Author: Vincent Osuwo

The House of Representatives was divided on Thursday over a bill which seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting in national and state elections mandatory for all Nigerians of voting age. The bill, which passed second reading at Thursday’s plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, was co-sponsored by the Speaker and Plateau State member Daniel Asama. The proposed legislation imposes penalties on eligible voters who fail to vote without a justifiable reason, including a fine of N100,000, a six-month jail sentence, or both. When the measure was first introduced in mid-April, it provoked widespread uproar,…

Barcelona won their 28th La Liga title as teenage sensation Lamine Yamal produced another wonderful goal in a derby triumph against Espanyol. The 17-year-old curled a stunning goal into the top left corner from the edge of the box, confirming his side’s title. With two games remaining, they have a seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. Fermin Lopez scored again deep into injury time, this time off Yamal’s pass. However, the game was briefly delayed in the first half due to word of an incident outside. An automobile collided with supporters, injuring 13 people and transporting four to the hospital,…

The Nasarawa Police Command, relying on credible intelligence, has arrested a 21-year-old woman, Fatima Salisu, suspected of being an arms trafficker. Ramhan Nansel, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed this in a statement released on Thursday. According to the PPRO, Salisu was detained for allegedly smuggling ammunition through the Keana and Doma areas of Nasarawa for criminals in Katsina, where she resides. “Acting swiftly on the intelligence tip-off, Commissioner of Police, CP Shetima J. Mohammed, ordered the immediate deployment of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. “The team acted with precision, leading to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of 400 rounds…

President Bola Tinubu will travel to Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. According to a statement issued Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the travel is at the Vatican’s request, following the election of Pope Leo XIV by the Conclave of Cardinals. The liturgy, slated for Sunday, May 18, at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, will mark the formal beginning of Pope Leo’s pontificate. According to the presidency, in a letter given to Tinubu by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the…

The police on Thursday re-arraigned social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, (VDM) before a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly cyberbullying Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh. The social activist has also been accused of cyberbullying Nigerian producer and singer Samuel Oguachuba, better known as Samklef, among others. VDM was arraigned before Justice Musa Liman on a five-count charge and pleaded not guilty. Remember that VDM was first arraigned on May 22, 2024, before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon for the same acts, which are illegal and punishable under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.)…

The House of Representatives has passed a bill for a second reading which seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age. The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago co-sponsored the proposed law. Leading the debate at the floor of the House on Thursday, Ago said the law intended to enhance citizens’ engagement in the electoral process, stressing that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales congressional scrutiny. Although the bill passed second reading, Mark Esset of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State believes that making voting…

Two House of Representatives members, Kabiru Usman and Abdullahi Sani, who were elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, read the notices of defection in plenary on Thursday. The lawmakers who represent Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya and Karaye/Rogo Federal Constituencies, both in Kano, blamed their defection on “the internal crisis rocking the NNPP.” Oluwole Oke, a member of the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency in Osun State, declared his defection to the APC. The APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, attended the plenary to offer support with the defectors.…

A Federal High Court in Kaduna State has convicted and sentenced a content creator, Muhammad Kabir, for abusing and mutilating the Naira in a video shared on social media. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) revealed this in a statement on Thursday, saying Kabir was arrested on May 13, 2025, in the Tudun Wada area of Kaduna State. According to the commission, Kabir, identified on TikTok and Instagram as @youngcee0066, was shown in a video spraying Naira notes on the floor, treading on them, and making provocative Hausa remarks while daring the EFCC to apprehend him at his known…

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday called for the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, following the admittance by the examination body that the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) was marred with errors. NANS, in a statement made by its National Public Relations Officer, Samson Adeyemi, described the blunders as a “damning indictment of the institution’s incompetence”. Chronicle NG reports that during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Oloyede burst into tears while apologetic for the UTME results anomalies. Reacting to the JAMB authority’s admission, Adeyemi emphasised…

Former presidential candidate Prof. Pat Utomi has been brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja by the Department of State Services (DSS) following his determination to form a shadow government in the country. In the FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025 suit, the security agency accused Prof. Utomi, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2007 presidential election, of illegally usurping President Bola Tinubu’s executive powers. The agency claimed that Prof. Utomi’s actions could destabilise the country and cause chaos. According to the DSS, the projected shadow government is not just an aberration but also a serious violation of the Constitution…