Suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has arrived the National Assembly complex to resume her duties.
Nigeria News Sphere had earlier reported how security was beefed up at the complex over the suspended senator’s planned return.
The lawmaker’s supporters had converged at the entrance of the National Assembly complex waiting for her arrival.
Nigeria News Sphere reports that Natasha had on Saturday vowed that she will resume sitting on Tuesday, July 22.
The senator cited a recent judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the federal High Court judgment in Abuja to justify her position.
However, in a counter-statement released on Sunday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, dismissed the ruling claimed by the lawmaker.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu clarified that the court merely offered an “advisory opinion” and not a compulsory directive to the upper legislative chamber.
But the Kogi Central senator insisted on resuming her duties.
Earlier on Tuesday, a video making the rounds on social media showed increased presence of security personnel, including armed guards, at the entrance of the complex – apparently to prevent breakdown of law and order over Natasha’s return.
Celebrity lecturer in the Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, MOAUM previously known as Benue State University, BSU, Dr John Ogi has advised Nigerian of Igede extraction to focus more on adding values to themselves.
The senior lecturer was reacting to disagreement amongst some Igede indegenes on social media on whether they should dump the people of Benue South Senatorial district and move to Ogoja State when created.
Nigerian News Sphere reports that the squabbles followed rumours that the Nigerian Senate recently approved request for the creation of 12 states including Apa from Benue South and Ogoja from Cross River State.
While some Igede said they will remain in Apa (Idoma) when the state is finally created, others believe that Ogoja State will be better for them.
The upper legislative chamber had, however, debunked the report, stating that no approval has been given for the creation of any state.
Addressing the argument, John Ogi in a post on his official Facebook page urged Igede to focus on personal development, insisting that if they don’t have what to offer, they may remain irrelevant and marginalized in any state they join.
“Whether you stay in Apa state or move to Ogoja, if you don’t have what to offer, you will still be irrelevant and marginalized.
“You don’t marginalize the man with value and profitable gains”, Dr John Ogi wrote.
Good morning! Here are five top headlines from Nigeria Newspapers today;
1. Nigeria Retired police officers rally for Pension reforms:
Ex-police officers have demanded under the Contributory Pension Scheme on Monday marched from the National Assembly and shut the main gate of the Force Headquarters in Abuja for hours, demanding that the police be removed from the scheme, which they say has trapped them in poverty. The elderly ex-officers refused repeated pleas to disperse until they secured a meeting with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The Protest was lead by former Presidential Candidate of African Action Congress with placard inscription sayin ‘No Nigeria Police officers must earn less than N500,000.
The protesters said they had endured years of neglect, poor pension payouts, and a system that strips dignity from those who dedicated decades to policing the country.
One of the participants, retired Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Manir Lawal, condemned the pension scheme as exploitative.
“We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS,” he said. “The scheme is unjust. I am 67 years old. Many of us are sick, hungry, and can no longer meet basic needs. This is not the retirement we were promised.”
Police Protest in Nigeria
2. Suspended Nigerian Senator defies Senate warnning:
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan appears poised to resume plenary today, despite warnings from the Senate that her suspension remains in force and binding. The lawmaker representing Kogi Central, who was suspended in March, revealed over the weekend that she had formally notified the Senate of her intention to return, citing a recent court decision as her basis.
The lawmaker, who was suspended in March 2025, revealed over the weekend that she had formally notified the Senate of her intention to return, citing a recent court decision as her basis.
She told journalists during a constituency training programme that she had already written to the leadership of the Upper Chamber about her intention.
“I will be there, because the court did make the decision on that. Now, they argue that it’s an order, it’s not an order, but it is a decision,” she insisted.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, West Idahosa, maintained that the court judgment justifies her return.
“Let me be honest with you. Attendance is a legislative action.
“As far as we are concerned, we are focused on the appeal and other issues before the court.
