Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with popular musician, Innocent Idibia, (2 face Idibia), has inaugurated an awareness campaign to garner support for victims of violence.
The UNHCR and the singer-songwriter are focusing their campaign on those who were affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East region.
Laibia said this at a musical concert organised by the Nigerian Army at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri recently. He said he decided to partner with UNHCR because he was deeply touched by the conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“I visited some of the IDP camps. Their condition is heart-breaking and saddening.
FCT
House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts last Wednesday in Abuja set up a six-man panel to investigate alleged disbursement of N1.47 billion loan to unspecified beneficiaries by National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
The resolution followed the consideration of a query raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation in 2011.
The auditor general requested the NDE to give account of how the N1.47 billion was disbursed to some Nigerians under its skills acquisition scheme since its inception.
The sub-committee, headed by the Committee’s Deputy Chairman, Rep. Ibrahim Baba, also has Reps. Legor Idagbor, Lawal Shuaibu, Sunday Adepoju, Olusegun Kehinde and Daniel Kolawole as members.
The committee is to investigate the loan disbursement and establish particulars of alleged beneficiaries.
Gombe
The Gombe State Government has shut down four private schools located in Tumfure, Akko Local Government Area, over poor infrastructure, unqualified teachers and unhygienic environment. A statement signed by Alhaji Saidu Malala, Chief Information Officer in the Ministry of Education, quoted the Commissioner of Education, Hajia Aishatu Ahmed, as saying in Gombe last Wednesday, that the action followed a report sent to the ministry.
“We received a report on the mode of their operations and found it contrary to our standards.
“We have acceptable minimum standards for establishing and maintaining schools. The four schools did not meet those standards,” Malala further quoted Ahmed as saying.
Kaduna
The National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) will require about N5 billion to establish a 600-hectare Integrated Commercial Livestock Farm, says its Director, Prof. Clarence Ayodele-Lakpini. Ayodele-Lakpini made the disclosure when he presented a paper on proposed farm in Zaria last Wednesday. Our correspondent report that the farm project is expected to be executed in collaboration with Fodder Green Technology Ltd., a livestock developer, and some foreign investors.
Ayodele-Lakpini said that the amount, which would cover the National Livestock Training (NALIT 2017), would also be used to provide training halls, hostels, power and water facilities on the model farm.
Kano
A Kano Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday sentenced 28-year-old man, Isma’il Muhammad, to six months imprisonment for allegedly inflicting injuries on the face of one Musa Shehu with an animal horn. Muhammad, who resides at Badawa Quarters, Kano, was sentenced on a count charge of causing hurt. In his verdict, Magistrate Zubair Inuwa, sentenced the convict accordingly as he admitted committing the offence. Inuwa, however, gave the convict an option to pay N15,000 fine and also ordered the convict to pay the victim N17,000, as compensation for medical bills incurred.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Yakubu Galadima, had informed the court that on July 3, one Abdullahi Abbas of Badawa Zango Quarters, Kano, reported the case at Badawa Police Station.
Katsina
The Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board says it has secured approval of 3,000 travel visas, out of the 4,930 intending pilgrims expected to perform the 2017 Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The Executive Director of the board, Alhaji Muhammadu Abu-Rimi, made the disclosure at the formal commencement of pilgrims’ orientation in Daura last Wednesday. He said the National Hajj Commission had officially announced Sunday, July 30, as the official date for the commencement of transportation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, nationwide.
‘‘Our remaining visas, 1, 930 for remaining intending pilgrims, will soon be processed,’’ he said. Abu-Rimi further disclosed that the state government had secured befitting hotel accommodation closer to the two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina for the intending pilgrims.
Kwara
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has approved the release of N1billion to local government councils in the state to offset part of their salary arrears. The state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, disclosed this in a statement in Ilorin last Wednesday. He said the N1billion was part of the N5.1 billion received by the state government as its share of the Paris Club refunds from the Federal government.
Banu said the N5.1 billion received by the state government was 12.5 per cent lower than the amount it expected from the Federal Government.
Lagos
Two men, Sadiq Opebim and Abeeb Oladipupo, who allegedly gang-raped a 13-year-old girl, were last Wednesday docked before a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Opebim, 20 and Oladipupo, 21, whose addresses were not provided, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy and rape. The prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, said that the accused committed the offences on July 1 at about 11.00 p.m under the bridge at Idumota in Ebute Ero area of Lagos State.
Osayande alleged that police patrol caught the accused raping the girl. The prosecutor said the girl told the police that both men threatened her with knife before she forcefully removed her dress.
Nasarawa
The police last Wednesday arraigned a 57-year-old security guard, Ayuba Akawu in a Masaka Upper Area Court in Nasarawa State, on a count charge of negligent conduct. The prosecutor, Frank Swem, told the court that one Sunday Onoja of Internal Nigeria Limited, Wuse 2, Abuja, reported the matter at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Masaka, on July 11. Swem said that on the same date at about 7.40 p.m., the accused, a security man at the ‘Airtel mast’, located at Jeun Madaki Masaka, called the complainant on phone.
Ogun
A 44-year-old man, Emeka Ushiebi, was last Wednesday arraigned in an Abeokuta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Isabo , for allegedly breaking into a Bible College and stole a laptop and cash worth N533,000.
The accused is facing a three -count charge of conspiracy, stealing and break-in.
The prosecutor, Insp. Sunday Eigbejiale, told the court that the offence was committed on May 5, at Mile 7 Km 12 Ajebo Road in Abeokuta.
Eigbejiale alleged that the defendant conspired with others at large and broke into West Nigeria Christian College and School of Biblical Studies.
He said that the defendant made away with an HP laptop, valued at N180,000 and N353,000 cash, all valued at N533,000
The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 516, 412, and 390 of the Criminal Law of Ogun 2006.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Osun
A dermatologist, Prof. Olayinka Olasode, has warned Nigerians against skin bleaching, saying that a bleached skin is prone to skin cancer and other diseases.
Olasode, a Professor of Dermatology at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, gave the warning in an interview with newsmen last Wednesday.
She said that skin lightening creams contained steroid and hydroquinone which have adverse effects on the skin.
She further said that those who engaged in bleaching could also suffer hypertension and diabetes, among other health conditions, including the colour of their nails turning brown.
According to her, those who engage in skin bleaching usually have body odour, experience profuse sweating, hot feelings and discomfort during the dry season.
Plateau
The Plateau State Task Group in the state’s Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (PRUWASA) on Sanitation has declared 118 communities in the state open defecation free in the last six months.
Director, Sanitation in the agency, Mrs Magdalene Jibrin, made the disclosure at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) mid-year review meeting last Wednesday in Jos.
Our correspondent report that the meeting, organised by the UNICEF Field Office in Bauchi, was aimed at reviewing UNICEF’s activities in various sectors working in Plateau and Jigawa.
Open defecation is the practice where by people defecate outside and not into a designated toilet.
The term is widely used in literature about water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues in developing countries.
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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