Abuja was thrown into tension Sunday evening as naval officer Lt. A.M. Yerima narrowly survived an assassination attempt, days after his high-profile clash with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike sparked nationwide outrage. Military sources say the attempt on Yerima’s life unfolded around 6:30 p.m. when two unmarked Hilux vehicles, occupied by men in black, began trailing him from the NIPCO Filling Station along the Line Expressway. The vehicles reportedly shadowed him all the way to Gado Nasko Way. Realizing he was being hunted, Yerima executed a quick tactical manoeuvre that allowed him to break free from the suspected hit squad. The…
Author: National Update
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi, has reconnected 104 communities in Taura and Ringim local government areas to the national grid, ending a crippling 16-year blackout that had stifled economic and social life across the region. Commissioning the large-scale electrification project, Governor Namadi said the development marks a major milestone in his administration’s drive to improve living standards statewide. He described the restoration as a fulfilment of a core campaign promise and a transformative moment for communities that have endured more than a decade and a half without electricity. “This administration is committed to transforming the…
***As Nigerians Lose N2.23 Trillion to Kidnappers in One Year Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has issued a bold call to Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers: take the Federal Government to court and demand a refund for its failure to protect citizens. Speaking at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Falana argued that ransom payments—now running into trillions—are the direct result of the government’s dereliction of its constitutional duty to safeguard lives. According to him, both the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights make…
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has disowned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention held in Ibadan on Saturday, describing it as “a gathering of friends for entertainment, not a legally recognised convention.” Speaking on ARISE News, Lamido insisted the event held in defiance of a valid court injunction he personally secured on Friday, which, according to him, was duly served on both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP before the gathering took place. “A convention is defined clearly under our laws and constitution,” Lamido said. “Once a court order has been issued restricting it, there cannot…
By Janet Sam At the heart of Abuja, voices rose in unison for Nigeria’s most forgotten citizens: widows, orphans, and the elderly. During the CCWA Annual Convention themed “Empowering and Raising the Forgotten,” Engr. Obadiah Nkom, Director-General of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, urged Nigerians, philanthropists, and institutions to take urgent action. “Government programs alone cannot reach everyone in need,” he said. “Every family touches a widow, an orphan, or an elderly person. Supporting them is not charity—it is our collective responsibility.” The gathering celebrated the enduring vision of CCWA Founder, Prof. Deborah Ajakaiye, whose initiative has grown over 33…
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has congratulated its 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, on being conferred with a Doctor of Political Science (D.Pol) by Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State. In a statement signed by Acting National Chairman Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, the party described the honour as “well-deserved and inspiring,” highlighting that it reflects Prince Adebayo’s outstanding contributions to national development as an international lawyer, political leader, public intellectual, media entrepreneur, philanthropist, and advocate for human capital development. The statement also praised his philanthropic gesture of donating the Macualay and Margaret Omugbe Postgraduate Block to Western Delta…
In a sweeping crackdown that signals a new level of resolve in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested notorious drug baron Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, alias Chisco Bee, and seized over 14 metric tons of cannabis (skunk) across multiple states. Ibemesi, 42, who operated under the guise of a businessman and hotelier, was apprehended at his Daisy Garden Hotel in Isolo, Lagos, following weeks of precision intelligence. Authorities recovered 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of Loud cannabis (1,762.8 kg), along with large sums of foreign currency. The arrest dismantled one of the…
In a decisive blow against criminal and terror networks in northern Nigeria, the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Musa Abubakar, a suspected arms manufacturer and supplier linked to violent armed groups terrorizing Plateau State and surrounding regions. Abubakar was apprehended on 12 November 2025 after precise intelligence led DSS operatives to his clandestine weapons-production facility in Mista Ali, Bassa LGA. According to sources, he admitted to producing and distributing high-calibre firearms and ammunition to criminal gangs responsible for recurring attacks that have left communities in fear. Authorities recovered components for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), chemicals, and other arms-manufacturing…
The Federal Government’s abrupt cancellation of the national mother-tongue education policy has ignited widespread backlash, with the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) describing the move as “national, cultural, scientific, and educational suicide.” The 2022 National Language Policy, which required children in early education to be taught in their mother tongue or the language of their immediate community, was suddenly scrapped by the Ministry of Education. Dr. Tunji Alausa announced at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference in Abuja that English would now serve as the sole medium of instruction from primary to tertiary education. HURIWA’s National Coordinator,…
Ben Adaji Jalingo Few Months ago, Dr. Agbu Kefas, Governor of Taraba State announced the preparedness of his administration to embark on massive infrastructural development across the State in last October. Many dismissed the announcement with a wave of hands, believing that it is the Governor’s usual antics of promise and fail. Interestingly, the Governor has proved the douthing Thomases wrong. He has commenced massive road construction and other infrastructural development across Taraba State in fulfilment of his campaign promises and recent engagement with stakeholders across the Three Senatorial districts in the State. The Governor was widely criticised for not…