The Lagos State Government has strongly criticised landlords and property agents who are exploiting residents by imposing unjustifiable increases in house rents.
The government has pledged to take action to protect tenants from these exploitative practices.
The Special Adviser (Housing) to the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority, Barakat Bakare, on Saturday, expressed the government’s stance during a live interview on TVC’s program, “YOUR VIEW.”
Bakare stated that the Lagos State Government “would no longer fold its arms and watch its residents being exploited by landlords and agents.”
Bakare also clarified the distinct roles of house agents and lawyers in rental matters, emphasising the limitations of legal practitioners in real estate and house rental transactions.
According to Bakare, the Lagos State tenancy law is currently under review.
“The review aims to incorporate crucial provisions, such as those related to caution fees, which are presently lacking in the existing legislation.”
She urged residents who encounter violations of these regulations to report such incidents to the Lagos State Regulatory Authority, either through physical visits or online channels.
The Special Adviser reiterated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to addressing the housing challenges faced by Lagos residents.
She affirmed that the “Government is constantly engaging landlords, property associations, and developers to promote collaboration and also to control excessive housing costs.”
Furthermore, Bakare emphasised the government’s commitment to fairness and justice in the allocation of state-owned housing. She stated that the distribution process adheres to “fair, transparent, and well–laid–out criteria.”
In her concluding remarks, Bakare advised Lagosians to exercise caution and diligence by verifying the registration status of agents and developers with LASRERA before finalising any transactions.
She also issued a call to all real estate practitioners, urging them to register with the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has denied reports that the Federal Government has commenced extradition proceedings against Simon Ekpa, a factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele, on Friday, the AGF said the reports misrepresented comments he made at a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday in Abuja.
The statement read, “The attention of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has been drawn to media reports where he was erroneously reported to have said that the federal government had commenced an extradition process against Simon Ekpa.
“The report is untrue and a complete departure from what the AGF said at the Stakeholders/Citizen Engagement Forum held on Thursday in Abuja.
“Ekpa, a leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is currently standing trial in Finland for charges filed against him by the Finnish government.”
According to the statement, Fagbemi had only explained that the Nigerian government was in talks with Finnish authorities to ensure that Ekpa, who is currently facing trial in Finland, is held accountable for his actions.
“To set the record straight, what the AGF said during the question and answer session was that the Nigerian government had been engaging with Finnish authorities to ensure that Simon Ekpa is held accountable for his actions.
“He explained that since the crimes committed by Simon Ekpa were cross-border in nature, the Nigerian government eagerly awaits the outcome of the proposed trial in Finland to have an informed decision on the next step to take,” the statement added.
Fagbemi urged the media to exercise caution in reporting on the matter and to refrain from publishing speculative claims.
The Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, has arrested an apprentice and his accomplice for allegedly stealing cement and other building materials worth over N250m from his employer to finance gambling activities.
This was disclosed in a statement by the PSFU spokesman, Ovie Ewhubare, on Saturday.
According to Ewhubare, the suspects, Ezekiel Taiwo and Rahman Airat, have been arraigned before the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, fraudulent conversion, embezzlement, and money laundering.
“In a significant development to an ongoing case of conspiracy, stealing, fraudulent conversion of funds, embezzlement, and money laundering to the tune of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N250,000,000), the PSFU has arraigned two suspects; Taiwo ‘M’ and Airat before the Federal High Court, Lagos,” Ewhubare stated.
The case followed a petition by Jimoh Atofolaki, who alleged that Taiwo, an apprentice under him and stationed at the Osogbo branch of his company, diverted company property, including bags of cement and other building materials, amounting to N250m.
“Investigations revealed that Taiwo conspired with Airat to convert the goods and used the proceeds for gambling,” Ewhubare added.
The Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Okunade Nurat, had advised business owners to be vigilant when hiring staff.
“We urge members of the public to be wary and always ensure that they carry out thorough background checks before employing individuals to take charge of their businesses,” the statement read.
In 2019, a 20-year-old apprentice, Kosi Nnamani, was also arrested for a similar offence.
