Fela becomes first African to receive Grammy lifetime honour
Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti has received a major global honour nearly three decades after his death. The BBC reported on Friday that the Recording Academy will posthumously confer a Lifetime Achievement Award on the Nigerian music icon at the Grammy Awards, making him the first African to receive the honour. It’s bringing balance to a Fela story.”A former manager and long-time associate of the late singer, Rikki Stein, said the honour was long overdue. In 2024, the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category, while Nigerian singer Burna Boy earned a nomination this year in the Best Global Music Album category. The BBC described Fela as more than a musician, portraying him as a cultural thinker, political agitator and the creator of Afrobeat.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 15:50 UTC
Court Declares Factional PDP National Convention Invalid
The Federal High Court in Ibadan on Friday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State. The court also barred Kabiru Turaki and others from presenting themselves as national officers of the party, dealing a significant blow to the faction that emerged from the convention. Despite internal disputes within the party, the PDP went ahead with its highly anticipated two-day 2025 Elective National Convention at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba, Ibadan. The court’s decision follows ongoing leadership disputes within the PDP, which have led to competing factions and legal battles over the party’s national leadership and internal processes. The rebirth movement remains firmly on course.”As the case progresses to the appellate court, party members and supporters will be closely watching for a definitive ruling that could shape the direction of the PDP ahead of upcoming political engagements.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 14:59 UTC
Ebonyi traders reject protest over Onitsha market closure
Indigenes of Ebonyi State trading in Anambra State have distanced themselves from any planned protest over the closure of the Onitsha Main Market, declaring full support for Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s insistence on full commercial activities on Mondays. The Ebonyi Town Union in Anambra State made its position known in a statement issued by its President-General, Moses Igwe, in Onitsha on Friday. Igwe urged Ebonyi traders to avoid actions capable of disrupting public peace or endangering their lives and businesses. “Non-indigenes, particularly Ebonyi traders, often bear the brunt whenever protests turn violent. “Ebonyi indigenes in Okpoko are major beneficiaries of the general hospital built by this administration.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 14:36 UTC
Turaki-led PDP Vows to Challenge Court Judgment
The Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has announced plans to appeal a judgment delivered on Friday by the Federal High Court in Ibadan, following the court’s refusal to grant an order of mandamus. Despite the setback, the party emphasised that the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, which emerged from the Ibadan Convention, remains legally intact and unshaken. The party said it is awaiting the final pronouncement of the appellate courts, which it believes will uphold its position. As the case progresses to the appellate court, party members and supporters will be closely watching for a definitive ruling that could shape the direction of the PDP ahead of upcoming political engagements. “Notwithstanding this judgment, the Kabiru Turaki–led Peoples Democratic Party, which emerged from the Ibadan Convention, remains legally intact and unshaken, as we await the authoritative pronouncement of the appellate courts.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 14:24 UTC
Military to Trace and Stop Terrorist Drone Attacks in Nigeri
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while reeling out recent military successes. He said the military is a transparent institution and assured all that investigations would be carried out if details were provided. On the return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon, Onoja said the development reflected the success of military operations in restoring security to affected communities. “During the month, troops conducted operations against terrorists in Gwoza, Damboa, Mobbar, Askira Uba and Konduga LGAs of Borno State. In Plateau State, troops of Operation Enduring Peace responded to distress calls on terrorist activities, conducting offensive operations across Plateau and parts of Kaduna State.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 13:56 UTC
Activists face trial for Lagos anti-demolition protest
The Lagos State Police Command on Thursday arraigned activist Comrade Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, alongside Dele Frank before the Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court over their alleged roles in a protest against illegal demolitions, forcible evictions and land grabbing at the Lagos State House of Assembly. The defendants were charged with five counts bordering on conspiracy, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, threats, unlawful assembly, obstruction of traffic, and singing abusive songs against the police and the Lagos State Government. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Falana countered the objection, arguing that both the Constitution and the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court Law expressly permit any legal practitioner, regardless of rank, to appear before magistrates’ courts. Alaka agreed with Falana, stating that “the rank of SAN is not a restriction.”The court subsequently granted the defendants bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two sureties, and adjourned the case to March 3, 2026, for mention.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 10:46 UTC
Bus driver ‘stood between thief and distressed passenger’ before punch thrown
“You have seconds to think, so I’m going ‘I’m not letting this guy get away’, you know, because you hear about it so often where there’s people on tubes, trains, buses – they’re opportunists and they wait for these people just to keep the guard down and they strike and I just… I wasn’t gonna allow it.”
