Good morning in Nigeria. Welcome Naija News Tuesday, March 25, 2025, Nigeria’s top newspaper headlines
After an early morning escape, twelve inmates fled the Medium Security Safe Centre in Kogi State, which sparked a pursuit by survivors.
Sources at the National Headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Institution (NCO) confirmed to the guardian that the incident occurred early Monday morning and the inmates reportedly were free to escape in a coordinated escape. Escapers are waiting for the trial of the prisoner (ATI).
NCO’s national spokesman Abubakar Umar confirmed the platform’s jailbreak and noted that two inmates had been captured and worked hard to arrest the remaining ten escapees.
Umar assured the public that all available search mechanisms are being deployed to locate and regain prisoners.
Sadly, Umar also revealed that a correctional officer was killed in an escape attempt. Further investigations may be underway to determine the scale of the officer’s death and the jailbreak operation.
Nobel winner Professor Wole Soyinka warned that those who asked him to fulfill his promise after evaluating President Bola Tinubu, which passed on May 29, 2024 after one year in office.
Naija News recalled that on December 24, 2023, Soyinka visited Tinubu at her residence in Bourdillon in the Ikoyi region of Lagos State.
When journalists asked to evaluate Tinobu’s government (starting on May 29, 2023), the Nobel Prize winner said he would retain comments on the Tinubu government until a year later in May 2024.
Critics and opposition parties accuse Tinubu of economic misfortune, historically high inflation and unprecedented cost of living.
Tinubu’s government will serve for two years on May 29, 2025, and many Nigerians expect Soyinka to fulfill its promise to assess the government.
But speaking on the Morning Briefing Program on Channel TV on Monday, Soyka urged Nigerians not to work for his schedule.
Soyinka questioned why people were expected to evaluate Tinubu without evaluating the former president.
According to him, many serious people have been talking about the Tinubu government, adding that evaluating any government is a collective responsibility of like-minded people.
Ten Zamfara state legislators suspended 13 months of controversy, with the Centers for Democracy and Development (CDD) accusing Gov. Dauda Lawal of demonstrating anti-democratic tendencies.
CDD convener Ibrahim Yakubu claimed in a statement issued on Sunday that lawmakers were suspended “just to express concerns about the national security situation.”
He believes that Governor Raul’s actions paralyzed legislative activities and deprived Zamfara of effective representatives.
Yakubu called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara for at least six months.
He also urged President Tinubu to use all available resources to resolve the Zamfara crisis, calling for quick action to ensure the state’s resources, protect citizens and hold those responsible for the situation.
Yakubu further criticized Governor Lawal’s tenure, calling it “an unrestricted disaster” and accused him of undermining democracy.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo raised concerns about the situation of democracy in Africa, believing that it not only failed, but also died due to its connection to the values and reality of the continent.
Addressing Emeka Ihedioha, former deputy spokesman for the House of Representatives in Abuja, Obasanjo lamented that Africa’s governance system had become the leader’s “illegal and corrupt robbery” while telling the people to “go to court,” even though he knew that this justice was still elusive.
The former president stressed that true democracy should serve all, not just a few, and called for a system built on traditional Africans rather than flawed adaptation to Western liberal democracy.
He further challenged Africa’s definition of applied democracy, emphasizing that before colonial rule, African societies had their own governance structures that could effectively serve the people.
The Independent National Election Commission (INEC) is currently discussing a petition requesting the recall of Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the National Assembly.
The meeting is being held at the Abuja Commission headquarters, according to Esther Chibuikem, Acting Director of Publicity, INEC.
The meeting was ahead of a petition filed Monday by committee secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
Naija News reported that the latest development comes after the federal high court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State overturned an early ruling that restricted INEC’s continued recall process initiated by members of Kogi Central Senatorial district.
In a judgment issued on Friday, the court confirmed that the recall process is constitutionally valid and consistent with the civil rights of voters.
The court further urged voters to continue exercising their rights in a peaceful and orderly manner.
