Vice President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu has remained steadfast in tackling security challenges across the country.

Mr Shettima stated this on Tuesday when participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The participants, led by the NISS commandant, Joseph Odama and representatives of the 78 participants, were at the Presidential Villa to present the executive brief of their end-of-course report to the vice-president.

Mr Shettima, who received the report on behalf of Mr Tinubu, said the president is acting quickly and decisively to frontally address the concerns.

According to him, the Tinubu administration is determined to support the security establishment in Nigeria and beyond to discharge its responsibilities to the nation.

Regarding the programme’s significance, the vice-president said he was impressed by the composition of EIMC 18.

Shettima stated, “The security of Africa is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, given the peculiarity of the situation.

”President Tinubu is working round the clock to address concerns in the security sector. It is absolutely essential that we fuse as one to address these issues and all hands must be on deck to salvage the situation.”

Earlier, Mr Odama told the vice-president that the 18th edition of the flagship programme, EMIC 18, commenced on February 19.

He pointed out that it had been a ten-month journey of intense intellectual discovery, strategic broadening and unparalleled professional fellowship.

He added that this year’s team comprised 78 distinguished participants, including deputy directors and above.

Mr Odama said they were meticulously drawn from the military, paramilitary, law enforcement agencies and strategic ministries, departments and agencies of both federal and state governments.

He added, ”In significant testament to our pan-African mandate, we were privileged to host five African countries, which had earlier been mentioned.

”With the graduation of the AIMC 18, the institute has proudly graduated 1,130 strategic leaders.

”These are men and women who have been rigorously equipped to think critically and act decisively, as well as proffer innovative solutions to the most complex security and developmental challenges facing our nation and the continent at large.”

The commandant expressed the institute’s deepest appreciation to Mr Tinubu and the vice-president for their visionary and pragmatic leadership.

He said that the Renewed Hope Agenda under the president’s stewardship was already manifesting in tangible progress across Africa.

Among the recommendations made by the participants was the formal harmonisation and integration of a country-based security initiative.

It is part of a broad strategy to strengthen the existing legal framework for peace and conflict resolution across Nigeria and Africa.

The high point of the occasion was the presentation of the report titled “Non-state Actors in Security Management in Africa: Issues, Challenges and Prospects for Peace and Development” by representatives of the EIMC 18 participants.

(NAN)

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An 18-year-old boy in Adamawa State has confessed to stealing soft drinks to mark his birthday.

The boy, Aminu Abdulazeez of Bazza community in Michika LGA, said he carted away half crates of nutri milk and Dudu mineral brand respectively to celebrate his birthday with his friends.

He landed in jail after he was trailed and apprehended while he was making further preparation for the event.

Aminu made his confession to the Adamawa State Jail Delivery Committee which was on a review visit to where he was being held at the Mubi Correctional Centre.

The Area Court I Bazza had sent him to the centre after finding him guilty and sentencing him to three months with option of a N40,000 fine.

He had gone to the centre last month after failing to pay the fine.

Reviewing his case, the Jail Delivery Committee, headed by the state Chief Judge, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, reduced his three months of confinement to three months of community service.

The committee ordered that he be taken back to Bazza to sweep public facility, a health centre or police station, for three months.

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The Government of Adamawa State has taken action to support victims of the communal clash in the Lamurde Local Government Area by settling the medical bills of 11 persons currently receiving treatment at the specialist hospital for various degrees of injury.

​Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa Farauta visited the hospital to identify with the victims and urged the warring factions to set aside their grievances, reminding them that development cannot take place without peace.

​The Chief Medical Director of the Specialist Hospital, Dr. Dauda Wadinga, appreciated the state government’s prompt response to the situation.

​Group Demands Probe Into Alleged Killing Of 12 Women

​Meanwhile, a Bachama group, the Pene Da Bwatiye Development Association (PDBDA) Worldwide, has escalated the crisis by demanding a probe into the alleged killing of 12 women during a protest in the Rigangun and Waduku areas of Lamurde on July 24, 2025.

​In a statement issued on Tuesday by its General Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Pwakavi Bapatu, the association expressed grief and outrage over the incident.

​The group alleged that the women, who were reportedly carrying leaves and singing peace songs, were shot by soldiers deployed to the community to maintain order. The protest was over the delayed arrival of military personnel to quell earlier violence.

