Magistrates in Cross River State have commenced an indefinite strike action following the failure of the state government to address their longstanding demands. The action, which took effect from Monday, 9 February 2026, was announced by the Magistrates Association of Nigeria (MAN), Cross River State Chapter, in Bulletin No. MAN further recalled that it had earlier embarked on a warning strike and later declared an indefinite strike through Bulletins No. “Sequel to the failure of the Government of Cross River State to address our demands despite several written and oral appeals, we are hereby embarking on an indefinite strike action from Monday, 9th February 2026, until our demands are met,” the bulletin stated. The strike is expected to disrupt magistrate court activities across the state, affecting the administration of justice at the grassroots level.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed that 53 migrants are feared dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, with only two survivors rescued, the UN migration agency said. It was reported that the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday after departing from Al-Zawiya late on 5 February. “According to survivor accounts, the boat carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at about 11pm on 5 February. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water,” the IOM said. READ ALSO: Four killed in Russian drone attacks across UkraineIt called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle the networks, as well as safer migration routes to help prevent further tragedies like the one in which 53 dead or missing after a migrant boat capsizes in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Imo State Police Command, in collaboration with sister security agencies and community stakeholders, has arrested 15 criminal suspects for offences such as kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, hoodlums linked to IPOB/ESN, child trafficking, murder, and theft. Briefing newsmen at the Imo State Police Command, Owerri, on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, described it as a notable achievement in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent crimes across the state. He said that the command’s major breakthrough was the arrest of five notorious kidnap suspects, who include Chinonso Ugochukwu, Chibuzor Okafor, Ohaka Chukwuka, Ezekwe Chizoba, and Ezekwe Chinyere, all of Orsuobodo in Oguta LGA of Imo State. According to him, they were arrested for their involvement in a series of IPOB/ESN-related terrorism, kidnapping, murder, and other violent crimes within the Oguta locality and its environs. He further disclosed the arrest of Chinaemerem Ogamba of Ubaheze Omoma in Oru-East LGA in Imo State, for the murder of one Izanga of Oru-East LGA, and recovered one locally made pistol.

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has joined a group of protesters at the National Assembly on Monday to kick against the Senate’s alleged rejection of e-transmission of election results. The protesters brandished placards with various inscriptions, including “Take legislative action on Electoral Act Amendment”, Make electronic transmission of election results mandatory”, and “Defend democracy”, among others. He threatened that failure to implement electronic transmission in real time will lead to mass action before, during, and after the election, or to a total boycott of the election. At the meeting, NEC deliberated on the President’s report, which highlighted the Senate’s alleged rejection of a proposed amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill. However, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed claims that the Senate has removed e-transmission as a means of transferring election results.

Even a short afternoon nap can help refresh the brain and improve its ability to learn, researchers say. The lead researcher, Professor Christoph Nissen of the University of Freiburg in Germany, said that even short naps can improve how the brain processes and stores new information. Sleep helps reset the brain. “A short nap can help you think more clearly and keep working with better focus,” he said. Because scientists cannot directly study brain connections in healthy people, they used safe, noninvasive techniques to measure brain activity.

A non-governmental organisation, Ominira Initiative for Economic Advancement, has called for the establishment of separate courts to handle land-related matters in the country. The group noted that this is due to the fact that 50 per cent of cases in courts are land-related matters. The group noted that there is a need for the government to create separate courts for land-related matters in order to decongest the existing courts in the country. “We have seen that 50 of cases at different courts in Nigeria are land related matters simply because there is no proper land administration in Nigeria. There is a need to have specialised courts for land-related matters.

Abductors of two residents of Ora Igbomina, a community in Osun State along the boundary with Kwara State, have demanded N100 million to release the victims. Residents said the attack occurred minutes before midnight, as the gunmen stormed the house and fired shots into the air to scare people before whisking their targets away into the bush. Immediately after the incident, the Osun State Police Command said it launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the crime. Ora Igbomina has been under repeated attacks from suspected bandits who often penetrate the community through the Kwara boundary. The PUNCH reports that Owolabi was abducted by gunmen on December 15, 2025, and later released on January 12 in Oro Ago, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, after his family reportedly paid a ransom running into millions of naira.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe and New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs got into it early in the fourth quarter of their Super Bowl LX matchup in Santa Clara, California. AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementThings started after Jobe was covering Diggs on a route in the final period of the game. Jobe came in and blindsided Diggs after he was already out of bounds, away from the play in question. Eventually, as an official was trying to separate them, Jobe threw a left-handed punch that drilled Diggs right in the facemask. As a flag wasn't thrown on the field, the NFL wasn't able to step in and assess further punishment, either.

