T he National Association of Nigerian Students says it will hold a solidarity and advocacy rally in Oyo State following the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area. According to report by News Digest , NANS President Akinteye Babatunde made this known on Friday in a notice sent to student groups across the country. He said it is painful and wrong that the victims are still being held captive. He added that students in Nigeria cannot keep quiet while young learners and their teachers remain in the hands of kidnappers. Akinteye explained that the planned rally is meant to push security agencies and government officials to act fast and free the abducted students and teachers. He said members will first visit the schools affected by the attack. These are Community High School and Grammar School in Ahoro-Esiele, L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. After the school visits, the student body will also meet the Commissione...

M ore than 2,500 police officers have been deployed across Ijebu Ode and surrounding communities as Ogun State ramps up security ahead of the 2026 Ojude Oba Festival. The Ogun State Police Command said the operation is meant to ensure a safe and orderly celebration for the thousands of tourists, dignitaries, and residents expected to attend the historic cultural event. Leading the deployment, Commissioner of Police CP Bode Ojajuni said officers from multiple units have been mobilized. The team includes frontline officers, the Police Mobile Force, SWAT, the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping and Monitoring Units, the Force Intelligence Department, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and the Motor Traffic Department. Residents and visitors will notice a heavy but visible police presence throughout the festival period. Armoured Personnel Carriers, patrol vehicles, and motorbikes have been stationed at strategic points. Plainclothes detectives, surveillance teams, and rapid re...

B uying a ticket and a replica shirt for the 2026 World Cup could cost the average worker in some countries nearly two months’ wages, while fans in others need less than a day, according to new analysis by Gambling.com The study looked at 48 countries and calculated how many days a formal-sector worker would need to work to afford a match ticket and a home jersey. Researchers used 2024 wage data from the World Bank and compared it to retail prices. They assumed a 22-day working month and converted currencies using mid-market rates p May 21, 2026. Days of labour needed to buy a World Cup match ticket, by country. Workers in DR Congo face the steepest burden at 29 days, while those in Switzerland need under half a day. The gap is stark for tickets alone. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it would take 29 days of work  more than a full month  for the average formal-sector employee. Fans in Egypt, Ghana, Senegal and Haiti also face bills equivalent to more than a week’s pay....

U ganda has shut its frontier with the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to keep Ebola from spreading, the health ministry said on Wednesday, May 27, in a post on its official X account . The decision comes after Uganda recorded seven confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo strain since the outbreak first surfaced in the DRC on May 15. Speaking on the measure, health ministry permanent secretary Diana Atwine stated, “Uganda is temporarily closing the border with the DRC with immediate effect.” She clarified that only specific groups would be permitted entry, including medical teams tackling Ebola, humanitarian workers, food and cargo carriers, and security forces. Everyone entering will be subjected to rigorous health screening. Officials also announced that anyone arriving from the DRC must complete a 21-day quarantine. Surveillance has been stepped up in schools close to the border as an added precaution. The border closure comes as the DRC grapples with a growing crisis, with more tha...

Credit :AFP/Getty T he first group of Ghanaians being evacuated from South Africa due to escalating anti-foreigner violence is now airborne en route to Accra, Ghana’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday. Ghana has arranged repatriation flights for about 800 citizens following recent protests and attacks targeting foreigners across South Africa.  “The flight experienced a delay, but it is currently in the air,” Fred Duhoe, an aide to Ghana’s foreign minister, told AFP. Hundreds of Ghanaians were seen lining up at O.R. Tambo International Airport outside Johannesburg early Wednesday morning, according to an AFP photographer on the ground. Flight tracking data from FlightAware showed the aircraft departed just after 11:00 a.m. local time. Credit :AFP/Getty The Ghana High Commission in South Africa said roughly 300 evacuees are on the initial flight, which is scheduled to arrive in Accra later Wednesday afternoon. Upon return, the government has pledged to provide financial support...

S enior lawyers clashed on Monday over a proposal to abolish the Nigerian Law School during the 2026 Legal Education Summit hosted by the Nigerian Bar Association. According to a report by Punch Newspaper, Prof. Uchefula Chukwumaeze, SAN, Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, said the Law School has outlived its purpose. He urged the Council of Legal Education to stop running it and focus only on setting standards for admission to the Bar. Citing the US and UK models, Chukwumaeze said universities should handle training while professional bodies manage accreditation and examinations. He proposed transferring training to accredited university law faculties through a seven-year program: five years of study, one year for Bar Part 2, and one year of internship. The Council would conduct the final Bar exams, similar to WAEC and NECO. He also called for removing the mandatory Literature in English requirement and fixed JAMB subject combinations. Candidates would need credits in English an...

A chievers University in Owo, Ondo State, has uncovered a N457.5 million tuition fraud scheme involving current and former staff, students, and an outside accomplice. According to Punch Newspaper, the institution announced on Monday that a newly completed audit of student fee payments revealed that 320 students sent payments to the private account of a former bursary employee across the 2023/2024, 2024/2025, and 2025/2026 academic years. Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Oyesoji Aremu said the suspect, an Accounting graduate later hired in the bursary department, resigned in April 2025. She reportedly enticed students with promises of reduced fees and commissions, directing them to pay into her personal account. She then manipulated the university’s payment system to mark their bills as settled, enabling them to receive clearance without the school receiving any funds. Investigators found that 11 staff members, 34 students, and one individual employed at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, hel...

