Author: News Room

The founder of Grace Nation International, Chris Okafor, has recounted his ordeal in the hands of kidnappers who abducted him alongside his personal assistant in 2012. The senior pastor, who spoke during a press conference at the church headquarters in Lagos on Thursday, said he survived the terrifying episode only by the grace of God. Before the incident, Okafor explained that he had been travelling for multiple crusades and had not attended church for several Sundays. “On this occasion, I went to my state, Anambra State, because I am from there. We held a crusade at the state capital, Awka.…

Nine teams in the Chinese Super League will begin the upcoming season with points deducted following sanctions over “match-fixing, gambling, and corruption in the football industry.” As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Shanghai Shenhua, last season’s runners-up, and Tianjin Tigers received the harshest punishment, with a 10-point deduction each. Four other sanctioned clubs have already been relegated to China League One. In addition to the points penalties, the 13 clubs involved were fined between £21,000 and £104,000 (200,000 to 1 million yuan). The Chinese Football Association (CFA) said the measures were aimed at “upholding industry discipline, purifying the football…

Induze Tech Foundation has sought the partnership of the Federal Ministry of Education to expand access to computer science education across the country. The foundation expressed this intent when it hosted officials of the Special Duties Department, Public-Private Partnership/Non-Governmental Unit of the Ministry of Education in Abuja. The ministry officials had paid the foundation an assessment and evaluation visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in advancing computer science education. The ministry’s delegation was led by Omotowa Opeyemi and Ojukwu Michael, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, as part of the second stage of the ministry’s registration and engagement process. Speaking, the…

Stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group plans to focus on building more durable infrastructure throughout 2026 to spur greater adoption among companies and institutions.Circle chief product and technology officer Nikhil Chandhok said in a blog post on Thursday that the company is aiming to push Arc, its layer-1 blockchain designed for institutional and large-scale use, from testnet toward production.At the same time, Circle plans to focus on deepening the utility and reach of its tokens, USDC (USDC), EURC, USYC, and its partner-launched stablecoins by expanding to more chains.“That means deepening native support on high-impact networks, tightening integration with Arc, and making…

Bridget Moynahan is reminding fans that once you’re a Reagan, you’re always a Reagan with a sweet tribute to TV dad Tom Selleck as he celebrates another year around the sun. “Happy Birthday to the best TV Dad! #TomSelleck #happybday,” Moynahan, 54, wrote via X on Thursday, January 29, paying homage to her Blue Bloods costar. Moynahan shared a photo with Selleck, 81, that appears to be from the Blue Bloods set. The pair are all smiles in the picture as Selleck sits at a kitchen table and Moynahan leans over his shoulder to pose for the camera. Moynahan, who…

Mahdi Shehu has dismissed the proposed Kano Metropolitan Rail Project, describing it as a political deception.He revealed this in a post shared on X on Thursday. He argued that the rail project does not exist in official government plan, insisting that there is no provision for it in the 2026 budget proposals. According to him, no memo has been presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for discussion, and there is no design, contractor or consultant on ground. Shehu claimed the announcement was aimed at misleading the people of Kano State. “This is pure deception. No such provision in the…

Katsina State Police Command has arrested two suspected gunrunners and recovered six AK-47 magazines and 305 rounds of live 7.62mm ammunition. The command’s spokesperson, Abubakar Sadiq, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday. According to him, the suspects were apprehended on January 27, 2026, at about 2:00 p.m. during an intelligence-led stop-and-search operation along the Zaria–Funtua Road. He said the suspects were intercepted while riding a motorcycle, adding that a search conducted on them led to the recovery of the ammunition concealed in their possession. “Upon an immediate search, six AK-47 magazines and 305 rounds of live 7.62mm ammunition,…

Manchester City’s captain, Bernardo Silva, says Arsenal have given them some hope in the Premier League title race. Last weekend, the Gunners lost 3-2 at home to Manchester United, just a day after City beat Wolves 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal now lead the table by just four points with 15 games remaining. “Recently, I’ve said that both teams would still lose points, but unfortunately, we started the year in a bad way,” Silva explained. “We could have gained an emotional edge, but we didn’t. And then they could have pulled away from us, but they didn’t. So, they…

The Federal Government has called on information officers to adhere to principles of networking, coordination, relationship and effective communication to deliver on their mandate and effectively propagate the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call at a stakeholders meeting for Resident Information Officers (RIOs) in Abuja on Thursday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was organised by the Information Ministry for RIOs from GL 14 to GL 17. According to him, effective government communication depends very largely on trust, coordination, and clarity. “You have to understand…

Officers of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested a suspected car snatcher and recovered a Toyota Corolla vehicle with registration number DKA 337 CB. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, Sunday Okon, a male from Nna Enin Village in Uruan Local Government Area, was apprehended after operatives traced the stolen vehicle to Nkwot Ikono Village in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area. John said the operatives received a distress call while on routine night patrol along the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on…