Author: Opalim Lifted

The Netherlands has returned a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sculpture to Egypt after investigators confirmed it was looted and illegally exported during the unrest that followed the 2011 Arab Spring. The ancient artefact, a stone head from a block statue, resurfaced at a Dutch art fair in Maastricht in 2022, triggering an investigation by Dutch police and the country’s cultural heritage inspectorate. Authorities concluded in 2025 that the sculpture had been unlawfully removed from Egypt and later circulated on the international art market. Experts say the sculpture originated from Luxor, in southern Egypt, and depicts a high-ranking official who served during the…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has confirmed ongoing discussions with a Chinese firm over a potential partnership involving one of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries. Speaking on Wednesday at the Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, said the talks are centred on attracting an experienced refinery operator rather than a contractor. Ojulari declined to disclose which refinery is under consideration — Warri, Port Harcourt or Kaduna — citing commercial sensitivity. He also did not name the Chinese company but described it as one of the largest petrochemical operators in China. “I’m just…

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has criticised Bayo Ojulari, the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, over his remarks on the Port Harcourt refinery and the Dangote refinery. Ojulari had earlier urged Nigerians to “thank God” for the Dangote refinery, describing it as a critical “breathing space” following the shutdown of state-owned refineries, including the Port Harcourt plant. According to him, there was no urgency to restart the Port Harcourt refinery, noting that fuel supply was currently being met by the privately owned Dangote facility. He also revealed that…

US President Donald Trump has posted a video depicting former president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as monkeys. Early Friday morning, Trump shared two posts on his Truth Social platform alleging irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Biden served as Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2017. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, to win the presidency in 2016. However, he lost his re-election bid to Biden in 2020. In the one-minute clip, Phil Waldron, a cybersecurity expert, highlighted what he described as “treachery” uncovered during the polls. According to Waldron,…

Veteran Nigerian singer Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, has faulted comparisons between Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and contemporary star Wizkid. Speaking on Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, the music icon described the comparison as “ridiculous,” adding that it is both “disrespectful” to Fela’s legacy and “unfair” to Wizkid’s career. According to 2Baba, placing both artistes side by side fails to consider their different eras, levels of impact and individual contributions to Nigerian music. He noted that Fela remains an irreplaceable legend, while Wizkid has carved out a strong and influential path for himself in the industry. “It’s disrespectful…

The United States (US) has pledged to continue confronting militant groups and what it describes as religiously intolerant violence in Nigeria and other parts of the world. In a statement issued by the US Department of State and shared on X, President Donald Trump said his administration was taking a firm stand against campaigns that threaten religious freedom. “My administration is confronting head-on the militant and really intolerant campaign that seeks to drive religious believers out of public life and out of society,” Trump said. The remarks come amid renewed deadly attacks across parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North-Central…

No fewer than 300 residents of Zurak and Sabon Gari communities in Bashar district of Wase Local Government Area, Plateau State, have fled their homes following renewed bandit attacks that left several people dead. The displacement followed two coordinated attacks on Monday, when armed bandits riding motorcycles stormed the communities. During the assault, one soldier and five residents were killed in Zurak, while three soldiers were declared missing, according to local sources. Residents said the attackers first overran security posts before advancing into residential areas, where they set houses and shops ablaze and looted food items, triggering panic across the…

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has mourned the death of Salome Oboyi, a senior registrar at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), who died after contracting lassa fever from a patient under her care. Oboyi, a doctor in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department, died on Monday. In a statement issued on Thursday, NARD described her death as a “painful reminder of the daily risks doctors take while serving humanity”. The association said her death was also “a glaring symbol of a systemic failure that continues to claim the lives of our finest minds in silence”. According to the…

Uba Sani, Kaduna State governor, has received 172 worshippers abducted from three churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru LGA, following their release from captivity. The freed victims arrived at the Government House in Kaduna at about 1 pm on Thursday, escorted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in no fewer than four buses. Those released included nursing mothers, children and elderly persons. “Today, I can say without contradiction that all those abducted from Kurmin Wali have returned,” the governor said. “Initially, 183 people were abducted. Eleven were released earlier and taken straight to hospital. “They have been certified…

US President Donald Trump has launched TrumpRx.gov, a new government-backed website designed to help Americans access discounted prescription medicines without using insurance. The platform, unveiled on Thursday at the White House, is a central pillar of Trump’s renewed push to cut high drug prices in the United States, which remain among the highest in the developed world. Speaking alongside Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, Trump said the website would help millions of Americans save money on essential medicines. “People are going to save a lot of money and be healthy,”…