General news

• Pele versus Messi, by Patrick Omorodion

  28-06-2026 03:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The debate on who is football’s greatest player ever resurfaced again at the ongoing 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States after Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 defeat of Algeria in their opening match.His brace in the 2-0 defeat of Austria reinforced the belief by his fans that he is the G.O.A.T (greatest of all times).However, a Nigerian fan, Aniele John Ukpe disagrees. He reasoned that Messi may be greater than Pele in some aspects of football
  
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• Pharmacists ask Senate to stop NHFRA Bill, warn of fresh health crisis

  28-06-2026 19:03 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Chioma ObinnaThe Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, on Sunday urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio to halt the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency, NHFRA, Bill, warning that the move could trigger another round of crisis in Nigeria’s fragile health sector.
  In a petition to the Senate, and made available to Vanguard, the pharmacists described the bill as an unnecessary duplication of existing laws and regulatory structures, insisting that the Natio
  
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• More than 1,300 excess deaths recorded in Europe heatwave – WHO

  28-06-2026 19:00 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The World Health Organization said Sunday that over 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded in Europe since June 21 in connection with the record-breaking heatwave roasting much of the continent.Tens of millions have been braving a weekend of extreme temperatures in Europe as a deadly heatwave moves eastwards, with some countries announcing rising death tolls and health services warning of saturation.On Sunday morning, French health officials said there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expe
  
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• Ogun Govt links Ijebu-Ode gas emissions to underground fault lines

  28-06-2026 18:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Ogun government has dismissed traditional explanations surrounding recurring gas emissions in Ijebu-Ode communities.It described the incidents as natural underground geological events linked to fault lines.The Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, spoke during a town hall meeting in Ijebu-Ode on Sunday.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that students and teachers were hospitalised after suspected chemical odour exposure.The incidents occurred on three occasions this year acro
  
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• Aramco helicopter crash kills 14 in Saudi Arabia

  28-06-2026 18:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia killed 14 Saudi citizens on Sunday, the kingdom’s official press agency reported, adding that the aircraft belonged to state oil giant Aramco.The Saudi Press Agency, citing an official at the energy ministry, reported the helicopter crashed in Ras Tanura in the country’s east.“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the
  
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• FG condemns killing of MACBAN chairman in Benue, demands arrest of perpetrators

  28-06-2026 18:37 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Federal Government has condemned the killing of the Benue Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Risku, and his associate, describing the incident as reprehensible and unacceptable.The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, expressed shock, sadness and outrage over the incident in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga.Akume said the killing was a direct assault on the
  
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• Court sentence four rapists to 95 years imprisonment in Niger

  28-06-2026 18:32 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Wole Mosadomi.
  Minna- A Minna Senior Magistrate Court number four has sentenced four rapists to ninety five years imprisonment after being found guilty  of gang-raping and impregnating  thirteen year old girl.
  The convicts are Salisu Shehu Baura, Lawali Shaibu, Haruna Musa  Saidu and Bello  all of Kontagora town in Niger State.
  One of them, Bello who was sentenced in absential is now at large after being  granted bail.
  They were arrested by men of the Kontagora Divis
  
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• Fubara raises alarm over activities of foreign trawlers in Nigeria waterways

  28-06-2026 18:25 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Daniel Abia
  P/HarcourtGovernor Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers state has called for action to checkmate the continuous illegal incursion into Nigerian Maritime environment by foreign fishing trawlers.Fubara  said this while declaring open the 66th Annual General Meeting/Conference of The Nigerian Chambers of Commerce, industry,Mines and Agriculture( NACCIMA) in Port HarcourtTheme for the conference was”The Gulf of Guinea And The Blue Economy: PATHWAYS To A ONE Trillion dollars Economy
  
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• Tinubu hails Fashola as outstanding administrator @63

  28-06-2026 18:18 via vanguardngr.com
  
  President Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on his 63rd birthday.Tinubu, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday in Abuja, described Fashola as an outstanding administrator, accomplished legal practitioner and patriotic Nigerian.The president said Fashola’s exemplary leadership had left an enduring legacy, particularly in Lagos State, through his commitment to good governa
  
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• Iran warns ships not to bypass its chosen Hormuz route

  28-06-2026 18:16 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Iran’s top diplomat warned Sunday that any attempt by shipping to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would “increase tensions” in the Middle East, as US and Iranian forces again traded attacks across the vital seaway.The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war launched by the United States and Israel in February, which disrupted shipping through the strait and rattled global energy markets.Although a cea
  
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• South Korea coach quits after early World Cup exit

