Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Gabon’s military leader Gen Brice Oligui Nguema – who in 2023 led a coup that ended a near-60-year dynasty – has won Saturday’s presidential election with more than 90% of the vote, provisional results show. Ahead of the vote, critics argued that the new constitution and electoral code were designed to give Oligui Nguema a comfortable pathway to the top job. Some opposition heavyweights who could have posed a serious political challenge were excluded from the race. His election victory consolidates his grip on power, nearly two years after he masterminded the demise of President Ali Bongo, whose family had…

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has dismissed a report of a United State (U.S.) court ordering two law enforcement agencies to release information on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a “purported federal investigation in the 1990s.” In a tweet on his verified X handle, Onanuga told those agitated by the directive that there would be nothing  revealing in the anticipated report. In an April 9, District Court for the District of Columbia Judge, Beryl ordered the Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Central Intelligence…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Ndubuisi Udatu, a 41-year-old ex-convict also known as Richard, with 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in two large music speakers. The arrest occurred on Monday, April 7, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari along the Ngurore-Yola road, Adamawa State. Udatu, a returnee from Malaysia, was caught on a commercial bus with the drugs intended for distribution in Yola, Mubi, and across the Cameroon border. “In his statement, he claimed he returned to Nigeria to continue his illicit drug trade after serving out his jail term in Malaysia where he had been…

Hundreds women in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Friday took to the streets to demand the reinstatement of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu. According to reports, the demonstration began along Aba road and advanced to the Rivers State Government House. The women carried placards with inscriptions, “Bring back Fubara”, “Save our democracy”, “Is the law different for Rivers State?” and “God of justice, arise for Rivers State.” The protesters also chanted solidarity songs while appealing to President Bola Tinubu to lift Fubara’s suspension. They lamented what they referred to as “unconstitutional military rule masked as a…

Human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has condemned the recent decision by the National Broadcasting Commission to ban Nigerian rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem’s new protest song, Tell Your Papa, labelling the move a “clear violation” of the right to freedom of expression and access to information. In a press statement issued on Thursday, Amnesty International described the ban as “unlawful, arbitrary, and deeply worrying,” asserting that it reflected a dangerous trend of censorship and intolerance by the authorities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. “The National Broadcasting Commission’s blatant ban of broadcasting Eedris Abdulkareem’s song Tell Your Papa is a clear violation…

Popular comedian Mr. Macaroni has publicly denied claims made by fellow comedian Seyi Law regarding their past collaborations, expressing disappointment over what he described as “unnecessary lies.” In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Macaroni revealed that Seyi Law first reached out to him in December 2019 with a project idea, which they went on to develop together. At the time, Mr. Macaroni said he had already built a strong online presence with nearly 100,000 followers — a factor he believes attracted Seyi Law to the partnership. He added that Seyi Law clearly saw value in their collaboration and benefited…

Dangote Refinery has announced a reduction in the petrol price to ₦865 per litre, down from ₦15 from the previous rate of ₦880 per litre on Wednesday. The refinery said this through a notice issued on Thursday morning. Marketers had anticipated a price reduction by the refinery by the end of the week after Chinedu Ukadike, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), said they expected a drop in price while commenting on the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) directive to fully implement the crude-for-naira agreement with local refiners. On Wednesday, the FEC confirmed that…

United States President, Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs across several countries, a move aimed at easing trade tensions that have rattled the global economy. However, in a striking contrast, Trump simultaneously escalated the economic standoff with China, raising tariffs on Chinese imports to a staggering 125%. The United States president made the announcement in a post on Wednesday evening, stating, “I have authorised a 90-day pause, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately.” The specific countries to benefit from the pause were not immediately identified. The tariff freeze…

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital has barred the  Sole Administrator of the state, Ibok Ette Ibas from appointing Sole Administrators to run the 23 local council areas. Justice Adamu Turaki  Muhammed gave the order following a motion exparte application filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative led by Courage Msirimovu challenging the decision to install Administrators in the Local Government Councils as a Sole Administrator for the period of six months. At the hearing, the Court stated that the motion exparte was filed on March 28, 2025 and prayed the court for many reliefs…

A baby girl has become the first child in the United Kingdom (UK) to be born after a womb transplant, marking a historic milestone in science. Grace Davidson, 36, delivered birth after receiving a womb transplant from her older sister, Amy, in a breakthrough treatment. Amy Isabel, named after her aunt and a surgeon who helped improve the transplant technique, is the first child born in the UK as a result of the treatment. Mrs Davidson, a dietician, and her husband, Angus, 37, who works in finance, expressed their overwhelming joy at the arrival of their daughter. The couple’s journey…