N igeria plans to hold South Africa accountable for properties and businesses abandoned by citizens who came back home due to growing anti-foreigner pressure.  Alexander Ajayi, Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, made this known during a Channels Television interview. He said the government has begun compiling a full list of shops, vehicles, and other assets that returnees left behind, with the aim of presenting it to Pretoria for compensation.  The development follows fresh anti-immigration demonstrations in South Africa, where some groups argue that foreigners are occupying jobs meant for locals. At the same time, civil society organizations set June 30 as the cut-off date for undocumented migrants to exit the country.  Ajayi said the diplomatic process has already started. “I was with South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs just three days ago, and we raised this issue,” he said. “We reached an understanding that those returning must record wh...

A 23-year-old woman has been taken into custody in Katsina after police accused her of trying to slit her husband’s throat with a knife as he slept, while operatives also battled and pushed back armed bandits in Dandume Local Government Area.  The Katsina State Police Command made this known on Monday in a statement signed by its spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Sadiq.  Police said the incident happened in Katsina city on June 29, 2026. The victim, Jamilu Ibrahim, told officers at the Central Market Division around 9:00 a.m. that his wife, Sadiya Lawal, attacked him with a knife at about 5:30 a.m. while he was asleep. Ibrahim, also 23, sustained a deep wound to his neck and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, where doctors said he is recovering.  Officers who visited the home arrested Lawal and recovered the knife suspected to have been used in the attack. The command said she remains in detention and will be arraigned once investigations are completed.  In anot...

T he Federal Government has approved the first comprehensive review of the National Youth Service Corps since it was created 53 years ago, with a new plan to make the scheme civilian-led and focused on practical skills.  The Federal Executive Council gave the approval on Sunday and directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth to amend the NYSC Act and its regulations so the changes can take effect immediately.  Under the new plan, the NYSC will be managed daily by a civilian instead of a military officer. The armed forces will, however, continue to provide security for corps members nationwide. Officials say the move shifts the military’s role from administration to safety, while the scheme is repositioned as a productivity and youth-empowerment programme that supports Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy goal.  Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said the reform is needed to build stronger human capital and al...

T he Federal Government will run another evacuation flight for Nigerians in South Africa on Tuesday, as it moves to protect citizens amid concerns over possible xenophobic attacks. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told reporters in Abuja on Monday that an Air Peace aircraft left Nigeria on Monday and will bring more evacuees back early Tuesday.  The flight is scheduled just before anti-immigrant protests expected to start on June 30. Government has been operating a voluntary return plan for Nigerians in South Africa who want to go home.  “Nigeria will resume the evacuation of our citizens from South Africa today,” Ebienfa said.  He stated that the Air Peace flight departed Nigeria at 3:00 pm on Monday, June 29, 2026, and was due in South Africa around 9:00 pm local time. It will leave South Africa at 12:00 midnight and land at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport Tuesday morning.  Ebienfa urged Nigerians staying after the June 30 pr...

P rovidusUnity Bank has officially commenced operations as a single, unified institution following the successful merger of Providus Bank and Unity Bank, According to report by THISDAY Newspaper.  The bank said all regulatory, shareholder, and judicial approvals have been concluded. The merger creates a stronger, better capitalized, and nationwide bank positioned to improve service delivery, expand financial inclusion, and support Nigeria’s economic growth agenda.  In a statement on Thursday, ProvidusUnity Bank said the merger brings together Providus Bank’s digital innovation, customer focused service, and technology strength with Unity Bank’s wide branch network and market presence. The combined institution will now serve individuals, businesses, and communities across the country.  The bank noted that the move aligns with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s reforms to build more resilient banks, protect depositors, increase competition, and create institutions that can driv...

T he Nigerian Education Loan Fund has warned universities and other tertiary schools to stop holding back tuition refunds and to end sudden increases in school charges. In a statement on Sunday signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFUND said it was alarmed by reports that some institutions are refusing to pay back students who had already cleared their fees before their loan money arrived. The Fund explained that the Student Loan Scheme was created by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to ease the cost of higher education, not to add more pressure on students and their families. “Some schools are delaying or refusing to refund students whose tuition was paid before NELFUND disbursements. We are also seeing arbitrary hikes in tuition and other charges,” the statement said. “This runs against the purpose of the scheme.” NELFUND added that it is already speaking with the affected schools and relevant authorities to make sure students get the money ...

T he Federal Government has placed an immediate ban on commercial bikes and tricycles along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Expressway in a bid to protect the newly built road. The announcement came on Sunday from the Federal Ministry of Works. Mr. Olufemi Dare, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, said the measure will begin this week. According to Dare, the move is aimed at stopping misuse and shielding the expressway from premature wear. “We must keep this road in top condition so it can benefit Nigerians for a long time,” he explained. Heavy trucks and articulated vehicles will no longer be permitted to park randomly on the stretch. The ban covers the coastal expressway and every bridge in Lagos. To maintain cleanliness, the ministry has outlawed indiscriminate waste disposal on the roadside, calling it unacceptable. Dare cautioned that anyone caught breaking the rules will face firm action from enforcement agents. He noted that regulatory signs have already been mounted along the route...

A 30-year-old teacher in Kogi State has died days after she was allegedly beaten at her school by a parent who objected to her disciplining a pupil, with police now investigating it as a homicide case. The Kogi State Police Command confirmed on Sunday that Maryam Usman, a staff member at Brains Minds Nursery and Primary School in Ugbamaka, Okpo District, Olamaboro LGA, passed away on June 25, 2026. Police spokesperson, SP Oyiza Salisu Afusat, said the attack occurred on June 18, 2026. She stated that on June 18, 2026, Abdullahi Ishaka and two female associates entered Brains Minds Nursery and Primary School, Ugbamaka, and attacked Maryam Usman, 30, for punishing a pupil,” Afusat said. The teacher sustained severe injuries. She was first treated at a facility in Ugbamaka and later referred to Iko-Ojo Hospital in Okpo. Her health worsened and she died a week after the incident. Following a report filed at Olamaboro Division on June 25, officers inspected the school and the deceased’s re...