​The PDBDA described the incident as a “massacre,” stressing that the women were unarmed, posed no threat, and were not engaged in any violence.

​The association condemned the alleged gross violation of human rights and rules of engagement and called for decisive action against the soldiers involved.

​The incident is linked to earlier communal attacks that erupted on July 7 and July 17, 2025, highlighting the continued deterioration of the security situation in the area.

​IGP Deploys Deputy Inspector-General to Restore Normalcy

​In a separate move to address the escalating situation, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations, DIG Bzigu Yakubu Kwazhi Dali, to the Lamurde Local Government Area.

​DIG Dali appealed to the youths, who he described as the vanguard of either peace or violence, to actively and sincerely engage in dialogue and reconciliation efforts to address the root causes of the crisis.

He emphasized that the solution lies in the hands of the people, stating that security forces alone cannot resolve the situation.

​The IGP called on community, religious, and traditional rulers, as well as youth drivers, to embrace peace, imploring the people of Lamurde to “eschew animosity and embrace understanding and partnership immediately.”

​Deputy Governor Farauta thanked the IGP for the prompt deployment and reiterated the state government’s commitment to ensuring peace, unity, and the safety and security of its citizens.

© 2025 Naija News, a division of Polance Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]

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• A 200-level student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), known as Fedwin, has died after being electrocuted while ironing his clothes in his off-campus lodge.
• The incident occurred over the weekend, with distressing images and videos showing him lying motionless as roommates sought help.
• Despite being rushed to the hospital, fellow students later confirmed on Facebook that he did not survive the electrocution.

A student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), popularly known by his nickname Fedwin, has tragically passed away after being electrocuted while ironing his clothes.

The student was a 200-level undergraduate living in an off-campus lodge.

The incident occurred this past weekend when Fedwin was said to have fallen while ironing. A graphic video and photos circulated online showing him lying motionless on the floor with an iron on his chest, while his lodge mates desperately called for help.

Despite efforts to rush him to the hospital, updates posted later by fellow UNIZIK students on Facebook confirmed that Fedwin did not survive.

In other news….. A prominent cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has strongly instructed Christian youths in crisis-hit areas of Plateau State to arm themselves for self-defense. The order comes as a direct response to the December 2023 massacres where over 200 people were killed by armed attackers, suspected to be Fulani militias, across Bokkos and Barkin Ladi areas.

Rev. Dachomo, a regional chairman for the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi, made the call in a video message on Sunday. He argued that since the government and security forces have repeatedly failed to protect the people, communities must now organize their own defense.

This advice follows an earlier warning from Dachomo two weeks ago that he had received information about planned attacks during the Christmas season.

In his urgent message, Rev. Dachomo issued a clear instruction to the youth:

“All youths, this is a command, not advice. I’m commanding you to wake up and defend the weak old people, women who are pregnant, defend the widows, and stand with their blood to defend the land.”

He added that because the government has consistently denied that a “Christian genocide” and “war of land occupation” are taking place, youths in rural communities must rise to protect their homes and lands.

The cleric emphasized that prayers are not enough. He encouraged people to take practical steps by organizing vigilante groups and providing 24-hour security for their areas.

“Yes, praying against attacks is good, but beyond that, there should be practical involvement in self-defense, even joining a local civilian-watch organization,” he added.

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Amnesty International has called for a transparent and impartial investigation into the killing of at least nine women protesters in Lamorde Local Government Area of Adamawa State, blaming the deaths on what it described as the military’s unlawful and excessive use of force.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the rights group said the military opened fire on women who were demonstrating, using live ammunition without any warning.

“The Nigerian military’s response to a demonstration by firing live ammunition without warning is unlawful,” Amnesty said.

The organisation explained that several other women were injured after being hit by bullets in different parts of their bodies. 

It described the incident as horrific and accused security forces of handling civilian protests in a dangerous and unacceptable manner.

Amnesty also criticised the government’s handling of the growing ethnic conflict between the Bachama and Chobo communities, which reportedly started from disputes over land and the theft of a motorcycle.

“The Nigerian authorities’ response to the communal violence between Bachama and Chobo tribes is totally inadequate, too slow and ineffective,” the statement said.

