• FG sets August 1 deadline for visa amnesty, vows strict penalties for overstayers
• Tinubu set to reinstate Rivers Governor Fubara, assembly after peace talks with Wike
• SSANU demands release of withheld salaries, harmonised pay for university staff
• Court sets September 22 for trial of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over cybercrime charges
• NAPTIP places Speed Darlington on international watchlist over child sex confession

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

FG sets August 1 deadline for visa amnesty, vows strict penalties for overstayers

The Federal Government has announced August 1, 2025, as the deadline for foreigners who have overstayed their visas in Nigeria to regularise their stay or face stiff penalties.

Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Monday, stating that an online immigration amnesty portal will be launched in July to provide a window for affected individuals to legalise their residency status.

“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100% and, of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria,” Tunji-Ojo said while addressing members of the diplomatic corps.

He also revealed that Nigeria’s newly launched electronic visa system has already processed over 14,000 applications within its first six weeks of operation.

Tinubu set to reinstate Rivers Governor Fubara, assembly after peace talks with Wike

President Bola Tinubu is reportedly planning to reinstate suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly later this month, following a breakthrough in peace talks between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to sources within the Presidency, the reconciliation followed a closed-door meeting held Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. In attendance were Fubara, Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and several lawmakers.

The truce, brokered by Tinubu, is expected to restore political stability in the oil-rich state, which has been rocked by internal crisis and power struggles between the governor and his political godfather. Formal reinstatement of the governor and the assembly is expected in the coming days.

SSANU demands release of withheld salaries, harmonised pay for university staff

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has urged the Federal Government to immediately release the remaining two months’ withheld salaries of its members who participated in the 2022 nationwide strike.

The union also expressed frustration over persistent delays in the payment of salaries to staff in federal universities, which it said often arrive weeks after other federal employees have been paid.

In a communiqué signed by SSANU’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, the union called for urgent harmonisation of salary payments across federal and state institutions to promote fairness, equity, and consistency in the education sector.

Court sets September 22 for trial of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over cybercrime charges

The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled September 22, 2025, for the trial of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged cybercrime offences. She was arraigned on Monday before Justice Mohammed Umar and pleaded not guilty to a six-count charge.

The charges, filed by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Abubakar, accuse the senator of making false and damaging statements online against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was granted bail on self-recognition, and the court set the trial to commence in September.

NAPTIP places Speed Darlington on international watchlist over child sex confession

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has added Nigerian entertainer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, to an international watchlist and alerted Interpol following his alleged confession to having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

The agency said the move comes after the entertainer ignored multiple summonses, prompting authorities to escalate the matter internationally.

Sources revealed that NAPTIP is also considering placing a ₦50 million bounty on Speed Darlington after the formal declaration of his wanted status.