NEWS

The family of Opral Benson, the Iya Oge of Lagos, has declared her missing.  Entertainment center In a notice released on Sunday, the family revealed Benson,90, was last seen on January 13, 2026 and has not returned home since then. Describing the situation as time-sensitive, the family appealed to the public for any information that could help locate her. “The family reports that Mama Opral Benson has been missing since Tuesday, January 13, 2026. She has not returned home and her current whereabouts are unknown,” the notice reads." "Anyone who has seen her, or has any information, no matter how small, is urged to contact us immediately.  “Call 08037039214. Alternatively, please report to the nearest police station. This is time-sensitive. Please sh...

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the commencement of the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory. INEC disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, urging eligible voters in the FCT to take advantage of the exercise to collect their PVCs. According to the commission, PVC collection will take place at voters’ respective Registration Areas (wards) from January 22 to January 26, between 9 am and 3 pm daily. INEC added that eligible voters who are unable to collect their PVCs at their wards within the stipulated period would be able to do so thereafter at the INEC Area Council offices across the FCT. It said, “Dear #FCT Resident, as we prepare f...

Goods valued at several millions of naira were destroyed in a fire that engulfed a storey commercial building on Somoye Osundairo Street, within the Computer Village area of Ikeja, Lagos State, in the early hours of Tuesday. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, said the incident occurred at about 1:55 am, triggering the immediate activation of the state’s emergency response mechanism from its Command and Control Centre in Alausa. In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the agency disclosed that its response team arrived at the scene to find a raging fire at a one-storey commercial structure occupied by dealers in computers and related accessories. “Upon arrival of the LASEMA Response Team at the incident scene, it was observed that a fire outbreak had occurred in...

The Lagos State House of Assembly has backed the state’s executive in the ongoing demolition of structures and shanties erected along shorelines and under high-tension cables across the state. The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, Mr Stephen Ogundipe, said this in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday. The state government, through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, has embarked on the demolition of illegal structures, especially in the Oworonsoki and Makoko areas in the state. Makoko residents had on Thursday protested at the Assembly complex over the demolition of their structures, urging Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to stop further demolition. Ogundipe, representing Oshodi-Isolo Constituency-01, said the exercise was a necessary step...

China's population has fallen for the fourth year in a row despite efforts by the government to persuade couples to have more children. Official figures released on Monday revealed that the world's second-most populous nation shrank in 2025, with the total population to 1.404billion, around three million fewer people than the year before. A decade after ending China’s longtime one-child policy, the country’s authorities have been pushing a range of ideas and policies to try to encourage more births,  tactics that range from cash subsidies to taxing condoms to eliminating a tax on matchmakers and day care centers. 'China's one-child policy will be remembered as one of the costliest lessons of misguided public policymaking,' the Brookings Institution said in a 2016 report short...

Adeniyi Kayode, the 46-year-old driver involved in the f@tal accident that k!lled Anthony Joshua’s friends, appeared today, Jan. 20, at the Sagamu Magistrate Court in Ogun State where his trial is set to begin. Kayode was charged with four counts, including dangerous driving causing de@th, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention, and driving without a valid national driver’s license.  The court granted Kayode bail in the sum of ₦5,000,000 with two sureties, and the case was adjourned to today, January 20, 2026, for trial. The accident, which occurred on December 29, 2025, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, was reportedly caused by excessive speed and wrongful overtaking Professional boxer Anthony Joshua survived the accident but it claimed t...

A 300-level Computer Science student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Niger State, identified as Kelvin Danlami, has died following reported financial difficulties linked to gambling. According to sources, the student allegedly used ₦600,000 meant for house rent to place bets, which resulted in heavy losses. A fellow student confirmed the incident, describing it as a tragic development that has left the campus community in shock. The Niger State Police Command, through its spokesperson SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the death and said the student was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. He added that police officers visited the scene, contacted the family, and have commenced an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. ...

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has announced Tuesday, January 20, 2026, as the first day of Sha’aban 1447AH. The declaration was made in a statement released on Monday, January 19, 2026, by the Wazirin Sokoto and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto. The statement noted that Monday corresponds to the 29th day of Rajab 1447AH, the traditional day for sighting the crescent that marks the beginning of Sha’aban. Sha’aban, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, precedes the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims are encouraged to prepare spiritually over 29 or 30 days. In a related matter, the Sultan recently reiterated that Sharia la...

The Ogun State Police have arraigned activist Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Just Adetoun, on six counts of cyberbullying directed at Governor Dapo Abiodun. The charges were filed at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, following a social media video in which Adetoun accused the state government of neglecting public welfare and failing to provide ambulance services after a December 2025 road accident involving boxer Anthony Joshua. In the posts, the activist also made personal allegations against Governor Abiodun, including claims about his private life, alleged misuse of public funds, and unlawful seizure of properties. These statements led to a formal petition and subsequent police investigation under the Cybercrimes Act, 2015. Police revealed that Adetoun was invited for qu...

The Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of the Year 2026 e-registration and payment for the Basic Education Certificate Examination for public and private junior secondary schools across the state. The exercise, which will run from Monday, January 26 to Friday, March 27, 2026, is being coordinated by the Lagos State Examinations Board and is aimed at ensuring a seamless, technology-driven registration process that eliminates physical contact between school owners and the board, while enhancing transparency, efficiency and accountability in the conduct of the examination. The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by the state government and posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday. “The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State ...