The Ogun State Government, through its Ministry of Justice, on Friday secured the conviction of three individuals involved in the gruesome ritual killing of a 16-year-old girl, Sofia Okeowo, in the Kugba area of Abeokuta South Local Government. The convicts — Mustakeem Balogun, Soliudeen Majekodunmi, and Lukmon Abdulgafar — were found guilty of the brutal murder, which occurred on January 28, 2022. The case drew widespread attention after a disturbing video of the incident went viral on social media. According to court proceedings, Sofia had gone to visit her boyfriend, Mustakeem, who lured her into a trap. During their meeting,…
Author: Ifeanyi N.
The Katsina State Government has announced its preparedness to rehabilitate terrorists who willingly surrender and embrace peace, as part of efforts to consolidate ongoing progress in restoring security across the state. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Bala Zango, made this known while speaking to journalists in Minna, Niger State, during the quarterly meeting of Information Commissioners from All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled states. The event, hosted by the Niger State Ministry of Information, had the theme: “Strategic Communication and Policy Alignment.” Zango revealed that the security situation in Katsina has significantly improved, with terrorism reduced by 70 percent. He attributed the…
The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has reiterated the Corps’ growing role in national security, with a particular focus on aviation security as a critical component of Nigeria’s overall safety architecture. In a statement released by the NSCDC National Public Relations Officer, CSC Babawale Afolabi, the Corps described aviation security as one of the most sensitive and strategic areas in the country’s security landscape. Professor Audi made this known during his keynote address at the Aviation Security Stakeholders’ Engagement, held at the Dr. John Ade Abolurin Auditorium, NSCDC National Headquarters,…
A Fulani youth leader in Plateau State, Hamisu Garba, has firmly stated that the Fulani community will not be intimidated or driven out of the state, insisting they are legitimate citizens by birth and residency. In an exclusive interview with Newsmen, Garba decried what he described as continued attempts by certain groups to marginalise and displace the Fulani people from Plateau. He argued that many Fulani residents were born, raised, and educated in the state and have no other place to call home. “I, like many other Fulani people, am also part of Plateau State. Efforts to intimidate, frustrate, and…
Vice President Kashim Shettima has suggested he was not in agreement with President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State earlier this year. President Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, citing what he described as a deteriorating political crisis. He accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of orchestrating the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex, and subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Dr Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly for six months. In their place, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd)…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a scathing attack on leaders of the opposition coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accusing them of being architects of Nigeria’s longstanding poverty, underdevelopment, and social misery. Speaking on Lunchtime Politics, a programme on Channels Television on Thursday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the coalition’s leaders as “political villains” who had consistently failed Nigerians during their time in power. “A coalition of political villains, many of whom are now parading themselves in the ADC, were the same individuals who, throughout our history, orchestrated the poverty, underdevelopment, and misery…
Political tension has heightened in Osun State following fresh speculation suggesting that Governor Ademola Adeleke may be planning to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The rumour, which has spread across major towns in the state, comes as both parties gear up for the 2026 governorship election. However, the PDP and Governor Adeleke have firmly denied the claims, describing them as baseless, politically motivated, and an attempt to sow discord. Speaking with Pressmen on Friday, PDP spokesperson in Osun State, Oladele Bamiji, dismissed the rumour as “mere street talk,” reiterating that Adeleke remains…
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other prominent party figures to remain loyal to the PDP and work towards its revival rather than aligning with the emerging coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Speaking on Thursday in Lagos at an event tagged “Restitution of Restoration,” George appealed to party stalwarts including former Senate President David Mark, said to be spearheading the opposition coalition, to reconsider their stance and return to the PDP fold. George described the PDP as a formidable political force…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has issued a stern directive to its members reportedly listed as coordinators of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), urging them to either denounce the reports or resign their positions within 48 hours. In a statement released on Thursday, the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Mr Mike Ojisi, said the party’s State Working Committee (SWC) was alarmed by a recent publication which identified some SWC members and Chapter Chairmen as serving coordinators for the ADC in the state. Ojisi clarified that while the party recognises the constitutional right of individuals to freedom of…
Immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has distanced himself from recent All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairmanship campaign posters spotted in various parts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. In a statement issued on Thursday by Michael Ohiare, Director of the Yahaya Bello Media Office in Lokoja, the former governor described the posters as the handiwork of mischief makers bent on tarnishing his reputation. Ohiare expressed surprise over reports suggesting that Bello had begun campaigning for the APC’s top leadership position, noting that the former governor remains a loyal party member with no such ambition. “They (the mischief…
