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No fewer than 350,000 children have been vaccinated against diphtheria in Borno State following a joint campaign by

World Athletics has rejected an application from Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ofili, to switch her allegiance to Turkey.

This is a big blow to Ofili, who was hoping to represent the European country at the 2028 Olympics.

In a document released on Thursday, the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel ruled that the application submitted by the Türkiye Athletics Federation would not be approved after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the request.

The panel noted that granting the request would undermine key regulatory principles guiding international athletics.

“The Application by the TAF for Favour OFILI (the ‘Athlete’) to transfer allegiance from NGR to TUR is not approved,” the World Athletics panel stated.

The panel was made up of Donna Raynor, Cydonie Motherskill and Susanne van Waert.

BREAKING: World Athletics blocks Favour Ofili’s request to dump Nigeria for Turkey

Nigeria’s digital infrastructure is facing a new kind of threat, one that not only disrupts systems but quietly extracts and weaponises the data that underpins them. The recent cyber incident at the Corporate Affairs Commission marks an escalation in the crisis.

The CAC is the statutory body responsible for company registration and corporate identity in Nigeria. It sits at the centre of the business ecosystem. Any compromise of its systems is not merely a technical failure; it is a breach of the trust architecture that supports commerce, regulation, and legal identity.

The commission has recognised that someone accessed its systems without permission, and investigations suggest a significant breach connected to a fast-growing cybercriminal group called ByteToBreach.

The full statement from the Commission reads as follows: “The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is currently reviewing a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorised access to limited aspects of its information systems.

“The Commission promptly activated its response protocols and is working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), relevant government agencies and partners to assess the scope and impact.

“Appropriate containment measures have been implemented, and additional safeguards are in place. While the review is ongoing, stakeholders are advised to monitor their records on the CAC portal, update their login credentials, and remain cautious of unsolicited communications.

“CAC remains committed to the security and integrity of Nigeria’s corporate registry and will provide updates as necessary.”

ByteToBreach is not a conventional hacking group with a visible structure, ideology, or leadership hierarchy. It operates as a pseudonymous entity, likely comprising a small, highly efficient unit or even a single orchestrator supported by a loose network of collaborators.

They famously created a professional-looking WordPress site under the name “Pentesting Ltd”. It mimics a legitimate security firm, but it’s actually used for victim-shaming.

The actor first appeared in the global cybercrime ecosystem around mid-2025 and quickly built a reputation through high-impact breaches and the aggressive marketing of stolen datasets.

Unlike traditional ransomware groups that focus on encrypting systems and demanding payment for restoration, ByteToBreach belongs to a newer class of operators whose primary objective is data exfiltration.

Their model is built around stealing, packaging, and monetising sensitive information, often without visibly disrupting the victim’s operations.

The CAC breach appears to follow this established operational pattern.

Rather than simply gaining access to systems, the attacker is believed to have penetrated deeper layers of the commission’s digital infrastructure, potentially exploiting weaknesses in APIs or database access controls.

Reports indicate that the accessed data may include highly sensitive materials, such as identity documents, photographs, signatures, and corporate registration records. Such data is particularly valuable because it forms the backbone of legal and financial identity in Nigeria.

If such datasets are indeed compromised at scale, the implications would extend far beyond the immediate breach. It would create opportunities for long-term exploitation across multiple sectors.

What makes the incident worrisome is the trajectory of attacks attributed to ByteToBreach.

Before targeting the CAC, the actor had already been linked to breaches involving financial platforms and banking infrastructure in Nigeria, including systems connected to Sterling Bank and Remita.

Other notable breaches include a ticketing platform used by Eurofiber France, which suffered data exposure and leaks in November 2025.

Before Nigeria, they had already hit banks, airlines, government entities, universities, telecommunications infrastructure, and other targets across Europe, Central Asia, and North America.

The actor claimed responsibility for several sensitive data thefts and breaches involving organisations like ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, RDP (a PayU company), University of California, Ministry of Health of Panama, Nokia, Seychelles Commercial Bank, PKO Bank Polski (the largest bank in Poland), Uzbekistan Airways, euroAtlantic Airways, Avatel Telecom, Broadband Tower, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, National Oil Eithopia, etc.

Those incidents reportedly exposed customer records, financial data, and identity credentials, signalling a deliberate focus on high-value targets within the country’s financial ecosystem.

The operational ecosystem supporting ByteToBreach is sophisticated and decentralised. The actor actively participates in dark web forums, where they advertise and sell stolen datasets and system access.

These forums serve as primary marketplaces, allowing the actor to reach a global pool of buyers ranging from fraudsters to other cybercriminal groups.

Complementing these activities is the use of encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram, which function as negotiation channels and distribution hubs for data samples.

Once data is exfiltrated, it is categorised based on value, with identity-linked information, such as national IDs, financial credentials, and authentication data, occupying the highest tier.

The data can be sold directly to buyers, repackaged into smaller datasets for repeat sales, or used as leverage in extortion attempts against the victim organisation.

In many cases, access to compromised systems is also sold, enabling other actors to conduct their operations.

The result is a layered revenue model in which a single breach can generate income through multiple channels over an extended period.

The response from Nigerian institutions has followed a familiar pattern seen in high-profile breaches globally.

The CAC has initiated containment measures and engaged relevant cybersecurity agencies, while regulatory bodies such as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria are expected to play oversight roles. However, public disclosures often lack detail, as is frequently the case.

