Troops of 103 Battalion (Rear) of 82 Division, Nigerian Army, presently on Operation UDO KA II, have rescued Maxwell Ayim between Four Corner-Agbogwe Junction in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. This was contained in a statement issued in Enugu on Saturday by Lt.-Col. Jonah Unuakhalu, acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Nigerian Army. Mr Unuakhalu said that Mr Ayim was rescued unhurt on Thursday. According to him, the rescue operation was conducted when troops deployed at Udi checkpoint received a distress call from the police on the incident. Mr Unuakhalu said that on arrival, the troops came in contact with the kidnappers, adding that due to the troops’ superior fire, members of the criminal gang fled in disarray with gunshot wounds into the nearby bushes. The army spokesman said that the gallant troops during further exploitation of the gang withdrawal route found the victim abandoned by the gang. “Troops proceeded to rescue the victim. He had since been reunited with his family after preliminary medical checks. “Joint Task Force Operation UDO KA II therefore, calls on the law abiding and good citizens of Enugu and the South-East region in general not to relent in providing timely, credible and reliable Information. “This will help in putting an end to the spiral of kidnapping activities and sundry criminality within the region. “Operation UDO KA II will continue combating crime and criminality in accordance with the extant rules and regulations guiding its operations,” he said

  Saturday 23 September 2023 Chicago academic record: Tinubu, Atiku resume legal battle in US Monday Wike notified PDP before accepting ministerial offer – NEC members Mohbad passed NECO at one sitting, I don’t know why he joined Naira Marley — Ex-principal Tension rises in Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa ahead of gov elections ‘Judiciary Has Spoken With Strong Voice,’ Mutfwang Excited Over Tribunal Win Tuition Hike: FG Begs Students, Parents Not To Disrupt Academic Session We Are Luckiest Among Nigerians, Let’s Make Nigeria Work, Shettima Tells Lawmakers CBN Confirms Emefiele’s Resignation As Cardoso Assumes Office Military Rescues Six Students After Bandits’ Invasion Of Zamfara Community Amosun’s Loyalists Re-Align With Dapo Abiodun’s Camp Amosun’s Loyalists Re-Align With Dapo Abiodun’s Camp How Tinubu ‘killed’ Yoruba nation agitation Outrage trails reduction of ranks of police officers who survived attack by unknown gunmen My boyfriend, Olufemi Salako squandered my N10m, Anambra orphan, Mbachu tells court 25% pay rise: We haven’t been informed — ASUU 17-yr-old secondary school boy commits suicide in Makurdi No underage on death row, says NCoS, debunks sodomy allegations Bandits abduct Gusau varsity female students IPOB to Military: Stop telling lies, you did not stop sit-at-home, you were hiding while it lasted Outrage in Delta community as Pastor murders young lady Tinubu sets up poverty alleviation trust fund Presidency retracts claim on Tinubu being first African president to ring NASDAQ bell Supreme court left with 11 justices as Amina Augie retires Academic Record: It’s Obvious Tinubu Has Something To Hide – Atiku’s Aide Army Busts Illegal Gun Factory, Recovers Weapons Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  The World Bank has approved a fresh $700m loan for Nigeria to enhance adolescent girls’ learning and empowerment. It disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Friday. The new loan is to provide additional funds for an ongoing project known as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment. The statement read, “The World Bank approved additional financing of $700m for Nigeria to scale up the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment programme whose goal is to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted states. The additional financing will scale up project activities from the current seven states to eleven additional states and increase the targeted beneficiaries to include out-of-school girls, those who are married, and those who have disabilities.” It was noted that Nigeria had over 12 million to 15 million out of school children in the school- age group, with many of them in Northern Nigeria. It was also noted that an estimated one million children were affected by increased insecurity around schools in 2020-2021. The statement added, “In the seven AGILE programme implementing states – Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau – the number of girls in secondary schools has increased from about 900,000 to over 1.6 million. “Under the programme, over 5,000 classrooms have been renovated and over 250,000 eligible girls have received scholarships. “The AGILE programme has supported construction and rehabilitation of WASH facilities in secondary schools and the installation of computers and solar panels which make attending school more convenient and conducive for both girls and boys. Life skills, systems strengthening, and advocacy are other key aspects of the program which address social norms impeding girls’ education.” The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, stated that, “Closing the gender gaps in economic empowerment by ensuring girls have access to education and skills is key for Nigeria’s development and economic prosperity. Nigeria’s working population will soon be one of the youngest and largest around the world, which means that investing in adolescent girls is imperative when addressing overall economic prospects and growth.” The statement noted that aside from the girls that would benefit from the financing, others included over 15 million students and beneficiaries, such as teachers, administrators, families, communities, and staff in existing and newly constructed schools. It added that the new fund would push the project to 18 states and help Nigeria to achieve better education and health outcomes for girls. Earlier, The PUNCH reported that the parents and caregivers of about 300,000 poor female students got N10,000 per term in six states as incentives for schooling. The six states were Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Plateau, and the funding was provided through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Programme. The World Bank noted that the N10,000 per term was provided to the parents of poor female students for school attendance and re-enrollment. It was also disclosed that N5,000 was given to each girl’s parent upon registration in the program. The PUNCH also observed that this was the third loan facility approved under the administration of Bola Tinubu. The first was approved on June 9, 2023, with a loan of $750m to boost Nigeria’s power sector. The second was a loan of $500m to help Nigeria drive women’s empowerment, and was approved on June 22, 2023.