The legal battle was previously granted a temporary injunction to the court on Thursday that restricted INEC, its staff, agents and representatives from accepting or taking action on any petition containing a signature from Kogi Central Senate.
With the ruling now overturned, it is obvious that a petition to consider and act on the basis of the constitutional rights of the people of Kogi Central.
Former Labor presidential candidate Peter Obi said democracy has failed in Nigeria under the current government.
Naija News reported that Obi recalled the intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Senate President Ken Nnamani to prevent improvisation from being governor.
The former governor of Anambra state said unlike the current government, the president suspended a governor and the court, under Obasanjo and former president Musa Yaradua, was mostly free of corruption.
He said on Monday that this was one of the group members on the 60th anniversary of Emeka Ihedioha’s 60th birthday.
Labour’s former presidential candidate disagrees with Hassan Matthew Kukah, Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sokoto, who said democracy has not yet failed but is in progress.
Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo accused the founder of the Shallow Ethnic Church, the apostle Femi Lazarus, of charging students $150 to attend his ministry school, which provides teachings about Christianity.
Naija News reported that the trouble between the two people against opposition began, whether gospel singers should charge for performances in church events and programs.
In the viral video, Pastor Lazarus criticized the gospel musicians who demanded payment for services, asserting that they should trust God’s supply rather than prioritize financial interests.
He believes that gospel artists are preachers of the gospel, not just performers.
In response, Timi Dakolo firmly opposed Pastor Lazarus’s view, accusing the pastor of forcing the gospel singers to provide free services when they assume various financial obligations.
Timi Dakolo further advises that pastors should focus on developing their church choirs rather than expecting professional gospel singers to perform without compensation.
In a post on the Instagram page on Monday, March 24, 2025, Dakolo shared a screenshot of the admission fee of about $150 per person at Pastor Lazarus’s School.
Timi Dakolo criticizes the priest for free selling of gifts and revelations.
Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko lamented that despite working in the Nollywood industry for more than 60 years, he failed to hit gold.
Kosoko said on an honest group of podcasts that he was comfortable, but could not be considered wealthy by Nigerian standards.
The 71-year-old movie star stressed that piracy has had a significant impact on the Nigerian film industry and demanded severe penalties for pirates.
According to him, “I have been here all the time [movie] This industry is long. I thank God I can have three meals. But, by Nigerian standards, can I claim to be a rich man? No.
“In my case, the punishment for pirated copyright laws is not strong enough. The person who has been pirating people’s works for many years is a billionaire, so how much do you want to fine him?
“He’s fined 500 million nm, he’ll just take it out of what he sells. But if you’re sentenced to 20 years in prison without a fine, people will avoid piracy.”
Former Nigeria International Victor Ikpeba believes that Victor Osimhen has the potential to surpass the historical Super Hawks’ goal record currently owned by the late Rashidi Yekini.
Victor Osimhen showed off his outstanding skills by scoring two goals in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda’s Amavubi on Friday, March 21, which led to his stats with an impressive 25 goals in just 39 appearances from the Super Hawks.
This outstanding performance put him in the history of the Super Hawks scoring list, now only 12 goals above Yekini’s 37 record.
Ikpeba reflects on Osimhen’s trajectory, saying: “Based on his way of showing, I have no doubt that Osimhen will soon take the commemorative record of Eclipse Eclipse Yekini.”
He praised the Naples forward’s dedication and commitment to the national team
Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees stressed the importance of a strong start to the upcoming match against Nigeria.
The Zimbabwe coach insists that his players need to maintain full focus in this critical encounter.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, March 25 at 5pm at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, providing important opportunities for Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe will seek a victory after a recent 2-2 draw with the Benin Republic, while the Super Hawks beat Rwanda 2-0.
Additionally, Zimbabwe midfielder Andy Rinomhota is optimistic about his team’s chances against the Super Hawks. Although Nigeria became a favorite for its impressive roster, Rinomhota still saw a positive space, which gave them confidence in their previous 1-1 draw on the campaign.
That was the top newspaper headline in Nigeria today. Read more Nigeria news Naija News. See you tomorrow.
