Author: Damilola

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Wednesday, June 3, for judgment in the trial of five men accused of involvement in the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, which left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured. The defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar. Justice Emeka Nwite had reserved judgment after parties adopted their final written addresses on May 26, informing counsel that a date would be communicated once the ruling was ready. Lawyers in the case have since been notified by the…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in Oyo State and ordered intensified efforts to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area. The approval was conveyed on Sunday by a high-powered Federal Government delegation that visited the affected Esiele and Yawota communities, more than two weeks after armed men kidnapped dozens of schoolchildren and teachers. According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the delegation informed community leaders that Tinubu had also directed a specialised security unit with advanced…

The Nigerian naira traded within a relatively stable range against the United States dollar on Monday, June 1, across both the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and the parallel market, as traders continued to monitor foreign exchange liquidity and demand conditions. Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that the official NFEM exchange rate closed at ₦1,373.25 per dollar on May 29, the latest available benchmark rate at the start of trading on June 1. During the session, the market recorded a high of ₦1,375 and a low of ₦1,372 per dollar. Market analysts attributed the…

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has met behind closed doors with fellow party aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in what appears to be a move to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders following the party’s presidential primary. The meeting in a video shared by the former vice president on Sunday comes days after the former vice president secured the ADC presidential ticket and was presented with the party’s flag. The post-primary engagement follows objections raised by some contestants over the conduct of the exercise. Hayatu-Deen and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on António Guterres to invoke Article 99 of the United Nations Charter and formally bring Nigeria’s worsening insecurity before the United Nations Security Council. In an open letter dated May 30, 2026, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation argued that escalating violence across several parts of Nigeria now threatens regional peace and security. SERAP cited recurring incidents of mass abductions, killings, attacks on civilians and large-scale displacement in states including Oyo, Benue, Borno, Plateau, Kaduna and Zamfara. According to the organisation, “The scale, persistence, and regional implications of…

A high-level presidential delegation has arrived in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, following the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area. The delegation is led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and includes the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Inspector-General of Police, Tunde Disu; the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa; Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe; and the President’s Special Adviser on Public Communications, Sunday Dare. The team is expected to visit the affected communities where armed men reportedly attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School and other…

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has emerged as the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for the 2027 general election following the conclusion of the party’s nomination process. Makinde was presented with the party’s Certificate of Return and flag at the presidential primary and unveiling ceremony held at the Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall in Ibadan. The presentation was conducted by the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, who also put the question of endorsement to all 36 state chairmen of the party. A voice vote from delegates overwhelmingly affirmed Makinde as the party’s candidate, with the…

Human rights activist and AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the reported proposal by state governors to set Nigeria’s minimum wage at N100,000, describing the figure as inadequate to meet the basic needs of workers. In a tweet on Friday via his X handle, Sowore argued that the proposed wage falls far short of what is required for a decent standard of living amid rising inflation and the increasing cost of essential goods and services. According to him, the amount would barely cover the cost of a bag of rice and would be insufficient to meet other necessities such…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced the affirmation of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, following what it described as disruptions to its Special National Convention in Abuja. In a statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the party’s Interim National Working Committee, the PDP alleged that its planned convention was obstructed through the deployment of security personnel and threats directed at the venue management. According to the party, it had duly notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies of its activities and had secured the…

A Texas jury has found Anthony Odiong, a Nigerian Catholic priest, guilty of sexually assaulting women who sought him out for spiritual guidance, concluding a high-profile case that exposed allegations of coercion, abuse of trust and sexual misconduct spanning several years. Odiong, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was convicted on two counts of sexual assault by a jury comprising eight women and four men, according to reports from Texas. The conviction leaves the cleric facing a potential life sentence on a first-degree charge and up to 20 years imprisonment on a second-degree…