Author: Naija Daily News

Moniepoint Microfinance Bank processed transactions worth N412 trillion and disbursed more than N1 trillion in loans in 2025, underscoring the growing role of Nigerian fintechs in financing the informal economy. The figures were disclosed by Moniepoint Inc., the bank’s parent company, in its 2025 Year in Review report released on Thursday. The company said the bulk of its loan disbursements were targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including provision stores, supermarkets, and building materials traders. According to the report, Moniepoint MFB processed over 14 billion transactions valued at N412 trillion during the year, accounting for about 80 per cent…

By Didimoko A. Didimoko A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has nullified the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in the city in November 2025, deepening the internal crisis rocking the opposition party. In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Uche Agomoh ruled that the convention, held between November 15 and 16, 2025, was conducted in violation of existing court orders and therefore invalid. The court consequently set aside all decisions taken at the convention. The judge further declared that the caretaker committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the only recognised National…

By Douglas Maha, Abuja A senior official of Nigeria’s central bank told a court on Thursday that $6.23 million was withdrawn from the bank’s Abuja branch in February 2023 using documents later found to be forged, in a case involving former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele. Testifying at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bashirudden Maishanu, an assistant director at the Central Bank of Nigeria, said the cash was presented as funding for election observers and logistics during the 2023 polls. Maishanu, appearing as the 11th prosecution witness for Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, said he became acquainted with Emefiele in 2015…

Photo: Gov Abba Yusuf – took Kano from NNPP to APC By Austin Manekator Nigeria may still be two years away from its next general elections, but the battle for 2027 has already begun in earnest. Across the country, the political atmosphere is thick with calculation, quiet negotiations, and strategic repositioning. At the heart of this early manoeuvring is a wave of gubernatorial defections that is steadily reshaping Nigeria’s political map long before the first ballot is cast. In the past year, more than a dozen serving governors have either defected or openly aligned with the ruling All Progressives Congress…

Nigeria football is in mourning following the death of Mrs Sarah Chukwueze, the mother of Super Eagles forward and Fulham FC star, Samuel Chukwueze. The sad news was announced in the early hours of Thursday, January 29, 2026, by members of the Chukwueze family. Samuel’s brother, David Chukwueze, shared a series of emotional messages on his Instagram story to mourn their mother’s passing. In separate posts, he wrote: “Can’t even post your picture to say RIP Mum,” “My forever love just left me without saying goodbye,” and “You didn’t even carry your grandchild.” Samuel’s sister, Princess Chukwueze, also confirmed the…

Photo: Unrelated photo of a plane crash All 15 people on board a passenger aircraft were killed after it crashed in northern Colombia, the country’s state-run airline, Satena, has confirmed. In a statement on Wednesday, Satena said its Beechcraft 1900 aircraft “suffered a fatal accident” while en route to the city of Ocaña, near the Venezuelan border. The airline did not immediately disclose the cause of the crash but confirmed that the wreckage had been located in a remote mountainous area. The aircraft, Flight NSE 8849, departed from the city of Cúcuta, about 100 kilometres north-east of Ocaña, carrying 13…

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has handed down heavy sanctions following a turbulent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Senegal and Morocco, played on January 18, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. In a statement released on Wednesday, CAF announced a five-match ban for Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, citing “unsporting conduct” and actions that “brought the game into disrepute” during the final, which Senegal won 1–0 after extra time. Two Senegalese forwards, Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, were also suspended for two matches each for “unsporting behaviour towards the referee.” Both players ply their…

The Enugu State Police Command has uncovered a suspected transnational human trafficking syndicate linked to prostitution, arresting a 50-year-old woman and rescuing a 20-year-old female victim in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the state. The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on January 27, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe. He said the suspect, identified as Ibekwe Nkiru, was apprehended on January 16, 2026, by operatives of the Igbo-Eze South Police Division following swift action based on credible intelligence. The identity of the victim was withheld. According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that…

Three young brothers have died after falling through ice on a private pond in Bonham, north Texas, in a tragic accident on Monday. The children, aged six, eight, and nine, were playing near the pond, about 100 feet from the house where their family was staying, when the incident occurred. Their mother, Cheyenne Hangaman, said the youngest child fell through the ice first after attempting to skate on the frozen surface, while his two older brothers jumped in after him in an effort to help. Hangaman said she rushed to the pond and tried to rescue her sons by pulling…

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested six suspects over the alleged hacking of a telecommunications company’s system and the diversion of airtime and mobile data valued at about N7.7 billion. The arrests were announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who said the suspects unlawfully gained access to the company’s core operational systems. Hundeyin identified the suspects as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad. He disclosed that police operatives recovered two mini plazas used as retail outlets, over 400 laptops, about…