NEWS

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...

The Federal Government is reviewing its foreign scholarship and bilateral education arrangements as part of efforts to cut unnecessary spending and redirect public funds towards strengthening Nigerian tertiary institutions. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the government could no longer justify spending scarce public resources to send students abroad for programmes already available in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Alausa said the issue became particularly concerning after he was presented with a proposal involving about 100,000 Nigerian students travelling to Morocco to study courses taught in English, including mass communication and journalism. According to him, the proposal raised several concerns because the programmes were already...

A politician based in Abuja, Austin Okai, has sparked a  debate online after saying that Abuja residents earning less than N300,000 monthly are no different from Almajiris.  According to him, the only thing differentiating the salary earners and the Aljmajiris is a plate which the latter use to “beg” for money. Okai made the comment in a Facebook post, where he argued that the declining value of the naira had eroded the purchasing power of workers and made it increasingly difficult for many Nigerians to meet their basic needs with their salaries. According to him, workers earning below N300,000 in Abuja struggle to maintain a decent standard of living because of the high cost of accommodation, food and transportation in the Federal Capital Territory. “If your salary ...

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has continued the demolition of buildings and structures on waterways and erosion paths across the nation’s capital. The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, last week ordered the demolition of houses built on waterways following the heavy flooding recorded in the FCT on August 16. The downpour left parts of Wuse 2, including Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, as well as the area around Delight Event Centre in Gudu and Efab estate in Lokogoma, heavily flooded. Cars were submerged in water while the bridge linking Gaduwa and Durumi was also heavily flooded, leaving motorists stranded and disrupting movement. Photos shared online shows some of the houses that have been demolished and those still being demolished by the authorities. ...

The Presidency has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 election will be adjusted where necessary, but denied that the list has been withdrawn or subjected to a wholesale review. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, made this known on Wednesday, August 26, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. Dare was responding to reports that the APC had withdrawn the list following controversy over the inclusion and exclusion of some party leaders and other political figures including the Nigeria Revenue Service boss and the Defense Minister. He said the list remained valid, stressing that the party was yet to constitute all the subcommittees that would make up the camp...