Nigerian Newspaper Headlines, Naija News for Friday 2nd January 2026

Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines And Naija News For Friday 2nd January 2026.

1. Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and the Minister of the Federal Capital, Territory, Nyesom Wike, were on Thursday locked in a war of words over allegations of terrorism financing levelled against the Bauchi governor. In an interview, Mohammed alleged a political witch-hunt by President Bola Tinubu government, adding that Wike was behind the terrorism financing charges filed against Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu.

2. The Aniwo 1 of Aafin community, Ile-Ire District, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun and one of his sons, Olaolu, who is currently observing his National Youth Service Corps, have reportedly been kidnapped in a violent attack on the palace. The incident occurred on new years eve, when a group of about eight gunmen stormed the palace, shooting sporadically and demanding to see the monarch and his wife.

3. A fire outbreak in the early hours of Wednesday gutted several shops in a storey-building beside the Ikotun Roundabout area of Lagos State. It was learnt that the shops comprise electronics worth millions of naira. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, however, confirmed the incident in a statement by its Controller General, Margret Adeseye, on Thursday.

4. Ogun State Police Command has arrested a man who drove the ill-fated Lexus SUV conveying the former World boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, and two of his close friends before it crashed on Monday, around Danco, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The driver is a 47-year-old man known as Kayode Adeniyi.

5. No fewer than 12 people lost their lives in multiple accidents that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and in parts of Lagos and Ogun states on New Year’s Day. The spokespersons for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi; the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq; and the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Afolabi Odunsi confirmed the incident.

6. The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has vowed to do all within his powers to deliver Abia State to the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections. Kalu made the pledge at Ekoli, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, during his annual New Year visit to the Chairman of the APC in Ebonyi, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, on Thursday.

7. Political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said that former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, will contest the presidency in 2027, but noted that he would withdraw his support if Obi agrees to run as a vice-presidential candidate. Utomi made the comment on Thursday evening during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics today programme.

8. The implementation of new tax laws commenced on Thursday on a clearer and more transparent footing. The National Assembly directed the release of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the harmonised bills that were transmitted by lawmakers and assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

9. The Nigerian military said security conditions in the South-East have improved significantly, following intensified troop operations and the imprisonment of separatist leaders Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa. Major General Michael Onoja stated that crimes and other criminal activities have reduced across the region over the past year as a result of sustained military pressure in the South-Eastern states and recent court rulings against the group’s leadership.

10. No fewer than seven persons have been confirmed dead following a terror attack on Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. The incident reportedly occurred around 11:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, as residents were preparing to usher in the New Year, thereby marring New Year celebrations in the area.