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The crisis afflicting the Ondo chapter of Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP worsens on Tuesday with the resignation of its Director of Media and Publicity of Mr Leye Igbabo,

Igbabo dumped PDP barely 72 hours after the party elected Dupe Aisida as its Chairman in the state, alongside other executive members at a congress held in Akure, the state capital.

However, the former spokesperson cited ‘unfriendly and hostile environment’ in the state’s PDP secretariat for his action.

He also alleged utter deceit, huge compromise , gross indiscipline and lack of sincerity of purpose as reasons why he cannot continue to be the spokesperson of the party.

Igbabo stated all these in the resignation letter he addressed to the Ondo PDP secretariat of the party on Tuesday in Akure.

He alleged that the working environment has become ‘hostile’ to him, hence the need for him to resign.

‘It is disheartening to know that the secretariat has become hostile to me and this is affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of my duties as the Director of Media and Publicity.

‘I note with pains, utter deceit, huge compromise and gross indiscipline that there is no more sincerity of purpose and under such circumstances, I do not want to be labelled as an incompetent official.

‘My continuously staying in such an unproductive environment amounts to precious waste of my time and energy.

‘I, therefore, resign my appointment as the Director of Media and Publicity of PDP in Ondo State with immediate effect,’ he said.

Recall that many members of PDP Ondo had in the past few months defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

There have also been rumours that the party candidate in Ondo November 16 governorship election Agboola Ajayi is also getting set to join the APC.

Ajayi was not present at the congress of the party held last weekend, thus, further fueling the rumours of the impending defection.

Victor Osimhen proved decisive for Galatasaray in a tense European night clash against Liverpool, opening the scoring from the penalty spot before enduring a frustrating evening marked by injury concerns and missed opportunities.

The Nigerian striker calmly converted in the 16th minute, sending Alisson Becker the wrong way after Dominik Szoboszlai’s rash challenge gifted Galatasaray a penalty. His confident finish lifted the Istanbul side and gave them a dream start against the six-time European champions.

Osimhen, however, soon faced difficulties. He went down injured in the 27th minute and required treatment, sparking worry among the home fans. Though he returned to action, he was clearly struggling, often limping and fighting through visible discomfort.

Despite his physical setback, Osimhen nearly doubled Galatasaray’s lead in the 54th minute, weaving past two Liverpool defenders before unleashing a fierce low drive, only for Alisson to deny him with a sharp save.

The game’s drama continued into the closing stages when Liverpool thought they had a lifeline. In the 88th minute, Wilfried Singo’s heavy challenge saw referee Clement Turpin award a penalty.

Galatasaray players furiously surrounded the official, and after a VAR review, the decision was overturned, sparking wild celebrations inside the stadium.

Osimhen’s early strike ultimately stood as the match’s defining moment, showcasing his resilience and clinical touch despite his injury struggles.

Music legend Lionel Richie has lifted the lid on one of Michael Jackson’s lesser-known quirks and it’s wild.

In his new memoir, Truly, Richie recalls that the King of Pop, despite his global fame, often went days without changing clothes, earning him the teasing nickname ‘Smelly’ from producer Quincy Jones.

‘Michael would laugh, realizing he hadn’t changed or washed his clothes for a couple of days,’ Richie writes. ‘We all have our quirks.’

According to Richie, Jackson’s eccentric style of living was partly down to life on the road, performing in elaborate stage costumes or relaxing in loose pajamas and slippers at home.

But it didn’t stop there, the superstar reportedly wore his jeans and underwear until they were literally falling apart. Fans and staff often grabbed his outfits as souvenirs, leaving him with few options but to keep wearing them.

Richie recounts a hilarious moment when Jackson came to visit him looking particularly unkempt. The singer was handed clean jeans and underwear, encouraged to shower and left his old clothes behind.

‘There on the carpet were his old jeans and underwear, just lying there like roadkill,’ Richie writes. ‘What do I do but laugh? MJ was here.’

Even with his unusual hygiene habits, Richie reminds fans that Jackson was a musical genius, able to pick apart 15 different mixes of a single song. But off-stage, he was just like Richie says: ‘Winging it every minute.’

Police said they have rescued a man abducted by suspected armed hoodlums in Umuru Village, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State seven hours after he was abducted.

The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of ?10 million before the rescue was carried out, Anambra Police Command spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Awka.

