Author: Vincent Osuwo

Prof Pat Utomi, the Leader of the National Consultative Front, has outlined ongoing moves to solidify formidable coalition to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections described as serious business. Utomi, one of the opposition movement’s leaders, stated that some disgruntled APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, as well as members of five other political parties, were interested in joining the coalition. Utomi told The PUNCH that a large number of APC, PDP, and other political parties had expressed their willingness to join the alliance to save Nigeria from the edge. He stated that various…

The Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has admonished operatives of the Nigeria Police Force against “unlawful” and prolonged detention of suspects. The IG emphasised that suspects should not be detained for longer than legally permitted periods of time and warned that any officer found guilty of such infractions will face severe disciplinary action. Egbetokun stated that unlawful detentions undermine public faith and confidence in the force and urged officers to carry out their jobs with professionalism, integrity, and respect for human rights. In a statement issued on Sunday by Force spokesman ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, the IG highlighted the need for…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, announced on Sunday that its agents apprehended a 42-year-old Indian woman, Ms Neetu Neetu, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano, with 72 packages of heroin manufactured and sealed in wafer wrap and packaged as chocolates. Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, stated, “The Class A drug consignment weighing a total of 11 kilograms was recovered from Neetu’s luggage after a thorough search. He said this “followed processed credible intelligence during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha at the arrival hall of…

Former Bayern Munich and France winger Franck Ribery revealed that he came close to having his leg amputated owing to a severe post-surgery infection near the conclusion of his career. Ribery, a nine-time Bundesliga champion with 81 caps for France, retired in 2022 after a 22-year professional career. His final playing years were plagued by injuries, particularly during his stint at Italian club Salernitana. Despite his unremarkable time in Serie A, Ribery recounted one of the most harrowing experiences of his life in an interview with L’Equipe. Speaking to L’Equipe, the 41-year-old described how what appeared to be a simple…

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has shared her amazing life story, underlining the obstacles she overcame to become the successful lady she is now. Bianca, wife of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu—spoke at the Nigerian Women’s Day event on the margins of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Despite coming from a rich home, Bianca stated that she did not let it impede her dreams. She emphasised the importance of education in every woman’s life and described the temptations she…

Less than a week after a massive explosion affected the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State, another explosion is said to have damaged the Soku oil complex in Akuku Toru Local Government Area. The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), a grassroots NGO with extensive networks in the Niger Delta, confirmed the latest explosion on Sunday. The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), a grassroots NGO with extensive networks in the Niger Delta, confirmed the latest explosion on Sunday. According to the statement, “An explosion accompanied by fireballs was heard and seen in the sky…

No fewer than 15 people have been arrested in Austria and Slovakia accused of hate crimes aimed at the gay community, according to state police in southern Austria. On Friday morning, over 400 police operative conducted raids on behalf of the Graz public prosecutor’s office. They detained 12 males and three women aged 14 to 26, who are accused of enticing people, many of whom are LGBT, to distant regions with phoney social media accounts, then beating them up and photographing them. “The group claimed that its actions were aimed at paedophiles,” Styria state police wrote on their X page.…

No fewer than three people were killed and 15 others injured in a mass shooting between two rival groups at an unsanctioned car show on Friday in the US state of New Mexico, according to local authorities. The shooting took place at Young Park in the city of Las Cruces, at about 22:00 local time. “There have not been arrests or anyone detained,” but the department was seeking leads, Las Cruces police chief Jeremy Story said at a Saturday press conference. Two 19-year-old men and one 16-year-old boy were killed in the shooting, police said. “There was an altercation between…

Juventus are preparing to offer a player-plus-cash deal to sign Nigerian international sensation Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer. The Bianconeri have identified Osimhen as a key target for their offensive overhaul, and they are willing to include defender Federico Gatti in the deal to entice their Serie A rivals to negotiate. According to Tuttosport, Juventus is aware of the complexities of the transaction, given Napoli’s reluctance to sell such a prominent player to a direct competitor. Osimhen was instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign in 2023, scoring 26 goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award…

Pope Francis left Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Sunday, more than five weeks after being admitted on February 14 with lung problems that progressed to pneumonia. The leader of the Catholic Church left in a car, waving from the closed window of the front seat as he drove past journalists while wearing a cannula, a plastic tube tucked into his nostrils that distributes oxygen. Earlier, on Sunday, the Pope greeted and thanked the faithful from the hospital’s balcony, his first public appearance since being admitted. “Thank you, everyone,” a weak-sounding pontiff said into a microphone as he sat in a wheelchair,…