- Senate approves bill proposing ₦50,000 fine for preaching in commercial vehicles
- Refugee-turned Nobel winner creates machine that produces water from air
- Tinubu retains Shettima with the APC 2027 vice presidential certificate
- Kano Hisbah bans mobile movie downloads as court jails man for cannabis sale
- Chidimma Adetshina faces deportation battle after arrest in South Africa
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.
Senate approves bill proposing ₦50,000 fine for preaching in commercial vehicles
The Senate has passed the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing a ₦50,000 fine for anyone convicted of hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles. The bill now awaits presidential assent before it can become law.
The proposed legislation also introduces a ₦50,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both, for motorists who refuse roadside breath tests carried out by FRSC officials on reasonable suspicion.
It further increases penalties for several traffic offences, including drink driving, speeding, reckless driving and disobeying traffic signs, as part of efforts to improve road safety and reduce crashes.
Refugee-turned Nobel winner creates machine that produces water from air
Professor Omar Yaghi, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has developed a machine that extracts clean drinking water from the air, offering new hope to communities facing severe water shortages. The technology can produce up to 1,000 litres of water daily, even in hot, dry climates.
Developed through his company, Atoco, the system uses advanced porous materials to capture water vapour and convert it into drinking water using low-grade heat. It is designed for off-grid communities, disaster zones and drought-hit regions.
Yaghi, who grew up in a refugee settlement in Jordan without reliable access to water, said his childhood inspired the invention. The technology is being hailed as a potential breakthrough in improving global access to clean water.
Tinubu retains Shettima with the APC 2027 vice presidential certificate
President Bola Tinubu has presented Vice President Kashim Shettima with the official certificate confirming his selection as the APC’s vice presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. The brief ceremony took place on Thursday at the State House in Abuja.
A video released by the State House showed Shettima arriving at the President’s office before receiving the certificate from Tinubu.
The presentation followed the APC’s submission of both leaders’ nomination forms to INEC ahead of the electoral body’s revised deadline. INEC later extended the submission date from 11 July to 14 July 2026 in line with the Electoral Act.
Kano Hisbah bans mobile movie downloads as court jails man for cannabis sale
The Kano Hisbah Board has banned the mobile movie download business, popularly known as “downloading”, across the state. The board said the move followed complaints that some operators were distributing pornography and other content considered harmful to young people and contrary to Islamic and cultural values.
Hisbah said its officers have begun enforcing the ban and warned that offenders would face prosecution under Kano State laws.
In a separate development, a Federal High Court in Kano sentenced 28-year-old Ashiru Idris to seven years in prison without the option of a fine for advertising cannabis for sale on social media after his arrest by the NDLEA.
Chidimma Adetshina faces deportation battle after arrest in South Africa
The legal troubles surrounding former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, have deepened after her arrest in Cape Town over allegations of illegally entering and living in South Africa.
Authorities claim Adetshina, who was declared a prohibited person in December 2024, re-entered the country from Mozambique by allegedly misrepresenting her nationality. She has since been released on warning but is expected to return to court as officials pursue her deportation. Her minor son was also found without legal documentation.
The case comes after Adetshina withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant before winning Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 and finishing as first runner-up at Miss Universe.
