Author: Lawan

2027: Atiku tackles Obasanjo •Says, ‘opposing your 3rd term bid my only offence•It’s unfair to say I bribed Na’Abba who’s not alive to defend himselfFrom Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja Presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), for the2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the latest allegations against him by President Olusegun Obasanjo are attempts to confer advantage on his preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 polls. Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the former president’s allegation that the former vice president bribed former Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to impeach him was…

•Rejects life jail handed to 3 convicts The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment sentences handed to three convicted members of the Ansaru terrorist group over the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government, Oyo State. The agency said it was dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that the punishment did not reflect the gravity of the offences, particularly the killing of two teachers during the attack.Justice Salim Ibrahim had convicted and sentenced Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa)…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has rejected allegations by former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived leaders of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) during the political negotiations that preceded the 2003 general elections, insisting that his actions were guided by transparency and national interest. Responding in a letter dated July 23, 2026, titled Reply to your inaccurate posture: “How Obasanjo deceived us in 2003”, the former President described Osoba’s account, published in The Legal Observer on July 20, as inaccurate, incomplete and based on misconceptions. Obasanjo took particular exception to being described as deceptive, maintaining that he…

…Warns unchecked AI could amplify market shocks, cyber risks The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged central banks and financial regulators worldwide to strengthen oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) as its growing adoption across the financial system creates new risks that could threaten global financial stability. In a new IMF Blog authored by the Fund’s Financial Counsellor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, Tobias Adrian, the IMF said AI is rapidly transforming how financial institutions price risk, allocate credit, monitor markets and respond to financial shocks.While the technology is improving efficiency, lowering costs and enhancing decision-making, the…

IGP unveils 14-day operation against criminals in Benue The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, yesterday announced a special 14-day security operation to flush out criminal elements from identified flashpoints across Benue. Disu made the declaration during a town hall meeting on security in Makurdi, attended by Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security chiefs and other stakeholders. The IGP described the security situation in Benue as a source of “sleepless nights” for both residents and security agencies.He decried that the state, once renowned for peace and hospitality, had become engulfed by violence.…

The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria under a new trade policy targeting countries Washington says have failed to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour. The measure, announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on Thursday, affects imports from 60 economies that the U.S. said have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.” Nigeria is among the countries subject to the 12.5 per cent tariff, while India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will face a lower…

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, July 23, 2026 declined to deliver ruling on the application for bail condition variation filed by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader, Bello Bodejo. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on July 9, 2026 arraigned Bodejo on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2.33million.On Monday, July 20, 2026, the court granted him bail in the sum of ₦2 billion with two sureties in like sum and held that the two sureties must be responsible citizens of which one must be an owner of…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has defended its monetary and foreign exchange reforms before the Senate, insisting that the policies have strengthened macroeconomic stability, restored investor confidence and placed the economy on a firmer footing, even as lawmakers raised concerns over bank lending, inflation, recapitalisation and the apex bank’s financial operations. At a statutory engagement with the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions yesterday, lawmakers questioned the CBN on the impact of its banking reforms on credit to the real sector, the outlook for inflation, foreign exchange management, rising Open Market Operations (OMO) liabilities, excessive bank…

Apologize, resign over PFIPC scandal, Atiku tells Tinubu Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said that revelations from the probe of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has exposed a Federal Government trapped by its own contradictions. Consequently, Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, charged President Bola Tinubu to apologise to Nigerians for presiding over alleged unprecedented collapse of public accountability.The controversial PFIPC has been in the news, after the Presidency disowned the agency, amid revelations that the agency got N1.3 billion appropriation in the 2026 budget, as well as…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has formally declared his support for the Rainbow Coalition backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, while endorsing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, as his preferred successor. Fubara made the declaration yesterday during the commissioning of the Rivers Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, saying that political peace had returned to the state, following the resolution of the prolonged rift between him and his predecessor. “We have made peace in the state and we have a total agreement,” the governor said.He urged his supporters to align…