The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Southeast security summit for today

    The Southeast security summit would hold today. The summit would focus on areas of mutual support and cooperation between the police and the private sector to enhance the ease of doing business in the region.

    The summit is expected to boost more effective security facilities, community policing, economic prosperity and job creation.

    It is being powered by the Southeast Chamber of Commerce and governors.

    Read Also: ‘Southeast leaders betrayed our trust’

    Nkemka Jombo-Ofo, the Commissioner representing the Organised Private Sector and Southeast in the Police Service Commission (PSC) will set the agenda for the summit with a paper on the objective of the event.

    Another Commissioner in the PSC, Rommy Mom, representing Human Rights Organisations, would deliver the keynote address.

    Governors of the Southeast, top security chiefs including Chairman of PSC, Inspector General of Police (IG), Commissioners of Police and captains of industry are expected at the event.

  • APC state chairmen pass vote of confidence in Oshiomhole

    The State Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have passed a vote of confidence in the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

    They described what they called “public disparagement of the party’s national chairman as unconscionable distraction borne out of complete misconception of the reforms and specifically, the principle of loyalty to the party.”

    The party’s National Deputy Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, had accused Oshiomhole of running a one-man show, calling on his to step aside.

    Shuaibu alleged that the fortune of the ruling party dipped under the watch of Oshiomhole as the chairmen and therefore no longer fit to lead.

    But, the state chairmen yesterday pledged their support for the former Edo State governor.

    In a communique at the end of a meeting between the state chairmen and the National Working Committee (NWC), the state chapter chairmen said they were opposed to calls on Oshiomhole to resign, restating their  support for the national chairman’ reformatory effort.

    Read Also: Adams Oshiomole: Victim of reactionary forces

    The communique was signed by 20 state chairmen of the party, cutting across the geo-political zones.

    It reads: “That Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole stepped into the saddle in June last year and hit the ground running by embarking on sweeping reforms that centered on party discipline and supremacy. He galvanised and led the NWC with commitment and sharp focus on greater philosophical ideals of rebuilding the party and raising the party another notch.

    “In line with his credo of fairness to leadership and membership of the party, the NWC, under his leadership, ensured a level-play field in the primary elections that largely returned the party to the people (general membership).

    “He led the NWC with a single purpose of dismantling the culture of impunity and imposition of anointed candidates at the expense of the vast majority of party members by some overbearing state governors.

    “Oshiomhole provided leadership that encouraged the APC candidates to go into the 2019 general election with assurance and great hope. Realising the pains and strains that usually accompany reforms and change, we are satisfied with the level of success that our party achieved under the Oshiomhole-inspired reforms.

    ”We are proud with the leadership provided by the national chairman in the recent election of principal officers of the National Assembly, where he ensured the emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively. You said it will happen and you worked hard to achieve it. Kudos Mr. Chairman.

    “We believe the best is ahead of our party and that all hands must be on deck to ensure that we incrementally build on the solid foundations of reforms that have brought about discipline, party supremacy and put the party directly in the hands of the people

    “Flowing from the above, we consider the public disparagement of our national chairman by anyone or group as unconscionable distraction borne out of complete misconception of the reforms and specifically, the principle of loyalty to the party.

    “We denounce calls on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to resign; and that, we solidly support Comrade Oshiomhole’s afore-mentioned reformatory effort. We endorse Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s leadership and hereby pass a vote of confidence in him.”

  • June 12: Tinubu didn’t betray Abiola contrary to insinuations, says Adelaja

    Immediate past Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream Joseph Iranola Akinlaja has debunked allegations by Mr. Kola Abiola, son of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, that All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu betrayed the winner of the annulled June 12 election.

    The former General Secretary of  Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and ex-Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in a statement yesterday, said Tinubu was one of the people, who stood firm to the end for principle and patriotism as well as for actualisation of the June 12 election.

    He stressed that the if the election had been allowed to stand, “with the benefits of hindsight, Nigeria would have been better than what it is today”.

    The statement reads: “Lately, I have been coming across lots of interviews and analysis from different stakeholders about the epic battle against the annulment of Saturday June 12, 1993 Presidential poll, and the subsequent declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day through the courage of President Muhammadu Buhari, who even honoured the heroes, both living and the dead that actively participated in the popular and legitimate political struggle.

