₦airaland Forum

'We Don’t Know What Was Passed’: Oyo Governor Makinde Raises Alarm Over Tax Bill Process

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the handling of the controversial tax bill by the Federal Government, saying neither state governors nor Nigerians know what was eventually passed by the National Assembly or signed into law.

Makinde spoke while addressing former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a public event, where he openly expressed regret over Osinbajo’s exit from office, citing what he described as a decline in openness and consultative governance under the current administration.

“Sir, I personally, I miss you in that position. A lot of people may not know why. Things are not really the same,” Makinde said.

The governor recalled events during the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020, shortly after he assumed office, describing a tense National Economic Council (NEC) meeting where a nationwide lockdown was proposed.

“I was barely seven months into the position of governor, and that was my first public service job. There was COVID. We came in for the National Economic Council meeting. It was a hot meeting,” Makinde said.

According to him, some governors pushed for an immediate lockdown of all states, but Osinbajo, who chaired the council at the time, allowed room for dissenting views and alternative approaches.

“For Oyo state people, why I did not lock down during COVID was because of his decision,” Makinde noted, implying that Osinbajo’s leadership style allowed governors to make context-specific decisions.

Makinde said the same spirit of consultation was absent in the handling of the recent tax bill, which has generated widespread controversy and accusations of being rushed through the legislative process.

“We had the same situation in this dispensation. It was the tax bill. And we said, look, bring the tax bill back. Let us all have an opportunity to look dispassionately at it,” he said.

He alleged that objections raised by governors were dismissed and described the response from the Federal Government as intolerant of dissent.

“And we know where we are right now. The tax bill, we don’t know what was passed at the National Assembly. We don’t also know what was signed off,” he added.

Makinde reiterated his admiration for Osinbajo’s leadership style, saying Nigeria has lost a critical channel for internal checks and balanced decision-making.

“So when I say I miss you, I miss you so much, sir,” he said.

The tax bill has continued to draw criticism from state governments, civil society groups and policy analysts, many of whom argue that its passage lacked transparency and meaningful consultation, raising concerns about its implications for federalism and fiscal governance in Nigeria.

The House of Representatives had confirmed that there was an illegal alteration of Nigeria’s newly gazetted tax reform laws.

The House Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee probing alleged alteration of the tax reform laws reported evidence of unauthorized changes to some of the tax reform laws recently passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

In an interim report released on Friday, the committee said its findings showed clear discrepancies between the versions of the tax laws approved by lawmakers and those later published in the official gazette.

According to the panel, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, contained the most significant alterations.

The probe followed public concern triggered by a motion raised on the floor of the House by Abdulsamad Dasuki, who warned that versions of the tax laws in circulation differed from what legislators had approved.

The ongoing electronic membership registration and re-validation exercise of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has further exposed and widened internal divisions within the ruling party, as allegations of deliberate exclusion and factional manipulation continue to trail the process in several states across the federation.

Although complaints of glitches and access restrictions had earlier surfaced in states such as Benue and Rivers, the controversy deepened this week following claims that APC members loyal to the member representing Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency of Zamfara State in the House of Representatives, Sani Aminu Jaji, were systematically denied participation in the exercise.

Jaji confirmed the development on Wednesday after storming the APC national secretariat in Abuja, where he met with the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and some members of the National Working Committee NWC.

He alleged that the State Organizing Secretary of the party in Zamfara was excluded from the planning and execution of the e-registration process, adding that aggrieved members had already petitioned the national leadership.

Party tackling issue

However, the NWC had days ago said it had been empowered to take corrective measures, including replacing state coordinators, where the exercise was found to be lagging, adding that challenges identified in some states had been addressed and that further interventions would be made where necessary.

National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru who responded to concerns about accessibility, said registration teams had been deployed in all political wards across the country, with several personnel assigned per ward depending on size, to ensure grassroots participation.

He added that in areas affected by insecurity or poor internet connectivity, particularly parts of the North East, members would be registered manually, with data uploaded later in locations with network access, to ensure that no member was disenfranchised.

Basiru dismissed fears about factional exclusion, insisting that the party’s leadership had made it clear that no group or tendency would be denied the opportunity to register, explaining that the exercise was strictly about membership and not about legitimising or disqualifying any faction.

Exclusion in Zamfara

But Jaji insists that the situation in Zamfara State is different. Explaining the genesis of the matter, Jaji said: “You are aware that our party has commenced the e-registration, and you know, in some places there are glitches here and there and in Zamfara. So I met with the National Chairman today, because when the party started the e-registration I was not in the country, so I traveled for lesser Hajj. Then my people called me to say that there is an issue. That, ‘they shortchanged the state organising secretary from participating in the process and some of the people that belong to the Jajiyya movement in the state. They were denied having their membership registration.'”

He added that despite widespread publicity of registration slips by some party stalwarts in Zamfara, the process itself remained questionable. “But we don’t know if they reached out to you, because we saw so many of the party stalwarts in the state, their membership registration are all over in the media, they are displaying it that this one registered, that one registered, despite the fact that nobody went to Zamfara to do that registration,” he said.

Jaji disclosed that when he initially raised the matter, he was told the Zamfara exercise might have been delayed. “I said, I don’t know, maybe they delayed Zamfara. They said, no, they didn’t delay it. They said to me that, ‘Sir, we have already gone ahead to petition the national chairman in order for him to address the issues at hand in the state,'” he explained, adding that the petition was based on the belief that the national chairman would guarantee fairness and inclusivity.

