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THE STATES
Benue
A 37-year-old man, Philemon Kwaghkondo, was arraigned
before an Upper Area Court 2, Makurdi, for allegedly blocking the entrance and preventing customers from entering a bank. Kwaghkondo is charged with wrongful restraint.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Omaye Ujata, told the court that Alhaji Garba Adamu, Managing Director, Algreb Mirco-Finance Bank, Makurdi, reported the case at ‘B’ Division police station, Makurdi.
Ujata said that the accused used a mattress to block the entrance of the bank, thus making it inaccessible to members of staff and customers adding that the accused admitted to committing the offence.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 254 of the Penal Code. After the charges were read to the accused, the accused pleaded not guilty.
The magistrate, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, granted the accused to bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum.
Mohammed adjourned the case until June 3, for hearing.
FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,
has ordered Commissioners of Police to immediately carry out a nationwide security audit and threat analysis of boarding schools.
A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, said the measure was part of a proactive effort to bolster security network in the schools.
“The outcome of this exercise will greatly assist police authorities and other security agencies in the task of designing security strategies that will help in promoting safety and security in schools. “It is equally expected that the result of the consultations, threat analysis and the attendant security awareness campaigns will help in reducing the vulnerability of the schools and strengthen an otherwise soft terror target,’’ it said.
The I-G advised the commissioners to collaborate with other security agencies, the Ministry of Education in the various states, as well as the management and staff of the schools and urged commissioners to work with the Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), the host communities and other stakeholders so as to obtain the most reliable intelligence.
Kano
The Kano State Police Command said it arrested two sus
pects over alleged security breaches in the state.
The command spokesman, ASP Magaji Majia, said in Kano that “two persons were arrested at the New Road Motor Park this morning and brought to headquarters for further investigations’’.
“The commissioner of police has directed the CID department to investigate, thereafter he (the commissioner) will brief the press,” he said.
There was a bomb attack on Sunday night in which five persons died while an explosives laden car was demobilised in Kano on Monday.
Majia said the suspects were arrested, to avert further security breach, adding that “no information yet to link the suspects to the bombings until investigation is completed”.
Kaduna
Kaduna State Government said it would collaborate with
retired military officers to address the prevailing security challenges in the state.
Gov. Mukhtar Yero said this when Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Association of Nigeria (RANAO) led by its President, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna.
The governor, directed the coordinator of the state security outfit, Operation Yaki, to discuss further with the association on strategies to tackle the prevailing insecurity in the state.
Earlier, the President of the association, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) said that members were ready to use their wealth of knowledge and experience to assist the government in tackling security challenges in the state.
Kwara
Workers at the three Kwara State owned Colleges of Edu
cation last Tuesday suspended their six-week industrial action called by Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI).
CUTI Chairman, Malam Shehu Sanni, announced the suspension of the strike in Ilorin at the end of the congress of the union held at the College of Education, Ilorin.
He said the strike was suspended for three weeks to allow for negotiations between the union and the state government, and directed all members of the three unions under CUTI to return to work immediately.
Sanni said members of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) met to take the decision.
The CUTI chairman said the union decided to suspend the six-week strike due to the intervention of Senator Bukola Saraki and Global Peace Movement.
Ogun
An Abeokuta Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday, re
manded three union officials in prison custody at the Abeokuta Prisons, Ibara, for allegedly stealing money belonging to two organisations.
The organisations are: the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ojere, Abeokuta.
The accused, Odeogbola James, 55; Egbewunmi Olalekan, 44, and Taiwo Oladipupo, 38, are being tried for stealing, conspiracy and concealing relevant documents relating to the disbursement of funds, property of FCMB and NASU.
Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Banji Sangotokun, had told the court that the accused persons, whose addresses were unknown, committed the offences between 2008 and 2011 at MAPOLY.
He said the accused persons were holding major positions in the union as the President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the NASU at MAPOLY.
Osun
The Osun House of Assembly has appealed to the Joint
Negotiation Council (JNC) of the non-academic staff union of state-owned tertiary institutions to call off its three- month-old strike.
The House made the appeal at a joint meeting of JNC, Head of Service and the Commissioner of Finance, Mr Akintunde Adegboye, in Osogbo.
Members of non-academic staff union of the institutions embarked on strike on March 11 over non-remittance of their contributory pension funds and poor condition of service, among others.
Addressing the meeting, the Speaker of the House, Mr Najeem Salaam, said the House would do everything within its power to address the union’s demands and assured that the House would consider the inclusion of the union in the new 65 year retirement age demanded by them.
Earlier, Mr Olusoji Fasipe, JNC chairman, said government had not been remitting their pension deduction into the appropriate quarters in the last nine months.
Oyo
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations En
forcement Agency (NESREA) says it will collaborate with the town planning authorities to stop the location of industrial and residential property in the same area.
South West Zonal Director of the agency, Mr Olufunbi Sode, who said this in an interview in Ibadan last Tuesday stated that to ensure a clean and healthier environment, the problem of locating industries in residential areas and vice versa must be resolved.
“It is important to ensure that areas designated for industries are solely used for industrial development and not to have residential buildings mixed up with industries.”We must stop the problem of having residents living close to industries, thereby keeping people away from industrial pollution. This should stop,” he said.
“We must establish working relationship with government establishments at the federal, state and local levels and in this instance, town planning authorities are paramount. “We have had occasions of working together with them in the past and only last year, we were able to sensitise them on this particular issue,” he added.
Lagos
The National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) has recov
ered the body of the victim of the boat mishap that occurred at Bonny Camp in Victoria Island, Lagos on May 18.
