Nation
THE STATES
Gombe
Police in Gombe have confirmed the killing of a retired civil servant, Tijjani Magaji, 43, of Idi Dawaki quarters in Gombe by unknown gunmen on Saturday in Gombe.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, said in Gombe on Sunday that Magaji was shot dead around 7.30 p.m.
According to him, two of the gunmen came on motorcycle, shot the deceased and fled the scene.
He said police were still investigating the matter and that no arrest had been made.
A resident of the quarters, who preferred anonymity, said he witnessed the incident, adding that the gunmen fire close-range shots at Magaji.
The deceased was a civil servant in Gombe Local Government before he left the service for business.
Kaduna
Representing Soba Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, Rep. Ibrahim Khalid says he has disbursed N1.3 million to 130 youths in the area to empower them.
He said in an interview during the disbursement at Maigana Local Government Area of the state, Sunday, that the essence of the gesture was to reciprocate the efforts of youths during his election, which he said, paved the way for his success and urged members of the constituency to be patient, assuring them more democratic dividends.
Also in an interview, the former Chairman of Soba Local Government Council, Alhaji Kawu Ibrahim-Yakasai, described the gesture as timely and commendable.
Ibrahim-Yakasai, who is also a member of the disbursement committee, urged youths to make efficient use of the resources to improve their lives.
Commenting on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Mu’azu Mahawayi and Malam Buba Mohammed-Yakasai, expressed appreciation for the gesture, urging the lawmaker to sustain the tempo.
Katsina
The Commandant of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Funtua, Mr Betara Umar has confirmed the death of three persons in a road accident which occurred in the area last Friday.
Umar said on Saturday in Funtua that 17 other passengers sustained injuries in the accident which involved a bus and a car.
He said the dead passengers were two females and a man who died on the spot, adding that the FRSC officials had removed the bodies and taken the injured to Funtua General Hospital.
He said the accident occurred at Sheme village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, noting that investigations revealed that the accident happened as a result of wrong overtaking.
Umar appealed to road users to always adhere to road regulations and abide by safety rules.
Kwara
An Italian national, Digi Modesto, working with Borini Prono Construction Company, kidnapped in Ilorin on May 30, has been released.
A police source said on Sunday in Ilorin that the expatriate was released on Saturday by his captors.
According to the source, the Italian was immediately taken away from Ilorin by the construction company. The source refused to confirm the amount paid to the captors before the release of the expatriate was effected.
It was gathered that the victim was kidnapped while going to inspect an on-going road construction at Bishop Smith road, opposite Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose hall.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kwara State Police Command, DSP Fabode Olufemi, confirmed the release saying investigation was still going on.
The police spokesman assured the general public that the security agents in the state were determined to ensure security of lives and property, and urged members of the public to go about their normal business and assist the security agents with useful information that would always lead to the arrest of criminals in the society.
Lagos
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, has urged the residents to champion the cause of a sustainable environment.
He said this Saturday in Lagos, to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day set aside by the United Nations and scheduled to be observed from June 2 to June 17. The theme of this year’s celebration is, “Green Economy – Does it include you?”
Bello said this year’s celebration would dwell more on youths in the tertiary institutions and their involvement in the environment. “Youths, especially those in higher institutions, are change agents and potential crusaders of the Environment whose energy and resources we must enlist in the struggle for a safe and hygienic environment,” he noted.
Bello said that the debate was a way of promoting knowledge and spreading awareness about government’s greening programme and other environment policies among the youth.
The commissioner said the tertiary institutions involved in the debate included Yaba College of Technology, Lagos; State Polytechnic; Federal College of Education,Technical, Akoka; University of Lagos; and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has imposed a curfew on Alago and Eggon communities in Lafia, where two persons died in a communal conflict on Friday.
The governor, who visited the two communities in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, directed that the curfew must run from 6p.m to 6a.m
Al-Makura expressed concern about the communal clash, promising that his administration would provide security of lives and property in all communities in the state.
The governor appealed to all the affected residents to remain calm while the security agents would find the perpetrators of the vicious acts and bring them to judgment and assured that government would provide relief materials to the victims and stressed the need for the communities to live in peace and unity.