He further lamented that even he had not been registered as a serving member of the House of Representatives. “Now up to this moment that I am speaking with you, nobody registered me as a sitting member of the House of Representatives. As somebody who served as the director of contact and mobilisation during the presidential campaign of the 2023 general election, I said that, no, something is wrong somewhere,” Jaji said.

Warning against a repeat of past political mistakes, he added: “Maybe a subversive agent is working to undermine the victory of the APC election, not only in the state, but maybe all over, and such a situation, we cannot allow it. Because similar circumstances or scenarios have played out in 2015 in the then PDP. They undermined the presence of the structure of the party in the state, and that is why the party collapsed.”

According to him, the APC leadership acted swiftly after the matter was brought to its attention. “When I met the chairman, he was so excited, so glad to receive me. He said that, no, Jaji, this thing must be addressed. And then he addressed it there and then. He said that the Deputy National Organising Secretary and some other members of the NWC must address the issue immediately,” he said, disclosing that the assignment was handed to Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru.

Jaji expressed confidence in the leadership of the party, saying, “That is what we expected from you and that is why people have hope. And that is why you are picked as the national chairman, because the Renewed Hope agenda goes with people of hope and ambition. I believe some other places that have similar challenges, to my hearing, they are addressing all the issues like that.”

When asked whether the Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, had been informed as the supposed party leader in the state, Jaji argued that the APC currently has no recognised leader in Zamfara. “By the party constitution, even though it is not boldly written, but normally it can be said that in the state, there is no leader who can say that I am the leader of the party, and that is why we are having issues,” he said, adding that the absence of clear leadership had allowed internal “shenanigans” to thrive.

He accused rival factions of acting out of fear of his political profile and grassroots following. “I think that singular aspiration of mine is still making them have a serious unrest because they were not ready or prepared to explain to the people what they did while they were there, during their stewardship,” Jaji said, linking the hostility to unresolved issues of insecurity and economic hardship in the state. “Based on the belief and the trust people have in me, they see that I still have something to say and people still have hope in me, and really I can change the narrative in the state,” he added.

Beyond Zamfara, the APC’s e-registration exercise has reportedly faced difficulties in several other states, with party insiders citing low registration figures, technical challenges, disputes over access to registration devices and accusations of factional hijack of the process. In some states, party officials have warned that coordinators who fail to ensure inclusive registration risk sanctions, as the national leadership struggles to harmonise the digital exercise nationwide.

Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has expressed skepticism over the prospect of ruling All Progressives Congress maintaining long-term dominance, citing historical examples from the country’s political past.

He argued that Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat from a one-party state but rather from the weakness of political parties themselves, which he said lack ideology, internal democracy, and active citizen engagement.

Gambari, founder and chairman of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, made the remarks on Wednesday while engaging with journalists in Abuja about the Centre’s activities.

He emphasised that history shows repeated attempts to establish dominant-party rule in Nigeria have consistently failed.

According to Gambari, Nigeria’s democratic challenge lies in political parties functioning primarily as vehicles for power rather than principled institutions.

He said, “I am not at all worried about this country becoming a one-party state. It will not happen, if history is any guide. We don’t even know our own history. This administration is not the first to try to have a dominant party in Nigeria. Right from the beginning, the NPC was a dominant party in the First Republic. They didn’t discourage the main opposition; in fact, they took sides. Where has that led us? It didn’t lead to peace or development; it led to chaos.”

He recalled the National Party of Nigeria and the People’s Democratic Party as further examples.

“The NPN became so confident they felt they would rule forever. What happened? It didn’t work. PDP, not long ago, boasted they would rule for 60 years. Where are they today? So any effort to make this country one-party will not succeed. Often, it will fail for the wrong reasons, because political elites are too ambitious to be contained within one party. It will break,” he said.

Gambari stressed the importance of learning from history before crises occur.

“But let’s not wait for disaster to happen. Let’s build political parties. That’s what has been missing. We have not paid enough attention as a people to political parties. How many of us here actually belong to a political party? How many attend meetings? That is the problem. In the First Republic, party members had cards, paid dues, and consulted on candidates. There was a bond between leaders and parties at various levels.”

The former Foreign Affairs Minister said organised and ideologically distinct political parties would prevent any attempt to establish a one-party state.

“Strong political parties make a one-party state impossible. But because we have no organized parties, our parties have become just vehicles to gain political power. Political parties are often just flags of convenience. Weak parties, not a one-party state, are the threat to Nigeria’s democracy.”

He highlighted the absence of ideological differences today, noting, “In the First Republic, crossing from NPC to NCNC or Action Group was significant. Today, one can be APC in the morning, PDP in the afternoon, and APC again the next day with no consequences. In other systems, if you switch after being elected under one platform, your seat is declared vacant and you must contest again. Otherwise, you live under false pretenses.”

Gambari urged Nigerians to prioritise the organisation and strength of political parties, warning that without this, citizens must accept the consequences of weak party systems.


“How long are we going to keep complaining about the people who rule us when the parties represent nobody and no ideology? Multiparty democracy requires commitment and organization, and we all have roles to play.”

His comments come amid opposition concerns over defections to the APC, which some fear could be aimed at creating a one-party dominance. Recent governors who switched from PDP to APC include Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers). Several other prominent politicians, including legislators, former governors, and ministers, have also defected.

President Bola Tinubu and APC leaders, however, have repeatedly denied any plan to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.

