Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Adamawa State has arrested a suspected Boko Haram member, Amos Hassan.
Briefing newsmen last Wednesday in Yola, the State Commandant of the corps, Mr Aliyu Musa told newsmen that Hassan was arrested last Tuesday at the Federal Housing Estate in Bajabure area of Yola.
“He was arrested by our surveillance team and had made confessional statement that he had killed about 10 people since he joined the group,” Musa said.
He said that the suspect who had signs of healing bullet wounds was from Sambisa forest.
Responding to questions from newsmen, the 25-year-old Hassan said he came from Azare in Bauchi State.
The suspect said he was from Sambisa forest.
FCT
The Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abu Shafiul Huq, said last Tuesday in Abuja that counter insurgency operation required more than the military approach.
Huq, who was in Nigeria on a five-day visit, shared the experience of his country at a presentation titled, “Counter Insurgency Operation: The Bangladesh Experience,’’ at the National Defence College (NDC).
He said apart from the military approach, political approach, as well as engagement of the people were also necessary tools to successfully counter insurgency.
Huq said those approaches were used to successfully counter insurgency in his country in the late 70s after it gained independence in 1971.
The Bangladesh’s army chief identified socio-economic, political and religious factors as some of the root causes of insurgency.
Kaduna
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it is working hard to ensure that no eligible voter in the country disen defranchised during the 2019 general elections.
Resident Electoral Commissioner [REC] in Kaduna State,Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, gave the assurance last Tuesday in Kaduna while interacting with political parties and other election stakeholders on Continuous Voter Registration.
The REC said that the nationwide continuous voters registration was meant to capture all eligible voters ahead of the 2019 polls.
According to him, the exercise will be flagged-off in the state at Hunkuyi, Kudan Local Government, yesterday and would subsequently commence in all INEC offices in the 23 local government areas of the state.
The exercise was for eligible residents of the state who did not register to vote in 2015 and those who attained the age of 18 years after the last general elections.
Kano
The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug traffickers who posed as police officers in Nasarawa area of Kano metropolis.
Kano State Commandant of NDLEA, Alhaji Hamza Umar, told newsmen in Kano last Tuesday that the suspects were arrested in a brand new escort vehicle with police colour, siren, pilot plate number and in possession of two police caps.
According to him, the suspects were arrested blaring the siren and pretending to be police officers while conveying 715 kilograms of Indian Hemp to Yobe.
Umar said “during investigation by our officers, we discovered that the suspects were from Edo State, while their destination was Gashua in Yobe State.
“The two suspects who were arrested along with 715 kilograms of Indian Hemp disclosed to us that they normally convey such exhibits once a month”.
Kwara
The Chairman, Baruten Local Council of Kwara State, Mallam Musa Buge, last Tuesday berated the Federal Government for neglecting the mining sector of the economy for too long.
Buge, in a telephone interview with newsmen, said that the government had lost much revenues for its failure to explore the abundant mineral deposits in the country.
The council chief decried high rate of illegal mining operations in its boundary with the Republic of Benin.
According to him, Kaura village in the area has been a haven of high illegal mining operations.
Lagos
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, last Tuesday presented Certificates of Commendation to the families of four policemen killed by militants in Ikorodu.
Owoseni also presented similar letters to the families of four policemen injured in Ikorodu by militants.
The commissioner presented undisclosed amount of money to the policemen for their gallantry, commitment and show of loyalty to their father’s land.
The dead officers include Insp. Godwin Iroagbalachi, Insp. Francis Pemi, Sgt. Mamuda Dembo and Sgt Idor Ekoro.
The injured officers are CSP Ejiofor Obiora, DPO of Owutu division that led other officers to the rescue mission, Sgt Orumoh Awhalawibue, Sgt Olatunji Gbadebo and Sgt Alexendrer Ugbadu, who was discharged from LUTH on Tuesday.
The Tide reports that four policemen, an Army Captain and a civilian were killed by militants on April 9, at about 2.30am, at Isawo area of Ikorodu, after responding to a distress call.
Owoseni said that the police recognized the efforts and supreme price the officers paid so that some people could obtain their freedom.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Police command says it has arrested 113 persons suspected to have committed various offences in the past one month.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Kennedy Idirisu, said last Monday in Lafia that the offences ranged from armed robbery, murder, kidnapping and cattle rustling.
Idirisu said that arms and ammunition, including four AK 49 and three AK 47 riffles, as well as 178 rounds of 7.65mm live ammunition were recovered from the suspects.
Other items recovered from the bandits included 500 rustled cows, 13 motorcycles and N8.9 million fake currency.
Idirisu attributed the feat to the operational strategies adopted by the command as well as the cooperation with other security agencies and community stakeholders.
Niger
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said last Tuesday that the Continuous Voters Registration beginning nationwide on April 27, would run till few months to the 2019 general elections.
The INEC’s Secretary in Niger State, Alhaji Aliyu Bungudu, made the disclosure at a one-day forum for election stakeholders held in Minna.
He said that the registration exercise was to ensure that no eligible voter was denied the right to elect leaders of their choice.
Bungudu assured the stakeholders that INEC would not shirk its responsibility in that regard, and urged them to mobilise the people to get registered.
“The voter registration exercise will continue at the local government levels when it commences, till few months to the conduct of 2019 general elections.
Ogun
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun State last Tuesday held a stakeholders’ forum to sensitize the residents on the voters registration exercise scheduled to commence nationwide on Thursday yesterday.’s Administrative Secretary in the state, Mr Kayode Oladimeji, said at the forum in Abeokuta that the exercise would hold in all the 20 local government areas in the state.
He said that the exercise, which would hold between 9a.m and 3 p.m on working days, would last “till a few days to the 2019 general elections”.
Oladimeji said distribution of already printed permanent voter cards would be carried out simultaneously during the period.
Osun
The Police in Osun State last Tuesday arrested four members of a suspected five-man kidnapping gang after engaging them in a gunfire in Erin-Osun in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
Presenting one of the suspects to newsmen in Osogbo, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Folasade Odoro, said the suspects were arrested while on their way for a kidnapping operation last Tuesday.
Odoro said the police had been on the trail of the gang for a while before luck ran out of the hoodlums, as four out of the five members of the group were arrested by the police, while one of them escaped with gunshot wounds.
She said the kidnappers had been terrorising the people of the state.
Oyo
The Oyo State House Assembly has called on heads of public schools in the state to ensure safety of the institutions’ properties, warning that any student caught in acts of vandalism would be brought to book.
The warning followed a motion entitled, “Need to Stop the Gross Abuse of Public Properties in Oyo State,’’ presented during plenary last Tuesday.
The motion presented by the member representing Atiba State Constituency, Mr Genga Oyekola, was seconded by Mrs Wunmi Oladeji (LP-Ogbomoso North).
Oyekola, while presenting the motion, said the misuse of public properties had led to wastage of scarce resources and hindered socio-economic development.
Plateau
The Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse (YIAVHA), an NGO, has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to speedily pass into law the “Not Too Young to Rrun” Bill.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Pwakim Jacob, made the call in an interview with newsmen last Tuesday in Jos.
The “Not Too Young To Run” Bill, which seeks to give room for younger people to run for any elective position in the country, had passed second reading at the NASS.
According to Jacob, if given the chance to lead, the youth will drive the economic and political fortunes of Nigeria to the greatest height.
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.