According to Amnesty, even in cases where security agencies responded to violence, their approach often resulted in more casualties and destruction instead of restoring peace.

“In cases where the Nigerian security agencies did respond to communal violence, as it happened in Lamorde LGA on Monday 8 December 2025, they use excessive or unlawful force resulting in even more deaths and destruction.     

“The continuous failure to investigate such gross human rights violations is fueling a dangerous disdain for the sanctity of human life in Nigeria,” the group added.

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The Secretary to the Abia State Government (SSG), Professor Kenneth Kalu, has received approval from Governor Alex Otti to embark on a leave of absence to address “some serious domestic matters” that require his physical presence in Canada.

Governor Otti announced the development in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, during the State Executive Council (EXCO) Meeting on Monday.

Governor Otti noted the enormous responsibility of the SSG’s office, explaining that he could not allow Professor Kalu to work remotely.

He thanked the Professor for the “excellent services” he rendered to the state during his tenure and wished him well as he commenced his leave.

Addressing the State EXCO, Professor Kalu expressed his profound gratitude to Governor Otti for the opportunity to serve in a government that he believes has “wiped the tears of Abia people and made them proud.”

He assured his colleagues that he would continue to contribute to the development of the state from afar.

“Above all, having the opportunity to serve in a government that has wiped the tears of Abia people and made them proud, was a dream come through, hence my gratitude to Governor Otti for his support,” Professor Kalu said.

Professor Kalu, an accomplished Chartered Accountant who hails from Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area, was a Senior University Don in Canada before his appointment.

He had taken a leave of absence from his academic role to join Governor Otti’s campaign and was subsequently appointed the SSG following Otti’s victory at the polls.

© 2025 Naija News, a division of Polance Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]

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Talks to take over Beta Glass, Nigeria’s second best-performing stock this year, by a new majority owner, Helios Investment Partners, has been completed with a deal reached to consummate the transaction at $100 million.

Frigoglass Group, the majority shareholder, closed the deal with the London-based private equity firm, with the understanding that cash settlement will follow latest by next March, Beta Glass announced Tuesday.

It will sell “the entirety of its shareholding in Frigoinvest Nigeria Holdings B.V, the holding company of its Nigeria glass business and Frigoglass Industries Nigeria Limited,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

Frigoglass Industries and Frigoinvest Nigeria hold 61.9 per cent and 8.2 per cent interests respectively in the glass container maker, putting the potential stake to be snapped up by Helios at 70.1 per cent.

Africa-focused Helios Investment is buying Frigoglass’ stake on behalf of the funds to which it provides advisory services.

Its investment interest included fintechs, digital infrastructure and tech-driven businesses, the information on its website shows.

The acquisition needs a nod from regulators to fly, and plans are in place for Beta Glass to help the acquirer through the regulatory approval process to ease transition.

Market performance

Traders have been piling into Beta Glass’ shares since April, when the release of its first quarter accounts showed that after-tax profit soared nearly seven times to N10 billion, compared a year earlier.

That helped bring the stock, which until then had been in obscurity, to increased investors’ attention.

With year-to-date yield at 531 per cent, it is so far this year Nigeria’s best-performing stock after NCR Nigeria.

Return on equity January through September stood at 30 per cent, compared to 12.8 per cent in the same period of last year.

Bloomberg, citing an interview with Frigoglass’ chair, Gagik Akparian in September, reported that the company wanted to divest from Beta Glass so it can use the proceeds to repay maturing senior secured bonds.

The strong profit performance of the company, which is West and Central Africa’s biggest glass container producer, makes it a strong attraction to buyers, according to the chairman, the news outlet said.

Francophone Africa’s expansion push

In February, Beta Glass unveiled plans to extend its footprints in French-speaking African countries.

As of then, its reach, apart from its base Nigeria, where it runs two glass manufacturing plants, spanned at least twelve export markets on the continent.

It is committing €17.5 million to scale-up plans in the West and Central Africa region, hoping to ride on the back of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement to access promising markets.

READ ALSO: FCMB named Nigeria’s Best SME-Focused Bank

“What we’ve done also is looking first to our closest neighbours, a little bit further away, the whole continent, and then anywhere in the world. But first is Nigeria. First. Second is ECOWAS. Third is the whole continent,” CEO Alexander Gandis said.

