Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has revealed that the United States of America has revoked his visa, preventing his entry into the country for the time being. Speaking at a media briefing held at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, on Tuesday, Soyinka said he was stunned by the development, as he was not aware of any action that could have prompted such a decision. “It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for this event or that event do not waste their time. I have no…
Author: Adeboye
The Ondo State Government has approved the construction and rehabilitation of 101.036 kilometres of roads across the state in a renewed drive to close infrastructure gaps and boost economic development. The decision was reached at the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held in Akure. Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Ayorinde Abiola Olawoye, said the approval covered 66.421 kilometres of new road projects and 34.615 kilometres for rehabilitation and reconstruction, totalling 101.036 kilometres. Olawoye explained that the initiative aims to improve vehicular movement, enhance commerce, and open up rural communities for growth. He…
Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have uncovered and dismantled an illegal firearms manufacturing factory in Itam, Itu Local Government Area of the state, arresting two suspected fabricators in the process. A statement issued on Tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, identified the suspects as 39-year-old Aniekan Aniedi and his accomplice, Ubong Udofia, aged 35. They were apprehended on Thursday, October 24, 2025, at about 6:57 p.m. following an intelligence-led operation. DSP John explained that the arrest was the result of credible intelligence which revealed that Aniedi was actively involved in fabricating and supplying…
A tragic air accident occurred in Kenya on Tuesday when a light aircraft carrying foreign tourists crashed shortly after takeoff, leaving all 12 passengers feared dead. According to a report by CNN, the aircraft went down about 20 minutes after departing from the Diani Airstrip in the coastal Kwale region. The Cessna Caravan-type plane, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a popular wildlife destination, when it crashed in a hilly and forested area approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the airstrip. Eyewitnesses and local authorities said the aircraft burst into flames upon…
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to screen and confirm his newly appointed service chiefs. The request was conveyed in a letter read during Tuesday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. According to the letter, the nominees include General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General Waheedi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff; and Major-General Emmanuel Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence. After reading the letter, Akpabio referred the nominees to the Committee of the Whole for screening and…
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disbursed over ₦1 billion in compensation to families of personnel who died or sustained injuries in the line of duty within the last two years. The Commandant General of the Corps, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, disclosed this on Monday during an operational visit to the NSCDC command in Ondo State. Audi said the payment, made through the government’s insurance benefit scheme, was based on rank and formed part of efforts to improve the welfare of personnel involved in operational activities across the country. He said that the compensation covered both officers…
The Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced three persons to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery against an 87-year-old woman. The convicts, Shadrack Apos (30), Lucky Akpos (33), and Adunola Precious (24), were convicted on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery. According to the charge, the trio conspired to rob Madam Victoria Folorunso at her home in Ifaki-Ekiti on June 12, 2024, dispossessing her of ₦147,000 in cash and a wristwatch while armed with a gun and wooden planks — offences contrary to Sections 421 and 321 (2)(b) of the…
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday discharged and acquitted 12 travellers who had been standing trial for the murder of a female police inspector, Christiana Erekere. PUNCH Metro recalled that Inspector Erekere was attached to the Taaba Police Division in Khana Local Government Area when the incident occurred. The defendants were arrested on April 24, 2024, after they encountered the deceased during a stop-and-search operation near Taaba while travelling to Akwa Ibom for a traditional marriage. Delivering judgment, Justice Augusta Chukwu held that the prosecution failed to prove the charges of conspiracy and murder beyond…
A women leader from a community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State has decried the increasing cases of sexual assault and killings allegedly perpetrated by armed Fulani herdsmen against women and girls in the area. The community leader made the remarks while speaking to a fact-finding delegation from Equipping the Persecuted, a non-governmental organization that supports victims of religious persecution across the world. She said women in the community have been subjected to degrading treatment, including rape, intimidation, and murder, often while working on their farms. According to her, “Our women have been going through severe humiliation…
A 40-year-old businessman, Ikenna Ezeume, has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, over alleged online defamation and cyberbullying of a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Aniocha Branch, Barrister Okongwu Jideofor. Ezeume, who was arraigned on a two-count charge in a case titled Inspector General of Police v. Ikenna Ezeume (Charge No. MAN/336/C), pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him in open court. According to the charge sheet obtained by PUNCH Metro on Monday, the defendant allegedly published false and defamatory statements between March 1…