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By Jethro Ibileke

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has assented to two landmark laws recently passed by the State House of Assembly. The laws, the Edo State Public Property Protection Law, 2025, and the Customary Court of Appeal (Re-establishment) Law, 2025, prescribed 10 years jail term for anyone caught vandalising or illegally occupying, encroaching on or transferring public properties

The Governor noted that the two new laws represent a bold step in the administration’s ongoing reforms to restore institutional discipline, promote transparency, and protect the collective patrimony of Edo people from encroachment, abuse, and illegal appropriation.

The Edo State Public Property Protection Law, 2025, establishes the Edo State Public Property Protection Committee, a statutory body mandated to oversee, safeguard, and recover all public properties belonging to the State.

The law empowers the committee to prevent unauthorized occupation, vandalism, encroachment, alienation, or destruction of public assets.

Under the new law, the committee shall have the authority to identify, inspect, seal, and recover encroached public properties, investigate disputes, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to ensure strict compliance. It also empowers the committee to initiate legal actions through the Ministry of Justice against any individual or entity found in contravention of the provisions of the law.

overnor Okpebholo emphasized that the new legal framework is a clear demonstration of his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, impunity, and misuse of government property. “Public assets belong to the people of Edo State, not individuals. This law ensures that no one, no matter how highly placed, can appropriate public property for private gain,” he said.

The law prescribes stringent penalties for violations. Unauthorized sale or transfer of government property without the Governor’s consent now attracts a five-year prison term, while violent or forceful entry into state-owned property could lead to up to ten years’ imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.

Professionals who aid or abet illegal land transactions involving state property will also face sanctions, including prosecution and referral to their professional bodies for disciplinary action. Additionally, false petitions or fraudulent claims relating to government lands will attract severe penalties to deter abuse of process.

In the same legislative stride, the Edo State House of Assembly also passed, and the Governor assented to, the Customary Court of Appeal (Re-establishment) Law, 2025, effectively reconstituting the Edo State Customary Court of Appeal as a superior court of record in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

The Court will exercise appellate and supervisory jurisdiction over civil proceedings involving questions of customary law, as well as original jurisdiction over chieftaincy and traditional stool matters within the State.

Under the new framework, the President of the Customary Court of Appeal will be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), subject to confirmation by the Edo State House of Assembly. Six other judges will serve on the court, each required to possess not less than ten years of post-call experience and demonstrable expertise in customary law practice.

To guarantee judicial independence, the salaries and allowances of the President and Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal are to be charged directly on the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Edo State.

overnor Okpebholo described the re-establishment of the Customary Court of Appeal as “a reaffirmation of Edo’s commitment to accessible justice, respect for traditional values, and fidelity to the Constitution.” He noted that the move underscores his administration’s belief that a functional justice system is indispensable to good governance, stability, and investor confidence.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, while commending the Governor for his foresight, said the laws mark “a new era in asset governance and judicial integrity,” adding that they will serve as “critical instruments for institutional renewal and the protection of Edo’s moral and material heritage.”

Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, has launched a scathing attack on New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, describing him as a “Hamas supporter” and urging Jewish residents of the city to relocate to Israel following his election victory.

Chikli made the remarks on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“The city that once stood as a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter.”

He went further to claim that Mamdani’s political stance was “not far from those of the jihadist fanatics who, 25 years ago, murdered three thousand of its own people,” a reference to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Mamdani, 34, who will become New York’s first Muslim mayor when he assumes office in January, ran on a platform of affordability and inclusion. He has publicly spoken out against antisemitism and Islamophobia, both of which he says he has personally experienced.

vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, Mamdani has previously described Israel as an “apartheid regime” and called the ongoing war in Gaza “genocide.” His comments have sparked outrage in sections of the Jewish community and drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel figures.

Chikli, in his post, warned that “New York will never be the same again, especially not for its Jewish community,” claiming the city was “walking, eyes open, into the abyss into which London has already plunged.”

He ended his post by urging Jews in New York to “seriously consider making their new home in the Land of Israel.”

Mamdani’s election victory came despite fierce opposition from business leaders, conservative commentators, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had accused him during the campaign of being a “Jew hater.”

