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Ademola Lookman Joins Atletico Madrid
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UK MP Dan Norris Arrested Over Alleged Rape and Sexual Offences

Fola Badmus

NDLEA Arrests Brazil Returnee with Cocaine in Private Part

Fola Badmus04 mins

A Brazil based Nigerian businessman Uche Franklin Onyekwere has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja-Lagos for concealing parcels of cocaine in his private part and soles of his footwear.   Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday 29th January 2026 during the inward clearance of South African Airways flight passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg following processed intelligence. When the 47-year-old suspect was taken for full body scan, the result confirmed illicit drug concealment.   As a result, he was subjected to a strip search, during which a big parcel of white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine, was discovered wrapped around his right thigh. A further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. In all, three large wraps of cocaine, with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms, were recovered from his body and footwear.   During a preliminary interview, the suspect revealed he purchased the illicit drug consignment in Brazil with the intention to resell the cocaine in Nigeria in order to raise capital to boost his business and also finance the naming ceremony of his newly born child. The suspect who lives in Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, claimed that he has been living in Brazil since 2008 while he has been operating a toy business for about nine years.   At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a total of 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 1,183 kilograms imported from Montreal, Canada in a container was discovered on Wednesday 28th January during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs and other security agencies. The illicit consignments were hidden inside two vehicles: a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix car.   In Niger state, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Tuesday 26th January intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along Dei-Dei Abuja expressway where they arrested the trio of Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27, for conveying 176 bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 2,735 kilograms and 1 kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, concealed in the truck.   Investigations revealed that Kenneth Ogene who drives the truck left Lagos on 23rd January loaded with 800 bags of flour to Ekpoma, Edo State and arrived the following day 24th January. In Ekpoma, he then negotiated to transport the 176 bags of skunk and 1kg Colos for N1.7million.

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Atletico, Atalanta Agree Ademola Lookman Deal

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In a dramatic twist during the final hours of the winter window, Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Atalanta for the transfer of Ademola Lookman. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Spanish side moved decisively after Lookman’s potential move to Fenerbahce collapsed. The Nigerian international had previously reached a total agreement with the Turkish club, where he was set to receive a significant salary, but the deal fell through at the final hurdles. With the path cleared, Atletico Madrid swooped in to strike a deal with the Bergamo-based club. However, while the two clubs have found common ground, the move is currently awaiting the player’s final green light. Lookman is yet to approve the switch to the Metropolitano, as he evaluates the proposal from the Colchoneros following the disappointment of the failed Fenerbahce move. Atalanta are prepared to sanction the departure now that their valuation has been met, but the clock is ticking for Diego Simeone’s side to convince the winger to accept the move before the deadline.

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Nigerian Army Eliminate Top Sambisa Commander, 10 Terrorists in Night Operation

Fola Badmus03 mins

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have recorded another significant operational success with the neutralisation of a top Boko Haram/ISWAP leader Abu Khalid, identified as the Second-in-Command of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest, alongside 10 other terrorists during a night operation in Borno State. Barely 24 hours after troops eliminated the notorious Boko Haram/ISWAP commander, Julaibib, operating within the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle, troops of Sector 1, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) on Operation DESERT SANITY, made contact with terrorists at the Komala general area of Konduga Local Government Area during night offensives at about 11:00 p.m. Abu Khalid was a key figure within the terrorist hierarchy, coordinating operations and logistics in the Sambisa axis. Following the successful engagement, troops recovered five (5) AK-47 rifles, magazines, several bicycles, assorted logistics and food items, as well as huge medical consumables. No casualty was recorded among own troops during the operation. Troops’ morale remains high as clearance operations continue across the Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, Timbuktu Triangle and other known hideouts of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North East region. The Joint Task Force (North East) reaffirms its commitment to sustaining the tempo of operations until all terrorist elements are neutralised , lasting peace and economic stability are restored to the region. The Military High Command commended the troops for their sacrifices and dedication in the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities in the North East region, urging them to sustain the operational tempo.  

