Umahi Dismisses Sex Allegation, Says Claims Politically Motivated

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has rejected allegations circulating on social media that he made an advance on a lady years ago, calling them unfounded and trivial.

A businesswoman, Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri, in a viral video, alleged that the minister demanded sex from her in exchange for the payment of a purported debt.

Ohiri would later be arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on a defamation charge.

However, speaking in response to the claims in a video in Enugu after inspecting federal government projects in Enugu and Anambra State, Umahi said he was not troubled by online commentary, insisting that such narratives only make him stronger.

“Don’t insult your leaders because what a man soweth is what he reaps. People know me very well.

”I was a party chairman, Deputy Governor, and Governor for eight years, and nobody said I harassed anyone,” Umahi said.

“What you read on social media, you know I’m not worried about it.”

“It makes me stronger. I’ve fought many battles, so this is not one.”

Umahi insisted these were machinations of political adversaries and he would be vindicated at the end.

“I know it’s all about politics, and politics has started, but when the right time comes, and the whistle is blown by INEC, we will know what we are made of,” he said.

Umahi argued that such accusations were designed merely to stir conversation online.

“There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘Oh, you are chasing a woman,’” he said. “But if it is Natasha who is accusing me of chasing her, then my face will be bolder.”

He added that any suggestion that a man would pursue someone for 12 years was unrealistic, dismissing the allegation as an attempt to keep social media active.

Police Rescue Two-Month-Old Baby In Akwa Ibom

Police authorities have rescued a two-month-old baby said to have been abducted in Akwa-Ibom State.

The spokesperson of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

John, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the rescue followed a report lodged by the baby’s mother about the child’s sudden disappearance.

“On 26th February, 2026, at about 0828hrs, one Peace ‘F’, in company of her mother, reported at the Police Station that her two-month-and-three-week-old baby boy had been abducted,” she said.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that at about 0559hrs on the same date, the mother of the child had briefly left the baby in the care of her own mother.

“Upon her return at about 0630hrs, she was informed that the grandmother had left the baby asleep on the bed while she took her bath. However, on returning to the room, the child was nowhere to be found.”

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The Command’s spokesperson said “further enquiries led to the discovery that one Goodnews ‘F’, aged 23 years, of Ikot Etetuk Village, allegedly tore the window net of the room and stole the baby.”

According to John, a swift search operation within the vicinity resulted in the suspect being apprehended with the baby in her custody.

She also reiterated the Command’s commitment to the protection of lives and properties in Akwa Ibom State.

On his part, the state Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reassured residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice.

IIraq Declares Three Days Of Mourning Over Iran’s Khamenei

Iraq announced on Sunday a three-day mourning period after the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that “with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world” after Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.

READ ALSO: Iran Strikes US Bases In Iraq, Gulf After Khamenei’s Death

He said the government had announced three days of mourning, while urging an immediate cessation of military operations that “are driving the region to unprecedented levels of violence”.

Iran wields a significant influence in Iraqi politics and also backs armed groups, whose power has grown both politically and financially.

Iraq has for decades been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.

The Coordination Framework, a ruling coalition of Shiite groups with varying degrees of links to Iran, said “with deep sorrow and profound grief, we mourn the passing of the martyred leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei”.

His “blood will remain a guiding light for all generations” and “the curse will continue to haunt the murderous Zionists for all time”, the coalition added.

Ebonyi Gov Nwifuru Suspends Two Commissioners

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has suspended two Commissioners from his cabinet for alleged dereliction of duties.

In a statement released on Saturday by his Chief press Secretary, Monday Uzor, stated that the suspension is indefinite, as they have been directed to handover all government properties in their possession including official Vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government with immediate effect.

The Commissioners suspended are; Engr. Stanley Lebechi-Mbam (Works) and Engr. Ogbonnaya Obasi-Abara (Infrastructure Development for Concession).

READ ALSO: Police Rescue Five Missing Children In Ebonyi

“Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, FNIOB, FCAI, GGCEHF, has approved the indefinite suspension from office of Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam, Hon. Commissioner for Works and Engr. Ogbonnaya Obasi Abara, Hon. Commissioner for Infrastructure Development for Concession, for dereliction of duty.

“They are to handover all government property in their possession, including their official vehicles, to the Secretary to the State Government with immediate effect,” the statement read.

No further details were disclosed regarding the specific circumstances surrounding the alleged misconduct.

See the full statement below:

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru ,FNIOB, FCAI, GGCEHF has approved the indefinite suspension from office of Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam , Hon.  Commissioner for Works and Engr. Ogbonnaya Obasi Abara , Hon. Commissioner for Infrastructure Development for Concession  for dereliction of duties.

They are to handover all  Government property in their possession  including their official vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government  with immediate effect

Dr. Monday Uzor

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

Set-Piece Power Fires Liverpool Past West Ham As Haaland-Less City Face Leeds Test

Liverpool climbed into the Premier League’s top five with a 5-2 win over struggling West Ham on Saturday, as Manchester City aimed to apply more pressure on Arsenal in the title race.

Three first-half goals, all from set-pieces, by Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister put Arne Slot’s men on course for a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions.

