At least 185,502 more children were treated for acute malnutrition across seven northern states in 2025 than in the previous two years. The latest data from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), obtained by Sunday PUNCH, identified the affected states as Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, and Sokoto. It attributed the deepening nutrition crisis to conflict, displacement and shrinking humanitarian funding since the US President Donald Trump’s administration discontinued funding for major health initiatives globally. The figures are contained in a report titled, ‘Nigeria: Increased malnutrition crisis for children and the mental health strain for caregivers,’ published by MSF. MSF said its teams “treated 425,634 children for acute malnutrition across northern Nigeria in 2025, a 41.8 per cent increase compared to 2024,” when the organisation treated just over 300,165 children, for a year-on-year rise of 125,469 more children. The organization revealed that the 2024 figure represented a 25 per...

The ongoing diphtheria outbreak in Katsina State has placed the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina under severe pressure, with a surge in suspected and confirmed cases overwhelming its Children’s Ward. The hospital management, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the facility was receiving a large number of patients referred from other health facilities, stretching its available bed capacity beyond its limits. According to the statement, “The ongoing diphtheria outbreak in Katsina State has placed enormous pressure on the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina (FTH Katsina), particularly the Children’s Ward. “The hospital is receiving an overwhelming number of suspected and confirmed cases, as patients are being referred to the facility in large numbers. The situation has resulted in severe overcrowding, stretching available beds beyond capacity. “Despite these challenges, FTH Katsina is doing everything within its capacity to provide timely and quality care to affected children. The hospital is making necessary arrangements to...

Clashes erupted in Niger’s capital on Saturday between the presidential guard and elements of the armed forces, after a night of heavy gunfire in parts of the city. Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta that has struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has blighted the west African country for around a decade. “There was an attempt by insurgents from the Nigerien armed forces to enter the presidential palace,” a security source told AFP. “They were pushed back by the presidential guard. Exchanges of gunfire are continuing at the palace.” An African diplomat in Niamey said that for now the presidential guard was still loyal to ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani. The military said it was “gradually regaining control” after the mutineers took soldiers hostage at a base next ot the capital’s airport. In a statement read out on public television and signed by Defence Minister General...

The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has described Abia women as the foundation of the family and urged them to remain vigilant and focused on raising their children. Otti spoke on Friday in Umuahia, the state capital, during the Abia Women August Delegate Conference 2026. She congratulated participants for attending the conference and thanked God for preserving their lives, noting that not everyone who attended last year’s meeting was present this year. The governor also commended his wife, Mrs Priscilla Otti, for her interventions through women-focused programmes. He said, “Women are the bedrock of the family. In this new Abia, we take women very seriously. “I challenge our women to keep their eyes on the ball, because the upbringing of children starts with the woman in the home. “I also commend Her Excellency, my dear wife, for all she is doing for our women. 35 vulnerable women have benefited from...

Kaduna-born musician and content creator, Logik Tha Pro has 117,000 followers on Instagram. He tells VERA ALKALI how he blends music, humour and real-life situations to create content that resonates with his audience For those who are reading about you for the first time, who is Logik Tha Pro? I am a musician and content creator who has mastered the art of blending music with common life challenges and everyday situations, and presenting them in a humorous and entertaining way. I enjoy taking things that people experience in their daily lives and turning them into something they can laugh about and relate to. For me, creativity is not just about making people laugh. It is also about telling stories and drawing attention to some of the realities people face, even if I do so through comedy. Tell us about your upbringing and how Kaduna shaped the person you have become...

August 28, 2026 7:27 pm All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Mark, for alleged armed robbery and kidnapping. Mark was also alleged to be a member of a four-man syndicate operating around the Ifite Awka axis of Awka South Local Government Area of the state. According to a press statement issued on Friday, the spokesperson for the state police command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspect was arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, following intelligence-led operations. Ikenga added that items recovered during the operation included one locally fabricated pistol, two pump-action guns and one military-pattern face cap. He described the operation as another significant breakthrough in the command’s ongoing intelligence-led operations against violent crime. The statement read, “The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Chekwube Mark, for armed robbery and kidnapping. “The suspect was arrested in the early hours of August 27, 2026,...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president. The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video circulating online and shared by ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu, on Friday. Atiku said the closure of Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring countries had negatively affected transborder trade and contributed to unemployment among young people. “The Northern states is bordering Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin Republic. “And you close all those borders. All our young men who are doing trading between these countries, they carry goods across, they do this and that, all what we call transborder trade is a legitimate business,” Atiku said. He said many young people who previously operated businesses with capital running into millions of naira had been forced out of business following the border closures. “All the upcoming young men and women who used to have a...

President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football to overcome repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments. Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the Nigeria Football Federation Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad, consultative reform process. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu Directs Comprehensive Football Reform.’ He cited deep structural deficits despite the sport’s enormous public support and national attention. “The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” the President insisted. Tinubu compared football’s struggles with the progress recorded across other sports since the reset of the sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, describing the...

The Federal Government has inaugurated a technical committee to tackle Nigeria’s fish production deficit, reduce the country’s dependence on imports and strengthen the aquaculture value chain. The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, inaugurated the 17-member Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria at an event on Thursday in Abuja, charging members to translate recommendations from a previous strategic roundtable into concrete and measurable actions. The minister said the committee was established to move beyond policy recommendations and develop a coordinated implementation roadmap capable of addressing the challenges limiting domestic fish production. “Fish is an important source of animal protein for millions of Nigerians. The fisheries and aquaculture sector sustains livelihoods across production, processing, marketing, transportation and related services. However, domestic production remains substantially below national demand, with consequences for food security, household incomes and foreign-exchange resources,” he said. Oyetola identified high production costs, particularly the cost...