Nation
THE STATES
Benue
Two persons, Kparev Kamnan and Aondofa Nor, were yesterday remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi, for allegedly robbing one Dominic Pila of the sum of N5,000.
The Police Prosecutor, Mr Godwin Ebonyi, told the court that the victim reported the matter to the Ayati police station on January 12.
According to him, Pila said, on the same date, while he was sleeping in his house, three men armed with axes and cutlasses attacked him, stating that he raised an alarm as the robbers tried dispossessing him of N5,000.
The prosecutor said that the arrested suspects confessed to committing the offence while the third suspect was still at large. Ebonyi said that the offences were contrary to Sections 6(B) 1(2) of the Armed Robbery and Fire Arms Act.
Borno
The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) in Borno State said it welcomed the ceasefire announcement by one Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Ibn Idris, who said he represented the Boko Haram sect.
Ibn Idris had told a news conference on Monday in Maiduguri that the sect had directed all its members to lay down their arms and end hostilities forthwith. He said the ceasefire took effect from Monday, January 28.
Ibn Idris had also told journalists that the ceasefire order emanated from Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the sect after series of discussions between the group and the government.
“Actually, the ceasefire message came through Sheikh Abubakar Idris from Bauchi,” he said.
Jigawa
The Chairman, Kiyawa Local Government in Jigawa State, Alhaji Dahiru Madaki, says he is determined to execute projects which have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the area.
Dahiru who said this when he received representatives of other political parties in the area on a courtesy visit to him in his office in Kiyawa, Monday however called for tolerance among the political parties to ensure a sustainable democracy.
The LG chairman assured of his determination to be just and fair in the provision of social amenities to the people.
“No meaningful development will take place without the support and co-operation of all and sundry,’’ he said.
Earlier, in an address, the political parties’ spokesman, Alhaji Garba Mohammed, expressed the readiness of the parties to support the present administration in the council and the state in general.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Agency has blamed some pregnant women, for the increase in maternal mortality rate in the state.
Its Executive Secretary, Dr Sufiyan Babale, said in an interview in Kaduna that the women were mostly ignorant on ways to access health care services, adding that this had resulted in their inability to recognise the danger signs in pregnancies.
Babale urged women to identify their strengths and weaknesses during pregnancy, so as to curb complications, which could lead to death, and lamented that most pregnant women skip ante-natal clinics, which was important to their safe delivery.
Babale blamed the increase in maternal mortality to lack of required manpower for effective medical services stating that most of the personnel working in the primary health centres were community health extension workers.
Kano
Kano State Government on Monday said it would give titles to at least 100,000 plots before the end of the administration in 2015.
The Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Dr Nadu Yahya, said this while receiving the Presidential Task Force on Land Reform in Kano.
Yahya said it was an honour that Kano was selected by the Federal Government as a pioneer state for the systematic registration of lands.
“Kano has begun systematic land registration about a year ago and it has registered at least 5,000 plots till date.”
Kebbi
Birnin Kebbi Local Government in Kebbi State said it would sanction parents who refused to avail their children of routine polio immunisation.
Chairman of the council, Alhaji Musa Dan-Illela, in Birnin Kebbi said that a taskforce on polio had been inaugurated to ensure strict compliance by parents.
He said that 34 districts and village heads in the area had been directed to embark on intensive sensitisation campaign against polio in remote areas. They were also to report parents who prevented their children from being immunised, he added.
Dan-Illela said the taskforce was also directed to monitor the performance of vaccinators and warned that “deviants would not be spared.”
Kwara
The General Secretary of the Kwara Council of the NUJ, Mr Bisi Adedayo, has advocated a review of the Official Secrets Act to ensure the workability of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
Adedayo said yesterday in Ilorin that the two Acts were antithetical to each other.
He said that the Official Secrets Act was no longer necessary as “we cannot say as a civil servant you cannot divulge official information about government, whereas the FOI Act has empowered every Nigerian access to information.’’
Adedayo noted that the National Assembly needed to review the Official Secrets Act to ensure a workable FOI Act. He, however, said aspects bordering on national security should not be amended.
Nasarawa
A Mararaba Upper Area Court in Nasarawa State on Tuesday sentenced Sanusi Haruna, 23, of Sabon Gari, Mararaba, to five years imprisonment for theft and possession of deadly weapon.