The political storm in Rivers State may be easing following a late-night intervention by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to The Nation on Monday, the President reportedly held talks with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and other key leaders from the state. While the details of the meeting remain under wraps, The Nation reports that Governor Fubara accompanied Wike to his residence in Guzape, Abuja, after the discussions. The report added that Fubara allegedly begged the minister, vowing never to show him disrespect again, signalling a potential reconciliation between the state’s powerful political figures.

A cyclist lost his life on Monday after a collision with a DAF articulated truck in Ikeja, Lagos State. The incident occurred under the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Bridge at the traffic signal corridor along Airport Road, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority. “In the course of this perilous convergence, the cyclist was reportedly unable to maintain a safe clearance from the moving truck. Taofiq said LASTMA operatives at the scene swiftly intercepted the truck driver, who had attempted to flee the scene. “The Lagos State Government has sustained intensive sensitisation campaigns aimed at educating cyclists and other vulnerable road users on safe travel, confining their movements to inner roads and avoiding high-risk corridors,” Giwa said.

The All Progressives Congress has explained why the newly-defected Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has not yet been officially welcomed into the party. Speaking on TVC on Sunday, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the delay is part of a strategic plan to manage regional sensitivities, particularly in northern states. When asked about claims that Fubara appeared unable to assert control as the APC leader in Rivers State, Yilwatda challenged the premise of the question, demanding evidence of any internal complaint. “When somebody has not complained, and we’ve not seen a physical petition, the media should not create a petition. The political backdrop to the questions around Fubara’s leadership stems from a long-running crisis in Rivers State.

The pro-Biafran group had declared the weekly sit-at-home in August 2021 to protest Kanu’s rendition to Nigeria and subsequent incarceration, a move that often resulted in the shutdown of markets, schools, banks and offices. The group warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home would be acting against Kanu’s direct order. Last week, Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the forced reopening of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday, in a move defying the sit-at-home directive issued by IPOB. Following a one-week closure, the market was reopened on Monday, February 2, with many traders operating for the first time since 2021, when the enforcement of the sit-at-home order began. He added that those who refused to open their shops would face the loss of their businesses.

The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army said on Sunday that it would investigate allegations that some military officers were shielding drug peddlers in the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. This followed accusations by the chairman of the LCDA, Jimoh Saliu, who alleged that some top military officers were protecting illicit drug peddlers in the area. If you go there now, you will find top military and police officers making it difficult to arrest drug peddlers and other criminal elements operating in the area. If you go to Gidan Drama at night, you will see people bringing out bales of naira to buy all sorts of illicit drugs. I had to contact the commander to explain that they were on an intelligence visit to Gidan Drama before they were released,” he said.

The Edo State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers in connection with the abduction of Dr Abu Babatunde and the killing of his younger brother. The command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the arrests followed sustained intelligence-led operations targeting organised criminal networks responsible for kidnappings in Auchi and surrounding areas. “The Edo State Police Command wishes to provide updates on the ongoing investigation into the kidnapping of Dr Abu Babatunde, following successive arrests recorded during intelligence-led operations in Auchi,” the statement read. “An identification parade was conducted at the police station, and he was identified as one of the abductors of Dr Abu Babatunde,” the statement added. The Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Monday Agbonika, reassured the public of the command’s determination to resolve all kidnapping cases and bring perpetrators to justice, while continuing aggressive bush-combing operations and intelligence-led policing across the state.

BCPG members urged President Tinubu to give urgent attention to the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the abandoned Old Federal Government Secretariat and the adjoining Ikoyi Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos. Recall that the Old Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi, a 12-storey edifice constructed in 1976 and largely abandoned in 1991 following the relocation of the Federal Capital to Abuja, was once a beehive of government activities. The Old Federal Secretariat occupies approximately 120,000 square metres, while the three Ikoyi Towers are located on a separate parcel measuring about 12,140.569 square metres (approximately three acres) of prime land in Ikoyi. “In the same spirit, the remodelling of the Ikoyi Federal Secretariat and Ikoyi Towers is expected to stimulate comparable regeneration in Ikoyi, which is widely regarded as the President’s primary constituency and residential base,” the group said. “In light of the foregoing, we urge Mr President to use his influence to convert decades of underutilisation into opportunity through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Ikoyi Old Federal Government Secretariat and Ikoyi Towers.