He was later arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing goods valued at N1.94 million from his master.
Sarmaan Project, committed to drug administration to reduce child mortality in Nigeria, said it recorded a milestone in its pilot phase with the successful treatment of over 36,000 children with azythromycin drugs to enhance their life expectancy in the Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
It has also engaged caregivers to demonstrate the usefulness of the drugs in the state.
The Project Coordinator, Dr Teyil Wamiyel-Mshella, disclosed this in Uyo while fielding questions from newsmen during the close-out ceremony of the safety and anti-microbial resistance of mass administration of azythromycin to children aged 1-11 months in Ikono LGA on Friday.
Wamiyel-Mshella, who coordinates the project for Sightsavers, an international non-governmental agency, explained that the pilot phase conducted in the LGA was aimed at ensuring that children between the age bracket of 1-11 months receive the drugs under strict monitoring to ascertain its safety and anti-microbial resistance in children
“Sarmaan project is a very good project that was introduced in Nigeria in 2020 with a field work and so far, it been very successful. The aim of the project was mainly to ensure that children between 1-11 months in the LGA where we piloted it, will receive acithromycin and along side, we will be monitoring the safety of the medicine and also the anti-microbial resistance for azythromycin
“Azythromycin is a very good medicine, it’s an antibiotics that is used for the treatment of many ailments that affect children and also contribute to infants to children deaths between 0 to 05 years. So this drug was used mainly to show the effects of it on child survival, that is why we were monitoring the safety of the medicine and it anti-microbial resistance.
“We have been able to treat over 36,000 children in Ikono LGA, and we were able to engage with caregivers for them to know the usefulness of the medicine ,” Wamiyel-Mshella said
She expressed satisfaction with the level of acceptability of the project in the LGA, and called on the state government to key into it to bridge the infant mortality gap in the state.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John who was represented by Dr Etop Antia, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, commended all the partners for making the project a success.
He said, “I want to recognise the good people of Ikono LGA, the Chairman, the Paramount Ruler, who allowed this activity to succeed. The SARMAAN project was expected to complement ongoing child survival interventions in low and middle-income countries.
“The mass drug administration of azithromycin drugs, whose life-saving potential was highlighted in the model trial, which demonstrated instability to lower early childhood mortality when administered biannually to infants.
“In Akwa Ibom State the intervention was implemented using Routine immunization programme . Infants aged one to eleven months received azythromycin every six months for 2 years(2022 to 2024)
“The implementation was made possible through the collaborative partnership led by the Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health, funded by the Gate Foundation while Sightsavers spearhead the implementation”.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Executive Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Eno Attah, appreciated the Federal Ministry of Health for considering Akwa Ibom State as one of the states for the pilot project
Attah, who was represented by Mrs Margaret Etim, Director of Health Education and promotion, lauded the initiative and the focus of the project on children, emphasising that children are very vulnerable when it comes to disease infection as they are unable to detect where exactly they feel.
A stakeholder in Ikono Community, Hon Emem Joseph Uwah, who spoke with our correspondent, also expressed happiness about the project and the commitment of the officials towards it success in the Council.
“They did their work diligently; they went through creeks, we have riverine areas but they were never scared and our children will feel the healthiness in them. We have seen improvement in this drug and I want to thank WHO, the federal and the state government for choosing our Local Government for the pilot scheme, for which we are the first beneficiary,” Uwah said.
A Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso, has been rearrested weeks after he was acquitted of multiple rape charges.
South African police authorities and the Home Affairs Department confirmed that the televangelist was arrested early on Saturday morning in East London.
PUNCH Online reports that the 66-year-old pastor at the Jesus Dominion International church based in South Africa was arrested in 2017 on 32 charges, including rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Several young women, some of whom were still in school at the time, testified that they were handpicked by Omotoso, who would pray for forgiveness after each encounter with them.
However, Omotoso was released last month, nine years after he was jailed to be tried on charges of raping and sexually assaulting several young women from his church.
Omotoso was acquitted last month on all 32 charges of rape, trafficking and sexual assault against him.
