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Adamawa farmer, Sunday Jackson, breathed the sweet air of freedom again as he had the odour of near-death taken away from him following a state pardon granted him by Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Tuesday. The governor undertook the action in accordance with Chapter 6, Part 2, Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Jackson, a Christian, was controversially sentenced to death after killing a herder, described as Fulani, while defending himself during an attack on his farm in the North-East State. The event occurred during the administration of the now-late President…

*'However, Report Anything Suspicious To Us'*Directs CPs On Hitch-free Celebrations*Warns Officers, Rank And File Against Extortion By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 4, Zacharia Fera Achinyan, has assured residents of Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa States of robust security arrangements throughout the forthcoming Yuletide season. The AIG, through a statement from the zonal Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Ayo Oluwaseun Martins, reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to ensuring a safe, peaceful, and hitch-free festive celebration for all citizens in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to protect…

By Rosemary Ameh, Sokoto Displaying true spirit of Christmas, a public-spirited group visited Amanawa community of Sokoto State on Tuesday, 23 December, to share love, care, and festive cheer with residents living with disabilities, including several leprosy patients. The team arrived with a wide range of relief items including foodstuffs (rice, vegetable, seasoning), clothing, and most importantly large quantities of medicated bandages and wound dressing materials specifically for leprosy patients who require regular wound care. Speaking during the distribution, one of the coordinators who simply identified herself as Rose, said Christmas is about love, compassion and remembering those who are…

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has sworn-in two new Commissioners, saying the move was part of his government’s renewed momentum in delivering good and impactful governance. The new Commissioners are Barrister Osinachi Nnajieze and Dr. Charles Egumgbe. While Barrister Nnajieze, who was Special Adviser on Legal Matters to the Governor before his appointment, replaces Dr. Kingsley Udeh, current Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Egumgbe was designated as the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters and Rural Development carved out from the now split Ministry of Local Government,…

*For Registered Firms, Use Your CAC RC Number, It Adds The National Identification Number (NIN) issued by National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) now automatically serves as the Tax Identification Number (TIN) for individual Nigerians. The clarification came from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on its X, as part of a public awareness campaign on the new tax laws. The welcome news came amid growing concern among Nigerians over details of the nation's new tax laws requiring a tax ID for certain transactions, including bank account ownership. The Service added that registered businesses will no longer need a separate Tax ID.…

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has presented the state's 2026 budget estimates totalling ₦605,506,764,066.16k to the State House of Assembly, in Makurdi, for consideration and subsequent approval. Addressing the lawmakers during the budget presentation at the Assembly complex, Gov. Alia who described the budget as a practical roadmap to inclusive growth, stressed that economic progress must translate to better living conditions for ordinary households. The budget titled 'Budget of Rural Development, Livelihood Support and Sustained Growth', according to the governor, was a deliberate strategy to reposition the state’s economy and improve the living standards of people…

Federal Government (FG) said it has secured the release of a further 130 schoolchildren kidnapped from a Catholic school in November, after 100 were freed earlier this month. “Another 130 abducted Niger state pupils released, none left in captivity,” presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare said on X, in a post accompanied by a photo of smiling children. In late November, gunmen kidnapped hundreds of students and staff from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in Niger State. There has recently been an upsurge in mass abductions, reminiscent of the kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok by the militant group Boko Haram in 2014.…

*Oyo Head Of Service Salutes Civil Servants Over Conduct During Examinations By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan The Circular Road Stakeholders Engagement Committee set up by Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to look into the grievances of those protesting against the planned corridor for the 110-kilometre road, paid a courtesy visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty Oba (Senator) Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, Arusa 1, at the Oke Aremo Palace to brief him on its activities. It also sought guidance on how to further successfully prosecute its assignment. The committee, made up of some prominent Ibadan mogajis (family heads), Chairmen…

By Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna A fresh scandal is rocking the Kaduna Polytechnic. On the heels of the subsisting allegation of land grabbing on the institution's Bypass-By-Television Village site by outsiders believed to be fronting for some staff of the federal polytechnic, the school is now gripped by a bids controversy over its move to lease out the school's hotels for five years to qualified operators. The reported rejection of a particular highest bidder's proposal has sparked outrage and suspicion in governance accountability and transparency circles in the Northern political capital. Worse still, no genuine reason was given for the rejection…

*'Public Officials Should Experience Realities On Ground' By Prosper Okoye Civil society groups in Nigeria have criticised a call by Senate President Godswill Akpabio for the return of police security personnel to members of the National Assembly and other senior public officials. The criticism followed Akpabio’s appeal to President Bola Tinubu to review his recent directive withdrawing police operatives attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs). The president said the move was intended to redeploy officers to tackle wider security challenges across the country. Speaking during President Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 budget at a joint sitting of the National Assembly…