Author: Lawan

Today, Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), clocks 65 years. For him, age is just a number as his strength is unbelievable. On Thursday, The Sun team had an exclusive interview with Obi on his arrival from abroad, where he visited five different cities in six days. It was indeed a vantage Mr Peter Obi as he spoke on his quest to become Nigeria’s president, 2027 elections, his party’s travails, the Tinubu administration, security challenge in the country, the state of the country and his source of strength, among others. Your birthday is three…

Rescued Oyo SchoolchildrenOne of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the mass abduction of pupils and staff in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has claimed that the kidnappers released the victims before security operatives eventually escorted them to safety. Zacchaeus Olatunde, who was among the teachers abducted alongside pupils from three schools in May, made the revelation during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM on Friday. His account offers one of the most detailed firsthand descriptions yet of the ordeal endured by the captives before they regained their freedom. According to Olatunde, the…

•Rescued schoolchildren, teachers recount 56 days of horror in Oyo forest •I never thought I’d see my family again – 15-year-old Taiwo •Even if it’s my husband’s bones, please give us to bury – Widow of slain teacher begs The first sign that the ordeal of the rescued Oriire abducted children was far from over came not from a doctor, a psychologist or a security expert. It came from a frightened four-year-old girl, whose instinctive reaction spoke louder than any medical diagnosis. When journalists arrived at the Ahoro-Dada community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Wednesday, July…

Insecurity: Communities move against bandits with local forces •How non-state actors are squaring up against kidnappers, other criminalsBy Oluseye Ojo Nigeria, by all constitutional definitions, has one police force. In reality, however, the country is increasingly being policed by dozens of shadow forces.. It is an alternative security ecosystem that has emerged across vast forest reserves, federal highways, isolated agrarian farm settlements, ancient villages, riverine creeks, and urban neighbourhoods. The entity is neither fully official nor entirely informal. It is a multi-layered network of vigilantes, regional security outfits, community guards, private security contractors, and volunteer militias that have become the…

Paul Varsity Suspends Staff Over Alleged Sexual Misconduct, Launches Investigation Paul University, Awka, has suspended a member of its staff, Ven. Cornelius C. Eze, a Practical Biology Technologist in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, over allegations of sexual misconduct. In a statement issued by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Rev’d Godsplan Onukwufor, the institution said the allegations were brought to the attention of the management on July 14, 2026. The university said it acted immediately by inviting the appropriate security agency to take over the matter after tensions reportedly rose among students, a move aimed at preventing a…

Two communities, one broken lifeline For more than two decades, it was simply a bridge. Every morning, schoolchildren hurried across it with backpacks bouncing on their shoulders. Civil servants crossed it on their way to work. Petty traders wheeled their wares to nearby market AlayandeArtisans, students and worshippers traversed it almost without a second thought. The pedestrian bridge over the Yemoja Stream was not a grand engineering masterpiece. It was modest, functional and dependable. It was the shortest and safest link between Apata and Barika communities in Agbowo, under Aare Latosa Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Ibadan North Local…

Ishola Williams backs Makinde’s call for international probe into Oyo school abduction..Says communities may be aiding kidnappers Retired Major General Ishola Williams has thrown his weight behind Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for an independent international investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, and their eventual rescue. Williams described the governor’s request as consistent with international precedents set during previous national security crises.The retired general made the remarks in response to Governor Makinde’s appeal for a United Nations-backed inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the school abduction and the military operation that led to…

The 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff will see England take on France in a battle for the bronze medal after both teams suffered semifinal defeats. The match may not be the final either side wanted, but it still carries significance for national pride, rankings, prize money, and individual awards. Match detailsFixture: France vs EnglandCompetition: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Third-Place Playoff Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026 Kick-off: (10:00 PM Nigerian Time) Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States Why are they playing? England and France lost their semifinal matches and must now compete to determine who finishes third…

The US House of Representatives has agreed to an amendment bill that would increase withholding of assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent until it takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence within its territory. Gregory Stuebe, who represents Florida’s 17th congressional district in the House, proposed the amendment on Wednesday. Lawmakers later agreed to the move with a voice vote. The House had first proposed to half funds appropriated for Nigeria in April until the secretary of state certified that the Nigerian government had taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold…

Bala Wunti to Senate: No N210trn missing from NNPC accounts …Says audited accounts were wrongly interpretedFormer Group General Manager of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Bala Wunti, has dismissed allegations that N210 trillion is missing from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), telling the Senate that a detailed review of the company’s 2023 audited financial statements revealed no evidence of missing funds. Appearing before the Senate Committee reviewing NNPC Ltd.’s 2023 audited accounts on Tuesday, Wunti said the widely circulated claim was the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of accounting principles rather than…