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Edun: Ailing finance minister flown abroad for treatment
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The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has travelled to the United Kingdom to seek medical attention, multiple sources close to the development confirmed on Tuesday morning.
The report, first published by Western Post, was confirmed by a source who had earlier told The PUNCH that the minister might seek medical attention abroad if the need arises.
The source confirmed on Tuesday that the decision had now been made, saying, “It’s true, he has left already.”
Edun left Abuja for Lagos on Monday night via a commercial flight.
He later departed for London aboard a British Airways flight on the same night.
Until his departure, Presidency officials who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday had maintained that Edun was recuperating at his Abuja residence under the care of Nigerian doctors.
The sources said the minister had taken ill in recent days but dismissed earlier rumours that he had suffered a stroke or was incapacitated.
One senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorisation to speak to the press on the matter, told The PUNCH that Edun’s condition was being monitored closely.
“Yes, he’s indisposed. He’s sick, which is a bit serious, but it’s not a stroke. As I’m talking to you, he’s in his house. He’s not been flown anywhere,” the source had said on Sunday evening.
The official, however, added that doctors might recommend foreign medical care if necessary, a decision that has now been made.
Another aide familiar with the matter confirmed that Edun’s medical situation had prompted closer attention from the President but stressed that “there are no plans to replace him.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also confirmed that the minister had fallen ill but was initially receiving treatment in Nigeria.
“Yes, he’s indisposed. Wale Edun is about 69 years old. He suddenly fell ill. As we are talking, he is in Nigeria. He is recuperating. He’s around,” Onanuga said on Sunday.
The Presidency had earlier debunked speculation that President Bola Tinubu was considering a replacement for the finance minister.
However, it confirmed that the minister would miss this year’s World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C.
According to a statement by Onanuga, the Central Bank Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, would instead lead Nigeria’s delegation to the global finance meetings, which begin today, Tuesday, October 14.
Appointed on August 28, 2023, Edun has been a key figure in the Tinubu administration’s economic reform drive, overseeing the removal of petrol subsidies, unification of foreign exchange rates, and fiscal measures aimed at stabilising the naira and curbing inflation.
He served as Lagos State Commissioner for Finance under Tinubu’s administration between 1999 and 2004 and later co-founded investment banking firm Denham Management Limited.
At the time of this report, the Ministry of Finance had yet to issue an official statement on the minister’s whereabouts.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Suspected bandits have kidnapped retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife on Matazu Road in Katsina State.
Security sources told PRNigeria that the couple was ambushed on Saturday morning, May 30, 2026, while travelling in a red Peugeot 504 saloon car.
The gunmen intercepted the vehicle and whisked the retired officer and his wife to an unknown location.
The driver escaped with gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, a security source said.
The former DDI and his wife were waylaid by armed men on the route. The driver escaped with gunshot injuries and is receiving medical attention,” the source stated.
Security forces have launched search-and-rescue operations and deployed intelligence assets to track the abductors, according to the source. Official confirmation from the military was still pending at press time.
—Rising concern in Katsina—
The abduction comes amid persistent insecurity in parts of Katsina despite ongoing military operations against bandit groups in the North-West.
In recent years, several serving and retired security personnel have been targeted on highways linking Katsina to neighbouring states. PRNigeria reports that criminal groups now see high-profile individuals, including retired military officers, as lucrative targets.
Maj-Gen Abubakar served as Director of Defence Information and was one of the Nigerian military’s most visible spokespersons during the counterinsurgency campaign against Boko Haram.
The incident is expected to renew calls for stronger security along major highways and rural communities in Katsina, where residents continue to face kidnapping and banditry.
Credit :PRNigeria
Abia State Police Command has nabbed two suspects for conspiracy, attempted child theft and possession of hard drugs.
The Command which made this known on Saturday, named the suspects as Nzubechi Chinagorom and Chinonso Chibundu, indigenes of Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of the Abia State.
In a statement signed by DSP Maureen Chinaka, the Police Public Relations Officer, the Command said its officers apprehended the suspects through actionable intelligence, in collaboration with Olokoro vigilante personnel.
She stated that the suspects went to the residence of one Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo and attempted to forcibly take away her two-week-old baby girl.
DSP Chinaka said that the Nzubechi Chinagorom allegedly stabbed the nursing mother with a kitchen knife during a struggle, causing the baby to fall and hit her head on ground.
The police spokesperson said that the two suspects fled from the scene and ran into a nearby bush on realizing that the nursing mother, Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo cried out for help.
She added that the suspects were later apprehended at a bus stop
where they had reportedly gone to take hard drugs.
“The mother and child were immediately rushed to the hospital, where they received treatment and have since recovered.
“The suspects were apprehended, exhibits were recovered and investigation has been conducted at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Suspects will be charged to court on 2/06/2026,” Chinaka said.
Ex-Minister of Labour and Productivity, SellJoel Ikenya, has been declared winner of the governorship primaries conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Taraba State.
Mr Felix Hyat, the chairman of the election committee, who announced the results in Jalingo on Saturday, said Ikenya scored 34,173, to defeat Mr Dinshiya Usman, who polled 4,853.
Hyat, who described the exercise as free, fair and transparent, commended the state working committee of the party for the peaceful conduct.
Ikenya, in his acceptance speech, pledged to revive Taraba to her days of glory if elected governor in 2027.
“I will transform Taraba; I will change the state from salary base, to an industrialised state.
“My desire is to also revive the state infrastructure and attract more investors to boost the economy,” he said.
The governorship candidate, however, denied the allegations of factional PDP in Taraba.
“There is no factional PDP in Taraba; I don’t know where the other people are coming from.
“PDP in Taraba is one, and we do not have any faction in the state. We are working as one united family to reclaim our mandate from Gov. Agbu Kefas of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, the Nyesom Wike led faction of the party had recently declared senator Emmanuel Bwacha as its governorship candidate in Taraba.
NAN
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