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 10:39 UTC
‘I’m not interested’: Abdullahi, Adamolekun spar over ADC manifesto list - video Dailymotion
00:15 Bolaji Abdoulaye Adamolekonspa over ADC Manifesto League. 00:55 Police bot syndicates involved in international trafficking of women for prostitution. 02:15 I am Hulu Karate for the boyo. 02:20 I am Hulu Karate. 02:25 I am Hulu Karate.
Source:The Guardian
January 30, 2026 07:22 UTC
Plane Crash in Colombia Kills Lawmaker, 14 Others
(FILES) A Satena Airlines aircraft covering the route Bogota-Caracas is pictured upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, on November 9, 2022. A commercial plane with 15 people on board disappeared in Colombia near the border with Venezuela, the state-owned airline Satena reported on January 28, 2025. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP)A twin-propeller aircraft carrying 15 people, including a Colombian lawmaker, Diogenes Quintero, crashed in a mountainous region near the Venezuelan border on January 28. The crash adds to a history of fatal aviation accidents involving prominent figures in Colombia. In January 2025, a private plane crashed in central-eastern Colombia, killing all six people on board, including singer Yeison Jiménez.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 04:40 UTC
Kabir Marafa Dismisses Claim of His Return to APC
Former senator representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District, Kabir Marafa, has refuted the claim that he has returned to the All Progressives Congress. “Our attention has been drawn to a publication by the online platform ‘Ripples Nigeria’, which falsely claimed that Senator Kabir Garba Marafa has returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside his supporters. “Senator Kabir Garba Marafa, OFR, CON (Marafan Gusau), is a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who proudly represented Zamfara Central Senatorial District from 2011 to 2019,” Haruna said. “For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Kabir Garba Marafa formally resigned from the APC on August 28, 2025. “When Senator Kabir Garba Marafa decides to align with or join any political platform, he will transparently communicate such a decision, as he openly did when he left the APC,” he said.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 04:40 UTC
CAN, others reject Shari’ah council’s call for INEC chair’s removal
Joseph Hayab, and Secretary General, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the sustained campaign against the INEC chairman. “Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. It likened the decision to that of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who retained a northern Muslim as INEC chairman despite intense pressure. It also advised the INEC chairman to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections. According to Northern CAN, such comments, combined with sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raised questions about attempts to undermine Christian participation and confidence in Nigeria’s political process.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 04:26 UTC
Pinnick: Nigeria wouldn't miss 2026 World Cup under me
Former Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has insisted the Super Eagles would have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if he were still in charge of Nigerian football. Pinnick, who led the NFF from October 2014 to October 2022, guided Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup in Russia but also presided over the failure to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar after a playoff defeat to Ghana. Speaking on Sunday Oliseh’s Global Football Insights show, the former CAF vice president expressed shock that Nigeria failed to take advantage of the expanded World Cup format, which offers up to 10 qualification slots to African teams. “Algeria hadn’t lost in over 20 games, Cameroon were defending champions, Zambia were champions, and Nigeria was the least considered,” he said. “We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose; we were knocked out by the away goals rule,” he said.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 04:08 UTC
Lagos couple stages self-kidnap, arrested with N10m ransom
A Lagos-based couple, identified simply as Fred and Goodness, have been arrested for allegedly staging their own kidnap and extorting N10m in ransom from their families and friends. The source added that the families raised N10m within three days, believing the money was meant to secure their release. “The couple faked their kidnapping, thereby calling on friends and families for contributions towards the ransom payment. “The operatives stopped them, searched the bag, and discovered the ransom money, prompting their immediate arrest. She said, “The couple will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.”The incident added to the growing number of self-orchestrated abduction cases uncovered by law enforcement.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 03:16 UTC
Group wants Sowore prosecuted over leaked court footage
A group, the Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly, has called for the prosecution of politician and former African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over the alleged leaking of video footage from an ongoing court proceeding involving the Department of State Services. The group accused Sowore of contempt of court and breaching national security laws by allegedly circulating a video clip showing his lawyer cross-examining a DSS operative in a cyberbullying case instituted against him by the secret police. The group said Sowore and his legal team ought to have known the gravity of their actions, noting that while he is currently standing trial for alleged cyberbullying, the leaked footage could expose him to more serious criminal liability. The group also called on the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, to treat the matter as direct contempt of court (in facie curiae) and impose appropriate sanctions. The footage also captured an objection raised by counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), as well as a ruling by the trial judge.
Source:Punch
January 30, 2026 00:49 UTC