Author: Naija Daily News

Police operatives from the Trans-Ekulu Division of the Enugu State Command have arrested a 26-year-old man, Chibuike Ugwuja, for allegedly staging his own abduction and demanding N35 million from his family. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday in Enugu. According to Ndukwe, Ugwuja was declared missing by his father on November 24 after he failed to return home from work two days earlier. During the period he was missing, the suspect reportedly sent a Facebook message to a female neighbour, claiming he had been kidnapped by unknown persons who were demanding…

Forty-four members of the House of Representatives have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise his constitutional authority to secure the release of detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as part of a broader political strategy to restore peace in the South-East. The lawmakers—drawn from diverse political parties, regions, and religious backgrounds—warned that Kanu’s prolonged detention had become “a major stumbling block” to ongoing peace-building efforts in the region. In a two-page letter to the President, the legislators, under the banner Concerned Federal Lawmakers for National Unity and Stability, urged Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to…

National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Nuhu Ribadu, has reassured anxious parents and authorities of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, that the pupils abducted by armed bandits “are doing fine and will return soon.” Ribadu delivered the message on Monday during a visit to the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and proprietor of the school, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, as well as families of the abducted children at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral, Kontagora. Conveying President Bola Tinubu’s message of hope, Ribadu said progress was being made in ongoing…

By Deborah Nnamdi Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has paid a visit to the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at a prison facility in Sokoto State. Otti was accompanied by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu; the Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN); and his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma. Officials of the Sokoto State Government were also present during the visit. According to a statement from Otti’s media office, the governor encouraged Kanu to remain calm and resilient, assuring him that efforts to secure his release—initiated…

By Deborah Nnamdi A man, his wife, and their three children were burnt to death in the early hours of Monday after a fire consumed their home in the Kofar Sauri community of Katsina metropolis. The tragic incident also destroyed most household items in the building, many of which were burnt beyond recognition. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fire began shortly after electricity was restored to the area. He claimed there was an unusual power surge at the time, which he suspected may have triggered the inferno. He alleged that the local power company often…

Africa has begun administering a revolutionary HIV-prevention injection that offers 99.9 percent protection, in what experts describe as one of the most significant advances in the global HIV response in decades. South Africa, Zambia, and Eswatini on Monday launched the first public rollout of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable drug that functions much like a powerful vaccine and is expected to transform HIV prevention across the continent, which bears the world’s highest HIV burden. Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent. In South Africa—where roughly one in five…

Four pupils from Egbolo community in Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State lost their lives on Monday morning when a truck transporting them to school in nearby Ofuloko community lost control and plunged into a river. The tragic incident occurred around 8:30 a.m., throwing the community into chaos as residents rushed to the scene to rescue the trapped children from beneath the overturned vehicle. Several other pupils sustained injuries. Angered by the incident, residents blocked the road in protest, lamenting that Egbolo has no functional primary school—forcing their children to trek long distances through unsafe routes to attend school…

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed claims linking him to a possible vice-presidential ticket with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections. The former Rivers State governor made his position clear after comments by Atiku’s ally, Dele Momodu, suggesting that Atiku might consider Amaechi as a potential running mate should Peter Obi decline to join him. Responding through his media aide, David Iyofor, Amaechi described the speculation as unfounded, stressing that he is pursuing his own presidential ambition and has no intention of serving as anyone’s running mate. “Amaechi is not seeking to be…

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.98 per cent year-on-year in real terms in the third quarter of 2025, reflecting a marginal improvement over the 3.86 per cent recorded in the same period of 2024, according to new data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The NBS report, published on Monday, shows that all major sectors of the economy posted positive growth, with agriculture and industry recording notable improvements. During the quarter, the agriculture sector expanded by 3.79 per cent, up from 2.55 per cent in Q3 2024. The industry sector also strengthened, growing by 3.77 per…

The abducted monarch of Bayagan community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, the Ojibara of Bayagan, has escaped from the custody of armed bandits alongside six other captives. Community sources said the escape occurred on Sunday evening after local vigilantes launched a coordinated offensive deep inside the forest where the captives were being held. “The vigilante team launched an attack on the bandits in the forest and engaged them in a fierce battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja,” a source told newsmen. “Although the Baale and the six others have not yet…