Regina Daniels’ older brother, Sweezy, has taken to social media to demand public support following the arrest and alleged arraignment of their brother, Sammy West.

Sammy was reportedly picked up by security operatives in Lagos on Monday, November 3, and has since been transferred to Abuja. According to Sweezy, the family has been denied access to him, and he has already been charged in court.

In a fresh Instagram post shared on Wednesday afternoon, Sweezy urged Nigerians to protest against what he described as an unjust arrest, vowing not to stop until his brother regains freedom.

“Enough is enough. I’m calling on Nigerians to stand with us. My brother has been moved to Abuja and arraigned secretly. We won’t stop fighting. We need a protest,” he wrote.

Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has warned Nigerians against insulting her mother over her ongoing marital issues.

The actress, on her Instagram page on Wednesday, revealed that her mom, Rita Daniels, warned her against getting married to Ned Nwoko.

She added that she is the one to be blamed for her decision and not her mom, stressing that she fell in love.

“Please, stop insulting my mom. For some reason, I feel like I owe you all this explanation because I don’t know why everyone is in pain about my life. But I don’t feel like you all are pained from a bad side. So please, stop insulting my mom. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She is my god on earth. She’s been strong for seven years. My mom held it down. She tried. You all insulted her. But she tried. It’s me. I’m the one with the coconut head. I’m so ashamed to say I fell in love. But I actually really did. And it’s wild. But I did. Everyone said no,” she stated

Regina Daniels also reacted to the claims that she got married to Ned Nwoko out of greed. She emphasised that her family was not broke before the engagement.

“And you all stop saying I got married out of greed. Excuse me. No. We were not broke. Does that make sense? And secondly, what do you guys think? What money can a man give to a mother to get her child, who practically provides everything in the house? That is, practically, she trained all her children through this child,” she added.

Taiwo Okanlawon

There’s something quietly radical about the way Modola is moving through Nigeria’s university campuses. No red carpets, massive arenas — open-air courtyards and sunlit lawns instead, the kind of places where the next wave of pop culture is already humming.

Over the past few weeks, the singer has been part of Trace Naija’s “Trace in the City” tour, a roaming celebration of youth, sound, and spontaneity that’s taken her from the University of Abuja to Ibadan, Calabar, and most recently, Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.

By the time she arrived at Yaba Tech, word had already spread. Students poured out from classrooms, gathering around the makeshift stage in a kind of joyful chaos — some climbing balconies for a better view, others recording every second on their phones. When Modola finally appeared, the crowd erupted. She opened with “No Stress”, followed by “Talk,” her voice weaving through the humid afternoon air as hundreds of voices echoed the lyrics back at her.

The performance had the ease of someone who doesn’t have to reach for connection — it’s simply there. Between verses, she laughed with the crowd, waved at familiar faces, and moved as if she were in conversation with everyone watching. It was less a show and more a shared moment, the kind that blurs the line between artist and audience.

That intimacy has become the defining feature of “Trace in the City.” Each stop feels different — the colors, the sounds, the pace of each campus — but the energy is the same. There’s an unfiltered excitement that builds with every appearance, a sense of ownership from the fans who feel seen, heard, and included. For many, it’s a rare opportunity: a superstar stepping directly into their space without the distance of VIP barriers or arena lights.

nd for Modola, that seems to be the point. She isn’t chasing spectacle; she’s chasing connection. The music feels alive here — raw, immediate, and real. In an era of streaming numbers and digital applause, she’s finding something more tangible: the sound of a crowd that knows every word.

s the tour continues, one thing is certain — these aren’t just campus concerts. They’re snapshots of a generation in motion, gathered around a sound that feels like their own. And Modola, in the middle of it all, seems perfectly at home.

By Aminu Garko

The gale of defection from the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano to the All Progressives Congress, APC has continued. The latest of the ongoing defections between the two parties took place at Tarai in Kibiya Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday as the APC woman leader for the council, Hajiya Sabuwa Tarai, led over 100 members of the party to the NNPP.

The APC members were received into NNPP by Kano State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Alhaji Adamu A Kibiya, according to a statement issued by Director of Public Enlightenment, Kano Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Balarabe Kiru on Wednesda.

