Ibrahim Bakoura Doro, also known as Abu Oumaimah, a commander of Boko Haram, has denied reports from the Nigerien government claiming he was killed during recent military operations in the Diffa region.

The Nigerien Armed Forces had announced on Friday that Bakoura was among several insurgent leaders eliminated in targeted airstrikes on August 15 in Korongol, Kournawa, and Shilawa.

According to the military, the strikes destroyed Boko Haram bases, neutralised dozens of fighters, and killed high-ranking commanders, including Bakoura.

Niger’s Head of State, Gen. Abdurahamane Tiani, hailed the operation as a significant success, describing Bakoura as a key figure in efforts to destabilise the country.

However, security sources on Saturday intercepted a communication in which Bakoura reportedly told his commanders that he survived the airstrikes and was not among those killed.

In under eight days, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in partnership with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), has deported a total of 93 foreign nationals convicted of cybercrime and Internet fraud.

According to a statement on Thursday via the EFCC’s official X account, the latest deportees include 50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian.

“The convicts are among the 192 foreign nationals arrested during a sting operation by the commission in Lagos, following actionable intelligence about the operations of one of the largest foreign-led cybercrime syndicates in Nigeria,” the statement read.

This latest action raises the total number of deportees since the exercise began on August 15, 2025, to 93.

Earlier, 42 Chinese and Philippine nationals, also among the 192 convicted of cyberterrorism and Ponzi scheme offences, were expelled. They were part of a larger group of 759 persons arrested during a major raid on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The EFCC noted that further deportations are expected in the coming days. The convicts were found to have operated an extensive cyberfraud and Ponzi network, training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent activities and defrauding victims using fake identities.

Following the first batch of deportations, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede praised the effort as a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign.

“These convictions send a strong signal that Nigeria will not serve as a haven for cybercriminals,” he said.

“The commission remains committed to intensifying investigations, recovering stolen funds, and restoring national dignity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption drive.”

The charges against the convicts were brought under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

A female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elohor, has recounted a brutal attack by Anambra vigilante operatives, known as Agunechemba, at a corps member’s lodge in Oba, Idemili LGA.

The incident, which occurred on 13 July 2025, was captured in a viral video showing armed operatives storming the lodge, accusing corps members of Internet fraud despite knowing their identities.

Elohor described how the masked vigilantes broke into the building, assaulted her and her colleagues, ransacked their rooms, and seized their devices, even ignoring their NYSC ID cards.

She revealed that she was slapped, pushed, and had her clothes torn, while one colleague was hit with an iron rod. Victims were forcibly taken away in a vigilante vehicle.

The attack has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society, human rights groups, and lawmakers, prompting the Anambra State Government to issue a public apology. Eight operatives responsible for the assault have been identified, sacked, arrested, and detained, according to Ken Emeakayi, Special Adviser on Community Security and head of Agunechemba.

Emeakayi stressed that while the vigilante group was created to support policing in communities, some members have acted outside the law. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to justice, accountability, and reforms to ensure community policing in Anambra is safe, professional, and human rights-compliant.

The number of people killed in Tuesday’s dawn attack on worshippers in Unguwan Mantau community, Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, has climbed to 32.

Armed bandits stormed the community mosque around 5 a.m. while residents were observing Fajr prayers and opened fire on worshippers in what officials described as a reprisal attack.

Initial reports had put the death toll at 13, but a state government delegation that visited the community on Wednesday confirmed that 32 people lost their lives. An unverified number of residents were also abducted during the assault.

Some of the kidnapped victims were later freed after a Nigerian Air Force air strike disrupted the attackers. Others fled in the confusion and are now receiving treatment in hospitals.

Governor Dikko Umar Radda, who is currently on medical leave, directed the acting governor, Mallam Faruk Jobe, to send a high-level delegation to condole with the bereaved families.

The team, led by Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Faskari, met traditional rulers and grieving relatives in Karfi town.

Describing the incident as “deeply painful and heartbreaking,” Faskari assured residents that the state government would intensify security operations to ensure the perpetrators face justice.

“Our hearts are with the families who lost their loved ones in this senseless attack. This administration remains committed to working with all security agencies to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he said.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, explained that the attack followed a confrontation days earlier, when residents of Ruwan Sanyi village ambushed bandits, killed several of them, rescued abductees, and seized weapons and motorcycles.

“The reprisal occurred while the community was observing morning prayers. The criminals started shooting sporadically inside the mosque,” Mu’azu said.

He added that troops and police reinforcements had since been deployed, with both aerial and ground operations launched to pursue the attackers.

“The bandits often hide under crops during the rainy season to commit their evil acts. We are working with security agencies to flush them out,” he added.

Mu’azu also praised the courage of residents who resisted the criminals, describing their action as gallant. He stressed that the government would continue to support community-based security initiatives and provide help to victims’ families.

The condolence team also included senior aides on community security, the Malumfashi lawmaker in the state House of Assembly, the council chairman, and heads of security agencies, including the Police Commissioner, the Commander of the 17 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the DSS Director, and the NSCDC Commandant.

The state government reaffirmed its commitment to restoring peace and protecting lives, noting that immediate relief had been provided to victims’ families while a wider damage assessment was ongoing.

Oseloka Obi, the son of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has reacted to viral allegations linking him to homosexuality following the circulation of photos showing him with London-based British-Nigerian Kent Okwesa earlier this week.

The images, which surfaced online on Wednesday, captured Oseloka and Okwesa sitting in close proximity at a restaurant in the United Kingdom, triggering widespread online gossip and speculation.

In a comprehensive statement, Oseloka refuted the allegations, describing them as malicious fabrications fueled by his father’s active role in Nigerian politics.

He further explained that although he usually avoids responding to such claims, the persistent spread of these baseless rumours made it necessary for him to issue a clarification.

“Because of my father’s involvement in Nigerian politics, there has been a persistent curiosity and, at times, malicious obsession with me.

“To assume that my life or choices are somehow political statements is a flawed and childish calculation. It reveals more about the pettiness of those spreading such narratives than it does about me or my father,” he said.

Oseloka, a professional actor, further addressed misunderstandings about his career choices, pointing out that even though his father has a background as a businessman and economist, he decided to pursue a different path in theatre and filmmaking. He dismissed suggestions of nepotism, stating: “I was raised to know that my father’s wealth is not mine, and that I must build my own life.”

“I have no social media presence and no interest in maintaining one, so I rarely correct these falsehoods. But perhaps it is time I address them,” he wrote.

Oseloka stressed that the photos of him in circulation were being misrepresented, insisting they were ordinary snapshots with friends and colleagues.

“The truth is simple: Peter Obi’s son appears in photos with his friends and colleagues, nothing more. If people wish to invent otherwise, I hope they sleep soundly knowing they are spreading lies,” he added.

He further stressed that neither he nor his father is without flaws, but affirmed his father’s integrity and dedication to Nigeria’s progress.

“My father has my vote, not because he is my father, but because he is the right man for the job. If others wish to go low, invent scandals, or attack me to wound him, they are free to do so. But we will go high, and we will continue to focus on the future of Nigeria.”

Oseloka called on Nigerians to shift their focus away from baseless gossip and towards addressing the critical socio-economic issues confronting the nation.

“Our nation still struggles with insecurity, a weakened economy, crumbling infrastructure, failing healthcare, and politicians who steal from the people they swore to serve. And yet, for some, the priority is to spread gossip about who Peter Obi’s son appears with in a photo. This is a distraction from the real crises that matter to all Nigerians.”

He concluded by reaffirming his dedication to the core values he has embraced since childhood: honesty, diligence, and serving others.