Ikenga said the victim was rescued by joint operatives from the Police Command and Tactical Team in a coordinated operation in the early hours of Sept. 30. in Oba/Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area, seven hours after his abduction.

‘The victim was rescued seven hours after he was abducted by armed criminals at Umuru Village, Nnobi,’ Ikenga said.

According to him, intelligence-led tactical teams were deployed immediately to comb the location extensively.

‘Under pressure from the advancing rescue team, the kidnappers hastily released the victim and fled into nearby bushes,’ he said.

The victim was rescued unharmed, debriefed, and has since been reunited with his family.

Ikenga said the command was pursuing leads for the possible arrest of the fleeing suspects.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Ortugu, as commending the operatives for their swift intervention.

Ortugu reassured residents of the command’s commitment to tackling crime and safeguarding lives and property across the state.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic chapter, Zaria, Kaduna State, has declared an indefinite strike effective Tuesday.

The branch Chairman, Malam Usman Suleiman, announced this in a statement issued on Monday in Zaria.

Suleiman said the decision followed a meeting with the Kaduna State Government where the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education appealed for patience, saying that Gov. Uba Sani had ‘impliedly approved’ their demands.

He explained that the union resolved to withdraw its services until a formal approval was granted by the Governor.

The chairman recalled that the congress had earlier mandated the leadership to embark on an indefinite strike should the Polytechnic Salary Structure (PSS) not be implemented after payment of the September 2025 salary.

The union’s demands include the implementation of CONPCASS/CONTEDISS salary structures for staff of state tertiary institutions and the extension of the 65-year retirement age to non-academic staff, as approved for academic staff.

‘After due deliberations, the unions unanimously resolved that members shall withdraw their services until the governor’s approval is officially granted,’ Suleiman said.

Former Super Eagles defender, Samuel Sodje, has said it is ’embarrassing’ for Nigerians to celebrate FIFA’s decision to punish South Africa.

On Monday, FIFA announced that Bafana Bafana lost three points and three goals for using an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their March 2025 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.

The deduction means Nigeria, who are third in the group with 11 points, are now just three points behind South Africa. Some Nigerians celebrated the news, seeing it as a lifeline for the Super Eagles.

Sodje, however, disagrees. He told Soccernet:

‘South Africa broke the rules, and FIFA punished them. That is normal. What I find surprising is that Nigerians are treating this as a big achievement. To me, it is embarrassing.’

Officers of the Niger State Police Command have neutralised three suspected kidnappers and recovered two AK-47 rifles along with 49 rounds of live ammunition during a clearance operation in the Kokolo Forest area of Magama Local Government Area.

The operation, which occurred in the early hours of September 12, 2025, was carried out by the Command’s Special Task Team (STT), FID-STS, in collaboration with local vigilante groups, following credible intelligence on the location of criminal hideouts.

Spokesman of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development in a statement released Monday, noting that the operatives engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun duel.

‘During the operation within Kokolo Forest, via Kawo-Auna village in Nasko, Magama LGA, the team stormed a kidnappers’ camp and engaged them in a gun battle. Three suspects were neutralized, while others fled with gunshot wounds. One kidnapped victim was successfully rescued,’ Abiodun stated.

A thorough search of the hideout led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles and 49 rounds of live ammunition. Abiodun added that efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend the fleeing gang members.

He called on residents of nearby communities to report anyone seen with unexplained injuries.

‘Members of the public, especially in neighbouring villages, are urged to report anyone found with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station or security agency,’ he said.

YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump after the video-streaming platform suspended his account in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

The settlement, reached with YouTube’s parent company Alphabet, follows similar deals Trump secured with Meta and X (formerly Twitter).

Trump had accused the platforms of political bias, alleging they unfairly censored conservative voices.

At the time of his suspension, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter argued that Trump’s posts risked inciting further violence as Washington reeled from the storming of the Capitol.

Under the settlement terms, $22 million will be directed to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit raising funds to build a new White House ballroom. Another $2.5 million will go to co-plaintiffs in Trump’s case, including the American Conservative Union.

Earlier this year, Meta agreed to pay $25 million, with $22 million allocated for Trump’s planned presidential library. In February, X settled for $10 million, weeks after its purchase by Trump ally Elon Musk.

All of Trump’s accounts have since been reinstated across major platforms, marking a notable shift from the mass de-platforming that followed the Capitol attack. The settlements highlight Silicon Valley’s broader softening stance toward Trump and the Republican Party.

