Author: bibncollar

Iran’s oil ministry said Saturday it sold $18 billion worth of oil during the recent war with the United States and the subsequent ceasefire, covering more than 60 percent of the country’s projected annual oil revenues despite the crisis. According to a ministry statement, $11.5 billion was sold during the fighting and another $6.5 billion after the ceasefire took effect. The figures were published on the ministry’s official website. The claim contrasts with earlier remarks by Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who said in late June that the country had been unable to export any oil…

BOMADI, Delta State — Community leaders in Bomadi Urban have assured residents and traders, especially Igbo business owners, of stepped-up measures against rising burglaries in the Bomadi-Overside commercial district. Chairman Mr. Famous Ebiare said the community would take the issue to the Bomadi Local Government Security Council and push for the creation of vigilante posts to deter theft and improve safety. The assurance follows repeated break-ins targeting shops in the area, many owned by Igbo traders. Bomadi-Overside serves as a key trading hub for several riverine communities, making security of lives and property a priority, Ebiare noted. “We sympathise with…

The Incorporated Trustees of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ United Association (SOKAPU) has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the Minister of Works, David Umahi, over the death of Mary Habila, a nurse attached to the minister’s medical team. Habila died on June 27 at the minister’s residence. The case has drawn public attention and demands for a full investigation into the circumstances of her death. SOKAPU joined Habila’s father, Habila Tanko Wisdom, the Attorney-General of Ebonyi State, and the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police as respondents. The association is asking the court to order an…

More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as fast-moving wildfires tear through southwestern France and central Spain, leaving emergency crews stretched thin and authorities scrambling to contain the blazes. In France, roughly 141,000 residents and tourists were ordered to leave the Gironde and Landes departments. In central Spain, about 60,000 people fled or were confined as fires spread rapidly through dry forests and near populated areas. Extreme heat and prolonged drought, conditions scientists link to climate change, have fuelled the intensity of the fires. Spanish firefighters reported that some flames advanced so violently they could not be…

Abuja — The National Assembly has passed the National Inland Waterways Authority (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, a significant legislative reform designed to align federal oversight of Nigeria’s inland waterways with the 1999 Constitution and a recent Supreme Court ruling.The bill, which originated in the House of Representatives, repeals the existing NIWA Act and introduces a new legal framework that clearly defines the scope of the National Inland Waterways Authority’s jurisdiction. It was concurred by the Senate on Thursday, completing its passage through the National Assembly. The legislation will now be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent. The reform…

Umuahia — Abia State Governor Alex Otti has distanced himself from claims by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma that all five Southeast governors have agreed to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.Otti pushed back during his monthly media briefing in Umuahia on Thursday, July 23, 2026, asserting that Uzodimma could speak only for himself and not on behalf of the region’s other governors.“I acknowledge that Governor Uzodimma has the right to express his views, but that does not extend to speaking for all of us,” Otti said.The disagreement arose after Uzodimma, during a meeting with Imo elders and…

Abuja — The Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) has declared that not a single kobo of the ₦1.302 billion appropriated for the embattled Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) was released or spent, citing Nigeria’s strict expenditure control mechanisms.In a statement issued on Friday by its Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Afolabi Falulu Olajuwon, the BOF emphasised that while the National Assembly included the allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act, all necessary preconditions for spending were never satisfied.“Appropriation by Parliament does not automatically authorise spending,” the office stated. It explained that public funds can…

Awka — In a significant move to decongest courts and speed up the administration of justice, the Anambra State Government has formally introduced a plea bargain mechanism for eligible criminal suspects undergoing trial.The initiative, however, excludes suspects facing charges for murder, rape, armed robbery, and kidnapping, ensuring that serious and violent crimes remain outside the scope of the new policy.Announcing the development, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke (SAN), said the plea bargain option is being operationalised in line with Section 156 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State, 2022.“It has become necessary to…

Lagos — The Court of Appeal has affirmed the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of over N293 million in cash, investment units, and multiple high-value properties linked to retired Major-General Emmanuel Atewe, former Commander of the Military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield.In a unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo dismissed Atewe’s appeal against an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos, describing the appeal as lacking merit. The assets include N293.97 million, 30,000 MTN-linked units held in Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, and several plots of land in prime Abuja locations such as Outer…

Owerri — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ramped up preparations for the 2027 general elections, urging all key players in Imo State to collaborate in delivering peaceful, free, fair, and transparent polls.At a one-day stakeholders’ forum held in Owerri, INEC’s Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Christopher Ibezimako, called on political parties, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society organisations to work together to strengthen the electoral process.Ibezimako stressed that successful elections depend on strict adherence to the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and INEC’s guidelines and revised timetable. He reminded participants that elections extend far beyond polling…