Headlines
COVID-19: Infections on the Rise As 1,386 New Cases, 14 Deaths Recorded
Nigeria on Wednesday recorded 1,386 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths from the virus.
The 14 deaths recorded on Wednesday means Nigeria has now recorded 58 deaths from the virus in four days.
On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, 15, 14 and 15 daily deaths were recorded respectively.
With 14 fatalities on Wednesday, the total deaths from the disease across the country increased to 1,478 as many states around the country struggle with mounting infections and hospitalisations.
A total of 114, 691 infections have now been reported across the nation with the 1,386 new cases found in 22 states, according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
As Nigeria continues to record more coronavirus infections, the fatalities have also increased.
Last Friday, Nigeria announced its deadliest day of the pandemic with 23 lives lost under 24 hours.
Last week, which is the third week of the new year, the country recorded 70 deaths, the weekly highest in the new year. The country also recorded 50 and 48 deaths in the first and second week of 2021 respectively.
In the past four weeks, there have been over 200 fatalities as a result of COVID-19 complications in Nigeria.
The rise in mortality shows that the second wave of the pandemic is deadlier than the first as more patients are symptomatic and require breathing support.
Some relatives of patients who died from COVID-19 have shared harrowing experiences of how their loved ones died gasping for air due to shortage of oxygen supply in some of the isolation centres in the country.
A delay in deliveries meant many patients were left for hours on reduced oxygen, a situation believed to have contributed to the recent spike in coronavirus deaths.
But the NCDC director, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the increase in deaths is as a result of the rise in hospitalization.
Active cases in Nigeria rose sharply from about 3,000 about two months ago to over 20, 000 due to a rise in new infections.
Of the over 114, 000 cases so far, 92,336 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.
Specifics
The 1,386 new cases were reported from 22 states – Lagos (476), Rivers (163), FCT (116), Kaduna (114), Oyo (68), Plateau (62), Ogun (56), Imo (55), Osun (55), Edo (51), Anambra (50), Kwara (44), Kano (17), Ebonyi (14), Cross River (10), Delta (10), Jigawa (8), Bayelsa (6), Ekiti (6), Borno (2), Taraba (2), and Zamfara (1).
Lagos, again led with 476 new cases on Wednesday.
The commercial city is Nigeria’s coronavirus epicentre with a total of over 40,000 confirmed cases and over 270 deaths.
The Minister of State for Health, Mr Mamora, warned Nigerians against complacency in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as the much-awaited vaccines may not arrive the country as soon as expected.
So far, Nigeria has conducted nearly 1.2 million COVID-19 tests.
Amidst the continuous surge in the number of coronavirus cases in Nigeria, a survey has found that nearly a fifth of Nigerians still do not believe the disease is real.
The study by the research firm, SBM Intel, in all 36 states and the FCT, found that only 68.8 per cent of Nigerians believe that the virus is real.
The report said 14.4 per cent of Nigerians were not sure that COVID-19 is real, while 16.7 per cent did not believe it is real.
It said less than 50 per cent of respondents in Ekiti, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa and Sokoto States thought the virus was real.
There has been a drastic drop in safety levels and enforcement of protocols across the country, a situation also blamed for the recent surge in infections.
Premium Times
Headlines
Phone Hacking Charge: El-Rufai to Remain in Custody as Court Turns Down Bail Variation Request
The embattled former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has lost his battle to get the bail conditions imposed on him by the Federal High Court in Abuja varied.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, on Tuesday, refused to relax the bail conditions for the former governor while delivering a ruling in an application by El-Rufai.
El-Rufai, through his lawyer Paul Erokoro (SAN), had applied for a variation of some of the bail conditions earlier granted him, describing them as harsh, stringent, outlandish and difficult to meet.
The senior lawyer argued that the bail terms are too stringent, particularly the requirements for level 17 civil servants with properties in Maitama or Asokoro, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council.
However, the prosecution, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), opposed the request, insisting that qualified public officers who meet the conditions exist, urging the court to refuse the application.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik declined the request to vary the bail conditions, holding that there are civil servants who own properties at the said location.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the Department of State Services (DSS) closed its case against the former governor in the ongoing alleged wiretapping trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
At the resumed hearing, prosecuting counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling further witnesses in the matter, prompting the formal closure of the DSS case.
Following the development, defence counsel, Paul Erokoro told the court that the defence intends to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution has failed to establish sufficient evidence against the former governor.
The defence subsequently sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested two weeks to respond and do the necessary filing.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik then fixed September 22 for hearing of the no case submission and the continuation of proceedings.
British Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation, bringing an abrupt end to a premiership that began with Labour’s landslide general election victory in July 2024.
Starmer made the announcement in a statement outside 10 Downing Street, where he reflected on his time in office and defended his record in government.
“Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first,” Starmer said as he confirmed he would step down as both prime minister and leader of the governing Labour Party.
The resignation marks a dramatic political development in the United Kingdom, coming barely two years after Starmer led Labour back to power following more than a decade in opposition.
His departure is expected to trigger a swift leadership transition within the party at a time of heightened political uncertainty.
Addressing supporters gathered outside Downing Street, Starmer described entering No. 10 in 2024 as “the proudest moment” of his life, saying he entered politics with the goal of improving the lives of millions of people.
The outgoing prime minister also highlighted what he considered some of his key achievements, including rebuilding the Labour Party after years of internal divisions and restoring public confidence in the party’s economic and national security credentials.
Starmer said he inherited a Labour Party that was “politically, financially and morally bankrupt” and faced repeated predictions that it was finished as a political force.
He argued that his leadership helped transform the party, including efforts to tackle anti-Semitism and reposition Labour as a credible alternative government.
His resignation has immediately intensified speculation over his successor. Attention has turned to Andy Burnham, who recently won the Makerfield by-election and is due to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament.
Political observers and Labour insiders believe Burnham could emerge as the overwhelming favourite to take over the party leadership. Some party members are already discussing the possibility of a “coronation” process in which Burnham becomes the sole candidate, avoiding a prolonged leadership contest.
If that scenario unfolds, Labour could have a new leader and prime minister in place by September, around the time of the party’s annual conference.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
