As part of activities marking the second year anniversary of the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has earmarked 19 days for projects commissioning.

This was part of the decisions taken at the 14th Executive Committee meeting of the FCTA, which was chaired by the Minister.

According to a statement by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, “the commissioning of projects will commence on June 10, 2025 and will go on for 19 days.”

Some of the projects scheduled for commissioning are; the newly renovated Abuja International Conference Centre, Bus Terminals in Kugbo and Mabushi as well as Apo – Wassa road.

Others are N16 interchange and roads to connect Maitama through Katampe to Jahi, Inner Nothern Expressway from Ring Road 3 (Idu to Kubwa Road), CN8 from N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) to Court of Appeal, N20 Flyover Onnex Kubwa Road and Life Junction to Ring Road III.

Also to be commissioned are Kabulsa-Takushara Access Road, Kabusa-Ketti Access Road, access road in Giri District,15km Road from A2 Junction Abuja-Lokoja Road to Pai in Kwali Area Council, as well as the Ushafa, War College, and Army Checkpoint roads in Bwari Area Council.

Also, the FCT Executive Committee has approved the award of contract for the upgrade of streetlights on Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway (Ring Road I).

Mr Richard Dauda, Acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), said that the project was among the seven approved memos submitted by the FCDA for consideration.

He explained that the project involves the upgrade of the obsolete streetlights on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, a 14-kilometer 10-lane expressway from Maitama to Gudu.

“If you pass there in the night, you will realise that most parts of the road are in darkness. Because the streetlights have been there for close to 15 years now.

“The project was completed between 2005 and 2006, and the lights have become obsolete and no longer bright enough to lighten the road,” he said.

He said that the upgrade became necessary following available new technology in street lightning.

He added that a hybrid street lighting system would be deployed to brighten the road and make it more secure and more motorable in the night

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, arraigned two employees of Premium Trust Bank, Kehinde Odeyemi and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Odeyemi and Damilola were arraigned alongside three other defendants: Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunola. The five individuals face a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit cyber-related theft.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired to compromise the bank’s IT infrastructure by manipulating its server and domain login credentials in a plot to unlawfully access the bank’s internal systems and siphon customers’ deposits.

The agency, however, intercepted the attempted breach before any financial loss could occur.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Kehinde Odeyemi, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, Sunday Badeniyi Okunola, and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, along with individuals identified as Humble (at large), Wasiu (at large), Isa Ismaila (at large) and another referred to as Victor Joshua Ilemona aka Oracle, (at large), conspired unlawfully between April and May 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, to manipulate the access code (this included the bank’s server IP and domain credentials) of Premium Trust Bank Limited in a bid to gain unauthorised access to the entire database of Premium Trust Bank Limited for the purpose of committing an offense to wit: stealing from the bank’s funds, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 and 28 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (as amended, 2024), which is punishable under Section 28 (2) of the same Act.”

All five defendants pleaded not guilty to the allegations brought against them.

Following their pleas, prosecuting counsel Zeenat B. Atiku requested that the court set a date for the commencement of trial and remand the defendants at a Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.

Adeleke Adepoju, who represented the first defendant, pleaded with the court to consider bail for his client under liberal terms, citing a lack of time to file a formal bail application. Other defence counsel made similar oral pleas for bail on behalf of their clients.

Justice Owoeye, however, declined the oral applications and directed that all bail requests be made formally through the proper legal channels.

He subsequently ordered the remand of Kehinde Odeyemi at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while the four other defendants were remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre

Days after he was declared missing, the body of a Lagos banker, Osemudiamen Idemudia, has been discovered at a morgue in the Yaba area of Lagos State.

DAILY POST had earlier reported that Idemudia, 26, who worked in the Point-of-Sale department of a commercial bank located in the Ikota area, was last seen on the evening of May 9 around CMS, Lagos Island.

A family member identified simply as Segun confirmed that the deceased was found on Sunday following an exhaustive search through several hospitals and mortuaries across the state.

“We have found Osemudiamen’s body. He was murdered. We found the body on Sunday in a morgue at Yaba with machete cuts on his head, face, and legs. I’m so sad,” Segun said.

According to him, the nature of the injuries strongly suggests the young banker may have been brutally attacked and killed.

Segun also disclosed that morgue attendants informed the family that the body had been deposited by police officers.

However, attempts to obtain further details about the circumstances surrounding his death, including the precise location where his body was recovered, have so far been unsuccessful, as the officers involved were not identified.

