Author: Opalim Lifted

Parts of Abuja have been hit by flooding following heavy rainfall, with residents blaming the recurring problem on poor drainage, indiscriminate waste disposal and the conversion of green spaces and waterways for development. Flooding was reported in Wuse 2, Katampe, Mabushi, Lugbe, Nyanya, Gwarimpa, Asokoro, Maitama, Utako, Wuye, Gudu and around the bridge linking Gaduwa and Durumi. Motorists and residents were affected by rising water, while social media reports showed vehicles and properties surrounded by floodwater. However, no official assessment of damage was immediately available. In Wuse 2, residents reported significant flooding on roads and surrounding areas after Sunday’s downpour.…

Five people, including four teenagers, have died and 10 others were injured in two separate building collapses in Kano State. The incidents occurred on Saturday at Gaida in Kumbotso Local Government Area and Kurna in Fagge LGA, according to the Kano State Fire Service. Saminu Abdullahi, the fire service’s public relations officer, said emergency responders received distress calls about the incidents at 2:34pm and 2:40pm. At Gaida, near a filling station, an incomplete building measuring about 50 by 50 feet collapsed while six workers were on site. Two workers, Muhammad Hassan, 17, and Khalid Abubakar, 19, were alive. Four others…

Gunmen have attacked several communities in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, killing several residents and injuring others. The attack reportedly occurred early Sunday in Mbaterem, Ayaba, Ikpur, Yina, Aboajio and Ukpen communities in Mbazun Ward. Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has condoled with the affected communities, while commending security agencies for their response to the attack. According to a statement by Tersoo Kula, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, the attackers allegedly masqueraded as herdsmen before launching the assault. “Governor Hyacinth Alia appreciates the prompt response by security agencies in the herdsmen terror attack on Ukum Local Government Area,”…

Several residents of settlements in Jwak Maitumbi community, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, are feared dead following an attack by suspected militia members. The attack, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of Sunday, also left about 45 residential shelters destroyed, while large quantities of crops were reportedly damaged. According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the incident was reported at about 7:45am, prompting troops to deploy to the affected community. A military security source told the publication that troops found about 45 houses destroyed when they arrived, while valuables belonging to residents had also been looted. Zagazola…

Paul Enenche, senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, has called for a census to determine the number of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. Enenche made the call during a church service on Sunday while reacting to recent comments by Sani Yahaya Jingir, an Islamic cleric, on religion and politics ahead of the 2027 elections. Jingir had urged Muslims to use their voting strength to support Muslim candidates and back the continuation of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. The cleric had also claimed that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria. Reacting to the claim, Enenche argued that Christianity is not subordinate to…

Ayetoro, a coastal fishing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, is being steadily swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean as coastal erosion continues to destroy homes, public facilities and livelihoods. Nicknamed “The Happy Place”, Ayetoro is home to about 10,000 people and was founded in 1947 by communist-inspired Christians who sought to build a society based on communal ownership. But decades later, the community is facing an uncertain future as the shoreline continues to retreat. According to a study by spatial planning specialist Barnabas Ogirima James, Ayetoro’s coastline receded by an average of 15 metres (50 feet) annually…

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested a 19-year-old woman in Zuru Local Government Area for allegedly stealing a newborn baby and presenting the child to her husband as her own. The incident allegedly occurred on July 23, 2025, when the suspect visited Fatima Muhammad shortly after she had given birth. In a Sunday statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, said the suspect offered to help the new mother by fetching hot water but allegedly used the opportunity to flee with the newborn. Preliminary investigations reportedly showed that the suspect had been under social and emotional…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored four previously suppressed State House of Assembly constituencies in Delta and Kogi states following court judgments directing their restoration. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, recently disclosed this in a statement. The restored constituencies are Abraka, Isoko North II and Ughelli South II in Delta State, while Yagba West II has been restored in Kogi State. The electoral commission has scheduled August 21 to 25, 2026 for political parties to conduct primaries for candidates seeking to contest the restored constituencies. INEC said the primaries…

Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has filed a N10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged denial of access to his wife and son while in detention. El-Rufai filed the suit through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He joined ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagbemi as the second and third defendants. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, was filed on August 13 and sighted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday. El-Rufai alleges violation of…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered US$60 million from Nestoil Limited as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged criminal aspects of transactions involving the oil company and a consortium of its lenders. The recovery followed a meeting convened and chaired by EFCC Chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, where Nestoil and the consortium agreed to a structured repayment plan to settle outstanding indebtedness. According to the EFCC, the agreement has already produced significant results, with US$60 million paid by Nestoil to the consortium of lenders during the course of the investigation. The payment was facilitated by operatives of…