Author: bibncollar

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will test all donated medicines and vaccines not manufactured in the United States for quality, safety and efficacy under a Nigeria-US government agreement, the agency said on Tuesday. The move aims to maintain supplies for HIV/AIDS treatment after the exit of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). NAFDAC will also use its GS1 technology-driven Track and Trace system to monitor the distribution of all medical products supplied under the United States Government-Nigeria Government (USG-GoN) agreement. In a statement signed by Director-General Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, the agency…

The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory and begun contact tracing after a woman who recently arrived from Uganda tested positive. The patient, who entered Nigeria on an international flight, was treated for several days at a private hospital in the FCT before laboratory confirmation on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. She is now in isolation and receiving medical care. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate disclosed the development in a statement issued by the ministry. Public health teams have identified 44 close contacts, including healthcare workers,…

The Anambra State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow the creation of state police in Nigeria. Lawmakers adopted the measure through first, second and third readings in a single plenary sitting in Awka on Tuesday. The executive bill, which originated from the Presidency, aims to create a constitutional pathway for states to set up their own police services. Any such service would still need to meet minimum national standards set by an Act of the National Assembly. Under the proposed framework, the Nigeria Police Force would continue as the default policing…

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gark on Tuesday set aside an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigation report that alleged fraud in the London/Paris Club refunds involving Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. Justice Suleiman Belgore ruled that the Federal Government acted beyond its powers by directing the EFCC, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, to investigate court judgments that ordered payment to consultant Dr. Ted Iseghohi-Edwards for legal services rendered in the matter. The judge noted that the directive came after the government had already issued promissory notes for the payment following a…

The Federal Government has set a 10-year target to grow Nigeria’s capital market to ₦750 trillion by 2036 and is pressing for the listing of major state-owned companies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Nigeria LNG Limited, on the Nigerian Exchange. Vice-President Kashim Shettima presented the Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan 2.0 on Monday at the National Capital Market Conference 2026 in Abuja. The Securities and Exchange Commission developed the plan, which aims to expand the market from a current baseline of about ₦250 trillion. Shettima said the capital market would serve as a key platform for raising…

At least 15 people, including 10 Nigerian soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, were killed on Saturday when insurgents attacked a military convoy in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. Troops were travelling along a road between Gamboru Ngala and the Cameroon border when a pickup truck hit a landmine believed to have been planted by Boko Haram. Eight soldiers in the vehicle died instantly. Gunmen then opened fire on a second vehicle, killing two more soldiers and the five Civilian Joint Task Force members who support military operations in the region. Six wounded soldiers were taken to…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to respond to a lawsuit demanding the release of documents confirming he completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme. Justice Salim Ibrahim gave the order on Monday after the Incorporated Trustees of Pathway to Equity and Charity Foundation filed the action under the Freedom of Information Act. The foundation wants the court to compel the NYSC and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to produce records supporting the minister’s claim that he served the full one-year programme. The applicant is seeking a range of documents from the NYSC,…

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai seeking N120 million in damages from four federal agencies. Justice Sylvanus Oriji held that the suit, which named the Department of State Services (DSS), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents, lacked merit. El-Rufai had accused the agencies of violating his rights. He asked the court to nullify invitation letters from the ICPC and…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed an application by Omoyele Sowore seeking an order to compel the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to testify in his defence. Justice Mohammed Umar held that the request by Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, would not serve the interest of justice. The judge ruled that the expected testimony concerned an official act of the DSS and was not personal to the Director-General. Consequently, any designated officer of the service with full knowledge of the relevant matters could appear and…

Media Rights Agenda on Monday called on the Federal Government to carry out a 2024 court order directing it to investigate the assassination of journalist Dele Giwa and prosecute those responsible, as Nigeria marked 40 years since his death. Giwa, founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on October 19, 1986, by a parcel bomb delivered to his home in Ikeja, Lagos. The case remains unresolved. In a statement issued in Lagos, MRA Deputy Executive Director Ayode Longe described the lack of resolution after four decades as a “shameful reminder of the entrenched culture of impunity for attacks against journalists…