With the premiere of Odunlade Adekola’s film, ‘Warlord: Olori Ogun,’ the film has gone ahead to rake in a whopping N47m in its opening weekend.
‘Warlord: Olori Ogun,’ is produced by Odunlade Adekola Film Production (OAFP) and FilmOne Studios, and directed by Odunlade Adekola, Tope Adebayo, and Abiodun Olanrewaju.
‘Warlord: Olori Ogun,’ is a tale set in the heart of Yoruba culture, exploring themes of bravery, legacy, and identity.
The film follows the journey of a fearless warrior who must navigate complex family dynamics, protect his community, and preserve his heritage in the face of challenges. Combining history, culture, drama, and rich cultural storytelling, the film offers audiences an immersive cinematic experience deeply rooted in Nigerian tradition.
The premiere was a celebration of culture and Nigerian cinema, drawing notable cast members including Toyin Abraham, Muyiwa Ademola, and Femi Adebayo, alongside other industry figures such as Iyabo Ojo, Mike Ezuruonye, Itele D Icon, Kie Kie, and Bisola Aiyeola.
Many other actors, filmmakers, and film lovers also came together to witness the first public screening of the highly anticipated film, which opened in cinemas on Friday, November 28, 2025.
Speaking at the premiere, Adekola said, “Fans should expect something powerful and exceptional. Warlord: Olori Ogun is a strong story, and I am proud of what we created.”
The film weaves themes of bravery, legacy, and identity into a striking narrative that kept the guests fully immersed throughout the night, with authentic storytelling and strong performances from Odunlade Adekola, Toyin Abraham, Muyiwa Ademola, Femi Adebayo Salami, Ibrahim Chatta, and a host of others.
The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Oliver Aba, on Friday urged Nigerians to embrace selfless service, faith-fuelled unity and an “all hands on deck” approach to rebuilding trust and restoring hope amid the nation’s economic and security challenges.
Aba delivered the charge during his exhortation at the 2025 Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, themed “Emmanuel: God With Us,” hosted by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
He described the Christmas message as a reminder of God’s abiding presence with the nation through seasons of uncertainty.
“Jesus did not come to be far away from us. He came to be present… God is with us in the valley, in the storms of life and in victory,” Aba said, assuring Nigerians that divine presence endures “in season and out of season.”
Drawing attention to inflation, insecurity and social divisions, the cleric called for collective responsibility and sacrificial leadership.
“As a people, as a nation, when you are worried, God is with you as a Prince of Peace. Today, the Prince of Peace is ready to give us peace,” he said, urging leaders and citizens alike to choose selflessness over narrow interests.
Aba anchored the theme Emmanuel on God’s closeness to humanity, stressing that national renewal requires love, peace and service modeled after Christ’s sacrifice.
Quoting John 3:16, he framed the season as an expression of God’s selfless love and challenged Nigerians to recommit to unity.
“We must come together so as we are celebrating Christ, Nigeria can be better,” he said.
The service, the third annual carol hosted by the First Lady, brought together past and present leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, making his first appearance at a State House function since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inauguration, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Senior government officials, legislators, jurists and faith leaders were also in attendance.
The evening opened with the hymn Once in Royal David’s City, followed by a carefully sequenced order of lessons and carols led by national figures.
Gowon read the First Lesson from Genesis 3:8–12, reflecting on divine accountability, while Obasanjo delivered the Second Lesson from Genesis 22:15–18, underscoring obedience and covenantal blessing.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Senate President Godswill Akpabio, read the Third Lesson from Isaiah 9:6–7 on the Prince of Peace.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, followed with Isaiah 11:1–4, while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, read Luke 1:26–31.
Further readings were taken by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem (Luke 2:4–7); the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd) (Luke 2:10–14); and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun (Matthew 2:9–12).
The host, Mrs Tinubu, concluded the lessons with John 1:1–14, affirming the Word made flesh.
Each lesson was interspersed with traditional and contemporary carols rendered by the mass choir of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), filling the venue with hymns including Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World and O Come, All Ye Faithful.
The service featured cultural expressions with traditional Elu Agogo rhythms, while CAN Vice President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, delivered the closing prayer and benediction, praying for peace, stability and protection throughout the Yuletide.
The evening ended on a jubilant note with We Wish You a Merry Christmas and reflective organ voluntaries, rounding off a service that blended worship, national reflection and a renewed call to service.
Detty December is the time of the year when the streets come alive, parties roll back-to-back, wardrobes get upgrades and every outing feels like an event.
