Author: Opalim Lifted

Eleven kidnap victims have escaped from their abductors after the suspects allegedly fell asleep following an overnight trek through the forest in Etsako West LGA of Edo State. The victims spoke on Friday during a press briefing in Benin, the Edo State capital. Destiny Braimah, one of the victims, said he was returning from his farm when he was intercepted by six armed men wielding guns and cutlasses. He said the gunmen abducted him alongside 10 others before forcing them deeper into the forest. Braimah said the victims heard gunshots, believed to have been fired by police officers, while they…

The Federal Government has demanded compensation from the government of Côte d’Ivoire following the death of a Nigerian trader, Usama Murtala, while in detention at the Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abidjan (MACA) Prison. The demand was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during a meeting with the Ivorian ambassador to Nigeria in Abuja on Friday. According to a statement issued by the minister’s media aide, Magnus Eze, the Federal Government is seeking justice after Murtala, 24, died in custody while five other Nigerian traders were eventually released following diplomatic efforts. The statement said Murtala travelled from…

Benin traditional priests, priestesses and traditional physicians, collectively known as Ewaise, have carried out spiritual rites aimed at tackling insecurity in Edo State, laying curses on criminals and performing rituals to fortify the land against violence. The exercise followed a directive by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, who on June 23 instructed traditional worshippers to revive ancient spiritual practices to complement government efforts in addressing growing security challenges across Edo and Nigeria. The ceremony, held on Thursday, began with a procession from the main playground of the Oba’s Palace to the palace gate. Clad in traditional regalia and…

Canada became the first co-host to exit the 2026 World Cup as they were well beaten by Morocco in Houston. The Moroccans, having failed to impress in a bad-tempered first half, took the lead five minutes after the interval through Azzedine Ounahi. Ounahi swept home Achraf Hakimi’s cut-back free kick from inside the D as the Canadian defence failed to close him down. The Girona midfielder scored his second by converting a breakaway with eight minutes remaining to seal victory. And an ultimately comfortable win was topped off in stoppage time as Soufiane Rahimi slid his shot under keeper Maxime…

Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has been unanimously re-elected as chairperson of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council. Adeniyi’s re-election took place during the organisation’s 147th and 148th Council Sessions held in Brussels, Belgium. In a statement on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said President Bola Tinubu described the re-election as a historic endorsement of Adeniyi’s visionary leadership. “Adeniyi’s unanimous re-election is not only a personal honour for Adeniyi but also a recognition of Nigeria’s growing influence in global customs administration,” Tinubu said. “His leadership of the Nigeria…

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tunji Disu has vowed that security agencies will pursue and prosecute everyone involved in the recent wave of violence in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election. Speaking during a visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Government House in Osogbo on Friday, Disu expressed concern over the growing number of killings, clashes, and political unrest in the state, describing the situation as unacceptable. He said the police had monitored the violence for months and warned that the forthcoming governorship election must not be treated as a battle. “This is an election, not…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by two weeks. In January 2026, INEC resumed the nationwide CVR exercise, marking the start of the second phase of the process. The resumption followed the conclusion of the first phase, which ended on December 10, 2025. The commission launched online pre-registration for the exercise on August 18, 2025, before commencing in-person registration at designated centres nationwide on August 25, 2025. In a statement issued on Friday, Mohammed Haruna, chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, said the extension followed a review of the ongoing…

Colombia progressed to the World Cup last 16 with another convincing display as Jhon Arias’ first-half winner eliminated a disappointing Ghana side in sweltering Kansas City. Playing in temperatures above 30C until well after 10pm, Nestor Lorenzo’s men booked a date with Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday (21:00 BST), with the mouth-watering prospect of a quarter-final meeting with Argentina looming beyond that – and the only surprise is that they did not win by a wider margin. Ghana ended the night without a shot on target and registered just four in total across their four games – only Iraq had…

Former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has shared details of his engagements with prominent global and Nigerian leaders on the sidelines of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. In a post on Instagram, Osinbajo said he was pleased to reconnect with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whom he described as his “dear sister”. He disclosed that she accepted a last-minute invitation to share her perspectives on emerging issues in global trade during the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition (FDCC) retreat in London. Osinbajo also said he met with Mo Ibrahim, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Faruk Yabo, and Maryam Hassan Bukar during the conference. He praised…

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has met with former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla during the Hamburg Sustainability Conference in Germany. Osinbajo, who is serving as co-chair of the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition (FDCC), disclosed the meeting in a post shared on Instagram. According to him, the discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between the FDCC and the newly launched South-North Coalition on Development, which is co-chaired by Scholz and Chinchilla. “We explored how our two commissions can align efforts to build a development cooperation system that is truly fit for…