Al-Makura attributed the occurrence of the clash to lack of patience and unity among the community members and urged the people of the affected areas to adhere strictly of the curfew, which he said, would hold until peace was restored to the areas.
Nasarawa
The Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, said that nine persons had been charged to court for disobeying traffic rules on the Karu-Mararaba road.
Akeremale said in Lafia on Saturday that the action was part of efforts aimed at enforcing traffic rules, particularly on the Karu-Mararaba highway which was known for serious traffic gridlock.
He stressed that nobody was above the law irrespective of his or her status in the society, urging citizens to cooperate with the police in efforts to ensure a crime-free society.
Besides, Akeremale said that 18 persons were been arrested under the bridge in the area, adding that nine of them had been charged to court since they had no means of livelihood, while the remaining nine were interrogated and discharged.
“You see, the powerful and mighty just park their vehicles indiscriminately on the Karu-Mararaba road and when you approach them; they will say they are working at so-so place, forgetting that nobody is above the law
“The law is not a respecter of anybody; we are all equal before the law, some people don’t believe that their actions are wrong until they are apprehended and charged to court. “We will continue to arrest them until they have a rethink and become aware that the law is a leveller,’’ he added.
Niger
The Niger Commissioner for Sports Development, Alhaji Hassan Abdullahi, has urged staff of the ministry to embrace computer literacy.
Abdullahi said in Minna while declaring open a two-week workshop organised by the Ministry of Sports Development for its staff to improve their computer skills, that computer literacy is one of the modern ways of keeping abreast of current developments across the globe.
“You must embrace computer literacy as this is the only way you can be connected to the current happenings across the globe. “Therefore, I want all the participants to take this workshop serious to ensure efficient and quality service
delivery,” he said.
Also speaking, Malam Abdul Abdul, the leader of the resource persons, described the computer as a friendly machine that could aid the work of every civil servant.
Ogun
Another multiple crash involving 24 vehicles near Sagamu, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway caused traffic disorder last Saturday, according to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
FRSC Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said that the accident occurred on Friday night when a trailer loaded with petrol fell and caught fire near the Sagamu interchange.
He said although no lives were lost, two persons sustained injuries while 176 people travelling in the affected vehicles had been evacuated.
The accident involved motor cars, mini and luxury buses, tankers as well as trailers, he said.
He appealed to motorists to use alternative routes to and from Lagos to avoid the gridlock, while fire-fighters, police and FRSC officers are battling to ease the traffic.
Last Thursday, there was a traffic logjam between Sagamu and Redeemed Christian Church on the expressway as a tipper, three fuel tankers and three articulated vehicles exploded on impact.
Plateau
Local government workers in Plateau have embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of the N18,000 minimum wage.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Jibrin Bancir, said in Jos on Saturday that the strike started on Wednesday, May 30. He said that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was also in support of the indefinite strike.
Bancir said that while the state’s civil servants had been benefiting from the N18,000 minimum wage, local government workers in the state were receiving N9,000 as the minimum wage. He stressed that the strike was to compel the state government to pay the local government workers the new minimum wage.
“We are not longer comfortable with the 50 per cent of what was being paid to workers in PlateauState’s civil service,’’ he said.
The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had rejected the 50-per-cent wage increase earlier proposed by the Plateau government.
Mr Samson Mafuyai, the state Chairman of NULGE, said that the union rejected the proposed wage increase because of the government’s inability to abide by the terms of earlier negotiations with the NLC and the TUC.
Sokoto
Gov. Aliyu Wamakko announced on Saturday in Sokoto that contractors executing projects for the State are to pay one per cent of their contract sum to the state Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the money would be deducted from source, hinting that a bill to give the deduction a legal backing would be forwarded to the State House of Assembly.
Wamakko spoke at the opening of a workshop on “Zakat and Endowment in Contemporary Society” organised by the State Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the direct deduction would boost the “monthly income of the committee to enhance its activities, aimed at alleviating poverty in the society.”
Wamakko also announced that the state government and its 23 local government councils would, henceforth, donate N31.5 million monthly to the committee instead of the current N7.4 million.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, commended the governor for alleviationg the conditions of the poor.
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.