Author: Damilola

Security agencies have heightened surveillance and reinforced key facilities in Abuja and neighbouring Niger State following intelligence of a suspected insurgent plot targeting critical infrastructure. The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigerian Correctional Service said they have strengthened security around airports and custodial centres in response to the threat. According to a report by The Washington Post, an internal memo from the Nigeria Customs Service warned of plans by terrorist groups to attack the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as a correctional facility in Niger State. The…

The Nigerian Naira maintained a relatively stable position against the United States Dollar as of Friday morning, April 17, 2026, following a week of mild fluctuations across official and parallel markets. At the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the official trading window, the naira opened at N1,340.88 per dollar, reflecting a steadier trend compared to earlier volatility driven by import demand pressures. Market observers attribute the relative stability to sustained interventions and liquidity injections by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which have helped maintain balance within the official market. In the parallel market, however, the dollar continued to trade at…

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Apo has issued an arrest warrant against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq. Read more breaking stories from our latest nigeria news The presiding judge, Jude Onwuegbuzie, also ordered the arrest of Bashir Nura Alkali, a permanent secretary in the ministry. The orders followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment on Thursday. Read related news: Court Victory: Group demands UI to reinstate suspended student activists Court fixes…

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked a commercial vehicle belonging to Benue Links, abducting several candidates travelling to Otukpo for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The incident occurred between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday along the Burnt Bricks axis in Otukpo, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. Sources said the attackers intercepted the bus, robbed the passengers, and took them into the bush. An eyewitness revealed that the vehicle was conveying about 18 passengers, mostly young people heading to sit for the UTME. This adds to recent cases of insecurity facing the North and…

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has told a UK court that she had limited control over oil contract approvals during her time in office, describing her role as largely supervisory. According to ThisDay, Alison-Madueke made the disclosure while testifying at the Southwark Crown Court, explaining that most contract decisions were concluded before reaching her desk. She said the petroleum sector’s operational authority was primarily handled by the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, while the ministry she headed played an oversight role. Read more breaking stories from our latest nigeria news Citing the scale and complexity…

South African opposition politician Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and discharging it in public. The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) showed little emotion as Magistrate Twanet Olivier delivered the judgment at a court in East London, South Africa, on Thursday. Malema’s legal team immediately filed an appeal in a bid to prevent his immediate incarceration. The sentence could also affect his eligibility to remain a member of parliament. The charges stem from a 2018 incident during the EFF’s fifth anniversary celebration in the…

A 20-year-old student of the University of Lagos has told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja how a lecturer, Samuel Obinna Ojogbo, allegedly assaulted her in his office. Read more breaking stories from our latest nigeria news The student gave her testimony on Wednesday before Justice Oyindamola Ogala as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial. The Lagos State Government is prosecuting Ojogbo on a two-count charge of rape and sexual assault. Led in evidence by prosecution counsel A.O. Azeez, the witness said the incident occurred on August 22, 2025, at about noon on the university’s Akoka campus.…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Nigeria’s debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio will rise to 33.1% by 2027, a period when the country is expected to hold general elections. Although the figure represents a downward revision from the 35.3% estimate released in October, it is still higher than the 32.3% projected for 2026. The projection is contained in the IMF’s latest Fiscal Monitor report, launched on Wednesday in Washington DC during the IMF-World Bank spring meetings. Earlier, Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) disclosed that the country’s total public debt rose to N159.27 trillion at the end of…

The Nigerian currency, naira, showed signs of strengthening against the United States Dollar in early trading hours on Thursday, April 16, 2026, supported by increased market supply and ongoing policy interventions. At the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the official window for currency transactions, the naira appreciated to about N1,344.20 per dollar. Early session data indicated relative stability, with the currency reaching a high of N1,343.83 before hovering around the N1,344 level. Analysts attribute the positive movement to improved foreign exchange inflows and sustained efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria to clear outstanding FX obligations. In the parallel market,…

The Nigeria Police Force has extradited Matthew Chukwuemeka Adebiyi to the United Kingdom to face trial over alleged murder and drug trafficking offences. In a statement on Thursday, the Force spokesperson, Anthony Placid, said Adebiyi, was arrested on January 23, 2025, by operatives of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja. Placid said the extradition followed a request by UK authorities in September 2024 over Adebiyi’s alleged involvement in the murder of Joshua Boadu on June 18, 2018. “The extradition followed a formal request by United Kingdom authorities in September 2024 to locate, arrest, and extradite the fugitive over his…