Confirming the development, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said Omotosho’s rearrest was based on immigration matters, adding that he will appear in court on Monday.
He said, “Well, I know it’s Omotoso. He was arrested this morning around 5 o’clock in East London as he was finishing the church,” said
“Inspectorate immigration of the Department of Home Affairs, together with the South African Police Service and TRT [Tactical Response Team], did effect the arrest.
“The arrest is based on immigration matters. He will appear in court somewhere around Monday, and everybody will know exactly what charges he’s facing. But it’s immigration-related matters.”
The Nigeria Air Force has organised a career day for Dikko College, Katsina, in Katsina State as part of its Civil-Military Relations programme to mark its 61st anniversary nationwide.
According to the Air Force, the event was meant to create a cordial relationship between the public and the Air Force, toward eliciting information that would enable their operations.
Speaking on the significance of the initiative and the choice of the College for the career day, the Commander 2134 Operating Base Nigeria Air Force Katsina and Joint Force Air Component Commander, Operation Fansan Yamma, Sector 2, Air Commodore Ibrahim Jibia highlighted the importance of its operations which was based on public trust and engagement.
He said, “This Day is a reflection of our commitment to transparency and pride in service.
“This is part of an initiative by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, which, according to him, was to defend the sky and to defend the land and those who call it home.
“This is to be carried with pride and honour. And to also let Nigerians know that the task of the Air Force was to defend them against all the vulnerabilities we have currently.
“From the persistent operation against insecurity, the country is enjoying and realising this the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has taken it as a personal commitment to invest and spend as much as he can in the Armed Forces realising that you cannot achieve socio-economic development of you are not secured.
“He has invested so much, especially in the Nigeria Air Force, through different platforms such as training, welfare schemes, which were intensified.”
Jibia said the choice of the college that produced two former Presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Umaru Musa Yar’adua, was based on the current challenges facing secondary school students in choosing a career, which is not unconnected with the destinies of most of them truncated as a result of uninformed career decisions.
“This government college, Katsina, now Dikko College Katsina, is a very historic school that has produced two former Nigerian presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Umaru Musa Yar’adua, Emirs, military generals, including myself. For us to conduct this career day in Dikko College, Katsina, is also a comeback home for me, and to assess not only the infrastructural challenges but also the academic standards of the college.
“I am pleased to realise that the State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda, is doing enormous work in terms of infrastructure in the school, and I learnt that the Governor was here last week to supervise the ongoing work in the college. I believe most of the dilapidated structures here will be gone by the end of this year.
“For us, the old boys, accessing the level of education of the pupils, we have to contribute our quota in addition to what the government is doing, so we bring the brains that we really want to see and associate with in terms of academic standing that the college was known for. We will revive the lost glory of the college.
“Everybody has a part to play in the nation’s building, no matter the level of attainment. Students of this college should realise that this school has produced notable Nigerians hence they should live up to the expectation if they must remain the ambassadors of this college because what I have seen today is below expectations like I said, it is also part of our responsibilities as old boys to look back that what we benefited free of charge, we deserve to replicate it,” he added.
A former Governor of Kano State and the National Leader of Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso has slammed some key members of the New Nigerian Peoples Party in Kano State, who recently defected to All Progressives Congress, describing their actions as betrayal of the the movement and party.
Kwankwaso made the remark at his Miller Road residence in Kano on Friday evening when he received hundreds of supporters from Takai Local Government who refused join the All Progressives Congress.
Recall that Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, who represents Kano South Senatorial District at the National Assembly, recently defected to the APC along with some federal lawmakers from Kano State.
Even though Kwankwaso did not mention their names, he said,” Kano South is a lesson. Voters rejected superghetti, N200 and Atamfa (wrappers) and were patient to vote for the NNPP.
“But those who won the election among us decided to abandone the masses and join those who do not have the masses at heart but are only after what they will get for themselves and their families.
“There is no worse political sin than leaving the party that gave you the opportunity and support but later you abandoned the party. This is the highest level of betrayal,” Kwankwaso said.
He, therefore, advised the youth to be wary of such politicians who are not after their well-being but rather they are after their pockets.
