A frica is about to judge its own money matters, and it could make life easier for millions of people. On October 7, 2026, the African Union will officially launch the African Credit Rating Agency in Port Louis, Mauritius. The new agency will be in charge of rating how strong African countries and companies are financially. For years, African governments have complained about how they are rated by big foreign companies like Fitch, Moody’s and S&P.  Here is the problem explained; When a country wants to borrow money, these companies give it a “score.” If the score is low, the country has to pay higher interest. African leaders say these foreign firms don’t fully understand Africa, so they give low scores too quickly. That means African countries pay more to borrow. The AU calls this an unfair “risk penalty.” And when a country pays more to borrow, there’s less money left for things people need like schools, hospitals, and roads. That’s why the AU is creating AfCRA. The idea is s...

F rench police say they have stopped a kidnapping plan that named Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and 25 other well-known people as targets. The person at the center of the case is an 18-year-old identified only as Clement L. Investigators say he was trying to direct the plot from inside prison using two phones that were smuggled in. How Police Found Out  During a regular search, prison officers took two mobile phones from Clement L. On those phones, detectives found a list with names, pictures and home addresses of 26 people. According to Le Parisien , the list included footballers, musicians, business owners, jewellers and other wealthy individuals. Mbappe was named on it. A source involved in the investigation told the paper the contents were “highly revealing.” The source added: “He also wanted to go after a rapper and the footballer Kylian Mbappe.” Background on the Suspect Clement L was already being held by authorities before this case came up. He was facing separate charges ...

S hock has gripped the Akinode/Ibogun community in Ogun State following the deaths of a Celestial Church evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, who died separately within a week after a reported fight at their home. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, August 25. Residents said the couple got into a serious argument that turned violent. During the clash, Adenike was badly hurt and fell unconscious. Her husband was said to have left the house afterward. A former chairman of the Community Development Association, Adejimi Olawumi, told community members he was alerted around 1am by shouts from neighbors.   “When I came out, one of the children, Daniel, said it was his parents,” Olawumi said in a video circulating online. “We entered the house and found the wife in a pool of blood. We could not get a vehicle to rush her to hospital on time.” According to him, Daniel said he was in another room and did not see what happened. As residents gathered, they r...

  I t was a regular Monday afternoon in Times Square. Tourists were taking photos. Workers were heading home. Then, in a matter of minutes, the sound of traffic was cut through by sirens. By 4:30 p.m., Midtown Manhattan was in chaos. Police and EMTs rushed to West 42nd Street and 7th Avenue after a sudden knife attack left one person dead and another injured. The person killed was Erin Piacenti, 32, a vice president at Bank of America. She worked in the bank’s business selection and conflicts team at One Bryant Park, just a few blocks from the scene. What happened? According to Reuters, the attack started around 4:24 p.m. when a woman pulled out two large knives and began stabbing people near the busy intersection. The New York Police Department confirmed the details. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said investigators believe the attack was random, with no warning and no known link between those involved. When officers arrived, they found Pamela Cisneros, 49, still holding the kniv...

T he grace period is over for Lagos motorists and parking operators.  Starting Tuesday, the Lagos State Parking Authority, LASPA, began enforcing its 2026 parking permit rules across the state. Anyone who has not registered will now risk heavy fines and an immediate shutdown of their operations. The announcement came from LASPA General Manager, Adebisi Adelabu, in a statement shared on the Lagos State Government’s official page. She said the agency had waited long enough.  For months, LASPA extended the deadline to give customers more time to get their 2026 permits. The authority also sent out Demand Notices to all registered operators, with clear details on fees and how to apply. There were reminders, direct messages, and public appeals. Despite all that, Adelabu said many people still have not complied. With enforcement now in full swing, the goal is simple, according to LASPA: bring order to Lagos parking and make sure everyone plays by the rules set out in the Lagos State ...

T he Lagos State Government is sending a clear message to husbands: paying bride price does not give you the right to force your wife into sex. Speaking on Monday at the launch of the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, warned that any man who forces his wife into sex without her consent risks life imprisonment under state law. The event was organized by the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA. Martins explained that while Nigerian law does not classify forced sex within marriage as rape, Lagos State takes a different stance.  Under the Lagos Criminal Law, the offence is called “sexual assault by penetration.” He said if a husband ignores his wife’s refusal during a disagreement and goes ahead to force her, he can be arrested and prosecuted. The maximum punishment is life in prison. “When there is a problem between a husband and wife and she says no, that decision must be respected,” Martins said. “If ...

P resident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced that 21 people abducted in Kogi State last week have been rescued alive. The group includes 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps and 6 other Nigerians. They were freed on Sunday in the forests of Ofu Local Government Area following a joint operation by the military, police, DSS and local vigilantes. In his statement, the President said the victims 8 men and 13 women are receiving medical care and will soon be reunited with their families. “I am delighted to receive the news that the fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps and six other innocent and law-abiding Nigerians abducted last week in Kogi State have regained their freedom,” Tinubu said. Although the rescue was successful, the President said the operation is not over. He ordered security agencies to keep going until every suspect linked to the abduction is arrested. “Those responsible will face the full weight of the law, and our security agencies will pursue every...