  The Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS has denounced social media reports that an underage death row inmate in its facility in Borno state is being sodomized by older inmates. Spokesman of the Service, ACC Umar Abubakar in a message to Saturday Vanguard said the allegations were fabricated to cast the NCoS in bad light.   He said; “The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service has been drawn to a misleading information on the purported age of Abubakar Mustapha, an inmate on death row in one of our facilities. This is a deliberate attempt by the writer to discredit the good works of the Service. It is obvious from the report that the allegations been put forward are fictitious, disorganized with loopholes, and targeted towards soiling the strides being achieved by the management of the Service. “First of all, the said inmate was purportedly reported to be a juvenile sentenced to death by hanging. This is not true as we can confirm that he was actually 19 years old when he was arraigned in court on March 25, 2021, and by the time he was convicted on 1st February, 2022, he was already 20 years old. Throughout the period of his trial in court, his age was never an issue because he had attained the age of maturity. Like I said earlier, this is a deliberate tactics which was deployed to woo the sympathy of the public, solely aimed towards cajoling the authority to consider the said inmate on death row for clemency. This is obvious in the said report. “Secondly, the allegation of sodomy against the said inmate as alleged by the report is obviously a concoction of the author’s imagination, and this is laughable to anyone who knows the workings of our Custodial Centres. Suffice it to mention that the way these facilities are structured, and the surveillance therein, makes it practically impossible for such immoral act to play out in the cells. There is no gainsaying that this report is targeted towards drawing uncalled-for-public-sympathy to an inmate who is undergoing a sentence imposed by a competent court of law. “We urge the public to disregard this fictitious report as it is aimed at misleading them and causing the said inmate to evade justice.” An online news portal had said the inmate, Mustapha Abubakar was 15 years and had requested speedy execution from the Borno state governor, Babagana Zulum, saying he was being sexually abused by older inmates and warders.

  Fourteen suspected criminals alleged to have been terrorising the Onitsha commercial town in Anambra State have been arrested by the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, aka Ocha Brigade. The Managing Director of Ocha Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere who spoke with newsmen on Friday said suspects were arrested on Thursday in Onitsha. According to him, some of the suspects are drug syndicates using army camouflage uniforms to harass and permeate trouble and all forms of criminality within the Onitsha metropolis. According to him, the suspects are forcefully extorting money from motorists and some innocent citizens in the area He also disclosed that some of the suspects have confessed to the crime of stealing and snatching phones and valuables from commuters and innocent residents. Anere also said that some have admitted to selling hard drugs and gathering intelligence for their criminal counterparts. “Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra; Ocha Brigade, has previously arrested and prosecuted some of the hoodlums on similar cases and will continue to sanitise the state from criminals and drug syndicates, as such is the gateway to all many of criminality in the State. Let’s support Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s efforts for a clean, healthy, livable and prosperous homeland. Let’s secure our state” he said He also appealed to the public to call the customer service lines provided by the organization for emergencies and inquiries “Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra; Ocha Brigade is here to serve you”, he said.

