Author: Opalim Lifted

Troops of the joint task force (JTF) north-east, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have intercepted a large consignment of logistics supplies believed to be meant for terrorist groups. In a recent statement, the theatre command said the breakthrough occurred under Operation Desert Sanity IV on September 16 after troops followed up on credible intelligence. According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, troops were said to have stopped a red 14-tyre trailer on the Nguru–Gashua road in Yobe at about 7:40am and moved the vehicle to a secure location for further checks. “The vehicle was later moved to a secured location and…

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, says the state must now focus on reconciliation and development after six months of emergency rule. Speaking on Friday in a statewide broadcast, Fubara said he resisted the pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency rule, the suspension of the suspension of democratic institutions, and other measures. President Bola Tinubu had declared emergency rule in the state on March 18 after a protracted political conflict between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT). The governor praised Tinubu for brokering peace among the key political actors in the state, including Wike…

Women’s Champions League title holders Arsenal will host eight-times winners OL Lyonnes and visit Bayern Munich, while last season’s runners-up Barcelona welcome the German side and travel to Chelsea after Friday’s draw for the league phase. Manchester United, set to make their debut in the league phase of Europe’s top-tier women’s competition, host Lyonnes and twice finalists Paris St Germain, while facing away matches against Atletico Madrid, Wolfsburg and Juventus. The Women’s Champions League, which has switched from a group stage format to an 18-team unified league phase this season, held a draw where six opponents were picked for each…

A Nigerian Army General Court Martial sitting at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, 3 Division, Rukuba, Plateau State, has sentenced Private Lukman Musa to death by hanging for the murder of Abdulrahman Isah, a commercial tricycle rider in Bauchi State. Presided over by Brigadier General Liafis Bello, the court found Musa guilty on two counts: culpable homicide and unlawful possession of ammunition. The verdict followed a full trial in accordance with Law 47 of the Armed Forces Rules of Procedure, 1972. The court heard that Musa, in collusion with one Mr. Uba, lured the victim to his apartment at the 133 Special…

Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara has returned to Port Harcourt, marking his first public appearance since the lifting of the emergency rule in the state. His aircraft touched down at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, at about 11:55am on Friday, where jubilant supporters gathered to welcome him back. Fubara had been suspended from office alongside his deputy, Ngozi Odu, after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on 18 March amid a deepening political crisis. Tinubu appointed retired admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator to run the state during the six-month period. On Wednesday, Ibas formally handed power…

Morrison Ogbonna, commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Cross River state, has been found dead in a hotel in Calabar. Ogbonna’s colleagues, who had gone to pick him up for an assignment on Thursday morning, discovered his lifeless body in the hotel. “They knocked repeatedly on his door without any response, then alerted the hotel management, who opened the room and found him dead,” NAN quoted a source as saying. The late commander had been transferred to Cross River in August to replace Rachel Umebuali, who previously held the position. His sudden death has thrown the…

Nigeria has launched its first centralised passport personalisation centre, a facility designed to fast-track the country’s passport production and end long waiting times for applicants. Unveiled at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja, the high-tech centre can process up to 5,000 passports daily, an unprecedented leap from the 250–300 passports previously produced each day. Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who toured the new facility on Thursday with NIS Comptroller General Kemi Nandap, said the centre marks “a turning point” in passport processing. “With this strategic infrastructural investment, which did not cost the government a kobo, the NIS can…

Nigeria has taken a major step in its quest to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, welcoming the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja on Thursday. President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, assured the delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to deliver a world-class, inclusive Games that would mark the first time the event is staged on African soil in nearly a century. “The President has written a Letter of Guarantee to you; his full weight is behind this bid,” Gbajabiamila said at the Presidential Villa. “It’s been almost 100 years. The Games have not been…

President Bola Tinubu will be in Kaduna on Friday for a mix of celebration and solemn reflection. According to Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, Tinubu is scheduled to attend the wedding of Nasirudeen Yari, son of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who represents Zamfara West.The groom will tie the knot with Safiyya Shehu Idris in a ceremony expected to draw political heavyweights and dignitaries. Beyond the festivities, the president will also make a condolence visit to Aisha Buhari, widow of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari, at her Kaduna residence. This marks Tinubu’s first personal visit to the…

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has commended President Bola Tinubu for ending the emergency rule in Rivers state. On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu ended the emergency rule in Rivers state and asked Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor, to resume work on Thursday, September 18. The president also asked Ngozi Nma Odu, the deputy governor, and members of the Rivers state house of assembly to resume their legislative duties. The emergency rule was declared in the state in March following a prolonged political crisis. In a statement by Lere Olayinka, his special assistant on public communications and…