  28-06-2026 18:11 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Much-maligned South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday, reports said, a day after his side’s group-stage exit from the World Cup.The 57-year-old former captain, in his second stint as coach, oversaw an early World Cup exit for the second time to go with the failure in 2014.South Korea were expected to get out of a Group A that included co-hosts Mexico plus South Africa and the Czech Republic.But they lost 1-0 to South Africa and Mexico, and finished on three points, their only su
  
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• Tinubu brought me back from exile — Sunday Igboho declares loyalty, attacks Aregbesola

  28-06-2026 18:06 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Adeola BadruFounder of the Iru Ekun Security Network and prominent Yoruba nation agitator, Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has declared his unwavering loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, stating that he owed the President a lasting debt of gratitude for facilitating his return from exile.Speaking in a video that has since gone viral on social media, Igboho said he would continue to support the Tinubu administration because the President “forgave” him and ensur
  
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• Troops foil terrorist attack, recover arms at Benue yam market

  28-06-2026 18:02 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) and Benue State Civil Protection Guard, have foiled a terrorist attack at Tor Donga Yam Market in Benue State.The troops also naturalised two suspects and recovered arms and ammunition.The Force Commander, OPWS, Maj.-Gen. Moses Gara, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Makurdi by the Acting Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Ahmad Zubairu.Gara said the troops responded swiftly to a distress call while conducting fighting
  
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• SGF condemns killing of MACBAN chairman, demands swift justice

  28-06-2026 17:59 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, has condemned the killing of the Benue Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Risku Mohammed, and his associate.Akume, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killings.The SGF described the incident as a direct attack on the peace, reconciliation and
  
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• Army expansion will strengthen operational capacity — COAS

  28-06-2026 16:52 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …. Improve Response to Security ThreatsBy Kingsley OmonobiThe Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has said the strategic expansion of the Nigerian Army through the establishment of new brigades, formations and units, alongside the recruitment of thousands of additional soldiers, will strengthen the Army’s operational capacity and improve its response to the nation’s security challenges.Shaibu stated this on Sunday while delivering a goodwill message to
  
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• Nigerian parents seek review of son’s UK robbery, blackmail conviction

  28-06-2026 16:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Adeola BadruThe parents of a Nigerian student, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, convicted by a United Kingdom court of robbery and blackmail, have appealed for a review of the case, insisting that their son was wrongly found guilty and was not involved in the offences for which he is awaiting sentencing.Mr. Aderinkola Akinrinola and Mrs. Olayinka Akinrinola said their son was convicted on June 19, 2026, and is being held at Nottingham Prison pending his sentencing on July 27.Addressing journalists,
  
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• One killed, several injured as suspected bandits’ bomb hits vehicle in Sokoto

  28-06-2026 16:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Musa Ubandawaki, SokotoSOKOTO — One person was feared dead while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries after a passenger vehicle reportedly struck an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly planted by suspected bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road in Sokoto State.The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, raising fresh concerns over the growing use of explosive devices by criminal groups operating in parts of the North-West.According to local sour
  
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• Health workers’ welfare key to ending medical tourism — ABUAD VC

  28-06-2026 16:30 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Retaining Professionals
  …As ABUAD Hospital celebrates 50th successful kidney transplantBy Rotimi OjomoyelaAdo-Ekiti — The Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Professor Smaranda Olarinde, has called on governments at all levels to make the welfare of health workers a national priority, saying improved working conditions, better remuneration and enhanced career development are essential to reducing medical tourism and reversing the migration of skil
  
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• NARD declares industrial dispute, gives FG four weeks to avert doctors’ strike

  28-06-2026 16:27 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Joseph Erunke, AbujaThe Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an industrial dispute with the Federal Government and issued a fresh four-week ultimatum, warning that a nationwide strike may become inevitable if longstanding welfare and professional concerns affecting doctors are not addressed.The decision was reached at an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held virtually on Saturday, where the association reviewed developments following the expira
  
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• NDC remains legally recognised political party, says Zamfara chairman

  28-06-2026 16:22 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Idris Salisu, GusauThe Zamfara State Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Garba Maikatako, has dismissed reports suggesting that the party has been deregistered, insisting that the NDC remains a legally recognised and fully operational political party.In a statement issued on Sunday, Maikatako faulted the recent ruling of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, describing it as non-binding on the party’s legal status and maintaining that the NDC remains vibrant and commi
  
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• World Cup 2026: Messi tops list of players with most matches played

  28-06-2026 16:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Argentina captain Lionel Messi has become the player with the most appearances in FIFA World Cup history after featuring in his country’s final Group J match against Jordan.
  The 39-year-old forward made his 28th World Cup appearance when he came off the bench during Argentina’s 3-1 victory on Sunday.
  Messi also found the back of the net as the reigning champions secured their place in the Round of 32.
  His latest outing sees him move clear at the top of the all-time appearance rankin
  