The energy is contagious, the excitement is real, and it’s easy to say yes to every invitation. But behind all the fun lies a silent danger: overspending.
The real shock comes in January when bills pile up and your account balance looks like it disappeared overnight.
It doesn’t have to end that way. With intentional planning and discipline, you can enjoy the full excitement of December without stepping into the new year broke or stressed. Here’s a practical guide to help you balance fun and finances.
1. Know your limits before the festivities begin
Before the invitations start flooding in, take time to assess your finances. Detty December will tempt you with spontaneous events, sales and travel plans, but the safest way to stay grounded is to set a clear budget.
Include expenses like gifts, outings, travel, food, drinks, transportation and savings. Stick to your plan and leave a small buffer for emergencies. A realistic budget helps you know when to pause or skip an event.
2. Avoid impulse buying, especially gifts
Gift-giving is beautiful but can become financially draining. Don’t let pressure or comparison push you beyond your means.
Decide who you’re buying for and set a spending limit per person. Consider thoughtful, affordable alternatives like handwritten notes, framed photos or DIY gift boxes. For close circles, try a gift exchange to cut costs.
3. Track your spending throughout the month
To avoid the January shock, monitor your expenses in real time. Use budgeting apps, expense trackers or simple spreadsheets.
Record everything you spend on — food, rides, outfits, tickets, even snacks. Keeping track helps you adjust early instead of panicking at month’s end.
4. Protect your emergency fund
Your emergency fund isn’t for Detty December enjoyment. Before the month starts, review your savings goals and ensure you have enough set aside for rent, school fees and other January commitments.
Resist dipping into your emergency money; you’ll be grateful you preserved it.
5. Add no-spend days to your calendar
Designate certain days each week to spend nothing.
Use these days to rest, meal prep, clean, watch movies or bond with family. No-spend days help balance your finances and curb excessive outings.
6. Prioritise experiences over expensive outings
Memorable moments don’t always require big spending. You can have fun through free concerts, house parties, game nights, beach outings, picnics or movie marathons. Choose experiences that give joy without draining your account.
7. Plan ahead for January
January comes with heavy financial responsibilities. Prepare early by setting aside money for school fees, rent, transport and subscriptions. If you receive bonuses, resist spending them all — allocate a portion to upcoming obligations.
Detty December should bring joy, not financial regret. By setting limits, tracking expenses, avoiding impulsive buys and choosing budget-friendly experiences, you can fully enjoy the festive season and still enter the new year confidently.
Edo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee, Monday Okpebholo, has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State to unite and reclaim the state in the 2026 governorship election.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat in Osogbo on Friday night, Okpebholo said the gathering reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to democratic principles as the party prepares for Saturday’s primary election.
He announced that the mode of primary to be used is affirmation, adding that all 1,660 delegates will be duly accredited before gaining access to the venue.
“I want to appeal for unity in the APC after the primary. You must not allow internal bitterness to weaken our contest after tomorrow’s affirmation,” he said.
“We must return Osun State to the Progressive fold next year. You must all work together and be united in purpose.”
Okpebholo assured party members that the primary would be free and fair in line with the mandate given to the committee by the National Working Committee (NWC).
A dilapidated structure on Nwachukwu Street, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, collapsed on Thursday, killing a mother of three identified as Mrs. Uwana Dennis from Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m.
A source said part of the failing building fell on the woman while she was selling fruits nearby.
Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and said investigations are underway.
The Ogun State Government has continued to take deliberate and measurable steps that place youth empowerment at the centre of its approach to community security, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, has said.
Akinmade made this known while delivering the keynote address at a one-day Youth Security Summit themed “Youth-Led Strategies for Community Security,” held at the NUT Secretariat, Kuto, Abeokuta. The summit was organised by the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigeria Youth Organization in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
According to him, the youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the “defenders, innovators, and nation-builders of today.” Their insight, creativity, and courage, he noted, are central to the peace, safety, and progress of the state.
He stressed that insecurity retreats when young people embrace leadership and responsibility, adding that communities become stronger when youths lead with purpose.
Akinmade highlighted several initiatives of the Governor Dapo Abiodun administration aimed at empowering young people and enhancing community security. These include the training of over 21,000 youths in vocational and digital skills, and the strengthening of the Amotekun Corps through the recruitment of more youthful operatives and improved operational equipment.
He urged young people across the state to play active roles in securing their communities through community intelligence, digital early-warning tools, civic engagement, campus peace-building, and technology-enabled reporting systems.
