Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chairman and ex-Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike as the “naked wire” of Rivers politics.

Akawor, who is the ex-Director-General of Nyesom Wike’s 2015 governorship campaign, said Wike’s feat had shown that President Bola Tinubu picked the right product from the PDP to work with.

He disclosed this while leading the
Rivers State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and members of the state House of Assembly to celebrate with Wike on his 58th birthday.

Wike, who clocked 58 on Friday, had his residence in Abuja flooded with friends and associates who came to felicitate with him.

Speaking last night, Ambassador Akawor while eulogizing Wike made reference to Psalm 90 verse 12, where “the Lord teach us to number our days.”

He said: “Your excellency, on behalf of the zonal Coordinators of the Renewed Hope, the 23 Coordinators, 319 Coordinators at the Ward level, and the 6,866 unit leaders of Rivers State. Here you have all the local government Chairmen of Rivers State and all the Assembly members are here with you this night.

“We will always pray for you, you have showcased this government and Mr President that he made the right choice, that he looked for the right product from the Peoples Democratic Party and you have not failed him.

“You will continue to sore high and of course, it’s only the tree that has the right fruits that the children will stone.

“The truth is that stones will come but we know you. As the naked wire of Rivers politics, you will struggle and get over it, we wish you good luck.”

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The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has declared that not even $1 billion could tempt him into politics.

According to Politics Nigeria, he made the statement during the impartation service of the church’s annual convocation, Shiloh 2025.

Bishop Oyedepo urged church members to focus on their divine callings, stressing that it is within their God-given purpose that they can “rule their world” and be enlisted in God’s end-time army.

He said, “In 2015, I warned the church that trouble was coming. Didn’t trouble come? Partisan politics is off my calling. Even if you offered me $1 billion, I would not join politics because it is not my course.”

The bishop highlighted the urgency of the times, noting the world’s desperate need for divine intervention.

“The world is groaning in darkness, but as stated in Romans 8:19, it is waiting for the earnest manifestations of the children of God. The army of God is about to rise to provide solutions to national crises in the manner of Joseph and Daniel. It is a day of what eyes have not seen and ears have not heard,” he added.

His message encouraged believers to remain steadfast in their God-given purposes rather than being distracted by worldly pursuits. By focusing on their calling, he stressed, Christians can positively influence their communities and nations, following the example of biblical figures like Joseph and Daniel.

Shiloh 2025 began on December 9 and will conclude on December 14, 2025, at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State. The event brings together worshippers for spiritual teachings, impartation, and fellowship.

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A young Nigerian lady has gone viral after sharing her joy online after marrying an Oyinbo man she met on a dating site.

Marriage Celebration Goes Viral

The bride, identified on TikTok as @krizzbialomazur, revealed that she met her husband on the dating platform Afrointroduction.

She described how their connection on the site eventually led to marriage, encouraging others to explore online dating opportunities.

Traditional Wedding in Style

Sharing a video from their traditional wedding, the couple appeared in matching native attire, celebrating their union in style.

The clip quickly gained attention on TikTok, amassing over 66,000 views at the time of reporting.

Advice for Young Women

Reflecting on her experience, the bride encouraged young women to be open to meeting people online.

She highlighted the importance of giving potential partners a chance, suggesting that online dating can lead to meaningful relationships.

She added that she is in her early 20s, while her husband is 23.

Netizens React

Her post received mixed reactions from social media users. Many praised her for sharing her story, while others expressed curiosity about the platform where she met her husband.

In the comments, she wrote: “We met on Afrointroduction.”

