The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has said it received with shock reports that the Congress of the United States of America is considering a bill titled The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act, 2026 (H.R. 7457), in which the national leader of the party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was named as the sole individual, alongside the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and a Fulani ethnic militia, to face targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes.

This, according to the reports, is due to his purported responsibility for “severe religious freedom violations.”

Responding to the reports, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, dismissed any suggestion that Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has been responsible, in any way, for religious freedom violations.

The party said it was curious and regrettable that Kwankwaso would be cited for issues he knew nothing about.

“We see this development as a contrived action against an innocent man who clearly has no relationship with religious fundamentalism in Nigeria.

“His record is in the public domain, both in public office and in private life, and it is advisable for people to investigate such matters properly before reaching such conclusions,” the party said.

Johnson stated that months before the latest development, Kwankwaso had openly reacted when President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious persecution.

In a statement posted on his X handle at the time, Senator Kwankwaso cautioned against what he described as oversimplified characterisations of Nigeria’s internal challenges.

Kwankwaso stated that it was important to emphasise that Nigeria is a sovereign nation whose people face diverse threats from outlaws across the country.

However, in a post shared on X, Rep. Riley Moore of the U.S. Congress stated to Kwankwaso: “Governor, do you care to comment on your own complicity in the death of Christians? You instituted Sharia law. You signed the law that makes so-called blasphemy punishable by death.”

The NNPP said this allegation stemmed from the fact that Kano State, under Kwankwaso’s leadership, brought the Islamic legal code into full effect, joining other northern states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Yobe, Jigawa, and Borno.

“But is this enough to accuse Kwankwaso of severe religious freedom violations? Why were the other state governors who introduced Sharia in their states not accused as well?” the statement asked.

“Is Rep. Moore being fair or selective? Isn’t the U.S. in good relations with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both Sharia countries? Why is this coming just after our government apparently paid for a consultant in the U.S.? Isn’t it strange that it is Kwankwaso, an opposition leader who has spoken out repeatedly about insecurity under this administration, that the United States now seems to be turning on?”

The party recalled that as governor of Kano State, Senator Kwankwaso ensured that the Boko Haram sect was wiped out of the state, adding that his close relationships with Christian leaders in Kano and across the country attest to his credibility as a national leader and statesman.

“Even when he was pressured to introduce Sharia, he still lost his election because predominantly Muslim voters punished him for supporting a Christian presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Furthermore, in 2023, he ran his presidential campaign with a Christian bishop, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, as his running mate.

“These are the facts which we believe should guide the Congress and its leaders, particularly Reps. Riley Moore and Chris Smith, to carry out a thorough investigation into the credibility of our leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, so that justice is done to his noble name and he is cleared of such undue embarrassment,” Johnson said.

The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Surajudeen Basiru, on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.

Basiru in a statement described the meeting as an opportunity to explore ways to further consolidate the APC’s presence in Kano State.

“I paid a courtesy visit to the Kano State Governor, H.E. Abba Yusuf, at the Kano Governor’s Lodge.

“The visit afforded us the opportunity of discussing how to further strengthen and unify our party, the APC, in Kano State and further the support base of the Governor,” he said.

The visit comes weeks after Governor Yusuf’s high-profile defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, to the APC in late January 2026.

President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Afam Osigwe, SAN, has lamented that judges and magistrates appear to be tools in the hands of politicians and ‘big men’.

Osigwe said this on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ monitored by DAILY POST.

He said that free speech is being concealed in Nigeria under the guise of cyber crime and defamation.

“Free speech is being muzzled in Nigeria under the guise of charging people to court and investigating them for cyber crime and criminal defamation.

“Even when the matters are ordinarily bailable, judges and magistrates appear to be tools in the hands of politicians and ‘big men’ and refuse bail even where there is no basis for not granting bail.

“This is a violation of the right to freedom of expression and an abuse of the democratic space.

“Because these public office holders should be held to a higher standard of accountability and if they deprive people of the ability to criticize and hold them to account, then democracy dies.

“If our judges become willing tools in giving them that which they desire, which is to put those people out of circulation, then there’s something wrong and the judiciary becomes a willing tool in the hands of the oppressors and thereby becomes an oppressor itself,” he said.

Lagos State Government has announced a comprehensive traffic diversion plan ahead of the 2026 Lagos City Marathon scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

The plan, released by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, is aimed at ensuring smooth traffic management and public safety during the event, which will feature both 42-kilometre and 10-kilometre races taking place simultaneously across designated routes in the state.

