Author: NewsQuest

The Nigerian Army said that a sustained, intelligence‑led campaign and the dismantling of a terrorist network produced the unconditional release of 44 pupils and teachers abducted in May from three schools in Oyo State. The hostages—taken from Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community High School (Ahoro‑Esinele) and L.A. Primary School (Ahoro‑Esinele) on May 15—were held for 56 days, the army said. NewsQuest previously reported that 46 people—39 pupils and seven teachers—were seized during the raid. Two teachers, identified as Adegboye Adesiyan and Michael Oyedokun, died; one was killed during the attack and another in captivity, reducing the number released…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday hailed security forces for the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from the Oriire community in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, describing the operation as a relief for families and the nation. In a statement issued by his Special Advise on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu credited coordinated military, intelligence and police efforts that, he said, worked “round the clock” over the past 56 days to free the victims “without any collateral damage.” The operation, the statement added, led to the arrest of eight suspected abductors and the neutralization of others. “Today’s successful operation has…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally tapped Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election, moving to end weeks of speculation that he might replace his deputy. Tinubu submitted Shettima’s name as part of his nomination paperwork in Abuja, handing the forms to the All Progressives Congress (APC)  National Working Committee, according to a post on X from Sunday Dare, the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications. The announcement quells reports that elements within the ruling party had pushed for a change. Some APC figures—particularly in the North East, where Shettima draws his…

The Presidency on Friday said that security forces have rescued all pupils and teachers who were abducted from a school in Orire, a local government area of Oyo State. “All the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga wrote on X. He added that one of the rescued teachers sent a message of thanks to President Bola Tinubu and the security services. “One of the rescued teachers in Oyo sends a thank you message to President Tinubu and the security agencies,” Onanuga noted. The statement did not disclose details…

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Friday declared that education remains central to Nigeria’s strategy for combating insecurity. The Governor stated this at the inaugural lecture of the University of Abuja’s new Quarterly Guest Lecture Series in Abuja. Speaking to a hall of academics, students and officials, Governor Alia described the problem as both immediate and structural: while security operations remain necessary, sustainable peace requires long-term investments in education, human capital and institutions. “Education is Nigeria’s most sustainable weapon against insecurity,” he said, a line that depicts the seriousness with which his administration views the proposal. The Governor laid…

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement North Central Dr. Abiodun Essiet, on Thursday led the inauguration of the executive committee for the Yoruba FCT Forum in Abuja, a newly formed political advocacy group that pledged to marshal grassroots support for the re‑election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. Speaking alongside co‑chair Dr. Adebayo Benjamin Laniyi, Dr. Essiet positioned the forum as a local arm of what he described as the Renewed Hope Agenda, the administration’s flagship political and policy narrative. The group announced a ₦5 million donation to the FCT Renewed Hope Ambassadors Team and said…

Dangote Cement has urged fellow African producers to speed up decarbonisation even as they ramp up capacity to meet rising infrastructure needs, the company’s Group managing director said after a global industry summit. Arvind Pathak made the appeal following his participation in the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s CEO Strategic Dialogue in Madrid, where chief executives from major cement manufacturers outlined plans to push the industry toward net‑zero emissions while sustaining growth. The two‑day meeting centered on low‑carbon construction, climate policy, financing for decarbonisation and the wider deployment of new technologies. “With Africa’s infrastructure demand continuing to rise, the sector…

Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala, has filed a defamation suit in a British Court against Al Jazeera, alleging the Qatar-based broadcaster selectively edited and thereby misrepresented his appearance on its Head to Head programme. Bwala told listeners on The Morayo Show at MAP Studios that he instructed his lawyers in England to commence legal proceedings after Al Jazeera declined his request to issue a public apology. The broadcaster, he said, offered a private apology but refused to publish it on social media. “My Advisers in England said it’s a defamation of character,” Bwala said, adding…

President Bola Tinubu has pledged never to betray Nigerians’ trust defending his administration’s sweeping economic reforms as necessary steps toward long-term prosperity. Speaking through Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the inauguration of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, a grassroots mobilization initiative backing the Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, the President said difficult decisions taken since he took office are intended to lay foundations for growth. The movement was launched in Abuja to take the administration’s message directly to communities across Nigeria. “I am determined never to betray the trust by Nigerians, and the vision of ensuring a better Nigeria,” Mr. Tinubu said,…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has dismissed claims tying President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to a non‑existent government agency as “rubbish” and “madness,” describing  the accusations as politically motivated attempts to embarrass the administration. Wike made the remarks at his monthly media briefing, saying he knew Femi Gbajabiamila well and that the allegations were implausible. “Does it make sense that an agency that does not exist, he will tell him to give him so, so amount of money? It’s madness,” Minister Wike told reporters in Abuja, adding that the accuser’s conduct—he said the…