See below;

@krizzbialomazur

First, download the dating site baby girl🧏🏽‍♀️😇 #fyp #viral #interracialcouple #bwwm

♬ original sound – 𝒶𝓂𝒶𝒾 🌀☀️

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• EllahLakes has transformed from a single-crop, single-location operation into a multi-asset, multi-crop agro-industrial platform spanning over 30,000 hectares across multiple states, leveraging diversification and mechanisation to ensure year-round production and revenue stability.
• The N235 billion capital raise will fund the acquisition of Agro-Allied Resources & Processing Nigeria Limited, expand processing capacity, upgrade mechanisation, improve storage and logistics infrastructure, and integrate digital farm management systems to boost efficiency and scalability.
• Immediate priorities include operational audits, harmonisation of farming practices, rapid infrastructure upgrades, and integration of new assets into existing supply chains, positioning Ellah Lakes as a fully integrated agro-industrial leader with predictable cash flows and competitive advantage.

Could you briefly walk us through the Company’s operational journey? How has Ellah Lakes strategically built and consolidated its core asset base to reach this transformative stage? 

Ellah Lakes’ journey has been defined by a deliberate transformation from a single-crop, single-location operation into a multi-asset, multi-crop agro-industrial platform operating across several states. Over the past few years, we consolidated strategic agricultural assets, diversified into complementary crops, and invested heavily in land development, mechanisation, and processing capacity.

A part of our evolution is the balance between short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. Our piggery operation now provides high-margin, rapid-turnover cash flow, while our plantation assets form the long-term backbone of the business as they mature into full commercial production.

We have now entered a momentum phase where these assets are being industrialised through upgraded mills, mechanised cultivation, and integrated logistics, allowing us to shift from simply holding land to generating consistent, scalable output. This is the transformative stage Ellah Lakes is positioned for today, supported by disciplined investment and a clear growth strategy.

Ellah Lakes will control over 30,000 hectares of land. How does this vast, multi-regional operational scale spanning various states and multiple crops translate directly into a measurable competitive advantage? 

Ellah Lakes’ control of over 30,000 hectares across multiple states gives the Company a structural advantage that goes beyond scale. The geographical spread provides natural risk diversification, and different climatic zones, soil conditions, and regional dynamics ensure that production is not dependent on a single location. This makes the output more stable and predictable year-round.

The multi-state footprint also supports a diversified crop and livestock portfolio, allowing Ellah Lakes to operate on staggered production cycles. This translates to continuous operations and steady revenue, instead of relying on a single harvest season. In addition, operating at this size enables the Company to deploy large-scale mechanisation, integrated processing, and more efficient logistics.

Could you detail the specific physical infrastructure and equipment being commissioned or acquired with the N235 billion? 

The N235 billion capital raise is intended to strengthen Ellah Lakes’ operational platform and accelerate its transition into a fully integrated agro-industrial business. Upon successful completion of the offer, a significant portion of the proceeds will fund the acquisition of Agro-Allied Resources & Processing Nigeria Limited (ARPN), an integrated agribusiness with valuable oil palm and cassava assets that will immediately expand the Company’s land bank, processing capacity, and multi-crop output.

The remaining funds will be deployed towards essential operational upgrades, including land development, mechanisation, processing facility enhancements, and improvements to storage and logistics infrastructure. A portion will also support working capital and technology systems that improve efficiency, yield monitoring, and overall farm management.

The core aim is operational efficiency. Can you quantify the expected improvement in key operational metrics and the overall gains that the new investment in mechanisation and technology will deliver?

The capital deployment is focused on delivering meaningful operational improvements across Ellah Lakes’ integrated agribusiness platform.  We expect the investment to drive significant enhancements in crop yields, production efficiency, and processing throughput once fully implemented. Mechanisation, improved agricultural practices, and upgraded post-harvest infrastructure will collectively strengthen margins, stabilise output, and support consistent, year-round production. As the acquisition is completed and we take possession of the new assets, we will provide more detailed updates on the quantifiable impact of these initiatives.

The integration of assets like ARPN is critical. What are the immediate operational priorities for integrating these new assets, and how are you ensuring a smooth transition that makes them immediately profitable and accretive to the revenue base? 

