Author: TheLagosianMagazine

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 Madagascar on Tuesday held a solemn state ceremony to receive three ancestral skulls repatriated from France, 128 years after they were taken during the colonial conquest of the island nation. The remains, believed to include that of King Toera of the Sakalava people and two of his warriors, were seized by French troops in 1897 following the monarch’s execution. Preserved in Paris as colonial war trophies, the skulls were stored in France’s national history museum until their return under a 2023 restitution law that permits the handover of human remains acquired during France’s imperial…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 The Lagos State Government has unveiled a new flagship initiative, “101 Days in Lagos,” aimed at boosting culture, tourism, and youth empowerment while positioning the state as Africa’s leading cultural destination. The programme, which will run from September 26 to January 4, will feature cultural festivals, international sporting events, entertainment shows, and hospitality-driven activities across the city. Speaking at a strategic meeting with Pulse Africa and other stakeholders on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Idris Aregbe, described the project as a bold step toward diversifying…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 An 11-year-old boy in Houston, Texas, was shot dead after a doorbell prank popularly known as “ding dong ditch” turned tragic over the weekend. Police said the child had rung a neighbour’s doorbell and was running away when he was fatally struck by gunfire on Saturday. The suspected shooter, 42-year-old Leon Gonzalo Jr., has been charged with murder and booked into jail on Tuesday, according to Harris County court records. His listed address matches the home from which the shots were fired. “Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 The Eddah community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State has been connected to the national electricity grid for the first time in more than four decades. The electrification project, executed by the North South Power Company Limited (NSPCL) Foundation, was inaugurated on Tuesday as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to host communities. Speaking at the event, Mr. Olubunmi Peters, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NSPCL, said the project provided Eddah with a 300 KVA sub-station to supply reliable power to residents. Peters, represented by Mr. Hassan Abdullahi,…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 A French investigating judge has ordered veteran actor Gerard Depardieu to stand trial on charges of raping and sexually assaulting actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018, legal sources confirmed on Tuesday. The ruling, dated August 28, follows a series of legal troubles for the 76-year-old star, who was handed an 18-month suspended sentence in May after being convicted of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. Depardieu, widely regarded as one of France’s greatest actors, has denied the latest allegations, insisting his relationship with Arnould was consensual. Arnould, who first filed a…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has restated its commitment to conduct the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) entirely through computer-based testing (CBT) by 2026. Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed this on Tuesday during a sensitisation meeting with the National Assembly Committee on Education in Abuja. Dangut said the transition, which commenced with private candidates in 2024, has recorded “significant progress” and will be scaled up nationwide before next year’s deadline. “We have conducted five exams already, for both private and school candidates, and by 2026, deployment will…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 French judicial authorities have issued international arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six senior members of his former regime over the 2012 bombardment of Homs, which killed two foreign journalists. Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old American correspondent for The Sunday Times of Britain, and French photographer Rémi Ochlik, 28, died on February 22, 2012, when artillery fire struck an informal media centre in the rebel-held city. French prosecutors are treating the incident as both a potential war crime and a crime against humanity. British photographer Paul Conroy, French reporter Edith Bouvier, and…

By Peter Omopo | September 2, 2025 The average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) rose by 44.51% year-on-year in July 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Price Watch Report released on Tuesday, NBS said the cost increased from ₦14,261.57 in July 2024 to ₦20,609.48 in July 2025, deepening pressure on Nigerian households already grappling with rising living costs. The report noted that despite the annual surge, there was a slight month-on-month decrease of 1.91%, as the price fell from ₦21,010.56 in June 2025…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 The Federal Government has called for the integration of cyber, anticipatory, and digital diplomacy into Nigeria’s foreign policy, stressing that the country must take a leadership role in shaping Africa’s digital future. This was the central message at the inaugural seminar on “Anticipatory, Cyber, and Digital Diplomacy for Strengthening Nigeria’s Foreign Policy” held in Abuja on Tuesday, with government officials, diplomats, and international partners in attendance. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, said Nigeria cannot remain a passive observer in a rapidly evolving digital era. “We are living through a historic transformation. Disruptive…

By Peter Omopo September 2, 2025 The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has pledged to pursue justice for Abdulraheem Abubakar, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and postgraduate student at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, who died in an incident involving Mobile Police personnel. Abubakar was reportedly struck on the head by a police officer while riding a motorcycle on August 29. His brother, Sabiu Mustapha Abubakar, and eyewitnesses alleged that bystanders had to insist the victim be taken to the hospital. The family further accused the police of attempting to cover up the matter by claiming that…