Eight of the nine people on board the boat were rescued alive while one of the passengers, a woman could not be accounted for.
The Head of the Marine Department of NIWA, Mrs Sarat Suleiman, said the body of the woman was recovered at around mid day on Tuesday.
Recounting the mishap, Suleiman said that a heavy wind blew against the boat and the operator could not control the situation.
She commended the Association of Tourist Boat Operators, Water Transporters of Nigeria and fishermen for rising up to the challenge before the arrival of NIWA rescue team and urged boat operators and passengers to desist from night trips to save their lives.
Also speaking, Mr Olayinka Marinho, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, said that the authority had warned passengers and operators against travelling at night.
Marinho decried the failure of passengers and operators to heed warning on their safety, adding that any person who disregarded the law did so at his or her own risk.
Plateau
A former aviation minister, Chief Felix Hyat, has advised
northern governors to relate more with security agencies rather than hurling blames in the quest to tackle insurgency.
The former minister, who was also Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the Ahmed Makarfi administration in Kaduna State urged governors and other leaders to be proactive and should quickly resolve issues as they arose rather than taking them for granted.
The former minister said Nigerians must be educated to accept one another, adding that they must realise that they cannot live in isolation.
“Even if we decide to be that foolish, we shall have denominational differences staring us in the face,” he said.
On the allegations that insurgency was politically motivated, Hyat described such claims as “myopic.”
L-Rt: U.S. Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Sarah Sewall, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, during the visit of the U. S. Under Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, recently.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has inducted and given orientation to 100 Ogoni youths for training on Creative Arts. The beneficiaries were drawn from Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
The induction and orientation ceremony, which took place at the CRAB of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, was a prelude to the training proper, billed to commence next Tuesday.
As usual, HYPREP issued undertaking forms to the trainees, for them to complete and submit as a guarantee that they would subject themselves to the requirements of the programme as well as be of good behaviour throughout the four-month duration of the training.
HYPREP also announced that it would pay N150,000 to each of the beneficiaries monthly, as transport and feeding allowance, stressing, however, that only those who fully participate in the training would be entitled for the allowance.
Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, welcomed the trainees to the programme, saying, HYPREP’s projects are evolving and that one thing that is happening today is that the Project has gotten leadership right, by making promises and keeping those promises.
According to him, the Project had equally promised to move away from rudimentary skills acquisition to high impacts acquisition levels, which it has kept today by sponsoring the training on Creative Arts.
He noted that in planning its livelihood programmes for Ogoni youths, HYPREP has taken time out to look for skills that would add value to the lives of the beneficiaries.
Zabbey, who was represented at the event by the Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi said by packaging the Creative Arts training, it was expected that the Ogoni people would have their own version of Nollywood known as Ogoniwood just as Nigerians are familiar with Hollywood, Bollywood, Kannywood and Nollywood.
To achieve this goal, the Project Coordinator explained that it was the reason for choosing a reputable establishment like Halibiz Consult Limited, to partner with the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt, which he described as one of the most prestigious in the Niger Delta, for the training of the beneficiaries.
He also indicated that in doing this, HYPREP was desirous of going for talents that would help the Ogoni people grow in the film industry, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously.
Zabbey equally enjoined the trainees to put in their best so that in the next three to five years, they would carve a niche for themselves and become forces to reckon with in the film industry.
On her part, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee said HYPREP does what it says it will, stressing that the process of training Ogoni youths on specialised skills started three years ago.
According to her, the selection process for the training was rigorous and transparent, and was carried out by renowned actors actresses.
She disclosed that the training consists of three major aspects, which include acting, script writing and make-up, while Nollywood actors like Charles Nnoje, Ngezu J. Ngezu and award-winning make-up artist, Jude Odo would be on hand to drill and groom the beneficiaries.
Mrs Nzidee noted that the programme is a specialised training that does not have anything like starter packs but that it is purely a professional certification programme that would launch the beneficiaries into the Nollywood industry in Nigeria.
According to her, the Creative Arts training is one of the four specialised trainings organised by HYPREP to ensure that the Ogoni people are well positioned in vital industries like Aviation, Maritime, Creative Arts and Mechatronics.
She said the last of such trainings on Mechatronics would take place in the coming months, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so as to put the Ogoni people on the Nollywood map.
She further indicated that while Charles Nnoje and Ngezu J. Ngezu would take the beneficiaries on the practical aspects, Jude Odo would take them on the make-up aspects.
Also speaking, the External Relations Manager of Halibiz Consult Limited, Alabo Experience Douglas said his company gives much premium to standard and quality, and assured that the firm would give the trainees value for the money spent on the programme.
While charging the beneficiaries to be dedicated and punctual, he stressed the need for them to approach the programme with the mindset of being empty so that at the end of the day, they would benefit maximally.
On his part, the Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ovunda Ihunwo said the CRAB is an acronym for Creative Review of Arts and Books, stressing that it was named by renowned playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi.
According to him, the CRAB had nurtured, groomed and produced Nollywood actors and actresses like Bobmanuel Udokwu, Ejike Asiegbu,Francis Duru, Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda, Julius Agwu, and a host of others, assuring the beneficiaries that they were on fertile environment to hone their talents.
He noted that symbolically, the crab is a nutritious seafood common in the Niger Delta, and reiterated the need for the beneficiaries to come empty for the training, as it were.
Ihunwo disclosed that the theory classes of the programme would run for three weeks while the fourth week would be for the master classes, and urged the trainees to avail themselves of the opportunity to make a difference by telling the Ogoni story, which he described as inexhaustible by themselves, in order to put Ogoni on the map.
A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.