Author: Opalim Lifted

Gunmen have reportedly killed Umar Moriki, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at Fegi village near Gidan Dawa in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara state. The incident was said to have occurred in the early hours of Saturday while the politician was returning to Kaduna from Gusau, the Zamfara state capital. On Friday, Moriki was among the APC stakeholders who attended a meeting and a reception organised in honour of Bello Matawalle, the minister of state for defence, who visited the state. The APC chieftain was buried on Saturday. In a statement on Saturday, Yusuf Gusau, spokesperson of the…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has elected Kabiru Turaki, former minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, as its national chairman. The election took place on Saturday during the party’s national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. Turaki, who was the sole candidate for the top position of the main opposition party, secured 1,516 votes. His emergence followed the earlier withdrawal of Lado Danmarke, the PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate in Katsina state. Despite pulling out of the race, Danmarke still received 275 votes. Solarin Sunday Adekunle polled 633 votes to emerge as the deputy national organising secretary. Ex-minister Turaki…

Benin Republic has approved a major constitutional shake-up, extending the presidential term from five to seven years — a move that will reshape the country’s political future ahead of the 2026 elections. Lawmakers passed the amendment on Friday in a decisive 90–19 vote, confirming that presidents will now serve a single seven-year term, renewable only once. “From now on… the President of the Republic is elected… for a term of seven years renewable only once,” the national assembly announced in a statement on Saturday, emphasising that no individual can exceed two terms in their lifetime. The extension isn’t limited to…

Fans heading to AFCON Morocco 2025 will enjoy smoother travel as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the tournament’s Local Organising Committee confirmed on Friday that electronic visas will now be issued free of charge. The offer covers supporters from countries that typically require a visa to enter Morocco. According to CAF, fans can now obtain their free e-visas via the YALLA app ahead of the tournament, which runs from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, amid a surge in global interest and ticket demand. Visitors will need two key documents: a Fan ID and an e-visa. Both…

The Federal Government has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s inability to feed more than 50 million cattle owned by rural dwellers, describing the situation as a national emergency that threatens food security, livelihoods and stability. Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, sounded the warning on Friday at the opening of a two-day ECOWAS Policy Dialogue Workshop on the PRISMA livestock research project. Represented by Dr Peter Alike from the Permanent Secretary’s office, he said the crisis highlighted why the livestock sector could no longer be neglected. According to him, the livestock industry is already contributing over $32 billion to…

The Department of State Services (DSS) has recaptured Abdulazeez Obadaki, a wanted terrorist and one of the notorious escapees from the July 2022 Kuje prison break in the FCT. Over 800 inmates, including Boko Haram suspects  fled when insurgents overran the facility. Obadaki, a member of the Ansaru terror group, was arrested on Friday morning. He is accused of orchestrating the 2022 bank robberies in Uromi, Edo State, and the fatal shooting at Deeper Life College in Okene, Kogi State. His arrest adds to the string of breakthroughs announced earlier by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who in August confirmed…

Mexico this week unveiled its plan for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will kick off on June 11 with the opening match at the Estadio Azteca, the country’s most iconic venue with a capacity of more than 80,000 spectators, reports upi.com. Thirteen matches are scheduled for Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in an event the government says will be “inclusive,” coordinated with FIFA and supported by a broad infrastructure and tourism-promotion programme. The 2026 World Cup will be held for the first time across three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tournament, organised by FIFA, will feature…

Google has agreed to pay more than $40 million to support South African news media after an inquiry by the country’s Competition Commission (CompCom) found that the company reduced search-engine monetisation opportunities that traditionally sustained these outlets. CompCom disclosed the payment agreement in a final report detailing the inquiry and its findings, published on Thursday. According to the report, the inquiry found that Google—alongside major global platforms like Meta and Microsoft—dominates key gateways through which South Africans access information. The inquiry noted that the tech giant maintains a dominant position, where news represents 5–10 percent of queries and drives user…

The mother of Imisi Ayanwale, the BBNaija Season 10 winner, has sparked speculation about a deepening family rift following a recent video she shared on social media. In a TikTok post, she expressed gratitude to her friends, the Ebute-Metta community in Lagos, and her church members for supporting Imisi during her time on the reality show. She also addressed personal allegations that resurfaced after her daughter’s victory, denying claims that she neglected Imisi before the show. “I want to sincerely appreciate all those who stood by me during Imisi’s time on Big Brother. My friends, everyone in Ebute-Metta, the church,…

The co-founder of Paystack, Ezra Olubi, is facing intense backlash after old tweets referencing paedophilia and bestiality went viral.  The controversy began when Max ‘Makispoke’ Obae, a US-based entrepreneur, alleged misogynistic behaviour by Olubi during an X Space session titled “My Piece.” Obae claimed she met Olubi in Ikeja, Lagos, when she was 19 through a mutual friend. For years they remained distant X (Twitter) mutuals. The relationship shifted in 2016 when Olubi visited her in New York. She said she believed he was queer and feminist based on his “presentation.” At that time she was mainly dating women and…