The National Examinations Council (NECO) has raised an alarm over the activities of fraudsters operating fake online portals used to deceive unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of recruiting examination supervisors. In a statement issued on Tuesday in Minna, the Council’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Mallam Azeez Sani, disowned the fraudulent platforms, stressing that NECO is not collecting payments from applicants for any supervisory roles in its examinations. According to him, the fake portals have been requesting applicants to submit academic credentials and make payments, a practice he described as criminal and misleading. “NECO wishes to…
Author: National Update
The Federal High Court hearing the high-profile Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project case witnessed fresh drama on Monday as a prosecution witness admitted under cross-examination that a crucial aspect of his earlier testimony was incorrect, further complicating efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to defend the authenticity of documents central to its case. The witness, Mr. John Illya, who testified as the fifth prosecution witness (PW5), was expected to reinforce the prosecution’s position on disputed Federal Executive Council (FEC) records. Instead, his testimony opened a new line of attack for the defence, which has spent weeks questioning inconsistencies…
By Lamara Garba The Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has been honoured with the prestigious Best Governor in Nigeria for the 2026 Hajj Exercise Award by Sana Company, one of the leading Saudi hospitality and service providers responsible for the welfare of pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The award was presented during a colourful dinner and recognition ceremony held at Iskan, Makkah, where Saudi officials, Hajj administrators, Islamic scholars, and dignitaries gathered to celebrate individuals and institutions that distinguished themselves during this year’s pilgrimage. Presenting the award, the Head of Sana Company, Alhaji Abdullah…
By Douglas Baye-Osagie Nigeria missing the World Cup is painful, but it also creates a rare window. This is a sober time for fans as the biggest sporting event on earth is just days away. With the talent at our disposal, the next three years give us time to stop fire-fighting and start building for 2030. The U23 team, aimed at the Olympics in Los Angeles 2028, is the perfect project to reset our football identity with purpose and direction. The Olympics football tournament is unique. It’s U23 with 3 overage players, so it forces investment in youth. Countries like…
***Warn Against Moves to Alter Presidential Ticket A coalition of Accord Party stakeholders and members of the Hashim Progressives Movement (HPM) from the North-West has issued a strong warning against what it described as attempts to tamper with the party’s presidential mandate, insisting that Dr. Gbenga Olawepo Hashim remains the only validly nominated presidential candidate of the party. The declaration was made on Tuesday during a well-attended press conference in Kaduna, where party loyalists from Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states gathered to publicly reaffirm their support for Hashim’s candidacy. Speaking on behalf of the group, North-West…
Momentum is building for the creation of state police in Nigeria as the Senate prepares to take decisive action on a constitutional amendment that could reshape the country’s security architecture. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has revealed that lawmakers are set to prioritise the state police bill this week, citing an unprecedented level of agreement among key stakeholders, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors and the National Assembly. According to Bamidele, the proposal has gained broad national support, prompting lawmakers to separate it from other constitutional amendment bills and accelerate its passage. The move follows intensive consultations involving federal lawmakers,…
***Demands Justice, Compensation, Structural Response to Xenophobia The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) says it is receiving with deep concern and cautious approval the Federal Government’s announcement to evacuate over 1,000 Nigerians from South Africa following renewed waves of xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants, including Nigerians. While the Association acknowledges the government’s decision to fund and facilitate the evacuation as a necessary emergency response, it warns that evacuation alone is a dangerously incomplete response to what is clearly a recurring pattern of violence, discrimination, and state failure to protect foreign nationals. In a statement by its National coordinator…
By Lemmy Ughegbe, Ph.D. When Nigerians think about national security, they think about soldiers. They think about troops advancing through difficult terrain, fighter jets pounding enemy positions, and dramatic gun battles. What they rarely think about is intelligence. Yet intelligence is where victory usually begins. Before the arrest comes surveillance. Before the rescue comes information. Before a terrorist commander is eliminated, somebody must first know who he is, where he hides, how he moves, and who sustains him. That is the work of intelligence. And if recent events are anything to go by, Nigeria’s intelligence community deserves far more recognition…
The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested seven suspected terrorists during ongoing intelligence-led operations targeting criminal networks operating within the Soda Forest axis and surrounding border communities in Bagudo Local Government Area of the state. The arrests, which took place on June 5, 2026, were part of intensified efforts by security operatives to disrupt the activities and logistics of criminal groups involved in terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes in the area. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, Mobile Police operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted three suspects along the Illo–Lolo Road while they were travelling…
By Ipole Amajama The African continent is once again at the centre of a geopolitical storm. From the Sahel to Nigeria, insecurity is spreading at an alarming speed, threatening fragile states and destabilising entire regions. While local dynamics and systemic weaknesses play a role, Russia’s involvement raises troubling questions about its motives and the consequences for Africa and beyond. Nigeria faces a growing terrorist threat that is no longer confined to its borders. The collapse of governance in several states of the Alliance of Sahelian Juntas (AES) has created fertile ground for extremist groups. These failed states have become incubators…