Dutch duo Cody Gakpo and Jeremie Frimpong added more goals after the break, but despite the scoreline, it was another far from convincing performance from the English champions.

Defeat deals another blow to the Hammers’ hopes of survival as they remain two points adrift of safety.

But they hit back twice in the second half through Tomas Soucek and Valentin Castellanos and could have scored more at Anfield.

Top-Five Place

A place in the top five is almost certain to secure Champions League football next season, thanks to the strong results of English sides in European competition this season.

Liverpool move three points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, who face the daunting task of a trip to Arsenal on Sunday.

City trail the Gunners by five points at the top of the table, but have a game in hand.

Pep Guardiola’s men will have to do without prolific top scorer Erling Haaland, who misses the trip to the city of his birth due to a knee injury.

City face a tough task if they are to secure a sixth consecutive win against a Leeds side that have lost only twice in 16 matches in all competitions.

Brentford Edge Burnley In Thriller

Burnley’s slim chances of survival took another body blow in an agonising 4-3 defeat at home to Brentford.

The Bees were cruising to victory and within two points of Chelsea when goals from Mikkel Damsgaard, Igor Thiago, and Kevin Schade put them 3-0 up inside 34 minutes at Turf Moor.

Michael Kayode’s own goal gave the Clarets hope before half-time, and they levelled through Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming.

Flemming thought he had completed a remarkable comeback, only for a VAR review to rule the goal out for offside.

Instead, it was Brentford who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Damsgaard netted his second goal in stoppage time.

There was still time for another VAR review to deny Burnley a point when Ashley Barnes was adjudged to have handled before scoring a 98th-minute equaliser.

Everton notched another excellent away win to maintain their hope of European football next season with a 3-2 victory at Newcastle.

Three times the Toffees led at St James’ Park through Jarrod Branthwaite, Beto, and Thierno Barry.

Newcastle slip to 12th, with the success of their season now relying on heroics in the Champions League against Barcelona and City in the FA Cup fifth round next weekend.

Everton have struggled to adapt to their new home at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but only Arsenal have won more points on the road as David Moyes’s side climb into eighth.

Bournemouth stretched their unbeaten league run to eight games after coming from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland in the lunchtime kick-off.

Evanilson cancelled out Eliezer Mayenda’s opener for the Black Cats.

Residents Flee As Iran Missiles Stun Dubai, Other Peaceful Gulf Cities

A barrage of Iranian strikes caused havoc across the Gulf on Saturday, shattering the aura of peace so highly prized by the oil-rich region’s wealthy rulers.

READ ALSO: FG Issues Travel, Safety Warning For Nigerians In Iran, Gulf States

Missiles streaked across clear desert skies as smoke plumed from US bases in Manama and Abu Dhabi, and loud thuds shook high-rise windows in Dubai.

In Qatar, dozens of people fled in panic as a falling missile plunged into a residential neighbourhood, erupting in a fireball as it hit the street.

And in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital, golfers enjoying a quiet round were stunned to see dozens of projectiles flying overhead.

The Gulf monarchies have worked hard to stay on the periphery of the Middle East conflict, relying on their stability to attract business, trade, and tourism.

The staunch US allies have carefully courted Iran, their powerful Shia neighbour. Saudi Arabia, a rival heavyweight, mended ties with Tehran after a seven-year rupture in 2023.

Given their reputation for calm, Saturday’s sudden attacks on US military bases caused widespread shock among the Gulf’s diverse, expat-heavy populations.

In Bahrain’s capital, Manama, residents were hurriedly evacuated from the Juffair district housing the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, whose base was hit in the attack.

“When we heard the sounds, we cried out of fear,” said Jana Hassan, a 15-year-old school student, who was visiting a friend in the area.

“We didn’t know what to do… I will never forget the sound of those loud blasts,” Hassan added.

In Dubai, the Middle East’s commercial hub with the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, residents looked up to see missiles surge through the sky.

“It was a rumble and then a bang,” one resident told AFP, asking not to be named.

‘Very Scary, Very Loud’

An American resident of Qatar’s capital Doha, who also asked not to be identified, heard two blasts as she was driving home, where she “heard several more and the glass was shaking”.

She said she was “furious” about the instability after 20 years of living in Qatar.

Her teenage sons, she said, are “asking me if we will have to go back home”.

Qatar was targeted twice last year, when Iran mounted a telegraphed attack on the Al Udeid US base in June, and Israel struck a Hamas meeting in Doha in September.

Those attacks were a Gulf rarity at the time.

The UAE had not been troubled since a deadly assault by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in 2022, whose attacks on Saudi Arabia have also stopped in recent years.

“As a Lebanese, I am traumatised,” a 31-year-old expat and mother of two living in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, told AFP.

“We came to the Gulf because it’s known to be safer than Lebanon. Now I don’t know what to do or how to think, really,” added the woman, who did not want to be named.

Another Riyadh resident, from Jordan, said, “It was honestly very scary and very loud.

“I was just walking out with my little boy when we suddenly heard the blast. People around us were looking up at the sky, trying to understand what was happening.

“It’s not something you expect in Riyadh.”