NEWS

“It may interest you to know that the new Data Protection Act that Mr President assented to, is sorted through support with NIMC in 2021, leading to the establishment of the Data Protection Commission,” she said. The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mrs Abisoye Coker-Odusote, says the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 has significantly strengthened Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem. Odusote-Coker said this the Act had done by enhancing data security and empowering the commission to combat identity-related crimes. Executive Branch She said this during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Information, and the National Orientation Orientation Agency (NOA), as part of government’s efforts to sensitise public institutions on the pro...

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged northern leaders and residents to work together in tackling banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other security threats, stressing that safeguarding lives is a shared responsibility. Speaking on Wednesday at a joint meeting of northern governors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Kaduna, the Sultan said lasting peace can only be achieved through close collaboration among governments, security agencies, traditional institutions and local communities. According to him, security should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of the military, police or elected officials. “Security is everyone’s responsibility. It is not for security agencies ...

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has questioned President Bola Tinubu's ability to effectively address Nigeria's worsening security challenges, insisting that decisive leadership is essential to restoring peace. Speaking during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, the former Anambra State governor said he would personally take responsibility for combating insecurity if elected president. According to Obi, the country's security crisis requires strong leadership from the highest level of government, arguing that the President must be directly involved in coordinating efforts to tackle criminal activities. He dismissed suggestions that the growing insecurity is primarily driven by opposition politicians or international d...

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out mass killings, abductions of women and girls, mass gang rapes, and forced starvation in a city they besieged and captured last year as part of an intentional policy amounting to genocide, a United Nations probe found. The RSF, which is battling the Sudanese army in a civil war, committed these crimes in al-Fashir in north Darfur after a long siege. Survivors described being raped in rooms where the bodies of recently killed civilians, including their own family members, were still lying on the ground. The report found that the RSF and its allies committed the war crime of starvation by imposing a prolonged siege on the city, impeding relief supplies, and shelling food production systems. The RSF has denied such abuses throughout the ...

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged the Federal Character Commission to strengthen its commitment to institutional renewal, leadership cohesion and promotion of national unity through fairness, equity and equal opportunities for all Nigerians. Oyebanji said that Nigeria’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity remained part of the country’s greatest strengths, stressing that sustainable national development depended on ensuring that every citizen felt represented, respected and valued. The Ekiti governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habitat Adubiaro, spoke at Ikogosi Ekiti on Wednesday while declaring open the Commission’s 2026 Executive and Management Leadership Retreat. He said, “The theme of the retreat, ‘One nation, equal opportu...

Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, Abuja has found the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, guilty of damaging the reputation of former Minister of Power, Dr Olu Agunloye, through a libelous publication on it social media handles. The judge found the commission guilty of defamation while delivering judgment in a N10 billion defamation suit brought against EFCC by Agunloye. Agunloye had in the suit claimed that the publication on the commission’s website and X handle, titled ‘EFCC arraigns Agunloye over $6 billion fraud’, damaged his reputation. The former minister, through his lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, in his writ of summons in the defamation suit he brought before the court against EFCC, marked FCT/HC/...

Governors from Nigeria's northern states have approved the establishment of a Security Trust Fund Board and pledged a combined monthly contribution of ₦1 billion to strengthen efforts aimed at addressing insecurity across the region. The decision was reached on Wednesday during a strategic security meeting in Kaduna, attended by members of the Northern Governors' Forum, traditional rulers, and other key stakeholders. Chairman of the Northern Governors' Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said the newly created Trust Fund is designed to serve as a practical, transparent, and results-driven platform for improving security coordination, rather than becoming another bureaucratic institution. According to Yahaya, the initiative is intended to enhance collaboratio...

The IMF on Wednesday cut its 2026 growth projection for the world economy again, saying an AI boom has not fully offset the fallout from war in the Middle East. Global economic growth is now estimated at 3.0 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said, down from 3.1 percent in its April forecast. The estimate was made before fresh exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran in recent hours. It is the second time this year that the fund has lowered its overall growth expectations. The latest estimate marks a cooling from the 2025 growth rate as well. Global inflation meanwhile is anticipated to accelerate to 4.7 percent this year, a higher level than earlier projected. Still, the overall growth slowdown is modest, as momentum in artificial intelligence — dri...

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has warned security personnel that any officer who fails to confront armed bandits or terrorists under the pretext of awaiting orders will be treated as an accomplice to criminal elements. Musa issued the warning on Wednesday in Sokoto State during the commissioning of 62 operational vehicles and other security equipment valued at ₦27.127 billion, provided by the Sokoto State Government to strengthen security operations across the state. The Defence Minister urged troops to take decisive action against terrorists and bandits whenever they encounter them, stressing that hesitation in the line of duty would not be tolerated. He also commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu for his continued investment in security logistics, describing...

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that he was among those deceived by Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). Speaking during Wednesday’s plenary session in the House of Representatives, Kalu disclosed that his interactions with Adeyemi have been widely circulated in the media, with photographs showing both of them together. "I was also a victim. Anyone who has followed the news would have seen my picture displayed alongside the individual who claimed to be the Director-General of the organisation," he said. Kalu explained that although the documents presented by the organisation initially raised doubts, some details appeared ...