Author: Amina Mohammed

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all its activities pending the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country. In addition, ECOWAS leaders have established a high-level Mediation Mission led by the Chair of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, to engage with the coup leaders. The decision was announced in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, attended by leaders of all member states. The regional bloc strongly condemned the coup and expressed deep…

The federal government’s request to transfer former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria has been rejected by the United Kingdom. Ekweremadu, who is in prison in the UK for organ trafficking, was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to nine years and eight months for conspiring to exploit a young man’s kidney. President Bola Tinubu had, in March, sent a delegation to London to discuss Ekweremadu’s case and explore the possibility of him serving the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria. According to the UK Guardian, an unnamed official of…

Embattled Co-founder and chief technology officer of Paystack, Ezra Olubi, has been fired by the organisation following public allegations that he had sexual relations with a junior employee. Olubi announced his sack on Saturday, saying the decision came before the completion of the company’s investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against him. The controversy began in mid-November when a social media post accused Olubi of abusive behaviour, which prompted users to unearth a series of explicit tweets from earlier in his career. Paystack subsequently suspended Olubi and commenced a formal investigation, stating that it had established a review process while…

Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately instigating turmoil across major opposition political parties at a time the country was grappling with worsening security challenges. Obi made the allegation on Wednesday in a post titled “Now Disgraced Nation” shared on his verified X handle, expressing concern that the nation was drifting into a deeper crisis while attention was being diverted to internal party conflicts. The former Anambra State governor referenced recent violent incidents, including the killing of a senior military officer and kidnapping 25 female students within one…

President Bola Tinubu has urgently dispatched Vice President Kashim Shettima to Kebbi State to console the government and reassure parents about the government’s commitment to the safe rescue of schoolgirls recently kidnapped from a boarding school in Maga, Kebbi. According to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, expressing deep sorrow over the abduction, President Tinubu acknowledged intelligence warnings that preceded the attack and commended Kebbi Governor Mohammed Idris for efforts to prevent the crisis. He also mourned the loss of gallant soldiers, including Brigadier General Musa Uba, who died combating insurgents in Borno State.…

Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State have been expelled from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the factional National Executive Committee loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. According to reports, the expulsion was ratified on Tuesday after the heated confrontation between both camps at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where the two factions had scheduled parallel NEC and Board of Trustees meetings. Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; former National Vice Chairman of the party, Bode George,…

Paystack, an online payment solutions company, has suspended its co-founder Ezra Olubi over allegations that border on sexual misconduct. The allegations were further boosted by the resurfacing of disturbing past tweets. Mr Olubi had posted several controversial tweets dating as far back as 2010, including sexually explicit jokes and comments that resurfaced online. A woman who previously had a relationship with Olubi had published her personal complaints online on Wednesday, triggering renewed attention and widespread circulation of his old, controversial tweets. According to TechCabal, Paystack has issued a statement announcing Olubi’s suspension from his duties and responsibilities, pending the investigation’s…

A former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), has warned that the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a Nigerian Navy officer in Abuja on Tuesday poses “a clear and present danger to national security”. The former COAS and one-time Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic called for immediate corrective action to remedy the situation. Gen. Buratai, in a statement on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, said Wike’s conduct during the exchange “transcends mere misconduct” and “undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and the integrity of the Armed…

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group Plc has projected a 100 per cent increase in profit this year, driven by strong performance from its consumer finance subsidiary, Credit Direct Limited, which continues to expand its digital lending operations across the country. Group Chief Executive of FCMB, Ladi Balogun, said the company’s rapid growth has been supported by technology-driven lending models and improved customer access through digital platforms. According to him, “Credit Direct recorded a profit after tax of N5.98 billion as of June 2025, a 52 per cent increase from N3.93 billion in June 2024. The growth was linked to the…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has revealed plans for the introduction of a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) for Nigerians abroad. The development was announced by Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, who disclosed that the initiative is a new biometric travel document designed to help Nigerians in Diaspora whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen return home securely and verifiably. Speaking during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes held in Abuja, Nandap said it would replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of NIS’s ongoing reforms “aimed at strengthening Identity Management and…