Odita Sunday 
WORLD • HEALTH
Pope Leo XIV Reportedly Diagnosed With Lung Cancer After Surgery
Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after what was described as successful surgery. We have still not found an official Vatican statement confirming the diagnosis and will report one when it appears.
Also in the global headlines, crude oil rose about 2 per cent earlier this week after fresh Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, a move that feeds into pump prices in Nigeria.
AFRICA • HORN OF AFRICA
Ethiopian-Aligned Forces Reported Advancing Near Eritrean Border
Ethiopian federal and allied forces had approached a town near the Eritrean border, with a pro-government militia commander claiming Eritrean troops had suffered heavy losses and were retreating. Shire and Axum were taken in recent days. Neither Addis Ababa nor Asmara has issued a formal statement, so these claims are unverified.
AFRICA • HEALTH & ENERGY
Kenya Traces 128 Contacts After Second Ebola Case; Tanzania Nears US$42bn Gas Deal
Kenya confirmed a second Ebola case on 14 October, a 39-year-old close relative of the first patient who was already in quarantine. Authorities have traced 128 contacts, 113 of whom are in quarantine, and say there is no evidence of wider community transmission; travel and public gatherings are still unrestricted.
Tanzania is nearing agreement on a US$42 billion gas project led by Equinor and Shell, though nothing has been signed. In Sudan, fighting intensified in North Kordofan and Blue Nile, with more than 12.4 million people displaced. In Guinea-Bissau the junta dismissed an officer close to ousted president Embaló, and in Hargeisa hundreds rallied in support of Somaliland after remarks attributed to President Trump.
NIGERIA • ECONOMY
Headline Inflation Reported at 14.63% for September
Naija News reports that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell to 14.63 per cent, below the 15.5 per cent economists had forecast and the 15.39 per cent recorded in August. We have not seen the full National Bureau of Statistics release, so treat the figure as a headline report and check food inflation, which was forecast at about 20 per cent.
The Federal Government promised 24-hour electricity and said it has no plan to raise tariffs. Filling stations were reported shut in Kebbi and Oyo after a petrol price cut. The NLC rejected the government’s position on the minimum wage and warned of a looming strike.
NIGERIA • POLITICS
Tinubu Tells APC Council: “Deliver Your Wards”; Says He May Skip Some Rallies
At the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday, President Tinubu told members to deliver their wards and said he might not visit every state, citing bills to pay and “American creditors.” FCT Minister Nyesom Wike warned APC governors and council members not to claim victory unless they deliver their states and predicted strong votes for Tinubu in Rivers and the FCT.
Atiku Abubakar accused Tinubu of being unwilling to face Nigerians. Inspector-General Olatunji Disu pledged professional police conduct before, during and after the 2027 elections, and INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan told a forum in Abuja that “AI must remain servant, not master, of Nigerian democracy.” Former Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike accused some governors of mismanaging public funds.
NIGERIA • COURTS & SECURITY
Fresh Mass Terrorism Trial Opens; El-Rufai Case Moved to 8 December
The Federal Government began a fresh mass trial of suspected terrorists, and a court jailed a Chinese national and others over terrorism, according to Naija News headlines. In Kaduna, Justice Hauwa Buhari adjourned former governor Nasir El-Rufai’s case to 8 December after a newly assigned prosecutor asked for more time; he appeared separately in an ICPC case on Wednesday.
Police charged a banker and seven others in Lagos over a ₦710 million fraud, and a court set a new date for Femi Gbajabiamila’s ₦15 billion defamation suit.
NIGERIA • SECURITY
Gunmen Ambush Immigration Officers in Niger State; Boko Haram Clash in Borno
Gunmen ambushed immigration officers in Niger State, killing one and injuring another. In Borno, Boko Haram and soldiers exchanged gunfire for two hours. Amnesty International has faulted the government over bandit attacks in the North.
The traditional ruler of Igbokoda in Ondo State, Afolabi Odidiomo, criticised the federal government for not retrieving bodies from the NAF 931 crash of 5 October, in which 25 people were aboard and no survivors were found. He told Premium Times the decomposing bodies are contaminating water and called for an urgent clean-up to prevent an epidemic. Ghana sent 120 Nigerians home this week.
NIGERIA • SOCIETY
Gospel Singer Toluwanisings Reportedly Dead
From Diaspora Dispatch Nigeria Desk
Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, known as Toluwanisings, is reportedly dead, according to an announcement on Instagram by COPA convener Pelumi Olajengbesi, who voiced concern over the deaths of young Nigerians. Reports of the circumstances differ, and we have not confirmed them. A relative or official statement is awaited.
WATCH THIS WEEK
NLC: strike warning over minimum wage.
27 Oct: Dangote Refinery IPO deadline.
8 Dec: El-Rufai case resumes in Kaduna.
20 Nov: ruling on Atiku’s bid to amend NYSC suit.
UNVERIFIED
Inflation 14.63%: Naija News headline; full NBS release not seen.
Pope’s cancer diagnosis: one outlet so far.
Ethiopia-Eritrea claims: militia commander’s account.
Toluwanisings: circumstances not confirmed.
DIASPORA DISPATCH • Compiled from world, African and Nigerian news reports, 13–15 October 2026
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