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  Presidential candidate Peter Obi has welcomed the passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly, describing it as a significant step toward strengthening Nigeria's security architecture. However, he warned that flaws in the legislative process and the absence of adequate safeguards could expose the initiative to political manipulation. Obi reiterated that Nigeria's current centralised policing structure is no longer sufficient to meet the country's growing security challenges, noting that calls for decentralised policing have been championed for years by security experts, regional leaders, and civil society groups. While supporting the principle of state policing, Obi criticised the manner in which the legislation was processed, arguing that a constitutional reform of such national importance should have undergone extensive public consultations and transparent legislative scrutiny. According to him, the lack of broad stakeholder engagement has created unc...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African countries to deepen cooperation in mineral development and prioritize local value addition, warning that the continent must not remain a source of raw materials for the rest of the world. The President made the appeal while receiving a delegation from the Africa Mineral Strategy Group at the State House in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of the group, Dele Alake said the organization had implemented Tinubu's earlier directive encouraging African nations to promote local processing of mineral resources. According to him, the push for value addition is now gaining momentum across the continent, with some member countries already moving to ban the export of raw minerals. “Local value addition is now reverberating across Africa, and several countries have taken decisive steps to stop the export of raw minerals,” Alake said. Responding, President Tinubu stressed that Africa must leverage its shared geography, research capacity, and human res...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cautioned Nigerians against investing in any purported Dangote Refinery Initial Public Offering (IPO) , stating that it has not received or approved any application for the sale of the company's shares. The warning follows reports that individuals and organisations have been soliciting funds from members of the public through flyers, emails, websites, and social media , claiming to be selling shares in the Dangote Refinery ahead of a public offering. According to the SEC, any fundraising or share subscription currently being promoted is unauthorised and lacks regulatory approval . The Commission directed all individuals and entities that have collected money from investors under the guise of the Dangote Refinery IPO to refund affected subscribers within 24 hours , warning that regulatory action will be taken against violators. While the SEC noted that the Dangote Refinery may choose to launch an IPO in the future, it stressed th...

IBADAN, Nigeria – The Oyo State Government has imposed a temporary curfew across 10 local government areas surrounding the Old Oyo National Park as part of intensified efforts to combat kidnapping, banditry, and other criminal activities in the region. According to a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade , the curfew takes effect from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. , beginning Wednesday, June 24, 2026 , and will remain in force for an initial 48 hours . The affected local government areas include Oriire, Orelope, Irepo, Saki West, Saki East, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Olorunsogo, and Atiba . The government said the measure is aimed at supporting ongoing security operations targeting criminal elements operating around the Old Oyo National Park, an area that has witnessed growing cases of kidnapping and other security threats. Residents have been urged to comply fully with the curfew as security agencies intensify efforts to restore peace, protect lives and property, a...

The Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Highway is arguably the most ambitious transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in West Africa . While much attention has focused on the highway itself, the creation of the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA) is equally significant because it establishes a permanent supranational institution to oversee the corridor once it becomes operational. The five participating countries  Côte d'Ivoire  Ghana Togo Benin Nigeria have now operationalised the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA) by appointing its governing board and moving the project from planning into institutional implementation. The Authority is expected to coordinate construction, operations, maintenance, financing, border management and long-term development of the corridor. This means the project now has a permanent governing body rather than being managed only through periodic ministerial meetings. The highway will stretch appr...

The United States has imposed sanctions on a Lagos-based man, Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad , over allegations of financing the Islamic State (ISIS) , in a move aimed at disrupting the terrorist group's global financial network. The sanctions, announced under Executive Order 13224 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) , also target three Nigerian bureaux de change allegedly used to facilitate terrorist financing. The affected businesses are Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited , both based in Lagos, as well as Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited in Kano State. According to U.S. authorities, Muhammad allegedly acted as a financial conduit for ISIS-West Africa , using the bureaux de change to channel funds in support of the terrorist organisation. The sanctions form part of a broader operation targeting ISIS financial networks across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa . The...