Author: Naija Daily News

One person has been confirmed dead while another has been declared missing following an attack by a wild elephant in Innayin Community, Oyo State. The incident reportedly occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday when residents raised alarm over the sudden appearance of the animal in the area. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement, noting that operatives swiftly responded to a distress call in collaboration with local vigilantes and hunters. According to the statement, the lifeless body of one Ibrahim Tijani, 45, was discovered in a nearby bush with injuries consistent with…

A High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced a 33-year-old woman, Salamatu Saidu, to five years’ imprisonment for trafficking two persons through fraudulent means. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons disclosed the development in a case update shared on its Facebook page on Thursday, noting that the conviction was secured on Monday. According to the agency, Saidu was arraigned, convicted, and sentenced on the same day by Justice Bukar Umar of the Borno State High Court. NAPTIP stated that the offence contravened Section 26(2) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, which…

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has announced plans to build a 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery in East Africa, mirroring the scale of his flagship facility in Nigeria, as part of a broader push to strengthen industrial capacity across the continent. Dangote announced on Thursday at a high-level summit in Nairobi attended by African leaders, financiers, and industry stakeholders focused on addressing the continent’s energy and infrastructure challenges. Speaking at the event, Dangote told William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni that the proposed refinery would depend heavily on strong government backing and consistent policy support. He disclosed that the project forms part of…

The Nigerian military has inaugurated a general court-martial to try 36 personnel accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of Bola Tinubu. The court-martial, constituted by the Defence Headquarters, was inaugurated on Friday at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja, under tight security. Proceedings were held behind closed doors, with journalists—including accredited defence correspondents—denied access to the venue. Security operatives also prohibited the use of mobile phones to document the arrival of the accused, who were conveyed to the location in an Army Headquarters Garrison bus at about 8:53 a.m. The military trial is running concurrently…

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Thursday declared that he is now operating as a “freelance politician” with no firm allegiance to any political party. Mohammed made the statement while hosting a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, alongside stakeholders from the South-East in Bauchi. Speaking during the meeting, the governor explained that the engagement focused on national unity and collaboration rather than partisan considerations. He noted that the current political landscape has created room for broader consultations among opposition figures. “Neither PDP nor ADC is standing alone. I am a freelance politician now, and my party is…

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Muttaqha Darma as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria following his screening in plenary. Darma, who was nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was cleared after responding to lawmakers’ questions on his competence, policy direction, and strategies to address Nigeria’s housing crisis. During the screening, the minister-designate pledged to work closely with the National Assembly to tackle the country’s significant housing deficit. He outlined plans focused on strengthening leadership, expanding access to affordable housing, and improving institutional capacity within the sector. According to him, bridging what he described as a…

The House of Representatives on Thursday called on the Federal Government to urgently deploy additional troops to affected communities in Borno State and Kaduna State following a wave of violent attacks by bandits. The resolution followed the adoption of two motions of urgent public importance moved during plenary by Midala Balami and Gabriel Zock, who represent constituencies in the two states. Presenting his motion, Balami decried the persistent attacks in Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency, particularly in Mussa Ward, Leho, Pubagu, Kwajaffa, Harang, and surrounding communities. He drew attention to the recent abduction of about 20 persons along the Biu–Buratai–Damaturu road, including…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally written to the Senate seeking approval to secure a fresh $516,333,070 loan from Deutsche Bank to finance the Sokoto–Badagry 1,000km Super Highway project. The request was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and read on the floor during Thursday’s plenary. In the correspondence, the President explained that the loan forms part of the already approved borrowing plan for the ambitious highway project, which is expected to boost connectivity and economic activities across multiple regions of the country. Tinubu urged the Senate to grant expeditious consideration and approval…

By Deborah Nnamdi No fewer than 12 persons have been confirmed dead, while 14 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a fatal road accident at Egono village along the Benin–Auchi–Lokoja highway. Eyewitnesses said the victims were travelling in a truck conveying both passengers and goods when the vehicle veered off the road. The truck reportedly overturned and trapped several occupants after the driver attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo State confirmed the incident on Wednesday, attributing the crash to wrongful overtaking. Spokesperson for the Edo State Command of the FRSC, Patricia Onwochei,…

By Deborah Nnamdi The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja over his alleged involvement in the bugging of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. El-Rufai pleaded not guilty on Thursday after a five-count amended charge, marked FHC/ABJ/99/2026, was read before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. However, proceedings were stalled midway during the hearing of his bail application after the judge observed that a document referenced by the defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), was not in the court’s file. Following a request by the defence, which…