Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Adamawa State Acting Governor Ahmadu Umaru has
approved the constitution of a seven-man judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the administration of impeached Murtala Nyako from June, 2007 to June 2014.
A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Tukur Liman in Yola recently indicated that the panel which has Justice Bobbo Umar as chairman, and Mr Sedan Nyari, as its secretary has four weeks to submit its findings. According to the statement, the terms of reference of the panel were to investigate financial accruals to the State from June, 2007 to June, 2014 and the investigation of disbursement and application of funds to ministries, boards, and agencies over the period of reference.
The panel would also identify those involved in inappropriate financial disbursements and application. It further stated that the panel would investigate staff recruitment, deployment and administration of human resources.
Bauchi
Some gunmen, suspected to be armed robbers, have killed
the District Head of Soro in Bauchi State Malam Abdulrahman Baba, and injured two other persons.
The Bauchi Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the killing in a statement yesterday, said the incident occurred at 7.45 pm last Saturday
.He said: “On Saturday at about 7.45 pm, six gunmen suspected to be armed bandits, stormed Soro town in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, killing the District Head, Abdulrahman Isa Baba, and injuring two other traders. They carted away undisclosed amount of money from their victims and escaped to unknown destination. The entire surrounding had been cordoned off and efforts are being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects.”
Mohammed also said a 32-year-old man had been apprehended in connection with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that was buried in a building site located at VIO quarters in Azare.
Ekiti
A former Speaker of the old Ondo State House of
Assembly, Chief Femi Akinyemi, says the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, lost his bid for a re-election in the June 21 governorship election to “inexperience and incompetence in politics and governance.”
Chief Akinyemi, who is also the chairman of Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) in Ekiti State, addressed newsmen in his native Usi-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of the state after he received a merit award of the community. He claimed that “Fayemi failed woefully in the election because he did not put reliable structures in all the councils to reach out to the people.”
Describing the SURE-P scheme as a huge success and one of the best poverty alleviation strategies in the country, Akinyemi revealed that “the Federal Government spends a sum of N360 million on beneficiaries in Ekiti annually.”
Akinyemi, however, condemned the states and local governments for not showing enough transparency in the disbursement of the funds to beneficiaries like the Federal Government.
FCT
The Nigeria Immigration Service said recently that 24
officers were to be sent to various embassies abroad to ease the process of obtaining visas and e-passports.
The NIS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Obua said some Nigerians in Diaspora and foreigners experienced difficulties obtaining visas and e-passports because NIS was not represented at some Nigerian embassies.
The spokesman said to complement the effort of officers, the service would also make provisions for more machines since the passport was mainly done online.
He said that NIS had begun the implementation of the new e-passport reforms, and called on all Nigerians to cooperate with the service to ensure its implementation.
The spokesman said the new 64-page e-passport costs N20,000, adding that those under 18 years and those above 60 years could obtain the passport at N8,750.
Kano
Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano
State, yesterday accused President Goodluck Jonathan of running a government based on ethnic sentiment and religious bigotry.
Kwankwaso, who spoke with reporters in his office weekend, also advised the Presidency to reduce the level of hatred and bitterness among Nigerians, if the government was actually interested in resolving the problem of insecurity.
According to him, the real cause of insecurity in the country was bad leadership being experienced in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- led government, noting that the inability of President Jonathan to tackle the issue of insurgency in the North and insecurity in other parts of the country had exposed Jonathan’s incompetence to preside over the affairs of Nigeria.
Kwara
The Kwara State House of Assembly last
Monday debunked a report that it had concluded plans to impeach Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.
The Majority Leader of the House, Alhaji AbdulKareem AbdulGaniyu, told newsmen in Ilorin that the impeachment rumour was fuelled by a report that the House was divided over the second term bid of the governor.
Abdulkareem, however, said the House was united, adding that most of the members were from the same party. He also maintained that the relationship between the governor and Senator Bukola Saraki was cordial.
Lagos
As part of the on-going efforts to prevent the
spread of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, into the country, a team of federal and Lagos State health officials, yesterday, visited the General Overseer of The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to sensitise members of the congregation about persons from the affected countries in their midst.
The team, led by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, expressed readiness to work with the health team of the Church by way of technical assistance, medical advice and training to ensure that no victim of the deadly disease comes to the Church undetected. Medical doctors attending to an Ebola virus disease victim
Nasarawa
Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board said
it had concluded plans to recruit no fewer than 2,000 teachers to fill vacant positions in schools in the state.
Executive Secretary of the board, Malam Abdulkarim Abdullahi, made this known at a meeting of the board and local government councils’ chairmen and education secretaries in the state in Lafia recently Monday.
Abdullahi said the board had set up a committee to collaborate with the councils’ chairmen and the education secretaries to identify areas where the teachers were needed stated that the committee was also charged with the responsibility of working out modalities of ensuring that only competent hands were employed.
Osun
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a red
alert on the August 9 gubernatorial election in Osun State, saying, about half a million permanent voters cards (PVCs), which were either unclaimed, not handed over to their authentic owners or obtained fraudulently, have been cloned by unscrupulous persons ahead of the election, with the sole purpose of rigging.
”These cloned cards, mostly in the hands of persons from states other than Osun, are to be used along with the authentic PVCs issued to the electorate in Osun state during the August 9 Osun governorship election,” the party said in a statement issued in Osogbo last Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
”Already, we can confirm that the hundreds of thousands of people in possession of these cloned cards all over Nigeria, especially in the states neighboring Osun, are being induced monetarily and instructed to super impose their photographs on the cloned PVCs.
Oyo
The epileptic electricity supply currently being experienced
in Ibadan and its environs will soon be a thing of the past as Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC), in charge of electricity distribution in the zone, has promised a daily 15-hour electricity supply to consumers.
The Managing Director of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Engr. Fortunato Leynes, made this promise at the company’s first journey to change knowledge sharing series which held in Ibadan over the weekend.
According to Leynes, one of the greatest challenges hindering uninterrupted power supply to customers is inadequate power generation capacity for his company to distribute to consumers.
Speaking on the essence of the knowledge sharing series being organised by the company, Deputy Managing Director of IBEDC Mr. John Darlington noted, that “the challenges are enormous but if we get our people, technology, attitude and discipline right, in the next two or three years our company will make the difference.”
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto (left), receiving a souvenir from Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111 for attending the Nigerian Defence Academy Alumni 18th Regular Course Re-union in Sokoto, recently.
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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