The former governor, who appreciated the decampees for “taking the courage to return to their base, said all those who betrayed Kwankwasiyya would regret their actions sooner or later.
“Fighting Kwankwasiyya is not an easy task, they will not know until when they engage in the fight.
In his remark, the state NNPP chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa thanked the decampees for taking the right step and assured them that the party would treat them equally.
The occasion was witnessed by the Senator representing Kano Central, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, former Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Falali and chairman of Takai local government, Ibrahim Faruruwa among others.
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has ordered an immediate ban on the sale of petrol in filling stations in Bama Local Government Area as part of efforts to address the lingering insecurity.
A statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dauda Iliya, said the measure is part of the state government’s strategic response to counter insurgency operations.
The statement said the ban was issued after due consultations with security agencies in the state and is aimed at addressing the prevailing security challenges in the state.
“I have directed the immediate ban on the sale of petrol in Bama town, Banki, and other parts of Bama Local Government Area with immediate effect,” Zulum stated.
He warned that anyone found violating the directive would face the full weight of the law.
“Let me make it clear—there will be no sacred cows in the enforcement of this ban. Security agencies have been given strict orders to clamp down on any filling station or individual contravening this directive. Anyone found culpable will be dealt with accordingly,” he warned.
Zulum reiterated his administration’s commitment to restoring lasting peace in the state and called for the support and cooperation of citizens in the ongoing fight against insurgency
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said the senators from Kebbi State, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party were set to defect to the party.
Ganduje said this while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Friday.
The APC chairman led Dr Nasir Idris, the Gov. Nasir Idris of Kebbi and Senators Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi and Garba Maidoki to the meeting with Tinubu.
He said a lot of discussions went underground between the major stakeholders in Kebbi and that they came to the conclusion that the three PDP senators from the state would decamp to the APC.
“This is a good development and it is in consonance with what is happening in Nigeria today.
“Almost every week in the Senate and House of Representatives, you see members of other political parties decamping to our party.
“So, we came here so that Mr President will bless this resolution and he has graciously given his blessing, and by Tuesday you will see what will happen in the Red Chambers.
“Our constitution is very clear about this, and with our political dexterity in managing such affairs, I assure you that there will be a smooth integration,” said the APC chairman.
He added that the fear of one-party state was misplaced.
”We are not saying we are working for a one-party system, but if this is the wish of Nigerians we cannot quarrel with that.
“You know they say too many cooks spoil the soup; too many political parties spoil governance,” he said.
Ganduje said that the move was in continuation with the initiative of Tinubu, saying, “APC must do what we must do democratically in order to increase our numerical strength, and also our quality and capacity of followership.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that a blind candidate hired a fellow blind man as an impersonator to sit the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on his behalf.
According to the Registrar of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the blind impersonator is an undergraduate.
Oloyede who spoke at a press briefing on Friday, said the board remained committed to providing the necessary support for persons with disabilities aspiring to pursue tertiary education.
He said, “The Prof. Peter Okebukola-led JAMB Equal Opportunity Group continues to demonstrate exceptional dedication in ensuring that these candidates are able to sit examinations, regardless of their challenges,” Oloyede said while giving a brief on the 2025 UTME in Abuja.
“JAMB refunds to the blind and some categories of challenged candidates their registration fee in addition to providing transportation, lodging and feeding for them. For the 2025 UTME, a total of 501 candidates were successfully examined by JEOG across 11 centres nationwide. The results are also being released today.
“Sadly, one of them was also involved in impersonation by recruiting an undergraduate student who is also blind to come and write for another blind candidate.”
The 2025 UTME results were officially released to the public on Friday.
Ahead of the release, JAMB provided statistics on the performance of the 1.9 million candidates who participated in the exam. The figures show a staggering outcome as over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200, which is considered the average benchmark.
The UTME, which is scored over a total of 400 marks, tests candidates across four core subjects. While the Use of English is mandatory for all, candidates are allowed to choose three other subjects relevant to their intended course of study.
Reacting to the performance data, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the results reflect the effectiveness of government efforts to curb exam malpractice.
