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THE STATES

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Borno

The Defence Headquarters said last Thursday that all the terrorism suspects in the custody of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri would soon be screened.

The Deputy Director, Civil-Military Relations’ at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju, made this known at a town hall meeting with religious and political leaders in Maiduguri.

He said the screening by an investigative panel had become necessary to determine the level of their complicity in the charges against them.

Onitiju added that the military would collaborate with the civil authorities toward the speedy trial of those found wanting. “We are going to require the assistance of the political authorities toward trying the suspects in law courts,’’ he said.

 

FCT

Justice Oluseun Shogbola of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, last Thursday advised the parties in a suit to respect court order to avoid contempt of court.

Shogbola said this during hearing in a case of unlawful termination of employment filed by Mr Espedis Omo-Osagie against Loyola Jesuit College and Fr Ehi Omoragbon, the President of the collage.

The Judge noted that the counsel was bringing the issue to the notice of the court for the first time and cautioned the defendant to reconnect the light and water.

She also noted that such behaviour should not emanate from a Christian institution and warned the defendants not to take laws into their hands.

The defense counsel, Mr Gbenga Adesina, told the court that effort to settle the matter out of court had proved abortive and that defense was ready to open its case.

 

Jigawa

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State said that the alliance between the major opposition political parties in the country would not succeed.

Lamido, who said this in Dutse when he spoke at the Jigawa chapter of the PDP stakeholders meeting, also dismissed the alliance as “political jamboree perfected to deceive the electorate”.

He added that the alliance posed no potential threat to the PDP.

Lamido observed that the opposition parties had divergent interests, ideologies and manifestoes, which could jeopardise their effort to work as a single political entity.

The governor, who said that the architects of the alliance were former PDP members, explained that the development would promote PDP and make it more relevant in the country.

The state’s PDP Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Mamuda, said that the meeting was designed to appraise the party’s performance and fashion out ways to move it forward.

Mamuda said the party had conducted congresses, elected new officials to run its affairs in the state and concluded plans to construct a permanent office complex in the area.

 

Kano

The Police Command in Kano State, has declared three persons wanted in connection with the recent attempt to assassinate the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, and series of armed robbery operations in the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ibrahim Idris, made the announcement while briefing newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Kano last Thursday.

He gave the names of the wanted persons as Na Allah, a shopkeeper at Sabon Gari Market implicated in the attack on the Emir and Babangida Salihu of Sauna Kawaji, a Jigawa State indigene, suspected of being the gang leader of armed robbers and an associate of Na Allah.

The third person, Adamu Safiyanu, also known as Adamsy of Kafur in Katsina State, was declared wanted in connection with the recovery of arms, ammunition and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) abandoned at Sauna Kawaji quarters.

 

Kebbi

Governor  Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi State last Thursday assented to the amended budget of N125 billion passed by the state legislature.

Dakingari had in November 2012 presented a budget proposal of N114 billion to the state House of Assembly.

The budget comprised a recurrent expenditure that was reduced from N34 billion to N30 billion, while the capital expenditure increased from N85 billion to N95 billion.

The Acting Speaker of the house, Alhaji Garba Bena, who presented the amended budget to the governor at a ceremony in Birnin Kebbi, said the increase was sequel to under estimations in many aspects of the budget.

He said the SURE-P and Oil revenue to the state were not captured in the proposals, stressing that the anomalies were rectified with the support of officials of the state Ministries of Finance and Budget and Planning, respectively.

Assenting to the bill, Dakingari said he would ensure that 80 per cent implementation was recorded in 2013.

 

Kwara

The Kwara State Government is to spend a total of N810 million to build a College of Engineering Technology at the state- owned university at Malete to boost youth empowerment.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said last Thursday during the foundation laying ceremony of the college, said that the amount was for phase one of the project.

He said his administration was determined to ensure that the university produced, “highly skilled engineers, equipped to become entrepreneurs in the competitive global economy of the 21st century”.

Ahmed said that this was also in line with the vision of his administration in establishing an International Vocational Centre in Ajasse-Ipo, designed to produce middle-level manpower.

 

Lagos

The X-Squad at the Police Command in the Lagos last Thursday arrested two suspected fake policemen operating illegally on highways and extorting unsuspected members of the public.

The suspects, a fake corporal and a dismissed sergeant, were arrested separately while terrorising motorists and other road users in Lagos. The fake corporal claimed that he was attached to the Railways Police Command in Lagos.

During interrogation he could not name his immediate past Commissioner of Police and the present one as well as other principal officers he was working with.

He could neither remember the duty post assigned to him in the acclaimed Railway Divisional Police Office at Iddo, nor remember the name of his Divisional Police Officer.

The corporal was caught in police black uniform with the service written on his left side and his names on the right side of the uniform as against the opposite at Oshodi, Lagos.

 

Oyo

The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) has appealed to the Federal Government to ensure uninterrupted power supply at the centre to prevent the extinction of Nigerian crops.

The Director of the centre, said in Ibadan recently that the major constraint of the Ibadan-based centre was power.