According to the ministry, the 42-kilometre marathon will commence at Ahmadu Bello Way, by the MRS Gas Station, and run through the entire stretch of the Coastal Road, which will serve as the finishing point of the race.

The 10-kilometre race, on the other hand, will begin at Durosimi Etti Street in Lekki Phase 1. From there, runners will proceed through Ozumba Mbadiwe, Bishop Oluwole Street, Akin Adesola Street and Sanusi Fafunwa Street, which marks the endpoint of the shorter race.

In line with the traffic management arrangement, the state government disclosed that all adjoining roads, junctions and intersections connected to both race routes will be temporarily blocked from 12:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2026. The roads, however, will be opened intermittently to motorists as the race progresses.

The ministry further stated that all affected roads will be manned by operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), alongside other security agencies, to restrict access to the main race corridors and ensure orderliness throughout the duration of the marathon.

Reacting to the development, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, reassured residents that adequate measures had been put in place to ease movement during the event.

“Traffic Management Officials will be strategically positioned to help motorists navigate their journeys,” Osiyemi said, while urging Lagosians to plan their trips ahead of time.

He also advised members of the public to make use of alternative routes and, where possible, adopt other modes of transportation to reduce inconvenience during the partial road closures.

In an advisory issued by the ministry, motorists were implored to remain patient, noting that the temporary restrictions form part of the traffic management plans for the 11th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Race 2026.

The state government appealed for the understanding and cooperation of road users, stressing that the measures are necessary for the successful hosting of the marathon and the safety of participants and the general public.

A socio-cultural organization, Edo First, has accused Obaro Ologbo, the South South Zonal Director of the National Health Insurance Authority’s (NHIA) of influencing the relocation of the NHIA office from Benin to Port Harcourt, River State.

However, Ologbo described the allegation as a “big, fat lie”, stating that the decision to relocate the office is the decision of the Abuja office.

In a February 4 internal memo signed by Director, Human Resources, Halima Zakari, named new seven zonal offices that have been created to run the affairs of the NHIA.

The memo stated in part, “This is to inform all that the NHIA Governing Council at its first retreat in August, 2025 approved the creation of two news departments – Strategic Purchasing Department Risk and Regulatory Services Department

“These Departments have been forwarded to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for ratification. However, the Departments have commenced operational activities.

“Furthermore, the organizational structure of the Authority now has seven Zonal Offices as follows. They are North Central Zonal Office (Ilorin);  North East Zonal Office (Maiduguri); North West Zonal Office (Kano}; South East Zonal Office (Enugu); South-South Zonal Office (Port Harcourt); South West Zonal Office (Ibadan) and Lagos Zonal Office (Lagos).

“All staff are requested to take note.”

The group said the decision to relocate its zonal office from Benin City to Port Harcourt, is a deliberate affront on Edo State.

A statement on Tuesday signed by the group President, Edosa Idahosa and Secretary, Ehiadolor Osakue, accused the zonal director of orchestrating the move for selfish reasons, citing proximity to his adopted home base of Bayelsa.

The statement read in part, “The relocation of the NHIA from Benin to Port Harcourt can be traced to the zonal director.

“The Edo State Government in its magnanimity provided rent-free accommodation for about 20 years and a Certificate of Occupancy for a permanent site, but the zonal director, from Delta State, refused to work in Benin. The zonal office is currently suffering from neglect

“We, therefore call on the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, and influential Edo State personalities to look into the matter and prevent the relocation.

But Ologbo told the PUNCH in a telephone interview that he was not instrumental to the relocation of the zonal office, noting there are channels of decision in the organization.

He said, “Why would I do that? There is a board, there is a top management. There are a lot of channels before decisions are taken. If there is a group saying things, they may not know how the decisions are being made.

“I am happy you are reaching out to me. I am denying the claim. It is not true. It is absolutely a big, fat lie. I can’t be instrumental to government’s decisions. It’s not me. Why should that be?”

The National Health Insurance Agency is a government body, established to provide financial access to healthcare for all citizens, aiming for universal coverage by pooling funds, regulating schemes, and managing enrolment for formal and informal sectors, replacing older, less effective systems like Nigeria’s previous National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

It manages contributions, offer benefit packages (for employees, families, elderly, self-employed), and partner with providers to ensure affordable, quality care for everyone.