NEWS

President Bola Tinubu has formally asked the Senate to amend existing laws to expand the number of judges in both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary on Tuesday, January 27, Tinubu requested amendments to the Federal High Court Act and the Court of Appeal Act. The president proposed increasing the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90, while also seeking to raise the statutory strength of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110 justices. Explaining his request, Tinubu noted that Section 1(2) of the Federal High Court Act initially allowed for a maximum of 50 judges before it was amended in 2005 to 70, which remains the current figure. He said the proposed increa...

A Nigerian Army colonel, Mohammed Ma’aji, has been identified as the alleged mastermind of a failed coup aimed at removing President Bola Tinubu from office. Recall that the foiled coup attempt, which reportedly took place in October 2025, caused widespread tension across the country. While authorities initially dismissed the reports, the Defence Headquarters on Monday, January 26, confirmed that no fewer than 16 military officers were involved in the plot to overthrow the current administration. Colonel M. A. Ma’aji topped the list of the 16 indicted officers released by the investigative panel, reinforcing earlier claims that he played a leading role in the failed coup. Below are key facts about the prime suspect: Colonel Ma’aji previously served as a security adviser to Tim...

One suspect has been arrested after men of the Ekiti state police command uncovered an illegal baby factory located in the Ikere local government area of Ekiti State. Disclosing this to newsmen, the state Commissioner of Police, Joe Eribo, said the command received a tip-off and arrested one Onyechi Oluwadare, 43, alongside four other suspects behind a popular hotel along Ise-Ekiti Road, Ikere-Ekiti. “On the 24/01/2026 at about 08:30 hrs, the Command received a credible tip-off that the prime suspect, Oluwadare Onyechi, a 43-year-old woman, runs an illegal baby factory alongside four other suspects somewhere behind Inisa Hotel and Suit, along Ise-Ekiti Road, Ikere-Ekiti.” Upon the receipt of the information, the Command Operatives swung into action, cordon off the premises used f...

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has warned that any worker of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) who fails to resume duty following a court order will face sanctions. Wike issued the warning on Tuesday, January 27, while speaking with journalists after a court directed the striking workers to suspend their industrial action. He said there must be consequences for disobeying a valid court order and that enforcement would begin from Wednesday, January 27. “Are there no consequences for disobeying the law? Must we allow people break the law flagrantly? I have given them a window but from tomorrow, if they don’t come to work, we will apply the big stick,” Wike said. “From tomorrow (Wednesday), if we see anybody who wants to block the gate, ...

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past organised for his reception at the parade ground in Türkiye. The incident occurred as the President joined the guard of honour, drawing momentary attention before the programme continued without disruption. A video posted on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, before he stumbled to the ground. He was quickly assisted by the Secret Service. Tuesday’s reception commenced at about 5:00 pm local time with the simultaneous playing of the national anthems of both nations and a ceremonial 21-gun salute. Following the completion of the ceremonial formalities, both leaders withdrew into a closed-door...

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European leaders they are mistaken if they believe the continent can defend itself without the backing of the United States. Speaking on Monday while addressing committees of the European Parliament in Brussels, Rutte dismissed the idea of Europe standing alone on defence matters. “If anyone here believes that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the United States, they should keep dreaming. It’s simply not possible. We need one another,” he said. Rutte cautioned that for Europe to truly operate independently, defence spending would need to rise to as much as 10 percent of national budgets. He added that European countries would also have to develop their own nuclear capabilities, a move that would cost bi...

North Korea on Tuesday, January 27 fired at least two ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, according to officials in Japan and South Korea, just a day after a senior US defense official praised Seoul as Washington’s “model ally.” The launch marks another escalation in Pyongyang’s expanding missile programme, which analysts say is aimed at enhancing precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States and South Korea, and testing weapons potentially destined for export to Russia. Japan’s coast guard, citing the country’s defence ministry, confirmed that two ballistic missiles were detected flying toward the Sea of Japan. Japanese media outlet Jiji Press reported that the missiles landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff...

Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed again on Tuesday. This is the second time in four days. Power generation dropped to just 39 megawatts at 11am, down from 3,825 MW as of 10am. Our team monitoring the situation reported that power generation had peaked at 4,762 MW as of 6am on Tuesday. This is the second grid collapse in January 2026 and the third in less than one month. The national grid previously collapsed on December 29, 2025, and more recently on Friday, January 23, 2026. As the grid collapsed on Tuesday, load allocation to the distribution companies was 0.00 MW, indicating that no Disco was supplying electricity at the time of the incident. The Nigerian Independent System Operator has yet to explain the cause of the current grid collapse. NISO confirmed that...

Tension gripped the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State on Tuesday after traders clashed with security operatives enforcing the closure of the market. Recall that Governor Charles Soludo had ordered the shutdown of the market on Monday, citing continued compliance with the sit-at-home directive issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The governor questioned why traders were still keeping their shops closed despite what he described as a return of peace and normalcy across the state. Earlier on Tuesday, DAILY POST reported the deployment of armoured vehicles and heavily armed police officers to enforce the closure order. Later in the day, however, traders reportedly moved into the market area in an attempt to access their shops, defying the governor’s directive. Th...

Human rights and development lawyer, Frank Tietie, has explained that the Nigerian Armed Forces do not have the constitutional powers to try officers accused of plotting a coup against President Bola Tinubu for treason. Tietie stated that treason is strictly a civilian offence that can only be prosecuted in a regular court of law, not by a military tribunal. Speaking on Monday during an interview on Arise News, he clarified that while the military may raise allegations of mutiny against its personnel, it lacks the legal authority to prosecute any officer for treason. The lawyer also warned against the careless use of the term “coup” while investigations into the alleged actions of some serving officers are still ongoing. “When you talk about a coup, you are referring to the ele...