The integration of the ARPN assets is being treated as an accelerated operational priority, with a clear focus on making the assets productive, profitable, and immediately accretive to our revenue base. Our approach centres on three core pillars: operational stabilisation, infrastructure optimisation, and rapid commercial activation.

First, we are conducting a detailed technical and operational audit of the acquired assets to confirm land readiness, crop condition, existing infrastructure, and immediate rehabilitation needs. This enables us to prioritise interventions that accelerate production, including land clearing, preparation, and the restoration of essential utilities and access routes.

Second, we are harmonising the ARPN operations with our existing systems by aligning farming practices, mechanisation standards, workforce structures, and reporting processes. This ensures that all assets operate under one unified operational playbook, improving efficiency and reducing early-stage transition risks.

Third, we are executing rapid upgrades that make the assets cash-generating in the shortest possible time. This includes deploying mechanised cultivation equipment, initiating high-yield crop cycles, and integrating the output into our processing and commercial channels.

We are also leveraging our existing procurement, supply chain, and market relationships so that production from ARPN moves directly into established revenue streams without delay. Collectively, these steps ensure a smooth transition while positioning the newly integrated assets to begin contributing meaningfully to production volumes, cost efficiencies, and overall earnings within the current cycle.

From an operational standpoint, how does having diversified production cycles and inputs actively de-risk the Company’s annual output and revenue stream against regional weather or commodity price volatility? 

Diversification is a central element of Ellah Lakes’ risk-management strategy. The Company’s tiered model, combining short-term cash from livestock, mid-term returns from cassava, and long-term gains from oil palm, is proving effective in sustaining growth while de-risking the business during scale-up.

Adverse weather conditions in one region can be offset by stable production in others, ensuring that overall output remains resilient. Similarly, fluctuations in the market price of a particular commodity have a limited effect on total revenue, as earnings from other crops help balance overall financial performance. In addition, operating multiple production cycles throughout the year allows for the efficient use of labour, machinery, and infrastructure, further enhancing operational stability. Together, these factors create a more predictable cash flow profile, supporting consistent revenue generation and protecting shareholder value.

For investors tracking the deployment, what are the critical physical, non-financial completion milestones you are focusing on for the next 12 to 18 months? 

We focus on physical, operational, and capacity-building milestones that directly translate into increased productivity. These include the completion of land clearing and preparation across key hectares, the installation and commissioning of new processing mills, and the full deployment of our mechanisation fleet across all operating sites. We are also focused on expanding internal road networks and logistics routes to ensure efficient movement of materials, as well as developing storage infrastructure at strategic locations to support operational continuity.

Equally important is the integration and harmonisation of all newly acquired assets, alongside the implementation of digital farm and supply-chain management systems. Collectively, these milestones provide tangible measures of progress and underscore our readiness to scale production efficiently, ensuring sustained operational growth and value creation for investors.

How will the capital raise enhance Ellah Lakes’ internal logistics and supply chain capabilities? What improvements will be made to transport and storage infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks and solidify control over the finished product? 

The capital raise will enable Ellah Lakes to establish a self-reliant and highly efficient internal logistics and supply chain system, giving the Company greater control over the movement of products and the speed at which they reach markets. Planned improvements include the development of strategically located storage hubs and agricultural warehouses across operating states, and the installation of cold-chain and climate-controlled storage for perishable goods. In addition, road access within farms will be enhanced to accelerate the evacuation of produce, while integrated technology systems will provide end-to-end tracking and management of the supply chain. These upgrades will minimise operational bottlenecks, reduce post-harvest losses, and create a more predictable and efficient product flow, ultimately supporting cost optimisation and improving margins.

Looking ahead, what is the single most critical operational transformation that this N235 billion will enable, and how does this transformation guarantee Ellah Lakes’ positioning as an agro-industrial leader in the region? 

The most critical operational transformation enabled by this N235 billion capital raise is Ellah Lakes’ evolution from a land-holding agribusiness into a fully integrated agro-industrial platform, featuring mechanised, industrial-scale production and processing capabilities.

