Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Palestinian militant groups have named the three hostages they plan to free on Saturday in return for the release of 369 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, raising hopes that the January ceasefire agreement will survive its latest crisis. However, the longer-term prospects of the truce remain in doubt and the uncertainty has been deepened by the US president, Donald Trump, who made surprise territorial claims over Gaza. Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to host a summit next week to try to agree an alternative plan for Gaza’s future, a week before an emergency Arab League meeting in Cairo to discuss…

People from Afghanistan, Iran, China and other countries flown out as Trump’s deportation effort intensifies The US has sent undocumented immigrants from several Asian countries whose governments have refused to accept them to Panama, in a move signalling an intensification of the Trump administration’s deportation effort. A military plane carrying 119 immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, China, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Pakistan flew from California to Panama City on Wednesday in what was expected to be the first of three migrants flights to the country. The revelation that Panama has become a destination for immigrants from countries whose…

Controversial singer, Portable has lashed out at his baby mama, Honey Berry, following her public display of affection with her new boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. It would be recalled that the duo went their separate ways some time ago after a series of public disagreements despite having a child together. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Honey Berry shared a romantic video with her new man, captioning it: “My love for you is a journey, starting at forever and ending at never… I love you baby❤️❤️.” The post didn’t sit well with Portable, who is currently running from the Ogun…

The National Examination Council (NECO) has released the 2024 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External results of 84,799 candidates of which 57,114 scored five credits and above including English language and Mathematics, representing 67.35 percent. NECO also warned that any supervisor caught involved in exam malpractice will not only be blacklisted, but their names will also be circulated to other exam bodies, including the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB. The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NECO, Prof Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, who made this disclosure at organization’s headquarters in Minna, said the total number of candidates comprised 44,227 (52.21℅)…

Pope Francis has cancelled his scheduled events over the next few days after being hospitalised, the Vatican said. The pontiff, who has been suffering from bronchitis, was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Friday after reportedly having breathing difficulties during one of his meetings. In a statement on Friday evening, the Vatican said the pope had been admitted to hospital due to worsening bronchitis and that the first diagnostic tests had shown a “respiratory tract infection”. The pontiff has started “hospital drug therapy”, the statement added, and his “clinical condition is fair; he has a slight fever.” The pontiff’s…

Britain has imposed sanctions targeting figures working in the Russian government, including Pavel Fradkov, a deputy minister for defence, and Vladimir Selin, who leads an arm of the country’s Ministry of Defence. The foreign office said in a statement it also sanctioned Artem Chaika, whose extractives company supports Russian state-owned business, and two entities linked to Russia’s nuclear energy giant Rosatom. Those targeted by the sanctions have links to the “inner circle” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the foreign office said. “I am announcing further sanctions to keep up the pressure on Putin,” said foreign minister David Lammy. “Ukrainians are…

The Igbo socio-cultural and political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has defended calls for President Bola Tinubu to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, stating that there is nothing wrong with such demands. Ohanaeze argued that if former President Muhammadu Buhari could pardon thousands of Boko Haram fighters through a government rehabilitation program, then President Tinubu also has the power to grant Kanu’s release. In a statement on Friday, the group’s Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, described Kanu as a “prisoner of conscience.” According to reports, Ohanaeze’s statement comes in response to an earlier…

They say the best type of love story is the one that comes quietly and hits you in the guts. The type that feels like a warm blanket and hot chocolate on a stormy night. The type that settled in your bones and felt just right. This was how I felt when I first met Kambili*. It felt like I had known him for a long time, like I had seen him in a previous lifetime. There was a connection I felt at that time but I could not quite place it due to fear of how my previous relationship…

Social media activist and social critic, VeryDarkMan, has dismissed reports that Nedu voluntarily resigned from “The Honest Bunch Podcast”, asserting instead that he was sacked. This claim surfaced in a viral post on X, formerly Twitter, where VeryDarkMan, in a fresh statement, insisted that Nedu’s exit was not by choice. Recall that Nedu recently released an official statement announcing his decision to step away from the podcast. His departure followed allegations by VeryDarkMan, who accused him of exploiting his platform and comedy skits to seek intimate relationships with women in exchange for fame. In his resignation statement, Nedu expressed that…

Justice Olukayode Ariwoola of the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday convicted three bureau de change operators for operating without a licence. The culprits—Mustapha Idris, Hassan Bala, and Ajayi Ernest Isaac were prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate charges. The charge against Idris reads: “That you, Mustapha Idris sometime in July 2024, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did carry on business of other financial institution to wit: bureau de change without a valid licence issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed…