N igeria’s government is considering a new plan that would let journalists join military teams on specific operations, with the aim of deepening public insight into the country’s security situation and opening up the work of the armed forces. Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd) announced the proposal on Thursday at the National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja. He spoke through his Special Adviser, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole, based on details reported by Vanguard Newspaper . According to Musa, the idea is built on stronger partnership between the press and security agencies. He noted that in today’s conflicts, narratives and information carry as much weight as weapons on the battlefield. Journalists, he said, now serve as vital actors in national security, not just watchers from the sidelines. “More than ever before, the media are not only enablers; they are stabilizers of government,” he stated. The Defence Ministry is already working ...

  T he federal government has approved four to five international routes for United Nigeria Airlines, including New York, Canada and Dubai, Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo announced Thursday in Lagos, according to a report by The Sun Nigeria. Speaking at the unveiling of two new Boeing 737-800NG jets, Keyamo said the decision is part of a plan to shift control of Nigeria’s outbound air traffic to Nigerian airlines. He noted that foreign carriers currently carry 90 to 95 per cent of passengers flying out of the country. “Our market belongs to us,” he said. “Under our air agreements, Nigeria has equal rights on those routes. So I must help our airlines claim half of that share.” Keyamo said the routes were cleared early so United Nigeria can grow into them as its fleet expands. The two new aircraft, he added, will also cut delays and cancellations on domestic flights. He linked the move to reforms under President Bola Tinubu, including the creation of a Nigerian aircraft leasing c...

L agos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered an immediate cleanup across the state following a viral video that showed residents dumping refuse into floodwaters during the last heavy downpour. In a statement on his official X account, the governor said the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of the Environment are working nonstop to clear the backlog. He added that more trucks and field staff have been sent to affected areas, and residents should already see improvements on their streets. “Lagos produces over 13,000 tonnes of waste daily,” Sanwo-Olu wrote. “Handling that volume is a huge task, but our resolve to fix this is total.” He said the exercise will run until the city is fully cleared and urged Lagosians to bag waste properly and stop dumping in drains or on roads, especially during rains when blocked gutters worsen flooding. “We have this situation under control,” he added. “Let us work together to keep Lagos ...

  N igeria will leave the final decision on any action against South Africa to its parliament if ongoing talks fail to halt attacks on Nigerian migrants, the Federal Government said late Wednesday. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this during a TVC interview. She said Abuja is already in talks with Pretoria through diplomatic channels, but stressed that tougher measures would require approval from the Senate and House of Representatives. “The lawmakers have a role to play in this,” she noted. Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged restraint, but said the situation was becoming worrying. Many of those affected have spent years in South Africa, built families with South African citizens, and raised children who have known no other country. Despite this, she said, those families and their children are now being asked to leave. The minister contrasted how both nations treat foreign businesses. Over 120 South African companies operate in Nigeria, including MTN, M...

F rom October, Nigeria will begin rolling out a new digital address system that gives every home, shop, and landmark a unique code tied to exact map coordinates. The goal is to end the “turn left at the mosque” directions that have long frustrated deliveries, slowed emergency response, and made identity checks harder. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the plan on Monday at a workshop in Abuja organized with the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST. He met with NIPOST Chief Executive Tola Odeyemi and security agency officials to review how the codes can improve coordination during emergencies and strengthen national security. Tijani said the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System will make sure every Nigerian, business, and location can be found and linked within the country’s digital space. He described the project as one of the five major legacies his ministry has pursued in the last three years, along with Project BRIDGE for 90,000k...

S peaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, says Nigeria’s current security approach is not working and is pushing for new laws to modernize the military. As reported by Champion Newspapers , Abbas said this on Monday while opening a public hearing on security bills organized by the House Committee on Defence. He said the 10th National Assembly wants to leave a legacy by updating the laws that guide the armed forces. “The security challenges we face need bold, new thinking. The old ways have not fully worked, so we must embrace legislative innovation,” Abbas told lawmakers, veterans, and civil groups. The bills under review aim to link military capacity with food security in conflict zones, increase women’s role in the armed forces, replace the outdated Armed Forces Act with modern rules, and improve welfare for retired soldiers. Abbas said the proposals directly address Nigeria’s evolving threats. He urged serving and retired officers, gender experts, lawyers, veterans, ...

A Canadian Federal Court has upheld the decision to block Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey from entering the country, ruling him out of the Black Stars’ 2026 World Cup opener against Panama on Wednesday, June 17. The court delivered its judgment on Tuesday after Partey’s lawyers appealed a visa refusal that stopped the 33-year-old from traveling to Toronto with the rest of the squad. Partey’s entry was denied because of ongoing criminal charges in the United Kingdom. He faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, linked to allegations by four women between 2020 and 2022. The former Arsenal player has denied all charges and is due in court for trial later this year. The ruling leaves Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz without one of his most experienced players for the Group L match at BMO Field. The Government of Ghana criticized the decision, calling it “high-handed and extremely unfair.” However, sources within the Ghana camp told ESPN before the verdict that Partey’s absence ...

T he Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered INEC to stop removing the African Democratic Congress and four other parties from its list, halting a Federal High Court ruling for now. A three-judge panel led by Justice A. B. Mohammed made the decision on Monday. The judges said Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court was wrong to give judgment after the appeal court told him on May 22 to wait and pause the case. The panel said the lower court’s action broke court rules and disrespected the system. It called it “the highest form of judicial impertinence” and reminded that the Supreme Court once said any judge who ignores such orders is “unfit for the bench” because it is “judicial rascality.” “Courts must protect their good name. This court has power over the lower court. To go ahead with judgment after this court’s clear order is a serious breach of the law and the 1999 Constitution,” the court said. It then agreed to stop the judgment from being carried out until the appeal is heard. ...

A climber known online as Yemen’s “Spider-Man” has died after falling into a deep volcano crater while climbing rocks without safety gear, reporting for the Associated Press , Samy Magdy wrote. Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30, lost his footing and dropped 120 meters into Hardah Dam crater in Dhale province, southern Yemen, on Friday, civil defense officials said. The agency also shared a short video that captured the moment he fell. The 10-second clip shows Antar climbing a steep rock wall with his bare hands. White Arabic names are painted across the stone. He holds the rock with his right hand, raises his left, then slips and falls out of view. Rescue teams, including divers and water specialists, were sent to bring out his body. Divers found him about 30 meters underwater at the bottom of the crater. Officials said the four-hour rescue was difficult because the walls were steep and rocky. Hardah Dam, also called Haradhat Damt, is near Damt city in Dhale. It is a popular landmark with tall r...

Picture credit: Vanguard Newspaper A 16-year-old girl told police on Monday, June 16, 2026, that a woman she trusted brought her from Imo State to Lagos with a promise of an office job, but forced her into sex work for four months, according to Vanguard Newspaper report . The girl, Chidinma, said she was learning baking in Imo before the woman took her to a tall building in Balogun market on Lagos Island. When she arrived, the woman removed her clothes and left her in only underwear. Other young girls were inside the same room. The woman then pushed men into the room and gave Chidinma a blue pill that made her confused and weak. She said she slept with no fewer than 30 men every day, and sometimes as many as 60. Each man paid between N5,000 and N10,000, but the woman gave her just N1,000 or N1,500 to buy food. Whenever she asked men to use protection and they refused, they reported her. The woman would then drag her into another room, beat her with an iron rod until she bled, and punc...

A merican singer Oliver Tree died on Sunday after two helicopters collided mid-air in Brazil. He was 32. The crash happened Sunday morning in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a suburb west of Rio, France 24 reported. One helicopter had five people on board, including Tree. The other carried only the pilot. Both aircraft fell into the parking lot of an electric car dealership and caught fire. No one survived. Police said Tree was listed on the passenger manifest. The six victims were badly burned, so officials are still confirming identities. Also on Tree’s helicopter were a Brazilian music producer, an Argentine video director, and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim, known as “Gaspi”. The fire spread to about 20 electric cars. Firefighters said lithium battery fires burn hotter and release toxic smoke, making them harder to put out. Burger King worker Thamires Santos, 27, said she heard a loud explosion that shook her shop. “Helicopter parts were flying everywhere,” she said. Fire service spokes...

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties. Justice Peter Lifu gave the order on Monday after throwing out all preliminary objections from the defendants. He ruled that the parties failed to win at least 25 per cent of votes in the last general elections, as the Constitution requires. The parties affected are ADC, Accord, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party. Justice Lifu directed INEC to remove them from its register and stop them from contesting any future elections, including the 2027 general polls. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators. The group joined the Attorney-General of the Federation in the suit and named INEC as the first defendant. The forum told the court that political parties must show national spread and electoral performance to remain re...

P rime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has revealed plans to stop children under 16 from accessing major social media sites, saying the step is needed to protect their mental health and give them a safer childhood. Speaking on Monday from outside No. 10 Downing Street in a live broadcast by Sky News, the Prime Minister called the proposal a “big moment” for Britain. He argued that technology now takes up too much of young people’s time and that government action could no longer wait. Starmer said the plan marks real change for children and their future. He accepted that social media has some benefits, but insisted the government’s main responsibility is safety. Speaking as a parent, he said he understands the fears many families have and, like all parents, only wants his children to be happy and protected. He asked whether anyone truly believes social media is a safe and happy place for children, adding that the answer is obvious. Under the proposed law, Parliament will consider the bill bef...

Anambra university vows zero tolerance as Governing Council takes disciplinary action. C hukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University has dismissed five staff members after finding them guilty of sexual harassment, abuse, threats, extortion and other misconduct. The university’s spokesperson, Harrison Madubueze, announced the dismissals on Sunday in Awka. He said the Governing Council approved the action during its 122nd meeting on 12 June. Those affected include two professors. C.C. Nwabachili, who recently served as dean of the Faculty of Law, and Chike Osegbue from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences. Two lecturers from the Microbiology Department at the Uli Campus were also sacked. They are I.H. Iheukwumere and Emeka Nwabunnia, both under the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The fifth person is Ifeoma Kakulu. She was a principal assistant registrar and served as examination officer for the Faculty of Law when the alleged incidents occurred. Mr Madubueze said inves...

A recent report by Chima Azubuike published on Punch Newspaper showed how rain turns life upside down for over 4,000 people in Afghanistan Community, Garko Ward, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State. Each rainy season, floodwater covers their only wooden bridge and cuts them off from clinics, schools and markets. What should be ordinary rainfall has become a threat to survival. In 2024, Hajiya Fatima, a 25-year-old mother of two, went into labour at 40 weeks. Heavy rain was falling that evening. She recognised the signs and got ready to go to the health centre where she had received antenatal care. But the bridge that connects her community to the nearest town was already flooded. Her older children dashed into the storm to call for help. Hours later, she gave birth at home. The bleeding continued and would not stop. By the time the water went down enough for anyone to cross, both Fatima and her newborn had died. Community leader Ishaq Afghanistan told Punch that the delay kille...