This transformation allows the Company to produce consistently at scale while maintaining control over the entire value chain, from cultivation through to processing. It also ensures the delivery of high-quality outputs to industrial customers and supports the generation of diversified, predictable, and scalable revenue streams. By building industrial capacity rather than simply expanding agricultural land, Ellah Lakes establishes a sustainable competitive advantage and strengthens its position as a leading indigenous agro-industrial operator in West Africa.

Visit—https://bit.ly/EllahLakesNGX to buy Ellah Lakes shares directly via the NGX portal

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Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has explained that criminal networks, including bandits involved in kidnappings, use sophisticated communication technology that makes them difficult to track through conventional SIM registration systems.

He said the calls made to victims’ families do not rely on standard mobile towers, challenging assumptions about unregistered or fraudulently registered SIM cards.

Speaking on the intersection between digital regulation and national security, Tijani dismissed claims that large numbers of unregistered SIMs remain active despite the National Identification Number linkage policy.

He noted that telecom operators had conducted a nationwide clean-up exercise to eliminate improperly registered lines from the system.

Beyond conventional mobile networks

He added, “It’s more technical than that communication. There was a special kind of technology that they were using to call. They weren’t using the normal towers. They bounced calls off multiple towers when they leave,” explaining why tracking the origin of such calls remains difficult.

Government response and satellite investment

Tijani said this technical reality partly explains why bandits prefer operating in remote and unconnected areas, where conventional network infrastructure is weak or absent.

He added that the technology being used does not depend solely on Nigeria’s standard mobile tower architecture.

The minister revealed that President Bola Tinubu approved increased investment in telecommunications towers in hard-to-reach areas after security agencies identified gaps in coverage exploited by criminals.

These investments aim to limit the advantage bandits gain from operating outside network reach.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government is upgrading Nigeria’s existing communication satellites to strengthen surveillance and connectivity.

Tijani said satellite coverage would serve as a backup where terrestrial towers fail.

The minister emphasised that addressing technologically driven crime requires coordinated investment across digital infrastructure, security intelligence, and innovation, rather than reliance on SIM registration alone.

Watch the video below…

“Band!ts use a special kind of technology to call v!ctim’s family” — Nigeria’s minister of comm. Innovation & digital economy, Bosun Tijani explains why it’s difficult to track band!ts and other crim!nal networks. pic.twitter.com/qne0gHwGJH

— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) December 13, 2025

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By Mobolaji Sanusi

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” ——Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Y2025 is approaching its end. In precisely five months’ time, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be clocking three years in the saddle. Today’s not a time for passing a verdict on the president’s administration. That’ll come later, but today’s a day to look at the president’s most recent appointment of a new minister of defence in view of the exacerbating insecurity in the land. Also, the need to look at how to forestall or deescalate foreign intrusion in the nation’s internal affairs.

Tinubu, as governor of Lagos State, was known more by the catchphrase: ‘Talent Hunter.’ And as president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the federal republic of Nigeria with several federal appointments in his kitty, many believe the jury is still out on that catchphrase.

So far, the president has made appointments that have elicited mixed reactions from the Nigerian public since August 2023, when the first set of ministerial appointments of his administration were announced. However, never in the almost three years of this administration’s existence has any of the president’s appointments been widely celebrated as the president’s recent appointment of General Christopher Musa (rtd), as the country’s new Minister of Defence. Why this is so may not be unconnected with the ineptitude with which Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, minister of defence until few weeks back and his currently serving junior minister, Bello Matawalle, mishandled the recent spate of insecurity in the country. Clearly, these two appointments put to task the catchphrase of the president as a talent hunter.

No wonder that Nigerians, almost in unison, applauded the appointment of General Musa, whom the president, weeks ago sent on compulsory retirement from his erstwhile post of Chief of Defence Staff, alongside other Service Chiefs of his epoch.

