Reno Omokri,

A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted as evidence a video in which former presidential aide and ambassadorial nominee, Reno Omokri, described President Bola Tinubu as a “drug lord” in the ongoing cyberstalking trial of activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.

Justice Mohammed Umar admitted the video on Tuesday after dismissing objections from counsel to the Department of State Services, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN.

The court held that the defence complied with Section 84 of the Evidence Act governing the admissibility of electronically generated evidence.

The video was tendered during the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, a DSS operative, Cyril Nosike, by Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar.

Sowore is facing a two-count charge under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, over social media posts allegedly referring to President Tinubu as a “criminal.”

The Federal Government, in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, claims the posts were false and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.

Sowore, who was arraigned on January 19, 2026, pleaded not guilty.

During proceedings, Abubakar questioned the DSS witness on whether the agency interviewed President Tinubu or obtained a personal statement from him regarding the alleged impact of the posts.

Nosike admitted that he did not take any statement from the President and did not know whether Tinubu was even aware of the posts in question.

The witness also confirmed that he neither recorded nor verified a video of the President speaking in Brazil, nor was he present when it was recorded.

The defence further tendered court orders issued on February 19, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, directing the DSS to return three mobile phones seized from Sowore.

Although the prosecution objected, reserving arguments for final address, the documents were admitted as exhibits.

In addition, Abubakar tendered a flash drive containing multiple video clips of Reno Omokri, alongside a certificate of compliance.

The prosecution objected on the grounds that electronic evidence must be tendered by its maker, but the court overruled the objection and admitted the exhibits.

One of the videos, played in open court, showed Omokri during a 2023 interview on ARISE News claiming he possessed documents describing President Tinubu as a “drug lord.”

In the clip, Omokri said he travelled to Chicago, obtained certified court documents, and stood by his claims.

Another video featured Omokri stating that he would never work with President Tinubu.

Following the playback, Sowore’s counsel questioned the DSS witness on why Omokri was cleared for an ambassadorial appointment despite making such allegations publicly.

Nosike said he could not explain the decision.

The defence also pointed out that President Tinubu had publicly pledged to protect the rights of Nigerians to criticize or disagree with him, a claim the DSS witness said he was not aware of.

“I am not acting on the prompt of the President,” Nosike told the court.

“I am here based on the implication of the post.”

Justice Umar adjourned the matter to February 4, 2026, for continuation of cross-examination.
Sowore was re-arraigned on December 5, 2025, after the DSS filed an amended charge.

While Sowore, X Inc. (formerly Twitter), and Meta Platforms Inc. were listed as defendants in the original charge, the amended charge dropped X and Meta from the case.

Traders at the Onitsha Main Market have taken to the streets to protest the Anambra State Government’s decision to shut the market for one week over continued compliance with the sit-at-home order.
Videos circulating online show aggrieved

traders expressing frustration over the closure, which they say is worsening economic hardship and disrupting their means of livelihood.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo had ordered the shutdown after traders allegedly failed to resume business activities on Mondays despite repeated assurances of improved security in the state.

Below are the videos:

Nigeria’s national electricity grid has collapsed for the second time in 2026, plunging the country into another round of widespread power outages.

Data obtained on Tuesday showed that power generation dropped from over 4,500 megawatts to zero, leaving all 11 electricity distribution companies without any allocation as of about 11:00 a.m.

This latest incident comes barely days after the grid’s first collapse this year and weeks after a similar failure recorded on December 29, 2025, raising renewed concerns over the stability of the nation’s power infrastructure.

Checks revealed that all 23 power generation plants connected to the national grid reportedly lost output during the incident, resulting in a total shutdown of electricity supply across the country.

While the exact cause of the collapse has yet to be established, experts have attributed repeated grid failures to technical faults, poor maintenance of transmission infrastructure, and fluctuations in generation capacity.

As of the time of filing this report, the Transmission Company of Nigeria had not issued an official statement explaining the cause of the latest collapse or the timeline for full restoration of supply.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, has ordered workers in the Federal Capital Territory to suspend their ongoing strike following an interlocutory injunction granted in favour of the FCT Administration and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The order followed a suit filed by the FCT Administration against the leadership of the Joint Union Action Committee, seeking to restrain the union and its officials from embarking on industrial action while the matter is before the court.

