The three kidnapped students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have been released. FIJ learned that the students, namely Damilola Dickson, Ugwu Chukwuemeka and Ojang Precious Ebejin, regained freedom on Friday morning, two weeks after they were abducted. Irene Ugbo, the Cross River State police spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Friday afternoon. Although she did not disclose whether ransom was paid, she said they were released with the help of security operatives. With the help of the police tracking system and the Department of State Security (DSS), they were released this morning. I think that operation was done last night and they were released this morning,” the police spokesperson told FIJ. “You know, because of the operational strategy surrounding the whole operation, there are certain pieces of information we cannot give out, but the main thing is that they are alive and have been released. They are currently receiving treatment.” FIJ had earlier reported how gun-wielding kidnappers took the three students from their hostel and went off with them via a river close to the school. A source had told FIJ that the gunmen demanded N14 million to release two of the students, N6 million to release Damilola and N8 million for Ugwu. (FIJ)

  International Press Centre (IPC’s) Centre for the Safety and Protection of Journalists (I-CSPJ) has urged the Rivers State government and security agents in the state to ensure immediate release of the abducted Channel Television Reporter, Mr Joshua Rogers, who was kidnapped on Thursday. Rogers was whisked away to an unknown place by gunmen around 9p.m on Thursday April 11, 2024. He was attacked close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port-Harcourt, while returning from work, Press Freedom Officer in IPC, Melody Akinjiyan, in a statement on Friday, quoted Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, as saying that the spate of insecurity in the country should be of serious concern to all, adding that it is very disturbing that journalists and media practitioners have also become easy targets.   The centre also appealed to other national, regional and international media freedom groups, freedom of expression organisations and human rights bodies to join in the clamour for his release and safety. It was gathered that the abducted reporter was driving his official Channels Television branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle. He was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened. Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for his release, according to the report.

  Officer Cadet Owowoh Princess Oluchukwu, on Friday, became the first-ever Nigerian female officer to graduate from the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS). According to a statement by Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, a Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in Abuja on Friday, 24-year-old Oluchukwu was one of the 135 Officer Cadets to graduate during RMAS’ Sovereign’s Parade today in London. Thung Khe Pass, White Stone Slope, Hoa Binh, Flycam – Nếm TV The parade marked the completion of 44 weeks of intensive training for the Officer Cadets of Commissioning Course 232. Since the 1950s, several Nigerian officers including former Nigerian President Yakubu Gowan and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye have become RMAS alumni.   “Princess’ graduation as the first female and 190th Nigerian graduate, marks a significant milestone in UK’s long-standing commitment to supporting Nigeria’s Professional Military Education training. “This commitment to close UK-Nigerian cooperation was affirmed during the recent UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership talks held in February 2024,” the statement said. In 2018, Princess joined the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in Kaduna State, Nigeria. During her second year at the NDA, she was appointed a Cadet Lance Corporal; a Cadet Sergeant in her fourth year and in her fifth year she was appointed to the role of Company Senior Under Officer Charlie (CSUO C). She held this appointment with two other female counterparts and made history as the first female to assume the position of CSUO in the academy. In her fourth year, she completed the Academics Wing of the commissioning course and achieved first-class honours in Biological Sciences. Speaking of her achievement, she said: “It is a profound honour to be the first Nigerian female officer to commission from the esteemed Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. “This achievement is not mine alone, but a testament to the unwavering support of my family, mentors, instructors, and countless individuals who believed in me every step of the way. “As I look ahead to the future, I am committed to representing Nigeria with pride, and to making a positive difference in the world.”

  One in five Japanese households by 2050 will be elderly people living alone, a new study said Friday, as Japan scrambles to find how to effectively care for its greying population. By 2050, 10.8 million elderly people will be living alone, making up 20.6 percent of all households, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research said in a projection that it issues every five years. It marks an increase since 2020, when 7.37 million elderly, or 13.2 percent of all households, lived alone. The projection came as young Japanese people delay marriage or choose not to have children partly because they cannot afford to do so. Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs and a shrinking labour force to pay for it. Many elderly people currently have children or siblings who can look after them, even if they live alone, the institute said. “However, 30 years from now, the proportion of elderly single-person households with no children — whether married, bereaved, or separated — is expected to increase, and the number of siblings of the individual will also decrease,” the study warned. Japan’s overall population shrank by 595,000 to 124 million in 2023, marking the 13th straight annual fall, according to government data released Friday. The scale of the decrease was offset by an inflow of foreigners, the data showed, while the population of Japanese nationals dropped by 837,000 to 121 million. The Japanese government has attempted to slow the decline and ageing of its population without meaningful success.

