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Court Grants Sowore N200m Bail

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Omoyele Sowore in court

By Akinwale Kasali 

 

Omoyele Sowore, African Action Congress, AAC, Presidential Candidate, has been granted a N200 million fresh Bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

 

The activist’s failure to appear for trial weeks after revoking his earlier bail led to the fresh N200m Bail condition.

 

Justice Muhammad Umar, in a ruling, directed Sowore to provide two sureties before the bail could take effect.

 

One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

 

The Judge, also, ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the Court Registrar pending the determination of the case.

 

After granting the application, Justice Umar handed Sowore over to his lawyers and adjourned further proceedings until Monday, July 6, when the defendant is expected to open his defence.

 

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on allegations bordering on cybercrime, following social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”

 

He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

 

The Court revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to attend proceedings.

 

Sowore had explained that he was unable to appear because of a prior engagement in Lagos and sought an adjournment, but the prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the request, urging the court to proceed with the trial.

 

Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the trial Judge’s recusal.

 

The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his fresh bail application.

 

Delivering Tuesday’s ruling, Justice Umar restored the defendant’s bail on fresh terms, requiring him to meet the N200 million bail bond and fulfil the conditions attached before regaining his freedom.

 

Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of the authorities’ continued efforts against him but insisted they would not deter his movement.

 

He said, “There is no bus on earth that can stop this revolution. We warned them, but they would not listen. But now, it appears a little bit of common sense is returning to them, and as a result, I was granted bail, requiring a traditional ruler, somebody with property in Abuja, and N200m and my international passport.

 

They have always been after the passport. So nobody can come after our movement. Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come.

 

“What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people.”

Newly Recruited Soldiers Invade Osun Varsity Campus, Assault Students

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Soldiers

By Ayodele Oni 

 

Management of the Osun state University, Osogbo, has alleged that troops from the Army Depot, Osogbo, invaded students hostels in the state capital on Monday evening, assaulted students, seized over 60 mobile phones and other gadgets, while some female students were stripped naked.

 

The attack, which was said to have been carried out by soldiers that are part of a batch that had their passing-out parade last Saturday, has triggered outrage on campus and prompted a formal complaint to Army authorities.

 

According to the university, the soldiers stormed halls of residence and targeted students wearing clothes or caps in Army colours.

 

Report claimed that male students were reportedly beaten, while several female students said they were stripped naked and forced to dance unclad.

 

University Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, told _The PUNCH_ that “some female students said they were stripped by the soldiers. They also said they touched them indecently.”

 

He added that some male students were also assaulted.

 

“Over 60 gadgets, including phones, were seized from the students,” Adesoji said. “Over 20 have already been identified as the victims.”

 

There is also an allegation of rape, but the university said it could not be confirmed as of press time. “We can’t confirm the alleged rape yet,” Adesoji stated. No victim had been identified when the report was filed.

 

According to Adesoji, two students were hospitalised after the attack, but one was discharged on Tuesday morning.

 

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye, visited the affected hostels on Tuesday and said the incident had been reported to the management of the Army Depot, which is located close to the campus.

 

“It is sad that the Army Depot, located close to the campus, which we felt would give us security cover, could eventually release men that will subject our students to this kind of harrowing experience,” Adebooye said while addressing affected students.

 

The university revealed that three of the soldiers involved had been identified and were brought to the campus on Tuesday morning. The VC said he has “taken the matter up with the Army authority.

UK Proposes Repayment By Asylum Seekers Up to £10,000 in Support Costs Before Settlement

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
United Kingdom - UK Flag

By Ayodele Oni 

 

The United Kingdom, (UK) has announced a major significant change in the country’s approach to asylum support and settlement.

 

Under the New change, still waiting for parliament’s approval, the UK government attached stringent measure which some asylum seekers will have to meet before consideration of their request for permanent stay.

 

They will have to repay up to £10,000 in housing and financial support before they can apply for permanent settlement in Britain.

 

The proposal, which is still subject to approval by Members of Parliament, is part of the government’s broader effort to reduce the country’s annual asylum support bill, currently estimated at £4 billion.