    “Of particular interest to me was the interview of Mr. Kola Abiola, son of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, (MKO) winner of the annulled June 12 election, who gave his own perspectives about the activities that greeted the struggle while his late dad was incarcerated by late General Sanni Abacha’s government for demanding for the revalidation of his stolen mandate, which was willingly and constitutionally given to him by majority of Nigerians.

    Read Also: June 12: Kola Abiola got it wrong on Tinubu, says Nyiam

    “However, one thing I found dangerous and unacceptable was when stories of such political agitations are told with sensational coloration, elevation of falsehoods and fabrication over and above truth.

    “As a stakeholder, who was a victim of that despotic regime, who was also at the forefront of the struggle, it then became necessary for me to speak out and change the narrative to its true state and obliterate facts of historical events about ‘June 12’ struggle that were distorted…”

    He added: ”Throughout the period of the 9 weeks strike action led by Comrade (Chief) Frank Ovie Kokori as General Secretary of NUPENG and myself as the Deputy General Secretary of same union at that time, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was always in contact with NUPENG and PENGASSAN to sustain the pressure against the government in order to ensure the enthronement of democracy and most importantly, the swearing in of Chief Abiola as the President.

    ”At a point when Chief MKO Abiola came back from London, it was Senator Tinubu who organised a meeting with us and Abiola for the first time, precisely two weeks after our strike had started. At that meeting which held at one of Chief MKO Abiola’s hideouts at Ologun Agbaje Street in Victoria Island, Lagos, Chief Abiola commended and thanked us for our patriotism and for the strike action which took place even without prompting from him.

    ”In the light of this, it then became absolutely illogical and unthinkable for an elected Federal Parliamentarian, Senator Tinubu, who throughout the nine weeks strike action was known for consistently encouraging us with people like late Dr. Beko Ransom-Kuti, late Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and other civil rights activists to now simultaneously lobby for the post of either Administrator, Deputy Administrator or Commissioner under the same unpopular military junta that Tinubu was grossly opposed to, openly mobilised against, at the risk of his personal life…”

    The former lawmaker added that it would be most unfair for anyone including the first son of late MKO “to come up with insinuations or innuendos that are damaging, misleading and erroneous against such man of good conscience who never compromised, despite the backlashes”.

  • Election petitions: We’re being threatened, Akinlade tells tribunal

    The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was told on Wednesday by Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade that himself and his witnesses have been subjects of sundry threats by unknown persons in the last couple of days.

    Sebastian Hon, counsel to Akinlade told the tribunal, chaired by Justice Halilu Yusuf, that his client and his witnesses – over a dozen of them – were being threatened in connection with the pending petition challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Prince Adedapo Abiodun, as the winner of the governorship election conducted on March 9, 2019.

    The petition was filed by Akinlade – hitherto an APC lawmaker representing Yewa South and Ipokia Federal Constituency in the Eighth Legislative Assembly before moving to the APM to contest the governorship poll against Abiodun (APC ) and other candidates.

    Hon raised the alarm immediately after the court proceeding, saying a witness was practically dragged out of the court by his father over an alleged threat to life.

    He later told reporters about the threats to his client and the witnesses.

    According to him, the policeman protecting the petitioner (Akinlade) was withdrawn last week.

    But, Dapo Abiodun’s counsel; Dele Adesina, SAN, debunked the allegation, arguing that he could not imagine a more peaceful atmosphere than what was being enjoyed by the court since it started sitting.

    Also, counsel to APC, Habib Ajayi, said if withdrawing the security of the petitioner was a threat, the petitioner should better address that with the security.

    Hon, however, requested that the hearing of the petition be put on hold until they review their security situation as well as lodge complaints to the right authorities.

    Sebastian said: “The police security for the petitioner, who was the governorship candidate of APM, has been withdrawn. The witnesses, who are to come and testify, have been threatened. Just yesterday, one of them, the father came here. He said his life is under threat and that his son wanted to kill him. The rest have been under threat as well.

