The Kebbi State Police Command has insisted that no ransom was paid to secure the release of abducted High Court Judge, Justice Faruk Bunza, as security agencies intensify efforts to arrest those behind his abduction. The command confirmed on Monday that the judge regained his freedom after spending about a week in captivity following his abduction from his residence in Bunza Local Government Area. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, said although the kidnappers demanded ransom during the period of captivity, the command maintained its policy against negotiating or paying criminals. He said police operatives,…
Author: National Update
ActionAid Nigeria has challenged the Federal and State Governments to rethink how public funds are spent, arguing that Nigeria’s development crisis is driven less by a shortage of resources than by misplaced budget priorities. The organisation said governments must shift spending away from luxury, prestige projects and bloated official expenses toward investments that directly improve citizens’ lives, insisting that every naira should produce measurable social impact at a time millions of Nigerians are battling economic hardship. The position followed President Bola Tinubu’s recent call on governors to stop constructing unnecessary flyovers in areas without traffic congestion and instead focus on…
“Poverty does not create disbelief. But it creates the marketplace where faith can be bought and sold. When stomachs are empty, the loudest voice is not the most truthful — it is the one with bread”. BY GARKUWAN GASKIYA _ His Highness, the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has issued a warning that should keep every leader in Northern Nigeria awake at night. He said poverty in the region now poses a direct threat to the survival of Islam. His reasoning was blunt: poverty exposes people to religious manipulation and conversion. When people are hungry, he implied, faith becomes…
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has expressed concern over what he described as a disturbing pattern of controversial deaths across the country, calling for independent and transparent investigations to prevent a culture of impunity. Falana warned that the increasing number of high-profile deaths surrounded by unanswered questions risks eroding public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system if authorities fail to conduct credible investigations. In a statement on Monday, the senior lawyer urged the Inspector-General of Police to personally take over investigations into the death of Mary Habila, a young woman who died under controversial circumstances…
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday declined a request by the Department of State Services (DSS) to terminate the defence of African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, opting instead to grant him another opportunity to present his case despite allegations that his legal team had repeatedly delayed proceedings. The DSS had urged Justice Mohammed Umar to foreclose the defence after Sowore’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), sought an adjournment, citing delays by the court registry in processing documents required to examine a subpoenaed witness from the DSS. Prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), argued that the latest request…
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of embracing praise while vilifying critics, saying the government’s response to recent comments by Cardinal John Onaiyekan reflects an intolerance for dissent. In a statement on Monday, Dalung argued that the Presidency and its supporters applauded Pastor Enoch Adeboye when he defended the Tinubu administration on insecurity, but questioned the motives of Onaiyekan after the Catholic cleric voiced concerns over insecurity, poverty and governance. According to him, the contrasting reactions reveal a troubling pattern in which supportive voices are celebrated while critical opinions…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the abduction of a Catholic seminarian and another worshipper during Sunday Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Inoyi, Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, describing the attack as proof that insecurity remains a major threat despite official assurances. In a statement issued on Monday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the rights group said the daring invasion of a church by armed kidnappers exposed serious gaps in the state’s security framework and demanded an immediate rescue operation to free the victims unharmed. HURIWA urged the Nigeria…
Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has reignited the long-running controversy over President Bola Tinubu’s educational records, suggesting the President should enrol in adult education or online learning programmes to obtain missing primary and secondary school qualifications. Sowore made the remarks on Monday outside the Federal High Court in Abuja after proceedings in his trial over alleged cyberbullying of the President, reviving a politically sensitive issue that has repeatedly surfaced in Nigeria’s electoral discourse. The activist mocked Tinubu over sections of documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that have drawn public…
The Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, Most Rev. Julius Yakubu Kundi, on Monday delivered a scathing indictment of government over the worsening insecurity in Southern Kaduna, declaring that authorities had failed in their constitutional duty to protect citizens as 30 victims of a deadly terrorist attack were laid to rest. Speaking during a mass burial for 27 victims of last Sunday’s attack on Naridon community in Kauru Local Government Area, the bishop said the victims “should not have died,” insisting their deaths symbolised the state’s inability to safeguard innocent lives. Three other victims had been buried earlier, bringing the death…
Former Abia State Governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has thrown his weight behind the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, saying the clerics remain among the few voices willing to tell President Bola Tinubu the truth, even when politicians around him may choose to do otherwise. Kalu said the Catholic Church’s interventions on national issues are driven by patriotism and a commitment to justice rather than partisan politics, urging the Federal Government to heed the bishops’ warnings instead of dismissing their criticisms. “The Catholic Church has always played a vital role in speaking truth to power. Whenever…