Author: Naija Daily News

By Deborah Nnamdi The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into one Duru Ikechukwu Damian, who was arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for allegedly failing to declare the full amount of foreign currency in his possession. In a statement issued Wednesday, the EFCC said Damian was scheduled to board an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai when he was intercepted during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk. He reportedly declared only $10,000, but a search by customs officials…

By Deborah Nnamdi Just two weeks after taking the oath of office, Oluwakemi Rufai, the Councillor representing Ward C1 in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, has died. Rufai, the only female member of the legislative council, reportedly passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, August 13, 2025, following a brief illness. Her death was confirmed in separate statements by the Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki LGA, Sesan Olowa, and the Chairman of Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Rasaki Kasali. Both described the news as a devastating loss to the council and the wider community. The Lagos State chapter…

…$55bn (90%) of the project cost of the bullet train is ready – Consortium After more than a decade of delays, Nigeria’s ambitious bullet train project is moving from drawing board to construction site. The consortium handling the project says it has cleared almost all regulatory hurdles and secured billions in financing, setting the stage for work to begin on a $60 billion, 4,000-kilometre high-speed rail network that will link Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt. De-Sadal Nigeria Limited, in partnership with China Liancai Petroleum Investment Holdings Limited, believe that the development will see a 4,000-kilometre high-speed rail network linking…

By Deborah Nnamdi A High Court in Akure, Ondo State, has sentenced Sunday Omoniyi, a middle-aged man, to death by hanging for the murder of his co-tenant, Michael Oyebanji. Omoniyi was charged with one count of murder, contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006. According to witness Ismaila Adefaka, who owned the house, the incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. on July 23, 2022, at No. 4, Canaanland, Ijoka Road, Akure. He testified that he was alerted by a commotion and rushed to Omoniyi’s room, where…

Photo: Ms Emmanson The Federal Government and airline operators have lifted the lifetime flight ban placed on Comfort Emmanson, a passenger involved in a recent incident aboard an Ibom Air flight, and reduced the suspension of Fuji music legend Wasiu Ayinde (KWAM 1) to one month. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the development on Wednesday via his official X account. He said the decisions followed consultations with aviation stakeholders, public appeals, and expressions of remorse from both individuals involved. According to Keyamo, Ibom Air has formally withdrawn its criminal complaint against Emmanson, who has been held…

Photo: Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chair – By Augustus Adomagbo Nigeria’s democratic journey has made notable strides over the past two decades. The country has recorded the longest unbroken civil rule since 1960. This, no doubt, is worth glass clinking. Sadly, though, our electoral process remains unnecessarily cumbersome, expensive, and exclusionary. From the cost of elections to the logistics of voter registration and verification, the current system discourages participation—particularly among the youth, who should form the bedrock of our democracy. One of the most persistent challenges boggling the road to a seamless, simplified electoral system is the duplication of identity systems.…

Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has declared he owes no one an apology for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite belonging to different political parties. Speaking to journalists after a meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday, Soludo said his support is based on shared progressive values and a friendship spanning over two decades. “President Tinubu has been my friend for 22 years. I don’t deny my friends, and I have no apologies for standing by him,” Soludo stated. “I support the bold economic and structural reforms his administration is taking. We’re on the…

By Deborah Nnamdi Nigeria is facing a $27.4 million funding shortfall for essential contraceptives, following the withdrawal of support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—a move experts warn could have severe consequences for women’s health and national development. At a recent dissemination event titled “The Impact of Family Planning on Socio-Economic Development: New Evidence”, convened by the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) and the Family Planning Impact Consortium, stakeholders raised alarm over the declining availability of contraceptives in the country. Professor Adesegun Fatusi, President of AHEAD and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo…

By Deborah Nnamdi Sixteen inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on Tuesday after attacking personnel of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and breaching the facility’s security. According to a statement by NCoS spokesman Abubakar Umar, the incident occurred in the early hours of the day. He said the inmates launched a coordinated attack on officers to compromise the facility, resulting in the escape. During efforts to contain the situation, five correctional officers sustained injuries, with two in serious condition and currently receiving urgent medical care at a government hospital. So far, seven of the…

by Deborah Nnamdi The Ogun State Police Command has arrested two men in connection with the unlawful possession of three human skulls in the Ijebu area of the state. This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abeokuta by the command’s spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola. According to the statement, the incident occurred on Monday, August 11, 2025, at about 2:00 p.m., when a team of mobile police officers from 71 PMF Awa Ijebu was conducting a routine stop-and-search operation along the Ijebu Ode–Ibadan Expressway, near Refugees Camp Junction in Oru Ijebu. During the operation, a motorcycle rider identified as Kadir…