Category: Top News

Night Strikes in Borno: Air Force Reportedly Wipes Out 38 Terrorists in Hours

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The air component of Operation Hadin Kai has reportedly eliminated about 38 suspected terrorists in a series of precision air strikes against terrorist concentrations in Borno State, carried out between the night of August 21 and the early hours of August 22. According to counter insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, an armed reconnaissance platform picked up intelligence on terrorist vehicles and fighters near Aduwa around 10.23pm on August 21, tracking a group of about eight fighters gathered in one location alongside several other clusters nearby before striking the larger concentration, an operation assessed to have neutralised approximately 16 terrorists. Around midnight, the same platform tracked roughly 10 terrorists who had fled the initial strike and regrouped near a tree, striking the group in a follow up engagement that reportedly neutralised all 10, bringing the combined toll from the Aduwa operations to about 26. In a separate strike, another precision platform tracked around 12 fighters gathered in a hut near the Buratai area, maintaining surveillance before receiving authorisation to engage. The strike, carried out at about 12.31am on August 22, was assessed to have neutralised all 12 suspected terrorists at the location. The combined operations form part of intensified efforts by the military to dismantle terrorist formations and disrupt their freedom of movement across Nigeria’s North East. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Land, Oil and Fear: Ilaje Communities Cry Out Over Border Tension with Itsekiri Neighbours

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Residents of 19 coastal and oil producing communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have appealed to the Federal and Ondo State Governments to urgently intervene in a land dispute with neighbouring Itsekiri communities in Delta State, warning that tension is rising and could spark an inter communal clash. For generations, residents have lived and worked around the creeks of Ugbo Kingdom, but fear is now growing over what they describe as incursions by armed persons from a neighbouring Itsekiri community into land they consider their ancestral territory. The disputed area, known as Odun Ebiwonjumi, sits close to the Atlantic Ocean and offshore oil activities, a proximity residents believe is fuelling growing interest in the land from outside parties. Community leaders are calling for urgent dialogue between the Ondo and Delta State governments, alongside elders from both ethnic groups, to resolve the matter peacefully before it escalates. For the Ilaje residents, the stakes go beyond property lines, touching on their livelihoods, their ancestral heritage and the long standing peace between the two communities. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Katsina Governor to Bandits: NAF Jets Are Your Worst Nightmare

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Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda has described Nigerian Air Force aircraft as one of the most feared weapons among terrorists and bandits in the North West, speaking when the Chief of Operations, Air Vice Marshal PN Amadi, paid an operational visit to the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma in Katsina. The Governor commended the Air Force for its sacrifices in projecting force into hard to reach locations exploited by criminal elements, pledging continued support from the Katsina State Government for ongoing air and ground operations. During the visit, Air Vice Marshal Amadi reaffirmed the Air Force’s resolve to sustain intensified operations against terrorists and bandits across Katsina and the wider North West, stressing that collaboration among the armed forces, security agencies and local communities remains critical to restoring lasting peace. The visit reflected the strategic direction set by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, particularly his emphasis on the welfare and readiness of frontline personnel alongside sustained air power aimed at denying criminal networks freedom of movement. Amadi was accompanied by the Chief of Civil Military Relations, Air Vice Marshal EK Gabkwet, and received by the Air Component Commander, Air Commodore CE Illoh. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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African Students Crown Olukoyede Continent’s Icon of Integrity

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The African Students Union Parliament has honoured EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede with the Pan African Leadership Hall of Fame Award as Africa’s Patriotic Icon of Integrity and Leadership, presented during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters. Speaking for the delegation, Nigerian representative Comrade James Uneze, a student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said the honour recognises Olukoyede’s contributions to nation building and his fight against economic and cybercrimes, describing him as a role model who has given hope to Nigerians affected by financial crime. Uneze linked the award to the union’s wider campaigns against cyber fraud, drug abuse and the spread of small arms among African youth, framing the recognition as part of a broader push to reintroduce Pan Africanism as development led by Africans for Africa. Receiving the award on Olukoyede’s behalf, Head of the Commission’s Enlightenment and Reorientation Unit, ACE II Aisha Mohammed, said the recognition shows the EFCC’s efforts are being noticed by young Africans, stressing that collaboration remains central to the Commission’s work and that no single agency can fight corruption alone. Mohammed noted that Olukoyede also chairs the Network of Anti Corruption Institutions in West Africa, calling the timing of the award fitting given the Commission’s continental and international partnerships. The delegation included students from Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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FAAN Boots Company Over Alleged Illegal Parking Fines at Abuja Airport

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has ordered the immediate removal of a company accused of illegally imposing parking fines on motorists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following a complaint over irregular enforcement of parking rules. FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, disclosed the action in a post on X, saying the complaint was escalated to Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku, who ordered the company’s immediate ejection from the airport. The complaint, raised by a user identified as Ogundipe Esq, alleged that enforcement agents clamped vehicles of motorists who had merely stopped briefly, then demanded a N25,000 fine and, in some cases, directed payment to personal accounts through a point-of-sale operator rather than an official channel. He further alleged that motorists paying through the account displayed at the enforcement office were warned their vehicles could be delayed until payment was confirmed. Achimugu said Kuku has consistently promised swift action wherever evidence of illegal activity affecting airport users emerges and confirmed that discussions are underway to identify a suitable replacement company for the affected duties. He urged vehicle owners to comply with designated parking and traffic instructions at the airport to avoid similar disputes going forward. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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UNIBEN Confirms N145.9m Student Loan Windfall for 1,454 Beneficiaries