Musa truly possesses a salutary profile. But despite this, he has an Herculean task ahead of him as the country’s man-of-the-moment because Nigerians truly look up to him to rescue them from amongst others, the pangs of banditry, the criminality of kidnappers and also the barbarity of armed miscreants disturbing ceaselessly, the spirit of Nigerians.

Questions: Can the retired but obviously not tired General Musa deliver Nigeria from the menace of insecurity that has become a routine recurrence in the country? Won’t the burden of expectations from Nigerians be too deafening for the new Defence Minister to bear? Being a significant part of our rotten system that created and nursed him to hierarchical recognition, will he be able to muster the requisite political will to quash our systemic monsters that might stand between him and his plans for ridding the country of insecurity? Can he stop the endemic corruption and systemic compromise that the unnamed architects of the ongoing insecurity have been inflicting on the country?

How’s Musa going to deal with the unimpressive military hardware on ground and the debilitating welfare of our military personnel, especially those on the battlefields that did not positively speak to the billions of dollars officially claimed to have over several decades allegedly spent in tackling insecurity in the country?

This military general, being a creation of this system, presumably knows what he wants to do and how. During his screening appearance before the National Assembly, he spoke smoothly and with confidence. But there is a clear distinction between talk, considered to be cheap, and implementation of the desired action necessary to bring about expected results to quell ongoing insecurity in the country.

Now is the time for Musa to walk his talk. Franz Kafka once stated that a wise man “starts with what is right than what is acceptable.” This statement should be Musa’s watchword if he intends to achieve anything meaningful as the country’s Defence Minister. Those currently responsible for the rotten state of affairs in the country will surely want him to do what is acceptable to them but to achieve anything tangible for self and country, he needs to depart from acceptable norms and take a detour to the pathways of what is right.

Yours sincerely can vividly recollect that while he was still in active military service, one or two of his video clips surfaced on the social media where he was seen lecturing his audience on what the country needs to do to win its current intractable insecurity conundrum. He should not detract from his position in those videos but stick to what he thinks should be done to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.

He was shown, in one of the videos, strongly advocating for the building of comprehensive border perimeter fences with neighbours like Niger Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Benin Republic so as to curb the infiltration and illegal crossings of insurgents into the country. He made comparative allusions to countries with similar issues that largely resolved their insecurity problems through perimeter fencing of their borders. He alluded to Pakistan that walled its borders with Afghanistan while Saudi Arabia equally walled its borders with Iraq. Musa wondered why the country was delaying in embracing this option months ago. But now that he’s now the country’s defence minister, he should make the achievement of this good idea one of his main critical priorities.

General Musa also advocated for the deployment of drones, cameras, and transponders, which he considered necessary security tools for effective border surveillance and intelligence gathering. It is sad that our country is yet to fully key into daily deployments of modern technology in combating its insecurity despite the vast resources at its firm disposal. Yet, it is still not too late if, as our new defence minister, Musa can forthwith make this happen.

The new defence minister should be focused and not be deterred by hypocritical commentators that see everything from the prisms of costs in a resource-endowed country like ours while downplaying such projects’ benefits to the security wellbeing of Nigerians. This geographical entity must be secure before there can be a government in place and even a country called Nigeria.

Musa should always ask himself about the desirability or otherwise of any project that comes to his mind. Once he is convinced that such project is really necessary for national security, he should pursue them no matter the cost outlay because a country that was recently reported to have spent a huge amount of N17.5trillion on pipelines monitoring in twelve months should be willing and ready to construct perimeter fence to protect its territory from infiltration by rampaging, mostly, Fulani herdsmen aggressors and Boko Haram/ISWAP criminal elements.

Another important battle General Musa must be prepared to wage and possibly win is that of the federal bureaucracy. Generally, bureaucracy creates a structure of rules/regulations deliberately designed to control governmental decisions. But these rules/regulations have grown to become avoidable bottlenecks of suffocating red tapism, loss of freedom to initiate, inefficiency, and sadly detachment from contemporary societal reality.