 

Announcing the reforms on Tuesday via its official X account, the UK Home Office said: “New reforms will see asylum seekers pay towards the cost of their housing and financial support. 

 

“Migrants who can afford to are expected to have to pay around £10,000 to be eligible for settlement.”

 

Under the proposed policy, repayments will be means-tested, meaning only those who can afford to pay will be required to do so. 

 

The government explained that payments could be made through monthly instalments or deductions from benefits, with safeguards in place to ensure individuals are not left destitute.

 

 It also said migrants who leave the UK would be expected to clear any outstanding repayments if they wish to return.

 

The Home Office pointed out that the measure is aimed at easing the financial burden on taxpayers, while ensuring that beneficiaries of state support contribute when they become financially capable.

 

 Officials described the proposal as a fair way of recovering part of the cost of asylum accommodation and financial assistance.

 

Explaining the rationale behind the reform, the UK Interior Minister, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. 

 

“Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”

Atiku Advises President Tinubu To Suspend Gbajabiamila Over Alleged N400 Million Bribe

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Femi Gbajabiamila

By Ayodele Oni 

 

Reactions have continued to trail allegation of the allocation of N27.4 billion in this year’s budget to a non-existent establishment.

 

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations of a-N400 million bribery scandal and questions surrounding a N27.4 billion budgetary allocation.

 

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Office, Atiku urged the President to demonstrate accountability by ensuring that public officials in his administration are held responsible for allegations levelled against them.

 

The former vice president was reacting to claims made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), against Gbajabiamila. 

Atiku Abubkar and Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Atiku Abubkar and Bola Ahmed Tinubu

He pointed out that the Chief of Staff’s reported assertion that the PFIPC does not exist raised further concerns over the controversy.

 

Atiku questioned how N27.4 billion could be allocated in the national budget to an agency allegedly described as non-existent.

 

According to him, the explanation attributed to Gbajabiamila had only intensified doubts about the matter and raised questions over the credibility of the 2026 national budget.

 

“The Chief of Staff’s claim only created more problems for the government,” Atiku stated, arguing that allocating N27.4 billion to an agency allegedly described as non-existent “puts question marks on the credibility of the entire 2026 national budget.”

Push For State Police Politically Motivated – NDC Chieftain Buba Galadima

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Buba Galadima

By Ayodele Oni

 

A Nigeria Democratic Congress, (NDC), Chieftain, Buba Galadima, has expressed the view that the proposed state police, will go the way of the past Native Authority Police.

 

Galadima made the remark on Tuesday during an interview on the ARISE News Morning Show.

 

The NDC chieftain cited his experience during the era of the Native Authority Police, alleging that the institution was abused to intimidate and detain political opponents ahead of elections.

 

“I was adult enough to see what had happened during the Native Authority Police.

 

“When elections approached, three months to the election, the Native Authority Police would gather all the opposition elements in their territorial jurisdiction and lock them up.

 

“Some of them, they would just say, ‘Oh, you have abused the Emir,’ or ‘You have abused the chief,’ or ‘You have abused the Judge,’ or that you were wearing shoes when your village head was seated on a chair. Then they would clamp all of them into detention,” he said.

 

Galadima, maintained that the alleged misuse of the Native Authority Police contributed to the migration of many people from parts of Northern Nigeria.

 

He further argued that the proposed creation of state police, which prompted a constitutional amendment now by the national Assembly, will not solve Nigeria’s insecurity challenges, and warned that it could instead be used by political office holders to suppress opposition.

 

Questioning the effectiveness of the proposed state police, Galadima said Nigeria’s security problems would not be resolved merely by creating another policing structure.

 

“If the Nigerian Police, if the Nigerian Military cannot solve security situations in Nigeria, I wonder how the state police would be able to do that,” he added.

 

The elder statesman alleged that the push for state police was politically motivated, claiming it could be deployed by elected officials during the 2027 elections.

 

“All that we know is that the president and the governors are looking for state police before the elections so that they use them as political thugs to attack the opposition, disrupt the election and kill democracy.”

 

He emphasized that state police could deepen ethnic and religious divisions if recruitment were dominated by particular groups in individual states.

