Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Reprieve seems to be coming the way of some inmates as the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) is preparing a list of prisoners eligible for a nationwide presidential pardon. According to reports, this directive, issued by Acting Controller General of Corrections Sylvester Nwakuche, applies to inmates in all state and Federal Capital Territory commands. Nwakuche assumed office on December 16, 2024, after President Bola Tinubu appointed him following the retirement of Haliru Nababa. According to a memo dated January 17, 2025, factors such as old age, poor health, and length of time served in prison will determine eligibility for the clemency.…

245 passengers, eight flight attendants, and three pilots escaped certain death as a Boeing 787-8, belonging to United Airlines flight, flying from Lagos to Washington declared an emergency and made an air return to Lagos on Thursday. According to a PUNCH report, the aircraft crew having established a return track to Lagos, maintained the emergency transponder code 7700 (Emergency signal) with the control tower till it landed. The report said the aircraft, an over 13-year-old widebody aircraft belonging to the US carrier, United Airlines, was initially bound for Washington Dulles International Airport with registered N27903, adding that it had 245…

The Lakurawa sect has been proscribed. The Federal High Court, Abuja presided upon by Justice James Omotosho, on Friday, proscribed the Lakurawa sect, classifying it as a terrorist organisation. The court made the order following an ex-parte application filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Justice Omotosho, in the ruling, equally proscribed similar groups operating in Nigeria, especially in the North West and North Central regions of the country. The judgment held, “It is hereby ordered as follows: That an order is hereby made declaring the activities of the Lakurawa Sect and other…

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested two suspected fake pastors identified as Bassey and Elijah with fetish items recovered from their churches in the Rumuduru community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The spokesperson for Rivers Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement she issued on Friday in Port Harcourt, said Bassey and Elijagh were arrested by youths of Rumuduru who later handed them over to the police. The police spokesperson said Bassey and Elijah were operating two separate churches within the community. Iringe-Koko said, “The fake pastors were handed over to the police by…

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning transgender women from being housed in female prisons across the United States. He also ordered that any medical treatments related to gender transition be halted. -The ban was part of a broader executive order by Trump aimed at limiting the federal government’s recognition of gender to an individual’s biological sex at birth. The order also impacts transgender immigration detainees and is among the most concrete aspects of the broader initiative. While Trump had imposed some restrictions on housing and medical care for transgender inmates during his previous term, this new order…

Retired Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni, who served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, died at 82. The death of Useni, who served as minister in the government of late General Sani Abacha, was confirmed on Thursday night by the Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang. The governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere in a statement said, “The governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, deeply regrets to announce to the citizens of Plateau State and all patriotic Nigerians, the passing of the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lt. General Jeremiah Timbut Useni. “The distinguished elder…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday destroyed fake, expired, and substandard goods worth ₦1.3 billion in Abuja. The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye, represented by Festus Ukadike, who led officials of the agency to the Kuje dump site in Abuja, said the items destroyed, including drugs, hospital equipment, cosmetics, food items, and several other products. He also destroyed expired food items voluntarily handed over by some local and international organisations, including the World Food Programme (WFP).Photos below:

After a two-hour gunfight, security operatives in Kogi State successfully rescued 16 victims, including three pastors, who were kidnapped in the Ofu Local Government Area. The victims, abducted after attending a crusade in Ejule, regained their freedom through the intervention of a combined team of security personnel. The pastors, who served as guest ministers at the crusade, were kidnapped on their way to their guest house after the second day of the three-day religious event. They were ambushed by hoodlums around 11 p.m. on Monday, January 20, on a street off the Ejule-Anyigba Eoad. Upon being alerted, the Nigerian Army…

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has officially approved the establishment of the Ebonyi State University of ICT, Science and Technology in Oferekpe. This makes it the 66th state university and the 278th in Nigeria’s university system. Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu presented the recognition letter to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Thursday. The recognition letter will also be sent to key education bodies like JAMB, TETFund, NYSC, and NELFUND. However, academic activities will only begin after a thorough resource verification. The NUC explained that it will assess the university’s infrastructure, classrooms, library, and staff before granting full approval for…

The gesture was controversial enough, but now come the sub-controversies: Elon Musk is trolling Wikipedia and encouraging its defunding after a description of his recent flourish, seen by some as a Hitler salute, appeared on the encyclopedic website. The fight pits two of the internet’s best-known tech giants against each other — and highlights the starkly different ethos behind Musk’s X social media site and Wikipedia, founded by American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales. Musk, as the majority owner of X, is behind recent easing of content moderation rules, which has allowed for rampant disinformation across his social media platform, while simultaneously…