NEWS

The circumstances surrounding the arrest of self-acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, have emerged following his apprehension by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force. Adeyemi was arrested last Tuesday by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Moses Lohor, during an operation carried out between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. in the Ijebu-Ijesa area of Osun State. His arrest came after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant against him over his alleged failure to appear in court to answer eight criminal charges. According to information obtained by Punch, security operatives traced Adeyemi's whereabouts to the Aregbe-Fakule area of Osogbo on July 9 after he...

New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani is in talks over whether to try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an upcoming UN summit, prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu’s camp. "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani stated. "He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court." The leftist mayor, who has previously labeled Israel an "apartheid regime," added that this opinion is widely held purely because of what Netanyahu's actions have wrought over the years. Mamdani admitted he was not certain if he has the legal power to order the New York Police Department to detain a foreign leader, but confirmed he is discussing the matter with the city’s legal team. He emphasized that whatever the law allows him to...

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has likened President Bola Tinubu to Singapore's founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, praising the Nigerian leader's economic reforms. Uzodimma made the remarks on Friday, July 17, during a state dinner at the Imo Government House. According to a statement issued on Saturday, July 18, by Tunde Rahman, the governor said Tinubu ‘assumed office with a clear understanding of Nigeria's economic challenges’ and moved swiftly to implement reforms. “In President Bola Tinubu, we have another Lee Kuan Yew,” Uzodimma said. Lee Kuan Yew served as Singapore's first prime minister from 1959 to 1990 and is widely credited with transforming the country from a developing nation into one of the world's leading economies through industrialisation, policies that att...

The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested eight suspected cultists over the alleged assault of a 300-level student of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma. The suspects were arrested by operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit following a distress call that a group of young men allegedly attacked a student , identified as Prince Hansen, at a hotel along Mike Okokpo Street in Yenagoa. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, confirmed their arrest in a statement issued on Saturday, July 18. He said the incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on July 14, 2026. Mohammed said, “Following a distress call by a public-spirited individual along Mike Okokpo Street, Yenagoa, that a group of eight young men suspected to be cultists lodged in a hotel ganged up ...

US President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian imports, arguing that Canada should bear the cost of wildfire smoke that has blanketed large parts of the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of failing to properly manage its forests and said the economic impact of the smoke on the US should be reflected in higher tariffs. He also said he planned to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the issue.  ExecutiveBranch Canada rejected the criticism, with Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski saying the two countries remain in constant contact and have a long history of working together to combat wildfires. She added that Canada has invested $12 billion in forest sustainability and wildfire prevention since 2020. ...

The Presidency has confirmed that Nigerian security forces have arrested several foreign nationals allegedly linked to insecurity across parts of the country, but said their identities have been withheld to safeguard ongoing diplomatic efforts. Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, disclosed this during an appearance on The Link Up Podcast, hosted by EchoRoom. According to Bwala, the Federal Government decided not to reveal the suspects' nationalities because of sensitive diplomatic engagements involving their home countries. He explained that the government had already contacted the countries concerned and suggested that the detained foreign nationals could potentially be used in future prisoner exchange arrangements where nece...

Former Manchester United and England defender, Rio Ferdinand, has picked his favourite player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Snubbing the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, Rio Ferdinand expressed his admiration for Nigerian born France international, Michael Olise. The 47-year-old stated that he would ‘want to buy a ticket’ just to watch the French winger Michael Olise in action. Olise has emerged as one of the standout players for Les Bleus during the tournament. Over the course of seven matches, he has accumulated five assists, the highest of any player in the competition. Although France has been eliminated from the title race following a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals, they are set to compete in a bronze medal match against England on Sat...

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has taken an early lead in the Nigerian Bar Association presidential election. In the early results released as of 11:33 am on Saturday, PUNCH Online findings showed that Badejo-Okusanya polled 4,860 votes, representing 41.77 per cent of the ballots counted. Her closest challenger, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), secured 3,851 votes or 33.10 per cent, while Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) garnered 2,924 votes, representing 25.13 per cent. Although final results were still being awaited as of the time of filing this report, the 11,600 votes cast so far suggested that the legal practitioners’ body was tilting in favour of Badejo-Okusanya. The development comes barely 24 hours after NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), di...

The United States Department of State has placed 23 countries on its highest-risk travel advisory, Level 4, urging Americans to avoid all travel to these destinations for any reason. In an updated advisory sighted on Saturday from the country’s TravelGov X handle, the department stated that Level 4 is assigned to countries where local conditions are considered dangerous or where the US government’s ability to assist its citizens is limited. “We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1–4. Level 4 means DO NOT TRAVEL. We assign Level 4 based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help Americans there,” the department said in the notice posted on Thursday. It added, “These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.” The 11 African countries on the Level 4 list...