The Presiding Judge, Mr Vincent Gwahemba, sentenced Haruna to three years imprisonment for the offence of theft and two years imprisonment for possessing deadly weapons. He said that the sentences would run concurrently.
Gwahemba, however, gave the convict an option to pay N6,000 fine for the offence of theft and N4,000 fine for possessing deadly weapons.
Ogun
The Ogun Police Command has asked owners of recovered vehicles and motorcycles to report at its Isara division within two weeks to claim them.
The command’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said that vehicles and motorcycles not claimed within two weeks would be sold by public auction.
The vehicles, according to him, included a Volkswagen bus marked XE 308 BOJ, a Volvo car marked DE 45SMK, and a Mitsubishi Space bus with registration number DD 02 APP. Others were a Mercedes Benz marked AH 359 AGG and a Mazda car with registration number AV 684 KJA.
Adejobi also said that two Boxer motorcycles marked QU 576 BDG and Q 300 LSR as well as a Jincheng motorcycle marked LA 8099 SM and unmarked Qlink motorcycle were also up for retrieval.
Plateau
The security agencies in Plateau and Taraba States have formed a partnership to forestall the escalation of last week’s violence that hit Wadata, a border village between the two states.
Capt. Salisu Mustapha, Media Officer of the Special Military Task Force maintaining security in Plateau, had confirmed that nine people were killed in the Wednesday’s attack on the village located in Wase Local Government of Plateau.
He also said that investigation had commenced to unravel the attackers.
Yiljap, who reviewed the security situation in the affected area, said that the synergy between security agencies in the two states was a proactive step to ensure that the violence was contained.
Sokoto
A Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheik Yusuf Alibawa, on Monday urged the Muslim community to practically demonstrate the teachings of the religion on good neighbourliness.
Alibawa said in Sokoto that ,” Nigeria will be a better place for all of us if we totally practise in our lives what Islam really says about being a good neighbour.
The cleric said, “your neighbour will be the one to be your witness before the creator in the hereafter. Therefore, the need for the Muslim community to show love and care among their neighbours irrespective of religious differences becomes a task that must be accomplished.”
He also called for religious tolerance and understanding among Nigerians in confronting the current security challenges facing the country.
Zamfara
The Zamfara Government yesterday said it would save N2.34 billion annually from the ghost workers discovered on its payroll after staff verification.
Chairman of the Workers Assessment and Rationalisation Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau, revealed this while presenting the committee’s report to Gov. Abdulaziz Yari in Gusau.
According to him, the state government is saving N195 million monthly, translating to N2.34billion yearly, adding that the government would save about N360million from the health sector alone, being the ministry with the highest number of ghost workers in the state.
Responding, Yari commended the committee for a job well-done, and pledged to implement the recommendations without delay.
The governor announced a seven- man committee to be headed by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Abdulkarim Tsafe, to fine tune the report.
According to him, the committe will also recommend ways of implementing the report.
The Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Port Harcourt’s College of Health Sciences, Prof Gabriel Sunday Oladipo, has underscored the urgent need for Nigeria to develop a comprehensive forensic science infrastructure, warning that the nation’s ability to investigate and solve crime is being hampered by lack of scientific data and systems.
In his inaugural lecture titled, “Man: Fearfully Different, Wonderfully Made,” delivered as part of the 207th Inaugural Lecture Series of the university, Prof Oladipo highlighted that while no two individuals are exactly the same, the country currently lacks the robust systems needed to collect and manage biological and anthropometric data that could support criminal investigations.
He explained that the natural variations among humans — from fingerprints to physical measurements — form the foundation of personal identification in forensic work. These biological differences, he said, are essential for distinguishing one person from another, especially in the context of criminal investigations where clarity of identity can mean the difference between justice and impunity. Without this scientific foundation, he argued, law enforcement agencies lack a critical tool in the fight against crime.
Experts have noted that Nigeria’s forensic science capacity has historically lagged behind needs, with only a few forensic facilities available and many law enforcement agencies struggling to access or use scientific evidence effectively. One review of the state of forensic investigation in Nigeria found that outdated facilities and limited adoption of modern forensic methods have left many cases unsolved or poorly investigated, even as crime rates rise across the country.
In Lagos, efforts to improve forensic capabilities have focused on DNA analysis, with the Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre — the first of its kind in West Africa — providing critical support for criminal investigations and helping to identify human remains, link related cases, and assist with paternity testing. However, such initiatives are yet to be replicated at a national scale, leaving many regions without access to these vital scientific tools.