“Now that she said she wants to go and resume, let us see what the reaction of the Senate will be. But the most important thing is that she is still a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said in a phone interview.
3. Edo State Police crackdown on crime:
The Nigeria Police in Edo State said they have arrested no fewer than 175 suspects involved in various crimes across the three senatorial districts of the state. The Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonik, said 124 of the suspects were arrested for cultism, 40 for kidnapping, while 11 were apprehended for armed robbery and other violent crimes.
Edo State Police
4. NLC sounds alarm on Democratic erosion:
Nigeria Labour Congress leadership on Monday, warned that Nigeria is sliding dangerously towards authoritarian rule, as the country’s democratic space continues to shrink and workers’ rights come under sustained assault. President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, who made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 21st Rain School of the NLC, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, stated that Nigeria was on the brink of tyranny.
5. APC leadership crisis on the agenda:
Barring any last-minute change, the National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress will meet in Abuja on Thursday to deliberate on key issues threatening cohesion within the party. Credible sources at the APC national secretariat in Abuja disclosed that top on the agenda is the matter of the party’s leadership, particularly the emergence of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s substantive successor.
The Police Command in Edo says it has rescued 62 kidnap victims and arrested 40 suspected kidnappers in a crackdown on violent crimes in the last three months.
Mr Monday Agbonika, Commissioner of Police in the state disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Benin.
Agbonika who disclosed that the rescued victims include women and children, also explained that the breakthrough was the result of coordinated intelligence-led operations, community support, and inter-agency collaboration across volatile areas of the state.
According to him, in one of the most recent breakthroughs, a coordinated operation involving police tactical teams, vigilante groups, and hunters led to the rescue of 14 passengers who were abducted on the Fugar-Agenebode road.
”Sadly, we lost one young victim, a 12-year-old girl, to the reckless violence of the kidnappers, while one person is still unaccounted for.
”Eforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the missing individual.”
The CP noted that the command made significant progress not just in arrests, but in weakening the operational capabilities of the criminals.
He said this include kidnappers operating in the forests around Ewohimi, Fugar, Okpella, Uromi, Agenebode, and along the Benin-Lagos expressway.
The police chief also announced the arrest of 11 suspects for armed robbery and other violent crimes, with several caught in the act.
According to him, exhibits recovered from the suspects included firearms, stolen vehicles, electronics, and large sums of money.
He explained that in one instance, an armed robbery suspect was neutralised during an operation on the Auchi-Okpella expressway.
”A fabricated shotgun, four live cartridges, and five expended ones were recovered from the scene,” he said.
Agbonika also announced the recovery of 45 assorted firearms ranging from AK-47 rifles to locally made pistols and pump-action guns, as well as 163 rounds of live ammunition and five empty magazines.
These recoveries, he said, were made through stop-and-search operations, raids on criminal hideouts, and intelligence-led swoops across Benin, Auchi, Uromi, Iyamho, and Ekpoma.
The commissioner also identified cultism as a persistent threat to public safety in the state, particularly in urban centres and host communities to tertiary institutions.
World football governing body, FIFA, have officially taken away Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona of their Club World Cup titles.
FIFA ruled that the aforementioned clubs and all other previous winners of the Club World Cup will now be known as ‘FIFA Intercontinental Champions’.
According to the Daily Mail, FIFA has decided to recognize Chelsea as the first-ever winners of the Club World Cup.
This means the Premier League west London club are the only team that can be called ‘world champions’.
The Blues defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final earlier this month to win the 2025 edition.
The 2025 Club World Cup was an expanded version that saw 32 teams from six confederations take part.
The competition will return in 2029, with PSG, Pyramids, Al Hilal and Cruz Azul already qualified after winning their continental championships last season.
Meanwhile, FIFA used the Club World Cup tournament as a preparation for the 2026 World Cup taking place next year.
