Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested two persons with 4,000 sachets of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RTUF) meant for malnourished children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
The NSCDC Corps Commandant in Borno, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, told journalists in Maiduguri on Tuesday that the two were arrested at Borno Express Motor Park.
He said “the two suspects will be prosecuted.”
However, one of the suspects, Hassan Sale, told newsmen that they normally bought the RUTF from nursing mothers in the IDPs camps.
He said “I bought this one from Zannari IDPs camp. We usually buy the product at the rate of N30 and sell to customers at N60 in Kano.
“This is the second time I came into Maiduguri; the first was two weeks ago.”
Ekiti
A 37-year-old, Ebube Marvins, who allegedly collected N809, 000 on the pretext of helping a man to transfer to Togo, was on Tuesday brought before an Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The accused, whose address is unknown, is facing a charge of fraud.
Police Prosecutor Bankole Olasunkanmi told the court that the accused with another man still at large committed the offence on December 9, 2016 in Ado-Ekiti.
Olasunkanmi said the accused obtained the sum of N809, 000 from the complainant, Mr Ishioku Monday, through electronic transfer and transfer same to an agent in Togo through Western Union Money Transfer.
“The accused, however, failed to do so after collecting the money.”
The prosecutor asked for an adjournment to enable him to study the case file and assemble his four witnesses.
FCT
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Emmanuel Orker-Jev, has urged the Federal Government to compensate victims of herdsmen attacks in Benue.
Orker-Jev, who made the appeal in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, said victims were facing difficulties due to the disruption of their sources of livelihood.
He particularly noted that those recently attacked in Buruku were yet to receive any form of support or compensation.
“Unfortunately, nobody has been compensated.
Gombe
A non-governmental organisation in Lawanti village, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State has spent N1.2 million to support 170 Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in the village.
The organisation’s Programme Manager, Malam Idris Maigari, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Tuesday.
Maigari said that the organisation supported the orphan and vulnerable children with mattresses, food, school materials and psycho social support to their caregivers.
According to him, the support is continuous and the aim is to give the children a sense of belonging.
He told our correspondent that prior to the establishment of the organisation in 2003, the community had only a dispensary managed by a dispenser.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State chapter of the Nigerian Dental Therapists Association (NDTA), on Tuesday, offered free dental instructions to more than 400 pupils of Fagoji Primary School, Dutse.
The free dental instructions were part of activities by the association to celebrate this year’s World Oral Health Day in the state.
The NDTA Chairman, Mr Awwalu Muhammad, who led a group of dentists from Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital, told newsmen that they were in the school to educate the pupils on how best to take care of their teeth.
Muhammad advised the pupils to wash their mouth twice a day before eating in the morning and when going to bed at night.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has earmarked N476million for the installation of modern street lights on five major roads in Birnin Kebbi.
The Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, revealed this while inspecting the on-going project in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.
According to him, the streets to be provided street lights are Murtala Muhammad Road, Muhammad Bandi Road,Sultan Abubakar Road,Ahmadu Bello Way and Muhammadu Buhari Way.
“The five roads are in the first phase of the project,and other roads will be provided with street lights as soon as the on-going ones are completed,” he said.
Kano
The Police last Tuesday said they had arrested a fake cripple, who specialised in criminal activities in Kano metropolis.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Zone I, DSP Sambo Sokoto, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kano.
He said the suspect, who posed as a cripple for two years, was apprehended on Monday near the headquarters of Kano Foundation following a tip-off.
Sokoto said the suspect had also been operating as a street beggar before some residents of the area reported the matter to the office of Asst. Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone one, Kano.
“We got the information about the suspect but when our men arrested him, he was found to be physically fit because he doesn’t have any deformity,” Sokoto said.
He said the police had commenced investigation into the matter after which the suspect would be charged to court.
Lagos
Health experts and a cleric have called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to address the current economic challenges in the country, to check the rate of suicide among Nigerians.
They spoke with newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday while reacting to the increasing cases of suicide in the country.
The World Health Organisation reports that every 40 seconds, one person commits suicide somewhere in the world, which tallies to 800,000 suicides annually.
The experts noted that in the last few months in Nigeria, cases of suicide that came to public knowledge had increased and stressed the need for increased government attention in reducing the problem.
Dr Stephen Oluwaniyi, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, identified poverty, high debt, deprivations, unemployment, job stress and insecurity as related to the current economic challenges in Nigeria.
Nasarawa
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday said that its advocacy had drastically reduced the use of potassium bromate by bakers in Nasarawa State.
NAFDAC Coordinator in Nasarawa State, Mr Michael Attah, told our correspondent (NAN) in Lafia that NAFDAC officials paid repeated unscheduled inspection visits to bakeries in the state.
Attah said that the agency would not relax in its campaign against the use of the banned substances until eradication.
“For now, we have not heard of any case of bakers using potassium bromate, which affects the kidney, although I cannot say it has been totally eradicated,” he said.
Osun
34-year-old student of Osun State University, Osogbo, Akanbi David was on Tuesday remanded in Ilesa Prison by an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court over alleged murder of his colleague, Amodu Kazeem.
The accused is facing a two count-charge of murder and conspiracy.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, said he ordered the remand of the accused due to the magnitude of the offence against him.
The accused’s plea was not taken by the court.
The magistrate, however, adjourned the case until May 5 for mention.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP Mireti Wilson, told the court that the accused committed the offense on January 16 at about 5.00p.m., at Oke-Baale, Osogbo.
Plateau
A Jos Chief Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced a 29-year-old security man, Samson Williams, to three months in prison, for stealing two necklaces and a face-cap valued at N6, 500.
Williams, who resides behind Police Field, Jos, was charged with theft.
The magistrate, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Mafuyai, sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the crime and begged the court for leniency.
The convict, in his plea, blamed hunger and the “devil” for his actions.
“It was hunger that made me do it; I was very hungry and wanted something to eat.
Sokoto
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has approved the recruitment of additional extension workers to increase manpower and expertise in wheat value chain in the state.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam and issued to newsmen in Sokoto on Tuesday.
“Those to be employed are university graduates and holders of national diploma in agricultural science, agricultural economy, crop science and related disciplines.”
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.