Delivering his ruling on Tuesday, Justice E.D. Subilim held that although the dispute qualified as a trade dispute under the law, the right of workers to embark on a strike was not absolute once the matter had been referred to the National Industrial Court.

The judge ruled that workers were barred from continuing any industrial action after a dispute had been formally brought before the court and ordered that the ongoing strike be suspended pending the determination of the substantive suit.

“The defendants and their agents are hereby restrained from further embarking on any industrial action against the claimant pending the determination of this suit,” Justice Subilim ruled.

The court adjourned the case until March 23, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive matter.

SP Daniel Ndukwe,

The Enugu State Police Command has intensified its crackdown on drug peddling and related criminal activities, arresting four suspects and recovering large quantities of suspected illicit drugs, cash, and other incriminating items during coordinated operations across the state.

The arrests followed intelligence-led raids carried out by specialised units of the Command within and around the Enugu metropolis.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, acting on credible intelligence, raided a criminal hideout located behind New Market, Enugu, at about 11:30 am on January 26, 2026.

During the operation, a 46-year-old female suspect, identified as Omeru Nkechi, was arrested.

Items recovered from her include a large bag of substance suspected to be Indian hemp, a big roll of wire, six rolls of 1.5mm electric wires, assorted off-cut wires, a water-pumping machine, a Point of Sale (POS) machine, two ATM cards, and a cash sum of ₦1.8 million.

In a related operation, operatives of the Command’s Anti-Cultism Squad, while on crime-prevention patrol and acting on actionable intelligence, stormed identified black spots in Obeagu, Asata, and the Holy Ghost Railway Area on January 25, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m.

Three male suspects were arrested during the raid.

They were identified as Anielozie Emmanuel, 21; Ekoh Miracle, 20; and Nwachukwu Michael, 27, who is suspected to be a member of the Vikings Confraternity.

Recovered from the suspects were thirty-two small containers filled with substances suspected to be cannabis, one sachet of a similar substance, and twelve wrapped pills suspected to be hard drugs.

The Police said discreet investigations are ongoing to track down other members of the drug-peddling networks and dismantle their operations.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa has reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining the fight against drug abuse, cultism, and all forms of criminality in the state.

He urged residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and to continue providing credible and timely information to the Police to enhance public safety and security.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has directed traders and shop owners at the Onitsha Main Market to resume business on Tuesday, defying Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s directive to close the market for one week.

Governor Soludo had ordered the closure on Monday following traders’ failure to comply with the state’s previous instruction to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.

He warned that the shutdown could be extended if traders continued to defy the government, noting that security agencies had sealed the market to enforce the closure.

Describing the closure as the latest—and perhaps most drastic, move in a prolonged struggle over control of economic life in the South-East, Soludo emphasised the government’s authority to ensure compliance.

However, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful countered in a statement late Monday, insisting that the state had no authority over the traders’ businesses and calling for the unconditional release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.

“The IPOB hereby declares that tomorrow, January 27, 2026, our people in Anambra State shall resume their legitimate business activities and open their shops and markets. This action is not in defiance of any gubernatorial order but in the exercise of their God-given right to pursue their daily livelihoods according to their preferences and necessities,” the statement read.

Powerful highlighted the resilience of the traders, noting that they received no state support during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

He added, “Our people endured a three-year food blockade during the Nigeria-Biafra War and emerged as the most entrepreneurial ethnic group in Africa, as well as the most successful immigrant community in the United States.”

“Our fathers liberated Nigeria from colonial rule, our ancestors liberated Haiti from colonial oppression, and in the creeks of Savannah, Georgia, we Igbos chose death over enslavement—a legacy chronicled in Alex Haley’s ‘Roots,’ where our ancestors from Onitsha drowned themselves rather than submit to man-made slavery and bondage.”

Powerful warned that any attempt to stop traders from reopening would be met with resistance, but emphasised that IPOB was not seeking confrontation with the state government.

“Governor Soludo, you cannot defeat our collective spirit of resistance; history teaches us that. Any arrests, harassment, or bloodshed will signal the beginning of the end for those who oppose the will of the people,” he stated.

He concluded, “Tomorrow, our markets shall open, and no force on earth can prevent it. The Federal Government of Nigeria must heed this call and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without further delay to restore peace and normalcy in the South-East.”

DAILY GAZETTE had earlier reported that Soludo ordered the Onitsha Main Market closed for one week after traders again defied directives to resume business on Mondays, citing lingering fear in the region despite assurances of improved security.