News
FG to pardon convicts, unveils advisory committee

By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal Government is set to grant presidential pardons to convicts serving various jail terms across custodial centres in the country.
To initiate the process, the government on Wednesday inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as Chairman.
The committee includes representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, alongside other notable members such as Justice Augustine Utsaha, Prof. Alkasum Abba, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (CON, SAN), and Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Ijaiya.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers special powers of prerogative of mercy on the President.
He added that the Committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as representatives of religious bodies and four eminent Nigerians.
Akume said, “Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers special powers of prerogative of mercy on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This power enables the resident to grant pardon to any person convicted of an offence created by an Act of the National Assembly.
“In consequence of this Constitutional power, a Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy is to be constituted as an administrative body with the mandate to provide and facilitate a seamless and smooth exercise of the power by the President. The Committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from relevant line Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as representatives of religious bodies, and four (4) eminent Nigerians.”
Speaking on behalf of the committee members, the AGF said his office had received an overwhelming number of requests for a presidential pardon.
He said, “Already, my Office has been inundated with applications for presidential pardon and clemency. We are to look into these applications and advise on their merits as appropriate. We assure Nigerians that we will carry out our assignment objectively in the public interest and the interest of justice. ”
Fagbemi noted that the committee’s assignments were not to undermine the decision of the courts but to carry out the duty the constitution mandates the president.
He said, ” We must also state that our assignment is in no way a review of the decisions of the courts but a discharge of a mandate imposed on Mr. President by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“After our assignment, the Committee would be required to present its Report and actionable recommendations for onward transmission to Mr. President for consideration and further directives.”
Fagbemi said in carrying out their assignment, the Committee members might need to visit Correctional facilities across the six geopolitical zones before making their recommendations.
He said, “The committee might be required to visit Correctional Facilities in various States of the Federation, cutting across the six Geo-political Zones of the country, beginning from where the last exercise ended, to critically appraise and identify potential cases of convicts and ex-convicts towards recommending them for Presidential Pardon or Clemency as appropriate.”
The last presidential pardon was granted under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, with a total of 159 convicts receiving clemency.
Among those pardoned were Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, a development that generated a lot of controversy.
Dariye, who served as Plateau State governor from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzling N1.16 billion. Similarly, Nyame, the governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007, received a 12-year sentence for misappropriating N1.6 billion.
News
Celebrity boxing: Speed Darlington wants rematch after losing to Portable

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Nigerian singer Speed Darlington is calling for a rematch against Portable after losing to him in a celebrity boxing match.
Speed Darlington was knocked out in the second round, and he’s unhappy about the outcome.
In a video, he claimed Portable didn’t deserve the win and the prize money, saying he had plans to use the money to build a swimming pool for his community in Imo State.
Portable, I want a rematch. E dey pain me say you dey carry all that money dey go. E dey break my heart.
” I want a rematch. It’s so unfair. You have up to two experience before me and you fight. I never enter ring before. I did not come from poverty,” he said.
“You don’t deserve that money. E dey pain me. I want to build swimming pool for my villagers. I need a rematch, Portable”, he said.
According to Speed Darlington, Portable had an unfair advantage due to his experience, accusing him of using supernatural means to win the fight.
He also claimed he suffered a shoulder injury during the match despite not feeling tired.
Speed Darlington, who wants a rematch, said he needs 30 days to prepare better
News
Israel’s remote controlled bulldozers breaking ground in Gaza war

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver’s cabin is eerily empty.
This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.
Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer — the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer — is the future of automated combat.
The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.
But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.
“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.
An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)
During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks “even better than a human”, said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.
While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.
‘Changing the paradigm’
Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.
Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.
An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.
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70-hour Chess Marathon: Onakoya reportedly breaks record set by Norwegians

Nigerian chess sensation and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has broken the chess marathon record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, set by two Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, in June 2024.
Onakoya and his chess partner, Shawn Martinez, are currently aiming to complete a 70-hour chess marathon in Times Square, New York.
The marathon, a four-day non-stop gameplay, started on April 17.
In a post shared on X shortly after surpassing the current record, he expressed fulfillment and called for action to educate and create opportunities for street children in Nigeria.
For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD with my brother,” he wrote.
Although the official confirmation from Guinness World Records is still being awaited, Nigerians and chess lovers from different parts of the world have congratulated the chess master on his latest achievement.
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