T he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is holding up a mirror to itself. Three years into his tenure, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede on Monday announced that the agency has dismissed more than 40 of its own officers for corruption and financial malpractice. He also confirmed that at least five others are currently facing prosecution in court. Olukoyede made the disclosure in Abuja during a media briefing to mark his stewardship at the commission’s headquarters. He said the decision was not easy, but necessary if the anti-graft body wants to keep its moral authority. “In the last two and a half to three years, I have approved the dismissal of over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice. More than five are being prosecuted right now,” he said.  Some of those cases, he explained, have already entered the court record and are open for public viewing. Others are still being processed, with case files being prepared for prosecution. The chairman was blunt about w...

L ionel Messi has retired from international football. The 39-year-old confirmed the decision on Monday in an Instagram statement , ending a 21-year career with Argentina that saw him become the nation’s most-capped player and all-time top scorer with 125 goals in 207 games. Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, and to Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024. He also captained the team to victory in the 2022 Finalissima. This summer he took Argentina to another World Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time on July 19. In his statement, Messi said the choice was painful but necessary. A post he first wrote on July 21, two days after the final, was updated after the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8.  “Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before,” Messi wrote. “I always gave it my all for this jersey. Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I’ve given everything I had. ...

H uman rights activist and 2027 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has welcomed the Department of State Services’ decision to pause his alleged cybercrime trial, but says that is not enough. The DSS had instructed its lawyer to seek an adjournment of the case until after the 2027 elections, to avoid interfering with Sowore’s participation in the polls. Reacting in a statement, Sowore described the development as proof that resistance works. He said the agency had been “forced to eat humble pie” over a prosecution he called unlawful and futile from the beginning. “We have fought too many of these battles to be intimidated now and we have prevailed again and again,” he said. “From the brutal days of military dictatorship, through the dark years of Buhari, and now under the Tinubu regime, we have remained standing, resisting, organising, and fighting.” Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Sowore added, “A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent,” stressing that oppression grows only w...

  F or the family of the truck driver abducted in Yewa North last week, Monday brought the news they had been praying for. He is home safe. Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command rescued the driver and killed two suspected kidnappers during a raid on their hideout. The driver was taken around 11:10pm on August 25, 2026, near Ajibawo in Ibese. After the distress call came in, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit went to work. Acting on solid information, they tracked the gang to a hideout along the Papalanto-Ilaro Road. What happened next was tense. As police moved in, the suspects opened fire. Officers returned fire. When the shooting stopped, two of the kidnappers were dead. Others escaped with gunshot injuries. Police said teams are already searching for them. Inside the hideout, officers recovered two AK-47 rifles, 25 rounds of 5.6mm ammunition, two mobile phones and N2 million believed to be proceeds from crime. The truck driver was also found and freed without harm. ASP Oluborode Ope...

P resident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the African Union to step in and end the repeated attacks on Africans and other foreigners living in South Africa. Represented at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Luanda, Angola, the President said the violence was damaging African unity and the peaceful life the continent is trying to build. Tribune Online reported the statement. He made it clear that while South Africa has the right to enforce its immigration laws, the attacks on migrants must not continue. “Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” the statement said. To address it, Tinubu asked AU leaders to include the matter on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly coming up in January 2027, so concrete steps can be taken. According to Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Nigeria has already starte...

F riday night at IMAX Cinemas, Lekki, started like any other. People were buying popcorn, taking selfies, and waiting for their movies. Within minutes, that calm turned into chaos. A man carrying a machete and a knife tried to walk into the cinema. Security guards at the gate stopped him. Witnesses said the man looked lost, and many believed he was on drugs. When the guards refused him entry, he snapped, Vanguard Newspaper reported. What followed was deadly. The Lagos State Police Command said the man attacked and stabbed one guard to death, and left another guard injured. Before police could fully respond, an angry crowd surrounded the suspect. The man, described as looking homeless, was beaten by the mob and died at the scene. Giving an update, police spokesperson SP Adebisi Abimbola confirmed the toll to Vanguard Newspaper:   “Two people have been confirmed dead. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.” She said detectives are still trying to identi...

A re you a newly admitted student checking for your name on the JAMB matriculation list and finding nothing? You are not alone.  The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it is not a system error. Most cases happen because three simple steps have not been completed. In a message shared on its official X page on Friday, JAMB explained what candidates need to do to get their names on the list. First, JAMB said many students forget to accept their admission on CAPS. That is the Central Admissions Processing System. If your JAMB portal still shows “Not Admitted” or you never clicked “Accept,” your name will not appear. The board advised students in this situation to return to their school and ask them to process the admission properly. Second, some schools have not sent student details to JAMB. Even after you accept admission, your institution must verify you and forward your information to JAMB. “Your institution admission office has not forwarded your verified matriculation d...

P opular socialite Afolabi Kazeem Micheal, better known as KC Luxury, will remain in NDLEA custody for another month after a Lagos court approved the agency’s request to extend his detention. Justice Akintayo Aluko granted the order on August 20 to give the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency more time to investigate allegations against him, The Cable reported. KC Luxury was picked up by NDLEA officers on August 13 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport while he was said to be heading to Paris. The arrest followed the interception of 184.5kg of cocaine. The NDLEA described the seizure as the largest ever made from a courier firm in the country. Chairman of the agency, Buba Marwa, told the court that the socialite was in possession of €7,750, £2,800, N100,000 and luxury jewelry at the time of his arrest. Another suspect, Lawal Kehinde, who works with a logistics company linked to the package, was also arrested. Investigators told the judge that Nigeria is being used to move illegal...