He said: “The challenges of our time — cybercrime, cultism, drug abuse, highway threats, and emerging community vulnerabilities — demand approaches that combine institutional structures with the insight, creativity, and innovation of our youth.
“Youth-led security strategies do not mean assigning policing duties to young people. Rather, they refer to structured avenues through which youths contribute meaningfully to securing our society — via community intelligence, digital early-warning tools, civic influence, campus peacebuilding, social media awareness, neighbourhood vigilance, and tech-enabled reporting.”
Akinmade listed notable achievements such as; raining of over 21,000 youths in vocational and digital skills through OGSTEP and similar programmes, thereby reducing unemployment and strengthening lawful economic pathways; skills development for more than 31,000 residents through the Ogun State Skills Fund, boosting human capacity and reducing vulnerabilities associated with insecurity, and graduation of the first cohort of CyberSquad Digital Technicians from Ogun Tech Hub after a three-month intensive programme, with plans to scale training to 10,000 young people by 2027.
He also mentioned other interventions of the Abiodun administration, including strengthened community policing, enhanced anti-cultism campaigns in tertiary institutions, expanded counselling and mentorship programmes for at-risk youths, rehabilitation for youths affected by drug abuse, and increased youth enterprise support through local government skills-acquisition centres.
Additionally, the government has improved lighting and safety infrastructure in selected communities to discourage criminal activity and ensure safer evening movement.
“These achievements reflect a deliberate effort to integrate youth empowerment with long-term security outcomes,” he added.
Akinmade affirmed his office’s commitment to driving youth-led communication platforms, security-awareness campaigns, and the proposed Youth Security Innovation Framework, aimed at transforming youth-generated ideas into practical solutions for community resilience and early detection of threats.
He further urged security agencies to deepen collaboration with youth groups, noting that modern security systems thrive on trust, engagement, and timely flow of information.
Commending the organisers, he noted that the summit aligns perfectly with the collective vision of building a safer Ogun State.
“Together, we can build a state where every street is safe, every young person has opportunity, and every community stands united in hope and resilience,” he said.
Troops of 8 Division of Nigerian Army have killed a notorious bandits’ kingpin, Kachalla Kallamu, in Sabon Birnin Local Government Area, Sokoto State.
A source from the security operatives made this known to the major operational success to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Sokoto.
The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said Kallamu, a close associate and senior lieutenant of the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, was killed by the Army, in collaboration with local vigilantes in the area.
The source confirmed that Kallamu was killed alongside one of the Turji’s major logistics suppliers in the early hours of Monday, around Karawa village, during the major offensive operation by gallant troops of 8 Division Nigerian Army.
Kallamu hailed from Garin-Idi in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, known to be operating within the area causing significant distress to local communities in the state.
It was gathered that Kallamu had recently returned to the area after fleeing a previous military onslaught in June, this year, during which he was believed to have sought refuge in Kogi.
NAN recalls that the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmad Aliyu on Security Matters, retired Col. Ahmad Usman and other citizens had commended the Army for the significant success recorded against banditry in the state.
Usman said the troops had killed several bandits in Sabon Birni Local Government Area who attempted to ambush traders travelling from Tarah village to the weekly market.
”The swift response, professionalism, and courage displayed by our military personnel averted what could have been a tragic incident and once again reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the lives and property of our people.
”The state government deeply appreciates this effort and acknowledges the consistent sacrifices being made by our security forces,” Usman said.
NAN further reports that the Nigerian Army had neutralised 13 suspected bandits and recovered their weapons in Tarah and Karawa communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
According to the residents, soldiers stationed in Kurawa near Kwanan Kimbo had engaged the terrorists in a gun battle that lasted for hours on Monday.
A source from the community, who pleaded for anonymity, told NAN on Tuesday that the soldiers ambushed the terrorists and later followed them to their enclave.
“The army engaged them in a fierce battle. The bandits later retreated and fled to their enclave across the stream.
“We counted nine bodies of the terrorists in our area, and another four were found in the nearby bush along the stream.
”Soldiers also recovered several weapons and took them to Karawa,” the source said.
A reliable source from the army had earlier confirmed the encounter and told NAN that it was a fierce gun battle by the gallant troops where they neutralised several terrorists.
The source said there was no casualty on the side of the army, adding that eight AK-47 rifles and large amounts of ammunition were recovered from the bandits.
The source, though not authorised to speak on the matter, however, said the terrorists suffered heavy defeat and the operation was conducted by the Operation Fansan Yamma.
