The body of a woman, Blessing Ayebe, has been found in a church toilet in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

Ayebe reportedly attended a service at the Presbyterian Church, Ikot Ansa Parish, on June 28 but did not return home.

According to family sources, her lifeless body was discovered in the church toilet around 9 p.m

Her daughter, Peace Minka Ayebe, reported the incident at the Federal Housing Police Station after being informed by her brother, Saviour Ayebe.

The body was later deposited at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, confirmed the incident, saying preliminary examination of the body showed no visible signs of violence.

He said no suspect had been identified or arrested as of Sunday, as investigators had yet to establish any evidence of foul play.

“The investigation is ongoing, and further developments will be communicated as they unfold,” Akata said.

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has unveiled the 32nd edition of his annual prophecy publication, Warnings to the Nations, outlining a series of predictions concerning Nigeria’s political future and major global developments.

The 405-page publication was presented during a world press conference held on Saturday at the church’s headquarters in Lagos. According to the cleric, the book contains prophetic messages directed at political leaders, governments, institutions and individuals across different countries.

Among his predictions for Nigeria, Primate Ayodele claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration could face mounting international pressure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He alleged that the United States was preparing to deploy documents that could be used against the Nigerian leader and further claimed that officials from the US would hold meetings with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The cleric also made an unverified prediction that the president should be cautious of possible threats to his health, alleging that there could be attempts to secretly poison him.

“The spirit of God says the European Union is not interested in the continuity of Tinubu in Office. The United States of America officials will be meeting with the INEC Chairman.

“Tinubu will be frustrated by the United States of America government. I foresee there are lots of documents they want to use against Tinubu.

“The United States of America agents can poison Tinubu. I foresee that slow poison can be administered on him secretly.”

On the political front, Ayodele forecast major changes within the Federal Government, predicting the emergence of a new Vice President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senate President and a federal minister.

He also claimed there would be attempts to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 elections through underground political arrangements.

According to him, some influential political figures, including a former Nigerian Head of State, would not support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

He further predicted growing dissatisfaction in Northern Nigeria and increasing opposition to the ruling party, adding that the president’s chances of securing another term were not guaranteed unless decisive political steps were taken.

Ayodele also suggested that changes could occur within the nation’s security architecture, including possible adjustments involving the service chiefs.

Speaking on the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State, the cleric predicted victory for the incumbent governor but warned that vigilance would be required throughout the electoral process to prevent alleged attempts to manipulate the results.

He further alleged that the ruling party would mount pressure on INEC over the conduct of the election.

On security, Ayodele painted a bleak outlook for the country’s fight against banditry. He argued that the solution to the crisis rests with only a few individuals and claimed that military operations alone would not resolve the challenge.

He also predicted that although the Tinubu administration would pursue the establishment of state police, the initiative could ultimately fail to achieve its intended objectives.

Beyond Nigeria, the cleric predicted a turbulent period for the international community.

He warned of worsening climate-related disasters, including floods and hurricanes, as well as increased mining accidents and other humanitarian crises.

He also forecast renewed agitations for independence in an unnamed country.

Ayodele further predicted fatal air crashes involving prominent world leaders, additional mining disasters and heightened security threats across several countries.

According to him, the United States could face attacks, while political tensions in America would become increasingly volatile.

He also claimed that the U.S. could become involved in another military conflict and predicted a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

He added that although global tensions would intensify, they might not escalate into a full-scale war.

The cleric also warned of the possible emergence of a new virus capable of disrupting global health systems and urged prayers against the assassination of a president, particularly in Africa.

He further called for prayers to avert aviation disasters involving government officials or footballers, as well as fires, kidnappings and shootings in schools.

In the entertainment sector, Ayodele predicted the possible deaths of a young actor, producer, newscaster and comedian, urging prayers to prevent such occurrences. (Sunday Tribune)

The Federal Government has dismissed claims that it spent more than ₦8 trillion outside the 2026 budget, describing the reports as inaccurate and a misrepresentation of the International Monetary Fund’s 2026 Article IV Consultation Report.

