Author: Kwara Reporters

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday that Nigeria has accepted the invitation to join BRICS as a partner country.The ministry disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja by Kimiebi Ebienfa, Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.According to the statement, the partnership will help align Nigeria’s aspirations for inclusive growth and regional integration, in line with the best practices of strategic autonomy.The statement reads, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has accepted the invitation to join BRICS as a partner country.”It further emphasised that this formal acceptance highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to fostering international collaboration, leveraging economic opportunities,…

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has distributed new kits and uniforms to police officers nationwide. Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying the gesture reaffirms the IGP’s commitment to improving officers’ welfare and boosting their morale. “This initiative supports his vision to enhance improved working conditions and professionalism within the force,” the statement read. Egbetokun expressed optimism that, with the approval of the 2025 budget, more welfare-focused projects will be implemented to further support officers to carry out their duties effectively. He stated that the Force “remains dedicated to maintaining a well-equipped and…

A total of 86 bodies have been recovered and buried following a tragic tanker explosion at Dikko Junction in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, disclosed this on Sunday. He revealed that 80 victims were buried in a mass grave at the Dikko Primary Health Care premises, adding that five were claimed by relatives for private burial, and one victim died at the healthcare center.The explosion occurred when a tanker transporting fuel from Kaduna to Gwagwalada overturned at the junction, spilling its contents. Despite warnings to stay away,…

Justices Haleema Saleeman and Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin have convicted and sentenced six persons to jail for fraud.The convicts are: Akingbehin Temitope Oluwaseyi, Ajayi Elijah Olaoluwa, Samsom Babatunde Ilesanmi, Quadri Olamilekan Lamidi, Kolawole Kehinde Moses and Olatunji Elija Olabisi.They were prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on multiple charges that bordered on retention of proceeds of criminal activities, cheating, impersonation and internet fraud.Oluwaseyi, (a 25-year-old car dealer), Olaoluwa, Ilesanmi and Lamidi were dragged before Justice Saleeman while the duo of Moses and Olabisi were prosecuted…

Prince Luqman Gbadegesin The kingmakers’ selected candidate for the Alaafin stool, Prince Lukman Gbadegesin, has accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of usurping the power of the Oyomesi and violating the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961, with his appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the Alaafin of Oyo.Gbadegesin said Makinde’s alleged reliance on Ifa consultation contradicted the judgment of Oyo State High Court of December 19, 2022, which declared Ifa consultation in the selection process unlawful, ‘’as it is not provided for in the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.’’Read Also: EFCC arraigns Otudeko, Ex-First Bank MD Onasanya Monday over alleged…

In Nigeria, a nation that takes pride in its expanding digital economy and the prospect of a cashless society, the forgotten community of lepers languishes in the shadows.As the country advances technologically, persons affected by leprosy are left behind, grappling for survival.In this report, Gift Oba delves into the profound impact of this exclusion, exploring their daily struggles while they simultaneously battle the invisible barriers erected by a system that fails to recognize their existence.In Ogun State, persons affected with leprosy face a devastating form of exclusion and no longer consider themselves indigenes of Nigeria due to their loss of…

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, on Thursday, expressed their support for President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills but did not back the proposed increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT).In a communique issued by the chairman and Kwara state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the forum, at a meeting in Abuja with the chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, also demanded an equitable VAT distribution.The communique read: “The Forum reiterated its strong support for the comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s archaic tax laws. Members acknowledged the importance of modernising the tax system to enhance fiscal stability and…

The Nigeria Police Force has called for establishing a ‘Special Operations Account’ to fund emergency internal security operations.The inspector general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, made the call on Thursday during the 2025 budget defence before the Joint Committee on Police Affairs and Police Institutions.Mr Egbetokun explained that, despite incremental progress, the appropriations and subsequent releases remained insufficient to meet the operational and institutional needs of the police force.He stressed that the financial provisions were inadequate given the vast scope of responsibilities and the critical nature of their mandate.“A significant challenge persists in the absence of a Special Operations Account, which…

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced one Odeyemi Oluwaseun to a year imprisonment for internet fraud.The convict, a self-styled spiritualist, was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on two counts that bordered on internet fraud, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.A statement signed by the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, on Thursday noted that Oluwaseun, 23, who hails from Oyo State, allegedly defrauded his victims on the internet by posing as an American-based female spiritualist with powers…

Troops of Operation Safe Haven and 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, Plateau State, have arrested 18 suspected kidnappers, bandits and gunrunners in Plateau and part of Kaduna Sstate.The Media Officer of OPSH, Maj. Samson Zhakom, disclosed this during a press conference on Thursday in Jos.Mr Zhakom said that the troops also rescued 18 victims kidnapped in a forest at the boundary communities between Plateau and Taraba states.The media officer stated that the arrest followed an operation held between December 2024 and January 4, 2025.Mr Zhakom said, “In continuation of efforts to ensure the security of lives…