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SERAP urges NASS to reject bill punishing non-voters.

SERAP Sues NNPCL over Missing N22.3bn, $49.7m, £14.3m, €5.2m Oil Money

Fola Badmus014 mins

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited over the “failure to account for the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money.” The suit followed the damning allegations documented in the 2022 audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which was published on 9 September 2025. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/195/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel the NNPCL to account for the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million, and €5.2 million oil money.” SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the NNPCL to disclose the specific financial transactions carried out in respect of the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money, including details of disbursement, the contractors, and other individuals who collected the money.” In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “The diverted or misappropriated oil revenues reflect a failure of NNPCL accountability more generally and are directly linked to the institution’s continuing failure to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability.” SERAP is also arguing that, “granting the reliefs sought would strike a blow against the impunity of those responsible for the missing or diverted oil money, and ensure that the money is returned for the sake of NNPCL’s victims—Nigerians.” SERAP said, “The allegations have also undermined the economic development of the country, trapped the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprived them of opportunities.” According to SERAP, “The Auditor-General has for many years documented reports of disappearance of oil money from the NNPCL. Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of these missing oil money meant to provide essential public services for Nigerians.” SERAP is also arguing that, “Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of the government to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.” The lawsuit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade and Valentina Adegoke, read in part: “The diverted or misappropriated oil revenues have further damaged the already precarious economy and contributed to very high levels of deficit spending and borrowing by the government. “Despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived very little benefit from oil money primarily because of the widespread grand corruption including in the NNPCL, and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators. “The grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anticorruption laws, and the country’s international human rights and anticorruption obligations. “According to the 2022 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation, published on 9 September 2025, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) failed to account for over N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money. “The NNPCL in 2020 reportedly paid over N292 million [N292,609,972.29] ‘for a contract to construct an Accident and Emergency Facility along Airport Road, Abuja.’ But ‘the contractor has abandoned the contract, and failed to execute the job, despite collecting the fee.’ “The Auditor-General fears the contract money may have been ‘diverted’. He wants the money ‘recovered from the contractor and remitted to the treasury.’ “The NNPCL in 2021 also reportedly spent over GBP£14 million [£14,322,426.59] ‘to repair its London office.’ But ‘there was no evidence to show that the money was actually spent, and no documents of any spending’. “The NNPCL also ‘irregularly paid’ over USD$22 million [$22,842,938.28] to a contractor for lifting 9 cargoes of crude oil.’ The NNPCL ‘failed to explain why the amount due to it from crude from January to October 2019 was only $4,858,997.22 and why the contractor got over $22 million for crude for the same period.’ “The NNPCL in 2021 ‘irregularly paid N2.3 billion [N2,379,488,622.99] as car cash option to 100 staff’ but ‘without the approval of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’, and ‘without any document to show that the 100 staff applied for the cash options and any rationale for the payments.’ “The NNPCL in 2021 also reportedly ‘failed to deduct statutory taxes of over N247 million [N247,181,597.92] from payments made to contractors and service providers.’ The NNPCL also ‘failed to deduct statutory taxes of over USD$529,000 [$529,863.24] from payments made to contractors and service providers.’ “The NNPCL ‘paid over N3bn [N3,445,022,107.40] for various services’ but ‘without any documents or trace’. The Auditor-General fears ‘the money may have diverted’. “The NNPCL ‘irregularly renewed a contract for over USD$1 million [$1,801,500.00] for charter hire of coastal vessel.’ The money was paid ‘before the consummation of a formal contract ratification.’ “The NNPCL also ‘irregularly paid a contractor over N355 million [N355,436,310.42] as consultancy fees for negotiating and securing waiver to avoid demurrage on abandoned cargoes.’ “The NNPCL ‘paid over N474 million [N474,462,744.53] to a contractor for the connection of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited to the National Grid.’ The Auditor-General is concerned ‘the money may have been lost’. “The NNPCL ‘paid over USD$2 million [$2,006,293.20] to a contractor for the rehabilitation and upgrade of system-depot project’, but ‘without any documents’. The NNPCL also ‘paid over N478 million [N478,505,300.00] to a contractor for the rehabilitation and upgrade of system-depot project’, but ‘without any documents’. “The NNPCL in 2019 ‘awarded a contract for over USD$8 million [$8, 211,432.00] ‘for the emergency procurement and installation of custody transfer meters on crude oil and product pipelines at eleven locations.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the payments may be for work not executed.’ “The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid over €5 million [€5,165,426.26] to a contractor for the operation and maintenance of Atlas Cove Jetty Facility’ but ‘without any documents.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted’. “The NNPCL ‘paid over USD$1 million [$1,035,132.81] as legacy debt for charter hire of coastal vessels to a company without…

