A 19 year old boy, Ifechukwu Ibesimako has been arrested by the police in Anambra state for alleged kidnapping.

The suspect, a native of Aboji Village Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday by the operatives attached to Oba Police Divisional Headquarters.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, said Ibesimako and three other accomplices were arrested after a ransom of two hundred thousand Naira was paid for the release of the victims in their captivity.

According to Ikenga, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect and the other three accomplices lured their victims through social media chats, by proposing friendship to them and holding them hostage until their relatives paid a certain amount to their gang before they are released.

He said two female victims, aged between 15 and 19 years, who were held by the boys were also rescued.

The sacked 7th Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK), Benard Odoh has instituted legal actions against the management of Federal University, Gusau (FUGUS) over alleged denial of his professorial appointment and employment status.

Odoh filed the suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

This was disclosed by his Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity, Charles Otu, in a statement on Wednesday.

Otu said, though no date has been fixed for the hearing, Odoh will leave no stone unturned to seek legal redress on the very weighty and damaging allegations against his person.

He accused the management of the University of being in league with politicians to dent Odoh’s image and academic record.

A late evening fire broke out at the premises of Radio Nigeria on Plot No. 35, Ikoyi Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, prompting swift emergency response from multiple fire stations across the state.

The fire, which started around 5:30 p.m., engulfed the studio section of the building.

A statement by Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said the agency was alerted at approximately 5:30 PM and firefighters from the Dolphin, Ebute Elefun, and Oba Onitolo Fire Stations arrived promptly to combat the flames.

Adeseye said the fire was contained and prevented from spreading beyond the studio section through collaborative efforts with partners.

She said the cause of the fire was not known yet, but investigations were underway.

The House of Representatives has passed the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework & Fiscal Strategy Paper for 2025-2027.

In passing the MTEF, the Committees on Finance, Petroleum Upstream, and Petroleum Downstream were tasked to investigate reports from the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Responsibility Commission alleging that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s withheld ₦8.48 trillion as claimed subsidies for petrol.

Additionally, the investigation will address the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative’s report stating that NNPC failed to remit ₦3.6 trillion in taxes to the Federal Government.

The committees were further directed to verify the total cumulative amount of unremitted revenue (under-recovery) from the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the NNPCL between 2020 and 2023.

Some of the recommendations in the MTEF as adopted by the house include: projected oil benchmark prices of 75, 76.2 and 75.3 US dollars per barrel for 2025, 2026 and 2027 respectively.

The house adopted domestic crude oil production projection of 2.06 million barrels per day, 2.10 million and 2.35 million for the years of 2025, 2026 and 2027, while the exchange rate was pegged at N1,400 per dollar, but to be reviewed in early 2025.

The Federal High Court Abuja has struck down Section 2 (10) (b) of the National Broadcasting Code, 6th Edition, which required broadcasters to pay 2.5% of their “Gross Annual Income” as an Annual Operating Levy.

Justice James Omotosho gave the judgment in a suit filed by MultiChoice Nigeria Ltd and Details Nigeria Limited (GO TV) against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

Delivering judgement on Wednesday, Justice Omotosho, ordered that the provision be struck down and replaced with ‘Net Annual Income’ instead of the existing ‘Gross Annual Income.’

The court also barred the NBC from demanding the plaintiffs’ VAT remittance, FIRS reports, bank statements, audit adjustment journals, trial balances, and general ledgers for the purpose of computing the plaintiffs’ annual income, other than the annual audited accounts of the companies as stipulated in the NBC Code.

The judge stated that the NBC can only access the other financial documents of MultiChoice through sister agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Vote counting is underway in Namibia after what was widely seen as the most fiercely contested elections in decades.

There were long queues outside polling stations throughout the day on Wednesday as the country’s youthful population cast their ballot for a new president and parliament.

Voting closed at nine in the evening local time and initial figures suggest there was a high voter turnout.

The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), which has ruled Namibia since leading it to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, has faced a tough election.

But if it wins, its presidential candidate, Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, will become the country’s first female leader.

In the run-up to the polls, however, analysts said there was a strong possibility that SWAPO could be ousted by young people who make up 64 per cent of registered voters.

They are fed up with high levels of unemployment, inequality and corruption allegations, and want change.

Results are expected by the weekend.