By Ado Oyeyemi Saudi Arabia has turned down Nigeria’s request for an increase in its 2027 Hajj quota, leaving the country with an approved allocation of 50,000 pilgrims for next year’s pilgrimage. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying it had approached the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for additional slots following increased demand from intending pilgrims and appeals from state pilgrims’ welfare boards. According to NAHCON, the Saudi authorities cited capacity constraints at the holy sites and the Kingdom’s policy of adhering to approved country quotas under the existing operational framework.…
Author: Ado Oyeyemi
Read More
By Ado Oyeyemi The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Suberu Aniviye, following the deaths of suspected illegal miners in the state. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered the immediate suspension of the commandant and directed a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which reportedly occurred at an NSCDC facility in Minna. The suspected illegal miners were arrested during coordinated enforcement operations conducted by the NSCDC in the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis and other parts of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026. The development followed reports…
By Ado Oyeyemi South African police have recovered the body of a ninth woman in the Ekurhuleni area of Gauteng, as a series of unexplained deaths involving women triggered heightened security measures and a safety alert from the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg. The latest body was discovered by the roadside in Dawn Park, east of Johannesburg, on Thursday, amid investigations into several women whose bodies had been found in the area in recent weeks. Deputy Police Chief, Tebello Mosikili, told journalists that authorities had imposed a lockdown in Kempton Park and established roadblocks following the discovery of three partially naked…
By Ado Oyeyemi African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said he would not establish an official Office of the First Lady or retain security votes for state governors if elected President in 2027. Sowore made the declarations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, where he outlined proposed changes to Nigeria’s governance structure. On the proposed First Lady’s office, the AAC candidate argued that the position was not expressly created by the Nigerian Constitution. “There is no office of First Lady in the Nigerian Constitution. Becoming the president will not abolish my marriage, but I…
By Ado Oyeyemi The Independent National Electoral Commission has called on political parties, candidates and voters in Ondo State to shun violence, vote-buying and other acts capable of undermining the credibility of the 2027 general elections. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Mutiu Agboke, made the call on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the commission’s offices in Akure South and Akure North Local Government Areas. The meeting was attended by representatives of political parties, security agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies, members of the National Youth Service Corps, transport unions and other stakeholders involved in the electoral…
By Ado Oyeyemi A 36-year-old registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been jailed in the United Kingdom for exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train travelling towards Manchester. Odutola was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison by the Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order. The British Transport Police, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the incident occurred at about 7pm on Friday, September 11, on a train travelling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station. The police said Odutola approached…
By Ado Oyeyemi A 45,000-litre fuel tanker on Thursday overturned and spilled its contents on the road at Isimi Lagos, inward Itokin, in the Epe area of Lagos State. The tanker, with registration number T-18212LA, was involved in an accident with a Ford pickup van, marked KJA-13FJ, which was reportedly loaded with animal feed. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Beta Whales Team stationed in Epe was deployed to the scene after receiving a distress call at about 10:19am. According to LASEMA, preliminary investigation showed that the tanker was attempting to manoeuvre past the stationary pickup van…
By Ado Oyeyemi Four persons arrested over the alleged assault of a police officer during a disturbance at Watt Market in Calabar, Cross River State, are expected to be arraigned before a court on Friday. The suspects are Emem Asuquo, 40; Aniema Nelson, 40; Idara Bassey Sunday, 28; and Mercy Edet, 44. The Cross River State Police Command said the suspects were identified following preliminary investigations into the incident at the popular market. The four were among 60 persons arrested by the police on Wednesday in connection with the disturbance and subsequently screened by the command. According to the police,…
By Ado Oyeyemi A tortoise reputed to be 420 years old and popularly known as Baba has died at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo in Oyo State. The tortoise, regarded by the palace as a treasured relic of the old Oyo Kingdom, reportedly died on Monday after falling ill and was subsequently buried. The Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, disclosed the development in a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday. Durojaiye said Baba had been cared for by successive Alaafins and had become an important part of the palace’s history and heritage. “Baba…
By Ado Oyeyemi A witness in the trial of five alleged members of the Ansaru terrorist group on Thursday narrated how 49 pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State spent 56 days in captivity under harsh conditions. The witness, identified as ‘AAA’ to protect her identity, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the victims were moved between six camps during their captivity, where they slept on grass and endured exposure to rain and scorching sunshine. Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the…