He said that some of the germplasm or living organisms of both crops and animals inherent in Nigeria, had spent about 20 years in the centre’s gene bank.

Odofin said that the conservation was possible, in spite of the erratic power supply in the country, because the centre had no choice but to resort to the use of electricity generating sets, adding that the centre was the only government institution that had the mandate for germplasm conservation.

“God forbid for instance, if all the yams of our farmers are eaten by rodents, they must come to us to get new varieties or replacement from our gene bank to plant or else yam will become extinct,” he said.

 

Plateau

The Plateau State Government says it would achieve 40 per cent of the MDG on sanitation by 2015.

The Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Malam Idi Waziri, gave this indication while inaugurating the State Task Group on Sanitation (STGS) in Jos.

He said that the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) required urgent action so as not to truncate development and accelerate poverty in the state and disclosed that inaugural ceremony was aimed at establishing the State’s Sanitation Task Group, noting that the national body had been in existence since 2002.

“The role of the task group is to have a manpower that will strengthen the sanitation transformation and will serve as a backup to the existing sanitation service delivery in the state.

 

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Government has earmarked N1.3 billion for the environment sector in 2013, Dr Jabbi Kilgori, the state Commissioner, has disclosed.

Kilgori said in Sokoto on Thursday that some of the projects earmarked for the year included the provision of adequate facilities for modern refuse collection and disposal.

According to him, the ministry has developed programmes to “intensively’’

sensitise the people of the state on best practice in waste disposal, with a view to curbing the menace of indiscriminate waste disposal.

The commissioner said that the state government would expend N6 million on the establishment of 30kms shelterbelts in the frontline local governments of Sabon-birni, Isa, Gada, Illela, Tangaza and Gwadabawa.

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Bikers, Others Grace Burial Of Rivers Philanthropist

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Bikers were among prominent dignitaries who recently attended the burial ceremony of late Mrs. Nimi Obata Grant Offor (née Lawson) in Omagwa Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The burial service, held at the St. Martin’s Anglican Church field, attracted a large turnout of religious leaders, business executives, political figures, celebrities, bikers’ groups, traditional rulers and community members from different parts of Nigeria. Also present were the Bishop of the Anglican Province of the Niger Delta, Most Rev. Blessing Enyindah, and popular businessman and socialite, Obi Cubana, among other notable personalities.
The remains of Mrs Grant Offor, a respected professional, philanthropist and devout Christian, were laid to rest amid an elaborate and well-coordinated funeral ceremony that reflected her wide-reaching influence and the high regard in which she was held by family, associates and the larger community.
The ceremony drew public attention due to its unique logistics, as two helicopters were deployed. An air ambulance helicopter conveyed the casket to the church field, while another helicopter transported members of the deceased’s family from Abonnema to Omagwa Community.
Dignitaries and mourners gathered in large numbers to pay their final respects.
In an emotional tribute, High Chief Engr. Grant Offor, described his late wife as everything to him, stating that her passing had created a deep void in his life and in the lives of their children. He disclosed that he committed his time, resources and efforts in a bid to save her life, adding that if money or human effort alone could prevent death, she would still be alive.
Mrs. Nimi Obata Grant Offor was born on May 4, 1978, at the Ibiso Maternity Clinic, Port Harcourt, and passed away on November 15, 2025, after a prolonged illness that lasted nearly three years. She was born a twin and grew up in a family noted for service and leadership. Her father, the late Engr. Benoni Lawson, served as Managing Director of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), while her mother, Mrs. Irene Lawson, is a nurse.
She attended Port Harcourt Primary School and International Secondary School (ISS) before proceeding to the University of Science and Technology (UST), Port Harcourt, and later the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, where she studied Accountancy and graduated with honours. She was widely known during her academic years for her discipline, focus and reserved lifestyle.
After completing her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, Mrs. Grant Offor began her professional career in the banking sector, including service with the defunct All States Trust Bank, and later worked in other professional capacities. She earned a reputation for integrity, diligence and ethical conduct.
She was married to Engr. Grant Offor for over 20 years, a union blessed with three children. As a wife and mother, she was described as deeply devoted to her family, instilling values of faith, patience, kindness and discipline. Her home was known among close associates as one built on prayer, love and godly counsel.
A committed Christian, Mrs. Grant Offor was known for her strong faith and love for gospel music, particularly songs of healing and deliverance. Even while receiving specialist medical care in the United Kingdom, she reportedly remained steadfast in her belief, trusting in God until her final moments.

Adding to the show of solidarity, the President of the Rivers State Chapter of the Pantas Female Bikers Group, Mr. White Timano, disclosed that High Chief Engr. Grant Offor is a major sponsor of Uyo Micah’s Carnival, one of the group’s major events. He said bikers and supporters travelled from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta States to commiserate with the family and show support during the period of mourning.

Mr. Timano described death as inevitable and encouraged the family to remain strong, stressing that only God grants the grace required to endure such painful loss.

