Author: Opalim Lifted

Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, says he keeps guns and knives at his bedside. Bashir made the comment in a series of posts on X on Saturday, during an exchange about his brother, Bello El-Rufai, the lawmaker representing the Kaduna North Federal Constituency. Bashir criticised Bello over his recent political moves, accusing him of abandoning the family while remaining aligned with Uba Sani, the Kaduna governor and their father’s successor. In one of the posts, Bashir alleged that Bello had told him to kill himself. “Telling me to kill myself,” he wrote. An X user, Nurudeen…

Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, unleashed a barrage of slurs at his brother, Bello, on Saturday. Bashir, in a series of expletive-laden posts on X, attacked Bello over his recent political moves, accusing him of abandoning the family while he was aligned with Uba Sani, his father’s successor. Sani, the incumbent governor of Kaduna, was a former ally of El-Rufai, but both men fell out after Sani won the 2023 governorship election. Following El-Rufai’s resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March 2025, Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, remained in the ruling party.…

Togo, Niger and Benin owe Nigeria $11.16 million for electricity supplied by Nigerian electricity generation companies (GenCos) under bilateral arrangements in 2025, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). In its 2025 annual report, NERC said the Market Operator (MO) issued invoices totalling $73.91 million to the three international customers for ancillary services, but received only $62.75 million. The payments represented an 84.90 percent remittance performance, leaving $11.16 million outstanding. The international offtakers were Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET), Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (NIGELEC). NERC said: “The international bilateral customers (i.e., Societe Nigerienne…

Liverpool’s Victor Munoz struck a late equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but Andoni Iraola’s side were left still searching for their first Premier League win of the season after his first home league game in charge. Forest had looked set to leave Anfield with all three points, in what would have been a first league victory in charge for Oliver Glasner, when Morgan Gibbs-White converted a 70th-minute penalty, awarded after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson fouled Neco Williams in the area, to give Forest a 2-1 lead. But newcomer Munoz, in his first start for Liverpool,…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has assured Nigerians that preparations for the 2027 elections will not disrupt the legislative duties of members of the National Assembly. Akpabio spoke with journalists at the presidential wing of the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo after convening a meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) critical stakeholders in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District. At the meeting, President Bola Tinubu, Akpabio and Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom, received unanimous endorsements to seek re-election in 2027. According to a statement issued by Jackson Udom, Akpabio’s special assistant on media, the Senate President said electioneering and legislative…

President Bola Tinubu has directed Taiwo Oyedele, minister of finance and co-ordinating minister of the economy, to oversee a comprehensive forensic audit of federal government systems. Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the exercise will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal government agencies and their administration and internal controls. The directive follows a Federal Executive Council (FEC) resolution on August 19, 2026, prompted by findings from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on “fake agencies”, ghost workers and other control failures. According to Onanuga, the audit…

Two Nigerians extradited from Nigeria to the United States are facing charges over alleged sextortion schemes targeting minors, with one case reportedly linked to the death of a 13-year-old boy. FBI Director Kash Patel said Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudashiru Afeez Olawale, who were arrested in Nigeria in 2023, have been returned to the US to face justice. Patel disclosed this in a post on X on Friday night. “This FBI has brought back two high-value targets from Nigeria to the United States to face justice for alleged sextortion crimes targeting minors,” Patel said. He said the charges include sexual…

The federal government has warned that 915 communities across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) face critical flood risks between August 27 and September 9. The National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre issued the warning in its latest flood-risk advisory, placing the affected communities on immediate watch and urging residents and authorities to take preparedness and protective measures. The government also classified 429 communities across seven states as high risk, while another 656 communities in 13 states were placed under moderate flood-risk watch. The 19 states classified as critical risk are Kogi, Benue, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Cross River,…

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two fraudsters for money laundering and fraudulent impersonation. The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the convictions of Agboola Abdullahi Abiodun and Victor Okonjo before Justice F.N. Ogazi. In a statement issued on Friday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said, the two men were separately arraigned on charges bordering on money laundering, cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation. Agboola faced a three-count charge, including disguising proceeds from a dating scam through the purchase of a black Toyota Venza, in violation of the Money Laundering…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has facilitated the extradition of two Nigerian men to the United States over alleged child exploitation and sextortion offences. In a statement issued on Friday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle were extradited on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, to face prosecution in the US. According to the commission, the men were identified in separate investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into sextortion schemes targeting male minors, particularly boys aged between 13 and 17. The investigations allegedly linked the pair to separate cases involving two American…