Author: Vincent Osuwo

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation of prominent politicians to pay a courtesy visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence on Friday. However, Atiku stated that the visit was solely for Sallah celebrations and did not include any conversations about the planned political party coalition aimed at establishing a stronger opposition. The visit was seen as noteworthy, particularly in the context of the 2027 national elections. Among the delegation were former governors of Kaduna and Sokoto states, Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal, as well as other prominent politicians. Atiku claimed that he had been unable…

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has stated that the recent visit to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna was not political. On Friday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation of well-known politicians to Buhari’s home in Kaduna. The delegation included Nasir el-Rufai, former Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Communications Minister Isa Pantami, former Imo Governor Achike Udenwa, former Benue Governor Gabriel Suswam, and former Adamawa Governor Jibrilla Bindow. The visit raised eyebrows, especially as el-Rufai had recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). However, in a post on X on Friday,…

A group of residents from Kogi Central Senatorial District has filed a complaint at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate. The claim, brought on April 4, 2025, by 10 applicants, demands the enforcement of their fundamental rights to political participation under Article 13(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The applicants present their case on eight grounds and seek seven specific reliefs for resolution. The suit’s ten applicants are Ovavu Iliyasu, Isah Otini, Onivehu Amoto, Isah Mediant, Ogunmola Samuel, Umar Oyiza, Megida Sadiq, Siyaka Akinlade, Michael Ademola,…

The Federal Government has imposed stricter immigration penalties, warning that foreigners who overstay their visas for more than six months will face a five-year ban, while those who overstay for one year will face a ten-year ban. Overstaying will also result in a daily fine of $15, starting from the visa’s stated exit date, effective August 1. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, made the announcement during a meeting with the Organised Private Sector and other stakeholders at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association House in Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday. Tunji-Ojo made the remark while presenting the Ministry of Interior’s new Expatriate…

Aggrieved youths from Okpanam, in the Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, on Thursday blocked the entrance to the Delta State Government House in Asaba, protesting what they described as an intentional power blackout imposed on the community by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company and rising insecurity. The demonstrators expressed concern that the protracted blackout had produced a climate conducive to an increase in crime and other illegal acts, such as kidnappings and violence. Before arriving at the Government House, the protesting youths marched through several major roads in the state capital, chanting protest songs and carrying placards…

Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) decision to ban the broadcast of Eedris Abdulkareem’s song “Tell Your Papa”, describing it as a violation of free expression and the right to information. Amnesty International stated on its official Facebook page that the ban, which labelled the song as “Not To Be Broadcast” due to its critical tone towards the government, is an abuse of power. The organisation urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately ask NBC to lift the restriction, underlining that the song’s criticism of those in authority does not justify suppression. Amnesty International stated that the…

Former Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, ex-Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal paid a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna house. According to a video seen by our correspondent on X, other politicians who visited Buhari on Friday included former Minister of Communications Isa Pantami, former Governor of Imo State Achike Udenwa, former Governor of Benue State Senator Gabriel Suswam, and former Governor of Adamawa State Jibrilla Bindow, among others. Atiku, who took to his verified X page on Friday to disclose the visit, described it as a “wonderful…

A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Faruk Umar, has sentenced Hamdiyya Sidi Shariff, an 18-year-old social media activist, to 12 strokes of the cane, two years in prison, or a ₦50,000 fine. Shariff was arrested on November 13, 2024, and remanded to prison for allegedly denouncing escalating killings and severe instability in Sokoto State in a social media post. On Thursday, Maliq (@MasterMaliq) tweeted on the X platform that Shariff was abducted by armed guys while on her way to fetch her phone from a charging point. She was battered, thrown from a moving tricycle, and…

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has ruled that Kano State’s blasphemy laws violate international human rights obligations. In the case filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Expression Now Human Rights Initiative against the Federal Republic of Nigeria (ECW/CCJ/APP/41/23), the regional court ruled that key provisions of Kano State’s Penal and Sharia Penal Codes were incompatible with Nigeria’s commitments under international and regional human rights frameworks. The applicant claimed that the state’s blasphemy laws resulted in major abuses such as arbitrary arrests, extended incarceration, and, in certain cases, death sentences. The group…

The Yobe State Government has announced plans to reintegrate former Boko Haram militants who have completed the De-radicalization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration program under Operation Safe Corridor. The State Governor, Mai Buni, made the announcement on Thursday during a meeting with OPSC representatives led by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, in Damaturu, the state capital. Buni acknowledged the catastrophic consequences of the 15-year Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed thousands, destroyed property, and uprooted many families. He underlined the importance of a non-kinetic strategy to addressing the underlying reasons of the conflict, acknowledging that not all Boko Haram members…