The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), to immediately deploy new printers to the passport offices in the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta and New York, United States of America.

This is coming a few days after Vanguard Newspaper published a petition by a group of Nigerians in the Diaspora.

The petitioners had appealed to the minister to act after detailing challenges being faced by Nigerians in dire need of consular services in the two cities.

In response, Tunji-Ojo in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde, acknowledged receipt of the petition while announcing his directive to the NIS.

The Minister’s response is reproduced below:

RE: NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA PETITION INTERIOR MINISTER OVER PRINTER CRISIS

The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has acknowledged the receipt of a petition concerning an appeal for passport printers in Atlanta and New York Consulates in the United States of America.

To address this issue, the Minister has since approved and directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately deploy new printers to the passport offices in both cities. These printers are ready for installation. This short-term solution aims to resolve the current challenge promptly.

The Minister hinted that there is a new solution being implemented as a long-term plan that will usher in a streamlined passport regime, enabling Nigerians to apply for their passports with more ease.

Part of this plan includes the activation of the Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja, which is scheduled to start in the next few weeks while also opening up more countries for the already-deployed contactless solution.

The Ministry of Interior under the Minister is working round the clock, and none of the agencies is left behind. At the Nigeria Immigration Service, for instance, there has been an end-to-end automation of the passport application process and the introduction of the contactless application process, which has since been launched in Canada.

The Minister assures that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to ensuring that Nigerians experience #RenewedHope laced with innovation and convenience while still enhancing national security.

U.S. immigration agents raided business establishments in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday and detained undocumented residents as well as citizens, including a U.S. military veteran, the city’s mayor said.

The raid in New Jersey’s most populous city, hailed in the past by mayor Ras Baraka for its “sanctuary” policies protecting migrants, follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

Trump issued a raft of executive orders after taking office on Monday that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration. He has taken steps to punish officials who resist enforcement of his sweeping crackdown.

In a raid of a business establishment in Newark, outside New York City, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents failed to produce a warrant as they detained “undocumented residents as well as citizens,” Baraka said in a statement.

“One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” Baraka said.

Baraka said the act violates the citizens’ rights under the U.S. Constitution. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorised,” he said.

Baraka did not identify the business raided by name. The White House and ICE had no immediate comment on the raid.

Baraka is one of the first local officials in the U.S. to state a specific raid following the start of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

In 2017, he signed an executive order cementing Newark’s sanctuary status and was a vocal opponent of Trump’s immigration policies during the president’s first term.

Of the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with temporary status in 2022, about 44% lived in states with “sanctuary” laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

That figure does not include those in sanctuary cities and counties in places without a statewide law, such as New Mexico.

U.S. media outlets reported that federal law enforcement and ICE agents had arrested nearly 500 undocumented migrants wanted for outstanding crimes in sanctuary cities, including some from New York and New Jersey. The reports cited ICE officials who said the arrests took place on Tuesday and Wednesday

US authorities arrested 538 illegal migrants and deported hundreds in a mass operation just days into President Donald Trump’s second administration, his press secretary said late Thursday.

“The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals,” Karoline Leavitt said in a post on social platform X, adding “hundreds” were deported by military aircraft.

“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept,” she said.

Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.

He has signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern border and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”

Early on Thursday, Newark city mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “raided a local establishment… detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant”.

Earlier in the week the Republican-led US Congress green-lit a bill to expand pretrial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects

A man, identified as Ogeoma Ogbonna, has beheaded his father, Azubuike Ogbonna, in Umuomei community,in Obingwa council area of Abia State.

It was gathered that after beheading his father, Ogeoma later buried the severed father’s head before neighbours were attracted to the incident.

The father’s body was seen in a pool of his blood as sympathizers thronged the compound and expressed shock over what could have led Ogeoma to kill his father 

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Sources told Vanguard that Ogeoma had been showing signs of mental imbalance and was always threatening to harm people.

“Ogeoma has been showing signs of mental illness. He was always threatening to harm people. But nobody in this community knew that he will get to the extent of cutting off his father’s head. 

“We are still in shock on how he could kill his father. Before neighbours were called in to see what happened, he had already buried the head in a shallow grave in the compound. He took people and showed them the grave,” a native of the community, said.

As at the time of filing this report, Police Public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, Maureen Chinaka, was yet to react to the development

Veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of causing crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Momodu said APC was orchestrating crisis within the opposition to weaken them.

In an interview with Arise Television, the PDP chieftain accused APC of pushing Nigeria towards a one-party state.

According to Momodu: “Nigeria is obviously moving in a direction of a one-party state.