Bandits Demand N28.9Million For ‘Lost’ Motorcycles Before Ransom Talks For 166 Abducted Christian Worshippers In Kaduna


Kidnappers hold 166 Kaduna worshippers, demand N29m deposit


Kurmin Wali community in southern Kaduna has been thrown into panic following the mass abduction of 177 Christian worshippers, the second attack in a week.

On Sunday, gunmen attacked three churches in the community and whisked away more than 100 worshippers.

However, on Monday, the Kaduna State Government, police command and Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area dismissed the report as falsehood after Chairman, Northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Joseph Hayab, confirmed the incident to journalists in Kaduna.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, however, confirmed the abductions late Tuesday on X, saying earlier comments by the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, CP Muhammad Rabiu, were “were not denials of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected.”

On Wednesday, The PUNCH findings showed that Kurmin Wali residents had abandoned their homes, while farms remained untended, with schools shut indefinitely.

Linus Abu, a villager, told The PUNCH that the community had barely recovered from an earlier attack on January 11, when suspected armed Fulani militia kidnapped several residents.

“We paid N23m as ransom before those kidnapped on January 11 were released,” Abu said. “The terrorists called us on the phone and gave instructions. Some of our people had to carry the money in sacks and take it to them inside the bush.”

According to reports, 11 of the 177 abducted villagers escaped but unlike the earlier attack, the abductors have not formally demanded ransom for the 166 victims – who include women and children – still in captivity from the January 18 attack.

The PUNCH learnt the bandits demanded the return of 17 motorcycles they allegedly lost during recent military operations as a condition for the release of the victims.

“They said each bike is worth N1.7m, and we must pay for all of them before they will demand the actual ransom for the hostages,” Abu said.

It means the villagers would be forced to pay about N28.9m for the motorcycles alone, separate from the ransom for the captives.

The village head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, during a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, said the bandits contacted a negotiator on behalf of the Kurmin Wali community and insisted that the missing motorcycles must be returned before the captives could regain their freedom.

According to Dan’azumi, the armed men accused members of the Kurmin Wali community of stealing the motorcycles and tampering with others by removing carburettors and spark plugs.

They called the negotiator on telephone and said that 17 of their motorcycles disappeared. They insisted that all the motorcycles must be returned before they will release our people,” the village head said.

He added that the bandits had not made any monetary ransom demand so far.

“Apart from the issue of the motorcycles and replacement of some parts, they have not asked for money,” he stated.

Dan’azumi further revealed that the mass abduction was linked to the ongoing military offensive against bandit camps in parts of Kajuru Local Government Area.

Already, fear has paralysed the entire community as most villagers fled their homes to neigbouring villages.

“There is no going to school, no going to farm. Most of us have ran away. We cannot stay here anymore,” Hasan Emman, a farmer, told The PUNCH on Wednesday.

“Right now, everyone is unsettled. We don’t even know where to start. How can we negotiate (with the abductors) when we are all scattered and afraid?”

The usually bustling village market was deserted during The PUNCH’s visit on Wednesday. Several shops were locked, and the few residents on the streets appeared anxious and unwilling to speak.

With no clear timeline for ransom negotiations, the fate of the abducted worshippers remains uncertain.

Family members voiced frustrations over what they described as the government’s denial of the incident and lack of security intervention.

“Our people are suffering in the forest, and the government is saying nothing happened,” one distraught resident said. “Who will help us?”

Church officials and survivors told The PUNCH that the coordinated attacks occurred at about 9am on Sunday, January 18, 2026, when armed men, wielding AK-47 rifles, simultaneously invaded multiple churches in the community.

The attackers, witnesses said, moved with precision, warning worshippers not to flee as they gathered people from different churches.

The Secretary of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Kurmin Wali, Yunana Dauji, said the assailants surrounded two branches of the church during worship and threatened anyone who attempted to escape.

“They forced worshippers to march from one church to another, gathering over 50 people from our denomination alone before leading everyone away,” Dauji said.

The Evangelical Church Winning All was also targeted. Its secretary, Joseph Bawa, said the gunmen burst into the church shouting and immediately began seizing worshippers.

“They gathered people from different churches and marched all of us together into the forest,” Bawa said.

Among those abducted is the Village Head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Danazumi. His son, Linus Madami, confirmed that the traditional ruler later escaped alongside 10 others.

“My father managed to escape, but his two wives and two children are still with the kidnappers,” Madami said.

“In total, 177 people were taken that morning. I narrowly escaped after struggling with one of the gunmen.”

Some captives escaped during the trek through the forest. Bawa explained that when the abducted group reached a shallow river, the kidnappers ordered everyone to cross.

“A few people deliberately slowed down. Once the kidnappers crossed to the other side, those who slowed down ran back towards the village because the attackers could not cross back quickly,” he said.

Military reacts

Multiple military sources confirmed to The PUNCH that the attack was carried out by bandits fleeing sustained military operations in parts of neighbouring Kauru Local Government Area.

According to the sources, troops had recently dislodged armed groups from key hideouts, forcing them to abandon their camps and scatter into nearby areas, including Kajuru.

“The assailants were forced out of their camps during intense military offensives and allegedly carried out the mass abduction while attempting to escape mounting pressure from security forces,” one of the sources said.

The affected camps, located around Gabachua, Legede and the Agwalla mountain and forest corridors, were described as long-established enclaves used by bandits to launch kidnappings, cattle rustling and violent attacks across Kauru, Kajuru and adjoining communities.

