Author: News Room

Suspected members of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have captured 13 soldiers, killing seven of them, including a commanding officer, in an ambush near Damasak in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State. The commanding officer, according to Sahara Reporters, was recently promoted from the rank of major to lieutenant colonel. Philip Brant, a conflict researcher with expertise in insurgency in the Sahel, posted on X that the attack occurred on Monday. Last November, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Musa Uba, a brigadier general and the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, was captured and executed alongside four…

A community leader in Makoko, Lagos State, Jude Ojo, has narrated what transpired during Wednesday’s protest by residents of the area over alleged land grabbling and forceful eviction. Speaking on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television monitored by DAILY POST on Thursday, Ojo said the State Assembly members did not allow the protesting residents into the complex to hear from them. According to him, the Assembly members rather asked them to wait to be attended to, only for them to be tear-gassed a few moments later. He said one protester was shot in the leg. “Yesterday was a…

By February 2026, Benue State will mark 50 years since its creation, a milestone expected to be celebrated across the state. However, for the Idoma people of Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C), the anniversary is as much a moment of reflection as it is of celebration. Fifty years after the state was carved out of the old Benue-Plateau State by the military administration of the late Gen Murtala Mohammed, no Idoma person has ever been elected governor of Benue State. This reality has continued to fuel deep‑seated feelings of political exclusion, marginalisation and injustice among the Idoma, the state’s…

Nigerian troops have dealt a significant blow to insurgent activities in the North East part of the country following coordinated dawn operations that neutralized several terrorists and recovered arms and ammunition. The development was disclosed on Thursday in a post on X by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert in Lake Chad region. Makama stated that troops of the Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK)on Wednesday launched a surprise dawn attack at Bula Dalo, neutralizing several terrorists and forcing the remaining insurgents to flee. He disclosed that security sources confirmed to him that four AK-47 rifles, a PKT anti-aircraft gun, a…

Victor Osimhen has expressed confidence Galatasaray will be ready for battle when they face either Juventus or Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League playoffs. Okan Buruk’s side failed to secure automatic qualification into the Round of 16 following Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Galatasaray however earned a place in the playoffs. The Yellow and Reds will know their playoff opponents during the draws on Friday. The Turkish Super Lig champions will face either Juventus or Atletico Madrid. “Juventus are a very good team, so also Atletico. Whoever comes, we’ll do our best,” Osimhen said…

China’s football association issued lifetime bans to 73 people, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and punished 13 top professional clubs for match-fixing and corruption, it said Thursday. Under President Xi Jinping, an anti-corruption crackdown has swept through Chinese football in recent years, exposing the rotten state of the professional game. Several top officials in the Chinese Football Association have been brought down, while dozens of players have been banned for match-fixing and gambling. Thursday’s statement did not specify when the most recently announced match-fixing took place, or how it worked. The punishments were made after a “systematic…

The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission has disclosed that South-West states have proposed a combined budget of about N8.7tn for 2026, with capital expenditure accounting for more than half of total spending. This was disclosed on Tuesday at the Commission’s 2026 Outlook event, where policymakers, economists, and civil society leaders converged to assess how the region can convert fragile macroeconomic stability into sustained growth, competitiveness, and improved welfare. The virtual forum was themed ‘2026 South-West Nigeria Outlook: Advancing Subnational Economic Competitiveness’. Opening the discourse, DAWN Commission Director-General Dr Seye Oyeleye said Nigeria’s recent macroeconomic and structural reforms, while painful,…

Kelechi Iheanacho has been declared fit and available for selection ahead of Celtic’s UEFA Europa League clash against Utrecht, with head coach Martin O’Neill confirming the Nigerian forward’s return from injury, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Iheanacho joined the Scottish champions in September on a free transfer after mutually terminating his contract with Sevilla, ending a difficult spell in Spain. He settled quickly in Glasgow, scoring three goals and registering one assist in ten appearances across all competitions before a hamstring injury halted his momentum. The setback sidelined the former Leicester City striker for ten matches, leaving Celtic short of attacking…

Google is disabling some Phone app features on older Pixel devices after acknowledging a bug that inadvertently leaked audio to callers. The issue has specifically been linked to the Take a Message feature released last year, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails when you miss a call, with a handful of Pixel 4 and 5 owners reporting that their microphones were activating when callers were leaving messages.“We’ve investigated this issue, which we’ve confirmed affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices under very specific and rare circumstances,” said Google community manager Siri Tejaswini on a support page.…

Bitcoin’s (BTC) pre-FOMC rally on Wednesday stalled at $90,000 amid stiff overhead resistance and weak ETF demand. Still, several data points suggested that upward momentum may increase once the BTC/USD pair breaks above $93,000.Key takeaways:BTC bulls must flip the $90,000-$93,000 into new support.Spot ETF outflows are stabilizing, suggesting a reduction in institutional sell pressure.Bitcoin price must reclaim $93,000 as supportThe BTC/USD dropped into a new range between $86,000 and $90,000, where it has been stuck since Jan. 20.“Bitcoin is back to retesting $86,000-$87,000 range,” co-founder of Crypto India Aditya Singh said in a recent post on X, adding that the…