The source confirmed that bandits had also attacked the Gatawa community, faced by vigilance group members and a team of military men engaged with them and overpowered the terrorists.
Some residents of Karawa and neighbouring villages celebrated the military’s successes and appealed for the continuation of the operation to salvage the communities from all forms of attacks.
Also, the member representing Sabon Birni Local Government in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Alhaji Aminu Boza, said at least nine bodies believed to be those of the terrorists had been seen.
Boza said more searches were ongoing.
NAN further recalls that Gatawa village and some nearby communities of Sabon Birni Local Government Area had suffered attacks from bandits.
Christy Akingboye, widow of the late Ondo Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Bamidele Akingboye, has demanded the immediate release of her husband’s autopsy report.
She condemned what she described as wicked, malicious and pre-emptive claims surrounding the circumstances of his death.
The grieving widow told reporters that it was disturbing that neither she nor any of her children had been granted access to the autopsy findings, even though a blogger publicly boasted of having seen and read the report online and alleged it confirmed murder.
She questioned how a private blogger could supposedly access a document that the police themselves had not read to the family.
According to her, the contradictions from the authorities have deepened the family’s suspicion.
She said: “It’s strange that when my children and I had a meeting with the Commissioner of Police last month, he claimed he already had the report with him, yet he did not show it to us.
“Instead, he told us he was washing his hands of the case by returning it to Panti, a division where we had earlier experienced bias and hostility, for onward transmission to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution.”
She added that what followed was even more shocking: “The same CP went on Channels TV that very day to claim the autopsy confirmed murder. Meanwhile, we, the immediate family, have not seen a single page. Nobody has shown us anything.”
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Mrs Akingboye insisted that an autopsy cannot, on its own, declare a death as murder until proven in court.
“All I am asking for is simple: formally release the report. It is my right as his widow. If a sponsored blogger is reading an acclaimed document supposedly in police custody, shouldn’t the family have access to it too?” she asked.
She stressed that only a court of law can establish murder based on tested evidence, warning that peddling unverified claims was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and damage her family’s reputation.
The widow lamented the secrecy surrounding the autopsy, which should ordinarily be in the hands of the police or relevant authorities, but which has been kept away from the people most entitled to it.
Mrs Akingboye urged the authorities to come clean, release the autopsy report to her family, and put an end to the speculation, confusion and emotional distress surrounding her husband’s death.
Three members of a family – a father, mother, and their young child – died yesterday in a multi-vehicle collision at Secretariat inward Otedola Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) spokesman, Adebayo Taofiq, the crash, which involved an Audi, a Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla, was triggered when a loaded truck, reportedly at high speed, rammed into one of the vehicles from behind.
The impact caused the car to veer out of control and collide with two other moving vehicles, resulting in a chain-reaction.
LASTMA officials said the truck driver fled the scene after the impact, abandoning the victims and evading arrest.
The LASTMA officials worked alongside other emergency responders to rescue trapped occupants and clear the roadway.
Two critically injured victims were extricated from the wreckage and transported by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre at Toll Gate for medical treatment.
The bodies of the deceased family were recovered and handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).
Security personnel from the Isheri Olowora Police Division provided support during the operation, while LASTMA officers removed the damaged vehicles from the expressway to prevent secondary accidents.The coordinated response also involved the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), SEHMU, LASAMBUS, and the Lagos Fire & Rescue Service.
LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the deaths as “an unbearable and irreplaceable loss of an entire family,” offering prayers for the bereaved and wishing the injured a swift recovery.
Bakare-Oki lamented that the tragedy was preventable and reiterated LASTMA’s warning against excessive speeding, particularly by drivers of articulated loaded trucks.
The Railway Police Command, Lagos has advised the public, especially those who lost their vehicles/ motorcycles to theft or abandoned around the city to report at the following Railway Police Divisional Headquarters- Port Harcourt Division in Rivers State; Abeokuta Division in Ogun State and Bodija Division in Oyo State for identification and claims.
The vehicle is (Port Harcourt) one Ford bus with registered plate number KRK 122 TV.
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Abeokuta Division: one Coaster pick-up with no LND 950 XA, and Bodija Division: one black TVS motorcycle with nos AGG 426 QF; one red Bajaj motorcycle with no GB 11 QD and one red TVS motorcycle with no NRK 357 QD, a statement from the Commissioner of Police, Vungmoh Kwaimo, said.
Also, in Ijesha Division (Lagos) one blue Toyota Avensis with no Epe 633 CL.
