The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has uncovered what appears to be a gruesome cultist hideout in Abak, leading to the arrest of five suspected cultists linked to armed robbery, rape, and fetish activities. Acting on a tip-off and following a detailed investigation, police operatives stormed a criminal den on July 30, 2025, at about 11:10 p.m., arresting the suspects believed to be responsible for a recent violent attack at a guest house in the area. The suspects, identified as Richard Edet Udo, Hope Unibong Anitie, Joseph Ibongidi, Christian Joseph Johnny and Joseph Joseph were accused of breaking into a…
Author: National Update
Nigeria’s education system is facing a tough reckoning as the 2025 WASSCE results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reveal the worst performance in half a decade — a steep drop that has shocked parents, teachers, and education experts nationwide. Only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exams secured the minimum benchmark of five credits, including English and Mathematics — a sharp fall from the 72.12% pass rate recorded in 2024. The news was confirmed by WAEC’s Head of National Office, Mr. Amos Dangut, at a media briefing in Lagos. According to him, this year’s…
Fuel prices across Nigeria have surged dramatically, with pump rates now approaching the N1,000 mark in some regions—raising fresh concerns about affordability and sustainability under the deregulated regime. In Abuja, Nasarawa, and parts of Kogi State, motorists are now paying up to ₦955 per litre at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) retail outlets—an increase of ₦65 within just 48 hours. Elsewhere in the capital, independent marketers have adjusted prices even higher, with some filling stations selling at ₦970 or more per litre. This upward shift follows weekend adjustments by major marketers including Ranoil, Shema, AA Rano, Empire Energy, and…
***Appointees Defying Sule’s Directive, Undermining Governance, Group Warns By Abel Daniel, Lafia A civic watchdog group, the Nasarawa State Transparency, Accountability, and Good Governance Group (NSTA&G²), has sounded the alarm over what it describes as a growing wave of insubordination and blatant disregard for Nigeria’s electoral laws among top appointees in Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration. At the centre of the group’s allegations is the Accountant General of the state, Hon. Musa Ahmed Mohammed Barade, a former Speaker of the State Assembly, who is accused of engaging in covert political activities despite a subsisting directive barring political campaigns ahead of the…
Fresh off their stunning AfroBasket 2025 championship victory, Nigeria’s unstoppable women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have been handsomely rewarded by President Bola Tinubu with a cash prize of $100,000 each, three-bedroom apartments, and the prestigious Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) honour. At a high-profile reception held Monday evening at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima, standing in for the President, showered praises on the athletes and announced the rewards amid a thunderous ovation from dignitaries and supporters. “Your victory is more than a win on the court — it’s a victory for every…
By Umar Muhammed, Lafia A storm is brewing in Nasarawa State’s political space as a civil society group, Nasarawa Advocates for Peace and Patriotism, has come out swinging against what it described as a politically motivated smear campaign targeting the state’s Accountant General, Dr. Musa Ahmed-Mohammed. The group took aim at the Transparency, Accountability, and Good Governance Group, slamming its recent call for the Accountant General’s resignation as “reckless, irresponsible, and devoid of constitutional merit.” At a press briefing in Lafia on Monday, the group’s State Coordinator, Abimiku Dangana-Solomon, said the allegations that Dr. Musa should step down due to…
Former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), High Chief Peter Ameh, has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to earmark a staggering ₦712 billion for the renovation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, calling it a glaring example of misplaced priorities at a time when Nigeria is sinking deeper into debt and economic hardship. “I woke up and saw it trending—₦712 billion to renovate an already functioning airport. It’s another white elephant project, and frankly, an insult to the intelligence of Nigerians,” he said. Nigeria is grappling with one of the worst debt crises in its history,…
Two prominent civil advocacy groups have called on Nigerian politicians to desist from heating up the polity with unsubstantiated allegations and politically motivated attacks aimed at distracting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration from its reform agenda. At a joint press conference held Saturday in Abuja under the theme “Separating Politics from Governance,” First Green White Resources (FGWR) and the Strategic Communication Centre for Defence and Security (SCCDS) expressed concern over what they described as a targeted media war against the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, barely 100 days into…
***Says fifth consecutive title shows power of teamwork, resilience, The Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has congratulated Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, on their record-breaking fifth consecutive Afrobasket championship victory. Musawa, who watched the thrilling final live at the Palais de Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, alongside the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and Minister of State for Finance, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, commended the team for their dominant performance in the 78–64 win over Mali on Sunday. Special Adviser, Media & Publicity, Dr. Nneka Ikem Anibeze in a…
**EFCC, DSS, Presidency dismiss social media storm as civil groups protest, demand probe The embattled Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, made a dramatic return to his Abuja office on Monday morning, defiantly resuming duties amid swirling allegations of corruption, secret detention, and forced resignation. Ojulari’s reappearance at exactly 9:35 a.m. silenced days of speculation and viral reports claiming he had been pressured by the EFCC and DSS to step down over his alleged connection to a $21 million scandal. An internal memo promptly circulated within NNPCL directed staff to disregard the “baseless reports.”…