Category: Featured

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport no fewer than 79 convicted Nigerians listed on its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal immigrants register.

Findings by PUNCH Metro on the DHS website on Monday revealed that the individuals were convicted of serious offences ranging from fraud, drug trafficking and robbery to assault and manslaughter, among others.

According to DHS, the arrests were carried out as part of a sweeping crackdown on criminal immigrants by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

An accompanying statement on the DHS platform read:
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise by carrying out mass deportations, beginning with the most dangerous offenders.”

The list includes several Nigerians convicted across different states in the US, reflecting the administration’s intensified enforcement against undocumented and criminal immigrants.

The development comes amid renewed immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, which has triggered anxiety among immigrant communities. Saturday PUNCH had earlier reported that some Nigerians in the US have gone into hiding, while others are quietly returning home following the heightened deportation campaign.

Joy Osesanmi, a First Class graduate of Geophysics from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has attributed her academic success to deliberately locking herself out of social media to avoid distractions and stay focused on her studies.

She explained that excessive time spent on social media began to affect her concentration, prompting her to take the bold step of restricting access to the platforms, especially during examinations and intensive academic periods.

According to Osesanmi, the decision helped her regain valuable study time, improve discipline, and develop a consistent reading routine, despite the difficulty of staying disconnected in a digital-driven environment.

She emphasized that achieving a First Class degree requires intentional sacrifices, self-awareness, and prioritizing long-term goals over short-term pleasures, noting that social media will always be available after school.

Her story has inspired many students and drawn praise from education stakeholders, serving as a reminder that academic excellence is attainable through focus, discipline, and deliberate time management.

The Oyo State Government has approved the early closure of offices across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to enable public officers to fully participate in the grand finale marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state.

The directive was contained in a statement signed on Monday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Adetunji Babatunde.

According to the statement, all state government offices are to close by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
The approval was granted by Governor Seyi Makinde as part of preparations for the golden jubilee celebration, tagged Oyo@50.

Heads of MDAs have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the directive while making adequate arrangements for skeletal services in critical areas where necessary.

Prof. Babatunde urged that the information be given the widest publicity to ensure awareness and compliance across the state.

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa has said that the military officers arrested over an alleged foiled coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were fully aware of the consequences of their actions and are prepared to face the law.
Speaking on the development, the minister stated that the 16 officers implicated in the plot—including a brigadier general and a colonel—“must have made up their minds” before engaging in what he described as a grave violation of military discipline and a direct threat to national security.

According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces operate under strict codes of conduct, and any act capable of undermining constitutional order would be treated with utmost seriousness, regardless of the ranks of those involved.
The officers were arrested in October 2025, when the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announced on October 4 that some personnel were under investigation for “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.” At the time, the DHQ did not disclose the full details surrounding the arrests.

However, on January 26, the DHQ confirmed that the arrests were connected to a foiled plot aimed at overthrowing President Tinubu’s administration, clarifying months of speculation surrounding the earlier announcement.

The defence minister stressed that the matter is being handled strictly within the confines of the law and military justice system, assuring Nigerians that due process will be followed. He added that the military remains loyal to the constitution and the democratically elected government.

The development comes amid renewed assurances from security authorities that Nigeria’s democracy is secure and that the armed forces remain professional, disciplined, and committed to defending the nation against both internal and external threats.

Says destruction is comparable to a financial sector collapse

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has declared Nigeria’s agriculture sector to be in a deep structural crisis, warning that Nigerian farmers have lost nearly ₦5 trillion (approximately $4billion) in productive capital over the past two years due to policy induced price crashes, poor and misleading weather forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and severe market distortions.

In a statement issued by its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro described the losses as direct agricultural capital destruction at the producer level, stressing that the estimate does not include secondary economic effects such as consumer inflation, GDP contraction, foreign exchange pressure, or security related costs.

“Those impacts come later. What has already happened is the liquidation of farmer capital,” PeacePro said.