Kiru said that the defectors led by Tarai cited the development projects and programmes executed by Gov. Yusuf’s administration as the reason for their decision to join NNPP.

“We are impressed by the numerous projects executed by Gov. Yusuf at the local government and state level,” Tarai said.

The commissioner assured the defectors of equal treatment and welcomed them to the NNPP family, urging them to work together for the party’s progress.

NNPP to APC defections

Recall that more than 1,000 members of the NNPP and Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano had last Saturday defected to APC.

The defectors cited numerous interventions by President Bola Tinubu and Sen. Barau Jibrin as the reason for their decision, according to a statement issued by Special Adviser to Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir on Sunday .

Mudashir said the group’s leader, Aminu Minjibir, said they had worked tirelessly for the success of the Kwankwasiyya Movement but regretted that the NNPP was not doing enough for the people of Kano State.

Sen. Jibrin, who received the defectors, described their decision to join the APC as the best course of action, saying the NNPP’s fortunes were on a downward slide.

He commended the defectors for making the right decision, saying the APC is the largest party in Africa and is doing well in human development.

lso, about 650 members of NNPP had on Thursday, October 30 dumped the NNPP for APC in Gobirawa Ward, Dala Local Government Area, and parts of Fagge and Ungoggo Local Government Areas of Kano State.

The defectors, who came in under various leadership groups, were received by the Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Rabiu Bichi.

Bichi welcomed the new members, citing President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and the APC’s commitment to fairness, inclusiveness, and democratic dividends.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will now feature 16 teams instead of 12, starting from the 2026 edition in Morocco. The tournament will be held from March 17 to April 3, 2026.

In a statement released on Wednesday, CAF said the change is part of its plan to make women’s football in Africa stronger and more competitive.

Since the qualification matches for 2026 have already been completed, CAF has chosen four extra teams based on their

FIFA Women’s World Rankings. These teams are: Cameroon (66th) Ca’te d’Ivoire (71st) Mali (79th) Egypt (95th)

They will join the 12 countries that already qualified: Morocco (hosts), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Senegal.

CAF explained that the expansion will give more African teams a chance to play at a high level and increase the visibility of women’s football worldwide.

The 2026 WAFCON will also serve as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos branch, has accused the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, of misleading Nigerians over the Federal Government’s implementation of agreements reached with the union.

The lecturers also warned that they might resume their suspended strike if the government fails to meet their demands within the next two weeks.

In a statement signed by the branch chairperson, Prof. Jurbe Joseph Molwus, ASUU recalled that it had on October 22 issued a four-week ultimatum to the government to resolve all outstanding issues or face industrial action.

Two weeks later, the union said “not much progress” has been made as members were yet to receive their withheld salaries, wage award arrears, promotion arrears, and other entitlements.

“As we prepare for our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for November 89, we expected that these payments would have been made by now. What we get instead are press statements from the Honourable Minister of Education. What we need are credit alerts, not misleading statements,” ASUU said.

The union also faulted the Minister’s claim that 2.3 billion had been released to clear salary and promotion arrears across federal universities, describing it as “false and embarrassing.”

“The Minister’s claim of clearing the backlog exists only in his imagination. 2.3 billion can barely cover three universities. The Minister must clarify what fraction of the outstanding entitlements this money covers and for whom,” the statement read.

SUU further expressed concern that the 50 billion revitalisation fund reportedly released weeks ago had not reached any university, describing the Minister’s statements as “contradictory and inconsistent.”

“It’s time for the Minister to realise that only genuine engagement beyond words can resolve ASUU’s demands. Palliatives do not cure diseases,” the union added.

SUU also called on President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate commitment to ending the crisis in the tertiary education sector by appointing a more competent minister who understands the challenges of higher education.

“The strike was only suspended as a sign of goodwill. We expect the government to reciprocate by addressing our demands without further delay,” Prof. Molwus warned, adding that the four-week ultimatum expires on November 21.

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Federal Government has unveiled plan to invest N12 billion to fund digital economy research projects to ensure the country benefits from digital transformation dividends at the 18th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practices of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV)in Abuja.

Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy while speaking at the opening ceremony of the four-day programme with the theme as ‘ Shaping the Future of Digital Governance Through Cooperation, Innovation and Inclusion,’ on Tuesday.

The programme was organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

ccording to Tijani, platforms like ICEGOV had created the opportunity for countries to research into the abilities of emerging technologies and balancing them with policies as it affects societies.

He said Nigeria’s participation in ICEGOV of 2024 highlighted the need for the country to research on digital economy, adding that the records won the country the confidence of partners to host the 2025 edition.

“The Nigerian government is not just doing this as a show because immediately after ICEGOV last year, we funded over 55 research projects.

“At the minute, we are putting together about N12 billion to fund further research projects that are focused on the digital economy.

“We are setting up three research clusters of six universities, each one focused on artificial intelligence, another focus on the biggest issue in our nation today, which is connectivity, where we are investing significantly.

“Thirdly, because of our population, we are also funding another research cluster that is focused on digital skills and literacy,” Tijani said.

The minister also said that digital technologies were now the core of human activities, adding that without it societies remained underdeveloped.

ccording to him, it is important that these technologies are no longer just seen as economic tools, but as tools to reshape society, govern society as well.

Ms Elsa Estevez, Chair of ICEGOV Steering Committee, while reflecting on the theme of the conference, said that AI and the associated risks required countries, entities, governments at all levels to cooperate.

“In the past years, we were profoundly affected by digitally driven innovations, and we often adapt them without much reflection and such innovations dramatically change the way we interact, socially, work, build and complement our capacities.

“We need to ensure that innovations are not just technological, but human centered and contributing to better societies.

“For inclusion, governments, states need to listen and moderate discussions about public affairs, shape political agendas to respond to uncovered needs, secure the digital space of discussions on fake speech, fake news and political manipulation.”

She said that securing the public digital space requires regulation, education and awareness, all based on sound information ethics.

Malam Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA said the government had made plans to integrate digital literacy skill into school curricula in 2026.

Inuwa said the government needed to do that to ensure that the technology growth rate of the country’s youthful population was in accordance with government initiatives.

“In Africa, we have a very young population, our citizens are digitally native and they are all online, therefore governments need to meet them where they are.

“We have so many initiatives in Nigeria based on the ministry’s knowledge policy, we have the digital literacy framework, where we are working on integrating digital literacy into our formal education.

” As of today, we have the approval in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and directive of the President that by next year, we should have digital literacy and skills integrated into our formal education.”

Inuwa also said that the government was putting measures in place to ensure public servants became digitally literate for better service delivery in the public sector.(NAN)

By Ayox Ojo

The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Anambra State, Dr Princeton Okam, has confirmed the release of a neurosurgeon with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Dr Tochukwu Mbanugo, who was abducted last week.

Okam said the doctor was freed shortly before the expiration of the association’s 72-hour ultimatum to the State Government over the abduction of Mbanugo,

Dr Mbanugo was kidnapped in front of his hospital at Uruagu, Nnewi, on the evening of Thursday, 30 October 2025.

The NMA had on Sunday issued a 72-hour deadline for the government to ensure Dr Mbanugo’s safe release or face a total shutdown of medical services in the state.

“We just finished a meeting, and if the doctor had not been released, all doctors would have shut down. Fortunately, we got a call from those in contact with the kidnappers that he has been released. I have also spoken to him and can confirm that he is stable,” Okam said.

Okam had earlier revealed that the kidnappers of the doctor demanded 100 million as ransom for his release.

However, he did not indicate if any ransom was paid to free the neurosurgeon.

Nevertheless, the NMA chairman expressed concern over the increasing cases of abductions targeting medical personnel, noting that doctors, who provide essential services despite poor remuneration, should not be subjected to such ordeals.

“It’s worrisome that doctors, who are essential service providers, are being targeted by kidnappers. We are not well-paid to be victims of ransom demands. Many doctors are already leaving the country because of poor pay, and those of us who stay back should be spared by these criminals,” he lamented.

He urged urged government and security agencies to step up efforts to protect lives and property, especially for healthcare workers who are often required to respond to emergencies at night.

“We need a secure environment so that everyone can go about their legitimate duties without fear,” he said.