No fewer than 13,635 stranded Nigerians have been repatriated from 10 countries within the last three years, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. Findings from data compiled through media reports and information obtained from the official platforms of the International Organisation for Migration, the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission showed that the returnees were brought back from Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Niger Republic, Algeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. The data indicated that 3,358 Nigerians were repatriated in 2025 from five countries. The breakdown showed that 1,188 were returned from the Niger…
Author: Adeboye
The Anambra State Government has issued an Executive Order ending the closure of schools on Mondays over the sit-at-home practice, warning of sanctions for teachers and non-teaching staff who fail to comply. The directive was contained in a letter dated January 22, 2026, signed by the Board Secretary of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, Loveline Mgbemena. Mgbemena directed permanent board members, officers in charge of the 21 local government areas, zonal directors and departmental heads to circulate the order to all staff under their supervision and ensure strict compliance. According to the letter, the decision followed the state…
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday arraigned seven persons over the alleged burning of a bungalow belonging to a traditional worshipper, Toyin Asabi Olorisa. The suspects, Alhaji Yekini Oloruntele, Alhaji Saliu Usman, Garba Amuda Yusuf, Alhaji Mumini Showa, Imam Isiaq Raji, Alhaji Saliu Abubakar AbdulMumini Muhammed and others said to be at large, appeared before Justice Mahmud Gafar. The defendants were accused of conspiring to commit arson and unlawfully setting the victim’s residence on fire. According to the charge sheet read in court, the incident occurred on January 1, 2026, when the bungalow was allegedly razed…
A 12-year-old boy, Nico Antic, has died after he was bitten by a shark in Australia’s Sydney Harbour, his family confirmed on Saturday. The incident occurred last week in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, where Antic and his friends were said to be jumping into the water from a six-metre rock when a large shark attacked. In a statement, his parents, Lorena and Juan Antic, said the family was devastated by the loss. “We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,” they said. Police said the water in the area was murky at the time…
The Nigerian Independent System Operator has attributed Friday’s national grid collapse to a system-wide disturbance triggered by the tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines and the disconnection of some generating units. The operator said data from the incident showed that load allocation to the 11 electricity distribution companies fell to zero megawatts at about 1pm, marking the first collapse of the national grid in 2026. In a statement issued after the outage, NISO said power generation dropped to zero megawatts around 12:40pm, leading to a total shutdown of the interconnected electricity network. “Preliminary operational reports indicate that the disturbance was…
The leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has declared that he would not abandon his political convictions for personal benefits. Kwankwaso spoke in Kano on Friday while addressing supporters at his residence, shortly after reports emerged that Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, alongside some local government chairmen, members of the House of Representatives and aides, had resigned from the NNPP. In his remarks, the former governor insisted that his political journey had been driven by a desire to uplift ordinary Nigerians, stressing that he remained committed to the ideals…
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, on Friday, ordered the remand of two men, Victor Christian and Success Samuel, over alleged unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Christian, 43, and Samuel, 29, are standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, membership of a proscribed confraternity and illegal possession of firearms, preferred against them by the police. The prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants, alongside others still at large, allegedly committed the offences on October 4, 2025, at about 10:05pm in the Nebanu area of Ishashi, Lagos State. Ikhayere alleged that the duo belonged to the Aiye…
Two members of the Community Volunteer Guards have been killed during an attack on Mbamsorun Iwanev, Mbagwem, in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected armed herders. Eyewitnesses identified the slain guards as Ikpa Bagu and Age Aondowase. The assault, which reportedly threw the community into panic, forced residents to flee as the attackers opened fire and unleashed terror in the area. Community sources said one person was also abducted during the incident but was later released unharmed without the payment of ransom. Residents, who described the situation as tense, identified Gbeleve and Amile as major crossing points…
The Gombe State Police Command has arrested five suspects over alleged criminal conspiracy and possession of counterfeit United States currency, alongside substances believed to be mercury. The command, on Friday, paraded the suspects, saying they were arrested during intelligence-led operations carried out by operatives attached to the Dukku Divisional Police Headquarters. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed that four of the suspects were apprehended at about 11am in Dukku town with counterfeit foreign currency. He identified them as Kabiru Abubakar, 29, of Dugge Quarters, Dukku; Abubakar Aliyu, 30, of Basirda Quarters, Dukku; Abdulrahman Mustapha,…
Suspected bandits have abducted a Baptist Church pastor, Daniel Bagama, alongside his three daughters in Tudun Bussa village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The abduction was disclosed by the President of the Kaduna Baptist Conference, Rev. Ishaya Adamu Jangado, in a letter copied to the Christian Association of Nigeria. “I write to inform you that bandits have abducted a Baptist Church Pastor, Pastor Daniel Bagama and his three daughters at Tudun Bussa village, Chikun local government area of Kaduna state,” the letter read. Jangado said the incident occurred late on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at about 11pm, when…