R ivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Rivers State. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Fubara said the decision followed consultations with his family, friends, and associates.  “I have decided to withdraw from the APC governorship primaries. I will support whoever emerges as the candidate of our party,” he said. Fubara stated that the peace and stability of Rivers State should come before individual interests. He thanked his supporters for their backing and said his recent silence on the matter was deliberate. “My silence was guided by the interest of the state and its people,” he said. Quoting a local proverb, he added, “Not everything a hunter sees in the forest is spoken of in the marketplace.” The governor also thanked the APC for the platform given to him and acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s support. He said he would continue to serve as governor until the end of his tenure. Background Fuba...

  T he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] has shut down a large Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartel operating from a hidden lab in an Ogun State forest, arresting 10 suspects including three Mexicans and the alleged ring leader. NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the operation led to the recovery of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals worth over N480 billion. He called it the biggest meth bust in Nigeria’s history. According to Marwa, operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit carried out coordinated raids in Ogun and Lagos after months of intelligence work. The main target was a secret production lab in Abidagba forest, Ijebu East Local Government Area. “Through a clinical, simultaneous operation, we dismantled a sophisticated transnational syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican partners,” Marwa said. “They were manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal drugs on our soi...

D esmond Elliot has withdrawn from the APC primary for the Surulere 1 House of Assembly seat, saying his supporters were being intimidated at the polling venue. The Lagos lawmaker announced his decision on Wednesday at the Paddington mini stadium on Western Avenue, where the party was holding its primary election.  Elliot, who made the switch from acting to politics, told party members that he had pleaded with electoral officials several times to let his supporters into the venue. According to him, the requests were ignored. “They’ve been intimidating and stopping us in all zones,” he said. “I’m officially stepping down from this race. This is my ward, and my people are outside waiting.” He noted that many of his supporters were kept out of the venue despite repeated appeals. After the announcement, his supporters held a short peaceful protest before leaving the stadium with him.  Elliot said he chose to walk away to avoid any unrest, adding that no election should cost lives....

P eter Obi has been cleared to run for president under the Nigeria Democratic Congress [NDC] in the 2027 general elections. The party’s National Screening Committee confirmed his eligibility on Wednesday, a day after the screening exercise in Abuja.  Chairman of the committee, Senator Sam Egwu, who is also a former governor of Ebonyi State, said Obi met all the requirements set out in the party constitution, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution as amended.  “After reviewing his documents and responses, we are satisfied that Peter Obi has complied with all necessary conditions,” Egwu said in a video posted on the party’s official X account. “He is therefore cleared to participate in the presidential primaries on a date to be announced later.” Speaking after the exercise, Obi said the process took more than two and a half hours. He explained that the committee examined his academic certificates, NYSC credentials, and age declaration, and also asked about his plans for Ni...

A truck driver has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years after smuggling £7.2 million of cocaine hidden in a shipment of Kim Kardashian’s Skims clothing. According to BBC report, officers stopped Jakub Konkel’s lorry at Harwich International Port in Essex on 4 September and found 90kg of cocaine concealed in the trailer doors. The 40-year-old had transported the drugs as part of a legitimate delivery of Skims products from the Netherlands. Konkel, of Kartuzy in northern Poland, pleaded guilty to smuggling Class A drugs at Chelmsford Crown Court. Judge Richard Wilkin said he acted as a “willing driver,” collecting the drugs from an industrial estate in Belgium and driving them to Hook of Holland for a ferry to the UK. He was paid €4,500 (£3,918) for the job. The court heard that officers became suspicious of how Konkel was driving a lorry carrying 28 pallets of clothing. An x-ray revealed the modified trailer doors, and a phone linked to the operation was set to wipe itself after 18 hou...

T he Anambra State House of Assembly has dismissed reports that it recently passed a new burial law, calling the claims false and misleading. According to a Champion Newspaper report, Franklin Osankwa, Special Adviser to the Speaker’s Office, said the clarification was in response to a Punch Newspapers headline alleging that the state had banned cows, goats, and other condolence gifts at funerals. “For the record, this publication is false, misleading, and a gross distortion of facts,” Osankwa stated. He clarified that the 8th Assembly has not introduced, debated, or passed any burial legislation. The regulatory framework being referenced was enacted in 2019, before the current Assembly was inaugurated, and no amendments have been made since. Osankwa described the attribution of a non-existent law to the present Assembly as unprofessional and a tactic to generate traffic and public outrage. He urged media outlets to treat journalism as a public responsibility rather than a tool for c...

  T he US government has temporarily lifted a visa bond requirement for football fans from five African countries attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The State Department announced Tuesday that citizens of Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Tunisia who have purchased valid World Cup tickets and registered on the FIFA Pass system will no longer need to pay the $5,000–$15,000 refundable bond. The exemption applies only to those who booked through the system, which has been open for expedited visa appointments since April 15. The bond policy was introduced last year for travelers from 50 countries with high visa overstay rates and security concerns. World Cup players, coaches, and staff were already exempt. “The United States is excited to organise the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history,” said Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. “We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets.”  Namdar described the waiver ...

