IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The Federal Government has granted a three-month grace period for foreigners with expired visas to leave Nigeria without penalties, effective until August 1, 2025.

The Nigeria Immigration Service announced the move Friday, warning that overstaying beyond the deadline will attract daily fines of $15, up to five-year entry bans, or blacklisting. The NIS also introduced mandatory online landing and exit cards for all inbound and outbound travelers. 

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both took huge strides towards reaching the Europa League final with convincing semi-final first-leg wins on Thursday.

United won 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao, who host the final on 21 May, while Tottenham saw off Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in London. Statisticians Opta give United a 97% chance of reaching the final - with 91% for Spurs - meaning an 88% likelihood of both being there.

That would create just a sixth all-English final in any major European competition - with half of them involving Spurs. It would also mean six English teams in next season's Champions League. 

U.S. federal agencies involved in past investigations linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are set to release related reports on Friday, May 2, 2025, following a court order.

The agencies—FBI, CIA, DEA, IRS, Department of State, and U.S. Attorneys—were directed by Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to file and disclose documents tied to an alleged 1990s drug-related case involving Tinubu. The judge ruled that withholding the documents was “neither logical nor plausible” under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The case stems from a 2023 FOIA lawsuit filed by American citizen Aaron Greenspan, who accused the agencies of violating federal law by failing to release documents about alleged investigations involving Tinubu and three others: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.

Greenspan had filed 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023, seeking criminal records from multiple U.S. agencies. All relevant parties, except the CIA, were ordered to file their reports and outstanding issues jointly by May 2.  

Source: Daily Trust / Premium Times 

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has denied claims of mismanagement in disbursing student loan funds. This development comes after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it was investigating alleged corruption in the disbursement of the funds.

But in a statement by the fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFund said ICPC’s comment was taken out of context. “These reports, which suggest misappropriation and mismanagement of funds, are entirely false, grossly irresponsible, and deeply damaging to the integrity of an institution established to deliver financial hope to millions of Nigerians,” Oluwatuyi said.

“All institutional fees are paid directly to verified institutions, while upkeep allowances go into the verified bank accounts of eligible students,” she said. “The reports circulating in the public space are based on outdated figures and previous interventions that predate our operations.” Meanwhile, the ICPC has clarified its earlier statement on the student loan. The institution’s spokesman, Demola Bakare, said the agency’s move to investigate the disbursement of the funds was due to claims that 51 schools were involved in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFund scheme.

“The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients,” the agency’s statement partly read. 

The trial of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has resumed on Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja. Earlier, the court, led by Justice James Omotosho, granted the request of the Federal Government for witnesses to testify behind screens.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, the Defence Counsel, led by Kanu Agabi, told the court that he had 22 members on his team. The judge, however, said he wouldn’t approve more than the 13 he had listed. Four senior advocates have joined the defence team, namely: Audu Nunghe, Joseph Akubo, Emeka Etiaba and Onyechi Ikpeazu.

The case, featuring terrorism and treasonable felony charges, was originally instituted in 2015 following Kanu’s arrest in Lagos. Major setbacks have held the case down for almost a decade, making it impossible for the prosecution to call witnesses and present exhibits until Tuesday.

The case started with four people initially charged as Kanu’s co-defendants. However, in February 2018, the then-trial judge Binta Nyako severed the trial, separating Kanu—who had fled Nigeria—from the other defendants. The trial severance allowed the prosecution to continue proceedings against the four remaining co-defendants.

The Nigerian government would re-arrest Kanu in Kenya in June 2021. 

Actress-turned-politician Funke Akindele has announced plans to re-enter politics, declaring she will contest again despite her 2023 loss as PDP deputy governorship candidate in Lagos.

Speaking on the WithChude podcast, she said her political experience inspired her to stay committed to public service.