Author: Naija Daily News

By Deborah Nnamdi Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected female drug kingpin and prominent member of a trans-border trafficking syndicate after a 20-month manhunt triggered by the earlier arrest of the group’s leaders. The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the cocaine trafficking cartel had been dismantled in Lagos and Ogun states, with multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs recovered. According to Babafemi, the syndicate was previously led by a couple, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, who were arrested on Saturday, May 25, 2024, by operatives…

By Gabriel Efe Detty December has grown into a seasonal economy of its own. Flights, hotels, short-lets, clubs, transport, fashion, events and even food vendors all benefit from the annual influx of visitors and returning Nigerians. In theory, it is a win-win cycle: increased demand fuels business growth, employment rises temporarily, and money circulates rapidly through the local economy. In practice, however, unchecked greed is turning Detty December into a fragile bubble. Prices are no longer responding to demand; they are being inflated beyond economic sense. Hotel rates triple overnight without improvements in service. Event tickets are priced as if…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the minimum order quantity for petrol from 500,000 litres to 250,000 litres, a move expected to widen access for more marketers to buy directly from the refinery. The refinery said the gantry price remains N699 per litre, maintaining the N129 reduction from N828 per litre announced earlier in December 2025. The update was disclosed on Saturday via the company’s official X account. According to the refinery, both existing and new customers purchasing the smaller volume can now access a 10-day credit facility backed by a bank guarantee. The company added that volume-based discounts would continue…

By Deborah Nnamdi Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized the House of Representatives for declining to criminalize vote-buying at the level of party primaries, describing the move as a setback for Nigeria’s democracy. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Obi said Nigerians had hoped lawmakers would take a firm stand against vote-buying while amending the Electoral Act, 2022, but were disappointed by the decision to exclude inducements at party primaries. He described vote-buying as a major threat to credible elections and argued that refusing to address it at the…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Misturah Bada, and her alleged accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, 30, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping and extorting N2.5 million from her husband, who resides in South Africa. The police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the arrests followed investigations that revealed the reported abduction was deliberately orchestrated. According to Adebisi, the command received a distress call at about 10:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025, from the woman’s husband, who claimed his wife had been kidnapped by armed men demanding a ransom of N10 million, later reduced to N3…

By Deborah Nnamdi Nine people were killed and at least 10 others injured after gunmen opened fire at a tavern in the impoverished Bekkersdal township outside Johannesburg early Sunday, South African police said, marking the second deadly bar shooting in the country this month. The attack occurred shortly before 1:00 a.m. at a tavern in the gold-mining community, about 40 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg. Police initially reported that 10 people had been killed but later revised the death toll to nine. Deputy provincial police commissioner, Major General Fred Kekana, said most of the attackers were armed with pistols, while one…

By Deborah Nnamdi Troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have intercepted two pick-up vans conveying logistics supplies suspected to be meant for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno State. The interception followed credible intelligence indicating the movement of the items from Dapchi in Yobe State towards the Magumeri general area of Borno. The information prompted a coordinated military response to disrupt the suspected supply route. In a statement issued in Maiduguri by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba said…

Photo: Hannatu Musawa Nigeria’s music industry is generating an estimated $600 million annually and is projected to more than double in value over the next decade, reaching about $1.03 billion by 2033, according to a new industry intelligence report. The projection was disclosed by the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, in the foreword to Basslines to Billions: Nigeria’s Music Market Intelligence Report. The publication is described as the first comprehensive effort to place verifiable economic data behind one of Africa’s most globally visible creative movements. Developed through a collaboration between the National Council for…

By Deborah Nnamdi A woman has been found dead inside her residence at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Maitama, Abuja, prompting an investigation by the police. Sources said the deceased, identified as Hajiya Fanna Mohd Abare, was discovered unresponsive in her apartment on December 17 at about 5:00 p.m. Her body, already in a decomposed state, was reportedly found by her sister, Hajiya Aisha Mongo, after concerns were raised over her whereabouts for nearly two days. It was gathered that the door to the room was locked from the inside and had to be forced open before the body was…

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua ended the much-hyped and widely criticized crossover bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul with a sixth-round knockout at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday night. The Netflix-backed contest, reportedly worth a combined purse of about $184 million for both fighters, had sparked widespread concern within the boxing community before the opening bell, with critics warning of the vast disparity in size, experience, and pedigree between the two men. Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medallist, entered the ring as the overwhelming favourite against Paul, whose boxing résumé has largely been built…