Author: Maryam Sulaiman

A joint team of security operatives has successfully rescued four individuals who were abducted during an attack on a school in Kogi State, according to an official government announcement. The victims, which included two students, their school principal, and an ad hoc staff member of the National Examination Council (NECO), were seized by gunmen on Tuesday at a school located in Odo-Ekina, within the Dekina Local Government Area. Providing an update on Thursday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed that all the abducted individuals have safely regained their freedom. He attributed the successful rescue to…

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has visited the Qatari Ambassador to Nigeria to offer condolences following the death of the Father Amir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. According to a statement from Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the special assistant on media and publicity to the minister, Musawa visited the Qatari Embassy in Abuja to pass along the sympathies of the Nigerian government and its citizens. Musawa praised the late Father Amir for his visionary governance from 1995 to 2013, noting that his leadership fundamentally reshaped Qatar and set the stage…

President Bola Tinubu has officially enacted the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026. This new directive is designed to create a unified regulatory front for virtual assets, closing loopholes that exploit citizens and threaten the nation’s financial stability.Enacted under Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered), the Executive Order takes immediate effect. It seeks to foster tighter collaboration among Nigeria’s financial, capital markets, and revenue agencies, striking a balance between protecting the public from fraudulent schemes and encouraging responsible technological innovation. A statement issued on Friday by presidential media aide Bayo…

‎‎In a major move to tighten national security and stomp out identity theft, Ghana has officially banned businesses and institutions from accepting paper photocopies or conducting simple visual checks of the national identity card. Instead, organizations must now use a dedicated biometric mobile application to verify the “Ghana Card.”‎‎For years, many establishments relied on quick visual inspections or kept physical photocopies of the card on file. However, this loophole made it remarkably easy for fraudsters to impersonate others.‎The plastic, chip-embedded Ghana Card is a cornerstone of daily life in the West African nation. Over the last decade, it has become…

A devastating fire at an orphanage in Algeria’s capital has claimed the lives of at least 11 people, including children. The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers, unfolding as the country battles a punishing summer heatwave that has ignited hundreds of blazes across its northern provinces. Emergency crews rushed to the scene before dawn to combat the fierce flames. Neighbors who witnessed the outbreak described a scene of sheer terror. Abdessalam Merrah, a 41-year-old local resident, recalled the heartbreaking moments: “At around 3 a.m., we heard the fire engines arriving and…

The confirmed death toll from the double earthquakes that devastated Venezuela last month has risen to 4,930, according to an announcement on Thursday by lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez. While the official casualty count continues to climb, the United Nations fears the true scale of the disaster is far worse, estimating that up to 50,000 people remain missing and are feared buried beneath the rubble. The catastrophe, which struck nearly a month ago, has upended the lives of tens of thousands of residents across the nation. The scale of the disaster has left local infrastructure overwhelmed and forced thousands from their homes:…

Tehran has fiercely condemned a recent United States military strike near a specialized children’s cancer hospital in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, labeling the operation a “cowardly war crime” and comparing the actions to military strikes on healthcare facilities in Gaza. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, the “barbaric” attack forced the emergency evacuation of 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy at the Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital. Medical staff described a scene of sheer panic. One doctor on-site recalled that the blast was “intense” and “so close” that those inside initially believed the hospital itself had been directly targeted. The…

Uganda has marked a critical milestone in its battle against Ebola, discharging its very last active patient and leaving the country with zero active confirmed cases of the viral disease. At a ceremony celebrating the achievement, Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi described the milestone as a: “moment of joy” Reflecting on the successful containment, he added: “It demonstrates that with early detection, prompt treatment and a strong health system, Ebola can be defeated,” Despite the positive news, health authorities are not letting their guard down. The ministry has urged the public to “remain vigilant” and released a statement on X…

The Federal Government has successfully repatriated 1,490 Nigerian citizens from South Africa following a recent surge in xenophobic violence. The comprehensive evacuation operation, which officially began in mid-June, was successfully wrapped up on Wednesday after the seventh and final batch of returnees arrived back on Nigerian soil.While the Federal Government directly funded five of the repatriation flights, an additional two batches of citizens were brought home under emergency protocols, bringing the total number of rescue flights to seven. In a detailed brief released on Wednesday, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shed light on the…

Escalating hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz threaten global energy corridors despite a minor diplomatic breakthroughThe United States military has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz as part of an active blockade on Iranian ports. This marked the fifth consecutive day of American military operations, which also saw the capital city of Tehran come under direct attack for the first time in this latest round of hostilities.According to US officials, naval forces disabled the unladen oil tanker on Thursday morning. The vessel was targeted with Hellfire missiles fired directly into its…