Homepage News from Friday, August 28th, 2026

At least 7,825 people were kidnapped across Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, a 66% increase from the previous year, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.

A joint security team has rescued 11 people abducted by gunmen in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, including nine National Youth Service Corps members.

Minister of Works David Umahi has ordered the arrest of the Managing Director of Hartland Nigeria Limited over the company’s alleged failure to complete an 11-kilometre section of the Benin-Onitsha Expressway.

Norway’s King Harald V, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, has died at the age of 89 after more than three decades on the throne.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has directed the leadership of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), and Nationwide League One (NLO) to hand over administrative control to their respective Chief Operating Officers.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised to reopen Nigeria’s land borders and develop ports in the southern part of the country if elected president in 2027.

Nigeria’s representative at the 2026 Miss World competition, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, has won the Africa Top Model title, earning an automatic place in the Top 40 quarterfinals.

The controversy over the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results has deepened after a West African Examinations Council official alleged irregularities and technical glitches in the release of the results.

Nigeria’s opposition parties are set to meet in Abuja on the 31st of August as part of efforts to form a common political front against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.

Fountain School Jikwoyi Abuja has advanced to the semi-finals of the Season Nine I Beg To Differ National Debate Competition after defeating Government Science Secondary School, Tungamaji, Abuja, in a closely contested quarterfinal debate on the motion, “Identity Is Chosen Rather Than Inherited.”

The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase has been conducted, setting up a series of blockbuster fixtures as Europe’s elite clubs prepare for the new campaign.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme as Acting General Secretary following the resignation of Dr Mohammed Sanusi, amid a sweeping leadership crisis within the federation.

President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments.

Dancer and entertainer Iweh Pascal Odinaka, better known as Poco Lee, has been formally charged with five sexual offences in the United Kingdom.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has warned 915 communities across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory of critical flood risk between August 27 and September 9.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to explain conflicting figures on its expanded cash-transfer programme and account for more than ₦600 billion reportedly disbursed to vulnerable Nigerians.

American Olympic champion Masai Russell has broken Tobi Amusan’s women’s 100-meter hurdles world record, clocking 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday.