Author: Alade Adisa

Contrary to news circulating in the media, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that the French military has no plans to set up a base in Nigeria. This comes as a human rights activist, Mahdi Shehu, lampooned the government for denying the development in a social media post on Saturday. Shehu, in the post, which had a video, claimed that some French military officers had arrived in Borno State as part of the process to set up the base. The rights activist wrote, “Last week, the Chief of Defence Staff denied any plan to establish French military bases in Nigeria.…

Former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello has threatened to sue a news website over a report quoting him to have said he would reveal to the world how President Bola Tinubu became Nigerian president in court during his ongoing trial for money laundering and fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Yahaya Bello said this in a statement signed by Michael Ohiare, the Director of Media Office, in Abuja on Sunday evening. The statement described the report as not only misleading, “but a confirmation of how unintelligent some unrelenting detractors of the former governor are.” According to the former…

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in Belen city, New Mexico, United States (US) for killing his father, mother and two brothers. The teenager was arrested on Sunday after he called the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office himself to announce the quadruple murder of his family members, police and State officials said. The Valencia County Sheriff’s Office Received a 911 emergency call before dawn on Saturday from a male minor “who told the dispatcher he had killed his family,” New Mexico State Police said in a statement. According to the office, when deputies arrived at the home, the 16-year-old boy walked…

The federal government of Nigeria has made its first full payment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) levy in 19 years, contributing N85.54 billion and $54 million for 2023 and part of 2024. This was announced by the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, during the 66th ordinary summit of ECOWAS in Abuja on Sunday. Touray called the payment “a vote of confidence” in the organisation and a demonstration of Nigeria’s leadership in West Africa. He also highlighted the importance of the payment, noting that it would support ECOWAS efforts in regional integration and development. The…

At least several hundred people are feared to have been killed after the worst cyclone in almost a century ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, uprooting trees, tearing houses apart, and pounding the impoverished archipelago’s already weak infrastructure. Rescuers have been dispatched to the islands, which lie between the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in an area where clean drinking water is subject to chronic shortages. Speaking to Mayotte’s la 1ere TV station on Sunday, the archipelago’s prefect, François-Xavier Bieuville,…

Dino Melaye, a former Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district, has said the retirement of Bishop David Abioye from the Living Faith Church informed his (Melaye’s) absence from the church’s 2024 Shiloh gathering. The event held between December 10 and 15, at Canaanland, Idiroko Road, Ota Ogun State, is one of the largest Christian gatherings in the country, with attendance from all over the world. Melaye took to social media on Sunday to accuse the church of being unfair to Abioye by “forcefully” retiring him from his role as vice president of the church. The former Senator said Abioye, who…

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have been given six months, from 29 January to 29 July 2025, to reconsider their decision to exit the regional bloc by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS. The six-month grace period was announced on Sunday in Abuja by the President of the ECOWAS Commissioner Omar Touray, after the 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. Touray read from the communiqué, “The Authority takes note of the notification by the Republic of Burkina Faso, Republic of Mali and Republic of Niger of their decision to…

Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly rejected Donald Trump’s invitation for a history-making guest appearance at next month’s presidential inauguration. The snub, reported by CBS News, will come as a blow to the president-elect and his plans for a spectacular swearing-in event on January 20 to mark his return to the White House. A foreign head of state has never attended a U.S. inauguration, according to State Department records, but Trump has also invited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentinean President Javier Milei, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to turn it into a global event. No explanation has been…

The Nigerian government has achieved a significant milestone in its counter-terrorism efforts, securing over 325 convictions of terrorists through dedicated trials conducted at the Kainji Detention Facility in Niger State. A report from National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), operating within the Office of the National Security Adviser noted that this achievement demonstrates the government’s unwavering commitment to justice and national security. The convictions stem from the recently concluded Phase 5 and Phase 6 trials, overseen by Federal High Court judges and facilitated under the auspices of the NCTC. The report gave a comprehensive account of the activities of government in…

Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was discharged from the hospital on Sunday following a successful surgery to stop a bleeding in his brain. The 79-year-old leader underwent a second medical procedure to address bleeding on the surface of his brain, earlier this week, following a fall at home. The procedure, called a middle meningeal artery embolisation, allowed medical professionals to insert a small blockage in his blood vessel using small tubes, in order to prevent bleeding from the artery, located on the outside of the brain. Doctors confirmed on Sunday that the surgery was successful and stated that…