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• Telecom subscriptions rise to 188m as broadband penetration hits 55.67%

  28-06-2026 15:29 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Juliet UmehNigeria’s telecommunications industry sustained its growth trajectory in April 2026, with active mobile subscriptions rising to 188.01 million and broadband penetration reaching 55.67 percent.This is according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
  The data showed that active telephony subscriptions increased to 188,009,171 in April from the previous month, pushing the country’s teledensity to 86.73 percent, up from 8
  
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• Tomato prices may ease from August, traders reassure Nigerians

  28-06-2026 15:24 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Tomatoes Growers and Processors Association of Nigeria (TOPAN) has assured Nigerians that the current high prices of tomatoes are expected to decline considerably from late July as the wet-season harvest begins.The Kaduna State Chairman of TOPAN, Mr Rabiu Zuntu, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.NAN reports that tomato prices have risen sharply since early May, following the end of the dry-season harvest and reduced supply.A 50kg bas
  
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• Traffic management: LASTMA unveils 3367 toll-free short code

  28-06-2026 15:21 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has officially unveiled its new 3367 Toll-Free Short-Code Hotline to strengthen emergency responses and enhance traffic management.This is a strategic initiative designed to fortify emergency response operations, optimise traffic management efficiency and deepen public participation in the administration of road transportation across Lagos State.The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lago
  
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• Imo Police comb forests with drones, rescue kidnapped victim

  28-06-2026 15:16 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Chidi Nkwopara
  Imo State Police Command, over the weekend, deployed surveillance drones, combed forests and rescued a kidnap victim in the state.
  Confirming this in a press statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Henry Okoye, said: “The Command has deployed a surveillance drone to strengthen intelligence gathering and support ongoing operations aimed at identifying and tracking criminal elements across Imo State”.
  Part of the statement read: “As part of on
  
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• Enugu Anglican Synod knocks FG over Eastern rail delay

  28-06-2026 14:43 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …urges INEC to guarantee level playing field, voters to obtain PVCsBy Chinedu AdonuENUGU — The Anglican Church, Enugu Diocese, has faulted the Federal Government over the prolonged delay in completing the Eastern Rail Line (Port Harcourt–Maiduguri) project, describing the neglect as detrimental to the South-East’s economy and the welfare of Nigerians.The Church, rising from its 3rd session of the 19th Synod, also raised concerns over the political atmosphere ahead of th
  
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• Police arrest 10 suspects over killing of Benue Miyetti Allah chairman

  28-06-2026 14:18 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Peter Duru, MakurdiThe Benue State Police Command has arrested 10 suspects in connection with the killing of the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State, Ardo Risku Mohammed, and one Yakubu Isa.The suspects were apprehended on the night of June 27, 2026, during a coordinated operation by the Command’s tactical teams in Otukpo Local Government Area, following what police described as intensive intelligence gathering and tactical opera
  
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• Police arrest 10 suspects over killing of Benue MACBAN Chairman

  28-06-2026 14:18 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Peter Duru, MakurdiThe Benue State Police Command has arrested 10 suspects in connection with the killing of the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State, Ardo Risku Mohammed, and one Yakubu Isa.The suspects were apprehended on the night of June 27, 2026, during a coordinated operation by the Command’s tactical teams in Otukpo Local Government Area, following what police described as intensive intelligence gathering and tactical opera
  
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• World Cup: Drake places N1bn bet on Canada to beat South Africa

  28-06-2026 14:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Canadian rapper Drake has placed a massive $770,000 (over N1 billion) bet on Canada to defeat South Africa in their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash.
  Drake revealed the wager on social media, saying he was motivated by a message from South African DJ Black Coffee.
  “@realblackcoffee was chirping in the DM. I had to raise my stakes,” Drake wrote.
  The Grammy-winning artist shared details of the bet, which was placed through Stake, showing a stake of $770,000 with a potential payout of $
  
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• Tinubu hails Benue at 50, pledges sustained support for development

  28-06-2026 13:39 via vanguardngr.com
  
  President Bola Tinubu says Benue golden jubilee is a celebration of resilience, enterprise, courage, sacrifice and hope.Tinubu, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, spoke on Saturday at the grand finale of activities marking the state’s 50th anniversary in Makurdi.The President said the creation of Benue on Feb. 3, 1976, has reflected Nigeria’s commitment to justice, inclusion and balanced development.He said that five decades later, Benue had justified t
  
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