Author: Vincent Osuwo

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, has filed a complaint in the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Bayelsa State House of Assembly over an alleged impeachment plot. In the originating summons, FHC/ABJ/CS/221/2025, Ewhrudjakpo claimed that members of the Assembly were under pressure to remove him from office because he refused to resign from the Peoples Democratic Party, the platform on which he and Governor Douye Diri were elected. Diri recently resigned from the PDP, although Ewhrudjakpo has remained in the party. The deputy governor’s counsel, Reuben Egwuaba, also claimed that some local government chairpersons, including Alice…

Rena Wakama, the head coach of Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, has been named Hive BC’s head coach for the Unrivaled Basketball League 2025-26 season. Unrivaled is an eight-team women’s basketball league in the United States that was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier in 2023 and debuted in January 2025 with six clubs. On Thursday, the league revealed its second-season head coaching lineup on its website, confirming Wakama’s selection along with seven others from the league’s eight clubs. Wakama led D’Tigress to back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket crowns in 2023 and 2025, as well as a…

Protests have erupted in major towns across Tanzania, with opposition supporters calling Wednesday’s presidential and legislative elections a fraud, according to the BBC on Thursday. Hundreds of demonstrators also entered Kenyan territory, barricading roads, setting bonfires, and ripping down posters of President Samia Hassan along the way. Kenyan police reported two persons died while fleeing running skirmishes with Tanzanian police. Protesters accuse the government of subverting democracy because the major opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, increasing Samia’s prospects of victory. According to the BBC, resentment rose on Thursday after the election…

The United States Embassy in Lagos has indicated that visas provided to foreign nationals are a privilege rather than a right. The US Consulate in Lagos sent this statement on Thursday in response to The PUNCH’s inquiries over the revocation of Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s visa. In an email answer to our correspondent on Thursday, the Consulate stated that it was unable to reveal the specific visa facts due to confidentiality concerns. “Under U.S. law, visa records are generally confidential. We will not discuss the details of this individual visa case,” the Public Diplomacy Officer, US Department of State,…

President Bola Tinubu’s decision to review and partially revoke the previous presidential pardon list has been regarded as “an act of strength” and “proof of compassion,” according to Bayo Onanuga, Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy. Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time program, Onanuga said President Tinubu was not afraid to admit mistakes and make improvements where necessary, characterizing him as a leader who “reads all newspapers, watches TV, and monitors news updates daily.” “Tinubu is not afraid to reverse himself once he makes errors. This is a president that wakes up in the morning and reads…

President Bola Tinubu challenged newly decorated military chiefs on Thursday to take quick action against growing security challenges, saying that “new snakes must be smashed right in the head before they grow.” Speaking at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja, where the four security chiefs received their ranks, the president stated that their appointment “marks the beginning of a renewed effort to ensure peace and security for all Nigerians.” “Today’s ceremony is beyond the symbolism of decoration. It marks the beginning of our renewed effort to ensure the peace and security of all Nigerians. “Each of you…

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has invited Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other lawmakers to the inauguration of constituency projects in Kogi State. The invitation comes just weeks after her return from a six-month suspension. The invitation was included in a letter read by Akpabio at Thursday’s plenary. “In marking my second anniversary as serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to invite fellow distinguished senators to join me for project commissioning in Kogi State,” the letter partly read. According to the invitation, the celebration would take place on Sunday in Ihima, Okene Local Government Area, with the meeting…

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, on Thursday, confirmed the death of one adult male from a three-story building that collapsed in the Apapa area of Lagos State. LASEMA also stated that eight people were rescued from the building. Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, confirmed this in a statement to NAN on Thursday in Lagos. Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency’s response team arrived at the location about 11:09 a.m. and discovered the building had totally collapsed, burying numerous workers beneath the rubble. “Following distress alerts at 11:09 am, LASEMA activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans from Agbowa and Alausa.…

The Edo State Police Command announced on Thursday that 13 suspects had been arrested in connection with the crisis that arose following the death of a 23-year-old man, Chigozie Ifeonu, in the Ogheghe community in Upper Siluko Road in Benin. The altercation, which took place on Wednesday, allegedly began when the deceased was stabbed as a result of a quarrel over a failed transaction. The incident provoked outrage, with enraged youths storming the streets with deadly weapons in an attempt to avenge Ifeonu’s death. According to an eyewitness, many of the youths were injured in a retaliation attack, while others…

President Bola Tinubu decorated the newly appointed service chiefs with their appropriate ranks in the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The ceremony began shortly after 2:00 p.m., with the president performing the decoration alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima and the spouses of the decorated officers, all dressed in their respective service uniforms. General Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Defence Staff; Lieutenant-General Wahidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff; Air Marshal Kennedy Aneke, Chief of Air Staff; and Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, Chief of Naval Staff, all received decorations. Below is the full text of the speech. Protocol Distinguished Service…