P anic broke out in Alakija yesterday when a three-storey shopping plaza suddenly collapsed, killing 8 people and leaving 26 others alive, authorities said. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, confirmed the numbers yesterday at 4:20 p.m. One of those who died was a baby girl. Rescue work was still going on at the Ori-Ade Local Council Development Area site as crews combed through the wreckage. LASEMA boss, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, told reporters that two people were pulled out alive early on. That first rescue was a joint effort by LASEMA officials, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, and China Railway Construction Corporation workers. Crews also found the body of an adult man in the rubble during the first hours. Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu said some shop owners who had resumed work that morning might still be stuck under the debris. By 4:20 p.m., LASEMA said 26 survivors had been brought out while 8 people, including the infant, lost their lives. Excavators and othe...

T hree men have been arrested for the murder of retired Ogun State Television presenter Madam Olakitan Oyesiku and her guard, Pelumi Adetayo, the Ogun State Police Command said Thursday. Commissioner of Police CP Bode Ojajuni told journalists in Abeokuta that the main suspect is a former worker of the deceased. The suspect told police he planned the killing because of past issues he had with her while working at her home. Police got the report on June 21, 2026, at about 4pm. A caller told Owode-Egba Police Station that something looked wrong at Madam Oyesiku’s house. When officers arrived, they saw the front door was partly broken and the security post was locked. Inside, they found Adetayo, 38, dead in the security house, and Madam Oyesiku’s body in her living room with blood around her. Her Lexus RX 330 SUV was also gone. Detectives began a full investigation using intelligence and tracking tools. On June 22, they found the missing SUV in Onikolobo, Abeokuta. The thieves had taken ou...

T he Nigerian Senate approved a bill on Wednesday, 24th June, that will allow states to set up their own police forces alongside the federal police. The bill scaled through after senators studied the report from the Committee on the Review of the Constitution, led by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. Senate President Godswill Akpabio called for a vote by raising of hands and more than two-thirds of the lawmakers backed it. On the day of the debate, 87 senators were present, which is more than the 73 required to pass a change to the constitution. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele opened the debate before the chamber went through each part of the bill line by line. If the law takes effect, states will run a State Police Service while the Federal Police Service continues to operate at the national level. The Inspector-General of Police will still head the federal force, but governors will be able to appoint commissioners to lead police in their states. Those appointments must be approved...

A major drug factory hidden in Tapa Village forest, Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State, has been destroyed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The raid on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 marked NDLEA’s second large meth lab dismantled in under a month, after a similar facility was uncovered in Ijebu East, Ogun State about four weeks earlier, according to a report by Daily Trust. Addressing reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who spoke for Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa Rtd, said tactical operatives attacked a heavily guarded, factory-style lab run by an international drug network. Five suspects were arrested at the site: 56-year-old Mexican meth expert Jose Villa Ochoa, brought in for large-scale production, and four Nigerians handling logistics and local operations  Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43. Babafemi said the arrest of a foreign specialist shows th...

A Lagos court has handed down prison terms to 13 people caught dumping waste on the streets.  On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, a magistrate court in Bolade, Oshodi sentenced each of them to three months behind bars. No fine was given as an option. The 13 Jamiu Abdulkareem, Nwosu Martin, Abduljamiu Wasiu, Habeeb Muhammed, Kolawole Elijah, Anum Musa, Adeniyi Jamiu, Taiwo Olaniyi, Ali Muhammed, Paul Yaya, Damilare Adebowale, Ojo Fatai, and Abah Musa were brought to court by the Lagos State Government. All of them admitted guilt when the charges were read. The magistrate found them guilty at once and ordered immediate jail time. This came right after the state government stepped up its crackdown on people breaking environmental rules. For years, Lagos has struggled with floods, clogged gutters and sickness tied to bad waste disposal. To many residents, this judgment shows the government means business. Lagos Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the prison te...

P resident Bola Tinubu has taken the first step toward letting states run their own police. On Monday, June 23, 2026, he sent a constitutional amendment bill to the Senate to make it happen. The bill wants to change the 1999 Constitution so state governments can set up and manage their own police services. These state forces would work alongside the Nigeria Police Force, not replace it. Senate sources confirmed they received the bill and plan to give it a first reading when lawmakers reconvene. After that, debate will follow normal legislative steps. For 27 years, only the federal government has controlled policing in Nigeria. If this bill becomes law, that will change. Nigeria would have a two-level system: federal police for national issues, state police for local security. Many Nigerians back the idea. They argue that state police will understand local communities better, gather intelligence faster, and respond quickly when crime or attacks happen. With insecurity rising in several ...

A ir Peace founder and CEO Allen Onyema has called on Nigerians to stay away from South Africa and stop investing there until xenophobic attacks on Nigerians stop. Speaking Monday on ARISE News’ Newsday programme, Onyema backed consequences for the violence but rejected violent protests or attacks on South African firms in Nigeria. “I totally agree that there should be a stop to foolishness,” he stated. He accused South African authorities of failing to protect foreigners during outbreaks of violence. “Every time they do this, and they get the support of their government, I don’t understand how all of a sudden South Africa lacks police force, lacks the military, lacks every security agency that could have stopped these people,” Onyema said. The aviation executive condemned reports of foreigners being dragged from their homes and asked for documents. “How do you explain where people would march into somebody’s house, bring you out, question you, can I see your papers? You’re a foreigner...