Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Director-General of Bauchi State Christians Pilgrim
Board, Pastor Zakka Magaji, said the state government sponsored 400 Christian Pilgrims to Israel in 2012.
Magaji made this known in Bauchi last Tuesday, when he embarked on sensitisation tour of communities in Bauchi Southern Senatorial District in preparation for the 2013 pilgrimage to Israel.
He said that Bauchi State Government was the only government that sponsored 400 pilgrims to Israel during 2012 Pilgrimage and explained that the aim of the tour was to encourage the Christian communities to sponsor themselves to Israel in order to complement government’s efforts toward such venture.
Benue
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State said his ad
ministration would soon commence implementing the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) to strengthen the state’s accounting standards.
Speaking at Makurdi, Tuesday, at a sensitisation workshop on IPSAS, Suswam stated that such a step would bring about transparency and accountability in the system
The governor, represented by the Head of Service, Dr David Salifu, said all local governments in the state would be directed to adopt the standards in line with global best practices.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Oklobia, said IPSAS would be entrenched in all the tiers of government in the state.
“This will also bring about transparency and adherence to accounting standards in all sectors,’’ he said.
FCT
The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria says it will not rest on
its oars in developing new strategies to tackle prison congestion across the country.
The Director-General of the council, Mrs Joy Bob-Manuel, said in an interview last Tuesday in Abuja that as part of its mandate, the council had begun to work closely with relevant stakeholders to speed up the criminal justice system by decongesting the prisons.
Bob-Manuel said that the council was working hard to ensure that all indigent Nigerians had access to justice and called on lawyers to contribute their quota to the speedy delivery of justice and prison decongestion by offering free legal services.
Kaduna
A member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mrs
Esther Habu has advised women in the state to take more active interest in politics, by vying for elective positions.
Habu said in an interview last Tuesday in Kaduna that women had the capacity to appreciate the problems of the society and proffer better solutions to them.
She said as mothers, the women would also use their positions to mentor young people and guide them into becoming responsible citizens.
According to her, politics was about leadership, which women could also offer as enshrined in the Holy Books, and appealed to the various political parties and the government to accord concessions to women contesting elections.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government says it has procured
a mobile ambulance and drugs for the Almajiri model schools in Daura.
The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Hussaini Garba, disclosed this to newsmen during the presentation of the items to the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar, at his palace in Daura, Tuesday.
He said the items were procured for Daura Senatorial District under its Free-Medical-Care programme for the Almajiris, adding that the new ambulance was procured to replace the one damaged during the recent robbery attack in the town.
The commissioner said the state government had purchased three ambulances under the Almajiri model schools to provide free medical services to the pupils across the three senatorial zones of the state.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Ministry of Environment is to send 19 unemployed
youths to Kano State to be trained as forestry guards under the Great Green Wall Programme of the Federal Government.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ishaku Daudu, said this while supervising the programme at the two designated local government areas of Dandi and Arewa last Tuesday in Dandi. Daudu said the youths would be selected from four communities in Unguwar Hassan and Marina in Dand Local Government Areas and Garun Ango and Bachaka in Arewa Local Government Areas.
“These communities were selected considering their proximity to Niger Republic and also desert-prone zones that pose a great challenge to afforestation in the state.
“The youths will be sent to Kano for three months training on forestry guarding from September to November,’’ he said.
Kogi
Acting Managing Director of Kogi State Sanitation and Waste
Management Board (SWMB), Mrs Florence Joseph, has appealed to residents of the state to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Joseph, who spoke with newsmen in Lokoja last Tuesday, appealed to the people to dump their refuse in waste disposal bins provided by the government.
The managing director said the government had provided all the necessary materials like trucks and waste containers for public use and declared that the government sanitation programme had provided jobs for unemployed graduates in the state.
She thanked the government for approving more comprehensive recycling sites meant for the conversion of waste after collection from different parts of Lokoja, stating also that very soon, government would provide more waste disposal trucks as promised in order for other parts of the state to benefit.
Kwara
No fewer than 1,950 people have registered for family planning
services at the Okelele Primary Healthcare Centre in Ilorin between January and August, following the intervention of the Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI).
Head of Health Department, Ilorin East Local Government Council, Hajiya Fatima Kuranga, disclosed last Tuesday in Ilorin, that the number of beneficiaries during the eight month period under review increased considerably when compared with the about 680 recorded in 2012.
Kuranga explained that NURHI had helped in training and retraining of health care personnel and family planning supervisors.
She also stressed that NURHI had created awareness at the community level, adding that this had made residents of the area to embrace the free service being provided.
Lagos
Educationists have urged the governors of states in the South-
West geopolitical zone to be cautious in adopting Yoruba as the official language of instruction in primary schools.
Some educationists told newsmen in Lagos that implementation of the proposed policy would face some challenges.
The governors had on August 30 proposed that primary schools in the region would soon begin to use Yoruba as the language of instruction.
This was parts of their decisions at a meeting on the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) in Ibadan.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government has concluded plans with a Chinese
firm to build a five-star hotel at Farin-Ruwa in the Wamba Local Government Area of the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Adamu Adogi, made the disclosure last Tuesday at the inauguration of a hotel in Keffi, near Lafia.
Adogi said that the construction of the hotel would boost the state’s revenue base and improve its tourism potential.
He stated that the Chinese partner, who recently visited the site of the proposed hotel, would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Government for the commencement of the project.
The commissioner assured that the government would explore ways to to ensure the development of the state’s natural resources for the benefit of the people.
Sokoto
The Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, Alhaji Shaibu
Gambo, has solicited the support of members of the public in the fight against crime in the state.
Gambo said in Sokoto, Tuesday that the officers and men of the command were determined to give their best to protect lives and property in the state, noting however, that this would not be possible without the cooperation of members of the public.
He said the personnel in the state command had received operational order on how to tackle insecurity in the state, adding that they were doing their best to ensure full compliance.
The commissioner, also solicited the support of traditional leaders in the fight against crime, pointing out that they play strategic role in mobilising their subjects for public policing.
Taraba
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) fact-finding Committee on the
health condition of Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State has affirmed Alhaji Garba Umar as the Acting Governor of the state.
Briefing journalists after about a two-hour close door meeting, the Committee Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodima, stated that the impasse had been resolved with all stakeholders including Suntai’s wife, Hauwa.
He said the Ag. Governor should from time-to-time consult with Suntai on major political issues in the state, while he (Suntai) continued to recuperate, and further stressed that the issue was a purely PDP in-house problem which, as a family, could be sorted out amicably.
Suntai returned to the state on Sunday, Aug. 25, after 10 months of medical treatment abroad, following his involvement in a plane crash in October, 2012.
Zamfara
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Musa
Sada, has urged miners in Zamfara State to form cooperative groups in order to attract Federal Government support.
Sada said last Tuesday at the opening of three-day training on health and safety issues on miners’s operations in Gusau that formation of cooperatives by the miners would also promote safety in their operations.
The minister, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Policy Analysis and Monitoring, Mr John Mshelia, pointed out that the Federal Government was concerned about mining operations in the state.
He said the outbreak of lead poisoning in the state and subsequent death of victims since 2010 was worrisome.
Nation
Bikers, Others Grace Burial Of Rivers Philanthropist
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.
Nation
Security Guard Missing After Fence Demolition In PH
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.
Nation
OIU Protests Arrest Of Witnesses In Okon Aku Crisis Probe
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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