Author: Helen Okechukwu

A 17-year-old girl identified as Emma has drawn global attention after revealing her lifelong struggle with gastroparesis, a rare and often misunderstood medical condition that leaves her unable to eat food in the traditional sense. Emma, who posted her story on TikTok under the username emmakok, explained that she was born without a functioning stomach and has relied on feeding tubes since infancy. Her video, uploaded in July but gaining traction on Monday, highlights both the physical and emotional challenges of living with a condition that remains unfamiliar to many. “Hi, my name is Emma. I am 17 and I…

Britain’s growing obesity crisis is draining more than £100bn from the economy each year and placing unprecedented strain on the NHS, new research has revealed. More than a quarter of adults are now classed as obese – double the proportion recorded in the 1990s – with overall levels of excess weight now surpassing many European nations. Analysts warn that, without urgent action, the number of overweight or obese adults could climb to 43 million by the middle of the century, while childhood obesity is projected to increase by half. The consequences are already being felt in the workplace and the…

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is facing renewed criticism after it emerged that a psychiatric nurse convicted of rape was able to continue practising for more than a year, despite police alerting the regulator about the allegations. John Chukwunonso Iwuh, 54, from South Norwood in Croydon, was jailed for 16 years on 11 July after being found guilty of rape and voyeurism. He had used his position as a nurse to build trust with a woman he met on a dating app before attacking her at his home in June 2022, says The Independent report. Investigators later discovered that…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has restated its commitment to upholding transparency and accountability as central to its ongoing modernisation drive.

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,…

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…