Photo credit: Lagos State Fire Service

A fire has broken out on parts of the fourth and fifth floors of Terminal One at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, triggering an emergency response and temporary disruption of flight operations.

Eyewitnesses said that the blaze started on one of the affected floors before spreading to adjoining sections of the terminal.

The impacted areas have since been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Air Traffic Controllers stationed in the control tower were alerted to the incident and are reported to be safe, though closely monitoring the situation as emergency teams work to bring the fire under control.

As a result of the development, inbound flights to Lagos from other airports have been instructed to delay departure until the situation stabilises.

Aircraft already approaching Lagos may be required to remain airborne until clearance is given to land.

Fire and rescue officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are currently battling the blaze and intensifying efforts to contain it.

FAAN has confirmed that no casualties have been recorded at this time. Authorities say further updates will be provided as more details emerge.

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court Abuja , against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Enforcement Commissions (ICPC) over alleged unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, through his team of lawyers led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence was invalid, null and void.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former governor had, in the originating motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, sued ICPC as 1st respondent

.El-Rufai named the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; I-G and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the 2nd to 4th respondents respectively

El-Rufai urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause, thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.“

An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

Former Vice President of Nigeria and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has expressed deep concern over the alarmingly low voter turnout in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, describing the figures as a clear indictment of the state of Nigeria’s democracy under the present administration.

Official results showed an average turnout of below 20 per cent across the six area councils, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council recording a particularly dismal 7.8 per cent.

Atiku described this as “a damning verdict” on the health of the nation’s democratic process, especially in the symbolic capital city that represents the heartbeat of the federation.

He attributed the widespread disengagement not to voter apathy, but to a deliberate and sustained assault on democratic norms by the Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

According to the former Vice President, the low participation is the predictable result of a political atmosphere marked by intolerance, intimidation, harassment of dissenters, coercion of political defectors, and the systematic stifling of opposition voices.

“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die,” Atiku declared. “What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated—slowly, steadily, and dangerously.”

He cautioned that the ongoing erosion of participatory governance, if allowed to continue unchecked, risks inflicting irreversible damage on the democratic institutions and freedoms built over decades through sacrifice and struggle.

“A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only,” he warned. “If this chokehold is not released, history will record this era as the period when our hard-won freedoms were traded for fear and conformity.”

Atiku called on all opposition parties, civil society organisations, and democratic forces nationwide to urgently set aside differences and form a united front to defend the Republic.

“This is no longer about party lines; it is about preserving the Republic,” he emphasised. “The time to stand together to rescue and rebuild Nigeria is now.”