The church field was tastefully decorated, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere. The burial ceremony featured hymns, live music, scriptural exhortations, eulogies and tributes celebrating the life and legacy of Mrs. Nimi Obata Grant Offor. Messages from notable personalities highlighted her contributions to family life, philanthropy, professional service and community development.

On behalf of the family, High Chief Engr. Grant Offor expressed appreciation to all who stood by them throughout the period of mourning, thanking guests for their prayers, presence and support.

The burial ceremony stood as a testament to the enduring legacy of Mrs. Nimi Obata Grant Offor, whose life of service, faith and quiet generosity left a lasting impact on many across Rivers State, the Niger Delta and beyond.

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Security Guard Missing After Fence Demolition In PH

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Asecurity guard has been reported missing following the demolition of a fence at a property located at No. 19D, Golf Course Layout, Old Government Residential Area (GRA), Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The incident reportedly occurred late Sunday night at the disputed property said to be owned by Ozone Global.
Eyewitnesses revealed that a group of men, some of whom were dressed in what appeared to be naval uniforms, arrived at the premises on motorcycles and allegedly pulled down the fence surrounding the property.
During the incident, a security guard on duty, identified simply as Abubakar, was allegedly taken away by the group to an unknown destination.
A relative of the missing guard, Musa, said efforts to get immediate help, including alerting a nearby police point, proved abortive as the incident had already occurred before any intervention could be made.
“I escaped because I noticed them early, but my brother was taken away. Up till now, we don’t know where he is or how he is doing. We are appealing to the authorities to help locate him,” Musa said.
Meanwhile, one of the intermediaries involved in the land transaction, Mr. Chimezie Bright, alleged that the incident may be connected to an ongoing land dispute over the property.
Bright claimed that the land was purchased by Ozone Global from one late Mr Felix Orie and that documents from the Rivers State Ministry of Lands and Housing indicate that the land was allocated to Mr Orie.
He further alleged that another claimant to the land, Mr. Mac Oruche, had allegedly challenged the ownership and opposed development on the property, despite the matter being the subject of a court case.
According to Bright, tensions over the property had previously resulted in disagreements during attempts to fence the land.
“We carried out due diligence before the purchase, including verification at the Ministry of Lands. However, the dispute has persisted,” he said.
Bright expressed concern over the alleged involvement of uniformed personnel in a civil land dispute and called for a thorough investigation into the incident, particularly the whereabouts of the missing security guard.
As at the time of filing this report, Abubakar’s location had remained unknown.
Efforts to reach Mr. Mac Oruche for his reaction were unsuccessful, while the police are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

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OIU Protests Arrest Of Witnesses In Okon Aku Crisis Probe

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The apex socio-cultural and development association of the ancient Ohafia Kingdom, the Ohafia Improvement Union Incorporated (OIU) has formally petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, expressing grave concern over the arrests of several individuals from the Okon Aku community who were cooperating with a state-constituted Panel of Inquiry investigating the recent communal crisis in the community located in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State.
The union also called for the immediate release of those arrested.
In a letter dated February 6, 2026, and received at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, the union described the arrests as troubling and procedurally irregular, noting that the affected individuals had either testified or were preparing to testify before the government-sanctioned panel.
Those reportedly arrested include Udo Ukoha of Ndi Envoke; Okereke John, Udonsi Obin, Eteo Ayo, Idika I. Kalu, and John Ukwakwe of Ndi Owom; and Ukpabi Uche Idika of Ndi Ebin.
While emphasizing that it does not seek to prejudge the legal culpability of any individual, the OIU stressed that the timing, context, and manner of the arrests could undermine the credibility, independence, and integrity of the Panel of Inquiry.
“The arrest of individuals cooperating with an official inquiry poses a serious threat to the fact-finding process, creates fear among potential witnesses, and may discourage public participation,” the union stated, warning that such actions could obstruct efforts to uncover the root causes of the crisis.
The union further noted that panels of inquiry rely heavily on voluntary and truthful cooperation, and any action that instills fear in contributors risks eroding public confidence in the justice system, violating principles of fairness, transparency, and natural justice.
Consequently, the OIU urged the Office of the IGP to immediately review the circumstances surrounding the arrests, suspend any further actions perceived as targeting witnesses, and issue clear directives to guarantee the safety and freedom of all individuals participating in the inquiry.
The President General of Ohafia Improvement Union, Chief Prince Kalu Ikpemini, signed the petition, which was also copied to the Executive Governor of Abia State and the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, Umuahia.
The union reiterated that the Ohafia community desires lasting peace and reconciliation, which can only be achieved through a transparent, fair, and uncoerced investigation into the Okon Aku crisis.
The Okon Aku communal crisis erupted in early January 2026, prompting the Office of the Deputy Governor of Abia State to immediately establish the Panel of Inquiry to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of the conflict, with the aim of preventing future occurrences.
It is against this backdrop that the Ohafia Improvement Union has raised an alarm over the arrests, calling for the immediate release of those detained and emphasizing the need to protect witnesses rather than intimidate them.

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