NEWS

Nigeria experienced a nationwide power outage on Friday following the collapse of the national electricity grid—the first such incident recorded in 2026. According to Naija News, the disruption occurred on January 23, 2026, when power generation dropped to zero megawatts, as indicated by data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator. Records showed that electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies fell to zero at about 1:00 p.m., plunging homes and businesses across the country into darkness. The affected distribution companies included Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola. This latest grid failure follows a series of similar incidents in 2025, with the most recent before now occurring on December 29. Despite ongoing eff...

A 27-year-old woman, identified as Esther Akwaji, has reportedly died after collapsing under unclear circumstances at her boyfriend’s home in Abuja. According to reports, the incident occurred at the man’s residence in Dei-Dei, within the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the couple was having a meal. SaharaReporters disclosed that the boyfriend allegedly disappeared shortly after Esther’s death, and his identity has yet to be confirmed. Sources said Esther, who lived in Nasarawa State, had travelled to Abuja to visit relatives. On January 21, she reportedly left her family home, saying she was going to a bank in Dei-Dei, but failed to return. Several hours later, her family was said to have received a call from a man who introduced himself as her...

A truck overturned on the Otedola Bridge in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 23, causing a gridlock along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The gridlock caused motorists heading into Lagos to seek alternative routes. Confirming the incident in a post on Facebook, the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command said that a secondary accident occurred as a result of the overturned truck. The post read, “Two serious accidents have occurred at Otedola Bridge, inward Lagos. “In the first incident, a fully loaded truck overturned, spilling its consignments onto the road and covering about 90 per cent of the carriageway. The second accident occurred directly behind the first crash, compounding traffic disruption in the area. “Emergency responders have been alerted. M...

Russia will take part in trilateral peace talks with the United States and Ukraine for the first time, with the meeting scheduled to hold today in Abu Dhabi, the Kremlin has confirmed.  The development follows talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos, as well as a separate meeting between an American delegation and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.  The Kremlin confirmed Russia’s participation after Putin held four hours of talks on Thursday night with Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Russian officials described the discussions as “exceptionally substantive, constructive, and extremely frank and trusting,” while cautioning that a breakthrough was not guaranteed...

This is the moment a fairground swing suddenly collapses mid-ride, injuring 14 schoolchildren. The children screamed in terror as they were thrown into the metal frame as it collapsed on top of them at the Maharaj No Melo fair in Jhabua, India. Officials said the dragon-shaped swing, also known as a Columbus or Dragon Swing, snapped while operating at a high speed near the Government School of Excellence.  All the injured children were students at the school – thirteen girls and one boy were hurt when the structure gave way. Local residents and fairgoers assisted in rescuing the injured and rushed them to the hospital. District Collector Neha Meena said two girls suffered serious injuries and were being closely monitored by doctors, with the possibility of transfer to intensive care...

“We Intend To Get The North Back On Track, We Know We Would Hurt People” – Al-Mustapha Says The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the murder case filed by the Lagos State Government against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd), the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State Sani Abacha, over the assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late businessman and politician MKO Abiola—the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election—was killed in Lagos on June 4, 1996, amid political unrest and her campaign to restore her husband’s mandate. In a unanimous decision delivered by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji, the Supreme Court held that Lagos State had effectively abandoned its appeal to reopen Al-Mustapha...

U.S. President Donald Trump has formally launched his Board of Peace, an initiative initially designed to stabilise the fragile ceasefire in Gaza but one he says could expand to address wider global challenges, prompting concern among some allies that it could undermine the role of the United Nations. Speaking at the launch alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said the board would operate in conjunction with the UN, insisting it was not intended to replace existing multilateral institutions. He argued that the United Nations had “great potential” that had not been fully utilised and said the new body could complement its efforts. Trump, who will chair the board, said once it is fully constituted it would have broad scope to act on global issues beyond Gaza. That ambitio...

The United States is set to officially exit the World Health Organization on Thursday, January 22, despite warnings that the move will hurt both U.S. and global health.  Critics also say the decision violates a U.S. law requiring Washington to pay the World Health Organization $260 million in unpaid fees. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would leave the organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025 through an executive order. U.S. law requires the country to give one year’s notice and pay all outstanding fees before departing. A State Department spokesperson said the WHO’s failure to contain, manage, and share information has cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. The spokesperson added that the president has paused future transfers of any U.S. government fund...

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined to constitute a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing an existing court order restraining such action. Recall that last week, members of the state House of Assembly had requested the chief judge to set up a seven-member panel to probe Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over alleged gross misconducts including spending unbudgeted funds from the state coffers. Justice Amadi’s position was conveyed in a formal letter addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, acknowledging receipt of two separate requests from the legislature dated January 16, 2026. According to the Chief Judge, the Assembly’s requests were accompanied by extensive documentatio...

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said that ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States has produced clear and measurable operational results. Ribadu made the statement on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group. He expressed Nigeria’s gratitude for the strength and effectiveness of the military and security partnership between both countries. “I want to formally acknowledge Nigeria’s appreciation for the depth, quality, and impact of US–Nigeria military and security cooperation,” Ribadu said. “Since the engagements held in November 2025, this partnership has delivered tangible operational outcomes.” According to him, key achievements include improved intelligence sharing, closer collaboration...