Nigeria News Digest: August 22, 2025

The Independent National Electoral Commission in Sokoto urged traditional, religious and opinion leaders to mobilise citizens for the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise, while a foundation donated laptops, fans, printers, generators and Wi‑Fi to Lagos Island East LCDA to support registration ahead of the 2027 elections.

PDP Vanguard, a socio‑political group, called on residents of Rivers State to vote in the local government elections now set for August 30, after the original August 9 schedule was postponed and critics questioned the constitutional authority of the state’s Sole Administrator to conduct the polls.

Officials in Niger warned that foreign financing is fueling terrorist activity, which could spill into violence surrounding Nigeria’s 2027 elections, and Nigeria’s defence chief highlighted escalating security threats from Sahel conflicts, urging faster trials, tougher laws and special courts for terrorism cases.

Ekiti’s council of traditional rulers approved a new chieftaincy decree allowing the installation of a female child of the immediate past ruler as regent for three to six months, a change requested by the community and announced by the deputy governor, who will soon reveal the nominee’s name.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State re‑affirmed his administration's commitment to backing security forces in combating drug trafficking, cybercrime, cultism, kidnapping and related offenses, pledging a strengthened partnership with UNODC to bolster youth resilience and effective prosecution.

The EFCC, in partnership with the Nigerian Immigration Service, deported 51 foreign nationals—50 Chinese citizens and one Tunisian—linked to a large cyber‑crime syndicate, part of a broader operation that has removed 93 foreigners in less than eight days.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission issued a public notice that Abdullahi Bashir Haske, son‑in‑law of former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar, is wanted on allegations of criminal conspiracy and money laundering, and appealed for public assistance in locating him.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale announced that Abdullahi Bashir Haske, a businessman and son‑in‑law of former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar, is wanted for suspected criminal conspiracy and money‑laundering offences, urging anyone with information to come forward.

A U.S. federal court sentenced three Nigerian men to prison terms for their roles in a COVID‑19 unemployment fraud scheme that stole $520,910 from state and federal programs, with the longest sentence being four years and three months followed by supervised release.

President Tinubu signed four tax‑reform bills, including the Nigerian Revenue Service Bill and the Tax Administration Bill, which rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service as the Nigerian Revenue Service and introduce a new personal‑income‑tax calculator, despite opposition from northern politicians.

Analysts say Nigeria’s external reserves have climbed to $41 billion—the highest in four years—after the central bank cleared a $7 billion forex backlog and launched an FX code, providing a boost to the naira’s stability.

On World Mosquito Day, Target Malaria urged greater investment in gene‑drive technology, expertise and partnerships to eradicate malaria, noting the disease kills over half a million Africans annually, mostly children, and calling for innovation combined with trust and capacity‑building.

Médecins Sans Frontières warned that cholera cases in Zamfara State have surged to more than 1,500 since mid‑June, urging residents to boil drinking water, practice regular hand‑washing, avoid open defecation and ensure vaccinations are up to date.

A passenger bus rolled over after a tyre burst near Osupogun Village on the Lagos‑Abeokuta Expressway, killing six people and injuring 19—including adults and children—after the vehicle somersaulted on the highway.

In response to the killings of worshippers in Malumfashi, Katsina, President Tinubu pledged a nationwide hunt for the perpetrators, with federal agencies already tracking the culprits and assuring swift, decisive justice.

A female student reported that two robbers, after scaling the poly's back fence with bright torches, entered a dorm room in Bauchi Federal Polytechnic where they stabbed a male student to death, an incident occurring just weeks after a prior hostel robbery.

Nigerian Army troops in Kankara’s Baba area of Katsina State killed seven armed bandits and recovered four motorcycles, a victory praised by the state government as part of ongoing operations to dismantle criminal hideouts and restore security to farming communities.

Nigeria secured a $238 million JICA loan at TICAD‑9 in Yokohama, with President Tinubu and Power Minister Adelabu attending, to upgrade the national power grid and commission new training equipment at the National Power Training Institute in Abuja.