation revealed that the prosecution plans to rely on testimonies from security investigators, militar...