It produces 650 million glass containers every year. Annual crate production capacity is at 5.5 million units while that of crown is at 3.2 billion units, based on its website data.

The company said it invested N15.3 billion on expanding output capacity in the last five years.

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December 10, 2025December 10, 2025

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By Augustine Aminu

The quest by emerging talents and creative entrepreneurs to access funding received a major boost at the just-concluded Beeta Arts Festival 2025, where over 30 creative companies successfully pitched their projects to investors through the Creative Catalyst Fund by Chapel Hill Denham.

From Filmmakers and fashion brands to theatre producers and digital content studios, young businesses seeking growth presented investment-ready concepts in hopes of securing equity financing.

Our correspondent reports that the Beeta Arts Festival had partnered with Chapel Hill Denham’s Creative Catalyst Fund to provide emerging talents in Nigeria’s creative industry with access to investment and business financing.

The partnership, now in its second year, is fast becoming one of the most impactful avenues for financing in Nigeria’s creative economy, a sector that continues to generate global influence but struggles with access to credible funding.

By connecting founders directly with investors, the initiative is bridging the mistrust and structural barriers that have long made creative ventures appear too risky for business investment.

Beeta Arts Festival organisers described the initiative as a major step toward addressing one of the most persistent challenges in Nigeria’s creative economy which is access to credible financing.

Founder of the Beeta Arts Festival, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, said the partnership is helping to build confidence between investors and creative businesses, especially in a market where mistrust has long hindered financial support for arts ventures.

She said, “There’s been a lot of distrust and misunderstanding. But we are hoping that the bridge groomed by this partnership will build trust and yield more opportunities both for creative businesses seeking funding and for investment organisations to feel comfortable that they will get their return on investment.”

Graham-Douglas added that improved investor confidence will not only unlock financing but stimulate competition, professionalism and innovation across Nigeria’s growing creative industry.

Managing Director of Chapel Hill SME Limited, Ms. Tosin Dabiri, who was present at the pitch session noted that the Creative Catalyst Fund was established to support businesses with strong potential but limited financing opportunities, adding that the festival provides a credible platform to meet such enterprises.

Industry insiders meanwhile praised the partnership between Beeta Arts Festival and Capital Hill, describing it as a practical step toward improving access to capital for creative entrepreneurs.

They also expressed confidence that continued engagement with platforms like the Beeta Arts Festival will deepen trust and open more funding channels for young creators with bankable business ideas.

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There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may never recover on time from the protracted leadership crisis bedevilling the party ahead of the 2027 general election.

This is even as the party has continued to suffer losses following the outcome of the 2023 general election.

The latest injury on the PDP came after both the governors of Rivers and Osun states, Siminalayi Fubara and Ademola Adeleke, respectively, announced their exit from the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and Accord Party.

Fubara announced his defection to the APC on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

The Governor claimed that he did not receive protection from the PDP, leading to his decision to join the ruling party.

“What you all have been waiting for, what you have been asking me— the signal has finally arrived.

“We have the full support; we have the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection to go to where we are going.

“So, we have every reason— because the truth is, let nobody be fooled in this state— we have the people, we have the supporters.

“Our only ‘thank you’ to Mr. President is to support him, and we cannot support the President in isolation; we cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him—not backyard support.

“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have gotten the pass. Everyone here who has followed me, who has suffered with me— our decision today, this evening— is that we are moving to the APC,” Fubara said while announcing his defection to APC.

DAILY POST reports that Fubara’s defection comes just four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 other lawmakers left the PDP for the APC.

The lawmakers said their departure from the PDP was because of the ongoing crisis within the party.

On his part, Adeleke announced that he was joining the Accord Party as a new platform to seek re-election in August next year.

The governor made the announcement in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, just a few days after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

According to him, he had joined the Accord Party since 6th November, 2025, as a platform to seek re-election in 2026.

“Stakeholders and residents of Osun State are aware of why we are taking this important decision.

“We intend to pursue a second term in office on the platform of the Accord Party to complete ongoing delivery of good governance and democratic dividends, which have been applauded at home and abroad.

“We opted for the Accord Party because its mission of welfarism aligns with our passionate focus on citizens and workers’ welfare,” Adeleke said.

