Author: Naija Daily News

By Deborah Nnamdi National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 60-year-old wanted drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, bringing an end to a seven-year manhunt. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Chigozie was apprehended on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at his hideout located at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri in the Ojo area of Lagos State. His arrest followed the early morning interception of a major drug consignment along the Ilasamaja axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway. At 5:45 a.m. on the same day, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one of Chigozie’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, who…

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a sweeping set of new immigration-related fees that will take effect from July 22, 2025, impacting applicants worldwide, including those from Nigeria. The new charges, introduced under U.S. legislation H.R. 1, apply to various visa and immigration benefit categories, including asylum, parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and cannot be waived under any circumstances. According to a Federal Register notice published on July 18, applicants submitting immigration forms from July 22 must include the updated fees. USCIS warned that any applications postmarked on or after August 21 without the required…

By Deborah Nnamdi Four men have died after drowning in a blocked waterway in Zangon Kaya, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, the state fire service confirmed on Friday. According to a statement by the Fire Service spokesperson, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, the tragedy occurred Friday afternoon following an emergency call received at around 1:48 p.m. Abdullahi explained that two of the victims had entered the waterway—clogged due to ongoing railway construction—to swim, but became trapped. A third man attempted to rescue them and was also caught. A fourth person followed to help and suffered the same fate. Rescue…

By Deborah Nnamdi South African police are searching for a group of gunmen who opened fire in a bar near Pretoria on Friday night, killing five people and injuring three others. The attack occurred around 10:30 p.m. in Olievenhoutbosch township, roughly 25 kilometers south of the capital. According to police, about 10 unidentified assailants stormed the tavern and began shooting indiscriminately without saying a word. Three men and two women died at the scene. The motive remains unclear. Mass shootings are tragically frequent in South Africa, where the murder rate exceeds 75 deaths per day. Firearms—both legal and illegal—are widely…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Enugu State Police Command has rescued six trafficked children and arrested 10 suspects connected to local and transnational child trafficking syndicates during coordinated operations between June 30 and July 16, 2025. Police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the breakthrough in a statement on Saturday, describing it as part of the command’s intensified efforts to combat child trafficking and theft. Among the rescued victims are a 14-year-old girl trafficked to Ghana and a one-year-seven-month-old boy. On July 15, operatives from the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad, working alongside Neighbourhood Watch members, arrested two suspects—64-year-old Chiaha Josephine and 67-year-old Ozomma…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Naira appreciated to N1,537 per dollar in the parallel market on Friday, strengthening from N1,540 per dollar recorded on Thursday. Similarly, in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the local currency gained to N1,535 per dollar, compared to N1,536 the previous day, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This marks a N1 appreciation in the official exchange rate and narrows the gap between the parallel market and NFEM rates to just N2 per dollar, down from N4 per dollar on Thursday.

Photo: Spokesperson, Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko By Deborah Nnamdi The Rivers State Police Command has successfully thwarted a planned violent clash between rival cult groups—the Klu Klux Klans (KKK) and the Vikings—near a university campus in Port Harcourt, averting what could have been a major outbreak of cult-related violence. The attempted cult war erupted on the evening of Thursday, July 17, 2025, along Azikiwe/Opobo Lane Street in the Mile 2 Diobu area, a location close to several tertiary institutions. According to eyewitness reports, suspected members of both cult groups engaged in a gunfight, forcing pedestrians, commuters, and…

By Deborah Nnamdi Nigeria’s Super Falcons booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in style, dismantling Zambia 5-0 on Friday in Casablanca. Widely expected to be a closely contested match, the game turned into a dominant display by the nine-time champions, who overwhelmed the Copper Queens with a blend of intensity and clinical finishing. Nigeria got off to a flying start just two minutes in, as centre-back Osinachi Ohale headed home from a well-placed free-kick, catching the Zambian defence flat-footed and leaving goalkeeper Petronella Musole with no chance. Zambia nearly drew level…

By Deborah Nnamdi A senior lecturer at Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Kogi State, Dr. Olabode Abimbola Ibikunle, has died under controversial circumstances reportedly involving a female student of the institution. The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at a hotel in Anyigba and was subsequently reported to the police by the hotel manager. Spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, SP William Aya, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lokoja. Aya described the development as “unfortunate” and disclosed that an autopsy had been conducted to ascertain the cause of death.…

Photo: Rick Swart, New U.S. Consul General The U.S. Mission has welcomed Rick Swart as the new Consul General in Lagos. He arrived on July 16 to assume his role as the senior U.S. government representative for the 17 southern states of Nigeria. In his capacity, Consul General Swart will lead efforts to strengthen trade and investment, deepen people-to-people ties, and advance the broad U.S.-Nigeria bilateral agenda in the region. “I am honored to serve in Nigeria and look forward to engaging with the people and culture while promoting our shared goals of safety, strength, and prosperity,” Swart said. He…