The tech sector has also begun easing content moderation rules, responding to long-standing Republican criticism of alleged free speech violations.

Just last week, YouTube announced plans to restore several previously banned accounts, including creators who had repeatedly shared false claims about Covid-19 and the 2020 presidential election.

In a letter to a Republican-led congressional committee, YouTube wrote, ‘YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognises that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.’

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out two separate suits filed by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to seek court protection against the plan by EFCC to probe him.

Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the two cases following a notice of discontinuance of the suits sighted in the court record and after no lawyer appeared for parties at the resumed hearing.

The former Senate president had filed the suits following the EFCC’s decision in 2019 to probe his earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.

The anti-graft commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in the Ikoyi area of Lagos then.

However, Saraki, on May 10, 2019, filed the two separate suits, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2019, before retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo to challenge the action of the EFCC.

The ex-Senate president named the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) are 1st to 3rd defendants.

Others are EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as 4th to 6th respondents respectively.

Justice Taiwo, who was the presiding judge then, had ruled on an ex-parte application filed along with the substantive suits.

The judge ordered the EFCC and the other five respondents to the suits to stay action on their investigations.

He directed the parties to maintain the status quo by suspending the probe, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.

The order was granted after Saraki’s lawyer moved the application on May 14, 2019.

But the EFCC later applied that the judge should recuse himself and the matter be transferred to another court.

Justice Taiwo sent back the case file to the chief judge and the matter was reassigned to Justice Anwuli Chikere (rtd.) for adjudication.

When the matter came up on July 14, 2021 before Justice Chikere, EFCC Counsel, Chile Okoronkwo, complained that Taiwo’s order had hindered the agency ‘from performing its duty for about two years.’

The lawyer, who stated that Saraki continued to hinge on the order of the court any time he was invited, urged the court to vacate the order.

But the suits were reassigned to Justice Inyang Ekwo following the retirement of Chikere.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ekwo had, on Jan. 25, 2023, struck out the two suits for lack of diligent prosecution.

After the suits were struck out, the ex-Senate president, through his lawyer, approached the court for a relisting of the cases to the cause list of the court.

And on Oct. 28, 2024, Justice Ekwo granted Saraki’s prayer to amend the suits against the respondents.

The judge granted the application after it was moved by Saraki’s counsel, Tunde Afe-Babalola, SAN, and was not opposed by the defence lawyers.

The cases were recently reassigned to Justice Umar.

Colleagues of late ARISE News correspondent, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, have broken their silence, accusing a hospital of negligence that cost the 29-year-old her life after she narrowly escaped a robbery attack.

During Tuesday’s edition of The Morning Show, anchors Ojy Okpe and Dr Reuben Abati recounted how Maduagwu’s life could have been saved but was instead cut short by a system they described as ‘callous and unethical.’

Okpe, narrating the tragic sequence, said the journalist had jumped from her Abuja apartment when she realised 14 armed robbers had stormed the building. Though badly injured from the fall, she survived and was rushed to the Maitama District General Hospital.

‘She did not die on the spot,’ Okpe stressed. ‘She was taken to the hospital, but she was rejected. This really is a tragic incident. Sommie’s life could have been saved, but the hospital refused to treat her.’

Reports said Maduagwu and an aged security guard, who was also injured, were both turned away because hospital staff allegedly demanded identification before treatment. They later died.

Abati condemned the hospital’s actions, calling it a betrayal of medical ethics and a violation of the law.

‘Anybody who is a victim of an accident should be treated immediately,’ he said. ‘But those who were taken to the hospital were refused treatment because staff were looking for identification. It is the duty of doctors and nurses to save lives. Lives could have been saved.’

The anchors described the incident as a national disgrace, adding that it reflects the risks journalists face in Nigeria.

‘This job that we do is very dangerous,’ Abati said. ‘It is unfortunate that a young woman has fallen.’

Maduagwu’s final post on X from August – ‘I pray from the depth of my heart that Nigeria never happens to me or anyone I care about’ – has since resurfaced online, sparking an outpour of grief and anger.

The FCT Police Command confirmed that investigations are ongoing into the robbery and circumstances of her death.

Maduagwu, a lawyer and former beauty queen, joined ARISE in 2024 and was celebrated for her advocacy for out-of-school children and her fight against gender-based violence.