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Djokovic Beats Sinner to Set Up Alcaraz Final at Australian Open

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Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Jan 30 to reach the Australian Open final. The Serb will seek a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and standalone 25th Grand Slam trophy when he faces Carlos Alcaraz on Feb 1. Alcaraz, meanwhile, said he did not think he had cramp initially when he took a medical timeout that left Alexander Zverev fuming in their marathon semi-final. The world No. 1 fought through 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5 over a monumental 5hrs 27 mins to send the German third seed home. There was controversy when Alcaraz pulled up in pain clutching his right thigh at 4-4 in the third set. He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials. Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping. “What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision,” said Zverev. The recommendations included proposals on sustaining economic growth at the higher end of the 2 per cent to 3 per cent average over the next 10 years. Alcaraz, who continued after treatment with his movement limited, said that it was the physio who called for the medical timeout. “In the beginning when it was on a specific just one muscle, I didn’t think it was cramp at all,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly what it was because I just go around to a forehand and then I started to feel it just in the right adductor, so that’s why I just called the physio because in that moment, the left leg was good. “In that moment I just talk to the physio. I said, okay, I just went to run to the forehand side, and I started to feel like the right adductor. He decided to take the medical timeout, and he did it.”

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Poland 2026: Falconets to Battle Senegal at MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta

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The Confederation of African Football has approved a request by the Nigeria Football Federation for a change of venue of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third round, first leg qualifying match between Nigeria and Senegal, scheduled for Saturday, 7th February 2026.   NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, confirmed that the match will now be played at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.   According to her, the NFF requested for a change of venue as a result of the deteriorating state of the playing pitch of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan that had earlier been approved for the match, and which actually hosted the Falconets’ second round, second leg clash with the Rwanda U20 girls in September last year.   In view of this development, the two-time FIFA World silver-medallists, who had been training in Ibadan ahead of the match, are expected to relocate to Abeokuta in a few days, in order to familiarize themselves with the turf of the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.   The Falconets defeated their Rwandan counterparts 5-0 on aggregate to qualify for the third round of the African series of the qualification campaign. The winner between Nigeria and Senegal in this third round will reach the last round of the series, where they will take on the winner of the fixture between Guinea Bissau and Malawi, for a place at the final tournament scheduled for 5-27 September 2026 in Poland.

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Emefiele: How $6.23m was Withdrawn from CBN With Forged Papers -Witness

