Author: Damilola

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to account for N55.9 billion allocated for the purchase of election materials for the 2019 general elections. In a statement issued on Sunday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the funds were meant for the procurement of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets, and other election materials. The organisation said the allegations are contained in the latest annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on September 9, 2025. According to SERAP, the suit,…

Nigerian novelist and public intellectual, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has accused Euracare Hospital in Lagos of medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi. Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin boys, died on Wednesday after suffering complications during a medical procedure at the hospital. In a statement that surfaced on social media on Saturday, the author said her son’s death was avoidable and blamed what she described as “criminal negligence” by medical staff at Euracare. According to Adichie, the family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when the toddler developed symptoms that initially appeared to be a…

Venezuela has confirmed it has begun discussions with the United States on re-establishing diplomatic relations, just days after US forces removed Nicolas Maduro from power. The move signals a shift toward cooperation following Maduro’s capture and US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he was now effectively “in charge” of the oil-rich South American nation. Officials in Caracas said American diplomats had arrived in the Venezuelan capital to explore reopening the US embassy, while Trump in Washington held talks with oil executives on gaining access to Venezuela’s vast crude reserves. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the government of interim President Delcy…

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, United States President Donald Trump suggested Washington might launch additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christian communities do not stop. Trump was asked whether the U.S. military operation on December 25 — carried out against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria and presented by Washington as targeting extremists at Abuja’s request — was the start of a larger campaign. He replied: “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.” The Christmas Day raid…

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has voiced concern over the United States’ decision to pull out of several UN agencies, underscoring that mandatory financial contributions to the organisation are required under international law. In a statement released on Thursday by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres reacted to the White House’s announcement, describing the move as regrettable. “The Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States’ decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities,” the statement said. Guterres stressed that budgetary commitments endorsed by the UN General Assembly are not optional, but legally binding on…

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken into custody Ghana’s former minister of finance, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, according to a statement from his legal team. The lawyers confirmed on Wednesday that Ofori-Atta was detained over issues relating to his immigration status in the United States, where he has reportedly remained for more than a year while receiving medical care. “The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as of yesterday, detained the former Minister for Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, regarding the status of his current stay in the United States,” the statement said. “His US legal team is in…

The Rivers House of Assembly has started the impeachment proceedings against the state governor Siminalayi Fubara. The legislature which commenced the process at plenary on Thursday accused Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct. The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, is chairing the sitting. The atmosphere surrounding the proceedings reflects a resurgence of political tension between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory. On December 5, 2025, a group of lawmakers loyal to the speaker announced their departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the…

President Donald Trump has directed the United States to pull out of 66 international organisations, marking one of the most far-reaching retreats from multilateral engagement in recent US history. The decision, announced on Wednesday, was confirmed in a White House Fact Sheet dated January 7, 2026, which stated that Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering the withdrawals as part of a broader effort to realign America’s foreign commitments with what the administration describes as core national interests. “Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations that no longer…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed that Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has withdrawn his petition against the immediate past  hief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk. Dangote had, in December 2024, petitioned the anti-graft agency through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, accusing Farouk of alleged corruption and financial misconduct. He urged the commission to arrest, investigate and prosecute the former regulator, claiming that Farouk was “living beyond his means” while in public office. In the petition, Dangote alleged that Farouk spent over “$7…

Burkina Faso’s authorities have announced that they uncovered and disrupted an alleged plot to assassinate the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.