Author: Umar

Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi has criticised plans by the Presidency to disconnect the Presidential Villa from Nigeria’s national electricity grid and rely largely on solar power, describing the move as a troubling signal of leadership disconnect at a time millions of Nigerians still endure erratic power supply. Obi’s criticism follows reports that the Aso Rock Presidential Villa has made budgetary provisions for a large-scale solar power project, including about N10 billion in the 2025 budget and further allocations in the 2026 budget for upgrades and maintenance, with indications that the complex…

The Nigerian authorities have filed criminal charges against former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. The charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accuse El-Rufai, 65, of cybercrime-related offences allegedly committed during a televised interview on Arise TV on February 13, 2026. According to the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, prosecutors allege that El-Rufai admitted during the interview that he and others unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications, an act they say compromised public safety and national security and caused “reasonable apprehension…

About 30 residents, including children were slaughtered on Saturday by Boko Haram group in Pissa and Tungan Makeri communities under Konkoso area of Borgu area of Niger State. One of the survivors, Ibrahim Konkoso, 30, who escaped the attack told New Daily Prime that the attackers disrupted the communities atmosphere by setting fire on the Police building before proceeding to defenseless victims. READ MORE: Nigeria will defeat terrorism, banditry — Tinubu Bandits kill two, abduct one in Niger community “They invaded the community around 6am and started by burning the police station”, he told this reporter. “After an hour, they…

Weeks after Boko Haram faction group led by Mallam Sadiqu massacred at least 162 residents of Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama area of Kwara State, the terrorists on Saturday released video of children and women abducted during the attack on the two communities. The raid which occurred on Feb 3 was the deadliest attack in 2026 and mass abduction of women and children in two communities— Woro and Nuku. Sa’idu Ahmed, a state lawmaker representing Gwanabe/Gwaris constituency of Kaiama Local Government Area pegged the figure of abducted victims at 35, also the state authorities argued that the death figure…

Several Nigerians, particularly Muslims have slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria for scheduling the Nigerian election for the next Muslims’ obligatory fasting month which is February 2027. Since the announcement of the poll timetable and schedule on Friday by the commission’s chairman, Joash Amupitan at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, fixing presidential and National assembly elections for Saturday, 20 February 2027. The Commission said the dates were selected in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). But the timetable has triggered public criticism as Muslims are expected to begin their 2027 Ramadan in…

Counsel to former Kaduna state Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has condemned what he described as an “unlawful attempted arrest” of his client by security operatives upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday. In a statement issued in Abuja, Ubong Esop Akpan, of the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, alleged that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attempted to arrest El-Rufai when he arrived aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877 from Cairo. Akpan described the action as “a flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.” The…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday dismissed reports alleging that the Federal Government had directed it to suspend enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200 millilitres. In a statement dated February 11, 2026, the agency described the report as “false” and misleading, insisting that the ban remains in force. READ MORE:NAFDAC urges Nigerians to avoid unregistered risperdal “NAFDAC categorically refutes a publication circulating in some media outlets alleging that the Federal Government has directed the Agency to suspend enforcement actions on sachet alcohol and…

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations of corruption and his handling of insecurity while in office. In a statement on Thursday, Adeyanju said no public official should be above the law and urged anti-graft and security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation if there are questions regarding financial misconduct or abuse of office. “I call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to…

The trial of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, continued on Wednesday before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that a N2.1 billion loan was repaid using funds from Kogi State local government areas. The tenth prosecution witness (PW10), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, testified under subpoena and detailed what he described as movements of funds through multiple bank accounts. Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Egoro told the court that a loan of N2.1 billion was disbursed into the account of Keyless…

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, to 46 years’ imprisonment each for cyberterrorism and internet fraud. The convicts, alongside one Friday Audu, were among 792 suspected fraudsters arrested on December 19, 2024, during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos. READ MORE:EFCC arraigns man over alleged N603m job scam in Abuja EFCC nabs 10, seizes trucks in Kwara illegal mining crackdown EFCC investigations revealed that Audu allegedly incorporated Genting…