Author: Damilola

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to open urgent talks with Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities, stressing the need for election results to be made public and for the detained opposition candidate to be freed. Speaking in Abuja on Saturday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Jonathan said it was standard for former Nigerian presidents overseeing regional missions to update the incumbent leader, particularly ahead of an ECOWAS summit he will now miss. Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission for last Sunday’s…

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a new list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation, adding to the initial trio submitted earlier this month. The nominees, drawn from across Nigeria’s political and professional spectrum, include former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu, Delta-born media personality Reno Omokri, and ex–Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Tinubu’s spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the submissions in a release on Saturday, noting that the names were transmitted in letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The statement, titled ‘Tinubu nominates 32 additional ambassadors,’ outlined two categories of nominees: 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career appointees.…

In the early hours of Saturday, rumours about the death of Lere Paimo spread on social media.

Russia on Friday signalled it may escalate restrictions on WhatsApp, warning the messaging platform could face an outright ban over alleged failure to curb criminal use. Moscow had already disabled call functionality on the app in August, a move framed as part of tightening controls on foreign-owned digital services. The decision dovetails with an ongoing campaign urging citizens toward domestic, government-aligned platforms. The country’s telecom regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused the app of enabling serious offences, claiming it has been used to “organise and carry out terrorist acts in the country, to recruit perpetrators, and for fraud and other crimes against our…

Former Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday dismissed the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau as an unusual, optics-driven intervention, calling it “a ceremonial coup” and urging West African and continental bodies to release the stalled election results. Jonathan led the West African Elders Forum election observation team and was in Bissau to monitor Sunday’s presidential and legislative polls when the political crisis erupted. The crisis began a day after President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias each claimed victory, despite the absence of a formal declaration by the electoral commission. Both sides insisted they had surpassed the 50% threshold…

The Court of Appeal Abuja Division on Friday struck out an appeal by Nnamdi Kanu, ruling that the case had lost relevance after his life imprisonment sentence. Kanu had asked the appellate court to review allegations that security and government authorities violated his constitutional rights while he was detained by the Department of State Services. A three-member panel of the court held that the appeal had no legal weight and was now purely academic, given his conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20. In the lead judgment, Justice Justice Boloukuromo Ugo said Kanu’s claims on access…

Nigeria’s former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), says he will respond to an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, insisting he has nothing to hide and remains committed to the rule of law. In a statement published on his verified Facebook account on Friday, Malami said he chose to make the development public in line with his stand on openness in government. “This is to confirm that I have been invited by the EFCC. As a law-abiding and patriotic citizen, I hereby reaffirm my commitment to honour the invitation,” he said. The…

Guinea-Bissau

Nigeria’s Federal Government on Thursday confirmed that former President Goodluck Jonathan was safely evacuated from Guinea-Bissau in the wake of a military coup that dissolved the country’s government. The confirmation was given in Abuja by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who told journalists, “Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas.” Jonathan had been in the country leading the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission and overseeing last Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary polls before soldiers declared a…

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday placed Nigeria on a national security emergency footing, authorising major police and military recruitment to confront escalating violence across the country. A statement from the State House confirmed the president’s directive for the Nigeria Police Force to hire 20,000 new officers, raising the overall approved intake to 50,000. Tinubu also greenlit the deployment of NYSC camps as interim training centres for the recruits. The statement said, “Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.” Explaining the scope of…