Author: Press Room

Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (retd.), on Monday visited President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, even as another ex-CDS, Gen. Lucky Irabor (Retd.), dismissed claims that repentant Boko Haram members are being recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces. Musa arrived the State House at 7:03 p.m., dressed in dark-green northern-style traditional attire with elbow-length sleeves, and was led into the President’s office wing by a senior security official. It was his first public meeting with the President since his retirement on October 24, 2025. The PUNCH could not immediately confirm the purpose of the visit.…

AS the 38 kidnapped but released church worshippers of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun in Eruku, Ekiti Local Council in Kwara State, are still receiving medical attention in Ilorin, bandits have launched a fresh attack on the community on Sunday, abducting a farmer identified as Annas Aasanru. Spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said that police operatives from Eruku Division received a complaint at about 2:00p.m. on Sunday that four armed men invaded a farm along Koro Road, Eruku, at about 12: 30 p.m., and abducted one Mr Aasanru, aged 40.“After receiving…

By Animashaun Salman The operations of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Sokoto State are being severely constrained by worsening insecurity, leaving the agency unable to access more than half of the state’s 23 local government areas, according to the State Coordinator, Abdulsalam Lawal. Lawal, who spoke on Monday during an interaction with journalists in Sokoto, described insecurity as the agency’s “biggest obstacle,” stressing that many communities remain out of reach for routine inspections. “There are areas we would have loved to reach for routine inspections, but the insecurity makes it impossible,” he said. He…

Super Eagles and now-Udinese Calcio goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has opened up about his challenging stint at Watford FC, Soccernet.ng reports. The Nigeria international also shared touched on his future amid links with English Premier League clubs such as Bournemouth. The 26-year-old has become one of Serie A’s standout shot-stoppers at Udinese after a difficult period in England and a slow start in Italy. Tough spell at Watford Okoye revealed that his time at Watford was fraught with challenges both on and off the pitch. Arriving the summer the club was relegated from the Premier League, the young goalkeeper struggled to…

Nigeria has moved to provide asylum and protection to Fernando Dias da Costa, Guinea-Bissau’s opposition presidential candidate, following reported threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable reported on Monday. The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who led ECOWAS observer team to the poll, questioned the genuineness of the coup, hinting that it was staged by President Embaló. Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged…

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle claimed one of the reasons Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup was because a Congo technical crew member used voodoo, Soccernet.ng reports. While the statement has garnered several hilarious reactions across social media, it didn’t go down well with former Nigeria and Brentford defender Sam Sodje. The supposed DR Congo staff in question was Dodo Landu, who went on to clarify that he was only praying his team would win during the penalty shootout against Nigeria. Prior to the play-offs, the Super Eagles opted to abscond from training over unpaid bonuses from…

Nigeria’s U-15 boys will attempt to revive their CAF Schools Football Championship campaign when they face Benin on Tuesday (today) in Ouagadougou, with a semifinal place still within reach despite their opening defeat to Ivory Coast, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The young Nigerians began their WAFU B zonal qualifiers with a 4–1 loss to the Ivorians on Monday, a result that immediately increased the stakes ahead of their second and final group match. The competition, taking place at the Stade du 4 Août, features teams from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Ivory Coast, Benin and Nigeria in the boys’ category, with…

Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force said it has rescued about 40 victims of human trafficking, including 33 males and seven females, from a bungalow in Orange Market, Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area of the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Shetima-Jauro, revealed this while officially handing over the victims rescued by his personnel to the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nasarawa State Command, Sekure Ubale, in Lafia, the state capital, on Monday. The police boss, who stated that the victims, mostly Malian Nationals, were lured to Nigeria with promises of job opportunities in France.Shetima-Jauro,…

As the global community commemorates World AIDS Day today, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS, Mr Patrick Akpan, has warned that rising new HIV infections in the state threaten Nigeria’s target to end AIDS by 2030. Akpan stated that if new infections continue to rise in 2025, achieving the 2030 goal will be difficult. He told PUNCH Healthwise in an exclusive interview, “I’m worried that in Lagos State, we are seeing a rise in new infections, and it’s a thing of concern because if we are thinking of ending HIV in 2030…

Afrobeats icon Innocent “2Baba” Idibia trended after new and resurfaced videos circulated alleging a public altercation with his wife, Natasha Osawaru, and a subsequent interaction with London police. The clips reignited a controversy and sparked fresh debate, pushing his name into top discussions across Nigeria’s X timelines. What triggered the latest wave A social media commentator, Tosin Silverdam, posted an alleged video said to show 2Baba being accompanied by officers after a dispute with Natasha in the UK. The footage followed an earlier clip where Natasha confronted 2Baba in a shop, accusing him of raising his voice at her, which…