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Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has rallied support for the candidate of

The post Ekiti guber: Senator Natasha mobilises support for PDP’s Oluyede appeared first on Tribune Online.

A pregnant woman and six children were among the eleven that reportedly lost their lives in a boat accident on River Benue in

The post Benue: Pregnant woman, six kids, four others feared dead as boat capsizes appeared first on Tribune Online.

Media personality, Daddy Freeze, has stated that the late actor Alex Ekubo wasn’t going to glory.

He stated this during an Instagram live session while reacting to the ongoing backslash over his choice of outfit to Alex’s service of songs on Wednesday.

DAILY POST reports that the service of songs was held in Lagos on June 10 2026, with the dress code written on the invite.

Daddy Freeze and his wife have been in the news since the event after putting on black dress against white that was stipulated as the dress code.

Speaking amid the backlash, Daddy Freeze who insisted that Alex is too young to die, said “he was not going to glory, he was a tragic loss until we were able to wrap our head around that”.

While admitting that it’s wrong for him to go against the dress code, he attributed it to oversight.

He said, “Yes I was wrong to have gone with black, but I honestly did not see that part of the invite, my eyes did not go there.

“The dress code was written at the corner of the invite sent to me. I didn’t see where they wrote white only. So what I was saying was for me, I don’t see what they were rejoicing, I don’t see what the concept was about. But for me, it was sorrowful because somebody who was that young at least compared to me. He did not meet me in secondary school, my mother’s youngest child is one year old than Alex.

“So for me, he was not going to glory, he was a tragic loss until we were able to wrap our head around that. Yes I agree that he has gone to a better place but I just don’t agree that he needed to go now, neither do I agree with the people that were saying Christ died at 33. What Christ achieved at 33, I’m sure Alex would have loved to stay longer to achieve that much. He had no business dying. And anybody that wants to argue that can argue it. Me personally, I don’t believe that. Or do you believe Alex died empty? He has finished his work and earth. Do you believe that? Can we stop being sentimental and be honest?

“Yes I was wrong to have gone with black but I honestly did not see that part of the invite, my eyes did not go there. I do not believe that service of songs has a dress code. Them dey drag me oo say the family said they should wear white, I wore black. The part of Nigeria that I come from , na black or traditional that they wear to funeral, I did not understand the white. I just thought that we were mourning. Go and look at all the blogs now, they dragged me. And I was not going for a party. In my own mind, white and service of songs did not go together. I’m very sorry if you feel offended.”

‘Alex Ekubo wasn’t going to glory’ – Daddy Freeze defends wearing black to actor’s funeral

Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, said no fewer than 97 suspects have been arrested across the

The post 97 suspects arrested as Amotekun busts kidnap, robbery syndicates in Ondo appeared first on Tribune Online.

The Niger State Government has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining activities, shutting down six unauthorized mineral processing sites during a two-day enforcement and peace-building operation in Mariga and Kontagora local government areas.

The operation, led by the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Hon. Muhammad Qasim Danjuma (Danrimin Agaie), was carried out in collaboration with officials of the Mining Marshals Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Among members of the delegation were the Federal Head of Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant Onoja, the North Central Zonal Head of Mining Marshals, Jibrin Muhammad, and other security personnel tasked with protecting the nation’s mineral resources.

Officials said the six processing sites were operating outside approved regulatory frameworks and were immediately shut down as part of efforts to sanitize the mining sector, curb illegal activities, and boost government revenue from mineral resources.

Beyond enforcement, the delegation also embarked on a peace initiative in Wamba Ward of Mariga Local Government Area, where it held consultations with traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders over growing concerns linked to mining activities.

The meeting, hosted by the District Head of Wamba, Alhaji Isah Ya’u, focused on addressing security challenges, communal disputes and misunderstandings affecting Wamba, Mangoro, Igwama and Kasuwan Garba communities.

Speaking during the engagement, Danjuma reiterated the commitment of Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago’s administration to tackling insecurity, protecting lives and property, and promoting responsible mining practices across the state.

He stressed that sustainable development in mining communities can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace, security and compliance with mining regulations.

Community leaders welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and commending the government’s decision to engage directly with affected communities while taking firm action against illegal operators.

The stakeholders also pledged support for government efforts aimed at ensuring peaceful coexistence, responsible resource extraction and sustainable socio-economic development in mining areas.

Niger Govt shuts illegal mining sites, moves to defuse tensions in host communities

The Nigerian Navy has announced that it has foiled renewed attempts to re-establish illegal refining operations in Rivers State.

A statement issued by Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, Director of Naval Information, said based on credible intelligence, personnel from the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Pathfinder, operating under Operation Delta Sentinel, executed an anti-crude oil theft operation in the Oseokishikpa area of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area in Rivers State.

During the operation, naval personnel discovered two illegal refining sites, which included eight dugout pits and reservoirs containing an estimated 15,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 105,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO.

