Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has directed all banks in Nigeria to immediately identify and close any tax or levy collection accounts not authorised through its TaxPro Max platform.

The directive was issued in a public notice titled “Directive to Close Unauthorised FIRS Tax Collection Accounts”, signed by the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, and released to journalists on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi.

According to the FIRS, the move is part of broader efforts to enhance operational efficiency, ensure transparency in tax administration, and standardize tax collection and reconciliation processes nationwide.

“Effective immediately, all tax and levy collections on behalf of FIRS must be processed exclusively pursuant to an assessment raised on the TaxPro Max platform,” the notice stated.

The agency further instructed all banks involved in its Collection, Remittance, and Reconciliation Scheme to comply with the directive within the stipulated timeframe.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that the emerging coalition of opposition parties does not require the support of state governors to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

El-Rufai made the declaration during a media chat with journalists in Kano on Monday. The former governor, who recently left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), emphasized that the coalition’s focus is on grassroots mobilisation rather than political endorsements from officeholders.

“We are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative — something different from what they have seen before,” El-Rufai said.

He further noted, “A governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined.”

El-Rufai’s remarks signal a growing shift in strategy among opposition figures as the political landscape begins to take shape ahead of the 2027 elections.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos Operations Office, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, on Monday received 203 vulnerable Nigerian returnees from Libya.

The agency disclosed the development in a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday.

According to NEMA, the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Cargo Terminal, Lagos, at 7:00 p.m. aboard a chartered Al Buraq Airlines flight with registration number 5A-BAC.

The group comprised 50 adult males, 96 adult females, 29 children, and 28 infants. NEMA stated that the return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), with support from several Nigerian agencies, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Department of State Services, Port Health Services, and the Nigeria Police Force.

Two of the returnees reportedly had medical conditions and were immediately transferred to New Ikeja Hospitals for treatment.

Following their arrival, the returnees underwent profiling and biometric registration before being relocated to the Igando Internally Displaced Persons Resettlement Centre for further reintegration support.

The atmosphere at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Yikpata, turned joyful on Thursday, April 24, 2025, as Corps Member Ijaseun Omotosho Bukola (KW/25A/0251) safely delivered a baby boy during the ongoing Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 Orientation Course.

Labour reportedly began at midnight, prompting camp officials to swiftly transport her to Share General Hospital, Edu Local Government Area. The delivery was managed by a medical consultant from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), and both mother and child are said to be in stable and excellent condition.

The NYSC Kwara State Coordinator, Mr. Onifade Olaoluwa Joshua, expressed gratitude for the safe birth and praised the rapid response of the camp medical team and UITH personnel for their professionalism and care.

Meanwhile, the orientation camp recorded another milestone on the same day with the official commencement of its first morning meditation session for the 2025 Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 Corps Members.

The mindfulness session, held in the early hours of Thursday, was immediately followed by the Camp Director’s welcome address. In his speech, the Director emphasized the significance of discipline, patriotism, and full engagement throughout the three-week orientation period.

He urged Corps Members to embrace the values and responsibilities of the NYSC scheme, stating, “Your experience here sets the tone for your entire service year. Commitment, discipline, and a positive attitude will be your guiding tools.”

Following the address, Corps Members moved to the parade ground for drill exercises, officially beginning the day’s camp activities.

At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed on Monday in separate Boko Haram attacks in Chibok and Kala Balge local government areas of Borno State.

In Chibok, suspected Boko Haram terrorists opened fire on a group of mourners gathered for the third-day prayer of a late community leader around 6:00 p.m., killing seven men on the spot. Local sources said the attackers stormed the venue and began shooting indiscriminately. Several others sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.

An update on Tuesday revealed that additional bodies were recovered, bringing the total number of deaths in Chibok to 14. The attackers also reportedly set several houses ablaze before fleeing the area.

In a separate incident, an improvised explosive device (IED) believed to have been planted by Boko Haram exploded near Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area, on Monday morning.

The device detonated when vehicles traveling to Gamboru Ngala ran over it approximately 11 kilometers from Rann, close to the Lake Chad border region. The blast killed at least four women, six children, and an unspecified number of men, according to members of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF).

Three other passengers — a woman, a man, and a child — sustained injuries and were evacuated to medical facilities in Gamboru Ngala and Rann for treatment.

The explosion brought the total death toll in the Kala Balge attack to 16.

Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, has sentenced Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.

The judgement, delivered on Tuesday, follows the court’s finding that Nwachukwu was guilty of culpable homicide in connection with Osinachi’s death on April 8, 2022. The court ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) on behalf of the Federal Government. He faced a 23-count charge including culpable homicide, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, spousal battery, and related offences.

During the trial, the prosecution presented 17 witnesses, including two of the couple’s children, and tendered 25 documentary exhibits. Nwachukwu testified in his own defence, calling four additional witnesses and submitting four exhibits.

Ahead of sentencing, defence counsel Reginald Nwali pleaded for leniency, while prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Aderonke Imala, urged the court to apply the full weight of the law.

In addition to the death sentence on Count 1, Justice Nwosu-Iheme imposed two years’ imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18; six months on Count 10; and three years on Count 11. The defendant was also fined N500,000 and N200,000 on Counts 6 and 7 respectively.

Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, has dismissed reports suggesting he is involved with a political coalition linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Idris, the governor described the reports as false and the work of “mischief makers and attention seekers.”

“I will be the last man standing in APC; I can’t and I will never even harbour the thought of leaving my party to join any coalition belonging to Atiku or anybody,” the statement read.

Governor Idris emphasized his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the party was instrumental in his political rise and election as governor. He stressed that he remains committed to the APC regardless of political pressures.

The governor also stated that his priority is delivering good governance and developing Kebbi State across all sectors. “I refuse to lose focus on good governance in my state; political jobbers should have a rethink because I will not succumb to their imagination,” he said.

The Federal Government has announced the completion of repair works on the runway of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, ahead of schedule. The airport is set to reopen on Monday, April 28, 2025.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the development on Sunday via his official X handle. He stated that the repair works were completed earlier than the initially projected date of May 6.

“Dear compatriots, we worked extra hard to meet the deadline we gave on the repair of the runway of Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu and finished way ahead of the scheduled date. It will now be open for use as from tomorrow (the 28th of April, 2025),” Keyamo wrote.

The reopening is expected to restore full operations at the airport, which had been closed for maintenance.