Police authorities in the Federal Capital Territory have arrested six suspects including a staff of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for vandalising and stealing a transformer in the Mbappe area of the FCT. The FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh said the arrest was made late Thursday. “The operatives of the FCT police command, on April 11, 2024, at about 10:45 PM, acting on credible intelligence, trailed and arrested six suspects, namely Kabiru Muhammed, Aliyu Usman, Abdulmalik Alhasassan, Shafi’u Suleiman, Suleiman Ibrahim, and Raymond Mailabari, who is an AEDC staff, all males of Tipper Garage, Mpape, Abuja, for vandalising and stealing a transformer,” she said in a Friday statement. The suspects were trying to escape with the vandalised transformer and had already loaded it on a truck in the Maitama area of the FCT. But they ran out of luck when police operatives swooped in and arrested them. “The vandalised transformer, a crane truck, a blue-colored Mercedes Benz with Reg No. PKN 497 XA, a white-colored J5 bus with Reg No. RBC 228 XC, and an ash-colored Peugeot 406 car with Reg No. GSN 13 AA belonging to the AEDC staff were all recovered,” the police said. Investigations have been launched into the matter, Anene added.

  The Israeli army said Sunday that Iran’s attack using hundreds of drones and missiles had been “foiled”, with 99 percent of them intercepted overnight. “The Iranian attack was foiled,” Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement. None of the drones and cruise missiles that were launched towards Israel had entered its territory, Hagari said, and “only a few” ballistic missiles reached Israel. One of them “lightly hit the Nevatim base”, he added, noting that the military compound was “still functioning”. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement: “Together with the United States and additional partners, we managed to defend the territory of the State of Israel.” “The campaign is not over yet -– we must remain alert”, Gallant added.

  Borno State government has said 89 out of 276 abducted girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, are still in captivity. The state Commissioner for Information and Internal security Affairs, Prof Usman Tar, disclosed this at a press conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the ugly event. April 14, 2014, would mark the tenth year of the abduction of the school girls. “So far, 187 of the 276 abducted Chibok girls have been rescued and reunited with their families; 89 are still missing,” he said. Tar, who spoke alongside his counterpart of Women Affairs, Zuwaira Gambo, noted that the 187 girls rescued over a period of ten years, include the 57 that escaped on the day of abduction. He revealed that 108 were rescued by the security agencies and already reunited with their families. He said the 187 rescued girls were enrolled in Capacity-building centres and Second Chance Schools initiative to make them self-reliant. “Also, a number of the rescued girls have been enrolled for various scholarship programmes” he said. He called on the parents of the girls that are still missing to be patient, saying government would do everything possible to get reunited with their children. “We really understand the pain and anguish that the families of those still in captivity are going through, and government is committed to rescuing the remaining girls in captivity; we are working very closely with the federal security agencies along this line,” he said He expressed hope that with the combined efforts of the security forces, intelligence agencies and communities, all the remaining girls in captivity would return home. “With about 100 still in captivity, I can say that we are still in mourning period, and we still in prayer session in Mosques and Churches for their rescue.” “This is not a moment of celebration and joy, but a moment for prayers and commemoration,” he stressed, assuring, “We will celebrate when all have been rescued,” he said.

  Police authorities in Oyo State have arrested 20 suspects over the invasion of the state government premises in Agodi, Ibadan, on Saturday. Some weapons, ammunition, and ATMS were also recovered from the suspects. “In all, (20) twenty suspects have been arrested in possession of; (3) three pump action guns, (291)two hundred and ninety-one life cartridges, (2) two expended cartridges, (67) sixty-seven cutlasses, (5) five bulletproof vest, (6) six pair of boots, (10) ten megaphone (public address system),(3) three Oodua styles beret caps, (7) seven belts, (11) eleven Oodua Nation army camouflage uniforms, (1) one unregistered Nissan Urban Caravan bus and (3) three tvs motor motorcycles,” the Oyo State police command spokesman Osifeso Adewale said in a statement. Police authorities said the invaders are suspected members of the Yoruba Nation group. The invaders who arrived at the place in buses had attempted to enter the Governor’s Office during the siege but the gallantry of security operatives frustrated that plot. They wore masks and scarves and hoisted a flag – suspected to be that of the agitators – in the area during the early morning attack. “The suspects, who were on military camouflages came heavily armed in an unregistered silver coloured Nissan Urban Caravan bus containing cutlasses, pump action rifles, cartridges, assorted charms, and an Oodua nation agitation flag,” the police said. Witnesses said gunshots were heard following an exchange of fire between them and security agents.   In the wake of the invasion, a combined team of security operatives including soldiers took over the area, blocking entry and exit points to the Oyo State Government Secretariat. Traffic was thereafter diverted from the place. But the police said investigations have been launched into the matter. The team leading it includes the “Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department”. So far, the Oyo State Government has not commented on the matter.

