Britain's Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge by former Delta State governor James Ibori to reduce a £101.5 million confiscation order against him, according to reports.

The ruling

The court rejected the appeal on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Ibori had sought to reduce the amount by about £4.3 million. The order was issued by Southwark Crown Court in July 2023, directing him to pay or face an eight-year prison term in default. The appeal had delayed enforcement, which can now proceed unless he takes the case to the UK Supreme Court.

Ibori's response

Ibori reportedly said he was consulting his lawyers on his next steps and expressed frustration at how long the proceedings had taken.

Background

Ibori governed Delta State from 1999 to 2007. He was arrested in Dubai and extradited to Britain in 2011. In 2012 he pleaded guilty in a London court to laundering tens of millions of dollars of public funds through British banks and properties, and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was released in late 2016 after serving about half of the sentence and returned to Nigeria in 2017. The confiscation proceedings followed investigations by Nigerian and British anti-corruption authorities, and Nigeria has pushed for the recovered funds to be returned.

Why it matters

The case is one of the most significant examples of international cooperation to recover stolen public funds from Nigeria.

Imagine spending five years behind bars for failing to pay child support, only to come out and discover that the child you were punished for not supporting is not even yours.

That is the heartbreaking story being told online about a man identified as Mr Mensar.

Five years behind bars

According to the account circulating online, Mr Mensar was imprisoned for failing to meet his child support obligations. For five years, he reportedly lived with the consequences of a responsibility he believed was his.

The mother's alleged role

What makes the story even more disturbing is the allegation that the child's mother knew all along that Mr Mensar was not the biological father of her son.

She allegedly allowed him to face imprisonment without revealing the truth. The account further claims that she remained in contact with the child's real biological father throughout the ordeal.

The DNA test

After serving his sentence, Mr Mensar reportedly demanded a DNA test to establish whether the child was biologically his. According to the account, the result confirmed his worst fear: he was not the father.

Five years gone. Five years he can never get back, all over a paternity question that could have been settled much earlier.

Questions that need answers

If these allegations are established, serious questions must be asked about the mother's conduct and about how the child support case was handled.

How does a man end up spending five years in prison over a child who is not biologically his? What happens to the years he lost? And if someone deliberately concealed the child's paternity, should there be legal consequences?

The full circumstances of the case, including court records and the DNA findings, have not been independently verified, and the people involved have not commented publicly.

Still, the story raises an important issue about paternity disputes, child support enforcement and fairness in the justice system.

Over to you

If a woman knowingly allows a man to go to prison over child support while hiding the fact that he is not the father, should she face criminal charges and be made to compensate him for the years he lost?

Controversial Nigerian relationship therapist and social media personality Blessing CEO has got people talking again after saying her relationship with businessman IVD has come to an end.

"We are no longer together"

According to Blessing, she and IVD are no longer together, and she has decided to walk away from the relationship to concentrate on rebuilding her life.

"IVD and I are no longer together. I've left him to pick up the pieces of my life," she said.

A difficult period

The revelation comes during a difficult time in Blessing CEO's personal life. Only days ago she shared an emotional apology, describing herself as broken and comparing her journey to the biblical story of the prodigal son.

For someone who has spent years advising people about love, relationships and marriage, her own romantic life has often drawn public attention. With this latest news, many people are wondering what went wrong between her and IVD.

Their relationship had already generated considerable discussion on social media, with supporters and critics holding very different opinions about it.

What we don't know

Blessing has not given a detailed explanation of what led to the decision, and IVD has yet to respond publicly to her statement.

What seems clear from her words is that she wants to focus on herself and find a way forward after everything she says she has been through.

The relationship adviser's own relationship

Blessing CEO has built much of her public identity on relationship advice, sometimes making controversial statements about how men and women should handle love. Now that her own relationship has ended, social media users are likely to revisit some of those statements.

Relationships can end for many reasons, and the public may never know the full story behind this one.

Over to you

Is Blessing CEO finally choosing her peace, or is there more to this story than she has revealed?

Former Osun State governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has said his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election is no longer valid.

What he said

Asked in a television interview, reported on Thursday, 5 November 2026, whether he still stood by the endorsement, Oyinlola reportedly replied that it had expired. He explained that he and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Osun endorsed the President on 20 July 2025 as a strategic move, because of problems in the state that they believed only the President could solve, including missing local government funds and a dispute over who should occupy the local council offices. He said the endorsement was meant to help resolve those issues, but the solution had not come.

Background

Oyinlola governed Osun State from 2003 to 2010. Osun has been at the centre of a long-running dispute over control of its local governments, involving the PDP-led state government of Governor Ademola Adeleke and APC-backed council officials, with court rulings and disagreements over the release of council funds. The PDP itself is divided, with some members backing Tinubu, others joining opposition coalitions, and a court battle over its national leadership.

Why it matters

The withdrawal is a setback for the President's campaign in Osun, a swing state in the South West. The APC says it remains confident of winning the state, while opposition parties hope to benefit from discontent there.

What happens next

Oyinlola did not say which candidate, if any, he would now support.