Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, 27 May, 2025, convicted and sentenced two oil marketers, Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, to 14 years imprisonment each for N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud. They were re-arraigned alongside Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended 57-count charge, following new findings in the case. The defendants had initially been arraigned on a 49-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, forgery and the use of false documents. One of the counts reads: “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun…
Author: Adetutu Audu
As Nigeria marks Children’s Day 2025, Heartminders Initiative, a leading NGO in child protection and advocacy, has called on all stakeholders—parents, government, caregivers, and the broader society—to renew their commitment to safeguarding children against the growing threats of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. Speaking on the significance of the day, Funke Ijayekunle, Founder and Executive Director of Heartminders Initiative, emphasized that “Children’s Day is not just a celebration—it’s a reminder of our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us. In our work with communities across Nigeria, we continue to witness heartbreaking cases of abuse, neglect, and trafficking. It must…
As Nigeria marks the 2025 edition of Children’s Day, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has called on leaders at all levels to intensify efforts towards securing a better future for children by tackling illiteracy, promoting peace, and creating a safe and enabling environment for all children to thrive. In a statement released to commemorate the Day by her Special Assistant on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communications, Desmond Utomwen, the presidential aide declared that the well-being of children remains central to Nigeria’s development agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development…
Every May 27, we must pause to celebrate the dreams, energy, and potential of Nigeria’s greatest resource: our children. Children’s Day is more than a symbolic gesture; it is a powerful national reminder that the future we hope to build depends largely on the investments we make in our young people today. As an organization, Airtel Nigeria believes that this future should be inclusive, innovative, and informed by the realities of a rapidly evolving world. For more than a decade, our Corporate Social Responsibility agenda has prioritised access to education and digital empowerment. We do this not just as corporate…
The Great Ife Alumni Association has elected new set of Global Officers that will steer the ship of the association for another two years with Barrister Leye Bunmi Falode emerging as the Global President. Falode, alongside other officers were elected during the 26th Biennial Convention of the Association held at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) , Ile-Ife, Osun State. The three-day convention brought together delegates from various branches across Nigeria and in the diaspora. Other officers who were elected unopposed were Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media and Public Relations of Nigerians in Diaspora Commision (NIDCOM) as Global Publicity Secretary;…
The Abia State contingent to this year’s Hajj has been thrown into mourning following the death of Alhaji Saleh, the Chairman of the Lokpanta Cattle Market, who passed away in Makkah on the night of Monday, 26 May, 2025. The late Alhaji Saleh, a respected leader and businessman in Abia State, reportedly answered the call of Allah peacefully while performing the sacred pilgrimage. His death has shocked many within the Igbo Muslim community and among fellow Nigerian pilgrims. Preparations are currently ongoing for his Salatul Janaza (funeral prayer), which will be conducted at the Haram Mosque in Makkah during Zuhur…
The Divisional Police Officer of Rano Local Government Headquarters in Kano State has died from injuries he sustained when a mob invaded his office on Sunday, 25 May, 2025 and inflicted injuries on him. Several vehicles were also vandalized by the rampaging mob said to be protesting the death of an indigene of the town in police custody. The officer, M.A Baba was accused by the leaders of the mob of arresting the man who died in custody. The state Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, on Monday, 26 May, 2025, visited the scene of the incident while some…
The recent announcement by the Federal Government to sell a massive real estate property linked to former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele is not only troubling but also patently illegal. The said estate, comprising over 753 housing units and sitting on more than 150,000 square metres in Abuja, was purportedly recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and forfeited to the government via an order by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court on December 2, 2024. While the EFCC trumpeted this as the “largest single asset recovery” in its history, what has gone largely unreported is…
The Authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have refused entry to Islamic Cleric Sheik Abubakar Gumi and Prevented him from performing this year’s pilgrimage. Sheik Gumi who arrived Saudi Arabia on Saturday May 24 with other clerics was disallowed from entry in spite of his valid visa and had been deported back to Nigeria. The Islamic cleric said the Saudi authorities were uncomfortable with his presence in Hajj. He cited his views about world politics as the main cause of their action. The Sheik confirmed the development in this post on his social media handle : My Hajj 2025!…
Pastor Joseph Apata, a self-proclaimed prophet and the General Overseer of the Vineyard of Deliverance Ministry (popularly known as The Rock Church) in Ibeju Lekki, openly lives in Nigeria with his three wives. His father had five wives, and his mother, wife number three, gave birth to seven sons, most of whom tragically died young. Apata, too, reportedly died at the age of two along with his twin brother. However, he claims he was resurrected five days later by a prophet who declared he would be a mouthpiece of God. That prophecy, Apata believes, shaped the course of his life.…