Compilations of top 10 key latest updates that you need to know this Saturday morning, 7th February, 2026
Sadiku: Unmasking terrorist leader behind Kwara massacre
Tuesday’s massacre in Woro, a remote community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, which left an estimated 176 residents dead, was not a random act of violence.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that the attack was the result of a calculated expansion of a jihadist front that the country’s security architecture failed to halt despite prior warnings.
At the centre of the bloodshed is Abubakar Saidu, popularly known as Sadiku, a terrorist commander whose violent trail spans more than a decade and northern region of the country.
For years, Sadiku remained a shadowy figure within the insurgency landscape.
But investigations reveal a 12-year evolution that saw him rise from a handpicked lieutenant of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, in 2014, to what security analysts now describe as the “Shekau of the North-Central” by 2026.
As sustained military pressure weakened Boko Haram’s strongholds in the North-East, Sadiku migrated westward, embedding himself in the vast forest corridors of Niger and Kwara states.
85% of senators support e-transmission, Kingibe debunks legislative blockade claims
Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory and a member of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, has addressed concerns over the ongoing Electoral Amendment Bill, assuring Nigerians that key reforms, including electronic transmission of results, remain intact.
The clarification comes after major opposition parties condemned the Senate’s rejection of a proposed amendment to Clause 70(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory.
In a statement on X (Formerly Twitter) on Friday, Kingibe said the National Assembly undertook an intensive and inclusive process in 2024 and 2025 to reform Nigeria’s electoral framework.
The process involved public hearings, policy retreats, and consultations with INEC and civil society organisations.
Sanusi, Achebe, Ndanusa declare war on GBV
It was a rare spectacle of heritage meeting modernity on live television.
Clad in the rich, heavy regalia of their respective stools – the embroidered caps of the North and the coral beads of the South – three of Nigeria’s most influential traditional rulers On Wednesday sat side-by-side in the Lagos studio of Channels Television.
They were not there to discuss land disputes or title ceremonies; they were there to dismantle the very “mumbo jumbo” often used to justify the bruising and battering of women and children.
The Emir of Shonga, HRH Dr Haliru Ndanusa; the 14th Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II; and the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, presented a united front following a high-level conference on gender-based violence (GBV) prevention.
2027 Elections: The battle over result transmission
Tony Okoronkwo still remembers the moment the celebration at his polling unit turned into suspicion.
The spare-parts dealer at Apo Mechanic Village spent nearly nine hours at a polling unit inside Jabi Primary School, Abuja, during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
When the ballots were finally counted and results announced, voters clapped, relieved the long day had ended peacefully.
Then the uploading of the results, the final act meant to make the outcome visible nationwide, never happened.
According to Okoronkwo, the National Youth Service Corps member serving as Presiding Officer declined to transmit the polling-unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal despite repeated public demands.
The official reportedly said an unnamed superior had instructed him not to upload the figures and could not disclose further details.
Youth group slams ‘fabricated’ report, defends IGP against fraud claims
The Integrity Youth Alliance (IYA) has launched a fierce counter-offensive against a news report alleging the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, is embroiled in a multi-million dollar fraud scandal and a frantic digital cover-up, branding the story as a cocktail of “conjecture” and outright fabrication.
The group’s statement, issued Friday, directly challenges a publication by SaharaReporters which claimed IGP Egbetokun hired external tech experts to scrub online links connecting him to a $2.5 million fraud case involving a Nigerian socialite.
“The report is not only false and misleading but a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of the IGP and undermine the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force,” said
Danjuma Lamido, IYA’s spokesperson.
He accused the outlet of relying on unnamed, shadowy sources to peddle what he termed “a work of fiction.”
Tinubu unveils major sports sector reform, orders funding reset from 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set in motion, a sweeping reform of Nigeria’s sports sector, directing key ministries and agencies of the Federal Government to reset sports funding and make the industry more economically viable.
The President announced the plan on Friday evening in a message posted on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, where he described sports as one of Nigeria’s strongest national brands and a major tool for unity and global influence.
Tinubu said the reforms were anchored on the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE), which he described as a strategy to position sports as a driver of job creation, tourism, investment, and global influence.
He added that his administration would build a stronger sports ecosystem through scientific elite athlete development, active grassroots participation, revitalised sports federations, and hosting major international events in Nigeria.
PDP factions square up over reopening of national secretariat
The two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) launched into a fresh face-off yesterday after the pro-Wike group announced its plan to reopen the Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja for business on Monday.
The announcement did not go down well with the Tanimu Turaki-led faction which warned that any such move would amount to self-help, and declared that “responsibility for any injury to persons or damage to property arising therefrom should be placed solely on the aggressors and their security collaborators.”
The building was sealed by the police on November 19, 2025 following a clash between the Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) and that of the factional acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed.
Summit targets $500m investment in Nigeria
In what may be described as an economic resurgence of some sorts, the board and management of the World International Economic Group (WIEG) Nigeria, has hinted of plans to raise over $500 million as foreign direct investment into the country.
Giving this hint on Friday was Bassey Essien, a member of the WIEG, who addressed a press conference ahead of the two day summit scheduled to hold from February 25-26, at Four Point by Sheraton, Lagos.
Justifying the need for the interface and discussion sessions tagged, ‘Nigeria’s Next Frontier: Unlocking Sustainable Investments for Economic Transformation,’ Essien said the summit, which promises to be a regular feature, becomes inevitable to help businesses harness opportunities that would make them strategically utilise, capitalise and maximise available resources, market trends for maximum growth ultimately.
Adekunle Gold says getting old not limitation
Afrobeats singer and songwriter, Adekunle Gold, has opined that getting older is not a setback but an advantage.
The singer made the remarks while reflecting on 39th birthday celebration recently.
In a chat with The Nation, Gold revealed that while birthdays once filled him with pressure, it now brings a sense of calm and gratitude.
“There was a time when birthdays used to scare me, I used to feel like time was tapping me on the shoulder, asking what I had to show for myself,” he began.
The Lagos State-born performer added that, “I thought progress had a deadline, though there was a point where you either arrived or you didn’t.
But this year felt calm.
Following the release of his sixth studio album, ‘Fuji’, which many critics described as his most impactful body of work, Adekunle Gold disputes the notion.
Actor Bukunmi Oluwasina turns rapper on ‘Man2Man’
Nollywood actress Bukunmi Oluwasina has become the latest celebrity to join the viral music challenge ‘Man2Man.
Bukunmi’s entry stood out for its blunt message addressing rivalry and ill will among women.
“To any woman wishing another woman fails, causing a fellow woman pain… Babe to babe, I pour you spit,” she said.
In her verse, the 35-year-old thespian criticised envious people and critics.
“Na fellow woman they create a fake account to attack your brand just to chop your eyes.”
The challenge was created by Nigerian rapper Dremo to promote his latest single, ‘Man2Man’ and has since gained significant traction across various platforms.
