34-year-old Ghanaian beautician arrested over alleged exportation of $260m worth of n@rcotics

 34-year-old Ghanaian beautician, Jessica Hartog, has been arraigned before the High Court in Accra over her alleged involvement in the exportation of about four tonnes of suspected n@rcotics from Ghana to France.

Hartog, who owns Euros Spa in East Legon, is one of four suspects facing charges in connection with the shipment. The others are businessman Desmond Koranteng Curiel, also known as Paul Kweku Yeboah or Biggs Musah Attah, Kromo and Kweku Otchere.

The case came to light after French authorities intercepted a 40-foot container at Dunkirk in September 2026. The container, which was shipped from Ghana, was declared to contain plastic waste, but prohibited substances were allegedly discovered concealed inside. The shipment is estimated to have a street value of about $260 million.

Tonia Ferrari Honoured With Two Lifetime Achievement Awards

America-based Nigerian actress and humanitarian, Tonia Okoro, popularly known as Ferrari, has finally received two prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of her humanitarian contributions, leadership and commitment to helping others.

The awards, presented by institutions based in Connecticut, United States, were originally conferred in 2025, but Okoro could not attend the ceremonies in person at the time because of her daughter.

She eventually received both awards on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from Dr. Mrs. Anne Adepoju, a Presidential Honoree and Peace Ambassador, who personally presented the honours to the actress.

One of the recognitions is an Exceptional Leadership Award from HBI University, acknowledging Okoro’s “remarkable humanitarian contributions and outstanding leadership.” The accompanying certificate describes the honour as recognition of individuals whose work contributes to humanitarianism, business, arts, entertainment, social service, government and other areas of community impact.

Police repel bandit attack in Katsina state, rescue four victims

 The Katsina State Police Command has foiled a bandit attack in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area, rescuing four kidnapped victims and recovering an AK-47 rifle loaded with five rounds of live ammunition. 

The rescued victims, comprising three women and a nursing baby, were abducted when armed bandits attacked Makwanta village in the early hours of Wednesday, September 16. 

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed the attack in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday.

According to the statement, “On September 16, 2026, at approximately 12:22 am, a distress call was received at the Dutsin-Ma Divisional Police Headquarters reporting that armed bandits had attacked Makwanta village and abducted three female residents.

“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) immediately mobilised a team of operatives to the scene. The team strategically tracked and blocked the fleeing bandits along the Dutsin-Ma-Danmusa LGA border and engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel.”

Anambra police command warns against raising money to secure release of mother accused of sexu@lly exploiting her 7-year-old daughter in Anambra

 The police in Anambra has warned that it would not allow anyone to raise money to secure the release of Anulika Onyeanusia, the 36-year-old woman arrested for allegedly using her 7-year-old daughter to create adult content. 

The Anambra State Police Command has issued a stern warning against any attempts to crowdsource or mobilize funds aimed at securing the release or manipulating the legal defense of Anulika Onyeanusia. The 36-year-old woman was recently arrested in Onitsha for allegedly sexually exploiting her underage daughter to produce explicit adult content for financial gain. 

The warning was officially made public by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who revealed that intelligence monitoring discovered online comments indicating that certain individuals were planning to contribute money to secure the suspect's release. 

Lagos Real Estate CEO arrested in Dublin over alleged $23m fraud while trying to catch flight to Paris

 

39-year-old Nigerian businessman and Lagos-based real estate CEO, Edwin Omokhuale, has been arrested in Dublin, Ireland, over an alleged $23 million fraud involving an Australian mining company.

Omokhuale was arrested by Irish police at Dublin Airport on Wednesday, September 9, while reportedly preparing to board a flight to Paris.

His arrest followed a UK-issued warrant over alleged money laundering connected to the fraud, which investigators say occurred in early 2023 and involved approximately $23 million (£17 million). 

Rapper Lil Durk was found not guilty in murd3r-for-hire case

 Rapper Lil Durk has been found not guilty on all five charges against him in a federal murder-for-hire case stemming from a fatal 2022 shooting in Los Angeles.

The jury returned the verdict after three days of deliberations, clearing the rapper of allegations that he was involved in a plot to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo.

Prosecutors had alleged that Lil Durk hired a group of gunmen to target Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his friend, rapper Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, outside an Atlanta nightclub. According to prosecutors, the gunmen fired 18 shots at Quando Rondo’s black Cadillac Escalade outside the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. 

The Ondo State government has announced an immediate ban on the sale and distribution of all unverified alcoholic drinks and substances across the state.

 

Hon Idowu Ajanaku, Commissioner for Information and Orientation in a statement issued on Saturday in Akure said the emergency directive follows the tragic deaths of approximately 30 people in the Odigbo local government area, which have been linked to the consumption of unregulated beverages.

The ban affects all unapproved alcoholic products, including those sold in sachets and bottles. According to state officials, the drastic measure is necessary to prevent further loss of life and contain the health crisis before it spreads to other parts of the state.

Lebanese owner of UK venue contracted by Nigerian Immigration for passport intervention refuses entry to Nigerians claiming he hasn’t been paid

 

A Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) passport intervention exercise in Manchester has reportedly descended into confusion, with Nigerians who arrived for scheduled appointments left waiting for hours amid allegations of poor planning, inadequate staffing and security concerns. 

The intervention exercise was organised to address outstanding Nigerian passport applications and renewals in the United Kingdom. According to accounts from applicants at the venue, only a small number of people had been attended to several hours after the exercise began. The situation reportedly escalated when UK police became involved and the Lebanese owner of the venue raised concerns about the arrangement.

One applicant, posting on X, accused the organisers of embarrassing Nigerians in front of UK police and the venue's Lebanese owner, alleging that the owner said he had not been paid, while also claiming there was no staff and no security at the facility. “He said he hasn’t been paid, no staff, no security. 3 people attended to in 1 hour…” 

Yamal, Kane, Mbappe, Messi, others battle for 2026 Ballon d’Or top prize as Full list of nominees officially confirmed

 France Football, the organizers of the Ballon d’Or award, have officially released their shortlist of nominees for the 2026 edition.

The lists were published on their official platform on Tuesday. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the prize, having beaten Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to it last year.

This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London, UK on October 26. Below are the nominees officially confirmed across the categories released so far: 

Evangelist And Wife Die Hours Apart After Domestic Altercation

A midnight incident in Akinode Ibogun, Ogun State, has left a Celestial Church evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, dead.

The couple reportedly had a domestic dispute around 3.00 a.m. on August 25; 2026 and Community members said Mrs Odukoya sustained severe head injuries and was found unresponsive by neighbours after their son cried out.

Evangelist Odukoya left the house shortly after and by 6.00 a.m., his body was discovered at Iyana Coker along the Lagos Abeokuta Expressway.

Nigerian workers demand the Increase of Minimum wage to N300,000

 Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has written to President Tinubu and the National Assembly, demanding an immediate review of Federal civil servants’ salaries and an increase in the minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000.

The letter, dated 2 September 2026 and signed by the FWF National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, and General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele, was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly.

President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation were also listed among the recipients. 

The forum also demanded a minimum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers, arguing that the current wage structure no longer reflected the economic realities confronting federal workers.