Author: Naija Daily News

Somalia’s armed forces have eliminated 29 al-Shabaab militants in the town of Jabad Godane in southeastern Somalia, in coordination with international partners, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2007 in a bid to topple the internationally-backed central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of sharia law. The ministry said in a statement on X that it also destroyed vehicles and weapons “that were intended for use in terrorist attacks against civilians,” through airstrike operations in the Middle Shabelle region conducted overnight. “The Ministry of…

At least seven people were confirmed dead, and nearly 100 were rescued after a migrant boat carrying more than 200 people capsized overnight in northwest Gambia, authorities said on Wednesday. The vessel ran aground on a sandbank near a village in the North Bank Region as it attempted to navigate the Atlantic route used by West African migrants travelling to Europe, officials said. Rescue operations were launched by the Gambian Defence Ministry, which deployed three naval speedboats, a coastal patrol vessel and worked with local fishermen who volunteered a canoe to assist. Authorities said 96 survivors were pulled from the…

Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has resigned from Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clearing the way for him to formally join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a letter addressed to the PDP chairman of Ampang West Ward in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Mutfwang thanked the party for providing him a platform to participate in the democratic process and acknowledged the support of party leaders, members and supporters at all levels. The development came after months of speculation over the move. He said, “Given the realities of the moment, and guided by my…

A court in Nigeria’s capital on Tuesday declined to stop the January 1, 2026, commencement of a new tax regime endorsed by President Bola Tinubu, ruling that it lacked the power to halt the implementation of laws already signed and gazetted. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court dismissed an application by the Incorporated Trustees of African Initiative for Abuse of Public Trust, which sought an interlocutory injunction to restrain the federal government from implementing the new tax laws over alleged discrepancies. In a ruling dated Dec. 30, 2025, Justice Kawu Bello said the court could not stop the operation…

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…