According to the organization, Nigeria did not successfully “control food prices” in 2024–2025. Instead, a combination of poorly timed policy interventions, price suppression mechanisms, weak market coordination, and unreliable weather forecasting by NiMet forced farmers to sell produce below cost, wiping out the capital required to sustain future production cycles.

“This was not a market correction. It was a policy shock that transferred value away from producers,” the statement added.

While Nigeria has an estimated 38–40 million people engaged in agriculture, PeacePro clarified that the most severe damage was concentrated among market facing producers, not subsistence farmers, although subsistence farmers were also adversely affected, particularly by poor and misleading weather forecasts issued by NiMet.

The most affected group includes 6–8 million producers, small and medium scale commercial farmers, storage poor price taking producers, farmers engaged in grains, tubers, vegetables, and legumes.

These producers supply Nigeria’s urban and regional food markets.

Hamzat explained that repeated price collapses across two consecutive production cycles resulted in aggregate capital losses approaching ₦5 trillion, even under conservative assumptions.

PeacePro maintained that the scale of destruction is comparable to a financial sector collapse, with one critical difference, “This crisis did not happen in banks or stock markets.
It happened quietly, in farms and rural communities.”

Hamzat also cautioned that depleted farmer capital will inevitably lead to reduced planting in 2026, lower domestic food supply, higher future food prices, increased rural poverty and social instability.

PeacePro therefore urged Nigerian authorities to publicly acknowledge the scale of agricultural capital destruction and immediately shift policy away from short term price suppression toward producer protection, capital preservation, and market stability.

“No country can bankrupt its farmers and remain food secure and Nigeria will soon pay the price for policy decisions that treated farmers as shock absorbers for inflation, if not corrected on time”

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday dismissed the appeals of five men convicted for the 2018 Offa bank robbery, upholding their death sentences.

The appellate court, in an unanimous verdict delivered by Justices Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole and Abdul Dogo, affirmed the judgement of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced the convicts to death by hanging.

The five men – Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun and Adeola Adeola Abraham – were found guilty of armed robbery, culpable homicide and illegal possession of firearms in connection with coordinated attacks on five commercial banks in Offa Local Government Area in April 2018.

The Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Akande, said the Court of Appeal saw no reason to interfere with the trial court’s judgement.

He said the appellants failed to establish any miscarriage of justice. The Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and upheld the convictions.”

It would be recalled that Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court had handed down the death sentences after a six-year trial that drew nationwide attention.

Tax expert and Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has reiterated that every individual in Nigeria—employees inclusive—must file annual tax returns on or before March 31, as required by law.

Oyedele explained that the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) mandates all taxable persons to submit a return of income to the relevant tax authority, regardless of whether their taxes are deducted at source through Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE). According to him, PAYE deductions do not replace the legal obligation to file annual returns.

He noted that filing tax returns helps authorities reconcile income declarations, confirm compliance, and improve the integrity of the tax system. “The law is clear: earning income in Nigeria comes with the responsibility to file a return. This applies to salaried workers, self-employed individuals, and others with taxable income,” Oyedele said.

Oyedele added that widespread compliance would strengthen government revenue without increasing tax rates, enabling better funding for public services and infrastructure. He warned that failure to file returns by the March 31 deadline could attract penalties and enforcement actions by tax authorities.

The tax expert urged Nigerians to seek guidance from licensed tax practitioners where necessary and to take advantage of digital filing platforms provided by state and federal tax agencies to meet the deadline set.

An Osogbo Magistrate Court has issued a bench warrant against United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and three of its senior executives over alleged illegal opening and operation of accounts linked to Osun State local government allocations.

The action followed a charge filed by the Osun State Attorney-General after complaints from local government chairmen that unauthorized accounts were opened to receive and manage LG funds. The case, marked MOS/601C/2025, was instituted against UBA and three officials of the bank.

Those named in the charge are Mr Oliver Alawura, Group Managing Director of UBA; Mr Billy Odura, Group Legal Adviser; and Mr Chukwuma Nweke, Deputy Managing Director. The prosecution alleges that the bank permitted the opening and operation of accounts not authorized by the Osun State Government for local government funds.

