• Tinubu grants 14-day reprieve to owners of revoked Abuja properties
• Flight delays hurt Nigerian businesses, NCAA report reveals
• World Bank ties $750m loan to hike in taxes on alcohol, tobacco, sugary drinks
• EFCC recovers funds from CBEX fraud, ongoing probe reveals
• Abia police arrest couple running illegal children’s home, rescue 12 minors

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

Tinubu grants 14-day reprieve to owners of revoked Abuja properties

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a 14-day presidential reprieve to owners of 4,794 properties in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) whose land titles were recently revoked.

The intervention comes after the FCTA began taking over properties over unpaid ground rents spanning 10 to 43 years. The affected properties include high-profile sites like the FIRS premises, Wadata Plaza (PDP headquarters), and an Access Bank office.

The reprieve gives defaulting property owners two weeks to settle their debts and reclaim their titles before further enforcement resumes.

Flight delays hurt Nigerian businesses, NCAA report reveals

Frequent flight delays and cancellations across Nigeria’s 30+ airports are taking a toll on businesses, with no clear solution in sight. The aviation industry, vital to economic growth, continues to struggle with reliability.

According to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), over 19,250 passengers were left stranded for long hours last year. Nearly half of the 70,543 domestic flights recorded were either delayed or cancelled.

NCAA data shows 33,235 flights (47.1%) were delayed, while 1,189 (1.7%) were cancelled, underscoring the significant impact on business operations and passenger confidence.

World Bank ties $750m loan to hike in taxes on alcohol, tobacco, sugary drinks

The World Bank has urged the Nigerian government to issue a presidential order raising excise duties on “sin goods” like alcohol, tobacco, and sugary drinks. This is a key condition for accessing a $750 million loan meant to boost non-oil revenue.

According to the bank’s latest report on the “Accelerating Resource Mobilisation Reforms Programme,” Nigeria must issue the directive to unlock at least $10 million in funding. The programme, which began in October 2024 and runs until November 2028, focuses on improving tax collection while protecting oil and gas revenues.

So far, Nigeria has received only $1.88 million—just 0.25% of the total loan—due to slow implementation of the reforms.

EFCC recovers funds from CBEX fraud, ongoing probe reveals

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede has revealed that the commission has recovered some funds linked to the digital investment platform, CBEX, amid ongoing investigations into alleged fraud.

Olukoyede stated that the anti-graft agency has made notable progress in the case, confirming that some suspects have been arrested while others remain at large.

He assured the public that investigations are still underway as the commission works to uncover the full extent of the fraudulent activities on the platform.

Abia police arrest couple running illegal children’s home, rescue 12 minors

The Abia State Police Command has arrested a couple, Blessing and Sunday Emebo, for running an unregistered children’s home from their apartment on Ikot Ekpene Road in Aba.

According to spokesperson Maureen Chinaka, 12 children aged between two months and 14 years were rescued from the facility on May 19. The children are reportedly from various villages in Arochukwu LGA.

The rescued minors have been transferred to the state’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs for proper care and custody.