The government said the allegations, which referenced comments attributed to the IMF Representative in Nigeria and the Fund’s report, wrongly suggested that about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product was expended outside the approved budget.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele.

The rebuttal comes after IMF disclosed that Nigeria left public spending equivalent to about 2% of GDP unreported in recent official budgets, obscuring the country’s true financing needs and making the fiscal deficit appear smaller than it actually was.

Speaking in Lagos, IMF Resident Representative in Nigeria, Christian Ebeke, said, “So far we think that there are about two per cent of GDP of expenditure that were not reported that should be reported and should be recorded, so that this statistical discrepancy will disappear.”

Reacting, opposition figures, including Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the National Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of entrenched corruption and called for probe.

But Oyedele said the Federal Government does not operate a “shadow budget” or spend public funds outside the constitutional and statutory framework.

“The Federal Government has noted recent public commentary alleging that approximately two per cent of GDP amounting to over ₦8 trillion was spent outside the approved budget based on references to the IMF Representative in Nigeria and the Fund’s 2026 Article IV Consultation Report.

“These claims are incorrect and risk misleading the public regarding the government’s financial management,” the statement said.

Oyedele explained that under Sections 80 to 83 and 162 of the 1999 Constitution, public funds could only be withdrawn and spent in accordance with the Constitution and laws enacted by the National Assembly.

He said Federal Government spending was undertaken through duly enacted Appropriation Acts, Supplementary Appropriation Acts and other statutory authorities approved by the National Assembly.

The minister added that multi-year capital projects implemented across different budget cycles and approved capital rollovers were recognised components of public financial management and should not be misconstrued as spending outside the budget.

“It is inaccurate to suggest that trillions of naira have been secretly spent outside legislative approval. Such allegations should have identified the specific projects purportedly executed without appropriation or legal authority and present credible evidence in support of the claim,” he said.

Oyedele also clarified that statutory transfers, debt service obligations, first-line charges and intervention mechanisms established by Acts of the National Assembly formed part of Nigeria’s public finance framework.

He listed statutory allocations to development commissions, revenue collection costs retained by designated agencies, separately approved capital budgets for some agencies and the Federal Capital Territory, security and infrastructure interventions, disaster response programmes, and debt servicing obligations among expenditures authorised by law.

“These expenditures are neither secret nor illegal. They are established by law, disclosed in various fiscal reports, and subject to applicable oversight, audit and accountability mechanisms,” he stated.

The minister further rejected suggestions that the reported amount represented an increase in Nigeria’s fiscal deficit.

“A fiscal deficit is determined by the relationship between total government revenues and total government expenditures. Whether a capital project is financed through annual appropriations, supplementary appropriations, statutory transfers, approved intervention mechanisms, or other lawful financing arrangements does not, by itself, increase the fiscal deficit,” he added.

He said the IMF’s observations focused on improving the comprehensiveness, timing and presentation of fiscal reporting rather than questioning the legality of government expenditure.

According to him, Tinubu had already asked the National Assembly during the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill on December 19, 2025, to end the practice of operating multiple and overlapping budgets and instead adopt a single, harmonised budget framework.

Oyedele said the Federal Government remained committed to prudent fiscal management, transparency and accountability, noting that recent reforms had strengthened budget credibility, revenue administration, treasury management and the digitalisation of government financial processes.

“The Federal Government will continue to uphold the rule of law, maintain transparency in the management of public resources, and work with the National Assembly, oversight institutions, development partners and the Nigerian people to further strengthen fiscal governance in line with international best practices,” he added.

He urged members of the public to base debates on accurate facts and a proper understanding of Nigeria’s constitutional and fiscal framework, warning that misrepresenting technical observations as evidence of unlawful expenditure undermined informed public discourse.