  Council chairmen in Ogun State are facing protests from the electorates who are asking them to account for the statutory allocations received in the last two years. This is coming after Governor Dapo Abiodun was absolved of diversion of local government funds as alleged by the ousted chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo. Daily Trust Saturday reports that the electorates in the state are shining a spotlight on their council chairmen, who were elected into office in July, 2021. Governor Abiodun, at their swearing in ceremony, had asked all the 20 chairmen to provide the needed development and ensure prosperity for the people at the grassroots. “Local government is not just a tier of government as enshrined in our country’s 1999 constitution, as amended, it is the closest to the people and so much is expected from you. Therefore, your assumption of office must bring a new vista of development to our people at the grassroots. In doing this, you must be inclusive, transparent, accountable, fair and equitable. And you must obey the rule of law, provide good governance and be judicious,” Abiodun had said. But more than two years later, one of the 20 local government chairmen, Wale Adedayo, also known as Babalawo, of Ijebu East Local Government, recently accused Governor Abiodun of stampeding the chairmen. “Since we (local government chairmen) got on board in 2021, it has been zero federal allocation to each local government,” Adedayo alleged in a letter addressed to a former governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba. Adedayo, a veteran journalist, asked Osoba to urgently wade in and convince Abiodun to allow “the statutory federal allocation to local governments in Ogun State to be allowed to reach each of them as envisaged by the 1999 Constitution.” The council boss also alleged that the trend of denying local governments their due federal allocations in the state began during the administration of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun. “As it is happening today, it was based on a spurious claim of helping some local governments that may not be able to fulfill their obligations to the people because of financial challenges,” he stated. In a separate petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Adedayo sought for the urgent intervention of the anti-graft agencies into the matter. In the petition, Adedayo also accused the governor of denying the local government chairmen of ecological funds and other entitlements due to them. “Revenue sources, which the local governments should benefit from, have mostly been taken over by the state government. Motor parks and attendant dues which should go to each local government are being centrally managed by the state government. “Also, primary school administration and control have been taken over. There are many other issues,” he stated. The ensuing drama Adedayo’s allegations unsettled Abiodun’s government, who perhaps has not recovered from the knocks and controversies it has generated within the state and even nationwide. The governor, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Lekan Adeniran, denied the allegations, noting that his administration often had to augment the funds allocated to local governments in the state from the Federation Account to enable them meet their financial obligations. The governor’s economic team, led by Dapo Okubadejo, the chief economic adviser, also engaged journalists in the state in a bid to address the controversy. The team said the Abiodun administration had augmented councils’ allocations with N33.25billion in the last four years to enable them meet their obligations. Okunbadejo said monthly allocations from the Federation Account was not even enough to pay salaries of primary school teachers, local government staff, pensions, gratuities and other frontline charges, adding that the state had been supporting local councils with additional funds to make up for the shortfall. The controversy, however, assumed a comical dimension when the council chairmen, led by the state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, stormed Governor Abiodun’s office, prostrated and begged him for forgiveness over Adedayo’s ‘sin.’ And Adedayo, who is in centre of the controversy, was in attendance. A viral clip of the meeting showed the state chairman of ALGON begging for forgiveness on behalf of his colleagues, particularly, Adedayo. Your Excellency, if you don’t forgive us, who do we run to? So, on behalf of all of us, I am tendering this apology, and in particular, Wale Adedayo,” Emilola-Gazal said. Three days after the allegations dominated the media space, the tide turned against Adedayo as seven councilors from his local government, allegedly being influenced by the state government, announced his suspension. According to them, 15 allegations were levelled against the chairman, including maladministration and financial mismanagement. And shortly after his suspension, the governor’s accuser landed in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), Ogun command, where he was detained and grilled for three days over an alleged incitement against the government. “They claimed there was a letter from the governor that I was making inciting comments against the state government, but I told them that there was nothing like that and asked to know who they said I had incited,” Adedayo told newsmen after he was released. Exactly two weeks after his suspension was announced, Adedayo was impeached by five out 11 councillors. His impeachment was announced shortly after he appeared before the Legislative Council at the secretariat in Ogbere. A statement signed by Fasheyi Akindele, the leader of Ijebu East Legislative Council, noted that after Adedayo’s impeachment motion was put forward, five councillors voted in support, four against, while one abstained. According to the statement, Adedayo owned up to all the allegations against him when he appeared before the Legislative Council, including, “That the chairman has run foul of the laws of the land, specifically the Ogun State Local Government Laws 2006 and committed serious impeachable offences.” The statement further noted, “After about three hours of deliberation, the impeachment of the chairman was put to vote. Five councillors voted in support of his

