Dasuki, others re-arraigned over alleged N33.2b fraud (Punch)
A former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), and three others were re-arraigned on Tuesday before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over an alleged N33.2 billion fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission brought the charges against Dasuki alongside a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa, as well as two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The defendants are facing a 32-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and dishonest release of public funds. Read more
Natasha seeks disbarment of Senate ethics committee chairman (Sun)
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is seeking the disbarment of the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition, Senator Nedamwem Imasuen.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who filed a petition before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), requests that Imasuen be removed as a lawyer.
The suspended senator who represents Kogi Central alleged that the Senate Ethics Committee chairman was indicted and disbarred by the New York Supreme Court on May 10, 2010, “for fraud, misappropriation of client’s funds and failure to respond to disciplinary authorities”. Read more
INEC picks holes in petition submitted for Natasha’s recall (DailyTrust)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the petition submitted for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan fell short of some requirements.
Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said this in a statement issued on Thursday, 25th March, 2025.
Olumekun said the commission would take the necessary steps in line with laid down provisions if the petitioners completes the process in the appropriate manner. Read more
Judge hands off Natasha’s case, cites Akpabio’s petition (Vanguard)
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who was assigned to hear a suit that was filed by the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday, recused himself from the case.
The trial judge based his decision on a petition the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, wrote to challenge his objectivity in the matter.
Though the suit was originally fixed for hearing, however, when the matter was called up by the court’s clerk, Justice Egwuatu announced his decision in a short ruling he delivered. Read more
I won’t be forced into submission, Natasha denies apology claims (Punch)
Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has denied reports that she apologised to the Senate over the issue that led to her suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan in a statement on Monday, described the claims as “false and misleading,” insisting that she still stands by her position.
“The reports suggesting that I have apologized to the Senate and retracted my position are completely untrue. I stand firmly by my words and actions and have not issued any apology to the Senate or anyone regarding this matter,” she said. Read more
Digital payments in Africa to hit $1.5tr by 2030 — Report (Guardian)
A new report by Genesis Analytics says Africa’s digital payments economy is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030. The report states that the continent’s digital transformation is underpinned by rapid advancements in internet penetration and financial inclusion—two of the fastest-growing enablers of digital payments across Africa.
According to the report, internet penetration in Africa is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 20 per cent, while financial inclusion is set to expand at six per cent per year.
The report, commissioned by Mastercard, indicates that these trends signal a strong shift toward digital transactions, with businesses and consumers increasingly embracing contactless solutions, further accelerating economic participation and financial accessibility across the region. Read more
Akpabio vs Natasha: Ohanaeze urges INEC to stay focused (Tribune)
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to remain focused amidst alleged corruption charges linked to the recent recall saga of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing it as an attempt by “anti-democratic forces” to destabilise Nigeria’s democratic process.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna, the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, described the allegations as a “deliberate fabrication designed to incite chaos and destabilise the electoral landscape.”
“It is a calculated attack aimed at undermining the integrity of a commission that is vital to the functioning of democracy in Nigeria. Read more
House passes 39 bills for second reading in one move (Nation)
In an unprecedented move, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed 39 bills dwelling mainly on constitutional amendment for second reading in a single move.
The bills were read for second time without the usual debate associated with such process as the Leader of the House asked for the suspension of the House rules to take the second reading together.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over plenary, had asked the House Leader to move food the suspension of the House rules to allow the bills to be read together for the second time. Read more
Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘Luther’ Leads Hot 100, Playboi Carti, Chappell Roan & Doechii New in Top 10 (Billboard)
Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” leads the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a fifth total and consecutive week. The single, whose title is a tribute to late R&B icon Luther Vandross, who is sampled on the track, became Lamar’s sixth No. 1 and SZA’s third. Both Lamar and SZA extend their longest career Hot 100 reigns with the song.
Playboi Carti debuts two songs in the Hot 100’s top five: “Evil J0rdan,” at No. 2, and “Rather Lie,” with The Weeknd, at No. 4. The tracks are from his new album, MUSIC, which soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Plus, Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” launches at No. 5 on the Hot 100, and as her first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and Doechii’s “Anxiety” rises three spots to No. 10 on the Hot 100, becoming her first top 10. Read more
Sierra Leone debates decriminalizing abortion (AfricaNews)
A simple bench and makeshift nurse’s station have transformed an abandoned building into a temporary clinic in rural Njagbahun, Sierra Leone.
Marie Stopes International operates free family planning services to those in hard-to-reach areas.
Working by the light filtering through a curtained doorway, nurses provide “post-abortion care” and distribute contraception. Read more
Doctor treating Pope Francis says team considered ending treatment so he could die (CNN)
The medical staff looking after Pope Francis considered ending his treatment so he could die, according to the lead doctor, after the 88-year-old pontiff was hospitalized with a drawn-out respiratory illness.
Professor Sergio Alfieri told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera the most critical moment came on February 28 when the pope had a breathing crisis and inhaled his own vomit.