Another military source explained that the attack on Kurmin Wali was not random but appeared to be retaliatory.

“The bandits lost logistics, including motorcycles used for mobility and operations. The abduction was allegedly aimed at compensating for those losses and instilling fear as they fled the area,” the source disclosed.

The source added that following actionable intelligence on the movement of the fleeing bandits, troops were deployed to intercept them.

However, the attackers reportedly diverted towards the mountainous forest belts around the Karamai and Rijana axis, taking advantage of the rugged terrain to evade capture.

As a result, troops have been placed on full alert, with what military authorities described as “exploitation and hot pursuit operations” ongoing across the forest corridors and surrounding bushes.

“Operations are ongoing to stabilise the area, track the fleeing criminals and rescue the abducted victims,” a security source said.

The latest abduction has again underscored the persistent security challenges in parts of Southern and Central Kaduna, where armed banditry has thrived for more than a decade, largely due to vast ungoverned forest spaces and porous inter-state borders.

Communities in Kauru and Kajuru LGAs have repeatedly been targeted despite intensified military operations under various Federal Government security initiatives.

While recent offensives have led to the destruction of several bandit camps and the neutralisation of suspected criminals, security analysts warn that dislodged fighters often resort to attacking soft targets while attempting to evade capture.

Residents and community leaders in the affected LGAs have therefore urged the Federal and Kaduna State governments to sustain military pressure, deploy additional troops and improve intelligence gathering to protect vulnerable communities and ensure the safe rescue of the abducted worshippers.

Meanwhile, the Commandant of the 2 National Mission Force Brigade, Samaru Kataf, Navy Captain I.T. Akaazua, disclosed that troops had rescued three kidnapped victims, including a child, and destroyed several terrorist camps in parts of Kauru Local Government Area.

Speaking with The PUNCH on the telephone, Akaazua said the camps, which had for years served as enclaves for terrorists, were dismantled during sustained military operations, leading to gradual restoration of peace in the area.

“Apart from a previous operation where about 70 terrorists were neutralised, another operation carried out on Tuesday led to the rescue of three victims, including a child,” he said.

He explained that troops engaged the terrorists in fierce gun battles, noting that the criminals had an advantage due to the dense forest and difficult terrain.

“They know the terrain better than us because of the density of the forest. Most of the affected communities are remote villages with little or no security presence, and security personnel cannot be everywhere,” he said.

Akaazua added that only a few camps located deep inside extremely thick forest areas could not be accessed.

The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has questioned the democratic credentials of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, saying neither played a significant role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle that led to the current democratic dispensation.


In a statement on Wednesday, Lagos APC Spokesman Seye Oladejo said Atiku and Obi, who recently positioned themselves as moral arbiters of Nigeria’s democracy, were absent when others faced detention, exile, intimidation, loss of livelihood, and death in the fight against military rule.

The statement read in part:

“The Lagos State Chapter of the APC finds it imperative to interrogate—the so-called democratic credentials of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, who have anointed themselves as the conscience of Nigeria’s democracy. Democracy is sustained by consistency, sacrifice, respect for institutions, and fidelity to the will of the people—not by selective outrage, convenience-driven alliances, or transactional politics.”

The party criticized Obi’s political trajectory, describing his movement across multiple political platforms as opportunistic rather than ideologically driven. It also condemned Atiku for navigating various political parties in his bid for the presidency, calling his actions “ambition without ideological anchor.”

“Democracy is not strengthened by serial defections, nor preserved by treating political parties as mere vehicles of convenience. Alliances forged by bitterness, entitlement, and desperation are not democratic alternatives,” the statement added.

The Lagos APC further urged Nigerians to evaluate leaders based on respect for democratic processes and institutional loyalty rather than protest after losing elections. The party emphasized that the electorate deserves clarity and statesmanship, not ambition disguised as moral authority.

“Both gladiators are hereby encouraged to accept this as an open challenge and present their democratic credentials to the discerning Nigerian public—devoid of fairytales,” the statement concluded.

Harsh economic conditions have forced many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to reduce their daily food intake, with many households no longer able to afford three square meals.

Several residents shared their struggles in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

NAN reports that across Abuja and its satellite towns, families have adopted various coping strategies, such as skipping meals, reducing portion sizes, or switching to cheaper, less nutritious food options.

Mrs. Maryam Silas, a mother of four living in Karu, said her family has been forced to eat only twice a day to survive.

“We used to eat three times a day, but now we manage two. Food prices remain high while income is stagnant. We have to stretch the little I make from my small business to eat and cater to other family needs,” Silas said.

Similarly, Mr. Chinedu Okafor, a security guard residing in Gwagwalada, noted that feeding has become his family’s biggest challenge. “Sometimes we eat only once a day. After paying for rent and transportation, there is almost nothing left for food,” he lamented.

Okafor explained that his wife works as a cleaner at the same company, but their combined income is insufficient. “We have three children between the ages of four and nine. We are prioritizing their education, so very little is left for food after paying school fees,” he said. A food vendor, Mrs. Grace Danjuma, observed that many of her customers now buy food on credit or request smaller portions than before. “People come and beg to buy food on trust. Some will say, ‘Madam, please just give me whatever this small amount of money can afford,’” Danjuma said.

Students and young workers are equally affected.

