Author: Yunusa Umar

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mourned the death of American civil rights leader and Baptist preacher, Jesse Jackson, describing him as a great friend of Nigeria and Africa. Reverend Jackson died on Tuesday at the age of 84. In a condolence message, President Tinubu said he joined people across the world and the United States in mourning the passing of what he described as a servant-leader whose life was devoted to justice, equality, and human dignity. “Reverend Jesse Jackson was a servant-leader who captured the global imagination as a young activist, alongside civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., fighting…

Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have begun investigation into a 31-year-old trader, Oduburu Lucy Oluchi, also known as Eze Chiamaka Lucy, over alleged possession and circulation of counterfeit currency amounting to ₦192,000. According to the Commission, Oluchi was arrested on December 23, 2025, at Eke Nibo Market in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State after fellow traders allegedly caught her attempting to use fake banknotes to purchase goods. “She was apprehended by traders at the market and subsequently handed over to operatives of the Agunechemba Quasi Security outfit, who…

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…