  The brutal murder of SP Bako Agbashim, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ahoada headquarters, came to residents with pain and sorrow. Those that knew the police officer or came in contact with him are yet to come to terms with his painful demise given his fighting spirit against crime. At Bori in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, from where he was redeployed to Ahoada, his death brought gloomy faces in the entire Ogoni Kingdom, where he fought cultists and daredevil armed robbers to a standstill. Unconfirmed report has it that Agbashim lost his family members to criminals during his stay at Bori, but that did not deter him as he continued the fight against criminality. For residents of Ogoni, Fenima and Ahoada, where he served, his exit is also painful. The lawmaker representing Khana/Gokana federal constituency, Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, said the death of the police officer came with a rude shock, adding that it is not only a loss to the Nigeria Police Force but Rivers State as well. He described Agbashim as one of the rare species among policemen, saying he distinguished himself through crime fighting. A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Chibudom Nwuche, condemned the killing of the DPO and called on the authorities to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act. He also called on various communities to assist law enforcement agencies with information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of all the perpetrators of the act. Lamenting over the death of Agbashim, a resident of Bori, Ben Nebari, said, “Many of us that knew him received the news of his death with agony. He was a household name in the entire Ogoni land when he was the DPO at Bori. Men, women and youths knew him. He was very accessible and responded promptly anytime there was an emergency. He did not have protocols. Ogoni had experienced serious issues of insecurity before he was deployed to the area but his dogged fight brought peace. We will really miss him.” Another resident of Bori, Mene Obari, said he carried out his responsibilities with passion and diligence. “Anytime he was going for operation he went on barefoot. He would always say he preferred moving about without footwear to enable him run without obstruction anytime the need arose. Soon after he resumed as DPO, he got rid of criminals at Khana. The peace we are enjoying today at Bori and the entire Khana is as a result of his dogged fighting spirit,” he said. Also, a resident of Ahoada who pleaded anonymity said the deceased DPO was a torn in the fresh of many criminals in that area. “When he was deployed to Ahoada, we all received the news with joy because we had heard of his exploits at Bori, Akinima and Fenima. Soon after he resumed duty he declared zero tolerance to crime and hit the ground running. All the cultists and other criminal elements operating in our area were on the run as he went after them. He led operations by himself and took the war to the criminals’ den. The way he was killed is very painful,” he said. Some of the colleagues of the DPO who spoke with our correspondent under the condition of anonymity described him as a workaholic who carried his duties with diligence. “The death of Agbashim came to us as a big shock. He went to tough areas where others were afraid of. At times I would wonder what power that drove him. He carried out his duties with passion, and that was the reason they sent him to tough areas. We will miss him greatly,” a police officer who pleaded anonymity said. Another police officer said, “To work with Bako Agbashim, you must be very diligent and honest. He did not take bribe and did not comprise his stand for integrity. So it was very difficult to work with him if you were not diligent and upright. He was a no-nonsense officer that went for the kill in terms of crime fighting.” Agbashim’s deployment from Bori to Ahoada sent jitters down the spines of cultists and deadly criminals that operated in the area as his name was terror. His bravery, gallantry, fearlessness and energy with which he confronted criminals placed him ahead of his colleagues. Before he was posted to Akinima, Fenima and Bori, cultism and deadly crimes, such as kidnapping, cult related killings, armed robbery and murder of innocent residents had become the order of the day, but he sanitised the area. Daily Trust Saturday learnt that cultists had become very powerful in the area as some prominent politicians and notable traditional rulers engaged jobless youths in one way or another to assert their authorities and undo whoever that crossed their paths. As a result of this, different cult groups engaged in war of superiority. It was learnt that when DPO Agbashim was moved from Finima to Bori, residents of the community protested. Before SP Bako Agbashim, who was celebrated and given chieftaincy titles and referred to as a Wonderful DPO, was redeployment to Ahoada, criminal activities of different cult groups had given both the state government and security agencies sleepless nights. Two cult groups, such Icelanders and Greenlenders variously engaged in war of superiority. They have different operational commands with military ranks ascribed to their different leaders. It was learnt that during the general elections, many of them were said to have been engaged by politicians to perpetrate electoral fraud and political violence. Residents of the area lived in fear because of the tension created by the groups. Nightlife in Ahoada was a nightmare to residents, just as many of them relocated to safer places. Daily Trust Saturday reports that after reviewing the security situation in the area, the commissioner of police in Rivers State, Polycarp Emeka Nwaonyi, redeployed SP Agbashim to Ahoada and gave him a marching order to get rid of the deadly cult

  Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, says his heart bleeds over the incessant killings in the south-eastern part of the country. On Tuesday morning, gunmen killed some security operatives and burnt their patrol vehicles in Oriagu, Ehime-Mbano LGA of Imo state. The security operatives were on patrol along Aba-branch Oriagu in Ehime-Mbano road when the gunmen ambushed them and killed over six joint task force officers. Iwuanyanwu, in a statement on Friday, condemned the killing, noting that it was “unacceptable to all honest, right-thinking and patriotic Nigerians”. “My heart bleeds at the sad events in Igboland where Igbos are killing fellow Igbos,” NAN quoted Iwuanyanwu as saying in the statement. “I am equally very distressed by the rate at which the Nigerian security operatives are killed not only in Igboland but all over the country. “Worse still is the suspected reprisal attack where innocent Igbo sons and daughters from Mbano in Imo state have found their lives and means of livelihood completely destroyed.” Iwuanyanwu said he would be sending a team “immediately, under the leadership of C.J Ihemedu, the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Imo state chapter”, to give him a comprehensive report on the matter. “I call on the federal government to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and make sure they face the law. I also urge the federal government to put in place necessary security measures to forestall the reoccurrence of this sad event,” he said. “Ohanaeze Ndigbo is right now undertaking a total transformation of Igboland and by this transformation, more job opportunities will be created in the zone for school leavers; and infrastructure for businessmen and women. “I wish, on behalf of all Igbos worldwide, to express our deep sympathy to the families of the security men who were gruesomely murdered. “We also sympathise with our people in Mbano whose shops and houses were destroyed during the reprisal attack. “I pray the Almighty God to take control of events in Igboland so that we will once more enjoy peace, happiness and prosperity in our land.”

  Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, says one of Nigeria’s major problems is violation of laws. Diri spoke on Friday in Yenagoa, the state capital, during a thanksgiving service for the 2023/2024 legal year. The governor said Nigerians obey laws abroad but question security agents at home for doing their job. “When Nigerians travel out of Nigeria, they obey the law, but in Nigeria, they question security operatives for doing their job,” the governor said.   Diri said all Nigerians must obey the law no matter their social standing in society. In her speech, Matilda Ayemieye, chief judge of Bayelsa, said the judiciary in the state has made significant process in deploying technology in the administration of justice. “Bayelsa state judiciary is now a reference point in the use of the court recording system as well as the e-filing of cases in the entire country,” she said. “These were possible because of the vision of the past leadership of the judiciary and the unwavering support from the state government. “Our mission is to consolidate on the gains already recorded and open up new frontiers. “We have started the accessibility project to bring speedy and effective dispensation of justice closer to the people of Bayelsa. The chief judge said magistrates and high courts in the state are undergoing rehabilitation and renovation. She expressed optimism that by the end of the current legal year, all courts sitting outside their designated places would be fully relocated.

  Defence Headquarters says troops of the Nigerian armed forces have eliminated 52 terrorists, apprehended 60 and rescued 61 kidnapped hostages in different operations between Sept. 15 and Sept. 22. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja. Buba said a total of seven terrorists comprising of five adult males and two adult females surrendered to troops within the period under review.   He said the troops recovered a total number of 77 weapons and 658 different types of ammunition. “The breakdown is as follows: 53 AK47 rifles, two AK47 rifles loaded with 8 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 18 locally fabricated rifles, one beretta pistol, three pump action guns. “650 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 50 AK47 magazines, two rounds of 9mm ammo, six rounds of 7.62 NATO and five fragmentation jackets. “Furthermore, troops recovered 15 vehicles, 12 motorcycles, 12 Bicycles, five mobile phones, 12 cutlasses, two generator sets, two gas cylinders, 133 livestock and a sum of N602,000 and Airtel airtime worth N8,000,” he said. Buba said the troops of Operation Delta Safe denied oil thieves of an estimated N946.38 million being value of seizures in the South-South region. He stated that the troops recovered 496,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 83,400 litres of illegally refined AGO, 1,200 litres of PMS, four pumping machines, five speed boats, 34 dugout pits, 57 storage tanks, 16 wooden boats, 85 ovens and three outboard engines. According to him, the mission of the military against terrorist and other violent extremist groups in the country remains unchanged. “The military will continue with aggressive operations to force these groups to submission,” he added. The defence spokesman said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai were engaged in ambushes, raids, rescue operations, fighting patrols, attacks as well as cordon and search activities in the North East theatre. He added that troops of Operations Hadarun Daji, Safe Haven, Whirl Punch and Whirl Stroke had also sustained aggressive postures against bandits and other criminals in North West and North Central. According to him, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke conducted 22 operations, 13 fighting patrols, six confidence-building patrols and one raid operation within the period under review. He said that the areas covered included Mbaayande, Mbamazu and Mbaagudu villages of Konshiga Local Government Area of Benue. “Troops of Joint Task Force Operations UDO KA and Operation Search and Flush in the South East region sustained momentum in the fight against insecurity in the region. “Troops apprehended five suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists in Ikwo and Ihiala Local Government Areas of Ebonyi and Anambra, respectively. “The military will through its operations continue to make improvements towards ensuring safety of citizens and restoring security across the country. “Citizens are encouraged to know something, say something and let the military do something about it,” Buba said. (NAN)