Morning recap: Nigerian woman dies in UK, Xenophobia row, Obi

Morning recap: Nigerian woman dies in UK, Xenophobia row, Obi–Kwankwaso alliance,  other top headlines

In today’s top stories, the death of a Nigerian woman during a visit to the United Kingdom has sparked fresh reactions, while diplomatic tensions over alleged xenophobic attacks prompted a meeting between Nigerian and South African officials after President Bola Tinubu reportedly declined to receive an envoy.

Political developments also took centre stage as Peter Obi–Rabiu Kwankwaso alliance fueled a fresh dispute between the NNPP and NDC, and pressure mounted on the House of Representatives to invite Femi Gbajabiamila over the controversial fake government agency probe.

In other developments, a Lagos court sentenced a former footballer and fugitive drug kingpin to 24 years in prison, Adams Oshiomhole backed shooting of armed criminals and the Nigeria Customs Service released the final list of successful candidates for its 2025 recruitment exercise.

Below are the top stories this morning:

Nigerian woman dies of cardiac arrest during UK visit

Relatives of a Nigerian woman, Christiana Nwosu, have begun a fundraising campaign to facilitate the return of her remains to Nigeria after she reportedly died of cardiac arrest during a visit to the United Kingdom.

The appeal, published on GoFundMe and signed by Chijioke Metuka on behalf of the family, revealed that Nwosu passed away on July 19, 2026.

In the appeal, Metuka said her unexpected death had left her children, relatives and loved ones in deep mourning.

He described Nwosu as a compassionate and loving woman whose loss had left an irreplaceable gap in the lives of those who knew her.

Xenophobia: Minister meets S’African envoy after Tinubu snub

The Federal Government has condemned the repeated xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, calling on the South African authorities to take immediate and decisive action to halt the violence.

The condemnation came as President Bola Tinubu declined to personally receive a special envoy sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Instead, Tinubu directed the delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to hold discussions with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who is expected to brief the President on the outcome of the meeting.

Presidencyja on Friday to deliver a message from President Ramaphosa. However, amid rising diplomatic tensions over the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, Tinubu chose not to grant the delegation an audience

Obi, Kwankwaso ticket sparks fresh NNPP-NDC showdown

The New Nigeria People’s Party has accused some of its former leaders of attempting to dismantle the party’s structure in support of a proposed Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket under the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Responding to the allegation, the NDC dismissed the claim, describing it as baseless and accusing the NNPP of fabricating the narrative.

The exchange follows the NNPP’s recent denial of reports suggesting it had entered into a secret alliance with the NDC to field an Obi-Kwankwaso joint presidential ticket. The party maintained that its presidential candidate was only nominated as a placeholder to comply with electoral requirements while leaving room for possible future political partnerships.

Fake agency probe: House faces pressure to summon Gbajabiamila

The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council is facing mounting calls to expand its probe by summoning the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The pressure comes as lawmakers directed the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to produce the alleged promoter of the purported agency, Adeniyi Adeyemi, before the committee on Wednesday for questioning.

The committee issued the directive on Monday after hearing testimonies from senior government officials, saying Adeyemi’s appearance was necessary to clarify issues that emerged during the investigation.

Lagos court jails former footballer, fugitive drug kingpin for 24 years

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced former international footballer Segun Hunkarin and suspected drug trafficker Ntoruka Chinedu to a combined 24 years in prison for importing cocaine into Nigeria.

Justice Musa Kakaki convicted the pair after finding them guilty of illegally importing 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.

In a statement issued on Monday, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, through its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 for allegedly importing 6.25kg of cocaine. However, he jumped bail and remained a fugitive for almost a decade.

The agency said he was apprehended again on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while allegedly attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into the country on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Oshiomhole backs shooting armed criminals on sight

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has criticised Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu over his clarification on the controversial “shoot on sight” directive, saying the police chief appeared unnecessarily defensive.

The former Edo State governor maintained that security personnel should not hesitate to use lethal force against armed criminals.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News on Monday, the senator representing Edo North said the Inspector-General should not have backtracked on the issue.

“I don’t understand why the IG was trying to explain himself by saying he never said ‘shoot at sight.’ Why should he be apologetic? If you see an armed criminal, shoot on sight,” Oshiomhole said.

Customs release final list for 2025 recruitment

The Nigeria Customs Service has released the final list of successful candidates selected for appointment as Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II) under its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Service’s National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada and obtained by The PUNCH.

Maiwada advised applicants to visit the official Nigeria Customs Service website or check selected national newspapers to confirm their recruitment status and access details on the next stage of the process.

He added that successful candidates would receive further instructions through the email addresses and phone numbers provided during registration.

The NCS spokesperson urged shortlisted candidates to follow the official communication channels and comply with all directives relating to the completion of the recruitment process.

Organisers reject Ochonogor’s entry

National champion Prestina Ochonogor has been ruled out of the women’s long jump event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after organisers rejected Nigeria’s attempt to add her to the competition list.

Nigeria had requested to enter Ochonogor and Ruth Usoro following the withdrawal of veteran jumper Ese Brume, but the appeal was turned down by the Games’ organisers.

In a letter addressed to Team Nigeria on Sunday and signed by the competition’s Technical Delegate, Chris Cohen, organisers explained that Ochonogor could not be included because she was not part of Nigeria’s initial submission.

Adetutu has three years experience in publishing stories on gender, health, education, metro and fact-checking.

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