26 dead and 14 missing after boat capsizes in northeastern Nigeria

At least 26 people drowned and 14 others are missing after a boat carrying farmers and fishermen capsized in northeastern Nigeria, the emergency services said Sunday.

The incident happened late Saturday, when a rudimentary passenger boat going from Jigawa State to Yobe State capsized, Mohammed Goje, executive director of the State Emergency Management Agency in Yobe state, told reporters.

"So far, emergency volunteers and rescue teams have recovered 26 bodies," he said. His agency said in a statement that 14 others were missing.


Thirteen other passengers were rescued, he said, adding that search and rescue operations were still underway.

Accidents are common on Nigeria's busy rivers, often caused by overloaded boats, poor maintenance or failure to comply with safety regulations. Police indicated that the boat captain would likely be prosecuted if he survives.

Several dozens die each year in various accidents along the country's waterways but boat worker Sunusi Ahmed says it's been two or three years since an accident like this last occurred.

"The reason such accidents happen is because people overload the boats. However, despite that, some measures were taken to avert that, yet we also call on the authorities to take firm action against overloading."

AFP

Related story: 'Over 400 Killed in 6 Months': The Sorry Cases of Boat Mishaps in Nigeria

At least 30 killed in Nigeria market attack

At least 30 people were killed and several others abducted when gunmen attacked a market in Nigeria’s Niger State, police said on ‍Sunday.

Police ​spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said the gunmen, locally called bandits, stormed Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, burning stalls and looting food items.

“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, ⁠and some persons were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims,” Mr. Abiodun said.

Witnesses said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately. They said the violence was part of a series of ‌raids that began ‍on Friday in the nearby villages of Agwarra and Borgu.

“Women and ‍children were not spared,” said Dauda ‌Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing. “There has been no ⁠presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses.”

Nigerian ​President Bola Tinubu on Sunday said that he has directed the authorities to hunt down the perpetrators behind the attack.

“I have also directed that all abducted victims be urgently rescued and that security operations around vulnerable communities, ​especially near forests, be intensified,” Mr. Tinubu said in a statement.

The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The attack came weeks after gunmen seized more than 300 children and staff of a Catholic school in the state in central Nigeria. Those victims were released ⁠after nearly a month in captivity.

Such banditry has escalated ⁠across northwestern and central Nigeria, with armed groups carrying out mass killings and kidnappings in ‌rural communities. Security forces have struggled to contain the violence despite continuing operations.

Witness Khalid Pissa said the gunmen attacked communities in Kasuwan Daji and also in nearby Chukama and Shanga. Pissa put the death toll at 40.

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Video - Nigeria's economic reforms aim for recovery and opportunity

As Nigeria awaits to usher in 2026, the country faces tough economic realities. Despite positive growth indicators and reforms, high food prices and inflation continue to strain households. While the government targets supply chain improvements and fiscal oversight, many Nigerians like trader Eucheria Kanu remain hopeful, yet still waiting for these reforms to bring real, tangible relief.

CGTN Africa

Nigeria kicks off new tax regime vowing relief for low earners

The new system, based on four bills signed into law in June, came into effect despite calls for a delay by the opposition which alleged that the goverment had made unauthorised changes to the tax code.

The four laws -- the Nigeria Tax Law, Nigeria Tax Administration Law, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Law, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Law -- are a "one-stop shop," simultaneously increasing revenue generation and reducing the tax burden on low-income earners, tax expert Chukwuema Eze told AFP.

Opposition leader Atiku Abubakar accused the government of inserting "illegal and unauthorized alterations" to the laws.

President Bola Tinubu, who has energetically backed the tax reforms, dismissed the claims, calling them "premature" and "reactive", and said the new tax regime was in Nigeria's best interest.

"No substantial issue has been established that warrants a disruption of the reform process," Tinubu said in a statement on Tuesday.

In his New Year message, the president insisted that his tax reforms were "designed to build a fair, competitive, and robust fiscal foundation for Nigeria."

"By harmonising our tax system, we aim to raise revenue sustainably, address fiscal distortions and strengthen our capacity to finance infrastructure and social investments that will deliver shared prosperity," he said.

The west African economic powerhouse has a tax-to-GDP ratio of 13.5 percent, according to government figures, which is below the continental average.

The tax-to-GDP ratio is a measure of a government's capacity to raise money for public services and infrastructure.

By comparison, The EU and US have a tax-to-GDP ratio of over 25 percent.

Nigeria, divided into 36 states, has long struggled to reform its tax system -- with the government saying its new package will "harmonise" levies across the nation.

"This is a significant step toward building a simpler, fairer, and more growth-oriented tax system," Taiwo Oyedele, who heads Tinubu's tax reforms committee, said on X on Thursday.

AFP

Police arrest Joshua’s driver after boxer discharged

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Kayode Adeniyi, the 47-year-old driver of the ill-fated Lexus SUV that crashed on Monday, killing two of Anthony Joshua’s closest friends, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, adding that investigations are ongoing.

Adeniyi, a long-standing member of Joshua’s Nigerian logistics team, was discharged from the hospital in Lagos late on New Year’s Eve and driven two hours north to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, where the fatal crash occurred.

Police sources revealed that Adeniyi is expected to be charged with reckless driving within 48 hours, though the bank holiday may delay proceedings.

“The driver was released after treatment for minor injuries and was then taken to the state police headquarters for questioning. He is in a stable condition and was able to provide us with his version of events that led up to the crash,” a police source told Daily Mail.

Adeniyi was allegedly driving way over the 65mph speed limit for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when he lost control after a tyre burst during an overtaking manoeuvre near Danco.

The Lexus, carrying Joshua and two of his training staff, Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele, smashed into an illegally parked truck, which was carrying soya beans.

The force of the impact tore the nearside section of the car away. Ghami, 36, a British citizen, and Ayodele, 36, a Nigerian/British citizen, were killed instantly, while Joshua and Adeniyi suffered only minor injuries.

Joshua was sitting behind the driver and escaped death by inches, with local first responders describing his survival as a “miracle”.

The Lagos and Ogun state governments on Wednesday announced the discharge of Anthony Joshua from Lagoon Hospital, Ikoyi, after doctors confirmed he was clinically fit to continue his recuperation from home.

According to a joint statement signed by Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, and Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, Joshua and his mother visited a funeral home in Lagos on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the two late friends.

The bodies were flown out of Lagos on a Turkish Airlines cargo flight that landed in Istanbul early on New Year’s Day and are expected to fly on to London.

Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State expressed deep appreciation to members of the public for the overwhelming concern, prayers and show of love following the sad incident.

They also conveyed their gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for what they described as his fatherly support throughout the period and commended the doctors and medical personnel at Lagoon Hospital for their professionalism.

The two state governments once again commiserated with the families of the deceased, describing the incident as painful and deeply unfortunate.

According to the Daily Mail, the driver of the illegally parked truck has now disappeared, and there is an active police manhunt for him.

Joshua and the two men had arrived in Nigeria on Monday on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London. A baggage handler at arrivals, called Solomon, told reporters, “They were all smiling and laughing and joking as they walked through. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the news a few hours later that he had been involved in a fatal accident.”

Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Bright Osayi-Samuel have sent messages of support to Joshua following the crash.

By Peter Akinbo, Punch

Related story: Anthony Joshua injured in Nigeria car crash, with two others dead