Author: Vincent Osuwo

The President Donald Trump administration may shut down nearly 30 United States embassies and consulates around the world, including several in Africa, as part of a plan to reduce the country’s diplomatic presence abroad. A CNN report on Wednesday, citing an internal US State Department document, disclosed that the embassies in the Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Lesotho, and South Sudan are among those proposed for closure. The US consulate in South Africa may also be shut down. “The document recommends closing 10 embassies and 17 consulates. Many of the posts are in Europe and Africa, though they also…

Brazilian talisman, Neymar Jr., has suffered yet another injury setback, just 34 minutes into his return for Santos in the Brasileirão, transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano discloses. “Neymar Jr leaves the pitch with a new injury as Santos started him tonight in the Brasileirão. After 34 minutes, Neymar has been subbed off,” Romano reported on Wednesday. The development is the latest in a string of injury troubles that have plagued the 33-year-old in recent times. Earlier in January 2025, Neymar ended his short and injury-hit stint with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. The Saudi Arabian club confirmed the mutual termination of his…

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has taken inspiration from Arsenal FC, an English Premier League club, to stress the need for unity and consolidation in coalition politics. In a message on his official X (previously Twitter) page on Wednesday, Atiku commended Arsenal’s performance and stated that the team’s success was an important lesson in the power of collective effort. “Arsenal just taught us a lesson in consolidating our strengths in a coalition vehicle. “Victory is assured when we stand united,” Atiku wrote. The comment comes amid ongoing…

Hundreds of suspected Boko Haram members have been arrested in Lagos State, according to the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Lagos State, Mr Kumar Sanda. Sanda made the announcement on Wednesday during an award ceremony in Lagos, where he highlighted the CJTF’s efforts to prevent Boko Haram insurgents and bandits from infiltrating the state. Kumar was honoured with the Nigerian Human Rights Community’s Best Security Group in Lagos award at an event held at the Airport Hotel in Lagos. According to the CJTF Commander, arrests are done on a regular basis at caravan parks, quarries, marketplaces and…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have vowed to hunt down operators of Ponzi schemes nationwide. Following the collapse of the digital asset platform, CBEX, federal government agencies announced this on Wednesday. However, the SEC confirmed that it has yet to receive formal complaints about the collapsed digital assets site, whilst the EFCC stated that individuals who invested in the CBEX digital trading platform would receive their money back. During a live television program on Arise TV, SEC Director-General Dr Emomotimi Agama promised to track down the scammers. CBEX, which claims to…

More protests rocked Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Wednesday as women under the banner of the Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group came to the streets to demand the repeal of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu and the subsequent suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Wednesday’s protest follows a similar demonstration on Monday. The protesting women argued that both the emergency rule and the appointment of a sole administrator were unlawful. Meanwhile, on the same day, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers State Oversight invited the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), to…

The Federal Government expressed sympathy for the victims of the digital investment platform CBEX on Wednesday, emphasising the need for Nigerians to work together to put an end to the country’s increase in Ponzi schemes. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, made the appeal during his keynote address at the second edition of The Spokespersons Summit in Abuja, which was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. According to Oyedele, ridding the country of such a threat is a communal responsibility of…

President Bola Tinubu inaugurated an eight-member committee on the forthcoming national population and housing census on Wednesday. The eight-member committee was inaugurated at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday. As disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, the committee will submit an interim report within three weeks. Tinubu stated that the census is crucial for national development, accurate planning, and effective decision-making in healthcare, education, security, and economic planning. Nigeria’s last census was in 2006, nearly two decades ago. It recorded a population of 140,431,790, with 71,345,488 males and…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says investors who invested in the CBEX digital trading platform will get a refund. The EFCC stated that it was already tracking the CBEX trading platform prior to the recent public outrage. According to multiple posts on X, the CBEX, which guaranteed investors a 100 per cent return on investment, began encountering issues last weekend when many investors were unable to withdraw their money. On Monday, unhappy ‘investors’ reportedly ransacked the office of Smart Treasure, an offshoot of the CBEX crypto trading platform, in Ibadan’s Oke Ado axis, Oyo State. Speaking on Channels…

Iran is not far from possessing an atomic bomb, the director of the UN nuclear watchdog said in an interview with Le Monde published on Wednesday, just hours before a visit to Tehran. The chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, claimed that Iran still had a long way to go before getting the bomb but added, “They’re not far from it, you have to acknowledge.” Grossi compared the creation of a nuclear weapon to a jigsaw puzzle, adding that Iran “has the pieces, and they could eventually put them together one day.” Grossi was due to arrive…