For Musa to meet up with the expectations of Nigerians, he must immediately commence how he truly plans to waltz through this government contraption called bureaucracy that is renowned for its frustrating procedures that stifle individual action and prompt problem-solving techniques. This new defence minister, that is once used to a ‘command and obey’ structure as a military general, needs a survival technique to manoeuvre the country’s bureaucracy.

More importantly, the president has removed Badaru from the defence ministry. Matawalle should also go for Musa to succeed? The allegations of insecurity misgivings heaped on Matawalle’s head by his successor as Zamfara state governor deserves the president’s revisit.

Musa truly projects an image of a fine gentleman but whether he’s President Tinubu’s best ministerial appointment so far stands to be seen in view of his also being a creation of the rotten system that spends trillions of naira on insecurity without commensurate results to show for such budgetary spendings. Time shall tell if he possesses the political will to stop the ongoing bleeding insecurity by weeding out dead woods on his paths to restoring Nigeria’s lost peace. He no doubts will need an unimpeded presidential support to deal with the unnamed power-bloc behind the country’s insecurity quagmire.

Again, time shall tell if Musa is indeed the president’s best ministerial appointee. He needs courage, confidence, undiluted determination, and presidential support to do and succeed in this insecurity extermination assignment of his.

Musa’s greatest challenge lies more in the fact that our society, as it stands today, values its privileges more than its principles. And in Dwight D. Eisenhower’s observation, any society like ours that “values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Yours sincerely pray for Musa to survive this rotten system within which most Nigerians expect him to perform wonders.

•Sanusi, former MD/CEO of Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency, is currently the managing partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS.

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), says it has commenced an expanded investigation into pricing templates behind high ticket rates charge by some airlines on some domestic routes.

A statement issued by Mr Ondaje Ijagwu, the Director, Corporate Affairs of the Commission in Abuja on Friday, said the investigation was to establish possible violations of the provisions of the law.

Ijagwu said that concerns had been expressed widely in the past few days over what appeared to be coordinated manipulation or exploitation in the pricing of airline tickets by some airlines on certain routes.

He said the routes where concerns had been raised included the South-East and South-South, as the festive season began.

According to him, the ongoing investigation targets operators on the identified routes.

He said the Commission would apply appropriate enforcement measures where evidence showed any violation of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).

Ijagwu explained that Air Peace, had instituted a court action seeking to restrain the Commission from examining its pricing mechanisms, following the commencement of an investigation into its pricing model after widespread complaints from members of the public.

He said the ongoing inquiry was without prejudice to the case instituted against the Commission by Air Peace.

The director quoted Mr Tunji Bello, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, as saying “the Commission would not hesitate to act where evidence showed that consumers welfare or market competitiveness were being undermined.

”For the avoidance of doubt, we are not a price control board but the FCCPAct 2018 empowers us to check the exploitation of consumers.

”When we receive petitions or where we find cogent evidence, we will not stand by and watch Nigerian consumers being exploited under any guise.

”Given the arbitrary spike in airfares, the Commission is extending its review of pricing patterns, the basis for the increases reported by consumers, and any practices that could undermine fair competition.

”Where evidence confirms a breach of the Act, FCCPC will apply appropriate enforcement measures,” Bello said.

Bello said the Commission would continue to provide updates on the ongoing investigations in the aviation industry.

The post FG begins expanded investigations to determine exploitation in airfare price appeared first on Vanguard News.

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Delta State Command, has announced drug seizures valued at more than N3 billion within the last one year.

The State Commander, NDLEA, Halilu Hamidu, disclosed the figures at a press briefing on Friday while reviewing the command’s 2025 activities, between January and December this year.
He noted that despite logistics constraints, resistance from organised criminal networks, and difficult terrain across drug-prone communities, operatives delivered “sustained, aggressive and intelligence-driven” operations.

