HIGH COURT FIXES APRIL 22 FOR FORMER GOVERNOR EL-RUFAI’S ARRAIGNMENT

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the case against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to April 23, 2026 for arraignment.

Recall that the DSS filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai over the alleged unlawful interception of communications, following comments he made during a television interview.

The court had earlier fixed February 25, 2026, for the former governor’s arraignment, just as the former governor was absent during Wednesday’s proceedings.

Counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoyin, informed the court that the former governor is still in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, where he is under investigation for alleged misappropriation of funds.

Meanwhile, the information prompted the judge to adjourn the case to April 23, 2026, for arraignment.

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FORMER GOVERNOR EL-RUFAI ASKS COURT TO STOP ICPC, EFCC, DSS FROM ASSET BLOCKAGE

Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order restraining the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and others from taking any step to freeze his bank accounts or seize his property.

El-Rufai, in a fresh suit filed by his lawyer, Oluwole Iyamu, urged the court for an order of interim injunction directing the respondents to maintain the status quo-ante pending the hearing and determination of the application and the substantive originating mation.

The ex-governor said the order is necessary to prevent a fait accompli as recognised in previous cases.

Meanwhile, besides the ICPC, which is named as 1st respondent, others joined in the suit are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Department of State Services, DSS, and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

El-Rufai is also praying for a declaration that his severance pay, received upon the completion of his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023, cannot reasonably be suspected to be, proceeds of any unlawful activity.

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NIGERIA POLICE FORCE TO COMMENCE RECRUITMENT SCREENING

The Police Service Commission, PSC, and the Nigeria Police Force have fixed March 9, 2026, to commence physical and credential screening in the ongoing recruitment of Constables into the Nigeria Police Force.

Spokesman for the Police Service Commission, Torty Kalu said this in a statement in Abuja, noting that the physical and credential screening would hold between March 9 and April 18, 2026, across the country.

According to the Commission, Applicants who successfully completed the online recruitment registration exercise are requested to login to the recruitment portal on npfapplication.psc.gov.ng.

It revealed that the essence of the check on the portal is to know their status and print the documents which they must present at the screening venue on the date and time indicated in their invitation slip.

The Commission further stressed that original and duplicate copies of credentials are to be neatly packaged in two separate white flat files, with recent passport photographs attached.

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LUGBE RESIDENTS APPEAL TO PRESIDENT TINUBU TO FIX BAD ROADS IN AREA

Concerned residents and road users in Lugbe, Abuja, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the deteriorating condition of roads in the area.

This is contained in an open letter addressed to President Tinubu and signed by Convener of the ‘Fix Lugbe Roads Campaign’, Michael Nwaohiri, on Wednesday.

Nwaohiri described Lugbe as a major residential and commercial hub in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, housing thousands of civil servants, business owners, students, transporters and families.

He noted that key access roads within the Federal Housing Authority, Lugbe, had deteriorated into craters of failed pavements, dangerous potholes and broken drainage systems.

According to him, journeys that should take between 10 and 15 minutes now last several minutes due to the poor state of the roads.

He added that vehicles now break down daily with transport fares rising sharply on the roads, while emergency responses are delayed, businesses suffering losses and overall productivity declining.

He listed the affected routes to include 1st Avenue Road (Timber Shed to Police Sign Board), Mr Biggs Road linking Total Filling Station, King of Kings Crescent (IK Stores to El Sultan Mall).

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POLICE ARRESTS ONE SUSPECT, AS KIDNAPPERS CAT-AWAY 6 CHURCH WORSHIPERS IN ONDO STATE

The Police Command in Ondo State has confirmed the abduction of six worshippers of a celestial church located along Uso/Owo Expressway in Owo Local Government Area of the state.

Spokesperson for Ondo State command, Abayomi Jimoh, who confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday, said the incident occurred in the early hours of February 25, 2026, at approximately 12:50a.m.

Jimoh explained that the victims were reportedly taken to an unknown destination by the attackers, stressing that security operations are ongoing to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the apprehension of all perpetrators involved.

The spokesperson, therefore, urged residents to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and actionable information that may assist ongoing operations. 

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ISLAMIC SCHOLAR SHEIKH GUMI BACKS CREATION OF NIGERIAN FOREST SECURITY SERVICE

An Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has endorsed the establishment of the Nigerian Forest Security Service, NFSS, to flush out bandits from forests across the country.

The cleric has also urged the proposed outfit to deploy decisive military force in tackling criminal elements.

Speaking during his Ramadan Tafsir in Kaduna State, Gumi, however, cautioned against the use of aerial bombardments, warning that such operations could result in civilian casualties.

He cited the tragic incident at Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where more than 100 residents were reportedly killed in a mistaken airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force.

According to the cleric, while confronting banditry requires firm and coordinated action, the deployment of bombs in forest operations poses significant risks to innocent communities residing within or around affected areas.

Gumi observed that bandits operating in parts of the country had become increasingly dangerous and brutal, attributing the development to alleged external influences aimed at destabilising the nation.

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POLICE ARREST TWO, RECOVER 197 TRAMADOL SACHETS IN ADAMAWA STATE

The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested two suspects over alleged transnational drug smuggling and recovered 197 sachets of Tramadol in a border operation.

The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.

According to the statement, the Command, in its ongoing fight against drug trafficking and trans-border crimes, recorded a significant breakthrough with the arrest of two suspects in possession of One Hundred and Ninety-Seven 197 sachets of Tramadol.

The suspects were identified as Muhammad Mustapha, of Dorayi, Kano State, and Muhammad Sanusi, of Garoua, Cameroon Republic.

Preliminary investigation, according to the Command, reveals that the illicit substances were transported from a South-Eastern state and were being conveyed through Adamawa State with the intention of smuggling them into the Republic of Cameroon before they were intercepted.

The Command stated that it remains resolute in its commitment to ridding the state of drug-related and illicit crimes.

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VIRGINIA GOVERNOR COUNTERS TRUMP’S STATE OF UNION CLAIMS

The Governor of Virginia State In the United States, Abigail Spanberger, has delivered the Democratic Party’s response, following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, posing a series of direct questions to Americans about their economic and social wellbeing.

President Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress, outlining his policy priorities, including immigration enforcement, federal spending cuts, maintaining tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court and recent military actions abroad.

Soon after, Governor Spanberger offered the official Democratic rebuttal from Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, a living history museum with restored 18th-century buildings, drawing on the site’s role at the heart of Virginia’s early opposition to British rule and connecting that legacy to the current political moment

President Trump was slated to champion his immigration crackdowns, his slashing of the federal government, his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela and Mexico.

On Tuesday night, however, Spanberger posed questions about Trump’s second term in Democratic rebuttal.

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IRAN REJECTS US CLAIMS ON MISSILE PROGRAMME AS ‘BIG LIES’

Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed United States claims about its missile programme as big lies, after President Donald Trump claimed Tehran was developing missiles that can strike the United States.

Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei said on X that whatever U.S is alleging regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest, is simply repetition of big lies.

Baqaei did not specify exactly which claims he was responding to, but hours earlier, President Trump had said Iran was seeking missiles that could reach American soil.

In an interview with reporters in February, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran lacked the capability to target the US but would attack American bases in the Middle East if Washington launched a strike.

During his State of the Union speech, President Trump also reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to build a nuclear weapon, saying that Tehran’s leaders were at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions.

Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon but insists it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

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