Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

The political landscape in Adamawa State shifted sharply on Wednesday as 15 members of the state house of assembly, including the speaker, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), deepening uncertainty over the future of the ruling party in the state. The mass resignation was announced during plenary by the speaker, Bathiya Wesley, who confirmed that he and his deputy, Buba Jijiwa, had also quit the party. According to Wesley, the decision was driven by the lingering crisis at the national level of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said the lawmakers had formally communicated their resignations in separate letters,…

A serving officer of Nigeria’s secret police has been arrested following allegations that he abducted, impregnated, and forcibly converted a teenage girl in Abuja from Islam to Christianity, while also seeking to marry her without her family’s consent. The officer, attached to the Department of State Services (DSS), is accused of keeping the girl at a facility in Karmajiji, a community on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory. According to the girl’s father, the officer had earlier contacted him and asked him to “come to Abuja for discussions,” adding that he was “ready to marry her.” The father, who…

Nigeria must post annual economic growth of between 10 and 12 per cent for the next decade to achieve its ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy, the minister of state for finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, has said. Speaking on Wednesday at the 2026 annual general meeting of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Abuja, Uzoka-Anite described the target as bold but attainable if ongoing reforms are sustained. Addressing the theme, “Actualising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s $1 Trillion Economy Agenda,” she said Nigeria’s current gross domestic product stands at about $375 billion. Bridging the gap to $1 trillion, she…

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS), a move widely seen as part of efforts to stabilise governance after months of political tension in the state. The appointments were announced on Thursday in Port Harcourt in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi. According to the statement, Dagogo S. A. Wokoma was named Secretary to the State Government, while Sunny Ewule, a legal practitioner, was appointed Chief of Staff. Both appointments took immediate effect. The statement added that the new appointees would be…

UK woman killed herself after being raped by her husband; the couple had been married for over a decade Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on November 28, 2017. Prosecutors say her death followed a prolonged period of violent assaults and what they described as “extensive and escalating controlling, coercive and manipulative behaviour” during her marriage. Her husband, Christopher Trybus, 43, has appeared at Winchester Crown Court accused of unlawfully killing his wife, two counts of rape and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour. He denies all the charges. Opening the case, prosecutors…

A 23-year-old  drug dealer stamped a woman getting off a bus in Leicester city centre to death while high on cannabis. Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, from Leicester, is accused of killing Nila Patel, 56, after crashing his car near Leicester Royal Infirmary on June 24 last year and launching a brutal assault in broad daylight. Opening the case at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, prosecutor Mary Prior KC told jurors that Ms Patel, a mother who stood 5ft 4in tall, was attacked without warning as she walked home after getting off a bus in Leicester city centre. “She was viciously attacked by…

The trial of a failed Somali asylum seeker accused of serious sexual offences was abandoned at Winchester Crown Court after officials were unable to find a suitable interpreter. A jury had already been sworn in for the trial of Abdinasir Elmi, 26, who is accused of sexually attacking a woman in Bournemouth, Dorset, on April 22 last year. Elmi was due to stand trial on two charges: one count of sexual assault by penetration and a second count of sexual assault by touching. However, proceedings were halted before any evidence could be heard when the court confirmed that no Somali…

The ruling All Progressives Congress has unveiled a new policy think tank, the Progressive Institute, in a move aimed at sharpening its ideological focus and strengthening evidence-based governance as Nigeria heads toward the 2027 elections. The party on Wednesday inaugurated the Governing Council of the institute, describing it as a decisive shift from politics driven mainly by electoral calculations to one anchored in ideas, research and long-term planning. National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda said the institute represents “a decisive step toward entrenching ideology-driven politics and policy-based governance.” First announced in September 2024 at the instance of President Bola Tinubu, the institute…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, on Wednesday issued a blunt reminder to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, declaring that the ruling party belongs to its members collectively and not to any individual,  including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Kalu delivered the message in Umuahia during a rescheduled ward congress of the APC, an exercise aimed at easing internal tensions and restoring unity after months of factional disputes. The Abia chapter of the party had earlier postponed its ward and local government congresses after rival groups failed to comply with national party directives.…

Nigeria’s political temperature rose sharply on Wednesday after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of operating like a “terrorist organisation” following an alleged gun attack on prominent opposition figures in Edo State. In a strongly worded statement, the ADC claimed that shots were fired at its secretariat and at the residence of a former national chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, during a visit to the state by key opposition leaders. Those named include former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Edo governorship candidate Olumide Akpata. Edo State Police Command confirmed that…