Author: Vincent Osuwo

The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members released by kidnappers on Wednesday have reportedly been offered postings to any of the six South-West states. A parent, who spoke to the press in confidence on Friday, said the survivors were allowed to choose the states where they would continue their national service. “They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” she said. The parent also revealed that the families paid N6m in ransom for each of the graduates. “As for the ransom, we eventually paid N6m each,…

The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has thrown out an appeal brought by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, which contested the Kaduna State High Court’s rejection of his fresh bail application. In a unanimous ruling delivered on Thursday, the three-member appellate panel concluded that El-Rufai had not presented new facts or special circumstances that would justify overturning the lower court’s decision to deny him bail. Based on the Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained by our correspondent on Friday, the lead judgment, delivered by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, upheld the Kaduna State High Court’s ruling, which had turned…

A councillor who represents Ogugu Ward III in the Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. Rosemary Aduku, is said to have passed away after being held captive for several days. Her passing was made known on Friday by the Chairman of Olamaboro Local Government Area, Dr. Ameh Williams, through a statement released on behalf of the Olamaboro Executive Council. Aduku, widely referred to as Hon. Rosella by her colleagues, was remembered as a humble, reliable, and caring politician who devoted herself to the joy and welfare of those around her. In the statement that announced her death and…

Adeleye Adeniyi, a mini-truck driver who was born in Ekiti, has revealed that he took out a loan of N3.5m to back the re-election campaigns of President Bola Tinubu, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and Ekiti State House of Assembly member Steve Fatoba. In an interview with journalists that is now circulating on Friday, Adeniyi, widely known as “Online Loan Man for BAO”, made this known while showing a Wema Bank cardboard cheque for N2m to Tinubu, N1m to Bamidele, and N500,000 to Fatoba. He stated that he was ready to campaign for the three politicians in the run-up to the…

Terrorists have kidnapped three people, among them two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Idi Ayunre, located in the Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, and have demanded N120 million for their release. The victims have been named as Mrs. Eunice Babalola, who heads CRIN’s Central Nursery; Mr. Kehinde Gbalajobi, an agricultural superintendent; and a third man who lives in the institute’s SS Quarters but is not a staff member. Based on the information our correspondent gathered, the abduction took place during working hours on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the incident revealed that…

Barcelona captain Raphinha will be sidelined for the club’s next two matches due to a hamstring problem he sustained while on international duty with Brazil, coach Hansi Flick confirmed on Friday. “The picture shows something, and it’s not a big injury,” Flick, who said that it nonetheless required attention, told reporters. “We have to take care of this because he had a lot of injuries last season about this. I think three injuries. “And we take care. So, he’s not available tomorrow (Saturday against Getafe in La Liga) and also not available in Istanbul against Galatasaray (on Tuesday in the Champions…

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, on Friday, hit out at the criticism directed at star striker Kylian Mbappe, calling the attacks “ridiculous.” The French captain has faced backlash for choosing to recover from a left knee injury sustained while playing for his country in a Nations League match against Turkey in France and Switzerland instead of Madrid. The 27-year-old was also seen at the entrance of a Parisian nightclub and captured on a bicycle during his time in Switzerland. Some fans interpreted this as a deliberate snub of Mourinho, who just days earlier had advised players to steer clear of…

A mother and her 14-year-old daughter died when a three-story building under construction collapsed at Anata Anaba, Okpoko, in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State. The tragedy happened at around 9:45 pm on Wednesday, leaving the mother and her daughter trapped inside their apartment in a nearby bungalow. According to eyewitnesses, the building made a loud noise, and its walls were said to have cracked before it caved in, sending residents into a state of panic. Residents say emergency responders rescued some of the other people trapped in the rubble and rushed them to hospital. “The woman and…

South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work promoting peace and international law, especially her efforts to ensure that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are brought to justice. The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the announcement on Friday, October 9, 2026, stating that Pillay had shown remarkable courage and integrity in her pursuit of a more comprehensive global legal order. As the committee put it, “Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career.” Born into a family of…

The Lagos State government has urged “residents to strengthen fire-prevention measures during the dry season.” As the state recorded “1,324 emergency incidents between January and September 2026, including 1,135 fire calls,” as the state The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service made this known in its Third Quarter Activity Report covering January to September 2026, released by its Senior Public Affairs Officer, Fadairo Maria. As stated in the report on Thursday, the incidents comprised “79 rescue calls, 100 salvage operations, nine collapsed-building incidents, and one gas-related explosion.” The Controller-General of the service, Margaret Adeseye, noted that these figures highlighted the…