Author: Damilola Olufemi

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has rejected widespread claims that a religious genocide is taking place in his state, insisting that the situation has been mischaracterised by external actors. Benue and neighbouring Plateau have frequently been cited, especially by foreign legislators, international media, and separatist groups as centres of alleged Christian extermination. Those claims contributed to former U.S. President Donald Trump placing Nigeria back on the list of “countries of particular concern.” Speaking in Abuja at a consultative forum hosted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other forcibly displaced persons,…

Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi has been announced as the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year, becoming the first Moroccan to receive the honour since Mustapha Hadji in 1998. The award was presented on Wednesday during a ceremony held in Rabat. The 27-year-old beat Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Egypt’s Mohammed Salah to claim the top men’s prize. Osimhen previously won in 2023, while Ademola Lookman took the award in 2024. Hakimi was a standout performer for Paris Saint-Germain throughout the 2024/2025 season, contributing significantly to the club’s Ligue 1, French Cup, and UEFA Champions League triumphs. In the women’s category,…

The Chairman of Danko/Wasagu LGA in Kebbi State, Hussaini Aliyu, has published the names of the 25 female students taken by bandits during Monday morning’s assault on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga. During the invasion, the attackers killed the school’s vice-principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and left a security guard injured. The abducted students were listed according to their class groups. Kebbi State police commissioner, Bello Sani, said additional tactical teams have been deployed alongside the military and local vigilantes to track the bandits. He noted that security operatives are “combing suspected escape routes and surrounding forests” to locate the…

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has dismissed that the country is experiencing a genocide targeted at Christians, insisting that widely circulated casualty figures are inflated and misleading. Appearing on Piers Morgan’s show on Tuesday, Tuggar challenged statistics released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which alleged that more than 50,000 Christians had been killed and thousands of churches destroyed since 2009. Tuggar pushed back strongly, saying the numbers were inaccurate and that the government does not classify victims by religion. “In the last five years, I can categorically tell you that 177 Christians…

President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to travel today for a two-nation visit as he attends the 20th summit of the G20 Leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa before proceeding to Luanda, Angola for the AU-EU summit. The G20 meeting holds at the Johannesburg Expo Centre from Saturday, November 22, to Sunday, November 23, followed by the AU–EU summit in Luanda from November 24–25. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement on Tuesday. On invitation by South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who chairs the 2025 the Nigerian president will join leaders…

The tension ravaging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems not to end soon as drama unfolded at its 103 national secretariat located in Abuja on Tuesday at an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) for Tuesday, called by the faction of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the deepening party’s internal crisis. Drama ensued as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State fought for control of the party’s headquarters while Wike-aligned faction of the party flooded the streets surrounding Wadata Plaza. The demonstrators, primarily women and youth…

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supported by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the removal of three governors over alleged anti-party activities. Those dismissed include Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde; Bauchi governor, Bala Mohammed; and Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal. Others include former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT); Adolphus Wabara; former minister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, deputy national chairman (south); Taofeek Arapaja, and other prominent members of the PDP. The dismissal of the individuals took place on Tuesday at the 103rd meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the…

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Kidnap

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday disclosed the content of a strongly worded “Thank You” text message sent to him by former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose after attending Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration in Lagos. The message, released in Abeokuta through Obasanjo’s media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, expressed gratitude for the former president’s presence at the event but harshly criticised his remarks at the ceremony. In the text, Fayose accused the 89-year-old of making “irresponsible comments” and said he held back from responding publicly to highlight “the difference between a sane man and a mad man.” He also demanded that Obasanjo…