Author: Naija Daily News

By Deborah Nnamdi Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has given the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, until November 5 to open his defence in the terrorism charges filed against him or risk forfeiting his right to do so. The judge issued the directive after Kanu, for the fourth consecutive sitting, failed to enter his defence following the prosecution’s decision to close its case and the court’s earlier ruling dismissing his no-case submission. Justice Omotosho warned that if Kanu failed to open his defence at the next sitting, he…

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has accused officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) of preventing her from travelling abroad and unlawfully withholding her passport. The lawmaker made the allegation during a live broadcast on her Facebook page on Tuesday morning, showing her confrontation with immigration officers at the airport. “Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she asked the officials during the livestream. Akpoti-Uduaghan said the incident occurred shortly after celebrating her second year in office. “Having completed my second-year celebration, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my…

President Bola Tinubu is expected to conclude a revised list of ambassadorial nominees, ending more than two years of Nigeria’s foreign missions operating without substantive heads. The update comes as the Presidency undertakes a cleanup of the earlier list submitted to the Senate, following several changes — including retirements, deaths, and voluntary withdrawals of some nominees. Diplomatic experts have warned that Nigeria’s prolonged absence of fully appointed ambassadors has weakened its global representation and slowed bilateral engagements, particularly amid growing U.S.-Nigeria tensions and other international negotiations.

Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has accused her husband, Senator Ned Nwoko, of ordering the arrest of her elder brother and sister, with her younger sister also allegedly facing possible detention. The actress made the claims in a series of emotional posts shared via her Instagram Stories, alleging that her family was being targeted amid ongoing marital tensions. According to Daniels, Senator Nwoko was using his political influence to intimidate her family members, though she did not reveal where they were being held or the reasons behind the alleged arrests. She suggested, however, that the move was intended to pressure her…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced a new policy requiring all candidates registering for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to declare their current admission status, stating whether they are already enrolled in any tertiary institution. The examination body said the directive follows disturbing findings from the 2025 UTME Infraction Report, which revealed that over 90 percent of candidates involved in examination malpractice were already students of various tertiary institutions. “Beginning with the 2026 UTME registration, every candidate will be required to make a clear declaration regarding their current studentship status,” JAMB stated.…

By Deborah Nnamdi The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has expressed deep sorrow over the death of one of its students, Nwankwo Chukwuebuka, who lost his life in a tragic accident involving ten students on Saturday night, November 1, 2025, along the Opi–Nsukka Road. In a statement released on Monday, November 3, the Acting Public Relations Officer, Inya Egwu, said the students were travelling from Nsukka to Enugu to attend a concert by popular Nigerian artist Davido when the accident occurred. Egwu noted that the injured students were rushed to Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka. While some have been treated and…

By Deborah Nnamdi At least 19 bandits were killed during a fierce gun battle with troops of the Joint Task Force Operation MESA in the Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State. The confrontation, which occurred on Saturday, November 1, 2025, involved troops of the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, who acted on a tip-off about the movement of bandits around the Ungwan Tudu, Ungwan Tsamiya, and Goron Dutse axis of Shanono. Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the command, Captain Babatunde Zubairu, said the troops swiftly mobilized to the scene and engaged the bandits…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Lagos State Police Command has declared activist Omoyele Sowore wanted for allegedly planning to incite public disorder and obstruct major roads across the state. Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, made the announcement on Monday while briefing journalists at the Iyana-Oworo section of the Third Mainland Bridge. Jimoh said security operatives were closing in on Sowore and others accused of coordinating activities aimed at disturbing public peace and disrupting traffic flow in the state. “Sowore should surrender at the nearest police station or face arrest wherever he is found,” the commissioner warned. “Anyone attempting to cause disturbance…

By Deborah Nnamdi The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a new peak on Monday as security operatives sealed off both the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza and the Legacy House in Abuja, shortly after Abdulrahman Mohammed declared himself Acting National Chairman. Heavily armed police officers arrived at the Wadata Plaza headquarters in the early hours, ordering staff and journalists to vacate before locking the gates and taking positions around the premises. Not long after, another team stormed the Legacy House in Maitama — headquarters of the National Convention Organising Committee — and shut it down,…

Cleric says Western outrage over alleged persecution exaggerated, be driven by geopolitical interests By Didimoko A. Didimoko, Lagos Pastor Wale Adefarasin, the Senior Pastor of Guiding Light Assembly, has questioned what he described as the United States’ “sudden love” for Nigerian Christians, following comments by former US president Donald Trump about alleged religious persecution in the country. In a video that circulated widely on social media on Monday, Adefarasin challenged the growing Western narrative that Christians in Nigeria were facing genocide, saying such portrayals were exaggerated and misleading. “For 40 years that I have been a Christian, there have been…