The lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday, urged Nigerians to hold Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, responsible if she and her supporters are attacked.

Akpoti-Uduaghan raised the alarm in a post via her official Facebook.

She said, “My dear people of Kogi Central, I look forward to our peaceful Sallah celebrations today.

“However, should we be met with or infiltrated by violence, Nigerians should hold Gov Òdodo, Yahaya Bello & SP Godswill Akpabio wholly responsible.”

Her warning comes a few hours after she vowed in a statement to go ahead with her scheduled visit to her constituency for the Eid-el-Fìtr break and the rally planned for her homecoming.

The senator also urged her supporters to disregard speculations making the round that she has cancelled her scheduled visit.

While stating that she has a statutory function in her capacity as the lawmaker representing her constituents, the embattled senator encouraged her supporters to troop out en masse to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr with her.

On Monday, the Kogi State Government banned rallies and public gatherings in the state over ‘security reports’.

The government also stopped fishing and other activities, arguing that they recently resulted in the loss of two lives in Kasemiya, Katubo and Umozu Ette, all in Kogi Local Government Area in Kogi West.

The Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo said the move was to prevent any form of security breach that might destabilise the state.

Similarly, the Kogi Police Command warned Akpoti-Uduagan to cancel her planned Sallah rally.

Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye stated that the planned gathering goes against the state government’s recent ban on political gatherings, which was announced on Monday.

Meanwhile, videos of the purported rally for the homecoming of the senator have started making the rounds on social media.

As of the time of filing this story, one of the Kogi senators named, Bashir Haroon, shared a live feed showing hundreds of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters, comprising mainly women singing and drumming in anticipation of her return.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of fostering nepotism by extending the tenures of certain public officials, particularly those from the Yoruba ethnic group.

Naija News reports that the group claims that this practice undermines meritocracy and promotes tribalism in Nigeria’s national governance.

HURIWA’s criticism comes after the president approved the extension of Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap’s tenure as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) until December 31, 2026.

The group labelled the move as an “abuse of power” and questioned whether there were no other qualified officers within the service who could take on the role.

In a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group expressed its concern that President Tinubu was prioritizing ethnicity over competence in making key decisions about national leadership.

HURIWA argued that the decision to retain officials from predominantly Yoruba backgrounds suggests that capable candidates from other ethnic groups are being sidelined.

The group likened this to the nepotism of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which heavily favored Fulani appointees.

“This decision suggests that competent candidates outside the Yoruba ethnic group are being overlooked for strategic national positions. It mirrors the nepotism of the Buhari administration, which heavily favored Fulani appointees,” HURIWA said in the statement.

In addition to the NIS Comptroller-General’s extension, HURIWA also condemned the extension of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun’s tenure.

The group criticized the amendment to the Police Act, which allowed Egbetokun to remain in office beyond the mandatory retirement age of 60, alleging that the decision was driven by ethnic and personal affiliations rather than adherence to public service rules.

HURIWA urged President Tinubu’s government to prioritize merit, competence, and patriotism over ethnic considerations. The group emphasized the need for inclusive governance that fosters national unity and fairness, rejecting what it sees as a trend of ethnic favoritism under the current administration.

“Merit, competence, and patriotism must be the guiding principles in our leadership appointments,” HURIWA concluded, reiterating its call for a fairer and more inclusive governance structure.

A purported copy of the judgment by the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has surfaced online just a day after the tribunal summoned parties involved in the case to appear before it.

This follows a March 3, 2025, ruling where the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved its judgment in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo.

On the morning of Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the tribunal directed all parties to return the following day, Wednesday, for the formal delivery of the judgment.

However, according to Vanguard, what appeared to be a leak of the judgment documents surfaced online, revealing a split decision of the tribunal.

The leaked documents show a two-to-one split in the tribunal’s ruling, with Justice Kpochi and Justice A.B. Yusuf dismissing the petition, while Justice A.A. Adewole issued a minority judgment that ordered the issuance of a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo of the PDP as the legitimate winner of the election.

In the leaked minority judgment, Justice Adewole argued that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election was invalid due to non-substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

Justice Adewole noted that the petitioners, Ighodalo and the PDP, had shown evidence that the total votes should have been 243,113 for Ighodalo, with Okpebholo’s tally standing at 210,326, which would have reversed the election outcome.

“The petitioners’ case was not rebutted, and they showed unit by unit how the actual total should be 243,113 votes, while the 2nd Respondent’s tally should stand at 210,326 votes—a clear reversal of the declared result,” Justice Adewole was quoted in the leaked documents.

On the other hand, the tribunal’s chairman, Justice Kpochi, in the majority ruling, acknowledged that there was credible evidence of non-compliance, particularly regarding issues like failure to record serial numbers in EC 25B forms and over-voting.

