Nigeria's central bank capped weekly access for individuals at $345 and $3,450 for businesses. The move is designed to combat money laundering, boost financial security, and support the shift to a cashless economy.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Video - Nigeria tightens cash withdrawal limits
Nigeria's central bank capped weekly access for individuals at $345 and $3,450 for businesses. The move is designed to combat money laundering, boost financial security, and support the shift to a cashless economy.
Hundreds of mutilated bodies found in suspected Nigerian organ-harvesting ring
An extensive organ-harvesting ring has been uncovered in Nigeria after weeks of covert surveillance, local officials have said.
In a statement shared on X, the Imo State Police Command said their investigation was launched after reports of a worrying spate of kidnappings near a hotel and mortuary in Ngor Okpala.
According to police, intelligence-led investigations went on to identify a man called High Chief Stanley Oparaugo, also known as "Morocco," as the suspected leader of the criminal network and who is now on the run and wanted, per reports.
Oparaugo is alleged to own Jessy Best Hotel in Ihitte Okwe and the nearby mortuary known as Ugwudi.
Police said victims were said to have been lured into the hotel before being robbed and abducted, with families also forced to pay ransom.
Authorities said some people who paid never saw their loved ones again.
The Command said abducted victims were then taken from the hotel to the mortuary, where they were allegedly killed and their organs harvested for sale.
When officers raided the Jessy Best Hotel, it was abandoned, but at the mortuary they found decomposed and mutilated corpses.
Police spokesperson Henry Okoye said more than 100 bodies had been found.
"A hotel and a private mortuary owned by the suspect, allegedly used by kidnappers and violent criminals, were inspected," he said in a statement.
"At the mortuary, decomposed and mutilated corpses were discovered in unhygienic conditions, raising suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities."
He added that the suspect’s residence was also searched and "crucial exhibits" were recovered, with forensic teams documenting evidence for the ongoing investigation.
"Maximum security has been deployed along the Owerri–Aba Expressway. The Command assures travelers during the holidays of its commitment to their safety," he added.
Nigeria has seen a rising amount of crime with kidnappings and abductions.
By Emma Bussey, Fox News
In a statement shared on X, the Imo State Police Command said their investigation was launched after reports of a worrying spate of kidnappings near a hotel and mortuary in Ngor Okpala.
According to police, intelligence-led investigations went on to identify a man called High Chief Stanley Oparaugo, also known as "Morocco," as the suspected leader of the criminal network and who is now on the run and wanted, per reports.
Oparaugo is alleged to own Jessy Best Hotel in Ihitte Okwe and the nearby mortuary known as Ugwudi.
Police said victims were said to have been lured into the hotel before being robbed and abducted, with families also forced to pay ransom.
Authorities said some people who paid never saw their loved ones again.
The Command said abducted victims were then taken from the hotel to the mortuary, where they were allegedly killed and their organs harvested for sale.
When officers raided the Jessy Best Hotel, it was abandoned, but at the mortuary they found decomposed and mutilated corpses.
Police spokesperson Henry Okoye said more than 100 bodies had been found.
"A hotel and a private mortuary owned by the suspect, allegedly used by kidnappers and violent criminals, were inspected," he said in a statement.
"At the mortuary, decomposed and mutilated corpses were discovered in unhygienic conditions, raising suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities."
He added that the suspect’s residence was also searched and "crucial exhibits" were recovered, with forensic teams documenting evidence for the ongoing investigation.
"Maximum security has been deployed along the Owerri–Aba Expressway. The Command assures travelers during the holidays of its commitment to their safety," he added.
Nigeria has seen a rising amount of crime with kidnappings and abductions.
Nigerian troops held in Burkina Faso after ‘unfriendly’ emergency landing
Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held in Burkina Faso after a Nigerian plane reportedly entered Burkinabé airspace without authorisation on Monday, the latest twist in a region enmeshed in multiple political and security crises.
In a statement on Monday evening, the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is a member alongside Mali and Niger, said the C-130 transport aircraft had made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso.
In the statement, Assimi Goita, the Malian junta president and leader of the AES, called the landing an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”. He directed the authorities in the member countries to act “to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space” in future.
On Monday, Nigerian authorities said the aircraft had been en route to Portugal for a ferry mission before “a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing”.
“[The] crew is safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities,” said Ehimen Ejodame, the Nigerian air force spokesperson who signed the statement. “Plans are ongoing to resume the mission as scheduled.”
The incident unfolded less than 24 hours after Nigeria took part in an intervention in Benin, Burkina Faso’s south-eastern neighbour, after a group of soldiers seized control of the national television station in Cotonou and announced the ousting of the president, Patrice Talon.
Authorities in Benin later said they had foiled the coup attempt and restored order, preventing what would have been the eighth successful coup in west Africa in five years.
A statement from the Nigerian government said its airstrikes –targeting a military base in Cotonou where some of the coup planners were reportedly holed up – happened at the behest of Talon and were in compliance with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). Ivorian aircraft were also seen hovering over Beninese airspace during the crisis, pointing to a coordinated response by countries aligned with the regional bloc.
The states that make up the AES broke away from Ecowas, headquartered in Nigeria, after Ecowas threatened military intervention in Niger in 2023 to reinstate the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, after he was ousted in a coup. The AES states accuse Ecowas of breaching territorial integrity and being a puppet of the west and have also drawn closer to Russia.
By Eromo Egbejule, The Guardian
In a statement on Monday evening, the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is a member alongside Mali and Niger, said the C-130 transport aircraft had made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso.
In the statement, Assimi Goita, the Malian junta president and leader of the AES, called the landing an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”. He directed the authorities in the member countries to act “to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space” in future.
On Monday, Nigerian authorities said the aircraft had been en route to Portugal for a ferry mission before “a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing”.
“[The] crew is safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities,” said Ehimen Ejodame, the Nigerian air force spokesperson who signed the statement. “Plans are ongoing to resume the mission as scheduled.”
The incident unfolded less than 24 hours after Nigeria took part in an intervention in Benin, Burkina Faso’s south-eastern neighbour, after a group of soldiers seized control of the national television station in Cotonou and announced the ousting of the president, Patrice Talon.
Authorities in Benin later said they had foiled the coup attempt and restored order, preventing what would have been the eighth successful coup in west Africa in five years.
A statement from the Nigerian government said its airstrikes –targeting a military base in Cotonou where some of the coup planners were reportedly holed up – happened at the behest of Talon and were in compliance with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). Ivorian aircraft were also seen hovering over Beninese airspace during the crisis, pointing to a coordinated response by countries aligned with the regional bloc.
The states that make up the AES broke away from Ecowas, headquartered in Nigeria, after Ecowas threatened military intervention in Niger in 2023 to reinstate the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, after he was ousted in a coup. The AES states accuse Ecowas of breaching territorial integrity and being a puppet of the west and have also drawn closer to Russia.
Monday, December 8, 2025
Video - Nigeria's first airshow aims for regional aviation leadership
Nigeria’s inaugural international airshow showcased the country’s ambitions to lead in regional aviation. Organizers aim to establish Lagos and Abuja as major aviation hubs for West and Central Africa.
Video - Nigeria rescues 100 abducted schoolchildren in Niger state
Nigerian authorities freed 100 schoolchildren kidnapped last month in Niger state. The release was confirmed by the Christian Association of Nigeria.
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