Prof Oladipo’s lecture went beyond academic theory to propose concrete actions. He called for the establishment of a National Institute of Forensic Science responsible for creating and managing a nationwide anthropometric and forensic data bank. This repository, he stressed, would significantly enhance Nigeria’s capacity to track crime, assist law enforcement agencies, and improve the administration of justice by providing reliable scientific evidence for investigative and legal processes.
He also highlighted the importance of strengthening research and training in forensic science. Many Nigerian universities currently lack the funding and infrastructure to offer complete undergraduate or postgraduate programs in areas such as forensic anthropology, DNA analysis, and crime scene investigation, a gap that forces aspiring experts to rely on collaborations with institutions abroad. By fostering a research-friendly environment and securing greater support from both government and private sectors, Nigerian institutions could produce homegrown experts capable of advancing forensic science in the country.
Awareness of forensic science’s role in criminal justice remains low among the general public and even among some security professionals. Studies have shown that a significant portion of Nigerians are unfamiliar with basic forensic concepts or the existence of tools such as DNA profiling and national forensic databases — tools that are common features of criminal justice systems in countries like South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Prof Oladipo also urged regular training and retraining programs to keep forensic practitioners updated with evolving scientific methods. According to him, continuous professional development is critical in a field where technological advances — from biometric databases to digital forensic tools — are transforming how crimes are investigated and solved.
The lecture was attended by academics, students, and professionals drawn to the intersection of science, identity, and justice, all of whom heard the professor make a compelling case for scientific innovation and institutional reform as central to Nigeria’s effort to contain crime and strengthen its justice system.
The event not only showcased Prof Oladipo’s expertise in human anatomy and forensic psychology but also positioned forensic science as a strategic national priority — one that could bring clarity to investigations, support victims and their families, and ultimately enhance public safety across Nigeria.
The University of Port Harcourt Women Association (UPWA) on Thursday staged a vibrant and memorable edition of its Annual Inter-House Sports Competition at the University of Port Harcourt Sports Village, drawing an impressive turnout of pupils, parents, staff and invited guests.
The event, organised by the UPWA International Group of Schools, brought together children from the pre-nursery, nursery and secondary sections in a colourful celebration of youth athleticism, discipline and teamwork. The arena came alive with cheers and excitement as pupils, clad in their various house colours, marched in a ceremonial parade before proceeding to compete in a wide range of track and field events, relays, novelty races and other team-based activities designed to promote physical fitness and healthy competition.
Declaring the competition open, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Georgewill, commended UPWA for sustaining a tradition that continues to nurture young talents beyond the classroom. He noted that sports remain a critical component of holistic education, helping to build resilience, confidence, leadership skills and social interaction among children.
In her remarks, the President of UPWA, Professor Udeme Georgewill, expressed appreciation to parents, teachers and members of the organising committee for their dedication and sacrifice in ensuring the success of the programme despite prevailing economic challenges. She described the event as a reflection of unity and collective effort within the school community.
“This is the first time White House is emerging overall winner, and that shows remarkable improvement and great sportsmanship,” she said. “We all had fun. It is not easy putting an event like this together considering the economic situation, but we are grateful to the parents for being part of this journey. The excitement everywhere is truly heartwarming.”
The competition featured spirited participation from the various houses, including Purple House, San Chicago Red House and White House, with pupils demonstrating strength, speed, coordination and teamwork. Parents and supporters filled the stands, cheering enthusiastically and adding colour to the spectacle, while teachers ensured orderliness and safety throughout the proceedings.
Professor Georgewill emphasized that the true essence of sports lies not merely in winning trophies but in participation and personal growth. “Sports is not just about winning. It is an avenue for growth, discipline and opportunity. The fact that a child is able to participate is already a win. Losing this year does not mean you cannot win next year. Keep trying,” she encouraged, urging pupils to see both victory and defeat as stepping stones to greater achievements.
She further observed that while there are many competing interests in the Nigerian sports sector, consistent grassroots investment remains essential for discovering and nurturing future champions.
The colourful ceremony culminated in medal presentations, trophy awards and group photographs, with UPWA executives, including Vice President I, Professor Adedamola Onyeaso, joining the participating teams to celebrate the day’s achievements.
The annual inter-house sports competition continues to stand as one of UPWA’s flagship events, reinforcing its commitment to balanced education, character formation and the promotion of healthy lifestyles among its pupils.
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