The broader implications of the CAC breach are profound. Hacking a main source of company and personal information could allow the attacker to pretend to be a company, file fake documents, and carry out complicated fraud schemes based on

Financial institutions that rely on CAC data for verification may find their processes undermined, while businesses and individuals face increased exposure to targeted attacks.

The long-term risk is not just in what data was accessed, but also in how it may be used in the future as part of evolving fraud operations.

ByteToBreach does not operate in isolation but within a networked marketplace that amplifies the impact of each breach. The CAC incident could be part of a larger pattern that is likely to continue.

Addressing this threat requires more than reactive measures; it demands proactive cybersecurity, stronger regulatory enforcement, and sustained investment in the protection of national data assets.

Without such changes, the attacks would continue with consequences that extend far beyond any single breach.

OPINION: ByteToBreach And Nigeria’s New Data Breach Threat is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the President-elect of the Republic of Benin, His Excellency, Romuald Wadagni, on his victory at the polls. Romuald Wadagni, the country’s Minister of Finance, secured an overwhelming majority of the vote in the presidential election, which took place over the weekend. In a letter signed by him, President Tinubu […]

Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called on security agencies to provide adequate security for students and officials of Joint Matriculation Examination Board, JAMB, across the country.

MURIC specifically enjoined the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to provide maximum protection to all stakeholders who have one or two things to do with Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

DAILY POST gathered that UTME which is being conducted by JAMB stars today.

MURIC in its contribution, enjoined the security agencies to give maximum protection to the students and staff of the examination board.

The organisation made the call in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, and made available to DAILY POST Thursday morning.

Akintola in the statement, explained that the appeal became necessary in view of the state of insecurity in the country, calling for special attention in some states, especially in the northern part of the country.

‎”Ahead of this year’s examination of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) scheduled to hold from Thursday, April 16, 2026 to Saturday, April 25, 2026, we wish to appeal to the Nigerian security agencies including, but not restricted to, the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to provide maximum protection to all stakeholders in the week-long exercise”.

Insecurity: Provide adequate security for students, JAMB officials – MURIC

Katsina Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has pledged to establish an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) laboratory in

In today’s digital economy, remote work has become a normal part of life for many Nigerians. From virtual meetings to online tasks and constant communication, screens now dominate the working day. 

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent comments on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement, accusing him of attempting to upend the North-South zoning formula ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a strongly worded statement, Onanuga said Atiku’s position threatens the long-standing rotational understanding, warning that the former presidential candidate risks repeating what he described as a political miscalculation that contributed to his defeat in 2023.

He recalled that during the last general election, Atiku, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, ignored the party’s zoning principle by contesting to succeed a fellow northerner after eight years in office.

This action he said, deepened internal divisions within the party and weakened its electoral chances.

Onanuga also described Atiku as a “perennial candidate,” warning that pursuing the presidency again in 2027 could lead to another defeat.

Reacting to Atiku’s Wednesday interview on Arise Television, Onanuga dismissed the former Vice President’s claim that the South has held power longer than the North since 1999 as “dubious” and self-serving.

He argued that the North’s shorter time in office was not by design but the result of the untimely death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which led to the constitutional succession of Goodluck Jonathan.

According to him, that development does not invalidate the principle of rotational presidency between the two regions.

Onanuga further insisted that following the completion of eight years in office by former President Muhammadu Buhari, the current administration under President Bola Tinubu must also be allowed to complete its tenure in line with the zoning understanding.

He urged Atiku to shelve any fresh presidential ambition and respect the rotational arrangement, maintaining that 2027 remains the turn of the South.

“Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement. In 2023, as a member of the PDP, a party that, like others, practices zoning, Atiku disregarded the established formula and sought to succeed a fellow northerner, who had spent eight years in office.

“His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls. Now, he stands poised to repeat history and face another doom. Another spectacular failure awaits this perennial candidate in the next election.

“In his interview with Charles Aniagolu on Wednesday, Atiku, now sounding like the presumed ADC candidate (Peter Obi, get ready to bolt away), revisited his 2023 argument on the North-South power rotation.

“In a brazenly self-serving twist, he insisted he is not bound by the rotation formula because, according to him, the South has spent more years in office than the North since 1999. His political arithmetic is dubious.

“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to President Jonathan’s succession. This accidental breach does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement between the North and the South.

“Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own. All Atiku needs to do is to bury the thought of running again, as it is still the South’s turn in the 2027 election,” Onanuga wrote.

Onanuga Advises Atiku To Drop Presidential Bid For Tinubu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

There was a moment of tension between the Real Madrid duo of Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, as they crashed out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The incident happened before Eduardo Camavinga was shown a second yellow card.

Vinicius picked up the ball and dribbled towards goal in the 83rd minute, while Bellingham ran into the penalty area asking for a pass.

But Vinicius’ poor touch saw him quickly closed down by Dayot Upamecano and, unable to make the pass, he incensed Bellingham, who made his frustrations clear to the Brazilian.

Vinicius was then caught on camera responding to Bellingham angrily: “What do you want? What do you want? Shut up and close your mouth.”

Madrid were leading 3-2 with the tie level at 4–4 on aggregate when Camavinga was dismissed for delaying a free-kick.

Los Blancos were punished moments later, with Luis Diaz and Michael Olise scoring to secure their safe passage to the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

UCL: Shut your mouth – Vinicius Jr tells Bellingham as Real Madrid crashes out

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba, David Sabo Kente, has explained why he