The Rivers State Police Command said it has recovered one scorpion VZ61 submachine gun, fabricated English-made Beretta pistol, 20 rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition, two rounds of 9mm live ammunition and a pair of screwdriver (sunglasses) from a notorious cultist in the State.

The Police said the recovery was made following the arrest and confession of a 36-year-old suspect, Mr Diseye Ukulu, from Bayelsa State, who resides at No 25 Nnewi Street, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-koko, who revealed this in a statement on Wednesday, explained that Ukulu was arrested over his alleged involvement in wreaking havoc in Diobu through cult activities.

The statement read in part: “In compliance with the directives of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga A. Adepoju, to rid the State of criminal networks, the command has recorded a significant breakthrough with the arrest of Diseye Ukulu, a 36-year-old male from Bayelsa State, but resident at No 25 Nnewi Street, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

“On 9th of July, 2025, at about 18.20hrs, a combined team of Police operatives from the Special Operations and Intelligence Team (SOIT), Hawk Tactical Squad, and Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU), Port Harcourt, in collaboration with Diobu local vigilante group members, apprehended the suspect.

“The operation was intelligence-driven, focusing on inter-confraternity rivalries between the D12 and BS secret cult groups, both affiliated with the notorious and dreaded Deygbam cult group, which has been linked to recent gruesome killings in the Diobu axis of Port- Harcourt.

“Following Ukulu’s confession, the operatives swiftly mobilized to the residence of Achionu Solomon Chukwuma, ‘m’ aka Solex and recovered exhibits: All exhibits were concealed in a black bag.”

Irinke-Koko noted that the suspect and exhibits were in the Police custody, even as she assured that a thorough and discreet investigation was ongoing, and that efforts were being made to apprehend other members of the cult group.

Meanwhile, the Police commissioner has reaffirmed the command’s commitment to bringing all perpetrators of crime in the State to justice, urging residents of the state to provide useful and timely information to the Police to enable them make more exploits.

Enoch Epelle

The headline inflation for June 2025 moderated to 22.22 per cent relative to the May 2025 headline inflation rate of 22.97 per cent, report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown

According to the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the Bureau, the year-on-year figure reflects a 0.75 percentage point decline from the previous month and a significant 11.97 percentage point drop when compared to June 2024, which recorded an inflation rate of 34.19 per cent.

The decline in annual inflation is being recorded against the backdrop of a rebased index, with 2024 as the new base year.

On a month-on-month basis, however, inflation rose slightly to 1.68 per cent in June, compared to 1.53 per cent in May, suggesting that while the pace of price increases is slowing on an annual basis, prices are still rising faster from one month to the next.

The CPI rose from 121.4 in May to 123.4 in June, indicating persistent price pressures, especially in food, transport, and housing.

The NBS report read, “The Consumer Price Index rose to 123.4 in June 2025, reflecting a 2.0-point increase from the preceding month (121.4). In June 2025, the Headline inflation rate eased to 22.22 per cent relative to the May 2025 headline inflation rate of 22.97 per cent. Looking at the movement, the June 2025 Headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 0.75 per cent compared to the May 2025 Headline inflation rate.

“On a year-on-year basis, the Headline inflation rate was 11.97 per cent lower than the rate recorded in June 2024 (34.19 per cent). This shows that the Headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) decreased in June 2025 compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., June 2024), though with a different base year, November 2009 = 100.”

The food inflation rate stood at 21.97 per cent year-on-year in June, a sharp drop from 40.87 per cent recorded in June 2024.

This significant fall is attributed largely to the base year effect. On a month-on-month basis, food inflation rose to 3.25 per cent in June, up from 2.19 per cent in May, driven by price increases in staples such as tomatoes, pepper, dried green peas, crayfish, shrimps, meat, plantain flour, and ground pepper.

The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve-month period ending June 2025 stood at 28.28 per cent, down by 7.02 percentage points from the 35.3 per cent recorded over a similar period last year.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile items such as agricultural produce and energy, declined year-on-year to 22.76 per cent in June 2025 from 27.4 per cent in June 2024.

On a month-on-month basis, however, core inflation increased to 2.46 per cent, up from 1.10 per cent in May, reflecting renewed pressures in non-food components.

The average twelve-month inflation rate for core items stood at 24.14 per cent in June 2025, slightly higher than the 24.01 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.

The report showed a divergence in inflation trends between urban and rural areas.

Urban inflation dropped to 22.72 per cent year-on-year in June from 36.55 per cent in June 2024, while rising to 2.11 per cent month-on-month, from 1.40 per cent in May.

The twelve-month average for urban inflation also declined to 28.16 per cent.

Rural inflation followed a similar pattern, easing to 20.85 per cent year-on-year from 32.09 per cent, but slowing month-on-month to 0.63 per cent in June, from 1.83 per cent in May. The average annual rural inflation rate stood at 24.65 per cent.

In terms of state-level data, Borno recorded the highest year-on-year all-items inflation rate at 31.63 per cent, followed by Abuja at 26.79 per cent and Benue at 25.91 per cent.

The slowest increases were recorded in Zamfara at 9.90 per cent, Yobe at 13.51 per cent, and Sokoto at 15.78 per cent.

On a month-on-month basis, the sharpest increases were in Ekiti at 5.39 per cent, Delta at 5.15 per cent, and Lagos at 5.13 per cent, while Zamfara, Niger, and Plateau recorded declines of 6.89, 5.35, and 4.01 per cent, respectively.

Food inflation was most severe in Borno at 47.40 per cent year-on-year, followed by Ebonyi at 30.62 per cent and Bayelsa at 28.64 per cent.

Katsina, Adamawa, and Sokoto recorded the slowest food inflation at 6.21, 10.90, and 15.25 per cent, respectively.

On a month-on-month basis, food inflation rose fastest in Enugu at 11.90 per cent, Kwara at 9.97 per cent, and Rivers at 9.88 per cent, while Borno, Sokoto, and Bayelsa recorded declines of 7.63, 6.43, and 6.34 per cent, respectively.

The divisions contributing most significantly to the headline index were food and non-alcoholic beverages, restaurants and accommodation services, transport, housing, electricity, gas and other fuels, education, health, and clothing and footwear.

While the easing of inflation on a yearly basis may reflect improved stability in macroeconomic indicators, the rising monthly rates suggest that Nigerian households continue to face considerable cost-of-living pressures.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as the Muhammadu Buhari University.

The President revealed this yesterday at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“May we now adopt the University of the Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said.

Earlier, the President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism, and moral uprightness would endure for generations.

Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.

“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.

“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.

Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.

He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.

“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism was lived more in action than in words.”

Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.

The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.

“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.

“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.

Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.

He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”

The expanded meeting was part of a series of national mourning activities approved by President Bola Tinubu, following Buhari’s passing at a London hospital on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82.

Yesterday’s expanded FEC meeting was attended by key national figures, including the leadership of the National Assembly – both the Senate and the House of Representatives – members of the Judiciary, and representatives of the late President’s family.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has also scheduled interfaith prayer sessions in honour of the deceased former President, with a special prayer session scheduled to hold at the National Mosque today, and a special church service on Sunday, July 20, 2025.

President Tinubu had earlier, on Wednesday, described the late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of “rare discipline and quiet strength,” whose love for Nigeria defined every decision he made in office.

In a tribute issued via his official X handle on Wednesday, Tinubu said Buhari’s passing was not just a national loss but also a personal tragedy.

“Mai Gaskiya was not just a former president. He was a man of rare discipline and quiet strength, whose love for Nigeria shaped every decision he made, even in the face of criticism,” Tinubu stated.

He noted that Buhari’s leadership was guided by integrity and a deep sense of patriotism, adding that their bond went beyond politics.

“I mourn him deeply, not just as my predecessor, but as a comrade in the long and often lonely journey of nation-building,” Tinubu said.

The President extended condolences to Buhari’s widow, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, and the entire family, praying that they find solace in the legacy the late leader left behind.

“To his beloved wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, and the entire family, I offer my heartfelt condolences. May you find comfort in the honour and legacy he leaves behind,” he added.

Tinubu described Buhari’s death as a personal loss, saying, “Nigeria has lost a true son. I have lost a friend in former President Buhari. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljannah Firdaus. Rest well, ‘Baba Buhari.’”

Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from December 31, 1983, to August 27, 1985, and was democratically elected from 2015 to 2023, was buried on Tuesday at his private residence in Daura, Katsina State.