Adamawa
The Provost of Adamawa State College of Agriculture, Ganye, Dr Abubakar Yaji, says the school in 1991 had been operating without any of its courses accredited by the relevant government agencies.
Yaji said this on Thursday in Ganye while briefing Gov. Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa when he visited the school.
The provost said that the school would require N508 million to upgrade its facilities to meet up with requirements for accreditation of its courses.
The provost said that the non-accreditation of courses run by the school had been affecting its graduates from getting jobs and gaining admissions into universities to further their education.

Benue
Two persons, Sewuese Orbunde and Victor Godwin,  were on Thursday arraigned in a Makurdi Magistrates’ Court for selling a baby after birth.
The duo were charged with criminal conspiracy and concealment of birth punishable under sections 97 and 240 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Gabriel Agbadu , told the court that the case was reported at the State CID, Makurdi, on February  23.
Agbadu said that on February 22, Yaaya Terver of Vigilante Group, Logo 1, Makurdi, arrested and brought Orbunde and Hembadoon Godwin to the ‘E’ Division Police Station, Makurdi.
He said that Terver stated that  Orbunde was carrying a pregnancy as at December 2016 when she travelled to Port Harcourt only to return to Makurdi on January 3, 2017 without the pregnancy and without a child.

FCT
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) says it has earmarked 38 million euros for poverty eradication and empowerment in five countries.
The Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD Nigeria,  Mrs Gloria Akobundu, made this known at a two-day workshop organised by the programme on Tuesday in Abuja.
Akobundu explained that 35 million euros would go for the empowerment programmes, while three million euros had been earmarked for the technical support interventions.
According to her, the three million euros technical interventions will be used in expansion of facilities and training centres and sensitisation and awareness on the programme.
She said NEPAD Nigeria has concluded governance mechanism of the programme at the continental level in South Africa.

Gombe
National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Gombe state, has arrested 20 suspects and confiscated 23.453 kilogrammes of dangerous substances and 16.88 Kg of cannabis sativa between January and February 2017.
Commandant of the agency, Mr Aliyu Adole, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Thursday.
According to him, most of those involved in the act are youth and such drugs are dangerous to their health.
“The activity of the agency from January to date was very successful.
“The agency went out in search of drugs peddlers and we were able to arrest 20 suspects with 23.453 kilogrammes of substances of abuse and 16.884 of cannabis,” he said.

Kaduna
The Adamawa Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmadu Waziri, has said that the state government had introduced a database to document farmers’ statistics and check irregularities.
Waziri disclosed this  to newsmen in Zaria on Thursday.
‘‘We have started creating a useful data base of farmers in the state that can be taken anywhere for any intervention.
‘‘This is as a result of the irregularities that have been perpetrated in some states that have started the CBN Anchor-Borrower-Programme,’’ he said.
According to him, the state government is aware that there are issues in some of the pioneer states that have started the programme.
‘‘Before we embark on implementing it in Adamawa, we went round such pioneer states and drawn a number of conclusions.

Kano
The Nigerian Customs Services (NCS), Kano/Jigawa State Area Command has generated N2.8 billion as revenue from January to date.
The command’s Comptroller, Mr Abutu Onaja disclosed this when he received the officials Nigerian Association of Crimes and Judicial Journalists (NACAJJ) Kano State branch who paid him a courtesy call on Thursday in Kano.
He said out of the amount, N1.05 billion was generated in January while the remaining N1.8 billion was collected in February.
Onaja said, “The NCS had never recorded such revenue generation in the history of Kano/Jigawa  State area command. So it is a great achievement.”

Kogi
The Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA), Mr Boss Mustapha, last Thursday said the agency had commenced routine maintenance of the dredged channel of River Niger.
Mustapha confirmed in a statement in Lokoja that the maintenance dredging would only be from Ajaokuta to Onitsha.
He said that the maintenance was to ensure smooth navigation of vessels and barges, adding that the exercise would be carried out by his workers.
The dredging of the 523-kilometre lower River Niger was executed at a cost of N36 billion.

Lagos
A Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Lagos, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, has approached a Federal High Court, Lagos to challenge his arrest and detention by the Department of State Security Service.
It will be recalled that Gbadamosi was arrested by the DSS in Lagos on February 21, and was immediately taken to Abuja, where he has been in custody.
A fundamental rights suit was consequently filed by a rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, challenging the arrest and detention.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the DSS, the Director, Department of State Security and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Nasarawa
The 13 local governments in Nasarawa State have collectively approved the sum of N160 million to offset the gratuity of its deceased pensioners.
According to  the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Haruna Iliya-Osegba, the sum was approved by the joint accounts committee involving all local governments and other stakeholders.
Iliya-Osegba told newsmen on Thursday in Lafia, that the money was for pensioners that died between 1997 and July 2016.
He explained, however, that the approved amount was not part of the monthly allocation to the local government pension bureau.

Ogun
A  31-year-old man,  Adeniran Adebisi,   was on Tuesday discharged and acquitted  by  an  Abeokuta Magistrates’  Court over alleged N850,000 fraud.
Adebisi was arraigned  on a  two- count charge of fraud and stealing.
The accused was accused of  fraudulently obtaining  N850,000 from one Adeniyi Adebayo on the pretence of supplying him  assorted  wooden planks.
But the  Magistrate, Mrs Oriyomi Sofowora,  said that based on the evidences tendered before the court, the accused  was  a genuine  wood business man and had actually supplied wood to the complainant.
She consequently discharged the accused.
The prosecutor, Insp  Sunday Eigbejiale, had told the court that the accused  committed  the offences  in June 2014  at Lafenwa in Abeokuta.

Osun
The Osun State Government on Tuesday presented retirement bond certificates worth N1.1billion to the fourth batch of retirees under the state contributory pension scheme.
The state governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, made the presentation through the state Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye, at a seminar organised for workers.
The seminar was organised for them by Pension Fund Administrators to give them a better understanding of what pension schemes were all about.
Aregbesola said that 159 pensioners from the scheme would benefit from the bond, with 100 of the beneficiaries coming from Local Government while the remaining 59 retired primary school teachers.
The governor explained that in a bid to improve the standard of living of pensioners, government had approved the establishment of a data base.

Plateau
Sgt. Apollos Aliyu of ‘A’ Divisional Police Headquaters, Jos, has told a Jos High Court that Stephen Luka, who is standing trial over alleged culpable homicide, had confessed to the crime in a written statement.
Aliyu, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the case, testified against the accused, who had since denied the allegations.
The  accused person is facing a four-count charge of murder, attempted murder, assault and sexual abuse.
He was accused of attacking two sisters – Justina Dusu and Simi Dusu, on July 27, 2016 at his home in Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Jos, after they went to confront him over Justina’s pregnancy.
Luka, who allegedly used a machete on the duo when they rejected his insistence on procuring an abortion, was said to have killed Simi, while Justina sustained deep cuts.