Good morning! Here are five top headlines from Nigerian Newspapers today;
1. The opposition African Democratic Congress has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Nigerians will hold him responsible for his promise of a stable electricity supply during the next election if he decides to recontest. ADC coalition’s interim spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, in a post on his X handle @BolajiADC said. “Mr. President, you once said: “If I don’t give you electricity, don’t vote for me.
2. Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has escaped unhurt after being involved in a minor road accident on the Daura-Katsina road earlier this evening. The Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, said Malam Radda was on official duty when the incident occurred.
3. Emerging reports indicate that Nigerians spent at least $29.29bn on foreign medical expenses during the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. This translates to an annual spending of about $3.6bn during the review period.
4. The Senate has warned the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to desist from forcefully resuming her legislative duties on Tuesday. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, gave the warning in a statement issued on Sunday.
5. As the 21-day ultimatum it issued to the Federal Government draws to a close on July 23, the Nigerian Medical Association has warned it will ground medical services nationwide if the government fails to meet its demands. Its President, Prof Bala Audu, who confirmed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Sunday, noted that the association was prepared to take decisive action should the government fail to respond adequately to its demands.
Good morning! Here are five top headlines from Nigerian Newspapers today;
1. Presidential candidate of African Action Congress, AAC in the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore and other activists have vowed to stage a protest in Abuja on Monday, today to demand improved welfare for personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.
Meanwhile, the management of Police Service Commission, on Sunday, took a swipe at the retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force who are planning to embark on a nationwide protest on Monday over pension issues. The commission described the retirees’ action as “diversionary, ill-timed and in bad taste”, adding that all retired officers should sheath their sword and tow the part of dialogue rather than choosing a confrontational route.
2. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a wanted 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, after seven years of evading arrests. Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Femi Babafemi, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, said Chigozie was arrested attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast.
3. Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State was involved in a road accident, on Sunday evening along the Daura-Katsina Road. On Monday, it was confirmed that the accident was minor and he has been discharged.
4. The Nigerian Senate has cautioned Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to desist from forcefully resuming her legislative duties until the expiration of her suspension. The warning follows the media reports quoting the Kogi Central lawmaker as saying she would return to the Senate on Tuesday, based on a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
5. Three suspected kidnappers, who disguised themselves as bicycle riders to allegedly monitor and abduct unsuspecting residents, have been arrested in Kwara State. Their arrest, it was gathered, was carried out by the Ilorin South Local Government Council Security Initiative over the weekend at Abelu, along the Idofian axis.
Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi in the early hours of Sunday morning, Nigerian time, surpassed Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals record after helping his team defeat New York Red Bull.
Messi scored a brace as Inter Miami won 5-1 against New York Red Bull in an away MLS encounter at the Red Bull Arena.
However, as reported by The Touchline, Messi’s brace against the hosts means the Argentina forward has now become the player with the most non-penalty goals in the history of football, with 764 goals.
Messi is one goal ahead of Ronaldo, a former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward, who has 763 goals.
The 38-year-old star scored his sixth brace in seven games for Inter Miami as they defeated New York Red Bulls.
At the same time, the two goals also brought Messi to 18 in MLS this season.
The former Barcelona captain is on level with Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge.
Messi will now hope to lead Inter Miami to victory when they face Cincinnati in their next game next weekend.
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the forthcoming Anambra State election, Jude Ezenwafor, is reportedly dead.
His death was confirmed by Deji Adeyanju, former aide to Goodluck Jonathan, in a statement on X on Sunday.
He wrote, “The PDP governorship candidate in Anambra who was shot on Friday night in Abuja is dead. This is too sad. There’s nothing I hate more in life than carrying security up and down, but daily it’s becoming an option.”
However, the Nigeria Police Force or any close family are yet to confirm Ezenwafor’s death.
Nigerian Newssphere recalls that Ezenwafor escaped an assassination attempt on his life after he was shot by hoodlums and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja.
He suffered a near-death situation when gunmen accosted him around Wuse 2 on Friday night.
