Author: Festus Adeloye

The federal government has successfully evacuated 78 Nigerians stranded in Côte d’Ivoire who are victims of human trafficking. Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced this in a statement issued in Abuja. The operation was coordinated by the Embassy of Nigeria in Abidjan, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Nigerian Community in Abidjan, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), with Air Peace Airlines providing the flight at no cost to the government. The special flight landed at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, around 11 pm on Saturday. “The…

Prince Kassim Afegbua, a former Commissioner for Information in Edo State, has described Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections as a desperate politician who is ready to do anything, including dining with the devil to become Nigeria’s president. In an opinion article titled ‘A Word For Peter Obi on Edo Election’, Afegbua said Obi talks too much and his understanding of crucial issues is too low owing to his drab intellectuality. He said “To say that he is garrulous may be an overreach, but he comes across as a man with no…

Actress and filmmaker,  Funke Akindele has announced a delay in the scheduled YouTube release of her blockbuster film Omo Ghetto: The Saga due to unforeseen circumstances. Originally slated to premiere on May 10, the film has now been postponed to a later date yet to be announced. In a message to her fans, Akindele assured that the project has not been cancelled and thanked her audience for their continued patience and support. She promised to share a new release date soon. “Postponed, not cancelled! We’re rescheduling the #Omoghettothesaga upload due to unforeseen circumstances. We apologise for any inconvenience; we also…

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that violence attacks on local communities and killings of farmers in Plateau, Benue and other parts of the country are mostly perpetrated by foreign herders. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, stated this yesterday, while fielding questions from journalists on the identities of armed herders attacking farming communities. Several communities,especially in Plateau and Benue states have recently faced series of attacks by armed herders with many killed and thousands rendered homeless. Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue recently said the attackers were foreign herders taking advantage of ECOWAS protocol on free movement of livestock…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on his election as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.  According to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President felicitated with the Conclave for electing the American Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome. He rejoiced with the leadership and congregants of the Catholic Church in Nigeria on the historic election of the new Pontiff, whose message of faith and hope already resonates across the globe, with a reassurance…

A Non-political and non-profitmaking Group in Lagos State, The Lagos Shephered (TLS), has cautioned the State’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat against complaining if the consensus arrangement in the All Progressives Congress (APC) which he publicly espoused doesn’t favour him in the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued on Thursday which was signed by Kazeem Abaranje, its Protem Chairman, and titled  ‘Dr. Hamzat, We’ll Not Forget!, the group quoted a statement credited to Hamzat while addressing APC members at the party Secretariat on Wednesday  During the meeting, Hamzat said “Let’s do it the way we have been doing.…

Governor Hyacinth Alia will not honour the House of Representatives Committee’s invitation, his media aide has confirmed. The House had summoned the Governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership. But Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, told journalists in Makurdi, yesterday that the invitation is unconstitutional and the governor would not comply with it. He explained that Alia had filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation. “Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee’s invitation. “They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They…

Valentine Ozigbo, a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, has described the Labour Party (LP) as a “failing enterprise,” warning that the party is heading for a wave of mass defections. Ozigbo, who was formerly a governorship aspirant in the Labour Party before defecting to the APC in February 2025, made the statement during an appearance on national television on Monday. He criticised the LP’s leadership for the ongoing internal crisis, expressing disappointment over how the party has evolved since the 2023 general elections. Ozigbo, a former close ally of LP’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter…

Julius Abure has been summoned by the Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party caretaker committee for alleged corruption, misappropriation of funds, and anti-party activities. Usman, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said Abure has persistently paraded himself as the LP national chairman despite being removed. According to her, Abure runs the party “like a personal enterprise to pursue selfish ambitions”. Usman added that Abure used his position to enrich himself instead of promoting unity. “To address these serious allegations, we have set up a disciplinary panel chaired by Senator Ireti Kingibe, with Peter Ameh as secretary,” she stated. Speaking…

Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, yesterday, led 17 local government chairmen, numerous councillors and several notable members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said the move was aimed at aligning with Governor Monday Okpebholo to fast-track development across the state. Receiving the defectors on behalf of the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, assured them of equal opportunities within the APC, emphasising the significance of their defection as a milestone for the party’s consolidation in Edo. Among those who defected…