A 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs Mary Yetunde Barek, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following the discovery of 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in plantain peels made to appear like real plantains and packed among other food items in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 at Lagos Airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on Sunday, 28 June 2026. A thorough search of her…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the African Union of Journalists (AUJ), Lanre Ogundipe, has called for the immediate release of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, warning that the treatment of journalists as criminals undermines the rule of law and threatens Nigeria’s democratic values. Ogundipe, in a statement issued on Sunday, expressed concern over Ugagbe’s arrest and continued detention, describing the development as one that extends beyond the liberty of an individual journalist to the broader issue of press freedom and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the media. According to him, the growing tendency to subject…
A member of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has urged the CBN to press commercial banks to translate gains from the industry’s recent recapitalisation into lower lending rates for households and businesses. The MPC member made the call following the banking-sector recapitalisation exercise, saying stronger supervisory pressure and dialogue from the CBN are now necessary to ensure improved capital buffers result in cheaper credit for the real economy. The member argued that despite improvements in banks’ balance sheets, credit transmission remains weak and persisted high loan rates are restricting investment and recovery across manufacturing, agriculture and…
No fewer than 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks and anti-migrant protests arrived in Nigeria on Friday as the Federal Government intensified efforts to bring home citizens who voluntarily opted to leave the Southern African country. The latest batch was airlifted aboard an Air Peace charter flight arranged by the Federal Government. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, the aircraft departed O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 5:36 a.m. carrying 268 returnees, alongside two officials and crew members. The minister said the evacuation exercise was ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu…
Le Réseau des Journalistes pour la promotion des systèmes agro-sylvo-pastoraux et halieutiques en Afrique de l’Ouest et au Sahel (ReJPAH-AOS) prend part, du 1er au 3 juillet à Saly, au Sénégal, à un atelier d’échange et de collaboration entre organisations paysannes et médias, dans le cadre de la campagne Family Farmers for Climate. Point focal de l’atelier Le président du ReJPAH-AOS, Gilles Esssonana Podjoley, a participé aux travaux aux côtés du président du Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs agricoles de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ROPPA), Ibrahim Coulibaly, lors d’un panel consacré à la visibilité des exploitations familiales dans les…
The Kebbi State Government has commenced the free distribution of 110 truckloads of fertiliser and 100 metric tonnes of improved seed varieties to about 120,000 farmers as part of efforts to enhance food production and strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change during the 2026 wet farming season. Speaking at the official flag-off of the exercise in Birnin Kebbi, Governor Nasir Idris said the intervention was being implemented under the Climate Change Adaptation Seed Support Programme and the Kaura Agricultural Development Agenda (KADAGE). According to the governor, the initiative is designed to ease production costs, improve food security and help farmers…
The Nigerian naira strengthened against the British pound on Thursday, appreciating in both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets as the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) monetary tightening measures continued to support the local currency. Market data showed the pound trading at about ₦1,825/£ at the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), improving from approximately ₦1,831/£ recorded at the close of trading on Wednesday. In the parallel market, the British currency exchanged at around ₦1,905/£, reflecting persistent demand for foreign exchange from importers, travellers and other end-users, although the spread between official and unofficial rates has continued to narrow.…
The naira strengthened against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market on Wednesday, appreciating to N1,369/$ after reversing part of the losses recorded at the close of June amid sustained liquidity in the foreign exchange market. Latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed the local currency gained N7 against the dollar from the N1,376/$ exchange rate recorded on June 30. The recovery follows a period of volatility in which the naira weakened to N1,389/$ on June 24 before gradually regaining ground during the closing trading sessions of June. Official market figures indicated that the…
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has commenced the liquidation of 46 microfinance banks whose operating licences were recently revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), assuring eligible depositors that the process of verifying claims and paying insured deposits has begun. The corporation said it has formally taken over the failed institutions in line with its statutory mandate and warned members of the public against conducting any business with the affected banks or tampering with their assets, records or properties. According to the NDIC, once the CBN revokes a bank’s operating licence under the provisions of the Banks and…
Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, closed the month of June at ₦1,376.33 per US dollar in the official foreign exchange market, ending the period on a relatively stable note despite experiencing notable fluctuations during the month. Market data showed the naira traded within a wide range over the course of June, reflecting periods of pressure driven by changing foreign exchange demand and supply dynamics. However, the currency recovered towards the end of the month, helping it finish close to where it began. The official market recorded episodes of depreciation during the month before rebounding as improved dollar liquidity and sustained policy…