Zachary Musa, a tertiary student in Bwari who fends for himself, said he often skips meals to save money. “If I eat breakfast, I may not eat again until night. Everything is expensive, and I try to save every penny I can for emergencies,” Musa said.

Commenting on the situation, an economist Dr. Abigail Bako said the trend reflects the devastating impact of inflation and low purchasing power on Nigerian households.

“When people can no longer afford basic nutrition, it becomes a serious social and health concern. There is an urgent need for targeted interventions to protect vulnerable households,” Bako said.

She called for immediate economic relief measures and strategies to stabilize food prices to prevent further deterioration of living standards across the FCT. (NAN)

Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, has protested exclusion of Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s picture on the banner portraying party leaders in the region.

The banner carried the picture of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, five APC Governors of the NorthEast and the National Legal Adviser.

Protesting, the speaker said it was unfair for the organisers to print the banner without the picture of the vice president, especially being that the event is taking place in his hometown.

He also recalled that similar omission triggered the fracas that disrupted the APC meeting in Gombe last year.

“This is what created the fracas in Gombe, and it’s repeating itself here in Borno. I don’t know the motive of the organisers but it’s not right.”

“How can the organisers exclude the picture of a sitting vice president, who is from Borno and the North East zone,” he said.

His complaint was re-echoed by the crowd, who responded with a thunderous applause.

Governors and stakeholders of the APC are currently in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, for the North East zonal public hearing for the amendment of the party’s Constitution.

Senegal on Sunday clinched the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title after a tense 1–0 extra-time victory over host nation Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

The final was marked by controversy late in regulation time after the Democratic Republic of Congo referee, Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo, awarded Morocco a penalty in the eighth minute of added time following a VAR review. Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was adjudged to have fouled Brahim Diaz during a corner kick.

Furious over the decision, Senegal players briefly walked off the pitch on the instruction of head coach Pape Thiaw, leading to a 13-minute standoff. Captain Sadio Mané eventually persuaded his teammates to return to the field.

Morocco failed to capitalise on the opportunity as Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, allowing Senegal to push the match into extra time.

The breakthrough came in the fourth minute of extra time when Pape Gueye fired home a stunning strike following a swift counterattack initiated by Mané. Senegal then held firm to silence the home crowd and secure the trophy.


The victory marks Senegal’s second AFCON title in three tournaments, further cementing their status as one of Africa’s dominant football forces.

Here is a list of AFCON Winners Since 1957

2025 – Senegal

2023 – Côte d’Ivoire

2021 – Senegal

2019 – Algeria

2017 – Cameroon

2015 – Côte d’Ivoire

2013 – Nigeria

2012 – Zambia

2010 – Egypt

2008 – Egypt

2006 – Egypt


2004 – Tunisia

2002 – Cameroon

2000 – Cameroon

1998 – Egypt

1996 – South Africa

1994 – Nigeria


1992 – Côte d’Ivoire

1990 – Algeria

1988 – Cameroon


1986 – Egypt

1984 – Cameroon

1982 – Ghana

1980 – Nigeria

1978 – Ghana

1976 – Morocco

1974 – DR Congo

1972 – Congo

1970 – Sudan

1968 – DR Congo

1965 – Ghana

1963 – Ghana

1962 – Ethiopia

1959 – Egypt

1957 – Egypt

Releasing 70 detained bandits: Kano, other states will be in big trouble if …, Kurfi, Katsina elder, warns

Katsina State government has come under scrutiny over plans to release about 70 detained persons suspected of involvement in banditry. The move is being presented as part of efforts to consolidate an ongoing peace deal with alleged repentant bandits operating across several local government areas of the state.

Government officials said the initiative was linked to community-based peace arrangements aimed at reducing violence and securing the release of kidnapped victims.

The proposal has, however, sparked widespread public outrage. Many Nigerians, civil society groups, and security commentators have condemned the plan, arguing that freeing suspects already undergoing prosecution undermines the rule of law and denies justice to victims of years of killings, abductions, and destruction linked to banditry in the North-West.

Critics warn that such concessions could embolden criminal groups and weaken public confidence in the justice and security systems.

The controversy has also drawn national attention, with senior federal security officials cautioning against negotiations with armed groups. Opponents of the Katsina initiative insist that lasting peace can only be achieved through accountability, disarmament, and effective law enforcement, rather than releasing suspects as part of negotiations, especially amid persistent insecurity in the region. The Convener of Katsina Security Community Initiative, Dr. Bashir Kurfi, in this interview, speaks on the matter, warning that neighbouring states would be in trouble.

Talk to us as someone who is not just familiar with this but also invested in Katsina as an indigene. What do you make of the move to release 70 detained bandits?

I think this move, one would say, is very unfortunate and also very dangerous, even for the entire nation. A situation where you release hardened criminals detained on the orders of the court is dangerous. In most cases, those who are in custody have unbailable offences because these offences deal with rape, arson and murder. Now, to say that under any configuration somebody comes up to say that these people can be freed, I say it is too dangerous. Also, I will be surprised if any chief judge who has a career would get involved in this mess. Therefore, this issue of releasing them, because I have seen some of the statements of government saying that anywhere in the world where you go into war, you also can have an exchange of prisoners, is misguided.