However, the tribunal found that the petitioners failed to prove that these violations had substantially impacted the election result.

Justice Kpochi stated that while there were instances of incorrect collation and exclusion of results, the petitioners did not provide enough mathematical or documentary evidence to demonstrate that the margin of victory was affected or that they had scored the highest number of lawful votes.

“The petitioners have not discharged the dual burden to the satisfaction of the law. Accordingly, the petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the majority judgment read.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election, with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who secured 247,655 votes.

Ighodalo and the PDP, dissatisfied with the outcome, approached the tribunal, arguing that the election was marred by non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.

The petitioners contended that INEC had failed to properly serialize and pre-record certain sensitive materials used in the election, which they argued contributed to alleged rigging in favor of the APC and its candidate.

The petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, questioned the legitimacy of Okpebholo’s victory, claiming that he did not secure the highest number of lawful votes in the election.

The World Bank has approved fresh loans for Nigeria under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.

Naija News reports that the bank, on Monday, approved a total of $632 million for use in critical areas of Nigeria’s economy, including nutrition enhancement and provision of quality basic education.

A breakdown of the figures as made available on the World Bank website shows that $80 million was approved for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0 initiative, and $552 million was approved to finance the HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All program.

These new loans are part of the World Bank’s broader plan to assist Nigeria’s development goals, with a focus on improving healthcare, education, and community resilience.

The anticipated loans are intended to bolster the government’s initiatives in enhancing nutritional outcomes and improving Nigerian children’s access to quality education.

Last Friday, the World Bank granted approval for a $500 million loan to Nigeria in order to bolster the country’s Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme.

The initiative, formally called the NIGERIA: Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme, aims to deliver crucial aid to households impacted by economic challenges and strengthen the resilience of communities.

The program focuses on supporting at-risk groups by providing financial assistance to families and small enterprises, aiming to alleviate the economic difficulties they encounter.

Nigerian medical doctor and author Kelvin Alaneme has vowed to sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for defamation, insisting that allegations against him are false.

Alaneme, accused of running an immigration scam through his agency CareerEdu, maintained that he is helping Nigerians relocate abroad, stating, “I have never scammed or defrauded anyone in my life, and I never will.”

A BBC ‘Africa Eye’ investigation claims Alaneme charged $13,000 for fake UK care job visas. A secretly recorded BBC report exposed the operations of UK immigration fraudsters, revealing a surge in scams since the UK expanded its visa scheme in 2022 to include care workers. The scheme requires applicants to secure a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licensed UK employer, a process that has fueled fraudulent activities.

Between July 2022 and December 2024, the UK government revoked over 470 care sector licences, affecting more than 39,000 foreign medical professionals and care workers recruited since 2020.

The BBC linked Alaneme to fraudulent relocation services, alleging that he provided job placements that did not exist.

In an undercover recording, Alaneme, believing he was speaking with a business partner in the UK care sector, attempted to recruit her, saying, “Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire.”

He explained he would pay £2,000 ($2,600) for each care home vacancy she secured, plus a £500 ($650) commission. These positions were allegedly sold to Nigerian applicants.

The BBC also found that Efficiency for Care, a company tied to the scam, issued 1,234 CoS between March 2022 and May 2023 despite employing only 16 people in 2022 and 152 in 2023.

The UK government revoked its sponsorship licence in July 2023, preventing it from hiring foreign workers.

In another secretly filmed meeting, Alaneme detailed how migrants could obtain CoS for non-existent jobs, with fake payroll records disguising the fraud.

One alleged victim, Praise, claimed he paid Alaneme over £10,000 ($13,000) for a job with Efficiency for Care in Clacton-on-Sea, only to discover upon arrival that the job did not exist.

Denying the allegations, Alaneme emphasised that CareerEdu does not employ care workers but only connects candidates with legitimate recruiters.

“We are not Care Job employers in the UK. We have always made this clear. Our job is to link qualified employees to legitimate and licensed employers and recruiters who do provide Certificate of Sponsorship,” he said, adding that some recruiters charge additional costs for training, transport, and accommodation.

“In the event that these clients are not successful, they do get a full refund of these extra costs, no questions asked.”

When challenged online to sue the BBC if his business was legitimate, Alaneme responded, “We’ll do that.”

The Nigerian doctor further accused the BBC of bias, saying, “If the BBC really wanted to do a ‘real story,’ there are many individuals exploiting people, issuing fake CoS, and outrightly scamming people… We have done none of this, yet they insist on putting out this one-sided falsehood. I believe that the truth will win and posterity will vindicate the just.”