News
NCC To Bar Over 42m Inactive Phone Lines

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will bar over 42 million inactive mobile numbers from February 28, 2024.
According to sources in the Commission, a total of 45 million lines in the country will be barred for not linking their subscriber identity module (SIM) with their national identification numbers (NINs).
Out of the 45 million, the sources said, 42 million lines have neither made a call, had a data session or sent an SMS in over one year.
In December 2020, the federal government announced the integration policy of SIM cards into the NIN database, as a measure to tackle the growing trend of insecurity and kidnapping across the country.
Following the multiple deadline extensions due to pressure from Nigerians and a huge number of unlinked SIMs, the federal government directed telecommunication firms to block only outgoing calls on all unlinked lines on April 4, 2022.
TheCable reports that the NCC has now decided to take things a notch higher, by implementing the policy at full scale for the first time since it was announced in 2020.
In a letter to mobile network operators in December 2023, the commission affirmed the federal government’s directive to bar unlinked lines by February 28, 2024, despite pleas by telecom operators that a huge amount of lines are yet to be linked with their NINs.
A full-scale implementation of the policy means that all outgoing and incoming voice calls, data, and SMS will be barred.
Sources further disclosed that only 3 million active lines will be affected out of the 45 million to be barred.
“These 42 million lines have been inactive for over a year. So essentially, from our system checks only about 3 million active lines would be barred. We expect that the users of these lines would come out to submit their NIN and unbar their lines or abandon the lines entirely,” a source stated.
The federal government had said the SIM-NIN registration drive, which commenced in 2020, aims to reduce criminal activities and ensure accountability among mobile phone users.
It was also intended to ensure that law enforcement agencies could track ownership, combat fraud, terrorism, and other illicit activities, as well as facilitate targeted communication during emergencies; and better regulate the telecoms sector.
With the barring of over 40 million lines by telecos, the country is expected to record a significant drop in its teledensity and broadband penetration index.
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”.
News
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.
-
News18 hours ago
BLACK EASTER: Over 150 massacred in Plateau, Benue
-
News15 hours ago
Double tragedy: Father, three children, maid killed in Osun road crash
-
News14 hours ago
SAD! SEC DG says “we can’t recover N1.3trn Nigerians lost to CBEX ponzi scheme”
-
News12 hours ago
NDLEA nabs bandits supplier with drugs concealed in private part(Photos)
-
Metro18 hours ago
Shock as 2 naked lovers found dead in Kogi
-
News18 hours ago
IMF expresses concern over high poverty rate, food insecurity in Nigeria
-
Economy19 hours ago
Volvo announces termination of 800 U.S. workers, cites tariff, market decline
-
News14 hours ago
NUJ-FCT Chairman Urges Journalists to Embrace Spirit of Easter