Author: Vincent Osuwo

US President Donald Trump has struck a deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase imports of US oil and gas in order to reduce the two nations’ trade deficits. “They are going to buy a lot of our oil and gas. They need it. “And we have it,” Trump said during a joint news briefing in Washington. Modi stated that “in order to ensure India’s energy security, we will focus on trade in oil and gas,” while also promising to increase investment in nuclear energy. His two-day visit comes as Trump orders that US trading partners face reciprocal…

Hamas has stated that it is dedicated to executing the Gaza truce agreement with Israel and will continue releasing hostages as planned, bolstering hopes that the war can be avoided. Following discussions in Cairo, the Palestinian armed group announced that mediators from Egypt and Qatar had agreed to “remove obstacles.” According to reports from Egypt and Qatar, gaps have been filled. An Israeli government spokeswoman would not comment on the reports but did stress that if Hamas did not release three living prisoners on Saturday, the ceasefire would be terminated. Israel’s prime minister issued a similar ultimatum on Tuesday, after…

Orchardson Umoh, a human rights activist, has urged the police to investigate the 2018 Ayilamo Saga event in Benue State, in which some officers were attacked and killed while conducting an operation in the region. Umoh asserted this in a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, dated February 11, regarding the handling of the incident, which was made accessible to journalists in Calabar, Cross River State’s capital, on Thursday. According to the petition, 23 police officers from Mopol Unit 33 in Ado Ekiti and the Imo Safer Highway Unit were ambushed during an operation to protect…

The E-hailing Drivers Union has lamented the increasing number of attacks on its members, calling on the government and relevant authorities to take immediate action to ensure their safety. Chronicle NG reports that a 42-year-old e-hailing driver, Yusfat Ayinde, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants on Friday, and his body was dumped at Agidingbi in the Ikeja area of Lagos State. Ayinde was said to have received a ride request through the e-hailing app and arrived at the location, where he was ambushed by a group of hoodlums. The criminals thereafter stabbed him in the process and fled with…

Dr. Bisi Onasanya, the former Group Managing Director of First Bank, appeared before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, resolved to prove his innocence and clear his name. Onasanya, together with former First Bank Chairman Oba Otudeko, a director at Honeywell Group, Soji Akintayo, and Anchorage Leisure Limited, is denying charges of fraud in connection with a commercial loan transaction at the bank while he was the group managing director. Onasanya’s appearance is consistent with the pledge made by his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), when the case first came up in court on January…

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, passed the ₦54.99 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill (budget) proposed by President Bola Tinubu. The Tinubu-led Federal Government says the ₦54.99 trillion budget is structured to address key national financial commitments. Statutory transfers account for ₦3.645 trillion, ensuring funding for constitutionally mandated entities. A significant portion of the bill, ₦14.317 trillion, is allocated to debt servicing, reflecting Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal obligations. The government spends ₦13.64 trillion on salaries, overheads, and government operations. The greatest allocation, ₦23.963 trillion, is for capital projects under the development fund, which aim to expand infrastructure and the economy. Last Monday,…

Owolabi Akinlolu, the Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Ogudu Police Station in Lagos State, was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl at his office at the Ogudu Police Division and was allegedly retired from service in secret before his case was heard in court on Tuesday. This falls short of the expectations of rights campaigners, the traumatized victim, and her family, who expected the suspect to be fired from service and prosecuted after the investigation was completed. Chronicle NG reported in July 2024 that the survivor’s mother, Mrs. Aramide Olupona, accused the police of attempting to cover up the…

MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecom operator, has issued a public apology to its customers following widespread complaints about a sudden 200% increase in the price of its popular 15GB data package. The price increase, which requires internet subscribers to pay N6,000 for a 15GB weekly data plan, a 200% increase from the previous N2,000, surprised many customers and sparked fury on social media on Wednesday. In a message posted on social media on Thursday, MTN acknowledged its customers’ unhappiness in an informal, conversational tone and sought to address the rising anger among users who had become accustomed to the previously given…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened to penalize banks that compel customers to withdraw amounts lower than N20,000 per transaction from automated teller machines. The CBN disclosed this in a ‘Question and Answer’ explainer released on Thursday in reaction to its recent review of ATM withdrawal fees. It emphasized that ATM charges for withdrawals made from other banks’ ATMs, both on-site and off-site, are based on the expectation that customers can withdraw up to N20,000 per transaction. “Any bank that compels a customer with sufficient funds in their account to withdraw less than N20,000 per transaction, against their…

The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed reports of missing 3,907 firearms, citing a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated that the claims are misleading and do not reflect the reality of the situation. “The report appears to stem from an assessment of the 2019 audit, which likely reflects records compiled before the tenure of the current Inspector-General of Police. “The report states that 3,907 arms were ‘unaccounted for,’ not ‘missing,’ as speculated in the news,” Adejobi stated. This clarification comes after a February 11 report…