The statement emphasized that the operation not only disrupted illicit activities but also thwarted the re-establishment of a refining network capable of perpetuating crude oil theft and causing environmental harm.

Furthermore, it stated that the illegal refining sites and the recovered products were managed in accordance with existing anti-crude oil theft protocols, thereby denying economic saboteurs access to resources meant to support their criminal activities.

The Nigerian Navy reiterated its commitment to maintaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation Delta Sentinel to dismantle crude oil theft networks, protect vital national infrastructure, and safeguard Nigeria’s economic interests in the Niger Delta.

Nigerian Navy foils return of illegal refining activities in Rivers

No fewer than 11 persons, including a pregnant woman and six children, have reportedly died in a boat mishap in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.

The incident occurred between 7 pm and 8 pm on Saturday as the victims were crossing a river from Wadata to Daududawada community during a heavy downpour that swept across parts of Makurdi.

Commander of a local vigilante group, Operation Shara (Sweep), in North Bank, Nura Umar, who confirmed the incident, said the deceased comprised a pregnant woman, six children and four other adults.

Umar said the victims were mourners from Daududawada, an island community located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks in Makurdi’s North Bank area.

According to him, the victims had travelled to Wadata for the burial of a woman from their community who died after being taken to a private hospital in North Bank for treatment.

“What happened was that we took a sick woman who lived in the community behind NASME to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning, where she later died,” he said.

He further stated that the relatives of the deceased from the community joined them for the burial, which took place at Wadata. After the burial ceremony, they boarded a boat to return to Daududawada because it was a shorter route than travelling by road.

“At about 7 pm, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds started, causing the boat to capsize midway through the journey.

“There were over 40 passengers on board, but 11 are feared dead. So far, we have recovered four bodies and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining seven victims,” he said.

Umar further disclosed that one of the survivors lost her baby during the incident.

Pregnant woman, six children die in Benue boat tragedy

Deputy Governor of Oyo, Barr. Bayo Lawal, on Saturday, convened an emergency security meeting at the Irepo Local Government Secretariat, bringing

The post Oyo deputy governor convenes emergency security meeting in Irepo appeared first on Tribune Online.

There is a fine line between vigorous oversight and reckless grandstanding. Last week, Senator Adams Oshiomhole bulldozed that line with a wrecking ball, describing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) as “a house of thieves” and “a bunch of criminals and thieves”. The outburst came during a session of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, as the country gears up for a game‑changing Initial Public Offering (IPO) of NNPC Ltd.

Yet the 10th Senate did not abandon its corporate sanity. It swiftly disowned Oshiomhole’s remarks, nullified an illegal arrest warrant, and reaffirmed that due process – not sensationalism – must guide legislative oversight. For that, the Senate deserves praise. Oshiomhole, on the other hand, is proving that his trademark rudeness and unearned arrogance make him unworthy of the red chamber.

The trigger was a 10 June 2026 hearing of the Senate Public Accounts Committee. Oshiomhole, in a heated exchange with former NNPC Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajiya, declared: “I listened and heard you say that people want their children to be employed in NNPC. Yes, because it is a house of thieves, and they want their children to benefit from it”. Not content, he added: “NNPC has no reputation, your reputation is for fraud”.

When Ajiya apologised for his own intemperate remarks, the committee accepted the apology and moved on. But Oshiomhole had already crossed a dangerous threshold. The Senate leadership immediately stepped in. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion, citing Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, and reminded the chamber that “the power to issue a warrant affecting the liberty of a citizen is an extraordinary statutory power which must be exercised strictly in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law”.

The Senate consequently nullified the arrest warrant issued against former GCEO Mele Kyari and formally distanced itself from Oshiomhole’s comments. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin stressed that committees “are subordinate organs of the senate and could only make recommendations”.

Senator Adamu Aliero did not mince words: he called Oshiomhole’s remark “reckless” and warned that it could damage NNPC Ltd’s integrity and discourage foreign direct investment – particularly damaging for a company that accounts for over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.

This was not a defence of NNPC Ltd’s every action. It was a defence of fairness, of presumption of innocence, and of the institutional integrity required to conduct credible oversight. As the Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, argued: “The senate, being the highest law‑making body of the country, should not only be above board but should be seen manifestly to be above board”.

At a time when NNPC Ltd is preparing to list on the Nigerian Exchange – a move that could unlock billions in market capitalisation and give ordinary Nigerians a stake in their national oil company – such incendiary language is economic sabotage masquerading as accountability. The Senate chose the national interest. That is the kind of oversight Nigeria needs.

What makes Oshiomhole’s “house of thieves” comment so difficult to stomach is not that it is a one‑off outburst. It is that it fits a long, documented pattern of public disrespect, cruelty and arrogance that spans more than a decade. Consider his conduct as governor of Edo State. In August 2013, he randomly picked a primary school teacher, Mrs Augusta Odemwingie, and forced her to read her own age declaration certificate in public.

