Author: News Room

A man who escaped from kidnappers in Niger State, Aliyu Alaramma, has narrated his ordeal in the forest amid a turf war between armed bandits and the Lakurawa terrorist group. Mr Alaramma, a resident of Kawon Kontagora, a village in the Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State, was abducted alongside his elder brother on their farm recently. He escaped five days after his kidnap. Speaking in an interview with Gaskiya News Hausa, monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Alaramma recounted the severe torture he and other captives endured. He narrated how he tried to escape into the volatile Kulho forest…

USAID’s Exit from Nigeria Prior to USAID’s exit from the Nigerian development and humanitarian programming space in January 2025, the Mission was the country’s largest international development funder, outstripping all other bilaterals including the European Union. USAID was on record classifying Nigeria as “the single most important strategic partner for the United States in Africa”(https://2021-2025.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ICS_AF_Nigeria_Public.pdf) USAID’s annual official assistance to Nigeria between 2002 to 2024 increased from US$90m in 2002, to US$942,178,693.00 million in 2024. In the 9 years between 2015 to 2024, health and humanitarian assistance sectors in Nigeria were the main recipients of USAID’s funding. USAID obligated $2.54 billion…

Miss Nigeria and lawyer Helen Prest has broken her silence after a Lagos State High Court recognised Adenike Ajayi as the sole lawful widow of the late Tosin Ajayi, founder of First Foundation Hospital. In a video posted on her Instagram page on Tuesday, Ms Prest vowed to continue defending what she described as her late husband’s legacy, saying she could not remain silent while his reputation, their life together and their children’s names were “trashed.” The ruling, delivered by Justice Oluwayoyin Odusanya of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on 17 June dismissed Ms Prest’s claim that she was also legally married…

SpaceX is currently ahead of last year’s record-setting pace for Starlink satellite deployments. SpaceX launched 1,589 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit in the first half of 2026, according to launch data compiled by Jonathan McDowell’s satellite tracker, compared to 1,489 satellites deployed at the same point in 2025.2025 was already a record year for SpaceX, with the company deploying 3,180 Starlink satellites in total. SpaceX has launched over 12,400 Starlink satellites since the constellation’s inception, with nearly 11,000 still functioning.To put these numbers into perspective, Amazon’s fledgling Leo service has only deployed about 400 satellites over the last 15 months,…

Sony Bank, a subsidiary of Sony Financial Group, said it’s received preliminary approval to establish a new US national trust bank subsidiary that will issue US dollar-denominated stablecoins.The new unit, Connectia Trust, National Association, gained preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on July 2. It will be fully owned by Sony Bank and will support the issuance and management of US dollar-denominated stablecoins, according to a Monday announcement by Sony Financial Group.The approval signals Sony’s entry into regulated US stablecoin issuance, part of a long-term digital asset business foundation, which it is backing with…

Riley Burruss is ready to pull back the curtain on her dating life. During the Wednesday, July 8, episode of Bravo’s Next Gen NYC, viewers were able to meet Riley’s boyfriend, Christian. “I got a new boyfriend,” Riley, 23, shared in a confessional interview. “He’s super sweet, super caring and he’s a little bit of a nerd, which I love. We play music videos and just dance.” While meeting for dinner in the Big Apple, the pair discussed their recent trips together — which don’t always make Instagram. “I feel like we’ve barely spent time in New York,” Riley told…

The police in Ebonyi State have arrested and detained some officers who allegedly assaulted and then gouged out the right eye of a man in the state. The police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. How it happened PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Monday morning in Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. This newspaper also learnt that the victim, Arinze Eze, was returning from Ishieke to Ohaukwu with his motorcycle when the operatives flagged him down for routine search. The officers were said to have demanded that Mr…

In Hadejia, Nigeria has taken more than a step towards building new institutions. It has offered a glimpse into a future where technology, research, entrepreneurship, and compassionate healthcare work together to improve lives, stimulate economic growth, and accelerate sustainable national development. For decades, technology and healthcare have largely evolved as separate development priorities in Nigeria. Yet, the future of sustainable national development increasingly lies at the intersection of these two critical sectors. That vision came to life in Hadejia, Jigawa State, with the inauguration of two landmark institutions designed to advance digital innovation and transform healthcare delivery. The commissioning of…

American rapper Cardi B and Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye have sparked dating rumours after the pair were spotted together on Wednesday at several Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week events, sending social media into a frenzy. The speculation began after videos and photographs from the Jean Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter 2026 Haute Couture Show surfaced online, showing Okoye escorting the Grammy-winning rapper to her seat before the pair sat side by side to watch the runway presentation. Goalkeeper Okoye in a gentlemanly form towards Cardi B The duo were also seen together at the Messika Haute Joaillerie presentation, where they appeared…

Revolut, a crypto-friendly digital banking platform, said its Tether USDt (USDT) delisting will not affect all customers globally.The delisting will affect Revolut customers in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, while support for the stablecoin will continue in other markets, a spokesperson for the company told Cointelegraph.Revolut said the decision followed a review of its crypto services and risk considerations under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).“Revolut is discontinuing support for USDT for customers in the EEA following a periodic review of our cryptocurrency offering in light of the evolving EU regulatory framework under MiCA,” the spokesperson…