The people abducted were not prisoners. They were abducted in their homes. And if the bandits are saying that injustice was done to them, the people you have kidnapped are not police, they are not government officials, they are not politicians. Quite a number of them are peasants. How would somebody say “exchange of prisoners” in the first place? They went and abducted them from their homes, kidnapped them, raped them and took them away. Now, let me give you an example from my hometown. There was a time when bandits went to somebody’s house. After they were released, they came to my house and gave me a full report. I also went to the bush and participated in the operation. So nobody can tell me stories. Now, when they came to this lady’s house, her husband was not around. They met the lady with her baby and told her to follow them to the bush. When she was about to go, she told them she had twins. One of the bandits took one of the twins on his shoulder without any clothes. That baby was two months old. Where was her husband? Her husband was a theatre nurse. He was in the hospital saving the lives of some other women. Now, as they were going out, her five-year-old son held her leg and said he had to follow her. There were three of them. They had to pay five million naira. That criminal who did that, with this piece of nonsense, when people see him coming into town and going to the market, how will they feel?


But many people think this is a necessary evil that could bring lasting peace…

There is no necessary evil here. For somebody to even contemplate that is highly irresponsible. There are dangers that this will bring. By the time they are in prison, they will also meet hardened criminals who will partake in their criminality. And when you release them, they will go to other neighbouring states. I think Kano will be in big trouble when these people are released.

You think this could snowball to Kano?


It’s not going to snowball, it’s going there directly. They steal from Kano and come to our areas and pass with their loot. Then the convention is that these people say there is a peace deal here. So if they didn’t steal from an area but stole from somewhere else, they just pass through, and it becomes “not your business.” Earlier on, they couldn’t go to Kano because we blocked all the routes where they could come out of the bush. But now, without considering the consequences, like in the city of Kano, the danger we face, especially here in the North, is that the Boko Haram issue has dismantled the North-East’s market situation. It has destroyed Maiduguri’s activity as an international market route. Now you also want to attack Kano. By the time you finish with Kano, already affected as a commercial centre, in the past, on a daily basis, we would get over 50 vehicles coming from Sokoto to Kano.

You don’t think this is by chance? You think this is by design?

No, I think it is by design because I can’t see how somebody can explain it otherwise. They tell us it’s a community initiative. I am the chairman of the state community initiative. We met with the police. There was synergy. We were about to finish the centre until they came and dismantled all these Kano structures. So the question of community arises: which communities were consulted? If you are doing anything, there are people you should contact. Community people sit together, and if you are negotiating with anybody, you should put together a negotiating team.

What is the government’s motivation?

This needs to be studied. There is a wider implication that confuses me. When the current Minister of Defence was the Joint Chief of Staff, he said the army or any security agency should not be part of such negotiations. Now you have a state government making independent decisions without understanding the consequences. When the commissioner says the next step is to collect their guns, that shows ignorance. Negotiation is an international convention meant for serious people with ideological appeal. But a bandit is a lumpen element, as Karl Marx described, dangerous because they have no class identity. They are not farmers, so you can’t mobilise them with fertiliser. They are not workers, so you can’t mobilise them with wages. They have no centre of command. The king of banditry in Batsari is not answerable to the one in Dan Musa, Kankara or anywhere else.


Do we understand whether deals are being cut with all bandit leaders?

What I know is that they talk to some so-called bandit leaders. Even then, not all agree. Banditry is still ongoing. Three days ago, in my local government, they stole cows. Six days earlier, they stole about 20 cows.

How does government benefit from this?

From my experience, during elections, some politicians use bandit leaders. They collect ballot boxes from areas people can’t access. They give them to bandits, who fill and return them. For Nigerian politicians, their interest is political office, not the security of their people. Have you ever seen politicians across parties come together to say they are tired of bloodshed? No. Women come to my house daily with their husbands, narrating how they were raped, sometimes by 10 men. We have taken some to hospitals. Some were referred to VVF centres because of the damage done.

Is there any form of amnesty that could work?


No. Amnesty is not involved here. This is not serious. You don’t bring a murderer to sit with authority while he still has his gun. Disarmament is a professional process handled by experts, not politicians. How do you even verify the guns they surrender? Meanwhile, village heads and district heads are not living in their domains. Commissioners cannot spend a week in their hometowns.

Who are the winners and losers?

We are the losers. You cannot farm, graze, or go to the market. Seventy per cent of schools are closed. Some are occupied by bandits. The wider losers are Nigerian states. This shows the irresponsibility of northern elites who live in Abuja and Lagos while their people are killed daily. Southern elites should not be paying for this irresponsibility through security budgets.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the oil and gas industry regulator, said Nigeria’s oil output, including condensate, dropped by 8.3 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 1.544 million bpd in December 2025 from 1.684 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.


The Commission did not provide reasons in its report released yesterday, but there were indications that it might be fueled mainly by limited investment and production.

However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the Commission said the nation’s oil output, including condensate, dropped marginally to 1.544 million bpd in December 2025 from 1.599 million bpd in November 2025.

This showed that Nigeria did not meet its 1.5 million bpd quota of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as the regulator said of the 1.544 million bpd output, 122,385 bpd were condensate, which OPEC does not recognize during the period.



It also showed that the federal government did not meet its 2.06 million bpd budget 2025 target during the period. The budget was also based on $75 per barrel and an exchange rate of approximately N1,500/$1 during the period.


The report stated: “Lowest and peak combined crude oil and condensate were 1.52 million bopd and 1.82 million bopd, respectively. The average crude oil production represents 95% of OPEC quota (1.5 mbpd).

“Daily average production was 1,544,345 barrels per day, comprising both crude oil (1,421,960 bopd) and condensate (122,385 bopd).”

