Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 6th February, 2026.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the military to wipe out the terrorists who attacked residents of Kiama Local Government Area in Kwara State and ensure total peace is restored in the area.
This was confirmed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, after meeting behind closed doors with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Governor disclosed that based on the President’s directive, the first commander for Operation Savannah Shield has reported in Kwara State, and he’s hitting the ground running.
Governor Abdulrazaq said his visit to the Villa was to brief the president on what happened in Kwara and thank him for the prompt response and support received in ensuring the situation is brought under control as fast as possible.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties, increasing the number of recognised political parties in Nigeria to 20.
The electoral body disclosed that it received no fewer than 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties.
According to the commission, the applications were assessed in line with Sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Sections 75 and 79(1), (2) and (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as Clause 2 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.
Following an initial screening process, 14 associations that met the prequalification requirements were invited to proceed to the next stage.
Out of the 14, only eight associations successfully uploaded their documents on INEC’s dedicated portal.
They are the All Democratic Alliance; Citizens Democratic Alliance; Abundance Social Party; African Alliance Party; Democratic Leadership Alliance; Green Future Party; National Democratic Party; and Peoples Freedom Party.
INEC confirmed that the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) fully met all statutory requirements and has been officially registered as a political party with effect from February 5, 2025.
In addition, the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, ordered INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The commission said it had complied with the court directive and added the NDC to the list of officially recognised political parties.
Factional National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has declared that there is no more division in the party.
According to him, the recent judgment by the Federal High Court sitting Ibadan, Oyo State, has settled the leadership issues affecting the party.
Speaking on Thursday after a meeting of the leaders of political parties with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Anyanwu declared that his faction would take over the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
He insisted that the previous court order, which led to the sealing of the secretariat by security operatives, had been overridden by the Oyo Court order.
According to him, a recent judgment by the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has set the pace for fast recovery for the opposition party.
He declared that the authentic PDP leadership is headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed as the party’s National Chairman.
Anyanwu added that the PDP would now be able to field candidates for the 2027 elections as the court judgment has allayed any fears about the eligibility of candidates.
The Senate Minority Caucus on Thursday insisted that the upper chamber of the National Assembly did not reject the electronic transmission of election results in the recently passed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, pushing back against widespread media reports suggesting otherwise.
The clarification came a day after critics claimed that senators had removed provisions for electronic transmission of results and a 10‑year ban on vote‑buying and other electoral offences from the bill.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had on Wednesday dismissed the reports as misleading, stressing that the chamber retained electronic transmission as provided under the 2022 Electoral Act to avoid legal and operational ambiguities.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the caucus was compelled to clear the misunderstanding following confusion over Wednesday’s plenary.
The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, has said the deadly attack on Woro and neighbouring communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State was carried out by terrorists angered by the villagers’ refusal to submit to ideological indoctrination.
The military described the incident as a cowardly terrorist attack that resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, the Defence Headquarters said the attackers had earlier entered Woro village seeking permission to conduct preaching and indoctrination sessions.
According to the DHQ, the villagers rejected the request outright.
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Robert Orya, to a total of 490 years in prison over a ₦2.4 billion fraud case.
Naija News reports that the judgment was delivered on Thursday, February 5, 2026, by Justice F. E. Messiri, after a long trial initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Orya was found guilty on all 49 charges brought against him, which were linked to fraud and abuse of office during his time as head of the bank.
The court handed down a sentence of 10 years for each count, bringing the total jail term to 490 years.
The offences were connected to financial dealings that took place while Orya served as managing director of NEXIM between 2011 and 2016.
The EFCC began prosecuting the former bank chief after accusing him of misusing his position to divert public funds.
Investigators said he unlawfully obtained large sums of money from the bank and engaged in other acts tied to corruption and financial misconduct.
Small-sized Nollywood actress, Ajara Lasisi, popularly known as Aunty Ajara, has been laid to rest.
Naija News reports that the thespian was buried on Thursday according to Islamic rite amid tears and prayers from family members, colleagues, and residents of her community.
Videos from the burial ceremony, which surfaced online, showed mourners gathered around Aunty Ajara’s grave as a Muslim cleric conducted the Islamic burial rites.
Her burial marks the final farewell to an actress many described as humble and hardworking, whose contributions to Nollywood will be remembered.
Nollywood actress Juliana Olayode has spoken on rumours about her within the entertainment industry.
Naija News reports that in a video shared on her Instagram page on February 5, 2026, the actress said she usually ignores online talk but felt pushed to speak after recent stories affected her emotionally.
She described the rumours as harmful and questioned why people choose to spread untrue stories about others.
Juliana, who became popular for her role as Toyosi, also known as Toyo Baby, in the television series Jenifa’s Diary, is also known for openly talking about her Christian faith and how it guides her lifestyle and career decisions.
Addressing the rumours, she made it clear that she has no issue working with anyone in the film industry.
According to her, she is willing to collaborate with any producer or director as long as the script and her character do not go against her personal beliefs.
She also restated her position on intimate scenes, explaining that she does not kiss in movies because of her faith.
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, has sent a heartwarming farewell to the club and fans after parting ways with South African side, Chippa United, following his transfer request.
Naija News reported earlier that Chippa United confirmed Nwabali’s departure in a statement issued on Thursday via its official social media pages.
Chippa United disclosed that the Super Eagles shot-stopper personally requested to leave, despite having signed a three-year contract extension in 2024.
The club stated that it had accepted his request and granted him a release to pursue the next phase of his career.
Confirming this departure, the 29-year-old shot-stopper took to his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, where he expressed appreciation to his teammates, coaches, supporters, and the club’s leadership.
In the heartfelt note, Nwabali described his time at the club as memorable and deeply personal, saying the bond he shared with members of the team went beyond professional relationships.
Former Super Eagles captain and ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sunday Oliseh has highlighted what he believes is the biggest threat to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League this season.
Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, have finished second in the English top flight for three consecutive campaigns but are now leading the title charge, holding a six-point advantage over reigning champions Manchester City.
With several rivals struggling for consistency, the Gunners appear well placed to finally end their long wait for a league crown.
However, Oliseh has cautioned that Arsenal’s biggest obstacle may not come from their competitors, but from within their own camp. Drawing from their history of faltering in key moments, he warned that belief and squad depth could determine whether they cross the finish line.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
