Author: Opalim Lifted

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has announced a major security deployment ahead of Saturday’s FCT council election, confirming the mobilisation of multiple security agencies across Abuja. The election, scheduled for 21 February 2026, will see residents vote across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory. In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the Command said the deployment forms part of a comprehensive operational order designed to ensure a peaceful and credible poll. Security personnel drawn from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services, and the Nigeria…

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have taken former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai into custody after he spent two nights at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja. Multiple sources confirmed that El-Rufai was picked up from the anti-graft agency’s office on Wednesday night by the secret police. Insiders said investigators at the EFCC repeatedly asked the former governor to provide a written statement over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure from 2015 to 2023. However, he reportedly declined to submit any written response. El-Rufai had honoured an EFCC invitation on Monday over allegations linked…

President Bola Tinubu has signed a sweeping executive order aimed at redirecting oil and gas revenues straight into the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), marking one of the most significant fiscal shifts since the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act. The directive, announced by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, mandates the direct remittance of royalty oil, tax oil, profit oil and profit gas to the Federation Account. It also strips NNPC Limited of its controversial 30 per cent management fee on profit oil and profit gas revenues. Under the new order, NNPC will no longer manage the 30 per cent Frontier…

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has confirmed that the reported sexual assault case involving TikToker Mirabel occurred outside its jurisdiction and has been transferred to the appropriate authorities in Ogun State. Mirabel recently posted a series of emotional videos detailing an alleged assault that took place in her home on February 15. In the clips, she recounted that she was at home when she heard a knock on her door. Thinking it was a neighbour, she opened the door, only for a stranger to allegedly force his way inside. She said that during the ensuing struggle,…

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians to forgive him if he has sinned against them, urging citizens to embrace unity, peace, and moral renewal at the start of Ramadan. Tinubu spoke on Wednesday during the opening of this year’s Tafsir at the State House Mosque in Abuja. The president highlighted the overlap between Ramadan and the Christian season of Lent as a reminder of shared values. “Ramadan coincides with Lent, reminding us of our common commitment to sacrifice, discipline, prayer, and self-denial,” he said. “We begin this Ramadan with all the teachings it brings. The main principle is to…

President Bola Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill into law, declaring that electoral results in Nigeria are “finalised by humans, not computers”. The legislation was passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday after months of debate, review and revisions by both chambers. Tinubu assented to the bill during a ceremony at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, attended by senior lawmakers. Speaking after signing the bill, the president stressed that while technology plays a role in elections, the ultimate responsibility lies with human officials. “No matter how good a system is, it’s managed by the people,…

A new industry report has found that 71 per cent of Nigerians believe in-app support on banking applications is ineffective, exposing serious usability gaps in the country’s fast-expanding digital finance sector. The findings are contained in the State of UX in Financial Apps: Nigeria Report 2025, released on Wednesday by Interswitch. The study surveyed hundreds of banking app users and combined interviews with technical assessments based on global usability standards. It revealed that although digital banking adoption is rising steadily, support systems inside apps have failed to keep pace. Users Frustrated by Poor Guidance According to the report, many customers…

Negotiations over the proposed Providus-Unity Bank merger have stalled amid a bitter dispute over insider loans allegedly owed by directors of Unity Bank. A senior management source at Unity Bank said the insider credits are “not less than N4.8 billion”, though the exact figure remains unclear. The directors are reportedly pushing for the debts to be written off ahead of the merger with Providus Bank. Providus’ board and management have strongly opposed any write-off, insisting that all obligations must be settled before the deal proceeds. Sources say regulatory compliance concerns are at the heart of the resistance, particularly with just…

Two people have been killed and five others injured after violence erupted during the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress in Idanre, Ondo State. The bloodshed broke out on Wednesday at Odode-Idanre, headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area, as the ruling party conducted congresses across its 203 wards. The chaos is believed to be linked to tensions from Tuesday’s disruption at the party’s secretariat in Akure, where suspected hoodlums stormed a stakeholders’ meeting and attacked party leaders. Among those targeted was Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of Ade Adetimehin, the state caretaker chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He reportedly…

At least 37 miners have died in a suspected carbon monoxide leak at an underground mining site in Zurak, Wase LGA of Plateau State, in what is shaping up as a devastating Plateau mining tragedy. The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Tuesday while the miners were carrying out routine operations deep inside the tunnels. According to counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the victims mostly young men aged between 20 and 35 inhaled toxic fumes that suddenly filled the underground shafts. Eyewitnesses said several miners collapsed inside the tunnels before help could reach them. Twenty-five other workers were rushed…