DAILY POST reports that both governors cut ties with the PDP at a time the ongoing wave of defections by governors, senators and other key politicians from opposition parties to the ruling APC has triggered fears that Africa’s largest democracy may be drifting towards a one-party state.

The development has also fueled growing concern that the ruling party under President Bola Tinubu may face little or no resistance in the 2027 polls.

DAILY POST observed that in recent months, the nation’s political terrain has witnessed a dramatic shift.

Don’t blame us – PDP tells Fubara

Reacting to Governor Fubara’s move to the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described the development as “self-inflicted,” warning that the development threatens Nigeria’s democratic balance.

In a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party said the move contributes to what it called a growing slide toward a one-party system.

According to the statement, the governor made political choices that led to his departure and should not blame the party or any stakeholder.

“Everyone who has followed the developments that culminated in this uneventful defection will recall that the Governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination.

“Having done so voluntarily, he cannot turn around and accuse our party, or any other person or group, of abandoning or failing to protect him.

“Whilst a person at a crossroad of threats of existential proportion may suffer from temporary amnesia caused by trauma, the Governor should have nothing less than praise for our party, civil society organisations, and all Nigerians who freely stood up in his defence since this crisis started, until he capitulated.

“It is our prayer that the Governor does not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with their captor. In all, despite these, we pity the Governor and wish him well,” the PDP said.

PDP facing structural breakdown – Analyst

Meanwhile, a Public Affairs Analyst and Communication Scholar at Peaceland University, Enugu, Dr. Nduka Odo, in an interview with DAILY POST, described the recent defections of Governors Siminalayi Fubara and Ademola Adeleke from the PDP as a sign of deeper structural problems within the opposition party.

Odo said the development goes beyond the country’s usual season of defections, noting that Governor Fubara’s move to the APC represents “a strategic repositioning” driven by ongoing political battles in Rivers State, where he has been engaged in a power struggle with entrenched interests.

He explained that Governor Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party reflects what he called “ideological fatigue” within the PDP, adding that the governor may have chosen the party to escape the internal factionalism that has destabilised the PDP in recent years.

According to him, both defections underscore the party’s “chronic failure” to manage and resolve internal conflicts.

Odo maintained that the PDP’s decline remains reversible if the party undertakes serious reforms.

He said: “What we are witnessing is not merely the usual season of defections but a deeper structural convulsion within the PDP. Fubara’s move to the APC is not an isolated gesture.

“It is a strategic repositioning driven by existential political battles in Rivers State, where the governor has been locked in a survival contest with entrenched power blocs.

“Adeleke’s defection, on the other hand, reflects a more ideological fatigue within the PDP. His choice of Accord Party signals a desire to escape the suffocating factionalism that has crippled the party.

“Both defections highlight a chronic failure of internal conflict resolution within the PDP, and Nigerians should pay attention to that.

“The PDP is not in irreversible decline, but it is certainly in an advanced stage of institutional erosion. Political parties survive on cohesion, trust, and predictable reward systems.

“When governors—who are the party’s biggest electoral assets—begin to exit, it means the internal incentive structure has collapsed.

“Yet, decline is reversible if the party can re-engineer its internal democracy and re-negotiate power with its stakeholders. The question is: does the party still have the discipline and moral capital to do so?”

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Basheer Lado Mohammed, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate matters, on Tuesday, received former presidential aide, Reno Omokri following his nomination as a non-career ambassador.

The move is part of the lobbying process to get the Senate’s nod after Omokri’s nomination caused uproar in the polity.

Lado said Omokri’s nomination reflects the president’s commitment to building a more dynamic and impactful diplomatic corps.

“With his strong communication skills and passion for national unity, I am confident that Ambassador-designate Omokri will excel in this new role,” Lado wrote on Facebook.

Lado said his office remains committed to supporting the president’s vision and strengthening engagements that advance Nigeria’s interests.

He said Omokri presented him with a traditional walking stick made from sapele timber from Delta state, which he described as beautifully crafted.

On his part, Omokri described Lado as a gentleman and praised his nobility, efficiency and service to the president.

“I thank him for receiving me today and enriching my knowledge with his deep insights,” Omokri wrote on his social media pages.

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