“The staff members of the morgue claimed that the body was brought in by the police but when we asked where they brought the body from, they could not provide an answer.

“They said they did not have details of the policemen who brought the corpse to their facility. That made the discovery more complicated.”

Meanwhile, the remains of the deceased had been buried by the family on Tuesday

Nigerian actress Grace Bassey, formerly known as Belinda Effah, has joined the United States Navy.

Grace Bassey officially left acting for military stripes, after a successful U.S. Navy boot camp that earned her citizenship.

Speaking in an Instagram post, she stated that despite being raised in Nigeria, America has challenged her to stand strong and more determined.

Sharing photos of video of her new career, Grace Bassey dedicated the feet to her late father, “Naval CDR Asido Bassey Effah”.

DAILY POST reports that the 35-year-old actress made her Nollywood television debut in 2005 TV series Shallow Waters. And changed her name from Belinda Effah to Grace-Charis Bassey after an encounter with God.

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) says operatives have commenced a manhunt for seven inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun state, early Tuesday morning.

Abubakar Umar, NCoS spokesperson, said the inmates escaped at about 2am after heavy rainfall damaged the facility’s perimeter wall.

Umar said Sylvester Nwakuche, the service’s controller general, has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.

The spokesperson added that the NCoS is collaborating with other security agencies and community leaders to recapture the fleeing inmates.

“The NCoS is committed to ensuring the escapees are returned to lawful custody,” he said in a statement.

“We are also working to reinforce the facility’s security to prevent further occurrences.”

Umar urged the public to provide credible information that could aid the recapture efforts.

He listed the NCoS response desk lines as 07087086005, 09060004598, and 08075050006.

In March, about 12 inmates fled the federal correctional centre in the Koton Karfe area of Kogi in an early morning jailbreak.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, blamed the negligence of some officers for the prison break.

Last year, 118 inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger state.

Adamu Duza, spokesperson for the federal capital territory (FCT) command of the NCoS, said the inmates escaped after heavy rainfall weakened parts of the prison, leading to a collapse.

Duza cited old infrastructure as the reason for the collapse

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says Nigeria’s naira is now competitive.

Cardoso spoke while addressing questions from journalists during the post-monetary policy committee (MPC) briefing.

Citing the recent round of global currency depreciation triggered by the United States’ policies and geopolitical tensions, the CBN governor said early policy reforms by the bank have helped Nigeria weather global economic shocks, stabilise the naira, and built investor confidence.

“Relative to other countries, Nigeria came out very well. We were able to ensure that our depreciation was very modest,” Cardoso said.

“That, in my view, reflects the measures we had taken earlier to stabilise the economy.”

He warned that without the policy reset, initiated 18 months ago, “the results would have been disastrous for us.”

The CBN governor said Nigeria’s external reserves improved significantly due to increased transparency and investor interest.

“These reforms have given confidence to many players who were previously on the sidelines. The numbers speak for themselves,” Cardoso said.

On recent engagements with Nigerians abroad and foreign investors, the CBN governor described the feedback as “overwhelmingly positive”.

“This is the first time we’re hearing investors say it’s no longer a question of whether they should come to Nigeria — but when,” he said.

Cardoso also addressed the launch of the non-resident bank verification number (NRBVN) platform, a tool designed to support diaspora transactions.

“Trust remains a challenge, and remittance costs are still high. But we’re committed to closing that gap by offering secure platforms and attractive products, like India has done,” Cardoso said.

He said regional trade would benefit from the overhaul of payment systems across West Africa, as Nigeria now has a more “competitive currency” that should incentivise exports and drive surplus growth.

“Now is the time for Nigerian businesses to expand across the sub-region. If we continue this path, we can deepen our surplus,” he said.

Cardoso restated that one of the core goals of the bank is rebuilding institutional trust after years of erosion, noting that consistency and transparency remain central to the strategy.

“We’re on a mission to restore confidence and build back trust. It isn’t something that will happen overnight. But we’re being deliberate and consistent,” he said.

“We recognise the need to reset the Central Bank completely and start over in some areas. And we are doing so.”

Cardoso also highlighted the importance of publishing audited financial statements — which resumed in 2024 after more than two decades.

“The publication of our audited statements is part of the transparency drive. It validates the tough choices we’ve made. For example, we inherited over a trillion naira in losses, but within a year, that has been reduced to N30 billion,” he said.

He cautioned against comparing the central bank to commercial banks, stating “we are a monetary authority, not a profit-seeking institution. The key takeaway from our statements is accountability, not profitability”.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has officially revealed his intention to run for the Nasarawa North senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.

