NEWS

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates who are already enrolled in tertiary institutions are allowed to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), provided they formally declare their current matriculation status. Failure to do so, the board warned, could result in the loss of both admissions. This clarification was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin. He explained that misinformation circulating about the policy was the result of deliberate misrepresentation by individuals he described as “self-styled education advocates,” which has caused confusion among candidates and parents. Benjamin said the board’s attention was draw...

The Federal Government has approved the purchase of two new communication satellites to boost Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and support President Bola Tinubu’s plan to grow the economy to $1tn. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a press conference to mark Global Privacy Day 2026, organised by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission. Tijani said the approval marked a significant shift in Nigeria’s digital strategy, noting that the country currently stands out in West Africa for lacking active communication satellites, a gap the new assets are expected to address. He said, “As you know, Mr President has been very clear about his ambition to build a $1tn economy, and digital technology is central to achievin...

Iran has rejected holding negotiations with the United States if Washington continues to issue military threats, following remarks by US President Donald Trump refusing to rule out military intervention over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protests. The rejection came as a US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier moved into Middle Eastern waters, prompting heightened regional tension and intensified diplomatic activity by Iranian officials. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomacy could not succeed under the shadow of military pressure. “Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful,” Araghchi said in televised comments. “If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogica...

A self-described science “nerd” has been sentenced to prison after police discovered he was making and storing explosive materials in a garden shed at his home in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.  Harry Whittaker, 33, was jailed for 45 months at the Old Bailey after being found guilty of possessing and manufacturing explosive substances. The case came to light in April 2024 when Whittaker called emergency services after suffering a severe allergic reaction at his home in Caddington, near Luton. When paramedics arrived, Whittaker told them he had been conducting chemical experiments and showed them a shed he used as a makeshift laboratory. Alarmed by what they saw, the medics alerted the police. Prosecutors told the court that officers later found a range of highly dangerous mate...

US President Donald Trump speaks during his meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Winfield House, London on December 3, 2019. - NATO leaders gather Tuesday for a summit to mark the alliance's 70th anniversary but with leaders feuding and name-calling over money and strategy, the mood is far from festive. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** One of Donald Trump’s closest allies in Europe has reportedly expressed concern about the US president’s state of mind, describing it as “dangerous,” according to accounts from European diplomats. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who met Trump last week at Mar-a-Lago, is said to have used the word while discus...

The governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has said there is no going back on the order to shut down the Main Market in Onitsha, a decision that has generated tension in the state since it was made on Monday, following traders’ refusal to resume business on a sit-at home day. Soludo in a press briefing on Wednesday described the continual stay at home by traders in the market as economic sabotage and would not be allowed to continue. He insisted that even if it meant revoking the ownership of shops of those who failed to comply or even taking total possession of the market and demolishing it, he would do it to ensure that things are gotten aright. He said: “I want to say that the Monday sit at home is deliberate economic sabotage and would not be allowed to continue. Thr...

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating agricultural subsidies, intervention funds, grants and aids has summoned the Auditor-General of the Federation, alongside the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture, over what lawmakers described as serious lapses in accountability for funds released to the sector between 2015 and 2025. The decision followed a resumed hearing at the National Assembly, where the committee said documents submitted were inadequate and key audit records were missing. Chairman of the committee, Jamo Aminu, expressed dissatisfaction with the Office of the Auditor-General for failing to present comprehensive audit reports on several agricultural subsidy and intervention programmes spanning a decade. He said the probe was part of the House’s broader e...

Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, according to Mizan, the media arm of the country’s judiciary. The judiciary said Hamidreza Sabet Esmailpour was put to death by hanging at dawn on Wednesday after being found guilty of providing classified information to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. He was arrested on April 29, 2025, and later convicted of espionage and intelligence cooperation with a hostile foreign service. The sentence was carried out after it was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court and all legal procedures were completed, Mizan reported. Human rights groups say Esmailpour is among at least 12 people executed on similar espionage-related charges following the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and Israel in June 2025. The execution comes at a time of...

Of this amount, ₦133 million was spent between October and December, representing a three-month period and the last quarter of the year. ASaharaReporters' review of the Kogi State budget performance document for the 2025 fiscal year has shown that a sum of ₦146million was spent on "burial expenses."  Of this amount, ₦133 million was spent between October and December, representing a three-month period and the last quarter of the year. Earlier, a SaharaReporters' review of the Kogi State budget performance document for the full year 2025 showed that a total of ₦2.6billion was spent on international travels by the administration led by Governor Usman Ododo. Half of this amount, representing ₦1.3 billion, was spent between October and December 2025 alone—a three-month period ...

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to deploy military veterans to help secure Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces as part of strategies to strengthen national security and drive economic activities in conflict-affected areas. This followed the inauguration of an 18-member committee by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), tasked with reclaiming ungoverned spaces for economic viability and repositioning the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires and Veterans. A statement on Wednesday by the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Information, Enderline Chukwu unbehalf of the Director Information and Public Relations, said the committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Abuja, with the minister represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Richar...