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The University of Benin has acknowledged receiving N145.98 million from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for 1,454 students under the 2025/2026 academic session. In a letter dated July 7, 2026, signed by Registrar Bimpe Omoyiwola and addressed to NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr, the university confirmed the funds arrived in three tranches, an initial N92.75 million paid to 910 students on April 15, 2026, followed by N35.18 million on May 7 for 358 students, and a final N18.04 million on June 9 for 186 more beneficiaries. The three payments brought the total received under the additional tranches to N145,975,250, benefiting 1,454 students in all. Omoyiwola described the initiative as invaluable in widening access to affordable tertiary education for Nigerian students, expressing the university’s appreciation to both NELFUND and the beneficiaries. She assured the agency of UNIBEN’s continued commitment to transparency, accountability and strict compliance with the guidelines governing the student loan scheme. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Sanwo Olu’s Last Bow at LASU: N20m Gifts, Honorary Doctorates and a Tearful Goodbye

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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu has announced a cash gift of N20 million each for the best graduating students of the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 sessions at the Lagos State University’s Combined Convocation, held at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Ojo. The beneficiaries are Ayilara Lawal Olawale, who graduated with a First Class in Project Management Technology with a CGPA of 4.96, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide, who graduated with a First Class in Aerospace Engineering with 4.97 CGPA. The ceremony also saw honorary doctorate degrees conferred on Aliko Dangote, Akin Kekere Ekun and Bola Adesola. Addressing 20,604 graduands, Sanwo Olu urged them to be good ambassadors of LASU, Lagos State and Nigeria, deploying their knowledge and character to solve problems in society. He described the event as his sixth and final convocation as Visitor to the university, doubling as a farewell to the institution he has led as Visitor throughout his tenure. The Governor reflected on LASU’s growth from its founding over 40 years ago under Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, highlighting his own administration’s investments, including the Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu Library Complex, a student union building and additional lecture halls, alongside expanding the number of state-owned universities from one to three. He commended outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello, noting that both their tenures were ending at the same ceremony, and called on alumni and philanthropists to support LASU through scholarships and endowments. Chancellor Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, presiding over his first convocation, praised the state’s investment in education and urged graduates to become creators of solutions rather than mere consumers of knowledge. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Fake Canadian Visas, Real Millions Lost: Trio Docked in Ibadan Travel Scam

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The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned Emmanuel Serah Motunrayo, Awotunde Olugbenga and Idowu Olugbemi Sunday before the Oyo State High Court over an alleged Canadian visa scam that swindled victims of tens of millions of naira. Motunrayo and Olugbenga face a forty-seven-count charge covering forgery, uttering false documents and obtaining money by false pretense, tied to N23,404,600 taken from their victims. Prosecutors allege the pair posed as Abuja based travel and immigration agents, promising to secure Canadian visas and flight arrangements, then collected N12,368,100 from one victim, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa Iyanda, and N11,036,500 from another, Oyewale Tunji Bello, before reneging on the deal. Investigators say the duo went as far as forging a Canadian visa in Iyanda’s name and uttering a second forged visa in Bello’s name to keep the scheme convincing. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, prompting prosecuting counsel Mohammed Abideen to ask for a trial date and their remand, while defense counsel Jimoh Wasiu told the court bail applications had already been filed. Justice Adetujoye adjourned the matter to August 26, 2026, for the bail hearing and ordered both men held at Agodi Correctional Centre in the meantime. In a related case, the same EFCC directorate had earlier arraigned Idowu Olugbemi Sunday before the same court on August 17 for defrauding victim Okanlawon Tunji Ajao of N6,650,000 under a similar promise of securing Canadian visas for him and his family. The cases add to a growing list of visa scam prosecutions out of Ibadan, as fraudsters continue to exploit Nigerians’ desperation to travel abroad. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Thirty Years On, Sanwo Olu Honours 506 Local Government Foot Soldiers

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Lagos State Government has honoured 506 officers of the Unified Local Government Service for their years of dedication at the 2026 Long Service Merit Award Ceremony, pledging continued investment in workforce development across the grassroots civil service. Speaking at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu, represented by Deputy Governor Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, praised the awardees for their perseverance and professionalism, describing their service as part of Lagos State’s institutional history. He said the Unified Local Government Service remains the point where most residents interact directly with government, spanning the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas. The Governor called for a stronger, more professionally equipped public service to match Lagos’ fast growing population and rising demand for services, urging younger officers to draw lessons from the careers of those honoured. He said the government would deepen investment in training and a planned e library to keep public servants equipped for citizens increasingly demanding faster, digitally capable government. Head of Service Bode Agoro commended the state for sustaining the award and urged officers to keep upskilling in response to changing policies and technology, while also reminding them to prioritise their health and make use of the Ilera Eko health policy that government co funds monthly. Permanent Secretary Toyin Ogunlana, in her welcome address, described the ceremony as a chance to celebrate officers who had served the state for over three decades with diligence and resilience. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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N990m Forex Deal Gone Wrong Lands Brookfield Boss in Court

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 has arraigned Olatunji Oluwaseun Adebola, Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Group Holdings and known by the alias Whitelion, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama over an alleged N990 million fraud. Adebola, alongside his company Brookfield Mining Limited, faces a four-count charge covering conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and dishonest misappropriation of funds. The case followed a petition filed through BB Dan Habu and Co Solicitors, alleging that the defendants collected the funds from a client under the guise of facilitating a foreign exchange transaction worth $750,000. Adebola pleaded not guilty when the charges were read. Prosecuting counsel Oluwakemi Yemi Makinde asked the court for a trial date and his remand, while defence counsel informed the court of a pending bail application. Ruling on the application, Justice Ngozi ordered Adebola to produce two sureties, one a civil servant on Grade Level 15 and the other a civil servant who owns landed property in Abuja. The matter was adjourned to September 15, 2026 for further proceedings. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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