Author: Opalim Lifted

Terror swept through parts of Niger State again on Tuesday as heavily armed gunmen stormed border communities in Borgu and Agwara, forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee into the Benin Republic. The latest Niger terror attack came barely 24 hours after Governors Umaru Bago of Niger and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State met in Minna to review security in border towns. Eyewitnesses said more than 200 terrorists riding about 70 motorcycles invaded Konkoso in the early hours of Tuesday, their second assault within a week. Homes were set ablaze before the attackers moved towards Segbana, a border town linking…

Lucky Aiyedatiwa has denied allegations that he ordered thugs to attack the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure, Ondo State. The Ondo governor dismissed claims linking him to Tuesday’s violence at the party’s state headquarters, insisting he was attending a birthday ceremony when the attack occurred. Suspected hoodlums stormed the APC secretariat in Akure during a stakeholders’ meeting convened ahead of the ward congresses. Ade Adetimehin, the caretaker chairman of the party in Ondo, was reportedly beaten and had his phone seized during the incident. The disruption forced stakeholders to abandon the meeting. Witnesses said the attackers…

Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, has asked Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested before being brought to Nigeria. Agubuzu spoke on Tuesday while delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. The traditional ruler said Kanu’s continued detention is fuelling agitation among youths in the South-East. “Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to…

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Peter Obi has renewed his call for election reform and criticised President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s struggling power sector, accusing the government of failing to meet key promises. In posts shared on Tuesday, Obi said peaceful Nigerians demanding free and fair elections were tear-gassed for exercising their democratic rights. He described the development as evidence of democratic backsliding. The former Anambra state governor called for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results, arguing that transparency is essential to public trust. Comparing Nigeria and India Obi contrasted Nigeria’s electoral process with that of India, which…

Growing desperation among young Africans; Nigerians seeking opportunities abroad is fuelling a dangerous cycle that leaves many vulnerable to exploitation, including alleged recruitment into foreign military conflicts, foreign policy and security experts have warned. Professor of International Relations, Femi Otubanjo, said unfolding reports of Africans, including Nigerians, ending up in military camps in Russia reflect a complex global pattern driven by economic hardship and long-standing international recruitment practices. “It takes two to tango. So, you have to have a partnership for certain things to be achieved,” Otubanjo said, noting that stories of foreign job seekers being redirected into military service…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna State, as Renewed Hope Ambassador and Deputy Director-General for All Progressives Congress (APC) outreach, engagement, and mobilisation. In a statement on Tuesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on media and strategy, said Sani’s appointment takes immediate effect. Onanuga said Tinubu appointed Sani to the role because of his outstanding leadership and organisational abilities. “The governor’s responsibilities will include working in close collaboration with the Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the party hierarchy, particularly the national chairman of the APC,” the statement reads. “The overall objective of…

Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives staged a dramatic walkout on Tuesday after the chamber approved a controversial manual collation clause in the amended Electoral Act. The protest erupted over Section 60(3), which allows manual collation of results where electronic transmission fails. Opposition members insisted that election results must be transmitted electronically without any fallback to manual processes. The amended clause states that presiding officers must electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result viewing portal (IReV). However, it also provides that if electronic transmission fails due to technical or communication issues, Form…

About 100 US military personnel have arrived at Bauchi airfield under a new security cooperation deal between Nigeria and the United States. In a statement on Monday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that the deployment follows a recent bilateral security agreement between Nigeria and the US government. According to DHQ spokesperson Samaila Uba, the Federal Government formally requested US assistance in military training, technical support and intelligence sharing for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He stressed that the US personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in advisory and training roles not combat troops. “The collaboration will provide access to…

Proceedings in the House of Representatives turned chaotic on Tuesday as lawmakers clashed over a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment bill. Tensions flared after Francis Waive, chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, moved a motion to reverse the green chamber’s earlier decision on the bill passed on December 23, 2025. When Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House, put the motion to a voice vote, the “nays” clearly outweighed the “ayes”. However, Abbas ruled in favour of the “ayes”, triggering loud protests across the chamber. Lawmakers openly challenged the ruling, shouting in…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has firmly stated that it does not determine or adjust foreign exchange (FX) rates used for import and export valuation. In a statement issued by its National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, the agency addressed growing public debate over exchange rate discrepancies, investor reactions, and customs valuation processes. According to the NCS, all FX rates applied within its digital clearance platform, B’Odogwu, the unified customs management system are electronically transmitted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Maiwada stressed that the customs service has no authority to generate, alter, or apply margins to exchange rates.…