Residents of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Saturday, 20 June, 2026 trooped out early to participate in the governorship election. The election features candidates from multiple political parties, including: incumbent Biodun Oyebanji, APC; Oluwole Oluyede, PDP; Oluwadare Bejide, ADC; Opeyemi Falegan, Accord Party; Oyebanji Olajuyin, Labour Party; Blessing Abegunde, NNPP; Bidemi Awogbemi, APP; and Ayodeji Ojo, ADP. Others are: Samuel Akande, AAC; Olaniyi Ayodele, PRP; Victor Adetunji, Zenith Labour Party; Olu Omotoso, Action Alliance; Joseph Anifowose, Allied Peoples Movement; and Ayodele Osinkolu, Young Progressive Party. It was gathered that there was an impressive turnout of voters at most polling…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
Read More
By David Adesanya Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads in its national security journey. Across the country, communities continue to face an alarming rise in kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, oil theft, illegal mining, piracy, pipeline vandalism, communal conflicts, and attacks on critical national infrastructure. These challenges have claimed thousands of lives, displaced families, disrupted businesses, and created an atmosphere of uncertainty that affects both citizens and investors. The economic consequences are equally severe. Farmers are unable to cultivate their lands due to fear of attacks, businesses face increasing security costs, and investors are often discouraged by concerns over safety and stability.…
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concerns over the growing menace of hate speech in Nigeria, warning that inflammatory rhetoric could undermine democracy, trigger violence, and reverse the country’s developmental gains ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, said hate speech constitutes a direct violation of human rights and poses a grave threat to national peace, unity, and sustainable development. In a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Ojukwu stressed that hate speech strips individuals of their dignity and violates the principles of equality…
By Seye Oladejo I had always assumed that the finest dramatic performances were the exclusive preserve of Hollywood. However, after watching the recent interview between Rufai Oseni and Mr. Peter Obi on Arise Television, I may have just found my nominee for the 2026 Oscar Award. Please note that the suggestion of the Oscar award is deliberate since Mr. Peter Obi is obsessed with examples from overseas. The entire encounter was a fascinating piece of political theatre. What made the performance even more remarkable was that the interviewer, Rufai Oseni, who is widely perceived as Mr. Obi’s unavowed and unrepentant…
The Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has directed all public and private schools across the state to immediately discontinue the organization of graduation ceremonies and end-of-session parties. The directive was contained in a circular issued by the Department of Private Schools, Abeokuta, and addressed to administrators of both public and non-state (private) schools through Zonal Education Officers. According to the ministry, reports had reached the government that some school administrators were allegedly extorting parents and guardians under the guise of organizing graduation and end-of-session celebrations for learners. The ministry noted that such actions are contrary to resolutions…
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice, Hauwa Yilwa on Friday, 19 June, 2026 sentenced two relatives of Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, a slain bandit leader, to 20 years imprisonment each for aiding terrorism and concealing information about his activities. Yilwa sentenced the duo on Friday, 19 June, 2026 after the defendants, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges filed against them by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). The Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the women following investigations into the activities of Battujo, who was killed by security forces on…
An official of S&P Global Energy, Matthew Tracey-Cook on Thursday, 19 June, 2026 disclosed that Nigerian fuel marketers are increasingly importing refined petroleum products originating from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery through the offshore ship-to-ship trading hub in Lome, Togo. Tracey-Cook , who made this disclosure on Thursday, 19 June, 2026 while speaking at a MEMAN webinar themed “West Africa pricing and flows in the context of the war,” said the circular trade pattern persists even as the refinery boosts local production and supply, highlighting a possible disparity between local and international pricing. While providing aninsights into evolving West African refined…
In a bid to improve security reporting and give the public greater insight into the realities of counterinsurgency and other internal security efforts, Federal Government on Thursday, 19 June, 2026 disclosed that it is considering a new initiative that would allow journalists to accompany military personnel during selected operations, reports thegazellenews.com. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, made the disclosure on Thursday, 19 June, 2026 at the National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja. Musa, represented by his Special Adviser, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole, said the proposed arrangement would foster closer collaboration between the media…
The English Football Association on Friday, 19 June, 2026 released the 2026/27 Premier League season schedule with all 380 fixtures set to run from Friday, August 21, 2026, through the campaign. The FA, which released the fixtures through its official website on Friday, 19 June, 2026, said kick-off times remain standard, with weekend and Bank Holiday matches scheduled for 15:00 UK time, while midweek games will typically begin at 20:00 unless otherwise stated. “All fixtures remain subject to change,” a release on the EPL website read on Friday. According to the fixtures, the defending champion Arsenal will kick- start the…
A latest data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 document has revealed that banks and their customers lost a combined N134.48 billion to fraud between 2020 and 2025 amid a significant expansion in digital payments and financial technology adoption across the country. According to document obtained by The PUNCH from the apex bank’s website, showed that attempted fraud across the banking and payments ecosystem amounted to N187.79 billion during the six-year period, while actual losses stood at N134.48 billion. The losses were recorded across multiple payment channels, including over-the-counter transactions, Automated Teller Machines, cheques,…