Similarly, in its January 2026 Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), released yesterday, OPEC, which ensures the stabilization of oil markets, disclosed that on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, Nigeria’s oil output, excluding condensate, dropped marginally to 1.422 million bpd in December 2025 from 1.436 million bpd in November 2025, indicating a decrease of 0.9 percent.

According to OPEC, the figures for December 2025 were based on data obtained from direct communication, indicating that Nigeria did not meet OPEC’s 1.5 million bpd quota.

However, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the Organisation said the nation’s oil output dropped to 1.422 million bpd in December 2025 from 1.485 million bpd in November 2025, based on data obtained from direct communication.


Nigeria’s oil, gas post gains, miss targets in 2025

Reacting in a recent interview with Vanguard yesterday, Wumi Iledare, Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Economics and Executive Director, Emmanuel Egbogah Foundation, said: “The reasons are familiar: insecurity, a mature basin with no major new discoveries, and the failure to offer fresh hydrocarbon blocks for bidding. Governance gaps remain overwhelming, and policy uncertainty continues to weaken investor confidence.

“The selective implementation of the PIA must stop. Nigeria urgently needs a clearly designated leader with institutional authority to drive the sector. Too many proxy drivers will not work. I cannot recall the last time Nigeria met its OPEC quota.”

Lagos To Spend N212Million On 20 Office Chairs, Tables; N20Billion On Vehicles For 40 Lawmakers In 2026 –Funso Doherty

A former Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, has faulted the Lagos State Government’s proposed 2026 budget.

He alleged extravagant and questionable spending plans, including over ₦212 million for the purchase of 20 office tables and chairs and more than ₦20 billion for vehicles for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Doherty made the allegations in an open letter dated December 11, 2025, addressed to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, over the N4.237 trillion 2026 budget presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on November 25, 2025.

In the letter, Doherty accused the state government of “lack of fiscal transparency, probity & discipline,” while highlighting what he described as glaring errors and inflated costs embedded in both the proposed 2026 budget and the current 2025 Appropriation Act.

According to the breakdown cited in the letter, the State House of Assembly budgeted ₦20,665,334,794 for the “purchase of back-up vehicles for forty honorable members, 40 utility buses and 40 official” vehicles. Doherty described the figure as “a colossal appropriation,” adding that it “speaks to a government that is completely disconnected from the people.”


He said the provision “implies a cost of ₦516 million for vehicles for each House of Assembly member,” noting that the spending comes on top of “2024’s actual expenditure of approx. ₦15 billion on motor vehicles.”

Also listed in the budget is ₦212,119,883 by the Office of Public-Private Partnerships for the “purchase of 20 office tables and chairs.”

Doherty described the allocation as “completely unreasonable,” stating that it “implies an average unit price of ₦10.6 million for each chair and table.”

Other expenditures highlighted include ₦4.5 billion for the “purchase & installation of 40 Nos. of 50 KVA generators” for the House of Assembly, ₦6.22 billion for the purchase of 40 properties in Lagos and Abuja, and ₦217 million for a single 13-seater bus for the Parastatals Monitoring Office.

Doherty further criticised the inclusion of ₦186.6 billion under “Consultancy & Professional Fees (Recurrent),” noting that at that level, the figure accounts for “almost 15% of the entire recurrent cost budget of Lagos State.”

He added that “fees paid to Alpha Beta Consulting, about which questions have repeatedly been asked, fall under this line item.”

Beyond specific items, Doherty said the overall 2026 budget figures were already flawed, arguing that the stated recurrent expenditure of ₦2.052 trillion improperly included ₦383 billion in debt repayments, which he said “is a capital and not a recurrent expenditure item,” making the budget “misstated by almost ₦400bn.”

He also pointed out that the sectoral allocations provided added up to only ₦3.4 trillion, far below the proposed total budget of ₦4.237 trillion, warning that “one, or possibly both, of these must therefore be wrong.”

The former governorship candidate contrasted the spending on lawmakers with what he described as chronic under-investment in social sectors.

He noted that combined expenditure on education, health, housing development and water supply amounted to just 17% of total government spending.

He described it as “alarming” that the 2025 capital expenditure for the House of Assembly alone exceeded allocations for the entire health and education sectors of Lagos State.

Doherty said the consequences were evident, citing official data showing that “54% of students from Lagos public schools failed WASSCE (West African Senior School Certificate Examination) in 2024,” while large sections of the population remain without adequate housing, potable water and accessible healthcare.

“Propaganda aside; therefore, the evidence is clear,” he said. “After a generation at the helm, and despite the substantial resources expended year after year, the welfare of the people has been neither effectively prioritized, nor actually delivered, by this government.”

He also criticised what he called a “predictable trend of unrealistic projections” in revenue estimates, noting that as of September 2025, actual revenues stood at ₦2.07 trillion against a full-year target of ₦3.37 trillion.

While acknowledging that a controversial “Special Duties Expenses” line item of over ₦200 billion did not reappear and that foreign currency borrowing appeared to be moderated, Doherty called on the legislature to compel greater openness.

He urged that “the details of the 2026 and subsequent LASG budget proposals [be] made publicly available, as part of the legislative process prior to passage into law.”

BREAKING NEWS: Notorious bandit leader Bello Turji has started a raid to seize control of several villages in Sokoto State’s eastern district, beginning with a violent raid on Tidibale village in Isa LGA, last night. During the attack, residents were ordered to evacuate within 24… pic.twitter.com/9FLyShrqlK

— Bakatsine (@DanKatsina50) January 12, 2026

Lagos has been thrown into mourning following the passing of the traditional ruler of the Badagry Kingdom, the Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi, who died at the age of 89 after a brief illness.

