Author: News Room

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has defended African referees ahead of his side’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against Nigeria, urging players, journalists and supporters to stop dwelling on officiating controversies and focus instead on the football, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Regragui said constant debate over refereeing decisions damages the game and distracts from the work being done on the pitch. “Talking about refereeing is bad. We are in a beautiful continent, there is a lot of work being done, and some people imagine we win matches thanks to referees.” Regragui insisted that…

Popular gospel singer, Bunmi Akinnaanu, fondly called Omije Ojumi after her widely-loved track of the same title, is dead. Her death was announced on Tuesday in a statement shared on Instagram by her colleague, Ayo Melody, on behalf of the family. The post, accompanied by a photograph of the deceased and a short clip, stated that she died in a Lagos hospital on January 12, 2026. It read in part, “With great sadness 💔😭we announce the passing of Evangelist Olubunmi Akinnaanu Adeoye OMIJE OJUMI, passed away on 12th January, 2026 at Lagos hospital, Nigeria. May God grant her eternal rest.”…

Active users on the Ethereum network have overtaken major layer 2s as long-term development strategies begin to pay off.The number of active addresses on Ethereum exceeded 791,000 on Monday, higher than that of the network’s major L2 players, including Base, Arbitrum and Optimism, according to data from Nansen.Daily average transaction costs have also reached new lows. On Monday, average transaction fees were only $0.15. The average fee for a transaction on Ethereum was as high as $11 just one year ago.These metrics for Ethereum utility come ahead of ambitious plans by developers to make the network bulletproof. Ethereum has more…

Actor and model Ethan Browne’s cause of death has been revealed.  The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on Tuesday, January 13, that Ethan, the son of songwriter Jackson Browne, died from the “effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and lidocaine,” per documents obtained by Us Weekly.  The medical examiner ruled that the manner of death accidental. He was 52.  Jackson, 77, shared the news of his son’s death in November 2025.  Related: Celebrity Deaths of 2025: Diane Keaton and More Stars We Lost Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2025. Over the summer, we lost…

For many observers, Wednesday night’s clash between Nigeria and Morocco at the ongoing 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco feels like a final before the final. Set for the 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, the semi-final brings together two of the continent’s most in-form teams, each carrying history, momentum and belief into what promises to be one of the defining matches of the tournament. There is every reason for Morocco’s Atlas Lions to approach the contest with caution as they prepare to face a Nigerian side that has grown into a ruthless team; blowing away every…

A Northern group has slammed the federal government over alleged abandonment of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA), accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of playing politics with the policy. It also condemned the President’s silence on protests for the policy return. This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by Murtala Abubakar, president of a popular northern forum, the Arewa Defense League (ADL). According to him, the tragedy unfolding beyond Nigeria’s borders is one without sirens but heavy with hunger, humiliation, and broken promises. Abubakar said there is nothing inherently wrong with the BEA Scholarship Programme, noting that education is not…

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that the ruling party will not allow the opposition to rig future elections in Nigeria. It rejected claims that the ruling party was solely responsible for alleged irregularities in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, citing a recent independent statistical analysis that it says contradicts that narrative. According to the APC spokesman in the state, Seye Oladejo, the study conducted as part of a Data Science master’s thesis at Pan-Atlantic University analysed results from more than 123,000 polling units nationwide and found that electoral irregularities were not limited to one…

Bandits have killed two people and abducted several others during an attack on Bargaja village, Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State.DSP Ahmed Rufai, the State Command Police Public Relations Officer explained that gunmen allegedly loyal to bandit leader Bello Turji were suspected to have carried out the attack.  Rufai assured that a detailed account of the incident would be provided once the Divisional Police Officer in the area submits a field report to the state command. He explained that two were killed but could not give the exact number of people that were kidnapped, saying that they will get…

Big Brother Naija reality show star, Phyna has stated that actress Iyabo Ojo unfollowed her because she commented on Verydarkman’s post. Phyna made this claim during her Twitch livestream. The reality star explained that before her comment on Verydarkman’s post, the actress always liked and commented on her posts. She noted that Iyabo withdrew her support and unfollowed her when she misunderstood her comment. “She was having issues with V. So, I twitted to like replying to V because V made a statement but it was mistaken, and since then I think mama doesn’t like me that much again because…

A SuperComputer, PolyMarket, has predicted the country to lift the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The competition has entered its semi-final stage and the teams left are Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and hosts Morocco. On Wednesday, the first game will see Senegal play Egypt for a place in the final, while Nigeria battle the hosts later in the night. PolyMarket has given Morocco a 37% chance of emerging champions on home soil, while Senegal have a 28% chance. The Super Eagles have been given a 25% chance of winning their first fourth title and Egypt have a 13% chance.