Author: Helen Okechukwu

Helen Okechukwu is an award-winning investigative journalist with three years experience. She specializes in health, accountability and transparency reporting.

The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated a notorious Chinese fugitive, Dai Qisheng, in what officials have described as a landmark international security

The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated a notorious Chinese fugitive, Dai Qisheng, in what officials have described as a landmark international security operation. This was disclosed in a statement shared on Sunday by the Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi. Mr Qisheng, a gang leader from Guizhou Province, wanted for organising and directing violent criminal activities, fled China in 2024 after the Public Security Bureau of Zhijin County issued an arrest warrant. He later resurfaced in Nigeria, where he attempted to evade capture. Acting on intelligence, operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja tracked and arrested him on 8…

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 50-year-old widow, Mrs Ifeoma Ezewuike, for allegedly attempting to smuggle

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 50-year-old widow, Mrs Ifeoma Ezewuike, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine disguised as pregnancy padding. The mother of one, who runs a fashion outfit, Golden Star Creation, in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was intercepted at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, on 22 August, 2025, while en route to deliver the consignment to clients in Abuja. A subsequent search of her residence in the Ago Palace area yielded 200 grams of a chemical cutting agent used in cocaine production. During interrogation, she reportedly confessed…

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The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N2.001 trillion to the three tiers of government as allocation for July

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N2.001 trillion to the three tiers of government as allocation for July 2025. The distribution followed the committee’s August meeting chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun. The shared sum came from a gross revenue inflow of N3.836 trillion, comprising statutory revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and exchange gains. Out of the distributable amount, the Federal Government (FG) received N735.081 billion, while the states got N660.349 billion. Local Government Councils (LGC) collected N485.039 billion, and oil-producing…

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Crude oil

A new crude oil spill has been recorded in Ikata community, Ahoada East Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, sparking renewed concerns over environmental degradation in the Niger Delta. The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the incident on the 14-inch Okordia–Rumuekpe pipeline operated by Renaissance Africa Energy Ltd. According to the organisation, the spill was first observed on Friday, 22 August, and promptly reported through community monitors under the One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta, alongside the Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS). Read Also: CSOs urge stronger NOSDRA…

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The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, Hon Amos Magaji, has called for the introduction of specialised

The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, Hon Amos Magaji, has called for the introduction of specialised ambulances to serve communities in remote parts of the country due to the high rate of maternal mortality. Magaji made this utterance on Friday, when the committee paid a courtesy visit at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. Reacting to the chairman demands, the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe described maternal deaths as a tragedy that must not be normalised, stressing the need for targeted national interventions to save women’s lives during childbirth. Read Also: Lagos partners with SOGON to tackle maternal,…

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Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has said Nigeria’s healthcare system can be significantly improved if political leaders and stakeholders show

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has said Nigeria’s healthcare system can be significantly improved if political leaders and stakeholders show greater commitment and adopt modern approaches to medical practice. Mr Diri gave the charge on Friday in Yenagoa while receiving members of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) High-Impact Intervention in Medical Sciences. He was represented at the event by his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, says News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report. The governor observed that the country’s health sector still relied on traditional methods and urged institutions to embrace emerging fields such as biomedical engineering…

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The World Animal Protection (WAP) has raised alarm that antibiotic-resistant infections are already claiming about 1.27 million lives yearly, with the figure projected

The World Animal Protection (WAP) has raised alarm that antibiotic-resistant infections are already claiming about 1.27 million lives yearly, with the figure projected to rise to 10 million annually by 2050 if urgent action is not taken. Patrick Mvinde, WAP’s Research and Planning Manager, made the disclosure in Abuja during a media workshop on “Implication of Industrial Animal Farming in Nigeria” convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). Mvinde attributed the trend to industrial animal farming, where animals are confined in overcrowded and highly controlled environments. He explained that about 75% of the 80 billion animals reared globally,…

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In a bid to secure healthier living conditions and economic self-reliance, a  Non-governmental organization (NGO) has called on the people of Erema

In a bid to secure healthier living conditions and economic self-reliance, a  Non-governmental organization (NGO) has called on the people of Erema, an oil producing community in Rivers State to embrace renewable energy, describing it as the key to overcoming the damaging legacy of oil exploration.

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