The demise of the monarch marks the end of a remarkable 48-year reign on the throne, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Lagos State.

According to the palace, the Akran was pronounced dead by medical experts, and traditional rites for his burial have gradually commenced.

Residents of Badagry, who are currently mourning the loss of their revered monarch, described his death as a heavy blow, noting that the town has lost not just a king but a father figure whose wisdom, counsel and presence brought reassurance in moments of uncertainty.

As of press time, the Lagos State Government was yet to issue an official statement on the development.

National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to organise an election that is free, transparent and beyond reproach in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Friday during INEC’s Induction and Strategic Retreat for its national commissioners, secretary to the commission, resident electoral commissioners, administrative secretaries and directors of the commission in Lagos, the INEC boss said, “The eyes of over 200 million Nigerians and the entire continent are upon us. The work ahead is demanding, the hours will be long and the scrutiny will be intense.

“The 2027 general election must be free and fair and be a watershed moment in Nigeria’s history. But we must even aim higher.

“I want us to build an institution that is globally recognised, let it be that under our watch, INEC became the best election management body in Africa- a beacon of integrity, a model of technological efficiency and a fortress of democratic values.”

He charged the commission’s staff that INEC can indeed conduct a world-class, technologically driven and transparent election that is beyond reproach.

“Our success in 2027 must be more than a national victory. It must be a continental standard, a proof-of-concept that demonstrates that INEC can indeed conduct a world-class technology-driven and transparent election that is beyond reproach,” said Amupitan.

He stressed that there will be no room for misconduct, whether by omission or commission.

At least 141million Nigerians are expected to be living in poverty this year, according to PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026.

The report titled: “Turning macroeconomic stability into sustainable growth,” projected deteriorating poverty levels of about 62% of the population in the year preceding the election year 2027.

The report shows that despite recent policy adjustments aimed at economic stabilisation, weak real income growth and elevated living costs are likely to push more households into poverty over the next two years.

PwC estimates that Nigeria’s poverty rate will rise to 62% by 2026, reflecting the combined effects of sluggish income growth and persistent inflationary pressures.

Shekarau faults Kwankwaso over Yusuf’s defection
Children shouldn’t die from hunger
According to the report, most Nigerians are unlikely to experience income increases that meaningfully offset rising costs, especially in the short term.

“Poverty is projected to rise to 62% (141 million people) by 2026, reflecting weak real income growth and lingering inflation effects,” PwC noted.

While inflation may gradually moderate, PwC notes that the underlying cost structure of the economy suggests that affordability gains for households will remain limited.

A major contributor to worsening poverty, PwC explains, is the consumption pattern of low-income households.

Food accounts for up to 70% of total consumption among poorer Nigerians, leaving them highly exposed to food price increases.

With food inflation remaining elevated, these households are disproportionately affected by price shocks.

The firm added that even if headline inflation eases slightly, energy costs, logistics expenses, and exchange rate pass-through effects will continue to keep food and essential goods prices high.

According to experts, rising poverty levels pose significant risks to Nigeria’s economic stability and growth prospects.

A larger share of the population struggling to meet basic needs could weaken domestic consumption, limit productivity gains, and strain public finances.

According to PwC, without strong job creation, productivity improvements, and effective social protection, efforts to reduce poverty may remain out of reach.

In 2025, PwC reported that rising inflation, interest rates, and naira depreciation could push 13 million more Nigerians below the national poverty line.

Therefore PwC recommended a multi-pronged response, including sustained macroeconomic stability, food supply reforms, and increased investment in agriculture and logistics.

What World Bank said

Last year, the World Bank Nigeria Development Update report showed that the country’s long-running struggle with mass poverty could ease slightly in 2027, marking the first improvement in nearly a decade.

The multilateral lender projected that the poverty rate will peak at 62% in 2026—equivalent to about 141 million people—before dipping to 61% in 2027, or roughly 140 million Nigerians.

For millions, especially in rural and northern regions, prospects of relief remain distant, as food inflation, structural inequality, and weak social protection systems continue to deepen hardship.

“Still timid growth and remaining inflationary pressure, particularly from food prices, are expected to further push poverty up. The poverty rate is projected to reach 62% in 2026 before stabilising and slightly reducing to 61% in 2027,” the report said.

The data show a dramatic worsening of poverty over the past half-decade.

In 2018/19, the Nigeria Living Standards Survey estimated poverty at 40%, or 81 million people. By 2022/23, that figure had surged to 56%, or 113 million Nigerians.

This escalation coincided with falling consumption, weak growth, and soaring inflation. Between 2019 and 2023, average consumption per person fell by nearly 7%, with urban households hit hardest.

“Between 2019 and 2023, average consumption fell by 6.7%, especially in urban areas, while poverty rose from 40% (81 million people) to a projected 61% (139 million people) by 2025, with three-quarters of the increase occurring before 2023,” the World Bank said.

By 2025, an estimated 139 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line. The World Bank expects a further rise to 62% in 2026 before a modest decline the following year—the first predicted reversal in nearly a decade.

But the Presidency had disputed the figures.

The Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said on social media X, formerly Twitter, that the statistics were “unrealistic” and should be “properly contextualised” within global poverty measurement frameworks.