Lagos State lawmaker and actor, Desmond Elliot, has again apologised to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over his actions during the last All Progressives Congress primary election. Speaking during a meeting with Gbajabiamila and some party chieftains, the lawmaker begged on his knees and prostra…
INEC’s release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections has intensified the contest for Nigeria’s 109 senatorial seats. Meanwhile, the CBN reports that Nigerian banks closed 476 branches and cash centres between 2022 and 2025, reducing the number from 5,410 to 4,934, an 8.8% decline. These develop…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted consignments of synthetic cannabis, opioids and other illicit drugs concealed in consolidated cargoes, music speakers and loaves of bread in operations across several states. The agency said on Sunday that its operatives intercepted two consignments of synthetic …
The commentary by the former Chief Press Secretary to Mr Samuel Ortom, and now Media Consultant to Mr Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, Dr Terver Akase, titled “Alia’s Attacks on Ortom, Aondoakaa Cannot Mask His Failure”, is long on political rhetoric but remarkably short on the evidence required to sustain its sweeping claims a…
The Nigeria High Commission in London, United Kingdom, has clarified that the £70 administrative fee paid by some Nigerians during the ongoing passport intervention exercise was not approved by the Federal Government, insisting that the standard administrative charge remains £20. The clarification came barely a day aft…
A new assessment has revealed that 97 per cent of primary healthcare centres across 16 states failed to meet national staffing standards. The PHC Operational Capability Report, produced by Orodata Science and Civic Tech, which was released on Friday, assessed 1,480 PHCs across 277 local government areas in Nigeria’s si…
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed that Emir died in the incident and directed the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, to fish out those responsible for the crime. Reacting to the incident in a statement obtained on Sunday, the Osun Sta…
The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, on Sunday urged Nigerians to reject vote-buying and selling ahead of the 2027 general elections. Ndagoso, who is the Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, made the call in Osogbo, Osun State, in his address at the opening session …
The Ogun State Executive Council has approved a fresh package of infrastructure and economic development projects, including the reconstruction of major roads, construction of two general hospitals, a power-generation investment and the establishment of an agency to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Th…
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has commissioned a N15.9 billion flyover in the Post Office area of Maiduguri, marking the fourth flyover in the state capital. The nine-span flyover, which was completed within 11 months, was awarded in 2025 to Chinese contractors, Eighteenth Engineering Company. The government al…
Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose to 1,677,777 barrels per day in August 2026, representing a 0.4 per cent increase from the 1.67 million bpd recorded in July. The increase, though modest, marked another month of improved oil production as the country sustained compliance with its Organisation of Petro…
Samuel Jonah, a 38-year-old native of Ankpa Local Government Area of Benue State, who lost his three children on Saturday, September 5, 2026, speaks with PETER DADA about how their lifeless bodies were found on his farm inside the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, in Akure, Ondo State Could you tell us the cir…
Serena and Venus Williams electrified Arthur Ashe Stadium but fell to Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in three thrilling sets in their return to the US Open women’s doubles on Friday. The superstar sisters, whose 14 Grand Slam doubles titles include two US Opens, rallied from a break down in the third set and led the dec…
A former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Buba, is again facing allegations of supporting banditry as he struggles to clear his name. Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District in the Senate, has since 2024 faced allegations …
Bayer Leverkusen manager Carles Martinez has explained the decision to leave Nigeria striker Victor Boniface out of the club’s UEFA Europa League squad ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin. Boniface was omitted from the continental squad despite an impressive pre-season, having endured a difficult loa…
The two heaps of fresh sand behind the three-bedroom bungalow in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, are all that remain of a tragedy that has left residents struggling to make sense of what happened. Placed side by side behind the house, the heaps mark the graves of a husband an…
You are an Iraqi based in London, United Kingdom, how did you learn to speak Yoruba? I trade at Woolwich Market. That is where I work and where I started meeting many Nigerian customers, especially Yoruba people. Many of the Nigerians I met at the market spoke Yoruba when they came to buy things from me. At first, I di…
A Nigerian man, Augustine Maazi, appeared before the Accra Circuit Court 8 in Ghana on Wednesday as proceedings continued in a case involving his alleged involvement in a planned robbery targeting three banks in the Labone area of Accra. Maazi, who was previously remanded in police custody after being denied bail, was …
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has disclosed how a suspected member of a human trafficking syndicate allegedly kidnapped 15 minors in Nasarawa State and sold them for N30m. The NSCDC said the suspect allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates and deceived the children…
Paris Saint-Germain’s slow start to the French season continued on Friday as the reigning European champions went in front only to lose 2-1 at home to Monaco, who are top of Ligue 1. Captain Marquinhos gave PSG the lead just past the half-hour mark at the Parc des Princes, where Luis Enrique’s team were playing in fron…
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the National Community Food Bank Programme in Cross River State as part of efforts to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable Nigerians. Tinubu, who flagged off the programme in Calabar on Friday, said three food banks were being launched simultaneou…
The Katsina State Police Command arrested 247 suspects and rescued 17 kidnapped victims during operations conducted across the state in August 2026. The Command also recovered an AK-47 rifle, 145 suspected rustled livestock, six motorcycles, a motor vehicle and 1,500 pieces of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, popularly k…
The Independent National Electoral Commission has expressed its readiness to support the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board with biometric verification technology as part of efforts to deepen collaboration between the two federal agencies. The offer was made on Friday, when the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, l…
Authorities in Cameroon have found a group of abducted children who were being held in a residence in the capital Yaounde, the ministry of social affairs said on Friday. “Following an anonymous tip-off, several people, including minors, were found” on Wednesday in a residential neighbourhood, the ministry said in a sta…
The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the Initial Public Offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, with the company offering 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 each. The offer could raise approximately ₦2.15tn if fully subscribed, according to a statement issued by the Dangote Gr…