Author: Mohammad Adamu

The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed as false claims that it or the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) supported the failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic, describing the reports as deliberately misleading. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye, made the clarification in a statement on Thursday, saying claims circulating on social media were designed to misinform the public and damage Nigeria’s reputation. “The Federal Government of Nigeria categorically rejects these claims as baseless, irresponsible, and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” he said. Enikanolaye said Nigeria remained opposed…

Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy has reportedly surpassed four billion total views on YouTube, making him the first Nigerian and Sub-Saharan African artiste to reach the milestone. The feat was achieved through the combined views of videos on his official YouTube channel, which continues to draw millions of viewers worldwide. The Grammy-winning singer had previously set a similar benchmark in 2021, when he became the first Nigerian artiste to cross one billion total views on YouTube. His catalogue includes hits such as “On The Low,” “Ye,” “Last Last” and “For My Hand,” all of which have racked up millions of…

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has sounded the alarm over an intensifying El Niño phenomenon, warning that the climate pattern is set to peak later this year and drive the world into a period of extreme weather risk. Speaking on Thursday, Guterres said El Niño is rapidly strengthening and is expected to become a “very strong” event in the coming months, with forecasts suggesting it will persist through February. He described the planet as entering “uncharted waters,” pointing to rising sea surface temperatures and climbing global temperatures as clear evidence that the world has entered a “danger zone” for extreme…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 14 new confirmed Lassa fever cases in epidemiological week 33, bringing cumulative infections nationwide to 1,035. According to a situation report released in Abuja on Tuesday, the latest cases were recorded between August 10 and August 16 in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo and Benue states. The agency said cumulative deaths have risen to 252, pushing the case fatality rate to 24.4 per cent — higher than the 18.6 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025. It noted that the 14 new cases marked an increase from the four…

Crude oil prices jumped more than two per cent on Monday and have spiked around 10 per cent this week after the United States struck an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a series of tit-for-tat attacks in which Tehran has targeted American interests across several regional countries. Stock markets fell while bond yields held at multi-decade highs as investors increased bets on further interest rate hikes.The latest military escalation follows weeks of relative calm during which peace talks made no progress, with Washington stating it would pursue the “economic asphyxiation” of the Islamic republic. With the Strait…

A Las Vegas court on Monday found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, guilty of murdering rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996. The jury returned its verdict after only a few hours of deliberation, nearly 30 years after Shakur’s death. The foreperson announced, “Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. “Davis, 63, faces the possibility of life imprisonment without parole. Addressing Judge Carli Kierny after the verdict, he indicated his intention to appeal. Prosecutors said Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton…

Operatives of the Zone 12 Intelligence Unit of the Nigerian Police Force have arrested five suspects found with human eyes and suspected ritual materials in Bauchi State. A statement by the Zone 12 Public Relations Officer, SP Jalige Mohammad, named the suspects as Abdullahi Idris, Sani Haruna, Auwal Umar, Abubakar Yusuf and Sharu Sale.According to the statement, the suspects were arrested with several exhibits, including two human eyes, white and red cloth, and other items believed to be intended for money ritual purposes. The suspects are currently in police custody and undergoing interrogation, Mohammad said, adding that investigations are ongoing…

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked from five states across Nigeria by suspected criminal syndicates operating under the guise of civil society organisations. The agency said the syndicates allegedly moved from one crisis-ridden community to another, offering educational support and back-to-school programmes to win the trust of vulnerable families before taking their children away.The operation also led to the arrest of a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Onitsha, Anambra State, who was allegedly found in possession of one of the trafficked children. In a statement…

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, ending his Argentina career after leading the team to back-to-back World Cup finals. The 39-year-old confirmed the decision on Instagram on Monday, saying it “hurt and still hurts deep in my soul” but that he understood it was “the right time.” “I swear I always gave everything, not just in the last few years when we won everything but before that too, and I always fought and gave my all for this shirt,” Messi wrote. Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, beating France on penalties in the Doha…

The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 6,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in what officials say is the country’s worst Ebola epidemic on record, according to the latest figures released by Congolese health authorities on Monday. The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has now surpassed the 2018–2020 epidemic to become the deadliest in the DRC’s history. It is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists. The disease has spread rapidly across six provinces in the country’s restive north and east, regions long destabilised by armed…