The first batch of stranded Nigerians that cried out in a viral video to be evacuated from Saudi Arabia have now arrived the country. The returnees arrived aboard Saudi Arabia Airlines at about 1 pm at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission announced the return of the 384 Nigerians today. The returnees are part of the 802 stranded in Saudi that the Nigerian government had promised would be evacuated to Nigeria on Thursday and Friday. Announcing the return of the first batch, NIDCOM said out of the 384 returnees, 300 are males while 83 are females with one infant whose gender the Commission declined to reveal.

Following the reaction that greeted Bishop, Mathew Kukah of Sokoto diocese's statement concerning President Buhari administration, the clergy kicked that he was quoted out of context as he did not call for a military coup.

Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has called on the Nigerian security agencies to arrest Bishop Mathew Kukah for interrogation over his insightful coup comment against the government of President Buhari. Last Friday, Kukah, a bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese accused President Buhari of nepotism and at the same time calling for a coup against the government.

Retired Justice, who served as the First Grand Khadi of Niger State and Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu has died in the early hours of Thursday in Minna, Niger State. His daughter, Maryam Lemu confirmed the demise of the educationist via Instagram, saying “Inna lillahi wa inna liayhi raji’un,” she wrote.

The Nigerian Government has declared three days of public holiday ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. These work-free days are; Friday, 25th Dec. 2020; Monday 28th Dec. 2020, and Friday, 1st January 2021 respectively.

Following the blacklisting of Nigeria by the United States over Religious Freedom Violations, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that it will be engaging the U.S government in a bid to remove Nigeria from its blacklist of countries over concerns of religious freedom. The ministry's spokesperson, Mr. Ferdinand Nwonye made the disclosure in Abuja following the U.S announcement of blacklisting Nigeria for "engaging in systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom violations" under its Religious Freedom Act of 1998, expressing the government's displeasure of its inclusion on the list.