Clashes erupted in Niger’s capital on Saturday between the presidential guard and elements of the armed forces, after a night of heavy gunfire in parts of the city. Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta that has struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has blighted the west African country for a…
Niger’s national television was off air on Saturday after a night of heavy gunfire in parts of the capital, including around a military base near the city’s airport which has been attacked twice this year by jihadists. Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta that has struggled to contain jihadist viole…
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has said he always looks to God for divine guidance in the leadership of the state towards achieving peace and economic prosperity. Oyebanji said his vision to make Ekiti a land of prosperity had been largely pursued through adherence to the principles of honesty and transparency,…
An Ecuadoran court on Friday sentenced ex-president Lenin Moreno to five years in prison for accepting bribes from a Chinese company that built the country’s biggest hydroelectric dam. The prosecution said on X that Moreno, who governed from 2017 to 2021, was among 20 people convicted in the case involving the construc…
The Plateau State Police Command has arrested some female students over a viral video showing them allegedly attacking another female student in Pankshin Local Government Area of the state. The command spokesman, SP Alfred Alabo, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Jos. Alabo said the Commissioner of Police, Ayo…
Moody’s Ratings has changed Nigeria’s credit outlook from stable to positive while affirming the country’s B3 long-term foreign and local currency issuer ratings. Positive outlook, the agency said, reflected improvements in Nigeria’s external position and stronger-than-expected economic growth, which, if sustained, cou…
The Cross River State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the death of a 29-year-old Bolt driver, Emmanuel Effiong Ita, whose body was found in his Honda City vehicle along the Target–Udy King axis of Calabar on Friday. Saturday PUNCH gathered that Ita, a resident of Ikot Effanga Mkpa, Calabar, was disco…
The All Progressives Congress governors have taken responsibility for delivering victory for President Bola Tinubu in their respective states in the 2027 general election. The Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this on Thursday after a meeting between the Presid…
In this report, YUSUF OKETOLA examines the grief of families of victims of the Akinlalu, Ile-Ife, Osun State killings, who continue to search for the remains of their loved ones months after the tragedy Ten months after gunfire tore through the quiet community of Akinlalu in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun Stat…
The Lagos State Police Command has busted a suspected vehicle vandalism syndicate that has allegedly been operating across the state for about 10 years. Two members of the gang, identified as 46-year-old Uba Chigozie and 37-year-old Onyeka Emordi, were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command u…
A US federal judge ruled Thursday that sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration against AI giant Anthropic were illegal, finding that the government punished the company in a row over military use of its technology. Anthropic infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in February by insisting its techno…
The Vice Chairman of Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, Abubakar Muhammad Nur, has alleged that soldiers attached to the Nigerian Army assaulted and injured him while he was carrying out his official duties in the town on Friday. Nur told The PUNCH Online in an exclusive interview on Friday that the soldiers b…
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System. The directive was contained in a statement signed by the preside…
A former National Coordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Programme, Professor Magnus Kpakol, has warned that cash transfers alone cannot lift Nigerians out of poverty, urging the Federal Government to focus more on building productive capacity and creating sustainable incomes. Kpakol, who spoke during an inter…
The Labour Party on Friday mourned the death of the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Emmanuel Ugboaja, describing him as a committed unionist and democrat who played significant roles in the development of the party and Nigeria’s democratic process. Ugboaja, who died recently at the age of 60, was also…
A 53-year-old Nigerian, Celestine Godwin, has been arrested in The Gambia with 9,020 ecstasy tablets, suspected cannabis ruderalis, popularly known as skunk, and a machine believed to have been used to manufacture and process illicit drugs. The development was disclosed by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia, i…
The embattled Adamawa State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Alhaji Suleiman Omar, has asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to stay off the party’s activities in the state. Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Yola, Omar said his purported replacement announced by Atiku was uncons…
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Mark, for alleged armed robbery and kidnapping. Mark was also alleged to be a member of a four-man syndicate operating around the Ifite Awka axis of Awka South Local Government Area of the state. According to a press statement issued on Frida…
The Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, has called on rural dwellers to protect the public infrastructure provided by the government to enhance quality of life at the grassroots. Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Rotimiolu Akinlesi, the Comm…
The National Sports Commission has endorsed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, the erstwhile Deputy General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, as interim General Secretary of the federation following the resignation of President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the Executive Committee. T…
Six days after terrorists abducted worshippers during Friday prayers in Niger State, the state government says it has received no communication from the perpetrators and is still unable to establish the exact number of people taken. The state Commissioner for Information, Obed Nuhu, disclosed this on Thursday, saying t…
The Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser Tactical Team, has dismantled a Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist camp in the Kopre Mountain area of Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The operation, conducted in the early hours of Wednesday, followed credible intelligence on the …
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president. The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video circulating online and shared by ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu, on Friday. Atiku said the closure of Nigeri…
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Taraba State Government to unlock the state’s vast potential in agriculture, energy, tourism, infrastructure and mineral resources. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this on Thursday in Jalingo at the Gal…
Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that the rehabilitation of the runway at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Port Harcourt, reflects the strength of collaboration between the Rivers State Government and the Nigerian Air Force in tackling national security challenges. This is as the governor praised Presiden…