The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has insisted that neither name-dropping nor a candidate’s relationship with the palace will guarantee electoral success in the 2027 general election. He said candidates would be assessed based on their antecedent performance in either public or civil service, as well as their impact on their immediate environment. Ladoja, […]
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A United States-based Nigerian national, identified as 50-year-old Godspower Oniovosa, has been arrested and formally charged in connection with a deadly hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a male pedestrian in Houston, Texas.
According to the Houston Police Department, the tragic incident occurred in the early hours of May 10, 2026, along South State Highway 6 near Westheimer Road in west Houston.
Investigators allege that Oniovosa was driving a black Land Rover Range Rover Sport southbound on State Highway 6 at approximately 2:45 a.m. when the vehicle struck a male pedestrian who was reportedly inside the intersection at the time of the collision.
Authorities say the impact left the victim critically injured.
However, instead of stopping to render assistance or contact emergency responders, police allege that the driver fled the scene, leaving the victim behind.
Emergency personnel later arrived and pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene.
At the time of the initial report, authorities had not yet publicly released the victim’s identity pending notification of family members.
Following the fatal collision, Houston Police launched an immediate investigation through the department’s Vehicular Crimes Division.
Not long after the crash, officers reportedly located the suspected vehicle — a heavily damaged black Land Rover with major front-end damage — after it became stalled.
Police detained Oniovosa and transported him back to the crash scene as part of the ongoing investigation.
After consulting with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors formally charged him with Failure to Stop and Render Aid involving death, commonly referred to as FSRA.
Under Texas law, the offense is considered a serious felony and applies when a driver involved in a fatal accident allegedly leaves the scene without helping the victim or notifying authorities.
The charge was officially filed in the 263rd Criminal District Court in Harris County, after which Oniovosa was placed under arrest.
The case has generated strong reactions online, particularly among Nigerian and diaspora communities, where many expressed sympathy for the unidentified victim while also calling for accountability and justice.
Others pointed to the tragedy as another reminder of the devastating consequences of reckless driving and the legal responsibilities drivers face after serious accidents.
As investigations continue, authorities are expected to release additional details regarding the case and the identity of the deceased victim.
The Nigerian presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has lashed out at social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VDM, over the circulation of what he described as a fake audio recording purportedly linked to President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the matter should attract legal consequences.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Onanuga accused VDM of abusing social media platforms through the dissemination of false information capable of misleading the public and damaging the image of the President.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform,” Onanuga stated.
The controversy followed a video posted earlier by Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VDM, in which he claimed to have obtained an audio recording allegedly featuring President Tinubu speaking on the country’s political situation, insecurity, and the 2027 elections.
Introducing the recording in the video, VDM said, “After this audio that I am about to play, I would ask if they cooked Nigerians who will support Tinubu in 2027 or you guys are okay.”
The audio clip played in the video allegedly featured Tinubu making controversial remarks regarding attempts to remove him from office, insecurity in the South-East, and borrowing from the World Bank.
In the purported recording, the voice alleged to be that of the President said, “They have been trying to take me out of the position but it’s not possible, mind you I am winning this election, I do not care whatever is happening, Nigerians deserve it.”
The voice in the audio further stated, “Because when I was running as a President, they did not want me, now all of a sudden they want me to rescue them from insecurity.”
Another section of the recording allegedly quoted the President as saying, “I called Peter Obi to stepped down for me but he refused. I am not begging him again, I will be whatsoever in my mind and I will make sure the insecurity affects the people in South East more.”
The purported audio also contained comments about foreign loans and insecurity, claiming, “Listen i am going to borrow more and more money from the World Bank, I won’t like to stop this insecurity because if I do, how will our party be able to win elections, think about it, even the loans I am taking is to fund them.”
However, Onanuga dismissed the audio as fabricated and accused VDM of deliberately spreading falsehood.
The presidential aide maintained that the circulation of manipulated or unverified materials on social media poses serious dangers to public trust, national security, and democratic stability.
The Presidency has not indicated whether legal proceedings would immediately be initiated against the social media influencer.
Martins Vincent is yet to also react to Bayo Onanuga’s statement as of the time of filing this report.
The newly elected Vice President (External Affairs) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Sadiq Zango, has pledged to defend and promote the interests of Nigerian students globally following his emergence at the recently concluded 2026 NANS National Convention in Abuja. Zango emerged victorious under the platform of the PEAKY Movement during the […]
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West Ham midfielder, Mateus Fernandes, has made Manchester United his priority destination ahead of other clubs in the summer transfer window.
Fernandes is expected to leave West Ham after the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League.
He impressed for West Ham this season after joining the club from Southampton.
The 21-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs across Europe, including United, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.
However, according to the i Paper via Metro UK, Fernandes has made the Red Devils his ‘first pick’ for the summer window.
The report added that a move for the player will be made ‘in the coming weeks’.