The Senate has dismissed allegations by the House of Representatives accusing it of persistently delaying legislative concurrence on bills passed by the lower chamber. The upper chamber insisted that it has always treated legislative initiatives from the House with seriousness and diligence. The clarification came on Tuesday during plenary, following the House’s resolution to suspend further consideration of Senate-originated bills, citing prolonged delays in the red chamber’s concurrence on over 140 bills already passed by the House, many of which were sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen. Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele responded directly to the claims,…
The Kano/Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a total of ₦653.9 million worth of undeclared foreign currencies concealed in luggage at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. The Area Controller of the Command, Mr Dalhatu Abubakar, disclosed this on Tuesday in Kano while officially handing over the seized currencies and three suspects to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The arrest followed a currency declaration awareness campaign jointly conducted by the Customs, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on April 26, 2025, in Kano. According to Abubakar, the seizure…
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticised the exclusion of Nigeria from high-level commercial talks hosted by the United States at the White House this week, describing it as a glaring consequence of what it called President Bola Tinubu’s “economic and diplomatic failures.” In a press statement released on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, and signed by the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed dismay at the U.S. government’s decision to invite the Presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal—while sidelining Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy. According to the party, the exclusion is a clear…
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has called on the North West Development Commission (NWDC) to work closely with governors of the geopolitical zone to ensure the success of its programmes and interventions. The governor made the call while receiving members of the Commission’s board, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Lawal Samaila Abdullahi, during a courtesy visit to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna. Governor Sani emphasised that state governors, being closer to the people and fully aware of the region’s challenges, must be actively involved in the planning and execution of any development agenda put forward by the…
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has declared that the majority of criminals responsible for terrorising the South-East region are not Fulani herdsmen, but indigenous Igbo youths. Speaking during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in Maryland, United States, Governor Soludo dismissed the widespread belief that Fulani terrorists disguised as herdsmen are behind most of the kidnappings and violent attacks in the region. He asserted that nearly all of those apprehended for criminal activities in Anambra State during his administration have been of Igbo descent. “In my three years and three months in office, 99.99% of the kidnappers…
The Nasarawa State Police Command has announced the arrest of a suspected cultist and the recovery of an English-made pistol during a midnight patrol in Lafia, the state capital. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, the command said the arrest was made by operatives from the Ombi 1 Division during a routine patrol around 12:10 a.m. near the A.A Rano Gas Plant. “On July 8, 2025, at about 0010hrs, while on routine patrol behind the A.A Rano Gas Plant in Lafia, operatives from Ombi 1 Division intercepted three young men dressed…
Former spokesman for the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said that no southern presidential candidate can defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, warning that fielding a southerner under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would effectively hand victory to the incumbent. Okonkwo made this assertion during an interview on Tuesday, arguing that the region’s political dynamics make it unlikely for any southern aspirant to unseat Tinubu, who is from the South West. “Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu, a southerner, is trying to tell you to zone the ticket…
Since Nigeria’s leading opposition figures officially adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, the party has witnessed a surge of new members, intensifying competition for its presidential ticket. InfoStride News reports that the coalition, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former governors Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir El-Rufai, among other bigwigs from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and Social Democratic Party (SDP), formally embraced the ADC on July 2, 2025. The coalition also…
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has ridiculed the newly formed opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the party as “drowning in its own confusion” and dismissing its recent allegations against President Bola Tinubu as baseless. In a statement released on Tuesday, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, took aim at the ADC, branding it a coalition of “Nigeria’s most inept politicians” and rejecting claims that the President or the APC was plotting to destabilise the opposition alliance. “The ADC is drowning in its own confusion and needs no help from our great party to unravel,” Morka…
Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will not allow any high-profile politician to hijack its party structure as the country heads towards the 2027 general elections. Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on AIT’s political programme Jigsaw, Lukman emphasised that while the coalition is open to credible leaders and aspirants, it will not hand over control of its framework to any single individual, regardless of their popularity or influence. “We took our time. We did not negotiate with just one individual; we negotiated with the whole…