NNPC ran refineries at monumental loss — Ojulari
Ojulari explained that once his management team began a detailed review of refinery operations, the financial reality became immediately clear. But when you look at the net, we were just leaking away value,” Ojulari said. As a result, Ojulari said the first major decision of his administration was to halt refinery operations to prevent further losses and allow for a rapid reassessment. Ojulari acknowledged that the decision to halt operations was politically sensitive, noting that NNPC had historically been pressured to keep refineries running to ensure fuel supply continuity. Ojulari’s comments mark one of the most candid acknowledgements by an NNPC chief executive that continued refinery operations, under prevailing conditions, were economically unjustifiable.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 14:28 UTC
Ex-pension reform chairman Maina slumps, hospitalised – Aide
He said, “Dr Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, slumped on the evening of Tuesday, February 3, 2026, while attempting to access his office premises. “The incident followed complications from an untreated knee injury, which caused him to lose balance and fall, resulting in his head hitting the staircase. “Dr Maina is currently receiving intensive medical care and remains under observation. Maina is widely known for his controversial role as head of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms and the high-profile corruption case that followed. Despite the sentence, Maina was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on February 25, 2025, after serving part of his jail term.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 13:46 UTC
Lagos investment company worker arraigned over N90m diversion
An employee of an investment company in Lagos State, Bello Samuel, has been arraigned for allegedly diverting about N90m from the firm’s account for personal use. Samuel was arraigned by the Police Special Fraud Unit before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on charges bordering on conspiracy and money laundering. “Following a formal complaint by the affected company, operatives of the unit immediately commenced investigation into the matter,” the statement read. The statement also quoted the Commissioner of Police, Police Special Fraud Unit, Lagos, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, as reaffirming the unit’s commitment to combating financial crimes. PUNCH Metro had reported in January that Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, had convicted and sentenced a 64-year-old former Lagos State education director, Olawale Feliti, to two years and five months’ imprisonment for stealing N48,992,271.73 from Access Bank Plc.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 12:50 UTC
Gaza hospitals report 17 dead following Israeli air, ground strikes
At least 17 Palestinians, including six children, were killed on Tuesday in Israeli strikes across Gaza, hospital officials said, as Israel’s military said it responded to gunfire during an operation in the north of the territory. Hospital officials in Gaza disclosed that the deaths were reported in Gaza City and Khan Younis. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says at least 529 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect. The Israeli military says four of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period. Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
February 04, 2026 12:25 UTC
PDP's Segun Sowunmi Enters 2027 Ogun Gov Race
A former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Segun Sowunmi, has announced his intention to run for the Ogun State governorship seat in 2027. Sowunmi made the declaration during an interactive session with his supporters and journalists via Zoom on Tuesday. He said his ambition was driven by the need to tackle insecurity, education and healthcare, among other governance challenges. Sowunmi lamented the lack of continuity in policies and programmes aimed at the development of Ogun State. “We need to design Ogun not to work for the person in Oke-Mosan, but to work for every person in the nooks and crannies of the state.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 12:14 UTC
Four feared killed in fresh Lagos cult clashes
At least four persons are feared dead following separate cult-related clashes that erupted in different parts of Lagos State over the past week. While official confirmation was being awaited from the Lagos State Police Command on the earlier incidents, PUNCH Metro received another tip-off that a man was killed on Monday morning at Baba Adisa Bus Stop, Ibeju-Lekki. However, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mrs Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the killing at Satellite Town, describing it as a suspected murder. None confirmed the incidents, except the one at Satellite Town, which was confirmed as a suspected murder. Last year, no fewer than 10 persons were killed within 10 days in incidents related to cult violence in Lagos.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 12:10 UTC
Lawmaker advises Atiku Abubakar to quit partisan politics
A member of the House of Representatives from Adamawa State, Muhammed Basil, has urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from partisan politics and assume the role of an elder statesman. On the chances of the PDP in Adamawa State ahead of the 2027 general elections, Basil said the party remained dominant and had no serious rival in the state. Meanwhile, Abba Atiku, one of the former vice-president’s sons, recently defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress. Another son of the former vice-president, Adamu Atiku, remains a member of the PDP and is currently serving as Commissioner for Works and Energy Development under Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri. Atiku Abubakar is currently a presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, with none of his sons reportedly involved in the party.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:56 UTC
Bandits kill 40 in Kwara communities
At least 40 persons, including children, were reportedly killed by bandits on Tuesday evening in two communities of Woro and Nuku in the Kaiama local government area of Kwara. The Tribune on Tuesday published that bandits in a renewed onslaught attacked two communities of Woro and Nuku in the Kaiama local government area of Kwara state on Tuesday evening. It was also gathered that the bandits had been going around the neighbouring Niger state villages preaching same before they infiltrated the affected communities in Kaiama local government area of Kwara state. “The angry bandits opened gin shot attack indiscriminately on the congregation and no fewer than 40 residents of the two communities died, few of them escaped. “Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is saddened by the cowardly attack on civilians in Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama Local Government Area.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