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The Eleventh Prosecution Witness, PW11, Bashirudden Muhammed Maishanu in the trial of former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday, January 29, 2026, told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, that the sum of $6,230,000.00 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollars) was withdrawn from the Garki Branch of the Apex Bank on February 8, 2023 through forged papers for alleged election observers and logistics. The witness, an Assistant Director in CBN, who was led in evidence by the prosecutor and Director, Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that he knew the defendant in 2015 through one Eric who was his personal assistant as CBN governor. The witness informed the court that he was approached early January 2023 by one Alhaji Ahmed, “he introduced himself to me and said Mr. Eric, the P.A. asked me to see you about some transactions that they were processing in CBN. He said he was working in a Special Committee in the SGF office. I asked him for I.D. and he showed me, I asked him to call Mr. Eric so that I can confirm he indeed asked him to see me. He called Mr. Eric and we spoke and he said he knew Alhaji Ahmed and he said indeed he did ask him to see me. Thereafter, Mr. Ahmed explained to me that they were processing a payment from the CBN on the authority of Mr. President and that once they obtained the presidential approval on paper, they will proceed to CBN for payment. I asked Ahmed what role I was to play because I was not working in the branch where the payment is made, he said it was too early at that time, and that once they obtained the approval of the government, he would let me know,” he said. The witness further informed the court that Ahmed met him about a week later and told him that they had obtained the President’s approval. “I demanded to see it, and he showed me the copy and told me that they will now go to the CBN to obtain Mr Emefiele’s approval. At that point he told me that they wanted cash payment and if I could either go with them or recommend someone to go with them. I told him I couldn’t go, and I suggested that I should call someone I knew,” he said. Testifying further, he said, “Mr. Ahmed admitted that once the approval of the government had been obtained, my friend and he can proceed with the cash payment. Later, he told me he had the government approval and that my friend could come for the cash payment. On the 8th of February, my friend went with his driver and cashed the money in Garki Branch of CBN: $6,230,000. Thereafter, they dropped my friend off at the same location inside the estate, it is called the 09 ClubHouse inside Ibrahim Coomasie Crescent. My friend called and said they had cashed the money and that Mr. Ahmed had left with $2.5 million in cash with his friends.” The witness stated that he suggested to his friends that they should keep the money, a suggestion he said they agreed. “I saw the cash and I told them that I thought it was outrageous because we never negotiated for any payment with the said Alhaji Ahmed and I suggested to my friends that we keep the money, they agreed.” When asked by the prosecution to explain how the CBN sanctions its erring officials, the PW11 stated that the bank applies different kinds of sanctions on erring staff depending on the nature, gravity and circumstances of the offence. “It could be demotion, termination of appointment or dismissal from service or warnings. These sanctions are all clearly contained in the human resource handbook.” He further stated that before sanctions are applied, there will be a disciplinary committee comprising selected staff members who would conduct investigations into the matter, hold hearings with erring staff and recommend the appropriate sanction to the management.

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UCL: Real Madrid to Play Benfica, PSG Faces Monaco in Play-Offs

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Real Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the draw for the Champions League play-off round on Friday, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face domestic rivals Monaco. Benfica beats Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin proving decisive in allowing the Portuguese side to snatch the last play-off spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated altogether. The defeat also nudged Madrid out of the top eight places in the league standings, which give direct access to the last 16, forcing them into this extra round. Benfica staged a remarkable recovery to take a play-off place — they finished 24th in the 36-team league phase, the last qualifying spot — by winning three of their last four matches after losing their opening four games. Mourinho, 63, returned to the Lisbon giants for a second spell as coach in September. He was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013 and won one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey while also taking them to the Champions League semi-finals in each of his three campaigns. The clubs played each other in the 1962 European Cup final, with Benfica winning 5-3 to claim the last of their two titles to date. PSG slipped out of the top eight after winning only one of their last five outings in the league phase and finishing in 11th place. They will go to Monaco for the first leg and will be wary of the principality side who beat them there in Ligue 1 in November. However, 2004 Champions League finalists Monaco have been in poor form, with just one win in six games since the turn of the year. They are 10th in Ligue 1, 21 points behind leaders PSG. However, a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday allowed them to secure a play-off place in Europe. PSG also beats French opposition in the play-off round last season, hammering Brest 10-0 on aggregate before going on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Elsewhere, Newcastle United will be strong favourites against surprise packages Qarabag of Azerbaijan, with the first leg to come in Baku. Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, were also surprise qualifiers for this stage and have been rewarded with a tie against last season’s runners-up Inter Milan. Juventus will take on Galatasaray, while Atletico Madrid face Club Brugge. Borussia Dortmund play Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Olympiacos. The two-legged play-off ties will take place in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March.

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