 

“The state police could be used to even destroy the unity of this country because if there are certain states where only one tribe or only one religion will constitute the state police, people from other parts of the country will have no liberty to live and do their businesses as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

 

He stated that the proposed policing structure would create more challenges than it would solve.“For me, it will create more problems, more division and more suspicion

 

The National Assembly recently passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, and has been transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration.

Xenophobic: Gunmen Murder Nigerian Businessman, Big Joe, In South Africa

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Big Joe Shot in South Africa

By Ayodele Oni

 

As the rave of xenophobic attacks by South African on non nationals continue unabated, unidentified gunmen have shot dead a Nigerian businessman known as Big Joe.

 

The incident occurred outside his business premises in Witbank, Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga Province on Sunday.

 

The targeted assassination comes at a highly volatile time, as local xenophobic mobs and anti-foreigner groups intensify their aggressive campaigns to forcefully evict, attack, and shut down businesses owned by foreign nationals ahead of a June 30, 2026 deadline openly declared by local extremist groups.

 

According to reports, the assailants opened fire on the businessman multiple times before fleeing the scene.

 

The execution of Big Joe is not an isolated incident of urban crime; it is directly connected to a coordinated, rising tide of xenophobia sweeping through parts of South Africa.

 

For weeks, various ultra-nationalist groups and local mobs have been distributing flyers and issuing online ultimatums, warning all foreign nationals to close their shops and vacate the communities by June 30 or face severe consequences.

 

Despite repeated assurances from the South African government that the safety of diplomatic residents and foreign businesses would be guaranteed, the reality on the ground paints a grim picture of state complicity and law enforcement indifference.

 

Many Nigerians living in Witbank, Johannesburg, and Pretoria feel completely abandoned, noting that the South African police systematically turn a blind eye when foreign-owned businesses are pillaged or when individuals are targeted for extrajudicial killings.

 

The k!lling comes amid heightened tensions over anti-immigrant sentiments in parts of South Africa, where some groups have recently called for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.

 

The South African Police Service has not released an official statement confirming the identity of the victim or the motive behind the attack.

 

Investigations are reportedly underway to identify the assailants and motive.

 

The incident has also renewed concerns over the safety of foreign nationals living and doing business in South Africa, with members of the Nigerian diaspora calling for a thorough investigation and justice for the victim.

Police Officer, Two Others Ra*pe 13 Years Old Girl In Niger State

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Nigerian Police

By Ayodele Oni

 

A police officer with the Niger State Police Command has been arrested for allegedly ra*ping a 13-year-old girl.

 

Niger State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Hadiza Kuta, who confirmed the arrest, disclosed that two other suspects were also arrested for allegedly ra*ing the same girl.

 

According to her, the victim was repeatedly ra*ed by the three suspects before the matter was reported to the ministry.

 

The Commissioner explained that the victim’s parents reported the case to the Ministry for intervention, which led to the arrest of the suspects.

 

“The parents told the ministry that their efforts to seek justice were consistently obstructed, which prompted them to seek the ministry’s assistance.”

 

Kuta expressed concern over the rising cases of rape involving minors and teenagers,lamenting that attempts were being made to divert attention from the rape allegations by accusing the victim of stealing livestock.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), quoting the Commissioner, stated that the suspects took advantage of the girl after buying chickens from her. She stressed the dangers of street hawking, especially for girls.

 

The Commissioner also lamented that the individuals accused of ra*e were often granted bail shortly after arraignment making such practices to deny victims and their families justice and embolden perpetrators to continue the act.

 

“It is distressing to observe that cases of this nature frequently cause significant psychological trauma, undermining the educational aspirations of young girls.

 

“The future of these children can be irreparably damaged by the actions of the perpetrators,” she stated.

 

She assured the victim’s family that the ministry would pursue justice on their behalf.

 

“As part of its intervention, the ministry has relocated the victim from her community to ensure her safety and has placed her under protective custody,” she revealed.

 

Kuta said the girl would receive comprehensive medical care, psychological evaluation, counselling, and other support services to assess the physical and emotional impact of the abuse and aid her recovery.

 

She stressed the need for a thorough investigation, noting that the charges filed against the suspects would determine the strength of the prosecution’s case in court.