  The Lagos State Police Command on Friday said a total number of seven persons drowned in different parts of the state this week. The deaths were recorded at hotel swimming pools, beaches and at the lagoon. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement. PUNCH Online reported that two passengers reportedly fell into the lagoon on Wednesday after a commercial bus crashed on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State. Other occupants of the vehicle sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident. Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, in a statement, had noted that the driver of the 18-seater bus, who was on speed, swerved off the road and hit the bridge rails. He stated that the impact of the crash forcefully pushed the two passengers off the bus into the lagoon, adding that the victims, an adult male and female, were being searched by the Marine Police. Hundeyin wrote, “This week alone, seven people drowned in hotel swimming pools and beaches. Two in one hotel in Mushin, One in one hotel on the Island, One on Ibeshe Island, Two fell off Third Mainland Bridge in an accident, Another one in one hotel in Shasha.” Also in Anamabra State, Nollywood actor, Pope Odonwodo, popularly known as Junior Pope died on Wednesday during a boat trip to a movie location alongside other actors in Asaba, Delta State The actor, along with four others, lost their lives when their boat capsised.

  No fewer than 188 terrorists were killed and 330 arrested during operations conducted across the northern parts of the country in the last one week. Also, a total of 133 kidnapped persons were rescued by troops deployed across the country within the period under review. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. He noted that the recent achievements of the troops had placed them in a strong position to win the ongoing war against terrorists. The statement read, “The armed forces are working decisively to kill the terrorists, stop the insecurity, and ensure the safety of citizens. Accordingly, we are making the terrorists pay a much heavier price than we have been forced to pay. “Troops will continue to operate with tremendous force against terrorists across the country. During the week under review, troops neutralised 188 and arrested 330 persons. Troops also rescued 133 kidnapped hostages. “The military is in a good and strong position in the war against terrorists with many terrorist leaders killed. We will continue to provide security for citizens with the tools at our disposal.” In the ongoing operations against oil theft in the country, Buba said 36 suspects were arrested and stolen crude oil worth N637m recovered. “In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N637,710,310.00 only. Troops also arrested 36 perpetrators of oil theft. “Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 24 boats, 21 storage tanks and 4 vehicles. Other items recovered included 28 cooking ovens and 21 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 672,350 litres of stolen crude oil and 90,530 litres of illegally refined AGO,” he added. He, however, said troops recovered 270 assorted weapons and 5,083 assorted ammunition. “The breakdown is as follows: 122 AK47 rifles, 47 locally fabricated guns, 47 Dane guns, 24 automatic pump action guns, 8 locally fabricated pistols, 2 locally made single barrel guns, one double barrel gun, one hand grenade, and one IED. “Others are 2,129 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,686 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 116 rounds of 9mm ammo, 133 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ball ammo, 151 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 619 live cartridges, 34 magazines, 8 HH radios, 8 vehicles, 40 motorcycles, 6 bicycles, 50 mobile phones and the sum of N610,210.00 amongst other items,” Buba added. The PUNCH reports that between January and March 2024, troops killed a total of 2,351 terrorists and arrested 2,308. Also, 1,241 kidnapped hostages were rescued, and stolen crude oil worth N20bn was recovered in the first quarter of the year.

  A yet-to-be-identified woman has been crushed to death by a 40-foot container at the Alapere area of Lagos State. PUNCH Online gathered that the accident that involved a Mack 40-foot fully loaded container fell on a Nissan car with number plate ABJ 692 BG when the driver was said to have lost control of the vehicle due to speeding. This was disclosed in a statement made available to journalists by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, on Friday. According to the statement, the driver of the Mack articulated truck and his motorboy fled the scene of the collision. Taofiq stated that LASTMA officials, Lagos State Ambulance Service, and other relevant agencies were present at the scene. He added that the deceased was handed over to policemen at the Alapere Police Station. The General Manager of LASTMA, Bakare Oki, urged motorists to avoid speeding and conduct a routine check on their vehicles before embarking on any journey. The statement partly read, “A fully loaded 40-foot Mack articulated truck today fell on a Nissan Car (ABJ 692 BG) and instantly killed a woman at the rear of the car while the car driver survived unhurt with support by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officials by NNPCL inward Estate, Alapere, Lagos. “The Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed that the driver of the Mack articulated truck with his motor-boy ran away immediately after the fatal accident occurred. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver of Mack articulated a 40-foot fully loaded container while on high speed, lost control as a result of a brake failure, and rammed into a moving Nissan car on motion by NNPCL inward Alapere, Ogudu, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos. “General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare Oki, however, warned the motoring public, particularly truck drivers, to stop overspeeding and ensure their vehicles are properly checked, including the braking system, before embarking on any journey within or outside the state.”

  Controversial crossdresser, Bobrisky has confirmed his gender during his trial on charges of naira abuse in court on Friday. Recall the crossdresser was handed a six-month jail sentence by Abimbola Awogboro, a judge of the federal high court in Lagos.   Awogboro, in her verdict, also ruled that the sentence is without the option of a fine. The judge while sentencing the convict, said the judgment will be a deterrent to others that are found to be abusing and mutilating the Naira. Meanwhile, prior to the sentence, the judge asked Bobrisky of his sex, and he quickly replied that he is a man. Bobrisky is famous on the internet for identifying as a transgender woman. The socialite gained traction for his bold and flamboyant style, makeup tutorials, and controversial statements on various social issues. Bobrisky openly embraced his identity and has been vocal about his experiences navigating gender identity in Nigeria.