Transfer: Mateus Fernandes chooses Man Utd over Arsenal, PSG
As pilgrims continue their Hajj rites on Day 3 of the 2026 edition of the annual spiritual exercise, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has urged Nigerian pilgrims to prioritise their health amid soaring temperatures. After passing the night at Muzdalifah on Day 2 of the pilgrimage — obligatory on every Muslim who is […]
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As Nigeria marks this year’s Children’s Day, a civil society organization known as Child Protection Network has raised the alarm that pupils and teachers of Oyo State schools are still in captivity 12 days after their abduction by terrorists.
In a statement by its coordinator, Olakunle Sanni, the group called for the immediate rescue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers.
Recall that on May 15, 2026, several pupils and teachers were abducted from the Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities of the Oriire Local Government Area in Oyo State.
Another abduction took place within the same time in a community in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. The separate incidents led to the abduction of over 40 pupils.
One of the abductees, a teacher in Oyo State identified as Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the terrorists.
In a Children’s Day message, Sanni described the attacks as a reflection of the growing insecurity facing children and schools across Nigeria.
“We are deeply alarmed by the recent abduction of school children in Oyo and Borno states, where innocent pupils and teachers were reportedly kidnapped by armed groups during attacks on schools,” he said.
“The attacks in Oyo and Borno, reportedly involving dozens of children, including pupils aged two and three, further demonstrate the devastating impact of terrorism and insecurity on education and child safety in Nigeria.”
Children’s Day: Oyo pupils, teachers still in captivity 12 days after abduction – CSO cries out
The 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, is scheduled to undertake the traditional Sallah Hawan Daushe and Hawan Nassarawa processions on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
This was disclosed by the Sarkin Dawaki Babba, a senior councillor at Bayero’s palace, Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan’agundi, who explained that security agencies had permitted the traditional Sallah processions to hold.
He said on Wednesday that the traditional horse-riding activities would commence with the Hawan Daushe, during which Emir Aminu Ado Bayero would pass through the city centre, excluding the main Kano Emir’s Palace currently occupied by the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
According to him, “We have written to the police, and they have not said we shouldn’t carry out the exercise, so we are going to do it accordingly in a more peaceful way, starting from the Nassarawa Emir Palace to Kofar Nassarawa back to his home.”
Dan’agundi added that on Friday, the procession would move through state roads to Fagge and then to Mandawari, where the Emir would rest to avoid overcrowding due to the large number of supporters expected to accompany him.
He assured that the events would be peaceful and orderly, without any breach of peace, adding that supporters had already been warned against engaging in any act capable of causing unrest.
BREAKING: Emir Bayero to begin Sallah horse-riding procession in Kano Thursday
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on Governor j Chukwuma Soludo to caution officials of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources against alleged harassment and intimidation of members in the state.
IPMAN made the appeal in a protest letter to Soludo entitled “An Appeal To Stop Forthwith, Undue Harassment and Intimidation of our Members”.
The letter, signed by Mr Chinedu Anyaso and Mr Emeka Iloafor, Chairman and Secretary respectively of IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States was made available to journalists in Awka on Wednesday.
IPMAN said it was protesting alleged invasion of outlets by agents of the ministry, who were acting on a memo which engaged Divine Rapture Company as consultants to monitor and report ‘illegal activities’ within the oil and gas value chain.
The letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary and dated March 15 empowered Divine Rapture Company to monitor illegal bunkering, identify production and distribution of substandard petroleum products and gather intelligence on unlawful mining.
But the marketers called on Soludo to prevail on the ministry and its agents to withdraw their activities and stay off members’ outlets to forestall breakdown of law and order.
It said the regulation of the midstream and downstream operations rested with the Nigeria Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority( NMDPRA) uunder the Petroleum industry Act 2021.
It said the action of the ministry and its agent contravened section 48 (1) of the PIA 2021 which conferred powers of regulation and guideline, enforcement order or directive on NMDPRA.
IPMAN said members were law abiding citizens and would not condone people who are unknown to law to invade, harass or seal outlets as they had done to some marketers in the State.
“These people have started operations, harassing and intimidating our members with security personnel to legalise their operation.
“Their activities are unacceptable to our association as law abiding citizens.
“We are therefore not ready to cooperate with them as they are not the statutory agency created for the petroleum downstream industry as provided in the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
“We shall continue to support your government and would not want to take further action that will result in unnecessary hardship to the people of Anambra,” it said.(NAN)
IPMAN Protests Alleged Harassment Of Marketers In Anambra is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
The book, The NADECO Story, collects into one formidable and unforgettable volume the struggles, travails and triumphs of the foremost Nigerian organisation intentionally formed by pro-democracy groups as their arrowhead for disentangling the Military’s hold on governance and power. Written over the course of two decades, the book chronicles the raison d’etre, adventures, tragedies and […]
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