 

“The ministry hopes justice will prevail and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the rights and welfare of the victims,” she noted.

Obi Fills INEC Form, Asks Politicians: ”What Should Be Our Priority?”

By
The Source
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0
Peter Obi
Mr Peter Obi

The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, on Monday in Abuja filled the inquiry form of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as his name is upheld on the Commission’s server, but has a poser for the nation’s political leaders.

 

Writing on his X handle on Tuesday, Obi asked a very pertinent question to the nation’s political leaders: “What truly should be our priority now as leaders of a Nation?”

 

The former Anambra State Governor explained that “this question has become necessary given where we are today as a nation and where we are supposed to be.”

 

While completing my INEC nomination form yesterday, Section E, Question 1 caught my attention. It asks: “Have you ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind?” The answer is either Yes or No. That question got me thinking: Can we, as the political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting characteristics of a sound mind? When our children are being abducted into the bushes, when citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, and when several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from; when several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects. In such adverse circumstances as we are, should politics really be our primary preoccupation?

 

A leadership exercising a sound mind would have convened an emergency meeting of political leaders across various parties and other critical stakeholders to confront these existential challenges facing our nation today. The survival of Nigeria should have been prioritised over the pursuit of political advantage.

 

Further, in the same Section E, Question 6, was “Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC?” Again, the answer is either Yes or No. This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and for public confidence in our process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office? Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust.

 

Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service. A new Nigeria is possible.

NYSC To Get Civilian DG

By
James Orji
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0
NYSC - Corps Members

Many decades after its establishment, the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC is being  reorganised by the federal government.  As part of the ongoing reform, the Corps Director General will no longer be a  military officer, the government said on Monday.

The current Director General is Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu who assumed office in March 2025, following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Over the years, those that have headed the Scheme had majorly been militray officers.

According to Ayodele Olawande, who announced the federal government’s decision on his verified X handle, the NYSC will now be headed by a civilian in line with the government’s ongoing efforts to reposition  the Corps and make it more productive.

He said the reform has been approved by the federal Executive Council, FEC.

Olawande stressed that this is the first time the Scheme has undergone a holistic review after over five decades of its formation. The General Yakubu Gowon military administration established the Scheme in 1973 to foster unity in the country, immediately after the Nigerian Civil War.

Apart from the leadership change, other landmark reforms being considered by the federal government include a technology-driven call-up process; risk-sensitive deployment to better protect corps members; and a redesigned six-week orientation programme with stronger focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and specialised career streams.

The current uniforms being worn by the corps members will also be changed, according to the minister  who said the Scheme is being reformed to make it “more relevant and more impactful”.

“I am happy to report that the Federal Executive Council today approved the comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the first holistic review of the Scheme in its 53-year history.

“For over five decades, the NYSC has remained a powerful symbol of national unity and service. Today, we have taken a bold step to preserve that legacy while preparing it for the future.

“We are transforming the Scheme into a platform that not only unites Nigeria but also equips our young people with the skills, experience and opportunities they need to thrive in a fast-changing world,” he stated.

Court Orders INEC To Register ADA

By
James Orji
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0
All Democratic Alliance - ADA

A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to register  the All Democratic Alliance, ADA as a political party in the country.

The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Monday also ordered the electoral body to release its Access Code for the registration of the party to the Akin Rickett-led leadership, which it said it recognised.

Another group led by Umar Ado is laying claim to the leadership of the party, and had earlier been granted access code  by the electoral umpire.

Challenging INEC’s decision, the Ricket-led group had approached the court to overturn the decision, it also prayed the court to grant some reliefs, which include that; the information uploaded into INEC’s portal by Umar Ardo or any other person on behalf of ADA, was in violation of the extant laws, and at variance with its letter of intent to INEC to be registered as a political party.

The group also prayed the court to order INEC to register the political association as a political party in the country and be issued a certificate of registration.

Ruling on the suit, Justice Lify declared that the commission’s action was illegal and wrong, null and void, it ordered INEC to open its portal for a period of one week to enable the plaintiff upload necessary documents, including membership register.

Justice Lifu also ordered INEC to register ADA with immediate effect, having met the requirements to become a political party in the country.

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