U.S. EMBASSY CLOSES ABUJA, LAGOS OFFICES MONDAY U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos announced they would be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025 in observance of Presidents’ Day. The embassy also revealed that normal operations will resume on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 a day after the holiday. The announcement was made via a post on X, …

KIDNAPPED CATHOLIC PRIEST, TWO OTHERS FREED AFTER FOUR DAYS IN CAPTIVITY Four days after being abducted by gunmen along the Elele-Isiokpo road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Rev. Father Livinus Maurice and two others have regained their freedom. Father Maurice, the parish priest of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isiokpo, was kidnapped last Wednesday while returning from …

POLICE INSPECTOR FOUND DEAD IN OGUN HOTEL, FEMALE COMPANION FLEES SCENE The lifeless body of one Inspector Haruna Mohammed has been discovered in a hotel room in Ogun State. A woman, who arrived at Super G Royal Hotel, located at 11 Anthony Uzum Estate, Oyeyemi Akute, with the police officer at around 1:00 am on Saturday, February 15, 2025, is …

TINUBU SETS BALL OF SOUTH EAST DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ROLLING AS OKOYE PILOTS AFFAIR In a bold move to bridge a gap that has persisted for over 50 years in the South-east, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill into law, appointing Mark Okoye II as the commission’s pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Okoye’s inauguration, …

GANDUJE EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under attack from northern leaders and groups over his call on the North to bury any ambition of contesting the presidency in 2027. They accused him of working against the interest of the North just to please President …

GANDUJE, EL-RUFAI SPARK ROW OVER 2027 TINUBU RETURN TICKET The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under attack from northern leaders and groups over his call on the North to bury any ambition of contesting the presidency in 2027. They accused him of working against the interest of the North just to please President …

PDP CRISIS ESCALATES AS POLICE TOLD TO INVESTIGATE ALI ODEFA, UDEH-OKOYE OVER FORGERY The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened as a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate Court has directed the FCT Police Command to investigate allegations of forgery involving the party’s primary election guidelines. The order was issued by Magistrate Fatima I. Bukar, prompting law …

MISS UNIVERSE NIGERIA, CHIDIMMA ADETSHINA’S MOTHER ARRESTED IN SOUTH AFRICA South African authorities have arrested Anabela Rungo, the mother of Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, over allegations of fraudulently obtaining a South African identity document. The Department of Home Affairs confirmed that Rungo, a Mozambican national, was apprehended at a hideout in Cape Town on Saturday in a joint operation …

GUNMEN ABDUCT CATHOLIC PRIEST IN PORT HARCOURT DAREDEVIL kidnappers have abducted a Catholic Priest of Port Harcourt Diocese, Rev. Father Livinus Maurice, along with two others. Fr. Maurice is the Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. The identities of the two others abducted alongside the priest could not be ascertained …

TINUBU’S GOVT CAN’T SILENCE ME PROFESSOR Yusuf SPEAKS FROM DETENTION Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Prof Usman Yusuf, who is facing corruption allegations has detailed his experience in the hands of security operatives and officials of the federal correctional service. Yusuf, a Professor of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, had been a vocal critic of …

TINUBU’S GOVT CAN’T SILENCE ME PROFESSOR Yusuf SPEAKS FROM DETENTION Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Prof Usman Yusuf, who is facing corruption allegations has detailed his experience in the hands of security operatives and officials of the federal correctional service. Yusuf, a Professor of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, had been a vocal critic of …

FG TYo TAKE OVER SALARIES Of 28,000 HEALTH WORKERS AFFECTED BY USAID FREEZE – HEALTH MINISTER, PATE. The freeze in billions of dollars in global funding for the United States’ health and education projects in countries of the world including Nigeria continues to dominate global discussions. There have been palpable fears on the continental scene that the decision of the …

FG TO TAKE OVER SALARIES Of 28,000 HEALTH WORKERS AFFECTED BY USAID FREEZE – HEALTH MINISTER, PATE. The freeze in billions of dollars in global funding for the United States’ health and education projects in countries of the world including Nigeria continues to dominate global discussions. There have been palpable fears on the continental scene that the decision of the …

BINANCE EXECUTIVE INSISTS NIGERIAN OFFICIALS DEMANDED BRIBE Tigran Gambaryan, a top official of Binance, on Saturday maintained his stance on the bribery allegations against some Nigerian government officials and House of Representatives members. He insisted Nigerian officials demanded bribes from him despite the denial of the federal government. Gambaryan, who serves as Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was detained …

NORTH DIVIDED OVER TINUBU RE-ELECTION AS LEADERS TAKE SIDES Northern leaders have been divided over the possible re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027. Findings revealed that the once monolithic North is now split, with core northerners determined to oust Tinubu in 2027, while northern minorities support his re-election. Our correspondents noted that although core northerners complain about the President’s …