The matter is also linked to the ongoing local government leadership dispute in the state, following the nullification of a previous council election by the Federal High Court in Osogbo. The state government maintains that officials produced by that exercise are not legally entitled to control council affairs or funds.

Reacting to the court’s decision, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, said the case centers on the lawful control of local government finances. He expressed confidence in the judiciary to handle the matter without fear or favour.
The court adjourned further hearing to February 10, 2026, as the legal process continues.

Presidential hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has condemned what he described as a deliberate attempt by aides of President Bola Tinubu to fracture Nigeria along regional and ethnic lines, warning that such rhetoric amounts to a betrayal of the Nigerian nation.

Hashim said the renewed push for a North–South dichotomy by elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is a desperate political diversion, aimed at shielding the Tinubu administration from scrutiny over worsening economic and governance outcomes.

Reacting to a statement attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Hashim described the strategy as “pedestrian, reckless, and fundamentally undermines Nigeria’s National Security interest”

“Dividing Nigeria along regional lines in order to escape accountability for governance failure is shameful and dangerous. It is a direct betrayal of the oath to defend the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Hashim said.

Addressing the build up to the 2027 general elections, the PDP chieftain dismissed arguments centered on rotational presidency, insisting that Nigerians are no longer interested in symbolic power-sharing formulas.

“Nigerians are not asking for a Northern or Southern president. They are asking for a competent president, one who can revive the economy, secure lives and property, and unite the country around a shared future, of Prosperity ” he stated.

Hashim reminded the APC that both regions have had substantial opportunities to govern Nigeria since 1999, noting that the South has produced presidents for approximately 17 years, while the North has governed for about 10 years within the same democratic period.

“Leadership failure cannot be blamed on geography. Both regions have governed. What matters now is performance, not origin,” he said.

He warned that resurrecting ethnic narratives at a time of deep economic distress, rising insecurity, and social fragmentation only exposes the ruling party’s lack of credible solutions.

“Using ethnicity and region to mask incompetence is not only lazy politics, it is a direct insult to Nigerians who are struggling to survive,” Hashim added.

Calling on citizens across the country to reject divisive politics, Hashim stressed that the APC would not be able to hide behind regional sentiment in the next election cycle.

“Come 2027, Nigerians will vote for leadership, not tribal loyalty. The era of emotional blackmail is over,” he concluded.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has launched an investigation into allegations surrounding a planned conferment of chieftaincy titles to ten Fulani individuals by the traditional ruler of Ado‑Awaye, the Alado, Oba Ademola Olubgbile, following serious security concerns raised by youths in the community.

According to earlier statement made available to Oduduwa News, the youths under the aegis of the Ado‑Awaye Progressive Youths Movement (A.P.Y.M) have raised the alarm, warning that the proposed appointments could undermine traditional customs and threaten peace in the area.

In a press release dated January 28, 2026, the youth group said they were neither consulted nor involved in the process leading to the proposed chieftaincy appointments. While affirming the importance of peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups, A.P.Y.M insisted that chieftaincy matters must strictly adhere to established customs, historical practice, and due process.

The group also expressed fears that the appointments could, in the long term, expose Ado‑Awaye to security risks similar to those experienced in other parts of Nigeria, including banditry and kidnapping.

Sources closed to Oduduwa News revealed that the DSS Oyo State Branch has invited concerned parties for questioning as part of efforts to ascertain the facts and address the tension. The agency’s involvement underscores the sensitivity of the issue and the need to maintain peace and security in the district.

The youths have urged the Alado to halt the conferment process, engage key stakeholders including traditional leaders, community elders, youth groups and local government authorities and ensure greater transparency in any future chieftaincy decisions. They also called for the immediate reversal of any actions already taken and advised residents to remain calm and law‑abiding as the situation is reviewed.

The development has ignited conversations across communities about the balance between tradition, inclusion, and security, particularly in regions already navigating complex social dynamics.