Police in Bayelsa State say they have contained a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion at the state secretariat complex in Yenagoa, with one man arrested in connection with the incident. According to the Bayelsa State Police Command, the explosion occurred at about 6 am on Tuesday, 11 February, within the government complex.  The Command said its Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit swiftly secured the scene and prevented further danger. READ ALSO : Gunmen Kill at Least 162 in Kwara Village, Troops Deployed It stated that the Commissioner of Police, Iyamah Daniel Edebor, led EOD operatives, a special drone unit and other tactical teams to the location shortly after the incident was reported.  The area, it added, was cordoned off, and a subsequent sweep led to the discovery of an unexploded device, which was rendered safe. No casualties were recorded and no property was damaged, the police revealed. A 60-year-old man, identified as Pentecost Elijah from Otuan...

Nigeria’s oil and gas regulator, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), has issued new guidance aimed at speeding up contracting processes and blocking firms without proven technical capacity from winning industry jobs. The Board said the NCEC Application Guidance Notes, which take effect from December 2025, are designed to strengthen compliance with Presidential Directives on local content and to eliminate unqualified intermediaries from the contracting chain. Under the rules, possession of a valid Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) remains mandatory for participation in oil and gas contracting.  NCDMB warned that the misuse or unmerited possession of NCECs has been a major contributor to contracting delays and the admission of firms lacking capacity. According to the Board, the guidance notes target widespread abuses including multiple certificate applications unsupported by real assets, forged documentation, under-declared personnel and the use...

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed its support for the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) and the Africa Energy Bank (AEB), as preparations continue for the bank’s formal launch. RoundReports reports that the pledge was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, during a courtesy visit by APPO’s new Secretary General, Farid Ghezali, who was accompanied by senior officials of the organisation. The meeting followed Nigeria’s handover earlier this week of the fully established office of the Africa Energy Bank, clearing the way for its launch by APPO in partnership with Afreximbank. Ogbe said the success of APPO and the Africa Energy Bank would be central to the future of Africa’s oil and gas industry, adding that the NCDMB was ready to provide operational support for the bank’s take-off. According to him, the board’s position aligned with the directives of President Bola Tinubu and the Minister...

The Federal Government has restated its determination to end what it describes as long-standing interference by state governments in funds allocated to Nigeria’s 774 local government areas from the Federation Account. The assurance was given on Thursday in Abuja by the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu during the 2025 budget performance appraisal and 2026 budget defence organised by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance. Shehu believed persistent encroachment by state governments had crippled local administration and undermined service delivery at the grassroots, adding that the commission was ready to take concrete steps to enforce financial autonomy for councils. He disclosed plans to revive a dedicated Local Government Committee within the commission to closely track allocations and spending at council level nationwide. “ We will monitor every single local government in Nigeria ,” he said, adding that President...

At least 162 people have been killed in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria’s west-central Kwara state, one of the deadliest incidents in the country in recent months, according to the Red Cross. The assault occurred late on Tuesday in Woro, in Kaiama Local Government Area, days after the military said it had carried out operations in the area against what it described as “ terrorist elements .” Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq initially confirmed 75 deaths on Wednesday night while addressing residents at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama. AbdulRazaq said the victims were “ local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine .” READ ALSO : Bayelsa Govt Takes over Treatment of Toru-Orua Crash Victims However, Babaomo Ayodeji, the state secretary of the Red Cross disclosed that by Wednesday, the death toll had more than doubled, revising an earlier figure of 67. “ Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for mor...

Nigeria’s Senate on Tuesday retreated into a prolonged closed-door session as lawmakers intensified internal consultations on the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, delaying open debate on the highly anticipated bill. The closed session, which had lasted for more than two hours by mid-afternoon, followed renewed scrutiny by senators of the provisions contained in the Electoral Act Amendment Bills currently before the upper chamber. Last week, the Senate set up a seven-member ad hoc committee to fine-tune the report of its Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.  READ ALSO :  Tax Reforms Cut PAYE Burden for Low-income Workers The panel, chaired by Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire, was mandated to collate additional inputs from senators ahead of Tuesday’s plenary, when consideration of the bill had been expected to begin. Consequently, the committee was given 48 hours to complete its assignment and submit its findings to the Senate. However, when lawmakers reconvened on Tuesda...

Nearly 15,000 HR, payroll and finance professionals registered for a nationwide engagement session on the implementation of Nigeria’s Tax Reform Acts, with officials outlining measures designed to protect low-income workers and simplify compliance. A recent virtual briefing, held in collaboration with the Joint Revenue Board (JRB), focused on how the new laws affect Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) calculations, filing obligations and the taxation of remote work, partnerships and personal income. Details of the briefing were contained in a press release by Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. According to Oyedele, the reforms introduce automatic exemptions for workers earning the national minimum wage or less.  With allowable deductions and rent relief applied, employees earning up to N100,000 a month could see their tax liability fall to zero, he added. Clarifying questions around fiscal federalism, he stressed that Personal Income Tax rema...