February 04, 2026 11:51 UTC
Africa Scrabble announces record prize money for 2026 champs
African Scrabble have announced a record prize purse of $35,000 for the 2026 Africa Scrabble Championship scheduled to hold in Monrovia, Liberia, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The Pan African Scrabble Association confirmed that the 16th edition of the championship will take place from October 21 to 25, 2026, with the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex on Tubman Boulevard set to host Africa’s leading Scrabble players. Historically, prize money at the Africa Scrabble Championship has been limited to only a small number of top placed players, making the expanded payout structure one of the most significant reforms in the competition’s 32 year history. The Pan African Scrabble Association also revealed that the proposed tournament budget submitted by the National Scrabble Association of Liberia is the largest ever for an Africa Scrabble Championship. The Africa Scrabble Championship was first staged in 1994 and has grown into the continent’s premier Scrabble event, attracting players from across Africa and the diaspora.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:30 UTC
Ex-rep hails Zulum’s directive on direct LG funding
The Borno governor had ordered the direct payment of monthly federal allocations to the state’s 27 local government areas. He stated that the decision was aimed at boosting transparency and empowering local government chairpersons to drive grassroots development. The former lawmaker described the directive as commendable and in line with the constitution, democratic due process, and the interests of the masses. The former lawmaker said posterity would remember Governor Zulum’s action as an emblem of transparency and ethical leadership. “I am highly excited that such a succinct directive came from an incumbent state chief executive.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:20 UTC
Akwa Ibom communities clash over Akpabio’s billboard
The Eket people, under the auspices of Ekid union, had reportedly opposed Senator Akpabio’s billboard, questioning the rationale behind such billboards since Senator Akpabio is not from the senatorial district. “Senator Akpabio is not just a senator for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District; he is the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. By virtue of that office, his impact is national,” Akpanika said, noting that Akpabio’s position as the Senate President is a strategic advantage to Akwa Ibom State and should attract support from home rather than hostility. What is driving this hatred is envy of Senator Akpabio’s influence, acceptance and national relevance. He urged Eket interest groups to eschew bitterness, embrace political maturity and hold their own leaders accountable.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:19 UTC
Bandits kill police officer, four others in Benue community
Armed bandits killed several people, including a police officer, during an attack on Abande community in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State. The attack occurred near the Cameroon border during market day, when armed bandits stormed the community, looted stalls, and set the market on fire. A former councillor, Akerigbe Lawrence, told our correspondent that the attackers struck on a market day, killing several people. In a statement on Wednesday, State Command spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet said, “On 3 February 2026, at about 17:30 hours, the Divisional Police Officer, Jato-Aka, received a distress call that suspected armed herder bandits, in large numbers, had attacked police personnel stationed at Abande community as well as members of the community. “During the ensuing confrontation, while police operatives were responding to the distress call, one Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to 13 Police Mobile Force, Makurdi, who was on special duty at Abande Community, was fatally injured.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:08 UTC
Suswam quits PDP, cites unresolved internal crises
A former Governor of Benue State and ex-Senator, Gabriel Suswam, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing persistent internal crises and a lack of cohesion within the opposition party. Suswam’s resignation was contained in a letter dated Wednesday, February 4, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP in Mbagber Council Ward, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. He said, “I write to formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with effect from the date of this letter. “However, the party that once stood as a symbol of cohesion, internal democracy, and progressive opposition has, regrettably, become plagued by persistent and unresolved internal conflicts. As of the time of filing this report, the PDP leadership had yet to react to Suswam’s resignation.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 11:08 UTC
NDLEA, group vow to seize assets harbouring drug dealers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and a civil society group, the Eagle Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiative, have vowed to intensify the seizure of assets linked to drug trafficking and properties used to harbour drug dealers across Lagos State. Landlords who allow their properties to be used for drug sales should know that such assets risk forfeiture. Adams described the partnership with the NDLEA as productive, noting that similar collaborations had been extended to other security and anti-graft agencies. He stressed that properties used to harbour drug dealers would no longer be spared, noting that asset forfeiture was a powerful deterrent in the fight against illicit drugs. Experts have repeatedly called on individuals in society to join the fight against drug abuse, stressing that collective responsibility was essential to ending the menace.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 10:56 UTC
Obi of Onitsha on Ending Harmful Cultural Practices
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, has emphasised the need for a collective effort to eliminate violence against women and the vulnerable. Speaking Wednesday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, the monarch highlighted that Onitsha has already established specific community guidelines designed to safeguard these groups from harm. “It is about coming together within our community, the way we organize, and taking care of each other. People oftentimes misunderstand that dynamism, but it must be there because culture exists to serve the people,” the Obi of Onitsha said. So, first of all, it is about education to enlighten our people regarding the true core elements of our cultural traits”, he added.
Source:Punch
February 04, 2026 10:38 UTC