A breakaway faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has named Dumebi Kachikwu its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, as reported by Leadership Newspaper . The decision was reached Sunday at a National Convention in Abuja organized by the group under newly elected National Chairman Alhaji Abdulkadir Mohammed Bashir. The meeting took place a day before the Senator David Mark-led faction was set to conduct its own primary. The party remains split over leadership, with the dispute still before the courts. For now, INEC recognizes the Mark-led ADC. Kachikwu said he would focus his campaign on national unity, economic recovery, and inclusive governance. He described Nigeria as being at a defining moment and said the country needed leadership that could address insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, and social division. “For too long, politics has served a few while most Nigerians bear the cost. That has to change,” he said. He pledged to push policies based on mer...

N igerian-American singer Mannywellz will release his 7-track EP Small Chops on June 5 through Vydia. The project comes with a trailer and cover art that introduce its sound and visual tone. The title refers to the Nigerian snack platter served before a main meal. Mannywellz calls the EP a musical appetizer for his next phase and says it will be his final EP in this rollout.  He produced the entire project himself. Small Chops blends soulful vocals and smooth grooves with storytelling shaped by his Nigerian roots and U.S. upbringing, landing in R&B and soul with an African pulse.  The trailer shows him playing piano and dancing through a house, set to a narration about sending a gift to someone unseen. Nigerian snacks feature throughout, tying the visuals to themes of identity and dual culture.  The release follows recent momentum for Mannywellz, including over 100 million streams worldwide and features on BET’s Next Up and Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Top 100. Watch Ep...

R angers International F.C. sealed the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League title on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Ikorodu City F.C. at Lagos’ Mobolaji Johnson Arena. The victory gave the Enugu side a record-equalling ninth league crown, drawing them level with Enyimba F.C. as the most successful clubs in NPFL history. Captain Chidiebere Nwobodo scored in both halves to put Rangers in control. Ikorodu City reduced the deficit in the 58th minute when substitute Moses Ali capitalized on a mistake from goalkeeper Lucky Jimoh, but the Flying Antelopes held firm to close out the win. Heading into the final day, Rangers knew only a win would secure the trophy. Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu’s side delivered under pressure, seeing off a tense finish to claim the title. Rangers finished the season top with 68 points from 38 matches, one point ahead of Rivers United, who beat Katsina United 3-0 in their final game. The title is Ilechukwu’s second with the club. It also means Rangers will represent N...

Incident captured in viral video sparks outrage as Anambra Police Command remains silent on the matter A landlord-tenant disagreement in Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area, turned fatal this week after a baby allegedly died when a police officer’s blow meant for an adult missed and struck the child. The incident, which has drawn widespread outrage online, occurred after a landlord invited police officers to the tenant’s residence to resolve an ongoing dispute. According to eyewitness accounts shared by media personality Uche Nworah, the tenant was not at home when the officers arrived. Instead, they met a relative holding an infant. The situation escalated quickly. Witnesses say an officer attempted to slap the relative but missed, hitting the baby instead. The child fell and died shortly afterward. A distressing video now circulating shows the lifeless infant lying on a decorated mat. In the footage, a narrator speaking in Igbo describes what happened and pleads for the video to be ...

T he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has destroyed counterfeit and unwholesome products worth more than ₦1.8 billion at the Kuje dumpsite in the Federal Capital Territory, according to a statement released on the agency’s official X page. The exercise targeted seized medicines, banned sachet alcohol, expired drugs, falsified chemicals and other hazardous items confiscated in Abuja and neighboring areas. Some items were also voluntarily surrendered by companies, NGOs, and the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria. Speaking at the site on behalf of the Director-General, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said criminal networks are now using advanced cloning methods to replicate genuine products. He noted that the technique is making it harder for consumers to distinguish fakes from originals. Iluyomade added that the agency recently intercepted multiple containers of suspicious goods falsely declared to evade detection...

  T he Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the Federal Government’s proposal to phase out university courses considered irrelevant to Nigeria’s economic future.  According to a report by News Digest , the union made its position known during a press briefing in Bauchi on Wednesday. ASUU Bauchi Zonal Coordinator Comrade Namo Timothy said the proposal was misguided and insisted that every programme offered in Nigerian universities plays a role in national development and personal growth. Timothy noted that subjects often described as less practical, such as philosophy, religious studies, linguistics and fine arts, help students develop creativity, communication, critical thinking and digital literacy. He also rejected the claim that graduates of the social sciences and humanities are responsible for rising unemployment, pointing out that joblessness affects graduates across all fields. He said reducing the problem to “irrelevant courses” ignores the deeper economic...

P resident Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Prof Segun Aina as the next Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.  The announcement came on Thursday through a statement from Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. Aina will officially take over when Prof Ishaq Oloyede’s tenure ends on July 31, 2026. At 39, Aina is set to become the youngest person to head the board in its history. He will turn 40 in July. From Lecture Halls to National Exams Aina is a Professor of Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. For the past 15 years, his work has focused on helping public institutions shift to stronger digital systems, with a special focus on education and examinations. He has already worked behind the scenes with bodies like NECO and NABTEB, advising them on how to improve their ICT infrastructure and reduce exam malpractice through better technology. Officials say his background ...

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...