- UK court clears Diezani Alison-Madueke of bribery charges
- Diddy’s prison release date moved forward to February 2028
- Jude Okoye’s fraud trial delayed as Peter Okoye misses court
- Bloody Civilian says marriage is not a priority despite family pressure
- Apple to increase product prices as component costs surge, CEO Tim Cook says
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.
UK court clears Diezani Alison-Madueke of bribery charges
A court in the United Kingdom has cleared former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of bribery charges brought against her. The Southwark Crown Court in London found her not guilty on all six counts after a jury spent several hours deliberating on Wednesday.
During the trial, a written statement from former President Goodluck Jonathan was presented in court. In the statement, Jonathan said it was common for third parties to cover expenses for ministers travelling on official overseas assignments.
Jonathan also told the court that he had approved Alison-Madueke’s use of private jets for some of her foreign trips while she served as a minister. The jury eventually acquitted her of all the charges.
Diddy’s prison release date moved forward to February 2028
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is now expected to be released from prison on February 23, 2028, after his release date was brought forward again by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The new date is several weeks earlier than previously scheduled.
The 56-year-old is serving a 50-month sentence in a federal prison in New Jersey after he was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. His original release date was June 2028 before it was later changed to April 2028.
Combs was acquitted of separate sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His legal team has appealed both the conviction and sentence, arguing that the law was wrongly applied and that the court considered allegations connected to charges on which he was found not guilty. The appeal remains pending.
Jude Okoye’s fraud trial delayed as Peter Okoye misses court
The trial of Jude Okoye, former manager of the defunct music group P-Square, was adjourned on Wednesday after prosecution witness Peter Okoye failed to appear in court for cross-examination. Jude Okoye and his company, Northside Music Limited, are facing charges over an alleged N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud, which they have denied.
Counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told the court that Peter Okoye could not attend because his flight from Abuja to Lagos had been rescheduled. The prosecution asked the court to fix another date for the hearing.
However, the defence, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Clement Onwuenwunor, questioned the explanation given by the prosecution and challenged the reason for the witness’s absence.
Bloody Civilian says marriage is not a priority despite family pressure
Nigerian singer Bloody Civilian has said marriage is not something she is thinking about at the moment, despite constant questions from her family. The 26-year-old artiste shared that her relatives often struggle to understand her lifestyle and career as a creative professional.
Speaking in a recent interview, the Abuja-born singer, whose real name is Emoseh Khamofu, said traditional expectations remain strong in her family, especially because she comes from northern Nigeria. She explained that her family expects her to follow a more conventional path, including getting married, but those expectations do not align with her current goals.
Bloody Civilian said she is focused on building her music career and growing as an artiste. Signed to 0207 Def Jam, the UK arm of Def Jam Recordings, she is best known for songs such as How To Kill A Man and Wake Up featuring Rema, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Apple to increase product prices as component costs surge, CEO Tim Cook says
Apple is preparing to increase prices across its range of products as rising costs for memory and storage components continue to put pressure on the company. CEO Tim Cook said Apple can no longer absorb the sharp increase in production expenses, describing the situation as unsustainable.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said the company is doing everything possible to reduce the impact of the higher costs but admitted that price increases are now unavoidable. He did not reveal which Apple devices would become more expensive or when the new prices would take effect. The company’s next major product launch, expected in September, is anticipated to feature the iPhone 18 lineup, including a rumoured foldable model.
According to Cook, the surge in prices has been driven by growing demand for memory and storage chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Major technology companies have significantly increased spending on AI, leading to a sharp rise in chip prices. Cook described the situation as unprecedented, saying he had never seen a commodity price increase of this scale in more than 40 years of working in the electronics industry.
