Author: Opalim Lifted

Leaders of the Amasiri community in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have appealed to Governor Francis Nwifuru to lift what they described as a crippling “siege” imposed on their area following a deadly communal clash. The appeal comes days after the governor announced sweeping sanctions on Amasiri in response to the killing of three people in neighbouring Okporojo village, Oso Edda, over a long-standing land dispute. On Sunday, Nwifuru dissolved all political and traditional leadership structures in the Amasiri clan, dethroned traditional rulers, scrapped community unions, and removed Amasiri from Ebonyi’s list of 64 development centres. He…

Ron Kenoly, the American Christian worship leader, singer, and songwriter, has passed away at the age of 81. Bruno Miranda, Kenoly’s music director, broke the news in a statement released via the singer’s Instagram page. The statement revealed that the worship leader died on February 3, though the cause of death was not disclosed. Miranda, who worked alongside Kenoly for more than two decades, described him not only as a mentor but as a spiritual father, emphasising that Kenoly was deeply intentional about his calling. “This morning, Feb. 3, 2026, we said goodbye to Dr. Ron Kenoly,” the statement read.…

Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to set aside an interim forfeiture order placed on dozens of properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The application, filed before Justice Emeka Nwite, seeks to overturn the court’s January 6 ruling, which ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued by the EFCC at ₦213.23 billion and suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. The anti-graft agency alleged that the assets are linked to Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz Malami and Abiru Rahman Malami, pending…

The Federal Government has raised serious concern over a sharp rise in respiratory, cardiovascular and other environment-related diseases across Nigeria, linking the growing health burden to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking on Monday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement on the National Emergency Response to Environment-Related Diseases Arising from Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the minister of environment, Balarabe Lawal, warned that the crisis has moved beyond environmental degradation into a full-blown public health emergency. Lawal, who was represented by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Mahmud Kambari, said environmental surveillance, health data and peer assessments show a disturbing increase in illnesses associated with…

Transport operators across Nigeria have raised fresh concerns over the country’s deteriorating road network, warning that poor highways are stretching journeys to as long as 15 hours and increasing operational stress for drivers and passengers alike. Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the Managing Director of Chisco Transport, Obinna Anyaegbu, said the state of major roads has made inter-state travel increasingly exhausting, despite efforts by transport firms to improve passenger comfort. According to Anyaegbu, journeys that should take far less time are now prolonged due to damaged surfaces, congestion and slow movement caused by road failures. “Unfortunately, the roads are not…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have directed workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to resume work immediately, bringing an end to weeks of industrial action in Abuja. The decision followed an overnight meeting between the leadership of organised labour, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Senate Committee on the FCT. The meeting began on Monday night and concluded in the early hours of Tuesday. In a joint statement issued after the talks, the unions said all grievances raised by the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) were fully…

At least half of Nigeria’s health facilities lack the capacity to treat snakebite envenoming, a new global report has revealed, exposing dangerous gaps that continue to claim lives from a preventable condition. The report, released by the Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) initiative to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day 2026, blamed weak health systems, poor infrastructure and chronic shortages of life-saving antivenom for avoidable deaths and long-term disabilities, particularly in high-burden countries such as Nigeria. Based on a survey of 904 frontline healthcare workers across Nigeria, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Kenya, the report found that 50 per cent of…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that the scale and frequency of killings in the country are unmatched anywhere in the world. Speaking in Yola, Adamawa State, at the launch of a new book on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri titled The Man They Could Not Stop, Kukah said Nigeria has reached a dangerous point where deaths have become routine and increasingly framed along religious lines. According to the cleric, no other country experiences the kind of recurring bloodshed now common in Nigeria. “What is happening in Nigeria…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Uyo Zonal Directorate has arraigned Ekpeyong Thompson before the Federal High Court in Uyo over an alleged investment fraud involving $525,276. Thompson was brought before Justice Maureen Adaobi on Thursday, January 29, 2026, on an eight-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. The EFCC alleged that the defendant defrauded several American nationals by presenting fictitious investment opportunities. According to the prosecution, Thompson collected funds from Tammy Jensen, Kenneth Blad, Peter Jensen and others under the guise of facilitating investments in mineral resource mining and a deep sea port business. One of…

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has offered an emotional thanksgiving to God as he marked the seventh anniversary of the helicopter crash that nearly claimed his life. Osinbajo, speaking in a reflective moment of worship, recalled what he described as a miraculous deliverance from the helicopter crash of 2 February 2019, in which he and others on board survived without a single injury. Describing God as faithful “from my cradle days till this very hour”, the former Vice President expressed deep gratitude for divine protection and mercy, declaring that no life was lost and no wound sustained…