“The ruling party, APC, is so scared of opposition that right now crisis are being orchestrated from party to party, especially the leading opposition parties like PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP. It’s obvious what is going on.”

He further expressed concern about the uncertainty surrounding the situation, stating, “no one is in doubt about that. How this would end, I have no idea. So, we are watching.”

Stressing that power is transient, Momodu cautioned those currently aligned with the APC.

“The maximum they would do is eight years, so after that, what next? It’s not about how long, it’s about how well.

“That’s why I’m advising a lot of people now who are holding onto Asiwaju; he would think they love him—No!

“It’s self-preservation because they lost out in one party, they ran to Asiwaju, and now they are using him as an umbrella when they should be holding

the broom,” he said.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, has again rejected the proposed 50 percent hike in telecom tariffs by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in collaboration with telecom operators.

Naija News reports that Ajaero, in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, asserted that any increase must be accompanied by genuine stakeholder engagement to explore sustainable alternatives that do not jeopardize Nigerians’ livelihoods.

While questioning the rationale behind the proposed hike, particularly given the significant growth of the telecom sector over the years, Ajaero described the move as an undue burden on Nigerians already grappling with rising inflation, high transportation costs, increased electricity tariffs, and the general economic downturn.

The NLC President further emphasized that the proposed tariff hike would worsen inflation and aggravate the economic hardship faced by millions of Nigerians.

He said: “When GSM operators began operations in Nigeria, the subscriber base was below 50,000. Today, the market has expanded to over 200 million active lines. Despite this, the sector is claiming it cannot sustain operations without a 50% increase in tariffs. This reasoning does not align with the reality of their profitability.

“Increasing tariffs in the telecom sector, like in the power sector, creates a vicious cycle of inflation. Nigerians, who are already bearing the brunt of economic pressures, cannot afford to shoulder another burden.

“The principle of stakeholder consultation is central to tariff modeling. Unfortunately, this has been ignored. Decisions of this magnitude cannot be made without input from key stakeholders, including labor unions, civil society organizations, and consumers.

“Our position is clear, any increase must be equitable and based on genuine consultation. We cannot accept arbitrary figures imposed without due consideration of their impact on the populace.

“We will consult with labour unions, civil society organizations, and Nigerians at large to determine the best course of action. A boycott is one of the many tools at our disposal, but the final decision will be inclusive and reflective of the collective will of Nigerians.”

The Federal Government has announced ongoing plans to fully transition all examinations in Nigeria to 100 percent computer-based testing (CBT) by the year 2027.

Naija News reports that this development was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the inauguration of the Committee on Improvement of Quality Examinations in Nigeria, held in Abuja on Thursday, January 23.

Alausa stated that the committee has been assigned the critical task of addressing significant challenges within the education sector, standardizing examination practices, and ensuring both fairness and quality in assessments.

He underscored the government’s dedication to combating prevalent examination malpractices and improving the overall quality of educational evaluations in the country.

The minister noted that addressing examination leakages necessitates a comprehensive approach, as students are not the sole offenders in these malpractices.

He pointed out that parents also play a role in perpetuating examination malpractices by encouraging their children, while teachers, school principals, and examination supervisors are equally responsible for the increasing incidence of such misconduct in the nation.

“So, we’re planning that by 2027, all our exams will be computer-based. We will work so hard to ensure that that happens. We have to use technology to help our endeavour.

“The committee will also be working with local swapping of candidates.

“There are multiple participants in exam practices. From the student to parents, teachers, principals, to even people regulating and supervising exam conduct.

“During this change, a lot of areas of compromises will happen. There will be people investigating and regulating the exams,” the Minister stated.

Alausa delineated several objectives that the committee was established to accomplish, which include the eradication of examination leakages, tackling identity theft in assessments, and enhancing the supervision of examinations.

He emphasized the necessity of transitioning to computer-based examinations by the year 2027 and addressing the issue of local candidate swapping during assessments.

He indicated that this initiative would be facilitated by the government’s significant investment in education under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, with a pronounced emphasis on human capital development.

Additionally, the minister revealed that examination certificates would now incorporate three essential identifiers: national identification numbers, photographs of candidates, and birthdates, to ensure the integrity of the results.

He characterized examination malpractice as an escalating concern, cautioning that its continuation would jeopardize the efforts of dedicated students who are striving for self-improvement.

“I’ve mandated all the registrars of our examination bodies, such as WAEC, NECO and NAPTEB that by their next examinations scheduled for May, June and July, there will be three identifiers on the certificates they issue.

“These identifiers will be the national identification number of the candidates, picture of the candidate on the certificates and their date of birth.

“By having these three identifiers, we will ensure almost 100 per cent certainty in identifying candidates,” he stated.

Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, thanked the Federal Government for the confidence reposed in him and other members of the committee in carrying out the national assignment.

Oloyede, who is the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), pledged to carry out the assignment dutifully and promptly

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has described the service-based tariff, which assigns electricity users to different bands according to the service delivered by distribution companies, as the highest form of fraud.

Naija News reports that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during a budget defence session at the National Assembly this week, claimed that 90 percent of electricity users in Band A have confirmed getting the benefit of being in the category, stressing that more customers would be migrated to Band A to enjoy electricity for longer hours.

However, Ajaero, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, questioned the idea of migrating customers from one band to another.

The labour leader also questioned why some people should be in Band A and others in lower bands, saying the practice is discriminatory.

He said, “Now the ministry is talking about migrating from Band A to Band B, that is the highest level of 419 one can think of.

“Who is in Band A and who is in Band B? Is it based on geographical area that you have Band A or Band B or is it based on the dictates of the provider?

“In countries of the world that are targeting 24 hours power supply, why would somebody be talking about Band A or Band B? How would it happen? So, that idea is concocted to make money unnecessarily and say people are migrated.”

Ajaero also criticized the Federal Government for including provisions in the 2025 budget for power distribution companies, which are supposedly private companies.

He said that the money the government wants to use to improve the power sector should be used for something else, while the money generated by private-owned power companies should be used to run their companies

A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from enforcing an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants or mothers on tourist and student visas.

Naija News reports that Judge John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued the ruling on Thursday, describing the order as “blatantly unconstitutional.”

The decision follows lawsuits filed by four states, Washington, Illinois, Oregon, and Arizona, arguing that the executive order contradicts the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and would have far-reaching consequences for state funding and public benefits.

The plaintiffs argued that the executive order would leave an estimated 150,000 babies born in the U.S. each year without citizenship or access to benefits, potentially causing states to lose significant federal funding.

“The president cannot unilaterally rewrite the Constitution to fit his political agenda,” attorneys for the four states said.

They referenced a 1995 testimony from former Assistant Attorney General Walter Dellinger, asserting that any amendment to alter the 14th Amendment’s wording would contradict the nation’s constitutional history.

The judge’s temporary restraining order halts the implementation of the executive order, pending further legal review.

In addition to the four states involved in this ruling, 18 others have filed lawsuits challenging the executive order. These cases are currently under review in Massachusetts.

A series of controversial executive orders have marked President Trump’s presidency since he took office. The birthright citizenship ban is just one of several sweeping measures he has introduced.

Other policies include restricting rights for individuals of different sexual orientations. Trump declared that the federal government will only recognize two genders, “male and female.” Additionally, the president ended remote work for federal employees and mandated a full return to in-office operations

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has adjourned the ₦1 billion defamation case filed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, against social media influencer Martins Otse, alias VeryDarkMan, to February 19, 2025.

The adjournment was necessitated by a preliminary objection filed by the defendant, through his lawyer Marvin Omorogbe, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.

Naija News reports that the Falanas filed the suit demanding ₦500 million each in damages over a video posted by VeryDarkMan on his social media platforms.

The video alleged that the duo accepted ₦10 million from Idris Okuneye, a.k.a. Bobrisky, to pervert justice.

On October 14, 2024, Justice Matthias Dawodu had ordered the defendant to remove the defamatory video and refrain from publishing further defamatory content about the plaintiffs.

The court also directed that all legal processes be served on the defendant through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.

In his preliminary objection, the defendant argued that:

The Lagos High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction, as the defendant is domiciled and conducts business in Abuja, where the alleged defamatory statements were made.

Filing the case in Lagos constitutes forum shopping by the plaintiffs in an attempt to secure a favorable judgment.

At the resumed hearing, defence counsel Marvin Omorogbe informed the court that he had received the plaintiffs’ counter-affidavit on Wednesday and needed time to respond. Plaintiffs’ counsel, Omotade Omotunbosun, did not oppose the application for adjournment.

Justice Dawodu subsequently adjourned the matter to February 19, 2025, for a hearing.

The Falanas maintain that the defendant’s comments were unverified and knowingly false, published recklessly to damage their reputation. They claim the defamatory publication remains online, causing ongoing harm.

The plaintiffs are seeking:

A declaration that the defendant’s publication is defamatory, slanderous, and injurious to their reputation.

₦500 million in damages each for the defamatory video published on Instagram on September 24, 2024.

A perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further defamatory publications.

An order directing the defendant to publicly apologize across all his social media platforms and in a national daily newspaper.

The case will proceed with the hearing of the preliminary objection on the next adjourned date