Odita Sunday 
FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2026
WORLD • MIDDLE EAST
Oil Near $110 as Trump Says US Has “Decimated” Iran; Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Escalat
President Trump said the US has “decimated” Iran and could leave “now” but wants its gains to last, while Iran’s foreign minister wrote that Tehran wants a deal but can threaten Strait of Hormuz shipping. Brent crude rose to about $110 a barrel and WTI to about $98 in Asian trading on Thursday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed several vessels were hit by mines or caught fire; these claims have not been independently confirmed, and the shipping body IMO says it cannot guarantee safe passage.
Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia are escalating. An attack on Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport killed one or two people and injured eight, according to differing reports. The US ordered non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia, and Britain is sending Typhoon fighter jets. For Nigeria, higher oil prices mean more export revenue but costlier imported petrol.
WORLD • RUSSIA, FRANCE & BUSINESS
US Citizen Freed by Russia as Ukraine Talks Revive; Macron Accuses Leaders of False Claims on French Unrest
Russia freed US citizen Stephen James Hubbard, and envoy Steve Witkoff said Putin agreed in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the US. Zelensky hopes they happen by early November. A Russian missile attack on Kyiv injured six people, and Russia said Ukraine launched 630 drones toward Moscow overnight.
In France, President Macron accused Trump and other leaders of making false claims about the unrest to serve their own interests. New protests are called for Saturday, though the main unions have not endorsed them. Barclays plans to cut about 5,000 jobs, around 5 per cent of its workforce, while investing more in AI. The UN weather agency warned that El Niño could become extremely strong.
AFRICA • HEALTH
Ebola Now in Five Countries; Africa CDC to Convene Health Ministers
Nigeria is the fifth country to detect the Bundibugyo-strain virus in an outbreak that has infected more than 9,000 people in DR Congo and killed over 4,000 since mid-May. Kenya has reported nine cases since 6 October. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for this strain. Africa CDC’s Jean Kaseya said it is “no longer one country’s fight” and plans a meeting of African health ministers next week.
NIGERIA • HEALTH
Nigeria’s Ebola Case Matches Congo Strain; 44 Contacts, Mostly Health Workers, Traced
Health officials say Nigeria’s first Ebola case is the Bundibugyo strain, the same as in DR Congo, after three levels of molecular testing; WHO also confirmed it. The patient is a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja on 3 October, was tested on 19 October and confirmed on 20 October. An unnamed official told AFP she is a diplomat whose condition has worsened to multi-organ failure; we cannot confirm that. A physician noted that 12 days passed between her falling ill and her testing, which may have exposed others.
Authorities have identified 44 contacts, mostly healthcare workers, including her husband, a Swiss national, and are tracing fellow passengers on the flight, though they do not believe she had symptoms on board. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate says she is isolated and being treated. The Federal Government says containment measures are active, including contact tracing, isolation of exposed people and stronger surveillance. The US Embassy issued a health alert to Americans in Nigeria. The Senate is moving to replace the 1926 Quarantine Act, and the House of Representatives has urged the government to release health funds.
NIGERIA • POLITICS
Obasanjo: Reforms Made Nigerians Poorer; Tinubu Meets Akpabio Behind Closed Doors
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said President Tinubu’s reforms had made Nigerians poorer, with a headline quoting him as saying they made “every Nigerian poor by 300%”; we have not seen the full remarks. Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio met behind closed doors, with no details released. Enugu Governor Peter Mbah backed Tinubu’s decision to end the fuel subsidy, and Vice-President Shettima urged states to stop relying on the federal government for electricity.
Omoyele Sowore warned that any “rainbow coalition” in Rivers, Lagos and Osun “will die,” and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde challenged rivals to prove their stamina ahead of 2027. Former Zamfara governor Bello Matawalle gave vehicles to eight lawmakers who returned to the APC, and Ogun suspended the Eselu of Iselu over alleged partisan political activity. The APC campaign council has rejected allegations of a plot against Atiku.
NIGERIA • COURTS & SECURITY
El-Rufai Loses Bid to Screen ICPC Video; Trial Date Set for Suspects in NYSC Kidnap
From Diaspora Dispatch Nigeria Desk
A court rejected former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai’s bid to screen an ICPC CCTV video. Another court fixed a date for the trial of suspects over the kidnap of 20 NYSC corps members in Imo, where a hearing was told they were held for seven days. The DSS arrested a 23-year-old woman in Nasarawa over arms trafficking.
Bandits killed passengers returning from Sokoto. In Ogun, schools were shut after more than 100 pupils fell sick from gas emissions; the state earlier linked such emissions in Ijebu-Ode to tectonic activity and ordered a pipeline shutdown, and the incident has recurred, the Guardian and BusinessDay reported.
NIGERIA • ECONOMY
Senate Summons Agency Chiefs Over Conflicting Petrol Import Figures; Oyo Assembly Approves ₦400bn in Loans
The Senate summoned agency chiefs after the NMDPRA and NNPC gave different petrol import figures. The Oyo State Assembly approved a ₦100 billion loan from UBA for infrastructure and a ₦300 billion facility to refinance a contractors’ loan from Access Bank.
JAMB plans to add life skills and critical thinking to the UTME. The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has set a date to reopen its recruitment portal and announced drug tests. NAFDAC raided an illegal herbal factory in Lagos and arrested its manager. A fire destroyed a major electrical showroom in Lokoja, and a man died trying to rescue a toddler from a well in Lagos.
About the Author
