1. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the Federal Government to investigate and prosecute him if it has evidence linking him to the alleged $16bn power expenditure while in office.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African DemocraticCongress, accused the President Bola Tinubu-led government of recycling old allegations to divert attention from questions over the use of revenues saved from petrol subsidy removal.
Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, issued by his SeniorSpecial Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the resurfacing of allegations surrounding power-sector projects, privatisation and public assets was an attempt to shift public attention from the economic hardship confronting Nigerians
2. Kira Taiwo, daughter of late veteran actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has denied reports that she gave birth amid their mourning phase.
In a public statement on her Instagram Story, Kira described the circulating information as false and urged the public to disregard it. She said the family has been receiving several calls and messages from friends and relatives seeking confirmation, which prompted her to address the matter
3. The Presidency on Wednesday accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of lacking a basic understanding of his own proposal to restore the petrol subsidy, describing his recent pronouncements on the issue as confused, incoherent and politically motivated. The Special Adviser to the President, Bayo Onanuga, faulted Atiku’s argument that his proposed subsidy would “follow the barrel of crude.”
4. A rejig of the national security architecture has been initiated by the Federal Government. To achieve this, a panel of top security chiefs has been constituted and given a 90-day timeframe to make recommendations on a proposed five-year rolling plan. The committee is expected to propose a coherent strategic system in which Nigeria’s assessment of threats determines operational objectives, while those objectives, in turn, determine the capabilities required. Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, inaugurated the committee yesterday on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
5. Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has criticised the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba Highway over the slow pace of work and ordered the arrest of any contractor found removing asphalt from existing carriageways. Umahi gave the directive on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, during an on-the-spot assessment of the 125-kilometre road following complaints from road users and host communities about the hardship caused by the ongoing construction.
6. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it will appeal a Federal High Court ruling that dismissed its application for the final forfeiture of nine properties linked to the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
7. Barely two weeks after operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, also known as KAI, rescued four nursing mothers and their children from a dumpsite along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, another five-month-old baby girl and her mother have been rescued from a canal along the same expressway.
PUNCH Metro gathered in a telephone conversation with the spokesperson for the agency, Lukman Ajayi, on Wednesday that the operatives found the duo while carrying out routine clearance operations in the Abule-Ado area of the expressway.
8. The United States has paused all immigrant visa applications worldwide as the Donald Trump administration moves to tighten restrictions on applicants it considers likely to rely on US public assistance. A State Department official confirmed the pause on Wednesday, saying the agency launched the initiative at all US embassies and consulates in early August.
9. Oyo State Police Command has smashed a transnational criminal network allegedly involved in trafficking stolen luxury vehicles across Nigeria’s borders for sale in foreign countries. The operation led to the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of a stolen Lexus RX 350 SUV. The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
10. Several bandits were feared killed on Wednesday as security operatives foiled an attempt to attack Sifawa town in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Sifawa is the hometown of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya (rtd.), and the Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, Barrister Bello Sifawa.