  Olutayo Adesina, professor of history at the University of Ibadan, and Abubakar Sani, former head of department at the archaeology and heritage studies at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), have been selected for the 2023 British academy global professorship. Both lecturers were among the eight professors selected to undertake research on a range of issues, including food system models to resolve climate issues and exploration of West African communities’ history through museum collections. Other selected scholars were Tetyana Antsupova, Paul Behrens, Sandrine Berges, Karine Chemla, Saloumeh Gholami and Ayelet Landau. The professorship is a large investigator-led award to attract internationally recognised established scholars to work in the United Kingdom and to undertake cutting-edge research projects in diverse but relevant areas of interests. Adesina, who doubles as president of the Society of Nigerian Archivists, would focus his research on the “interplay of nationalist historiography, academic social science, and vernacular knowledge as mutually constitutive social epistemologies.” He would also investigate to what extent the work of academic historians and social scientists at the University of Ibadan was shaped by indigenous, vernacular epistemologies. On his part, Sani, a deputy director at the ABU Zaria Institute for Development Research and Training, aims at a project that combines archaeology, museum practice and stakeholder engagement to study large and under-researched collections from key Nigerian sites. He said the research would draw on archaeological, ethnographic and archival data held in British and Nigerian museums and hoped that it would bring “new understandings of African history, and of UK/Nigerian research histories, through academic outputs, online resources, exhibitions and outreach in the UK and Nigeria.” According to the British academy, the awards are expected to run for four years and selected awardees will each be provided with £900,000 for the execution of their respective projects.

  The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that the forthcoming national ID card will be distributed to applicants through their banks. Collaborating closely with the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), NIMC aims to streamline the issuance process. According to a recent update shared on X platform, NIMC disclosed that the cards will be seamlessly integrated into the existing protocols for issuing Debit/Credit cards by banks. Applicants are instructed to request their cards, linked with their NIN (National Identification Number), via the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks. This innovative initiative will utilize the AFRIGO card scheme, a domestic system empowered by NIBSS, ensuring efficiency and reliability in card distribution. Moreover, holders will have the flexibility to collect their cards from designated centers or opt for delivery to their preferred location, albeit at an additional cost borne by the applicants.

  Gunmen numbering over 100, invaded a riverine community in Egan Oriomi Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of Ojo, at the early hours of today, setting several houses on fire. A one-year-old child was burnt beyond recognition, as well as 15 houses. Ten persons were shot, while others, among whom was a 90-year-old man sustained deep match cuts in parts of their bodies. When Vanguard arrived at the riverine community yesterday, the father of the burnt one-year-old child was seen carrying the charred remains of his son, crying.

  No fewer than 10 persons were feared killed when gunmen struck in Bokkos community on Friday night. Source from the community alleged that a group of terrorists invaded Mandung-Mushu and Kopnanle villages to carry out the attacks. A member of the community, Barr. Farmasum Fuddang in a statement as Chairman, Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard said: “Last night, April 12, our community in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau state faced a horrific attack resulting in the senseless slaughter of at least ten of our members. “Despite the presence of security forces, including the DSS, army, and Police, the perpetrators were allowed to carry out their heinous acts with impunity. “Under the cover of darkness, more than fifty armed terrorists descended upon the villages of Mandung-Mushu and Kopnanle, targeting innocent, unarmed, and peaceful residents as they slept. “The assailants set fire to homes and a place of worship, mercilessly gunning down fleeing civilians while nearby soldiers failed to intervene effectively. This brazen attack, which predominantly targeted children, appears to be part of a calculated effort to instill fear and perpetrate further displacement within our communities. We condemn this act of terror, which we believe is aligned with a broader agenda to impose sharia law and seize control of our lands. “Just hours before this tragedy unfolded, BCDC Vanguard submitted a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS), challenging a leaked memo that falsely accused our people of planning violence against Fulani residents. We unequivocally stated that the intelligence behind the memo was fabricated and defamatory. “Despite our efforts to rectify these falsehoods, the security apparatus failed to protect our community from the very threats we highlighted. “The DSS ignored these warnings and instead chose to implicate the victims