The Bayelsa State Government has assumed responsibility for the medical treatment of victims injured in a road accident that occurred on Tuesday around Toru-Orua, along the Sagbama–Ekeremor road. RoundReports reports that the Commissioner for Health, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, said Governor Douye Diri directed the ministry and emergency medical teams to ensure prompt and adequate care for all those affected. Addressing reports circulating online that ten people were killed in the crash involving an 18-seater bus, Brisibe dismissed the claim, confirming that two fatalities were recorded. He said other victims rescued from the scene were stabilised after receiving emergency care from government ambulance teams deployed along the Sagbama–Ekeremor axis, where traffic had increased due to movement related to the burial of the late Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in Ofoni. According to the health commissioner, the injured were taken to Sagbama General Hospital and the Niger De...

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bayelsa State Branch, has held a valedictory session in honour of the late Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, paying tribute to his legacy as a senior advocate of the law and public servant. The session, held on Thursday at the State High Court Complex in Yenagoa, drew a cross-section of political leaders, jurists and members of the legal profession from within and outside the state. Among those in attendance were Governor Douye Diri; a former governor and senator representing Bayelsa West, Henry Seriake Dickson; the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda Abrakasa-Ayemieye; the widow of the deceased, Mrs Ewhrudjakpo, and members of his family. Speaking during the session, Governor Diri said he was still struggling to come to terms with the death of his deputy, whom he described as a dependable ally and trusted professional.  He recalled Ewhrudjakpo’s role as head of his legal team during the election petitions ...

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been granted honorary citizenship of the US state of Georgia and recognised as an “ Outstanding Citizen ” entitled to the courtesies of a goodwill ambassador. The proclamation was issued by Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, acting on behalf of the Republican-controlled state government, and dated 16 January 2026. It was formally presented on Friday in Milledgeville, one of Georgia’s capital cities, by State Representative Gab Okoye.  The certificate was received on Kanu’s behalf by a former Nigerian consul general to South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke.  In the proclamation, Raffensperger declared: “ I do hereby proclaim Nnamdi Okwu Kanu as an Honorary Georgia Citizen ,” adding that he should be “ accorded every courtesy as a Goodwill Ambassador from Georgia ” in his travels within the United States and abroad. READ ALSO : FG Moves to Scrap HND, Empower Polytechnics to Awa...

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division Garrison Strike Force have killed six suspected terrorists during an offensive in the Sububu forests of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the military said on Saturday. The operation, conducted under Operation FANSAN YAMMA Sector 2, also led to the rescue of an abducted underage girl, the recovery of arms and ammunition, and the destruction of several militant camps across the forest axis. According to the army, the first encounter took place at Indulumu village, where soldiers engaged armed fighters and killed two of them after a brief firefight, adding that one AK-47 rifle was recovered at the scene. The troops then advanced to Ruduno village, where they came under further resistance. Four more militants were killed, while another AK-47 rifle, a magazine loaded with 28 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and two motorcycles were recovered or destroyed, the army said. READ ALSO :  Police Confirm Mass Abduction in Kaduna Community afte...

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a blues-soaked vampire allegory rooted in America’s racial history, has rewritten Academy Awards history after securing a record 16 nominations, the highest ever for a single film. The Warner Bros drama surpassed the long-standing mark of 14 nominations jointly held by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land, earning recognition across the Academy’s top prizes as well as a broad sweep of technical categories. The film is nominated for best picture and best director, with Michael B Jordan receiving his first Oscar nomination for best actor for a dual performance at the centre of the story.  Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo were recognised in the supporting categories, underlining the breadth of the Academy’s endorsement. Sinners also featured prominently in technical fields including cinematography, editing and sound, while benefiting from the Academy’s newly introduced casting award. READ ALSO : Funke Akindele Makes Box Office History as First African Filmmaker t...

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has affirmed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the recognised leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, distancing former governor Nyesom Wike from the ruling party. Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Thursday, Bwala addressed the ongoing political crisis in Rivers, where the State House of Assembly has launched impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara. Bwala reiterated the position of the APC’s national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, that Fubara, not Wike, holds the reins of the party in the state. “ I agree with the point highlighted by the national chairman that in Rivers State, Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC. Wike is not a member of the APC, so he cannot speak for the APC ,” he said. He added that while Wike may retain influence within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his current role as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory does not trans...

The Federal Government has announced a sweeping reform of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, bringing the end of the Higher National Diploma (HND) as it seeks to elevate polytechnics to degree-awarding institutions. Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa revealed the policy shift on Wednesday during a high-level retreat in Abuja for governing council chairmen, rectors and other stakeholders in the polytechnic sector. The move, Alausa said, is designed to dismantle the entrenched dichotomy between HND holders and university graduates, a divide that has long stifled the career advancement and professional recognition of polytechnic alumni. “ This administration is committed to repositioning polytechnics as centres of excellence. They must no longer be seen as inferior to universities but as equal partners in national development ,” he said. The minister stressed that Nigeria’s future hinges on a technically skilled workforce capable of solving real-world problems, a strength he believes li...