Category Nigeria News

Afam Osigwe, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is unhappy with how the Senate chose ambassadorial candidates. &nbsp,

Osigwe criticizes the lawmakers’ “bow and go” approach when evaluating the recently-nominated envoys in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. &nbsp,

“The Senate’s process was very subpar,” the senator said. when the majority of them were compelled to bow down. And when we don’t know much about it, and those we know, and we thought there ought to be some discussion about their views, their position on a wide range of issues, including national unity, the NBA president said.

They were not asked those questions, and some senators got into a fight at some point. I guess what I’m going to expect from the ambassadorial appointees because it’s just political favoritism.

Read more about Tinubu’s nominations for Omokri, Fani-Kayode, Ugwuanyi, Mahmood Yakubu, and 28 others as ambassadors.

In late November, Tinubu put about 32 people on Tinubu’s list of potential career and non-career ambassadors.

President Tinubu emailed the Senate on Saturday, asking it to consider and confirm quickly 15 nominees for career ambassadors and 17 candidates for non-career ambassadors, according to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement released on Saturday.

Some of the nominees were screened by the lawmakers a few weeks later, but Osigwe claimed they failed to do so, which he claims does not bode well for the nation.

Read more about Tinubu receiving letters of cred from 17 ambassadors and four high commissioners.

He claimed that the appointment of non-career ambassadors in Nigeria has become a joke.

Osigwe criticized the nation’s leaders for appointing the appropriate ambassadors.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s Ibadan Zonal Directorate has discovered significant counterfeit foreign notes worth $3,430,000 (Three Million Four Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollars) and €280,000 (Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Euros) in the possession of a five-member syndicate accused of allegedly defrauding one Halima Sanni of sums of N$ 26, 550,000 (Twenty-Six Million

Following extensive surveillance and information gathering about their implausible activities, the herbalists were detained on December 7, 2025, at their shrines in Osun and Lagos states, according to a release signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, &nbsp, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a release.

According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly defrauded people of their legitimate incomes by pretending to be spiritual healers and healers for various ailments.

Also read: Gunmen abduct three people from Plateau after killing 12 miners.

Additionally, they allegedly promised to protect their alleged victims by ensuring that they could conjure several currency notes by performing spiritual sacrifice sacrifices before spending the money. They hypnotized their victims to get money for the sacrifice, and they did all of these.

Two exotic cars and mobile phones are among the items that were recovered from them.

Michael Ango has been appointed the acting chairman of the FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant for Public Communications and Social Media, stated in a statement on Wednesday that the minister also reinstated Danlami Hayyo, the state’s education secretary.

The statement read, “The Minister directed the Dr. Danlami Hayyo and Michael Ango to resume duty with immediate effect, warning that acts of indiscipline will not be tolerated by FCTA officials.”

Ango’s ordeal

Ango was fired from his official duties as FCT-IRS on December 5th, removing him from his position as acting chairman.

Although Ango’s sudden resignation was not explained, Wike’s spokesman said the agency’s most senior official was instructed to assume leadership immediately.

Also read: Wike Sacks Acting Chairman of the FCT-IRS

In August of this year, President Bola Tinubu appointed Ango in an acting capacity. The president at the time described him as a well-established professional with strong organizational leadership skills in financial management, revenue administration, and organizational leadership.

The FCT-IRS staff celebrated him at an event called “A Night with Ango” just last month for what they referred to as his visionary leadership, dedication to staff development, and efforts to make the organization a model revenue institution.

False school closure

Hayyo was suspended by the FCT Minister on November 26. A memo directing the government’s Abuja schools to close on November 28 was widely circulated on November 25 and led to his suspension.

Due to unnamed security concerns, the Director of School Services, Aishatu Sani Alhassan, signed the memo, which mandated that all public senior secondary schools in the FCT shut down “on or before Friday, November 28.”

Principals were instructed to immediately suspend academic activities and dismiss students “in an orderly and safe manner.”

However, the FCT administration claimed that no such directive had been approved.

According to Wike’s spokesman, the administration “debunked the report that all government schools in the Federal Capital Territory were mandated to close by November 28, 2025,” underscoring that “no such decision was taken at any level of the administration.”

Under civil service regulations, the minister also directed Nancy Nathan to launch disciplinary proceedings against Alhassan.

The proposed budget for 2026 will include a total of 79 billion dollars, 77 billion dollars, 57 billion dollars, 57 billion dollars, and 89 billion kobo, according to the Sokoto state House of Assembly.

Governor Aliyu suggested a 72% capital expenditure and a 28% recurrent expenditure during the presentation, stressing that consideration should be given to the citizens’ needs, which were in line with the administration’s nine-point agenda.

READ MORE:   Governor Radda of Katsina Signs the $899.9 billion 2026 Budget

He claims that security and the delivery of healthcare are top priorities and that they account for 16% of the budget, which totals more than one hundred and twenty-two billion, 770 million, and 9 hundred and ninety two naira fifty nine kobo.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has obtained an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos to detain a merchant vessel, its captain and 20 other crew members following the seizure of 25.5 kilograms of cocaine at the Apapa seaport.

Disclosing this in a statement on Wednesday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the anti-narcotics agency, acting on intelligence, discovered the cocaine concealed in the hatch of the commodity vessel, MV San Anthonio, which arrived from Brazil on December 6, 2025.

After the vessel’s cargo was fully discharged, 21 crew members of different nationalities were taken into custody along with the seized drugs.

“This is coming on the heels of a similar interception by NDLEA officers of another commodity laden vessel- MV Nord Bosporus from the port of Santos in Brazil with no less than 20 kilograms of the Class A drug buried under its cargo on 16th November at the Apapa seaport Lagos,” Babafemi said.

READ ALSO: NDLEA Arrests 20 Filipinos, Seizes Cocaine Shipment From Brazil

Those detained include the vessel’s master, Trofymov Oleksandr, and other crew members: Stoychev Sergiy, Bobrov Maksim, Stupnytsky Sergiy, Bitinev Aleksei, Novruzov Teymur; Sosnov Oleg, Bondar Ihor, Klymenko Oleh, Cala Michael De Jesus, Jamir Julfikhar Jacusalem, Blanco Crus Veloso, Fajardo Ronnel Luntaao, Gumela Lolito Jr. Serojano, Toston Romulo Jr. Oling, Smirnov Viacheslav, Gorre Mar Kemmeth Tabudlong, Cruz John Vhoie Glavez, Sablan Jamille Alorro, Abesia Kelvin Belarmino, and Ubay Kenneth Biaoco.

Babafemi said in line with international legal protocols, the NDLEA on December 12 filed an ex-parte application in suit FHC/L/MISC/1408/2025 before Justice Frida Nkemakonam Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for the detention of the ship and the 21 crew members pending when charges will be filed against them.

“Ruling on the application, the judge said ‘an order of court is hereby made extending the detention of the Vessel MV San Antonio being investigated by the Applicant, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for fourteen days (14) in the first instance following the seizure of 25.5 kilograms of cocaine aboard the said Vessel on 6th December, 2025 at Apapa seaport, Lagos, pending the conclusion of investigation and or filing of criminal charge and prosecution. The court thereafter adjourned the matter to 29th December 2025,” the statement read.