“We had to choose whether to stop and let him go or force it and try with all the drugs and therapies possible, running the very high risk of damaging other organs. And in the end, we took this path,” Alfieri said. Read more
Trump’s national security team’s chat app leak stuns Washington (BBC)
There are few US presidential actions more sensitive, more fraught with peril, than when and where to use American military force.
If such information were obtained by American adversaries in advance, it could put lives – and national foreign policy objectives – at risk.
Fortunately for the Trump administration, a group chat with information about an impending US strike in Yemen among senior national security officials on the encrypted chat app Signal did not fall into the wrong hands. Read more
How India’s $14b Muslim endowments are being plundered, even by government (AlJazeera)
In January this year in Ujjain, a city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, authorities bulldozed nearly 250 properties, including homes, shops and a century-old mosque, to clear a sprawling 2.1 hectares (5.27 acres) of land.
The land belonged to the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board. Derived from Arabic, “waqf” refers to moveable or immoveable properties – mosques, schools, graveyards, orphanages, hospitals and even vacant plots – donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes to God, thereby making such property transfers irrevocable and prohibiting sale and other uses.
But the Ujjain waqf land was cleared for a so-called Mahakal Corridor, a $1bn government project surrounding the city’s famous Mahakaleshwar Temple. Read more
Tesla sales slump 40% across Europe as Elon Musk backlash grows (Sky)
Tesla sales across Europe plunged 40% last month, raising further questions over the extent drivers are being put off by its chief executive Elon Musk’s politics.
Data covering the EU, Britain and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations on Tuesday showed a rise in overall new electric car sales during February, but Tesla lagging behind its peers.
It sold fewer than 17,000 cars compared to over 28,000 in the same month in 2024, with a market share of 1.8% compared to the 2.8% seen 12 months ago. Read more
Gérard Depardieu denies sexual assault allegations, but admits he grabbed set dresser’s hips in 1st testimony (TheWrap)
French actor Gérard Depardieu denied sexually assaulting two women as he testified for the first time on Tuesday, though he admitted he did “grab the hips” of a set dresser during an argument.
“I understand perfectly if she’s a bit upset,” he said of touching the 54-year-old woman, with whom he worked on 2021’s “Les Volets Verts,” according to the AP. “She didn’t answer as if I was assaulting her.”
A 34-year-old assistant director has also accused Depardieu of groping her during filming of the 2015 TV movie “The Magician and the Siamese.” If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Read more
Chelle retains winning formula for Zimbabwe clash (Punch)
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has named an unchanged lineup for Nigeria’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
Chelle, in his second game in charge, has decided to stick with the same starting XI that beat Rwanda on Friday for the encounter against Zimbabwe.
Leading the attack once again is a two-goal hero against Rwanda, Victor Osimhen. Read more
World Athletics approves swab test to determine female gender (Vanguard)
World Athletics said on Tuesday it had approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if an athlete is biologically female.
Sebastian Coe, the head of the international track and field federation, said the decision taken by the body’s decision-making Council was a “really important” way of protecting the female category.
“It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about, and particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of female women’s sport, but actually guaranteeing it,” Coe said in a press conference after the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. Read more
The Lewis Hamilton effect? Key Ferrari sponsor reports eightfold sales increase (PlanetF1)
Puma has reportedly enjoyed an eightfold increase in sales of its range of Ferrari Formula 1 merchandise since Lewis Hamilton joined the team at the start of the F1 2025 season.
Hamilton joined Ferrari ahead of the new season in only the second team switch of his illustrious F1 career after 12 years with previous employers Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari: A commercial juggernaut
The deal saw the most decorated driver in F1 history, with seven World Championships and more than 100 race wins to his name, link up with the sport’s most successful team. Read more
Lakers lose again as NBA play-off race intensifies (BBC)
The Orlando Magic ended a six-game home losing streak by inflicting a third straight defeat on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luka Doncic scored 32 points and LeBron James added 24 and eight assists for the Lakers, who led 60-58 at half-time.
However, Orlando outscored the visitors 34-18 in the third quarter and went on to wrap up a 118-106 victory. Read more
Emma Raducanu books Miami Open quarter-final spot with confident straight-sets dispatch of close friend Amanda Anisimova (DailyMail)
Emma Raducanu’s rampage continued as she beat Amanda Anisimova 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Miami Open – the first time she has won four matches in a row at one event since her 2021 US Open title.
For the second match in a row Raducanu’s opponent was physically compromised but also severely outplayed. In the third round McCartney Kessler retired with a back injury trailing by a set and 3-0. In the fourth round, Anisimova received treatment for what looked like wrist pain.
But do not let those caveats fool you: Raducanu is playing some of the best tennis of her career. She also shows little sign of running out of steam physically – as she has previously when on a roll, cf last year’s fourth-round defeat to Lulu Sun at Wimbledon. Read more
Ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini cleared in corruption case (CNN)
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and France soccer great Michel Platini were both cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court on Tuesday, two and a half years after they were first acquitted of the offences.
The pair, once among the most powerful figures in global soccer, were cleared of fraud at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in the town of Muttenz, near Basel.The hearing came about after Swiss federal prosecutors appealed against their 2022 acquittal at a lower court. Both men had denied the charge. Read more