Author: Helen Okechukwu

A 36-year-old Chinese national, Ji Zhou, along with two Nigerian citizens, Amino Mohammed, 34, and Abdussalam Akolawole, 38—both indigenes of Kogi State—has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged involvement in cybercrime, impersonation, conspiracy, and obtaining money under false pretence. This announcement was made known via their Facebook page on Tuesday, in various documents signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale. The anti-graft agency beckoned on the public to report their whereabouts to the nearest security station. According to Oyewale, Zhou’s last known address was Unguwan Mai Keke, Kafanchan, in Jama’a…

A prosecution witness, Sulaiman Kwalla, on Tuesday, told the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, how Bishop Katung Jonas used his religious influence to lure thousands, including Kwalla and his wife, into a failed cooperative scheme. Testifying before Justice Sharon T. Ishaya, Kwalla alleged that Jonas, alongside co-defendant Okewole Dayo, promoted the Covenant Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society through televised sermons and adverts promising 10% monthly returns. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the duo on a 23-count charge bordering on obtaining N178.8 million under false pretence. “He invested ₦200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) and additional…

The Kogi State Government has taken a decisive step in the fight against malnutrition, initiating treatment protocols for affected individuals and expanding healthcare coverage for children with co-morbidities. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, speaking through his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Ali Bello, at the launch of a training programme on the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) in Lokoja, reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving child nutrition across the state. He revealed that the state’s Health Insurance Agency has been directed to cover all expenses for malnourished children who present at referral centres with additional medical complications. He further called on…

The Rivers State Commissioner of Police (CP) Olugbenga Adepoju, has called on members of the public to support the police in its intensified efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks operating within and beyond the state. This appeal comes on the heels of the recent arrest of two suspected child traffickers and the rescue of a pregnant woman from captivity. The suspects, Sunshine Hart, 28, and Kingsley Ekocha, 38, were apprehended in Aba, Abia State, during a targeted police operation on 24 June. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the rescue of 24-year-old Regina Sunday during the operation. Read Also: Enugu…

The Kogi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Fatimah Momoh, has called on stakeholders and policymakers to rally support for the passage of the bill seeking special seats for women in the National Assembly (NA). She made the appeal during a meeting of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) structure convened in Lokoja by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. The meeting brought together key stakeholders and technical partners focused on promoting gender equality, uplifting vulnerable groups, and supporting individuals with disabilities. Momoh emphasised that increasing the representation of women in legislative processes is…

Health officials and managers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called for a substantial increase in health sector funding, in line with the 15 per cent target set by the Abuja Declaration of 2001. The call was made at the close of a four-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja, organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The training focused on developing data-driven, budget-linked Annual Operational Plans (AOP) for the FCT health system. The programme, held under the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), aimed to boost leadershipartp, strategic planning, and health systems strengthening efforts across the…

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has advised former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, to urgently seek legal protection following a recent threat to his life by the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo. Falana gave the advice in a statement issued on Sunday, in response to remarks made by Governor Okpebholo during a political rally in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of the state. At the rally, Okpebholo had warned Obi not to visit Edo State without prior notification or clearance from his office. “There’s a new sheriff in town. He cannot just come into Edo…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 60-year-old drug baron Okpara Chigozie after seven years on the run. According to the Director Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Chigozie was captured on Sunday, 13 July 2025, at his hideout in Isheri, Lagos, following the interception of his courier, Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. Achebe, en route to Onitsha in a Toyota Sienna, was found with 7.6kg of cocaine and 900g of methamphetamine concealed in the vehicle. A follow-up raid at Okpara’s residence led to the recovery of another 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of meth. At Murtala…

Eight persons have been sentenced to one month in prison by a Magistrate Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, for contravening Lagos State’s laws against open defecation and urination. The culprits, aged between 18 and 45, were brought before Magistrate Oshikoya of the Special Offences (Mobile Court) recently. Upon arraignment, all eight pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against them. The Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, in a statement released shortly after the proceedings, disclosed that the sentencing was intended to serve as a deterrent to other residents who may engage in similar unhygienic practices. Read Also: Diarrhoea:…

The Enugu State Police Command has rescued six trafficked children and arrested 10 suspects in a series of anti-trafficking operations conducted between 30 June and 16 July 2025. This was made known on Saturday through the Command spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, who recounted that on 15 July, police operatives and Neighbourhood Watch members arrested Chiaha Josephine, 64, and Ozomma Ubanagum, 67, in Ezeagu Local Government Area (LGA) in connection with the crime. Two trafficked children were rescued—Loveth Mfonobong, 16, and Benjamin Okon, 12—both of whom had been renamed by their captors. The Command spokesperson said Josephine confessed to buying Loveth for…