Author: News Room

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have demanded N100m for the release of eight Imoga indigenes abducted on Friday night. The Okpahi of Imoga Kingdom, Oba Patrick Obajoye, who disclosed this on Monday in a telephone conversation, said the victims were kidnapped at Star Boy Hotel on Imoga-Ibillo Road in Edo North. He stated that the victims had gone to Ibillo for a function and decided to lodge for the night at the Star Boy hotel, which also belonged to an indigene of Imoga. The king stated that the kidnappers came to the hotel in army uniforms and brought drinks, pretending…

Residents of at least 15 communities in Abeokuta on Monday protested the planned demolition of their ancestral homes by the Ogun State Government, despite an ongoing court case. PUNCH Metro reports that protesters, including residents from Itori Mogan, Ogunro, Kumapai, Jaguna, Lanki, and other communities, stormed the Governor’s Office at Oke Mosan, carrying placards with messages such as “Leave our ancestral home for us,” “Gov. Dapo Abiodun, please come to our aid,” “Don’t destroy our houses; don’t let our labour be in vain,” and “Don’t demolish our houses; we have nowhere to go.” The government, in contravention notices sent to…

January 8 stands as one of the most important dates in Nigerian football history—a day destined to be permanently etched into the nation’s sporting record. On this day, a young Nigerian team ended decades of heartbreak, disappointment, and near-misses that had haunted Nigeria at every level of World Cup qualification—from the Junior Eagles (later known as the Flying Eagles) to the Green Eagles, now Super Eagles. For years, Nigerian football carried the pain of coming close but falling short on the global stage. January 8, 1983, changed that narrative forever. It was the day the Flying Eagles of Nigeria, Class…

Egypt’s talisman Mohamed Salah has expressed caution over Senegal’s strong contingent of Europe-based players ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash in Tangier on Wednesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Egypt edged defending champions Ivory Coast 3-2 in the quarter-finals on Saturday and will now face Senegal for a place in the final, in a repeat of the 2021 AFCON final. Salah and his teammates lost that final 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Pharaohs are the most successful nation in AFCON history with seven titles, but they have…

The National Association of Nigerian Students has applauded the Nigerian Communications Commission, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, for introducing a refund framework aimed at addressing failed airtime and data transactions across the telecommunications sector. The development follows a directive issued last week by the NCC and the CBN ordering mobile network operators and deposit money banks to implement an automatic refund mechanism for failed airtime and data transactions. Under the directive, affected subscribers are to receive refunds within 30 seconds, while operators and banks are required to adhere to strict service level agreements and submit to real-time…

Meta’s Reality Labs team is expected to lose around 10 percent of its staff, with layoffs concentrated on the division’s metaverse employees, as reported by The New York Times. The layoffs are apparently a side effect of Meta’s AI ambitions, which are pulling focus away from its virtual reality division.According to the Times, Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, called a meeting for Wednesday that he “urged staff to attend in person,” saying it will be the “most important” meeting of the year. Bosworth oversees the Reality Labs division, which employs about 15,000 people. Unfortunately, layoffs to Meta’s VR team…

US Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Mike Selig has unveiled the agency’s new innovation committee, aimed at guiding the regulation of emerging technologies like blockchain and AI, which are transforming financial markets. The Innovation Advisory Committee replaces the Technology Advisory Committee and is looking to bring top crypto voices into the CFTC’s process to shape practical, forward-looking market regulations, Selig said on Monday. The new committee will advise the CFTC on the “commercial, economic, and practical considerations of emerging products, platforms, and business models in the financial markets so that it can develop clear rules of the road for the…

Taylor Sheridan made a name for himself creating hit shows like Yellowstone and Landman, but the TV mogul had a totally different career in the past. Jennifer Lawrence appeared on the Monday, January 12, episode of “Smartless” and recalled receiving acting advice from Sheridan, 55, during the early days of her career. “My mom took me to this guy that this agency told me to meet to help me act or whatever. He told my mom, don’t put her in any acting lessons,” she said. “That guy, randomly, is Taylor Sheridan. Isn’t that weird. Isn’t that crazy? I guess he…

Trial judge Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, on Monday, exposed an attempt by a lawyer facing fraud charges before him to meet him privately in chambers. Mr Onwuegbuzie, during Monday’s proceeding, openly questioned the lawyer, Victor Giwa, about the motive behind the requested private meeting. “Is it a practice for a defendant to go and see a judge in his chamber when your case is before him?” Mr Onwuegbuzie asked. Mr Giwa, replied, “No,” after which the judge expressed shock over his conduct. “It is shocking to hear that a defendant who…

A Federal Capital Territory High Court judge has warned an Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, against seeking any private meeting with the court while his case is ongoing. Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie issued the warning on Monday after the trial of Giwa and his co-defendant, Ibitade Bukola, failed to proceed due to the absence of defence counsel and concerns over an alleged attempt by Giwa to meet the judge in chambers before the hearing. Giwa and Bukola are facing charges of alleged forgery and impersonation. The prosecution claims they forged official documents and impersonated a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Awa Kalu,…