Author: Naija Daily News

Photo: Senate President Godswill Akpabio Nigerian Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who represented Nasarawa North on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has died at the age of 52, lawmakers and his party said on Thursday. Akwashiki died on Wednesday at a hospital in India, they said, without disclosing the cause of death. A native of Angba Iggah in Nasarawa Eggon local government area, Akwashiki was first elected to the Senate in 2019 and won re-election in 2023. Before joining the upper chamber, he served in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, where he held roles including majority leader and…

Photo: IGP Kayode Egbetokun Nigeria’s police have suspended nationwide enforcement of a tinted glass permit policy after a court issued an interim order restraining the move, the police said on Thursday. The Nigeria Police Force had announced on Dec. 15 that enforcement of the policy would resume from Jan. 2, 2026, citing public safety and internal security concerns. However, police said they were subsequently served with an interim court order issued on Dec. 17, 2025, in Suit No. HOR/FHR/M/31/2025, restraining the force from proceeding with enforcement pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit or the lifting of the…

Photo: FRSC officials at an unrelated accident scene At least six people were killed and two others injured in a road accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State on Thursday, Nigeria’s road safety agency said. The latest tragedy occurred just days after a former unified heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, narrowly escaped death in a ghastly clash that claimed the lives of two of his friends riding with him in a Lexus SUV. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the latest crash occurred at about 2:36 p.m. near the NASFAT junction, a busy section of the highway linking…

Police in Nigeria’s Delta State said they arrested 43 people and recovered dozens of vehicles after quelling violent disturbances that disrupted New Year’s Eve celebrations in parts of Asaba, the state capital. The Delta State Police Command said the unrest broke out shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, when hoodlums and criminal elements attempted to exploit the festivities. In a statement on Thursday, police spokesperson Bright Edafe said operatives, led by the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations, were on township patrol with divisional police officers and tactical units to secure residents and commuters. He said suspects blocked…

Nigeria’s Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on Thursday he has directed his lawyers to withdraw all pending defamation lawsuits he filed against several individuals, saying a New Year sermon prompted him to reconsider his decision to pursue the cases. Akpabio made the announcement while speaking at a New Year Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He said he had reflected on his resort to litigation after listening to a homily delivered by the parish priest. “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered…

Police in Ogun State on Thursday said they have taken into custody the driver of a Lexus sports utility vehicle in connection with a fatal road accident involving members of the entourage of Nigerian-born British boxer Anthony Joshua. Two of the boxer’s friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, died in the ghastly accident, which occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan highway. The Ogun State Police Command confirmed the development in a statement posted on X by its spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, who said investigations into the crash were ongoing. “The driver of the Lexus SUV is currently in custody in connection with…

Dozens of people were killed and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire tore through a crowded bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday. The fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) at a bar called Le Constellation in the southwestern resort, which locals said was popular with teenagers. The blaze, initially reported as an explosion, appeared to be accidental rather than an attack, authorities said. Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead and about 100 injured, while Italy’s foreign ministry cited information…

Photo: Fubara with his estranged godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Wednesday urged residents to remain calm amid rising political tensions, saying his administration would not be distracted or intimidated by what he described as “sounds of war.” Speaking during a New Year crossover service at the Government House chapel in Port Harcourt, Fubara said his government would continue to prioritise prayer, restraint and dialogue over confrontation as it enters 2026. Reflecting on the first two years of his tenure, the governor said the period was marked by internal challenges that slowed development but added…

…Full text of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s New Year’s address 2026 MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A MORE ROBUST PHASE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH: PRESIDENT TINUBU’S NEW YEAR GOODWILL MESSAGE TO NIGERIANS Fellow Compatriots, I welcome you all to 2026, with gratitude to God and confidence in our collective resolve that this new year will be a more prosperous one for our nation, our citizens, and all who call Nigeria home. During 2025, we sustained the momentum on our major reforms. We had a fiscal reset and also recorded steady economic progress. Despite persistent global economic headwinds, we recorded tangible and measurable…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has fired back at Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, telling him to confront his challenges head-on instead of dragging him into what he described as self-inflicted problems. Wike spoke on New Year’s Day during a “thank you” visit to Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he dismissed allegations by the Bauchi governor that he was behind the crises rocking Bauchi State. Recall that Mohammed, while appearing on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, accused Wike of threatening to “put fire” in Bauchi and orchestrating instability in the state. Reacting, the FCT…