Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The Senate has passed through second reading a bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to require social media platforms to establish physical offices within the country. The bill, titled ‘ A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to Mandate the Establishment of Physical Offices within the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms, and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB. 650),” was sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North). Leading the debate, Senator Nwoko noted that Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation with over 220 million…

Microsoft has alerted users to a newly identified malware, StilachiRAT. In an announcement, Microsoft described StilachiRAT as a remote access trojan (RAT) with advanced capabilities to evade detection and steal data. StilachiRAT targets cryptocurrency wallets and collects sensitive browser information, including data from Google Chrome. The malware poses significant risks to cryptocurrency users by actively scanning for wallet extensions in Chrome, targeting at least 20 wallets such as MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Phantom, Coinbase, BNB Chain, and Bitget Wallet. Once it identifies wallet extensions, StilachiRAT extracts credentials and configuration details, enabling attackers to drain funds from victims’ wallets. StilachiRAT also monitors…

Ghana’s President John Mahama’s verified X account was hacked for 48 hours, with cybercriminals using it to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency project, his spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. The breach, which began on Saturday, was first noticed on Sunday when the compromised account started posting endorsements for Solanafrica, falsely claiming to be “led by Ghana’s President John Mahama to make payments across Africa free using the Solana blockchain.” The hackers urged Mahama’s followers to invest in the scheme, claiming it was an initiative to revolutionise financial transactions on the continent. The fraudulent posts were deleted after the President’s team noticed the…

The Senate has set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged annexation of the country’s mangrove islands and maritime territories by the Republic of Cameroon. The committee is expected to report back with necessary recommendations in the next two months. As part of its resolutions, the Senate has urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate steps to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial waters, including securing over 2,560 oil wells identified within the disputed mangrove islands in Akwa Ibom State. The Senate leadership has also committed to engaging directly with President Tinubu to explore diplomatic solutions to the crisis. READ ALSO: ‘Nigerian…

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru has announced a one-month suspension of three commissioners in his cabinet for absenteeism. The affected commissioners include Solomon Azi, Grants and Donor Agencies; Victor Chukwu, Environment; and Ikeuwa Omebe Ministry of Rural Development. The commissioners, according to the Commissioner of Information and State Orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor, were suspended for being absent without any permission during the State Executive Council meeting on Monday. Briefing journalists on the outcome of the Executive Council meeting, Mr. Okpor noted that the Governor warned against absenteeism and lackadaisical attitude to work by public servants in the state. Okpor further said that…

Suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the Senate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has claimed that the Nigerian Senate operates like a cult. She also maintained her stance that Senate President, Godswill Akpabio made sexual advances towards her. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that senators avoid expressing opposing views in the upper chamber due to fear of retaliation. She described her six-month suspension for alleged gross misconduct as an attempt to silence her. “I am being victimized. My suspension is a means of silencing me,” she said. Recounting an incident, she alleged that during a visit to the…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday lost two of its members in the House of Representatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Husseini Jallo, representing Igabi Federal Constituency, Kaduna State and Adamu Tanko, representing Suleja/Tara/Gurara Federal Constituency, Niger State identified what they called the perennial crisis in the PDP as the reason for their defection. In a letter read by Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary, Jallo said the lingering instability in the opposition party had hindered his ability to serve his constituents effectively. “Mr Speaker, your leadership style and my belief in the principle of national unity was…

The Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has said the call for the release of the Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has no connection to insecurity in the South-East. Speaking on Monday during a media chat to mark his third year in office, Soludo, who has been advocating for Kanu’s release, stated that the issue should be viewed separately from security concerns in the region. Soludo said, “The release of Nnamdi Kanu for me is different from the issue of security, I separate the two, I don’t link the two.” According to Soludo, his call for Kanu’s freedom…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, has promised to allocate land in the FCT to the University of Port Harcourt for the establishment of its Centre for Leadership and Political Studies. Wike made the promise when the university’s Governing Council, led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, visited him in Abuja on Monday. The promise followed a request by Ohuabunwa for the minister’s support to enable the university to build the centre, a replica of the John F. Kennedy Leadership Center in America. He disclosed that “Wikematics Political Ideology” would be…

The former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday, urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to retrieve her seized assets from their buyers. The former minister specifically requested that the court direct the anti-graft agency to recover the seized properties from the individuals or entities to whom they were sold. Alison-Madueke made this request through an amended application filed on her behalf by her lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), before Justice Inyang Ekwo. She sought an order to set aside the EFCC’s public notice, which served as the basis for the…