Breaking News: Top Nigeria Newspaper Headlines You Can’t Miss – January 31, 2025

Below is the summary of Top Nigeria Newspaper Headlines Today 31th January 2025 being Friday.

Top Nigeria Newspaper Headlines You Can’t Miss – January 31, 2025

1. According to the National Counter Terrorism Centre, under the Office of the National Security Advisor, a minimum of 5,000 former Boko Haram fighters who have renounced violence have successfully reintegrated into their communities. The Centre further reported that no participant in the deradicalisation programme has returned to the battlefield within six months of completing the initiative.

2. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was conspicuously absent from the PDP North East Zonal Caucus meeting in Bauchi held on Thursday. Unlike other senior party members who sent apologies for their absence, Atiku neither sent a representative nor provided any explanation for his nonattendance.

3. On Thursday, a district head from the Zazzau Emirate Council in Kaduna State tragically collapsed during an event and later passed away at the Gambo Sawaba General Hospital in Kofar Gayan, Zaria. The deceased, Alhaji Rilwan Yahaya Pate, the Sarkin Yakin Zazzau, had been attending the event alongside the Emir of Zazzau, Mallam Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, when he suddenly fell ill.

4. The opposition to the planned 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs has grown stronger, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday urging its affiliated unions and state councils to rally workers and allies for a nationwide protest. This demonstration is set for February 4, 2025, in response to the proposed tariff hike.

5. The value of the Naira increased on Thursday, rising to N1,493 per U.S. dollar in the official foreign exchange market. According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), this represents a decrease in the exchange rate from N1,506 per dollar on Wednesday.

6. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted bail to detained activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore. The court set his bail at N10 million, requiring one surety to provide a guarantee of the same amount. The surety must be a reputable individual who owns land with a value that meets the bail requirement.

7. A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday evening when a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided mid-air near Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in the deaths of 67 passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the collision took place around 9 p.m., as reported by Al Jazeera.

8. In Yobe State, Nigeria Immigration Service operatives rescued 21 children, ranging in age from 7 to 15 years, from suspected child traffickers. The children were intercepted at the Geidam Control Post in Dunari, Yobe State, while being transported by the traffickers who intended to smuggle them into the Niger Republic, as confirmed by a statement from the Yobe State Command’s Comptroller, SS Jega.

9. An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti sentenced four individuals to death by hanging on Thursday for their involvement in armed robbery and conspiracy. The four individuals, Ojo Tope, Aderopo Temitope, Oyedele Oluwatobi, and Damilola Christopher, along with another defendant, Ekundayo Ajiboye, had been arraigned on five counts related to armed robbery and conspiracy, with the court issuing the sentence following the trial.

10. Two members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Lanre Afinni and Hon. Sylvester Ogunkelu, are currently in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Lagos. They are reportedly being interrogated in connection with their alleged roles in the removal of Hon. Mudashiru Obasa from his position as Speaker.