The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted Bello Bodejo, president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, bail in the sum of N2 billion as he faces trial over alleged money laundering offences.   Justice Inyang Ekwo, who delivered the ruling on Monday, admitted Bodejo to bail with two sureties in like sum. Bodejo was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on July 9 on multiple counts bordering on alleged money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. According to the EFCC, Bodejo allegedly accepted $200,000 in cash from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, on January 21, 2022, in a transaction said to have exceeded the legal cash limit. The anti-graft agency also alleged that he received another $100,000 in cash from the same individual on October 26, 2022, in addition to a further $980,000 through separate cash transactions. The commission said the alleged offences contravene Section 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and are punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act. As part of the bail conditions, one surety must reside in Abuja and provide three years of tax clearance certificates, while the second surety must own landed property worth N2 billion within the Federal Capital Territory. The court also ordered Bodejo to surrender his international passport to the court registrar and barred him from travelling outside Nigeria without prior approval from the court. Justice Ekwo adjourned the case until October 5 to 7, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

Nigeria has secured a historic victory at the 2026 Spelling Bee World Cup in Shanghai, China, with Team Nigeria winning the Gold Award in the Middle School Group Category.   The achievement was announced by the Nigeria Spelling Bee on its official Facebook page on Sunday and confirmed by Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, whose students Maryam Yusuf and Abdurrahman Yusuf also returned home with medals from the global competition. According to Punch Newspapers, the victory marks a landmark moment for Nigeria, which made its first-ever appearance at the Spelling Bee World Cup after qualifying through the Nigeria Spelling Bee and the African Spelling Bee Championship. The four-member Nigerian team comprised Oluwadamilola Adeolu of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado-Ekiti, Abdurrahman Yusuf and Maryam Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, and Chinedu Okediachi of Madonna International Schools, Asaba. Before the competition, the Nigeria Spelling Bee described the team’s journey as one built on excellence and determination, progressing from the national competition to the African Spelling Bee Championship in Harare, Zimbabwe, before earning a place on the world stage. The organisers said the students represented not only Nigeria but the entire African continent as they competed against some of the world’s best young spellers. Ahead of the tournament, Adeolu expressed excitement about representing Nigeria, saying she looked forward to competing internationally, expanding her vocabulary, building confidence and bringing the trophy home. Adeolu qualified for the World Cup after winning the Junior category at the African Spelling Bee Championship in Harare, where she outperformed contestants from more than 30 African countries. Abdurrahman Yusuf finished third at the continental event, while Nigeria emerged as the second-best overall team. The latest triumph in Shanghai further strengthens Nigeria’s growing reputation in international spelling competitions and highlights the country’s rising academic excellence on the global stage.

The North East Development Commission (NEDC), in partnership with the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has distributed food and non-food relief materials to 2,038 people affected by a recent windstorm in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State.   The intervention, according to the NEDC, is aimed at supporting families whose homes and livelihoods were affected by the disaster. Representing the NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, at the distribution exercise, the commission’s Yobe State Coordinator, Ali Abbas, said the agency was responding to the devastation caused by the windstorm in recent weeks. He disclosed that all 2,038 registered beneficiaries would receive relief materials, while 250 beneficiaries were presented with items symbolically during the event. The items distributed included bags of rice, mosquito nets, blankets and children’s materials. Abbas also urged residents to maintain clean surroundings by clearing drainage channels to help reduce the risk of flooding in the area. The Director of Rescue Operations at the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Jalo, commended the NEDC for its continued support to disaster victims across the state. He appealed for additional assistance to help affected communities recover. Also speaking, the Chairman of Bade Local Government Area, Ibrahim Babagana, and the member representing Bade West in the Yobe State House of Assembly, Sanda Karabade, thanked the NEDC for the intervention. They urged beneficiaries to make proper use of the relief materials and not sell them, noting that monitoring measures had been put in place. Before the distribution exercise, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bade, Abubakar Umar-Suleiman, to inform him about the humanitarian intervention.

Two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru have been sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to terrorism and kidnapping charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.   The judgment came shortly after the pair admitted guilt to a 32-count charge brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS), according to Channels Television. The convicted men, identified as Mammuda and Abu Baraa, were arrested by the DSS and arraigned in September 2025 over their alleged roles in several terrorist attacks and high-profile kidnappings across Nigeria. The court heard that the duo participated in the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, and received specialised training in weapons handling, improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication and war tactics, including training in Mali and Libya. Prosecutors also linked the pair to the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, which resulted in the escape of more than 600 inmates. They were further accused of planning the attack on the Niger uranium facility and orchestrating several kidnappings, including that of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013 and the 2019 abduction of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu had announced their arrest in August 2025, describing Abu Baraa as the self-styled leader of Ansaru and Mammuda as his deputy and chief of staff. He said both men had been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and played central roles in coordinating terrorist sleeper cells and financing terrorism through kidnappings and armed robberies. Ansaru, which emerged in 2012 as a splinter faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and has carried out attacks on security personnel, civilians and critical infrastructure across northern Nigeria. The life sentences mark a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to dismantle the leadership of the terrorist organisation.