Author: Helen Okechukwu

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Kano State government have renewed commitment to eradicating polio, targeting no fewer than 4.1 million children for vaccination across the state. The commitment was made on Tuesday in Kano during a media dialogue on polio and routine immunisation, held ahead of the 2025 World Immunisation Week, says News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Speaking at the event, the State Immunisation Officer, Sa’adatu Ibrahim, said the immunisation week is part of efforts to sustain Nigeria’s polio-free status and prevent resurgence of the virus. Mrs Ibrahim said the target is to reach every child with…

After Nigeria was declared polio-free on June 18, 2020, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the outbreak of polio in Kano State and eight other states. While speaking with government officials and development partners in Kano on Tuesday, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Rahama Farah, explained that the outbreak was due to low routine immunization coverage, especially in high-risk areas. According to Farah, the variant poliovirus in circulation is type 2 (cVPV2), revealing that in 2024, Nigeria recorded 83 cases of cVPV2, describing it as a threat to the country’s efforts in eradicating the virus.…

Four suspects linked to the death of Chief Executive Officer of HMG Attitude Ltd, Hope Georgewill, have been neutralized by the Rivers State Police Command. The spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement shared with journalists on Tuesday, disclosed that despite the sum of N2 million being paid as ransom, Georgewill was killed and his remains have been recovered and deposited at the mortuary. The deceased, Georgewill, was abducted on 26 March alongside two others along Cotton Channel, Bakana River, by a gang of notorious sea pirates led by Preye Ngian-Ngian, a male native of Degema Local Government Area…

Nigerian authorities have disclosed that three of their officers have been hospitalized due to gunshot wounds sustained following a gunfight with yet-to-be identified armed men in Abuja on Thursday. The incident was said to have occurred during a late-night raid in the Jahi area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, according to Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Friday. The operatives, acting on intelligence and surveillance, had stormed an uncompleted building near the NNPC area in Jahi, where they recovered 74 bottles of codeine, 10 litres of codeine syrup, 48 grams…

The Anambra State Police Command has announced the arrest of a suspected 33-year-old male serial rapist, Chidiebere Mbene, for allegedly killing Nwokedi Somtochukwu, aged 15. The police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, shared this statement on Friday, stating that the murder took place at Unubi, Nnewi South Local Government Area (LGA), on 15 April 2025. Ikenga further disclosed that before fleeing the scene, the suspect forcefully had carnal knowledge of the deceased’s elder sister. On receiving the news of the suspect’s arrest, the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State (CP) Ikioye Orutugu, praised the Nnewi community at large for their collaboration, which led…

Nigeria’s Health Minister, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has pledged to collaborate with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to improve and safeguard health sector data, in line with the 2023 Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA). The statement issued on Thursday noted that Prof. Pate made this declaration during a working visit led by the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji. While appreciating and expressing satisfaction with the work of the Commission, he shared the significance of introducing data protection to the National Council on Health to deepen data protection at the state level. The…

As mpox continues spreading across new regions, Africa CDC and WHO have updated their joint Continental Response Plan, intensifying efforts to control outbreaks, expand vaccination, and build a long-term, sustainable public health response. Mpox, a viral illness transmitted mainly through close contact, causes painful skin and mucosal lesions, fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. While historically a zoonotic disease, mpox has increasingly spread between people, especially following the emergence of the clade IIb and clade Ib variants in 2022 and late 2023, respectively. This led to the declaration of public health emergencies by Africa CDC and WHO in August…

Most of us don’t think twice about how we sleep — but your favorite sleep position could be doing serious, long-term damage. From heart strain to increased dementia risk, experts warn that the way you sleep might be quietly sabotaging your health. Despite its importance and essentiality to human, sleep posture remains an under-researched area. Most studies focus on aches and pains, but the risks go far deeper. “What you do in the day generally triggers the pain and discomfort that is felt when you sleep in certain positions,” says Dr. Kat Lederle, sleep scientist and author of Sleep Sense.…

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has unveiled plans to distribute 10,000 health kits, including scrubs, to aid nurses and midwives across the South-West region as part of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi, on Thursday announced this during her visit to Akure, the state capital of Ondo State. While addressing the Ondo State Council of Obas, Mrs. Tinubu sought their collaboration to end key health problems such as genital mutilation, Hepatitis B, among other health issues affecting Nigerian women. She urged the royal fathers to support her advocacy in circulating the initiatives across their localities to end mother-to-child…

Gokana stakeholders have appealed to the Rivers State Police Command and Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), to enable sustainable development and protect key national infrastructure within the LGA. The stakeholders made this call on Wednesday during an interactive session with the Commissioner of Police (CP) Olugbenga Adepoju and service chiefs, following a directive from Ibas. Gbere Kpakol, the youth leader, attributed the issue of pipeline vandalism to the lack of youth engagement and called for collaboration between paramount rulers and operating companies. He noted that despite Gokana hosting the largest manifold in the state, the majority of…