Author: Opalim Lifted

The Ondo State Government has banned the sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks and other unapproved substances following the deaths of about 30 people in the Odigbo area of the state. The government said the directive was aimed at preventing further casualties while investigations continue into the suspected toxic substance linked to the deaths. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, announced the directive, warning sellers and distributors against dealing in alcoholic drinks and other substances whose sources, contents or regulatory status cannot be verified. “The government has mandated the security agencies to swiftly swing into action against…

Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation after a passenger ship carrying 241 people lost contact in the Java Sea while travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island. The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin said it received a report that the Virgo Transport 8 had suffered a communication failure while sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, to Banjarmasin. Initial information placed the vessel’s last known position in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province. The ship’s manifest showed that 241 passengers were on board.…

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Iran will not surrender to the United States, accusing Washington of targeting civilian infrastructure and essential supplies to pressure the country into submission. Pezeshkian made the statement on Saturday in a post on his official X account amid escalating military exchanges and mounting economic pressure on Iran. “If Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces. Why wage war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies, and livelihoods?” Pezeshkian wrote. “If they’re human, why deny people access to water, food, and medicine? Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender.” Pezeshkian…

President Bola Tinubu has edged Peter Obi by 1,067 responses, representing a 1.55 percentage-point lead in the Oxford-Metro Analytics’ National Trust Poll ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The Oxford-Metro poll, which closed on September 7, recorded 69,110 approved and unflagged responses in its final analytical dataset. Tinubu polled 24,469 responses, representing 35.41 per cent of the total, while Obi received 23,402 responses, accounting for 33.86 per cent. The figures placed Tinubu 1.55 percentage points ahead of Obi. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar came third with 18,430 responses, representing 26.67 per cent of the total participation. The poll’s regional breakdown, however,…

A single mother of two, Sandra Okpara, has recovered N1,640,200 she mistakenly transferred to an account linked to Pastor Jerry Eze’s Streams of Joy International. Okpara recovered the money on Saturday, a day after posting a video on social media appealing for help to trace and retrieve the funds. In the video shared on Friday, she explained that the money belonged to other people and was intended for payments. She appealed to anyone connected to the church to help her recover it. “This money is not my money. I cannot do offering of 1,640,200. Please help me trace the accounts,”…

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, has urged labour leaders to aspire to political leadership, saying former union leaders in government have shown the value of workers’ representation in positions of authority. Ajaero made the call in Birnin Kebbi while addressing members of the NLC National Administrative Council (NAC) during a dinner hosted by Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris. The NLC president described Kebbi State as a second home for the Congress following the emergence of Idris, a former labour leader, as governor. Idris previously served as Deputy National President and Acting President of the NLC. Ajaero said…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says his administration will introduce a production subsidy for crude supplied to Nigerian refineries to reduce petrol prices if he wins the 2027 presidential election. Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said the policy would support domestic refining rather than subsidise imported petrol. He made the remarks in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, on Friday, amid criticism of his proposal to restore fuel subsidy. Atiku said concerns recently raised by Dangote Refinery over government-imposed petrol prices had been misrepresented by the Tinubu administration as evidence that…

The CIA has released 71 intelligence reports covering the months and years before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, shedding new light on what the agency told former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The disclosure, made on Friday as the United States marked 25 years since the attacks, contains 70 reports produced before 9/11 and another dated September 12, 2001. The documents include assessments prepared for the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), a report distributed to the president and senior administration officials. Two of the documents had already been released as part of…

The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced plans to refund £50 to applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise. The refund will bring the administrative charge down to the standard £20 fee. The commission announced the decision in a notice published on its website on Friday, following protests and scrutiny over the additional charge. The fee for the intervention exercise was initially set at £20 during a similar exercise under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. However, the high commission had charged applicants £70, despite the fee reportedly not being…

Anulika Onyeanusia, the 36-year-old woman arrested in Anambra State over the alleged sexual abuse of her daughters, has pleaded with Nigerians for forgiveness. Onyeanusia was arrested a few days ago in Onitsha after she allegedly sexually assaulted her daughter using sex toys to create sexual content. The arrest followed the circulation of a disturbing livestream involving the child, which sparked public outrage and calls for authorities to intervene and protect the minor. During a preliminary investigation, the suspect admitted to making money from the material, with $300 said to be the highest amount she had received. She alleged that her…