NEWS

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ogun State has expressed concern over what it described as the state government’s undue interference in local government administration. In a statement released after its State Executive Council meeting in Abeokuta, the union said it regrets that, despite the Supreme Court judgment, directives from the National Assembly, and President Bola Tinubu’s clear instructions, Governor Dapo Abiodun has yet to implement local government autonomy. According to NULGE, this failure has left local councils without basic furniture, operating with poor infrastructure, and employing demotivated staff working under harsh conditions—factors that have hampered effective administration at the grassroots level. The communiqué was signed by NULGE P...

The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele continued on Wednesday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, as a prosecution witness detailed alleged cash transactions and bank transfers totaling over ₦1.6 billion, carried out on Emefiele’s instructions. Emefiele is facing an eight-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), including criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, and unlawful possession of properties allegedly linked to proceeds of crime amounting to ₦7.83 billion. He is being tried before Justice Yusuf Halilu. Testifying as Prosecution Witness Three, Richard Agulu, a former staff member of Zenith Bank, said he worked at several branches, including the Maitama branch in Abuja, betwee...

Operatives of the Abia State Command of the Nigerian Police Force have arrested a 47-year-old man, identified as Chukwuemeka Nwaobilor, for having the voters’ registration machine of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  According to The Nation, Nwaobilor was arrested at a football field in Mbawsi, Isiala Ngwa North local government area of the state, with an INEC registration machine that was meant for the registration of voters in Isiala Ngwa South local government area. Unconfirmed reports noted that Nwaobilor, a staff member of INEC who works in Isiala Ngwa South, was alleged to be working with yet-to-be-named politicians from the same Isiala Ngwa North and South federal constituency. Nwaobilor was apprehended by the police personnel from the Criminal and...

The Federal Government is set to arraign Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Mike Ozekhome before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, January 26, 2026, over alleged fraud involving a property in London, United Kingdom. A hearing notice obtained on Wednesday indicates that the arraignment will take place at Courtroom 4 by 9:00 a.m., with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the plaintiff and Ozekhome as the sole defendant. The prosecution will be led by Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, Head of the High-Profile Prosecution Department of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The criminal case, filed under Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/010/26, accuses the 68-year-old SAN, resident at 53 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuj...

The head of Finland’s Defence Intelligence has warned that the risk of drones inadvertently entering Finnish airspace is rising due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Major General Pekka Turunen, Chief of Finnish Defence Intelligence, spoke to AFP ahead of the release of a Finnish military intelligence report updating the country’s security situation. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia. A key concern highlighted in the report is the potential for long-range drones to drift into Finnish territory. “The risk of a drone drifting into Finnish airspace or onto Finnish territory is growing all the time, especially as Ukraine conducts strikes near the Gulf of Finland,” Turunen said. He explained that Ukrainian attacks on nearby oil ports and Russia’s use of GPS...

Former US President Donald Trump has said he would not resort to military force to acquire Greenland, while urging what he described as “immediate negotiations” on the issue. Trump made the remarks while addressing global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in an apparent effort to calm concerns in Europe following earlier comments in which he said he would not rule out the use of force. Referring to those earlier statements, Trump said his clarification was significant because many people believed he was prepared to act militarily. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I will not use force,” he said. “All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.” During the speech, Trump also criticised NATO, claiming the United States contributes...

A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder following the death of his mother, who was found stabbed at her thatched cottage in Cheriton, Hampshire, England. Emergency services were called to the property on January 9 after Gilly Livie, 68, was discovered with severe injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A man found at the address was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later identified as her son, Daniel Livie. Police confirmed that Daniel Livie was arrested on January 19 on suspicion of murder and subsequently charged. He has also been charged with making threats to kill, relating to an alleged incident involving another man on January 8. Neighbours described Mrs. Livie as a kind and community-minded person. One resident told The Telegraph that ...

The African Union (AU) has announced that its 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council (ExC) will take place on February 11 and 12 at the organisation’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Executive Council is one of the AU’s key policy-making bodies and is made up of Foreign Affairs Ministers and other designated ministers from member states. In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, the AU explained that the Council is tasked with coordinating and adopting policies on issues of shared interest among member states. It also prepares agenda items for consideration by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in line with the goals of the AU Agenda 2063. During the upcoming session, the Council is expected to review the report of the 51st Ordinary Sessi...

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, has said that the APC-led Federal Government did not promise Nigerians instant miracles, insisting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is implementing gradual but significant changes. Oshiomhole made the remarks on Wednesday while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme. According to him, although the Tinubu administration has been in office for about two and a half years, noticeable changes are occurring daily as a result of ongoing reforms. He argued that critics who previously demanded a departure from old approaches are now questioning the government for adopting a radically different path. Oshiomhole said the president is not merely reforming the system but undertaking far-reaching and f...

Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, has directed the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Engr. Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, to step aside with immediate effect. The decision follows a protest by students over the use of the institution’s facilities as a temporary orientation camp for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, the governor also announced the constitution of a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the protest. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the rector has been instructed to hand over duties to the most senior deputy rector. The three-member panel will be chaired by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Bar....