News
‘Let Heaven Fall,’ Wike Vows To Continue Demolitions In FCT
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has defended the demolition of properties in the nation’s seat of power, saying he won’t be swayed by blackmail.
Wike said the structures being demolished by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) are properties illegally built on government lands.
“Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja, we are not afraid of blackmailing,” the minister said during the distribution of operational vehicles to security agencies at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
“In fact, you cannot be in this kind of position and say you cannot be blackmailed particularly as regards this Abuja.
There are so many land grabbers. Some of us have come to put our feet down. Let heaven fall.
It is even better that heaven comes down now so that we would not be fasting again to go to heaven.”
In recent months, the FCTA has intensified the demolition of what it deemed as illegal structures in estates and shanties in Abuja.
According to Wike, while some of the structures pose security risks, the rest were built on lands belonging to the government.
The move has triggered a backlash and protests but Wike has insisted there is no going back and vowed to go after more illegally constructed buildings and shanties.
“We would stop anybody who thinks they will take government land for whatever reason with formal approval.
We would not look at your face. If you like be a civil rights activist or a television personality,” Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, said during the event.
“What is wrong is wrong; no amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval or documentation.
”Wike’s comment came on the same day that the Senate ordered a probe into the demolitions in the FCT, setting up a committee to look into the development.
The Senate’s move followed a motion sponsored by the Senator representing FCT Ireti Kingibe who raised concerns over the demolitions and called for an order to stop them.
It also set up an investigative committee – headed by the Deputy Senate Jibrin Barau – to probe the demolitions.
The group is expected to also invite Wike to the Senate so he can explain the reasons for the demolitions in the nation’s capital.
News
BREAKING: Private Jet crash Lands in Kano (Video)
A private jet operated by Flybird has reportedly crash-landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in the early hour of today.
The aircraft, was said to be flying from Abuja, and landed around 9:30 a.m with 11 people on board, including three crew members.
Reports says passengers were quickly and safely evacuated from the plane, and no deaths were reported.
More details are expected to come in later.
See video below:
News
Botswana, Nigeria Explore Deeper Collaboration in Livestock Development (Photos)
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing evidence-based policies that will modernise Nigeria’s livestock sector and position it as a key driver of national economic growth.

The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, reiterated this position on Friday, 12th December 2025, when he received Her Excellency, Philda Nani Kereng, High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana to Nigeria, during a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.
He emphasised that the nation can no longer rely on outdated systems but must embrace structured reforms that support productivity, enhance value addition, and create sustainable livelihoods for farmers and livestock value-chain actors.

“The Botswana experience is a major inspiration. Your nation has achieved in 50 years what the world continues to study, and we are interested in domesticating many of those lessons,” the Minister said.
“Nigeria, as the largest market in Africa, is ready to expand its livestock sector to compete globally, while also partnering with Botswana to accelerate the journey,” he added, noting the country’s unique success in exporting beef to Europe, managing transboundary diseases, and integrating technology in livestock traceability.

He stressed Nigeria’s readiness to learn from Botswana’s model, especially as the Ministry moves to rehabilitate and modernise 417 grazing reserves across the country into structured ranching ecosystems.
In her remarks, the High Commissioner highlighted Botswana’s five-decade success story in beef production and export to the European market, describing it as a product of deliberate policies, strong governance structures, and extensive farmer support systems.

She explained that Botswana’s livestock sector grew from a rural development model that prioritised agriculture, backed by policies and laws enabling farmers to produce high-quality cattle for livelihood improvement and national economic growth.
Her Excellency noted that Botswana’s beef sector, second only to diamonds in national revenue, thrives on strict disease-control systems, communal land management, targeted veterinary interventions, and highly subsidised farmer support programmes.
She outlined several areas where Botswana is prepared to collaborate with Nigeria, including beef quality improvement through enhanced genetics, modern abattoir practices, disease management, veterinary protocols, vaccine production, livestock traceability and grazing management.
News
JUST IN: Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda, Overrides President’s Pardon
Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, the Abuja housewife convicted of stabbing her husband to death in 2018, reinstating her original death sentence by hanging.
Sanda, 37, was sentenced to death in January 2020 by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court for culpable homicide punishable with death after she fatally stabbed Bilyaminu Bello during a heated domestic dispute over alleged infidelity. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in December 2020, and the Supreme Court affirmed it in 2023, exhausting her appeals.
In October 2025, President Bola Tinubu initially granted Sanda a full pardon as part of clemency extended to 175 convicts, citing her family’s pleas for the sake of her two children, her good conduct in prison, and remorse. However, amid public backlash, the administration revised the decision, commuting her sentence to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds.
The Supreme Court’s 4-1 majority decision, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, dismissed Sanda’s final appeal as meritless. Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, affirming the lower courts’ findings that Sanda’s actions constituted intentional murder.
Crucially, the apex court held that the executive branch’s exercise of pardon powers under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution was invalid in this instance, as Sanda’s appeal was still pending before the judiciary at the time of the grant. “It was wrong for the Executive to seek to exercise its power of pardon over a case of culpable homicide in respect of which an appeal was pending,” Justice Adumein stated in the lead judgment.
The dissenting justice argued for upholding the commutation, emphasizing humanitarian considerations for Sanda’s children and her time served—over seven years at Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The ruling has reignited national debates on the separation of powers, domestic violence, and the application of the death penalty. Sanda’s family expressed devastation, while Bello’s relatives hailed the decision as long-overdue justice. Rights groups decried the outcome, calling for legislative reforms on prerogative of mercy.
Sanda remains in custody pending any further legal maneuvers, though options appear exhausted. The Attorney General’s office confirmed investigations into the pardon process’s procedural flaws.
-
News3 days agoBayelsa deputy gov Ewhrudjakpo dies at 60
-
News3 days agoDangote Launches N1trn Education Fund to Support 1.3m Students
-
News2 days agoJUST IN: Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda, Overrides President’s Pardon
-
Business8 hours agoBUA Group’s Long Service Awards: Rabiu Splashes N30bn on Staff (Video)
-
Business2 days agoGTCO Unveils First-Ever Holiday Edition of Food & Drink Festival, Scheduled for December 20–21, 2025
-
News1 day agoBotswana, Nigeria Explore Deeper Collaboration in Livestock Development (Photos)
-
Business3 days agoBOI, NCGC sign N10bn loans for women in business
-
Sports1 day agoFans vandalise Indian stadium after Messi’s abrupt exit
