Author: Olukayode Oke

Viral Kid In Peter Obi’s Campaign Picture Released From Prison Following False Crime Charges Levelled Against Him. A 17-year-old teenager, Quadri Yusuf Alabi, who gained public attention in 2023 for standing in front of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has been released from Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre, his lawyer announced on 17 April 2025. The release follows months of detention on what his legal team described as a fabricated armed robbery charge orchestrated by officers at Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters in Lagos. According to a statement by Quadri’s lead counsel, Inibehe Effiong, the teenager was…

Harrowing Attack On Adventist Students In Ondo State: One Shot, Ten Kidnapped. A group of students from the Adventist Students Fellowship, Port-Harcourt Zone, a student branch of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, faced a terrifying ordeal yesterday when they were ambushed by armed men in Ondo State. The students, who were travelling to a conference at Babcock University in Ogun State, were attacked on the Benin-Ore expressway, a route notorious for criminal activity. According to reports, one student was shot in the back during the violent assault and is receiving urgent medical attention. Approximately ten others were abducted by the…

Virgil Van Dijk Signs New Two-Year Contract With Liverpool, Becoming Europe’s Highest-Paid Defender. Liverpool Football Club have secured the future of their talismanic captain, Virgil van Dijk, with the announcement of a new two-year contract that will keep the Dutch defender at Anfield until June 2027. The deal, confirmed by reliable sources including The Athletic, ensures the 33-year-old remains one of the club’s cornerstone players, with no break or release clauses included and his lucrative salary—believed to be around £400,000 per week—maintained, making him Europe’s highest-paid defender. The agreement comes as a significant boost for Liverpool fans, who have…

INTERPOL Joins EFCC In Investigating $847m CBEX Investment Fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a full-scale investigation into an alleged $847 million fraud involving CryptoBank Exchange (CBEX), a digital investment platform that has reportedly defrauded thousands of Nigerians. CBEX, which was said to be operated by a group of foreign nationals in collaboration with local partners, abruptly shut down operations earlier this week, leaving investors stranded and unable to access their funds. Many users claimed they were asked to make additional deposits before they could withdraw existing balances. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, EFCC…

Federal Government And World Bank Partner On $17 Billion Programme To Reduce Poverty In Nigeria. The Federal Government of Nigeria has forged a renewed partnership with the World Bank aimed at reducing poverty and improving the living standards of the country’s most vulnerable populations. This collaborative effort, valued at over $17 billion, will be channelled through various social investment programmes. This development was disclosed by the World Bank’s Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana, during a high-level meeting in Abuja with Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Yilwatda Nentawe, and his Minister…

NSDC And Chinese Conglomerate SINOMACH Sign $1 Billion Sugar Production Deal. The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has entered into a landmark agreement with Chinese industrial giant SINOMACH for the development of a large-scale sugarcane cultivation and processing project in Nigeria. The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed in Abuja, aims to bolster Nigeria’s sugar industry with the potential to generate up to one million metric tonnes of locally produced sugar. The agreement marks an early success of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, a major initiative under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The collaboration is expected to attract investments of up to…

Pope Francis Thanks Medical Staff Following Recovery From Life-Threatening Illness. Pope Francis has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the medical teams who cared for him during a recent serious illness, meeting with dozens of doctors, nurses, and hospital workers at the Vatican on Wednesday. The 88-year-old pontiff personally thanked the staff for their efforts in saving his life following a battle with bronchial infections and double pneumonia. “Thank you, thank you for everything you have done,” said the Pope in a hoarse but sincere voice. “I pray for you, I hope you do the same for me.” Despite gradually resuming…

“You’re Either Male Or Female Enough Of Gender Madness” Says Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has intensified his controversial cultural agenda with a fresh constitutional amendment that legally defines citizens strictly as male or female. The move, passed by Parliament on Monday, is seen as a further step in Orban’s long-standing campaign against what he calls “gender madness”. Backed by a comfortable parliamentary majority, Orban’s Fidesz party successfully endorsed the amendment, which includes a clause stating that the Hungarian state shall protect children’s “physical, mental and moral development”. The government claims the changes are necessary…

Speaker Abbas Decries Underfunding Of National Assembly, Launches New Digital Legislative Platforms. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has described the National Assembly as the most underfunded arm of the Nigerian government, countering widespread public perceptions of excessive legislative spending. Abbas made the assertion on Wednesday during the launch of three innovative digital platforms at the Lagos/Osun Hall of the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. The platforms – the Bill Tracking Website, the Legislative Tracker, and the Legislative Resources Repository – were unveiled by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) to enhance transparency, accountability, and accessibility within…

Dangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Price By ₦30, Refines Over 3.5 Billion Litres In Seven Months. In a major boost for Nigeria’s petroleum sector, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from ₦865 to ₦835 per litre. The move marks the second price cut in under a week, reflecting a significant effort to provide Nigerians with more affordable fuel options. The price reduction coincides with a remarkable milestone for the refinery, which has refined approximately 3.5 billion litres of petrol between September 2024 and April 2025. This accounts for about…

Obi Urges Tinubu To Return From France As Afenifere Decries Insecurity And Governance Failings. Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his ongoing visit to France and urgently return to Nigeria to address the escalating wave of insecurity gripping the nation. Obi’s appeal, made via his official X account on Tuesday, comes amid growing concern over increasing killings and unrest in various parts of the country, including Plateau and Zamfara states. According to Obi, over 150 Nigerians have been killed during the President’s two-week absence, a situation he…

Arsenal Stun Real Madrid To Reach Champions League Semi-Finals. Arsenal have secured their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a sensational 5-1 aggregate victory over defending champions Real Madrid, capped by a 2-1 win in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on the night, combined with a rock-solid defensive display, ensured the Gunners ousted the 15-time European champions in what has been hailed as a historic triumph. The Emirates Stadium faithful were still buzzing from Arsenal’s commanding 3-0 first-leg win, driven by Declan Rice’s two stunning free-kicks and a…