According to the commander, a total of 2,265 kg of dry hard drugs were intercepted, including Cannabis Sativa: 1,750 kg, Cannabis Sativa seeds: 310.6 kg, Cocaine: 224.65 kg, Heroin: 32.3 kg, Methamphetamine: 800.8 kg, Tramadol: 311.9 kg, Swinol/Rohypnol: 9.04 kg, Diazepam: 20.01 kg, Exol: 166 kg, Molly: 2.1 kg, Hypnox: 6.1 kg and Cocodamol: 13 kg.
Additionally, 714.4 litres of liquid narcotics were seized, including codeine (657.5 litres), a cannabis-gin mixture, pentazocine and injectable diazepam.

He also disclosed that from January to December 12, 2025, the command secured 226 convictions at the Federal High Courts in Asaba and Warri, while 189 cases remain pending. NDLEA described the year’s legal engagements as “intense”, with prosecutors handling a record volume of cartel-linked cases.
Hamidun hinted that the command destroyed 10.2 hectares of cannabis farms at Emu-Obiogo and 50 hectares at Innam-Abbi, all in the Ndokwa West council of the state.

Painting a worrying picture of the demand side of narcotics use, the commander said that the Drug Demand Reduction Unit counselled 704 drug-dependent persons—480 men and 224 women—in less than a year, while 14 persons were admitted for full rehabilitation.
Commander Hamidun maintained that the agency will “sustain its offensive,” but called for deeper collaboration among communities, local governments, and security agencies to break the cycle of drug abuse and trafficking in the state.

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The Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC) has confirmed that it will proceed with the local government elections scheduled for Saturday, despite the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to withdraw.

Speaking at a press briefing in Maiduguri on Friday, BOSIEC Chairman Tahir Shettima stated that the commission is acting in accordance with the constitution and has taken steps to ensure a smooth and credible election.

“If you come, we will not stop you; if you do not come, it is not our business,” he said, adding that staff have been trained and logistical arrangements completed.

The PDP, through its state spokesperson, Amos Adziba, cited lack of confidence in BOSIEC and the high cost of nomination and expression-of-interest forms as reasons for its withdrawal.

The party also expressed concern over the electoral bill, which limits the announcement of councillor results to the local government level instead of at the ward level, a provision it said could compromise fairness.

Responding to the allegations, Shettima said the pricing of forms was agreed upon after consultations with political parties and is within the commission’s mandate.

He reiterated that BOSIEC is ready to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

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The attention of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has been drawn to reports circulating across various online media platforms as regards the missing of Cadet Stephen Kubama Gani. The report alleged that the Cadet mysteriously went missing from the Academy without appropriate actions taken by NDA to ascertain his whereabouts.

To set the record straight in the interest of accuracy and transparency, Cadet SK Gani was admitted into the Academy as a member of 76 Regular Course and reported for training on 26 August 2024. His training progressed without any hitch, but he was observed to have absented himself from the Academy with effect from 28 April 2025 without official permission. In accordance with established procedures and extant regulations guiding cadets administration in NDA, his parents were formally notified 3 days after his absence. Seven days after the occurrence, he was struck off strength following due administrative procedures. Meanwhile, feedback received later from his parents, revealed that his whereabouts could not be ascertained and it led to renewed investigative procedure by the Academy which is still ongoing.

It is significant to reiterate that the training and administration of cadets in NDA are strictly governed by military laws, procedures and time-honoured traditions as spelt out in the Code of Conducts of the Academy. The NDA therefore calls on the general public to discountenance the claim that the institution is doing nothing about the Cadet’s mysterious disappearance.

While we continue to engage all parties in this matter to ensure a positive outcome, we wish to reiterate that the NDA takes the safety and wellbeing of all its cadets seriously. Adequate structures are on ground to ensure every cadet is accounted for through regular stop checks and physical inspections.

The NDA remains a bastion of military and academic excellence, founded on the ideals of discipline, diligence, loyalty, honour and valour. The Academy continues to uphold the vision of its founding fathers by producing highly trained, dedicated and loyal officers for the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

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