Nation
THE STATES
Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (nema), Alhaji Sani Sidi (right), welcoming Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to nema headquarters in Abuja, recently.
Borno
The Borno State Command of the Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a dismissed police corporal for allegedly extorting money from members of the public.
The Commandant of the corps, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri.
Abdullahi said that the suspect was arrested at the post office area in Maiduguri, following intelligence reports.
He said that the 27-year-old former policeman, who gave his name as Hussaini Musa, was dismissed from the Kano State Police Command.
“The suspect is not holding any identification card so he uses some of his pictures to deceive people that he is an officer.
“He came to Borno State on a visit to his grandparents and decided to open his own police custody.
Ekiti
An Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court has remanded 27-
year-old Sunday Opesanmi;40-year-old Falilat Odesanmi, and a minor in prison custody over alleged kidnap of two children.
Prosecutor Bayo Ajiboye told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on March 30 at Ise-Ekiti.
He alleged that the accused, on the said date, unlawfully kidnapped two children of the same parent, and kept them in an uncompleted building at the outskirt of Ise-Ekiti.
“The offence is punishable under Section 3 and 4 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism Laws 2005.
Ajiboye said that he had duplicated their case file and sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.
FCT
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), has
called for the proper management of Trees Outside the Forests (TOFs) as an alternative to recovering the 25 per cent recommended forests cover in the country.
The Director General of the foundation, Mr Adeniyi Karunwi made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Trees Out side Forests (TOFs) according to the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO), are trees found on agricultural, grazing, and unproductive lands along canals, railways, roads and in human settlements.
According to him, the trees play an important role in urban greening and regulation of micro-climate.
“It becomes pertinent to put our interests in Trees Outside Forests (TOFs) and the role they play in urban greening and regulation of the micro-climate”, he said.
Kaduna
A new Commissioner of Police, Mr Adamu Ibrahim has
assumed duty in Kaduna State.
Ibrahim, a member of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, took over from Mr Umar Shehu.
A statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna by the Command’s Public Relation Officer, DSP Abubakar Zubairu, did not indicate the reason for the deployment,
According to the statement the new CP hails from Ruwan Dorowa in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara.
He joined the service in 1986 and was at one time the Deputy Force Secretary and also served as CP in Abia.
Ibrahim , who has a degree in Geography from University of Sokoto and Masters in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had attended many professional courses.
Kano
The Kano State Ministry of Land and Physical Plan
ning has constituted a technical committee on land allocation for the construction of petrol stations.
The information is contained in a statement issued by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi, which was made available to newwmen.
The statement quoted Abdullahi as saying the committee was mandated to screen applications for the construction of filling stations in the state.
He stated that “the screening will enable the committee to verify the distance between one filling station and another, as well as the suitability of proposal on location of the filling stations.”
He then urged the committee members to work hard toward realising the objectives for which the committee was set.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government said it had released N314
million for the payment of registration and tuition fee for indigent students in national and foreign institutions.
Dr Sahabi Yauri, the Executive Secretary of the state’s Scholarship Board, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi recently.
Yauri said that out of the amount, N147 million was for tuition, registration and tenancy for 30 indigent students studying Medicine in Indian universities.
He added that N97 million was for the fees of 30 students studying Medicine, Dentistry and Surgery in Sudanese universities, while N70 million was for 5,000 indigent students studying in tertiary institutions in the country.
Lagos
The Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors
(AMES) in Nigeria said it had postponed the forthcoming Maritime Technical Summit to enable the Secretariat readjust the logistics for members coming from outside Lagos State.
The AMES President, Mr Charles Uwadia stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
He said that the event earlier scheduled for April 11 would hold on April 21.
According to him, the key issue to top the agenda of the Maritime Technical Summit is “Challenges of Maritime Transport Industry in Nigeria,”
“We want to use this summit to advise stakeholders and government on how to maintain their vessels, and how to eliminate sub-standard vessels in our waters.”
Nasarawa
The District Head of Akwanga in Nasarawa State, Chief
Anthony Yamusa, has called on Nigerians to live in peace and tolerate one another irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation.
Yamusa made the call during the presentation of staff of office and certificate to Mr John Enakuaza, the newly appointed Wakili Eggon community of Kurmin Tagwaye, Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.
He said that peace, tolerance and unity were drivers of national development.
“The importance of traditional institution to the socio-economic development of any society cannot be over emphasized, hence the need for the installation and presentation of the certificate of office to Wakili Eggon of Kurmin Tagwaye so as to promote peace among his subjects.
Niger
President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined the Nige
rian Armed Forces to sustain the tempo in the ongoing war against insurgency in the North-East of the country to stamp out terrorism.
Buhari gave charge while inaugurating the Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL) mega filling station in Minna.
The president was represented by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin.
Buhari said: “I applaud the successes of the armed forces in counter insurgency operations in the North-East and urge you to sustain the tempo”.
Osun
The Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Con
trol (NAFDAC) in Osun has confiscated fake and unregistered drugs worth millions of Naira in Osogbo and Ilesha areas of the state.
The agency also sealed off some pharmacies and sachet water factories in the state for not meeting up to the set standard.
Officer in charge of Investigation and Enforcement of the agency, Mr Francis Onaniwun, said the essence of the raid was to sanitise the market and ensure that only wholesome products approved by NAFDAC were in circulation.
Onaniwun, who led officials of the agency in the operation, said the agency would not relent in its effort in safeguarding the lives of the people.
Some of the pharmacies sealed by NAFDAC in Osogbo included Akol Pharmaceutical Limited and Raphabalm Pharmacy, while Felfam Healthcare and Supermarket at Fegbewesa were given strong warning.