T ax administration in Nigeria is getting a major overhaul as the federal government launches a single Taxpayer Identification number to replace the fragmented system that has long frustrated individuals and businesses. The Nigeria Revenue Service announced the rollout of the unified Tax ID via its official X account, saying it will serve as the sole identifier for all tax dealings across federal, state and local levels in partnership with the Joint Revenue Board. The move is backed by Sections 6, 7 and 8 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act of 2025. For years, taxpayers have had to manage different numbers depending on the level of government they were dealing with. The practice led to duplicate paperwork, conflicting records and delays in processing. Under the new system, every taxpayer will now use one number for life for registration, filing returns and making payments. Officials say the change is designed to simplify compliance and cut down on administrative friction. By consoli...

  John Arum Azi speaks after his release. Photo: Champion Newspaper A Jos-based keyboard technician, John Arum Azi, is finally free after spending 11 days in the hands of kidnappers who collected N10.3 million from his family for his release. Azi shared his experience on Sunday after a thanksgiving service at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Jos. According to Champion Newspaper report, he said the kidnappers beat him daily and left him with barely enough food and water throughout his time in captivity. The ordeal started on April 11, 2026, when Azi got a call from an unknown number in Kaduna. The caller said he needed help fixing a keyboard and sounded like it was a small job. After some convincing and a N15,000 payment for transport, Azi agreed to go. He left Jos early that Saturday morning from Farin Gada motor park, expecting to be back the same day. But things changed as soon as he arrived in Kaduna. He was taken from Giwa park to a remote village, where the men he met pulled ou...

  N igerian and U.S. forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS worldwide, in a joint operation in the Lake Chad Basin. The strike took place overnight in an area long known for extremist activity. Both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. President Donald J. Trump confirmed the mission early Saturday, saying it was carefully planned and carried out without a hitch. Trump said al-Minuki had been hiding in a heavily fortified compound, believing he was safe in Africa. “He thought he could disappear here, but our people on the ground kept us informed,” “He won’t be planning attacks on Americans or spreading terror on this continent again. His removal is a major setback for ISIS.” Trump said. Tinubu said the raid also killed several of al-Minuki’s senior commanders. Early reports from the ground show the mission hit its targets with precision. He thanked U.S. forces for their professionalism and said the operation proves what can be achieved when both coun...

  A uthorities at Gombe State University have confirmed that a newborn baby boy was found at the female hostel on Friday. The university described the incident as unfortunate and said it is working with security operatives to trace those behind it. Napthali Hadu, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the development during a telephone interview with The Punch Newspaper. “I also heard about the unfortunate incident today at school. I will get back to you as soon as I gather more details,” Hadu said. He added that steps are already being taken to identify the person responsible and make sure they face the necessary consequences.  “Security agencies are doing everything within their powers to fish out the perpetrator,” he said. The baby has been moved to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, where doctors are attending to him. As part of the ongoing investigation, the university has restricted access to the female hostel. This is not the first time such a case has...

F ormer Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi says Nigeria’s biggest need right now is leaders with real business experience, arguing that practical wealth creation matters more than academic degrees alone. Obi made the comment during an interview on "60 Minutes with Mr. Kay" on News Central TV, hosted by broadcast journalist Kayode Akintemi. The discussion came up after former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had said he was more qualified for leadership because of his PhD. Obi responded by saying qualification depends on perspective. “Qualification is a perspective; it depends on where you’re coming from,” Obi said. “Rabiu Kwankwaso said he’s more qualified because he has a PhD. I don’t have a PhD. Today, in the country, I would say he has some experience. He’s been exposed; there’s no doubt about that.” While acknowledging Kwankwaso’s academic and political background, Obi argued that Nigeria’s current economic challenges call for a different kind of leader...

  A liko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, says some powerful people in Nigeria’s fuel import business tried to stop his $20 billion refinery. He believes they were afraid the refinery would end Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel. Dangote made this statement in an interview with Nicolai Tangen, the head of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. He explained that these groups resisted the project because it threatened their business of importing petrol into Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. Dangote said he decided to build the refinery because of Nigeria’s long history of fuel shortages. “For more than 50 years, Nigerians have queued for fuel, sometimes for days during Christmas, in a country that produces oil,” he said. Since government refineries were not working well, he started building Nigeria’s first private mega-refinery in 2013. The project faced many problems from the beginning. Getting the land alone took five years. Dangote also said some of the delays were caused on purpo...

N igeria is finally ready to switch fully from analogue to digital TV. The federal government says the new system will start working across the country on June 17, 2026. The announcement came from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. He spoke on Wednesday during a visit to the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited office in Abuja. “For many years, Nigerians have talked about moving from analogue to digital TV. That move is now done. We will launch it on June 17,” Idris said. He was received at NigComSat by the company’s Managing Director, Jane Egerton-Idehen. Idris said the new digital platform will change how TV, advertising, and broadcasting work in Nigeria and across West and Central Africa. One big improvement is better audience measurement. TV stations and advertisers will now see real-time data on what people watch. This makes it easier to know which shows are popular and what Nigerians want to see. “In the past, we didn’t have proper data. No...

  N igeria Democratic Congress presidential hopeful Peter Obi has said he met with senior British political and business leaders in London, including Lord Jonathan Marland, who heads the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. In a post on his official X account , Obi explained that the meeting centered on expanding trade ties, driving economic growth, and finding ways to strengthen small and medium enterprises across Nigeria. He pointed to fast-growing economies like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam as examples, noting that their progress came largely from prioritizing support for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. He argued that Nigeria should adopt a similar strategy to boost productivity and create jobs. According to Obi, these smaller businesses are the backbone of any growing economy. He stressed that giving them consistent support, especially in agriculture and manufacturing, is key to unlocking development and employment opportunities. The former Anambra govern...