Matthew Owoade, the abducted headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Igbojaye, in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, has regained his freedom after spending about two days in captivity.

The Oyo State Police Command said Owoade was released after sustained pressure from a coordinated joint security operation, which forced his abductors to abandon him. He has since been taken to a medical facility for evaluation and treatment.

Police spokesperson DSP Olayinka Ayanlade said the victim will be debriefed after receiving medical care as investigators continue efforts to identify, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.

Owoade, 60, was kidnapped while returning from his farm along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare road. His abductors reportedly demanded a ₦30 million ransom, prompting a joint response by security agencies.

The Commissioner of Police commended the support of other security agencies, local communities, and residents during the rescue operation, while urging the public to continue providing credible information to aid ongoing efforts to combat crime in the state.

The National Universities Commission has approved the unbundling of the Mass Communication programme at the University of Nigeria into five specialised degree programmes.

The approval is part of the commission’s efforts to modernise communication and media education in Nigerian universities, enabling students to pursue more focused academic and professional training.

Under the new structure, the former Mass Communication programme will now be offered as five separate degree programmes:

Journalism and Media Studies

Broadcasting

Public Relations

Advertising

Strategic Communication

The university said the restructuring is designed to reflect the evolving nature of the media and communication industry, providing students with specialised knowledge and practical skills tailored to their chosen fields.

University management described the development as a significant milestone that aligns its academic offerings with global best practices and the NUC’s revised curriculum for communication studies.

The institution expressed confidence that the new programmes will enhance graduates’ competitiveness in the media, public relations, advertising, and strategic communication sectors while meeting the growing demands of the digital media landscape.

Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee Joseph Tegbe has declared that Nigeria’s new tax framework is specifically designed to take financial pressure off workers and small business owners, while simultaneously building a more stable and competitive fiscal foundation for the country. He delivered the remarks at the BusinessDay Tax Reform Conference 2026 in Abuja, themed “Navigating the New Tax Regime: What It Means for Your Wallet,” where he described the reforms as the most far-reaching restructuring of Nigeria’s tax system in living memory.

The legislative architecture underpinning the reforms is substantial. Four major new laws form the foundation — the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2025 — which collectively establish a more coordinated and transparent national tax administration framework.

The reliefs embedded in the new system are tangible and targeted. Workers earning below ₦800,000 annually are now fully exempt from personal income tax, while employees who qualify can claim rent relief of up to 20 per cent of their income, capped at ₦500,000. On the business side, companies with annual revenue below ₦100 million and total assets under ₦250 million are exempt from Company Income Tax, and nano-enterprises with earnings below ₦12 million annually enjoy complete exemption from income tax — a provision designed to protect Nigeria’s most vulnerable commercial operators from any fiscal burden at all.

Tegbe was careful, however, to clarify that an exemption from payment does not translate into an exemption from record-keeping. He stressed that individuals and businesses falling within the exempted thresholds are still required to maintain proper documentation of their earnings and file their returns regularly — emphasising that compliance culture must be cultivated even where no financial obligation exists.

Beyond the relief measures, the reforms carry a significant institutional dimension. They are designed to strengthen coordination among key oversight bodies — the Nigeria Revenue Service, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria, the Tax Appeal Tribunal, and the newly created Office of the Tax Ombud — while accelerating the digitalisation of tax processes to improve transparency, efficiency, and compliance rates across the entire system.

Tegbe closed with a summary of the philosophy animating the entire package — that effective taxation is not about maximising extraction but about building a system citizens can trust. He described the ultimate goal as a tax framework that works simultaneously for government and citizens — one that funds national development without placing excessive strain on the pockets of ordinary Nigerians, and that rewards enterprise and investment rather than penalising them.