The announcement was made public by the Director-General of the State Bureau for Pension Administration, Suleiman Musa Nagogo, during a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Wamba Local Government Area on Tuesday

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 Lagos State election, Dr Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as JANDOR, has admitted that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s calm and gentle disposition was a key reason he lost the election.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with the governor at Lagos House in Ikeja, JANDOR described Sanwo-Olu as warm, composed, and difficult to provoke — even during the heat of the campaign.

He said: “Mr Governor is very warm. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he is truly a gentleman. There was nothing I didn’t do to provoke him. I poked and poked. But he remained calm throughout. This is one of the reasons he retained the governorship of Lagos State.”

JANDOR, who recently rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the visit was to officially inform Sanwo-Olu of his defection from the PDP and to discuss strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I’m sure it’s no longer news that JANDOR has returned to his original political family. We had a formal declaration at the local government level last Friday, and today’s visit is to inform the state’s number one citizen officially,” he stated.

He also expressed strong support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying his return to the APC will help unify the party and mobilize youth support.

“We are joining our numerical strength with that of the party to bolster its chances of winning. The house was divided in 2023, but now we are united again. Our goal is to ensure Mr President gets a second term so the baton can be passed to the next generation,” he added.

JANDOR emphasized the need to avoid another generational reset in leadership, stressing that a united APC is the best path to continued stability in Nigeria

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, describing his two years in office as “wonderful.”

Governor Eno made the remarks on Tuesday after a private meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents shortly after, the PDP governor endorsed the performance of the Tinubu administration so far.

“President Tinubu didn’t create the problem we are in right now,” Eno said. “And for me, I believe he is doing his best and should be supported to see it through.”

Describing the President’s first two years as “wonderful,” the governor stressed the need for national unity and constructive support for the federal government.

He also spoke on developments in Akwa Ibom, where he said his administration has made progress in education, healthcare, rural infrastructure, and market development.

“When you come to Akwa Ibom, you’ll find that we are working. From schools to hospitals, to roads and markets—we are on ground,” he said.

Governor Eno reiterated his commitment to major infrastructural projects and youth empowerment, while reaffirming the state’s vision of becoming a prime destination for investment and tourism.

Governor Eno’s remarks come amid growing speculation about a potential defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following his earlier public endorsement of President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election

The Oyo State Police Command has reacted to the shooting of a 14-year-old boy, Kehinde Alade, by a stray bullet from one of its personnel.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osifeso Adewale, the spokesperson for the Oyo State command, said the police regret the tragic incident which occurred during a joint traffic enforcement operation with the Oyo State Traffic Management Authority (OYTMA).

Adewole said the incident happened when the enforcement team attempted to demobilise a black Honda Accord (LAGOS registration number FST 639 JJ), driven by one Odunayo Alade, ’m’ (father of the deceased young male).

He said the deceased father was being stopped for driving against traffic at about 7.45 am on May 20, along the Airport Roundabout, Alakia-Adelubi/Airport Road, Egbeda Local Government Area.

Rather than stop as directed by the team, the driver of the vehicle, in an attempt to evade arrest, accelerated towards enforcement officers.

According to Adewale, the deceased’s father rammed into two OYTMA vehicles and a Police Buffalo Patrol truck.

“In an effort to prevent further damage and harm to officers and other road users, barricades were set up to demobilize the fleeing vehicle. However, the driver reportedly broke through these barricades, continuing to drive recklessly and endangering lives.

“Given the nature of the driver’s conduct, officers suspected possible criminal activity or a case of abduction. A police chase ensued. In an attempt to immobilize the vehicle, a police corporal discharged a firearm aimed at the tyres,” Adewale stated.

He noted that the bullet missed and killed the young lad who was seated in the rear seat behind the driver.

Young Alade was immediately rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH) for medical attention but was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctors.

His body has since been deposited at the Adeoyo State Hospital mortuary for autopsy and preservation.

Adewole said following the purest that ensued from the death of the teenager, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Adenola, has deployed tactical and intelligence units, including the Police Mobile Force (PMF), to the scene and other strategic locations in Ibadan.

In addition, Adenola has also ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

The investigation, Adewale said, would be led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

Meanwhile, the police officer responsible for the killing of the young Alade has been taken into custody alongside other members of the enforcement team.

While commiserating with the family of the deceased, the police said the investigation and every finding linked to this particular matter would be transparent and made public