Author: Helen Okechukwu

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…

Nigerian health experts have called on the Federal Government to overhaul Nigeria’s healthcare financing by reducing out-of-pocket (OOP) spending and strengthening health insurance coverage to ease the financial burden on citizens. According to the shared statement on Friday, the call was made during a four-day workshop organised by the Ondo State Ministry of Health in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The event focused on improving human resources and health financing in the state. Professor Demilade Ibirongbe of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, revealed that about 70% of Nigerians pay…

With the Alive & Thrive nutrition initiative set to end its intervention in Kaduna by 31 August, stakeholders have convened to chart a sustainable path for the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) campaign and the uptake of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS). Their mission aim to formulate a locally driven, sustainable strategy that preserves the gains of the MIYCN and MMS campaigns after donor support winds down. The Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB), Dr Bello Jamoh, represented by Hamza Ikara, emphasised the importance of building the plan on available local resources. He warned that…

The Rivers State Command, through the Azikiwe Police Division and the Octopus Tactical Unit, foiled a suspected cult clash between rival groups near an undisclosed university campus in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. According to the police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the incident, said that the confrontation erupted along Azikiwe Street and Opobo Lane in the Mile 2 Diobu axis. It was noted that the averted cult clash emanated when members of two rival cult groups—believed to be the Klu Klux Klans (KKK) and Vikings—ran into each other while allegedly en route to the university’s main campus for a retaliatory…

The Kogi State Government has launched a ten-day intensive training programme to equip 500 livestock farmers and extension agents with climate-smart livestock production techniques across five key centres in the state—Ajaokuta, Okene, Kabba, Anyigba, and Idah. The training is jointly organised by the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (Kogi ADP) and the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (Kogi L-PRES) to address the growing impact of climate change on livestock production, says a report shared on Friday. At the flag-off ceremony, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Timothy Ojomah, restated the administration’s resolve to strengthen the livestock sector…

NiMet has called on stakeholders to work collectively in addressing food insecurity through a coordinated, data-driven, and solution-oriented approach.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale, has issued a stern warning to healthcare providers across Kenya, cautioning that any public or private facility found compromising the integrity of ongoing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) reforms will face immediate closure. Speaking during a high-level public engagement held at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Complex in Kisumu County, CS Duale reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fast-tracking UHC reforms, highlighting the need for urgency, transparency, and accountability in healthcare service delivery. He disclosed that under the newly operational Social Health Authority (SHA), 295 healthcare providers have already been empanelled, including 135 public…