Headline

Shakeup In Aso Villa As Buhari Sacks Four Aides Of Aisha

Published

4 years ago

February 12, 2022

The President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in a drastic move on Saturday, approved the appointment of former lawmaker, Muhammad Zorro, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Strategy, Office of the First Lady.

This is as the President temporarily redeployed three aides of the first lady to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Saturday titled, ‘President Buhari Approves Sami Zorro SSA to First Lady, Redeployment and Disengagement of Others’.

At the insistence of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the president also approved the immediate redeployment of three of the political appointees in her office to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, pending their assignment to some other government departments or agencies.

Adesina said, “Those affected by the redeployment are: Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman, who was Senior Special Assistant to the President on Health and Development Partners and Personal Physician to the First Lady; Hadi Uba, who was Special Assistant to the President on Administration; and Wole Aboderin, who was Special Assistant to the President on Non-Governmental Organisations.

“Also approved with effect from February 11, is the disengagement of Zainab Kazeem, the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events, Office of the First Lady.

“Zorro, a famous journalist, brings to the new job decades of experience in media practice, publishing, and unionist leadership. He was at various times President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, West African Journalists Association, and the Federation of African Journalists.

“He was in the House of Representatives, where he chaired the committee on Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Initiatives in the North-East.”

Although the reason for the reshuffle remained unknown as of the filing of this report, it came barely 48 hours after the First Lady was spotted on an evening train returning from Kaduna to Abuja.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

7 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

7 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

7 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.