Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

The United States secretly developed a detailed plan to invade Canada in the early 20th century, a long-buried episode in North American history that is now attracting renewed attention amid growing concerns over Washington’s increasingly assertive foreign policy under former president Donald Trump. The strategy, known as War Plan Red, was first drafted in 1927 and formally approved in 1930. It was designed for a hypothetical war between the United States and Great Britain, with Canada identified as a key battleground. American military planners believed that neutralising Canada quickly would prevent Britain from gaining any strategic foothold in North America.…

Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has returned to active politics after about 15 years, formally joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Her return was confirmed on Tuesday after she completed her APC membership registration in Ogun State, ahead of the 2027 general elections. The registration took place at Ibogun Ward 11 in Ifo Local Government Area. Confirming the development, Hon. Biodun Ajayi, a former chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government and a close political ally of the Obasanjo family, said Prof. Obasanjo successfully concluded both her physical and electronic registration during the party’s ongoing membership exercise.…

Nigeria and the Republic of Türkiye have set a new trade target of $5 billion as both countries move to strengthen economic, security and diplomatic cooperation. The commitment was announced on Tuesday in Ankara by Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a joint press briefing with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is on a state visit to the country. President Erdogan said discussions to achieve the ambitious trade target had already begun, noting that current trade volume between both nations stands at about $2 billion. He explained that Türkiye exports aircraft, helicopters, machinery, iron and steel products, as well as chemicals to Nigeria,…

The British Transport Police secured a six-year prison sentence for Daniel Odubanjo, a 27-year-old Nigerian man living in the United Kingdom, after he sexually assaulted a woman on a train. According to a statement from the BTP website reported by PUNCH Metro, Chelmsford Crown Court handed down the sentence on Monday, January 12, 2026. Odubanjo was convicted of one count of false imprisonment and two counts of sexual assault following a trial. The offences stemmed from incidents on November 29, 2024, aboard a train travelling from Shenfield to Chelmsford in Essex. A 21-year-old woman was using the onboard toilet when…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, has formally welcomed Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the defection as a significant boost to national unity, stability and development. Speaking at a grand reception in Jos organised to mark Mutfwang’s official entry into the party, the President praised the governor’s leadership style and commitment to peace, development and reconciliation in Plateau State. He described Mutfwang as a unifying leader whose decision to join the APC aligns with a shared national purpose and collective progress. Tinubu recalled Plateau State’s historical contributions…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past in his honour at the Turkish presidential palace on Tuesday, an incident that drew attention but did not disrupt the day’s proceedings. The 73-year-old leader tripped while walking to his left after inspecting a guard of honour alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Video footage shared by Turkish digital news outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated widely on social media showed the moment clearly: Tinubu lost his footing, fell briefly, and was quickly helped up by aides. Within 45 seconds, he was back on his feet and standing beside Erdoğan…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past held in his honour at the parade ground in Türkiye, an incident that drew momentary attention before proceedings continued uninterrupted. The incident occurred as the President joined the guard of honour during an official reception alongside his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A video shared by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi showed President Tinubu walking with President Erdogan moments before he stumbled. He quickly regained his footing, and the ceremony proceeded as planned. Tuesday’s reception began at about 5:00 pm local time with the playing of the…

Residents of Kirawa, a remote border community in Gwoza Local Government Area, are forced to travel into neighbouring Cameroon each day to access clean drinking water, exposing the scale of deprivation still facing communities in Nigeria’s conflict-hit North-East. Kirawa, located about 128 kilometres from Maiduguri, has no functional potable water system. As a result, women and children routinely make long, exhausting journeys across the international border to fetch water for drinking, cooking and basic household use. Residents say the daily trek has become a grim routine, underscoring the absence of basic infrastructure years after insurgency first disrupted life in the…

Britain’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has arrived in Beijing on a high-stakes diplomatic visit aimed at resetting relations with China, while insisting the United Kingdom will not be forced to choose between Beijing and its long-standing alliance with the United States. The visit, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, marks a defining moment in the Labour government’s foreign policy and comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tension between China and Western powers. Speaking ahead of the trip, Sir Keir said Britain would pursue a “pragmatic” relationship with China, focused on economic cooperation, while maintaining firm…

In a recent disclosure, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” agreement with France, more migrants have entered the UK illegally than have been sent back. Since the program’s launch in mid-September, 281 Channel migrants have been deported to France, while 350 have been permitted to arrive through irregular means. The deal allows the UK to return illegal Channel crossers to France in exchange for accepting an equivalent number of asylum seekers via legal channels. However, over the same period, more than 10,000 individuals have crossed the Channel in small boats.…