After twenty years of service, the woman could not read it fluently. Rather than handle the matter with dignity behind closed doors, Oshiomhole made her a national spectacle – an exercise in raw power that served no pedagogical purpose. That same year, on a routine road inspection in Benin City, he encountered a widow, Mrs Joy Ifijeh, selling goods by the roadside. When the woman knelt to beg for mercy, the governor exploded: “You are a widow. Go and die!” The video went viral and the nation was horrified.

He later apologised and gifted her some money, but the damage to his humanity was already done. These are not the actions of a statesman. They are the actions of a man who confuses public office with a licence to humiliate.

Oshiomhole’s rudeness is not confined to vulnerable citizens. In May 2026, he engaged in a heated confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over amended Senate rules, demanding that Akpabio resign. Akpabio was forced to issue a stern warning: “Oshiomhole, if you become unruly, we will use the rules to take you out of the Senate”.

That warning was neither the first nor the last. His relationship with his successor as governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, soured spectacularly, with Oshiomhole vowing to “erase” Obaseki from the political space. The bitter feud that followed remains emblematic of his “my way or the highway” style of politics. And in the labour movement, where he once rose to become President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, he has since been accused of betraying the workers who once cheered him.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) strongly condemned his remarks against striking petroleum workers, saying his statements were “the prattle of an apostate, intoxicated by the opium of power and dollarised into betraying the cause of the downtrodden Nigerian workers”. The union declared him persona non grata among oil and gas workers.

Then there is the uncomfortable question that Oshiomhole has never adequately answered: where did the money for his private jet lifestyle come from? In February 2026, a viral video showed a man resembling Oshiomhole aboard a private jet, rubbing a woman’s feet inside a luxury aircraft. The woman later confirmed the video was authentic, contradicting Oshiomhole’s claim that it was AI‑generated. Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju did not hold back: “A former textile worker living like Pablo Escobar.

No evidence he inherited money from rich parents or that he is a successful businessman or actively doing anything progressively as at today aside politics”. Oshiomhole’s known career path is humble. He started as a factory hand at Arewa Textiles Mill in Kaduna, earning five shillings and three pence a month. He later rose through the labour movement. He served as governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016 and now serves as a senator.

But can the remuneration of those offices – or the famously generous pensions for former governors – plausibly fund a private jet lifestyle? The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) disagrees. The suspicion, therefore, is not prurient; it is a legitimate demand for transparency. If the goal of Oshiomhole’s theatrical outburst against NNPC Ltd is simply a shakedown – a loud performance designed to make the company “play ball” with him – then he should know that Nigerians are watching. A senator who cannot explain his own ostentatious lifestyle has no moral standing to call others thieves.

When a senator routinely abuses vulnerable citizens, picks fights with fellow presiding officers, labels a strategic national asset a “house of thieves” without a shred of judicial determination, and lives a lifestyle that far outstrips his disclosed earnings, he does more than tarnish his own reputation. He degrades the entire institution of the Senate.

That is why the 10th Senate’s swift and decisive dissociation was not just proper; it was necessary for the preservation of its own legitimacy. By nullifying the illegal arrest warrant and publicly distancing itself from Oshiomhole’s comments, the Senate sent a clear message: no single senator, no matter how combative, speaks for the chamber. And no committee may usurp the authority of the full Senate. That is the difference between oversight and chaos. That is the difference between a hallowed chamber and a boxing ring.

Senator Oshiomhole has a right to ask tough questions about NNPC Ltd’s audited accounts. The Senate has every right to investigate the N210tn audit queries that have been raised. But accountability must be grounded in facts and restraint – not in the unchecked fury of a lawmaker who has made a career out of public insults.

The Senate has taken the first step by drawing a clear line. The next step must be a full ethics review. If Oshiomhole cannot behave like a statesman, he should be asked to step aside – not because he is a “former comrade” who has lost his way, but because the Nigerian people deserve a Senate that is a forum for reasoned debate, not a stage for recycled scandals. The Senate chose Nigeria’s future over one man’s tantrum. Now it must choose its own future over one senator’s unchecked arrogance. That is the common sense and fairness that Nigerians expect. And that is why, for once, the Senate deserves not criticism but praise.

–Monguno is a constitutional lawyer. He writes from Abuja.

OPINION: The Senate Chose Nigeria’s Future Over One Man’s Tantrum is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Paris Saint-Germain forward, Bradley Barcola, has handed in a transfer request after interest from Arsenal and Liverpool.

The French international was a regular for PSG last season.

The 23-year-old scored 13 goals in all competitions as he won the UEFA Champions League and the Ligue 1 with the Parisians.

However, Barcola was dropped for the Champions League final against Arsenal as Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia started ahead of him in attack.

According to talkSPORT, Barcola had asked to leave PSG following interest from the Premier League duo.

Barcola normally plays on PSG’s left flank, and that is the same area Arsenal are looking to strengthen in the transfer window.

It’s yet to be seen if Barcola will end up joining the Premier League champions in the coming season.

Transfer: Barcola decides to leave PSG after interest from Arsenal