FULL LIST: US freezes assets of 8 Nigerians over alleged Cybercrime, Boko Haram, ISIL ties

The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians over alleged ties to terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as cybercrime-related offences.

The sanctions were announced in a February 10 publication by the United States Department of the Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The action was contained in a 3,000-page update of the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” (SDN List), a reference document detailing individuals and entities subject to US sanctions.

According to OFAC, the list provides formal notice of persons whose property and interests in property are blocked under US law as part of counter-terrorism and other sanctions programmes.

By Seun Adeuyi

Full story at Daily Trust

‘It’s not South Africans versus Nigerians’: Family of slain Bolt driver rejects xenophobia claims

As a suspect prepares to appear in court for the brutal murder of Bolt driver Isaac Satlat — a killing that sparked outrage after a disturbing video circulated online — his family has now broken its silence, rejecting claims that the 22-year-old was targeted because he was Nigerian.

In previous reports, IOL detailed how Satlat was allegedly attacked after responding to a couple's ride request in Pretoria West on Wednesday, and how a female suspect was later arrested. Police also warned the public against sharing graphic footage linked to the killing, saying it could hamper investigations and retraumatise the family.

Now, speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, family spokesperson and activist Solomon Ashoms said the narrative suggesting the killing was a xenophobic attack was not supported by the family.

By Jonisayi Maromo

Full story at IOL

Tony Blair urges Labour to reverse ban on new licences for oil drilling in the North Sea

Sir Tony’s name was listed alongside high-profile
Trump administration officials (PA)

Tony Blair has called on the Labour government to reverse its ban on new licences for drilling oil and gas in the North Sea, echoing calls made by US president Donald Trump.

The former prime minister’s think tank said Sir Keir Starmer should cut the windfall tax rate on oil and gas firms, saying the government’s clean power plan is “leading the UK in the wrong direction”.

Labour has committed to plans to phase out production of oil and gas in the North Sea by restricting new licences for drilling and increasing the rate of the Energy Profits Levy.

By Athena Stavrou

Full story at Yahoo News

Argentina's monthly inflation ticks up as Milei faces backlash over an outdated index

Diego Armando Custodio stands inside a coal sales
market where he works in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
 (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Inflation in crisis-prone Argentina accelerated more than expected and for a fifth straight month in January, the country’s statistics agency said Tuesday, a closely watched report whose outdated methodology in recent days stoked political turmoil and created a headache for libertarian President Javier Milei.

Consumer prices rose 2.9% last month compared with December, said the statistics agency known by its Spanish acronym INDEC, largely owing to increases in the prices of food, restaurants, hotels and utility bills.

Economists say that the formula that INDEC used to calculate the inflation rate still underestimates real price rises in a country reeling from Milei's harsh austerity program that his close ideological ally, U.S. President Donald Trump has backed with $20 billion and championed as a model for downsizing federal bureaucracy.

By Isabel Debre
Full story at Yahoo News

Cardoso: Foreign Reserves now $49 billion

Nigeria’s net foreign reserves have risen to $49 billion in a remarkable sustained recovery from about $3 billion recorded in May 2023. 

Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said the nation’s net foreign reserves hit $49 billion by February 5, 2026 as inflows from remittances, non-oil exports and other individual and institutional sources continued to provide strong buffers for the nation’s currency stability.

Cardoso spoke yesterday in Abuja at the second edition of National Economic Council (NEC) Conference.

By Nduka Chiejina

Full story at Pulse NG

South Africa withdrawing more than 700 troops from UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo

South Africa has decided to withdraw its troop contribution to the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), ending nearly three decades of involvement in UN peacekeeping operations in the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the South African government’s decision, which was conveyed during a telephone conversation on 12 January 2026.

South Africa ranks among the top 10 troop-contributing countries to MONUSCO, with a force presence of over 700 soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in support of the mission’s peacekeeping mandate, according to the Presidency in Pretoria.

Full story at IOL

By Jonisayi Maromo

Nigeria: Late Submission of Audit Reports Affecting Our Work, Reps Panel Cries Out

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has lamented the delay in the submission of audit reports by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) was affecting its legislative oversight work.

This is just as the committee vowed to ensure timely submission of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Reports by the OAuGF.

The committee's chairman, Hon. Bamidele Salam, stated this while speaking at a retreat held for members of the legislative panel and its staff as well as other stakeholders held in Ghana over the weekend.

By James Kwen

Full story at All Africa