The agency also sealed off Topawo Feeds Services at Alekuwodo and Atlab Farm Products located at Okinni, Osogbo, for selling unregistered animal feeds.
Oyo
The senator representing Oyo North, Fatai Buhari,
has assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari will fix the nation’s problems and restore its lost glory.
Buhari told newsmen in Ibadan that the president had good intentions, and was committed to restoring the lost glory, adding that it would be achieved.
“President Buhari and the APC have good plans to transform Nigeria into a better country, and this I am sure he will achieve within the period of four years.
“Nigerians voted for the party and we will not betray the confidence reposed in us, they should just be more patient,” he said.
The lawmaker apologised to Nigerians on behalf of the party for the current situation in the nation and added that it was not a new development.
Zamfara
The Commanding Officer, 223 Light Tank Battalion,
Gusau, Zamfara, Lt.- Col. Aliyu Adamu, said soldiers from the Battalion had killed four ”bandits” in the state.
Adamu said that the soldiers also injured several others in a shootout at Hajiya bush in Gusau Local Government Area of the state.
The commanding officer made the disclosure to newsmen at the Army operational office in Gusau where the recovered weapons were also displayed.
He said officers and men of the battalion laid siege in one of the bandits’ hideouts and engaged them in a gun battle during which four of them were killed.
Adamu added that five AK 45 assault rifles were recovered along with 205 rounds of AK 45 bullets.
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that 26,592 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, raising alarm across the state’s education sector.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, during a ministerial press briefing yesterday in Alausa, Ikeja, said that “45.7 per cent of the 58,188 students from public schools who sat for the exams did not pass.”.
This failure rate comes despite the state government’s significant financial backing N1.577 billion was paid on behalf of the students to cover WAEC fees.
“Suffice to say that the sum of N1,577,794,000 only was paid by the state government as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for the year 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun announced.
In a bid to tighten accountability and avoid wastage, the Commissioner disclosed that biometric and image registration was carried out to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE.
“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona fide beneficiaries of the Lagos state government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he added.
However, the Lagos State Government rolled out a bold educational intervention – the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO candidates – aimed at reversing the tide of academic failure in the state’s public schools.
Launched on January 14, 2025, the initiative is part of a broader commitment by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to equip Lagos students with tools for success.
“This forward-thinking initiative was designed to support and empower young scholars in attestation of the ministry’s commitment to advancing interest and management of the educational system in Lagos State,” Alli-Balogun stated.
Ekiti State Government says it has vaccinated 226,429 eligible girls in the State against the Human Papilloma Virus, an infection believed to be a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, said the HPV immunization exercise, which she flagged off in the State in May 2025 was a great success, noting that it reached targeted communities and protected children against cervical cancer.
The governor’s wife made the disclosure in Ado Ekiti yesterday during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the introduction of Measles Rubella vaccines in Ekiti State.
She said, “The introduction of Measles Rubella Vaccines is a very crucial step towards protecting Ekiti children particularly the target age group of nine to 14 years from diseases.
“I urge all women in the State to regularly scan their breasts. This can be done with the aid of the Mammography machine which is available at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti”.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, noted that the Measles Rubella vaccines would be rolled out nationally in October, 2025.
Filani said that the State was taking proactive steps to sensitise residents of the State before the date to ensure adequate awareness on the vaccines by citizens.
The Acting Ochimba of Ogida in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam, says peace remains paramount in the socio-economic development of Etche land.
Eze Azuatalam, however, called on his people to embrace and eschew violence at all times.
The Onwa Nagbara Oha made the call during the official commissioning of his palace at Ogida recently.
The epoch-making ceremony held at his palace saw the attendance of members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs; the academia; the political class; the clergy ; women as well relevant stakeholders within and outside Etche land.
The Ngbaragida of Azuafor re-emphasised the essence of peace and social harmony which he said open the window for meaningful development to take place.
He also sought the support and collaboration of his people to achieve the desired goals of development, progress and prosperity.
He noted that the peace being witnessed in the area must be sustained through collective effort, saying, contributions and sacrifices need to be made by all concerned to live in peace.
Eze Azuatalam said his aim towards building a better Ogida cannot be compromised as he and his people have no other place called home.
The Acting Ochimba said as part of efforts to build a better Ogida, he has instituted a number of development projects, adding that some of his kinsmen have been empowered through his hard-earned money and resources, saying, he will continue to assist the less- privileged around him.
He reaffirmed his desire to impact positively on the lives of his people as the engagement of the youths will help to reduce social vices in the area.
He thanked members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs for honouring his invitation.
He specifically thanked the Onyi Ishi Etche and Ochie of Etcheland, His Eminence E mmanuel Opurum for leading Etche on the path of prosperity, and described the revered King as a role model to the younger generation.
He said his fatherly role has been a source of hope and inspiration to his subjects.
The palace was unveiled by His Eminence with the assistance of Ochimba of Abara, Eze Jonah Nwala and other prominent Etche traditional rulers and chiefs while the Onyi Ishi Etche was represented by Eze Ken Nwala, Onyi Ishi Agwuru, Ulakwo/ Umuselem Clan.
The Onyi Ishi Etche urged other prominent sons of Etche to emulate the kind gesture of Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam as his magnanimity is being seen and appreciated by his people.
Eze Azuatalam also applauded the efforts of Prof Mekuri Ndimele, former Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in the growth of Etche land.
According to him, during Ndimele’ s tenure, a lot of development projects were sited at the institution, including the development of Etcheland and empowerment of Etche people.