    Read Also: Ogun: Tribunal directs INEC to grant Akinlade, APM access to election materials

    “So, we told the tribunal that we can’t proceed today after we managed to secure the attendance of three witnesses. So, we are going back to look at the security situation and appeal to the authorities. I personally would be making this appeal as well because we counsel, fellow petitioners and the petitioners themselves need security.

    “We have every right to be here and we ask the Inspector General of Police, the Directorate of State Security and all concerned to offer security to us.”

    But, Abiodun’s counsel said: “On the issue of threat to life, you have been here since the beginning of this hearing and what you see is important than what anyone tells you. I don’t see or imagine a more peaceful atmosphere than what we are seeing here.

    “It is evident for everybody to see and beyond that, the person who is the governor of the state today, my client, is a man of peace just like I described him as a dove inside the tribunal room. I know him intimately. But, you know we lawyers can make a mountain out of a mould hill; we can describe a no petition as a petition .

    “This allegation is like talking about a man, who is not a man, trying to kill a bird, which is not a bird, on a tree that is not a tree.

    “I was the one that even said if they need to be assured to assemble their witnesses, no problems; we would help them, we would go to the Commissioner of Police to assure them.

    “But if they can call 28 witnesses without any molestation, then, I don’t know what he is talking about”.

    Also, counsel to APC argued that it was an administrative issue between who provided the security and for whom the security is being provided.

    He said: “If there is a threat because the police attached to the petitioner was allegedly withdrawn, that is an issue the petitioner should take up with the security because that is not a threat as far as we are concerned. It is an administrative issue between whoever request for police protection and who gave police protection.

    However, Justice Halilu said he was not afraid of anyone, except God, who he would give an account of his stewardship to after death.

    But he stressed that the security of everyone is of utmost paramount.

    “On the threat, I will want the counsels to meet with the Commissioner of Police for better security architecture,” Justice Halilu said.

    The court was however adjourned till June 24 for the petitioner to present more witnesses.

  • Video: Nursing mother held for possession of firearm

    Operatives of Operation Puff Adder have arrested a nursing mother, Simeon Esther, for alleged possession of one AK47 rifle and 18 rounds of live ammunition.

    The police said the firearm, which the suspect allegedly concealed in a travel bag, was meant for a kidnap operation in Ogun State.

    Esther said she was promised N5,000 by her husband, who she said asked her to deliver the bag to someone in Ogun State.

    The police said other members of the gang were awaiting the weapon, which would have been used to kidnap a senior citizen in the state.

    But the police did not give details of the foiled kidnap operation.

    Read Also: ‘I got illegal firearms to protect myself’

    Esther was among 38 suspects paraded on Wednesday at the Special Tactical Squad headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, for alleged kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, car theft and culpable homicide.

    During the parade, Force spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “A mother and a wife, Simeon Esther, was arrested in Ondo State for possession of one AK47 rifle and 18 rounds of live ammunition.

    “The operatives of Operation Puff Adder prevented her from getting to her destination.  She was on a mission to deliver the gun to a gang in Ogun State. The gang had perfected plans to kidnap one of the senior citizens in Ogun State but we were able to nip the crime in the bud.

    “They selected her because she is a nursing mother and they believed they would easily beat the prime eyes of our operatives and other security agencies. But we intercepted her and intercepted the expected end recipient of the weapon, thereby aborting the kidnap operation.”

    On how she got involved, Esther said: “On Wednesday, my husband (Bright Gbade) called me and asked me to go and deliver the bag to somebody in Ogun State. He did not even tell me the name of the person; he only told me that the person would call me.

    “I did not know the content of the bag and they did not even allow me to carry the bag. They carried the bag themselves to the motor park.  It was while we were on our way that the policemen searched the bag and found the gun in it.

    “We have been married for two years and I did not know that my husband is a criminal. My husband said he is a fisherman when he was asking me out and before I accepted his proposal, he said he was one of the militants who surrendered their weapons during the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

    “I even relocated to my mother’s house because of the way he treats me. I was at my mother’s house when he called me to help him deliver the bag in Ogun State and he promised to give me N5,000, but he ended up not giving me.”

  • Two men remanded for ‘abducting three children’

    An Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded in prison custody two men – Charles Amakanyadioha and Raphel Amaechi – for allegedly kidnapping three children.

    Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo gave the order after hearing a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping preferred against them by the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.

    Amakanyadioha and Amaechi, both 52, pleaded not guilty.

    Following a police request, Mrs Adedayo remanded the defendants and adjourned further proceedings till June 25.

    Read Also: 920 suspects arrested for kidnapping, murder, others in four weeks, says IG

    Earlier, prosecuting Inspector Chinalu Uwadione told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 1:40 p.m on June 14 at Gboke Street, Ijagemo in Ikorodu, Lagos.

    Uwadione said the defendants kidnapped three children aged two, four and six years.

    They are children of Mr Timothy Adeposi and Mrs Rashidat Oyedotun.

    The offences, the prosecutor added, contravened sections 2 and 3 of the Kidnapping Prohibition Laws of Lagos State, 2017.

  • Man gets life sentence for killing father

    The Ibiono Ibom Division of Akwa Ibom State High Court has sentenced Utibe Ita, an indigene of Nkim village in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, to life imprisonment for killing his father.

    The presiding judge Justice Bassey Nkanang said Ita is to spend the rest of his life behind bars for committing manslaughter.

    Our correspondent learnt that Ita was originally arraigned on a one-count charge of murder, contrary to Section 326(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria 2000.

    But he had the charge commuted to manslaughter.

    It was deduced from his confessional statement to the police that he had been having a misunderstanding with his father over some thorny family matters.

    The bubble burst when his father, Mr. Oscar Ita, went missing between June 5 and 11, 2017, prompting his brother, Mr Godwin Udoisang, to initiate a search party.

    Udoisang, who testified as prosecution witness I (PW1) in the trial, said he first inquired about his brother from the accused, who responded that he had not also seen him.

    The witness told the court that he organised a search party to comb the surroundings and nearby bushes which yielded no fruit.

    Read Also: Rapists get life sentence in Yobe

    Udoisang said he then searched for his brother in his house where he lived with the accused and discovered a heap of earth.

    It was gathered that the accused made no effort to escape.

    Though he attempted to escape when youths of Nkim arrested him, but it was too late.

    At the Homicide Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Ikot Akpan Abia, one detectives, a photographer and a pathologist accompanied the youths to the scene where the remains of late Oscar Ita were exhumed.

    An autopsy conducted on the body indicted that the accused buried his father with his left shoe.

    From the confessional statement, the autopsy report and police investigation, there was a strong suspicion that the accused may have buried his father alive.

    Utibe confessed that he hit his father “and he fell down”, adding that he “rushed” to a neighbour, begged and obtained a shovel used in digging the shallow grave.

    The Chief State Counsel O. P. Okpo, who led the prosecution, averred that though there was no eyewitness, one of the ingredients to prove an offence of murder, the confessional statement of the accused and circumstantial evidence of the crime were sufficient to prove the charge of murder against the accused.

    Lawrence S. Udonwa, the defence counsel, contended that since there was no eyewitness to the alleged offence, evidence of the four state witnesses could not sustain the conviction of the accused.

    He argued that exhibits 1 to 3 (post-mortem report, photographs of scene of crime and body of the deceased) tendered by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), were improper as the latter was not an expert.

    During the trial, the state called four witnesses and tendered five exhibits, while the accused was his own witness.

    In his first judgment, Justice Bassey Nkanang considered the arguments and submissions by the parties before concluding that “the court believed that there was mutual physical assault”.

    He added: “A person who unlawfully kills another in the circumstance of mutual physical assault committed manslaughter, and not murder.

    “The prosecution has proven all the ingredients of murder. The court is persuaded to convict the accused for the offence of manslaughter. Consequently, the accused is sentenced to life imprisonment.”

  • ‘How I sold old woman’s pants for N2000’

    The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a man who reportedly stole Madam Modupe Adekoya’s pants.

    Efoghae Friday, 21, confessed to have stolen the underwear belonging to Madam Adekoya, who resides in a three-bedroom flat on 15, Olorunsogo Street, Basiri, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    According to the police, Friday said some people ordered him to get a pair of pants for them with a promise to give him N2,000.

    The suspect said one of the two pairs of pants belonging to Madam Adekoya was stolen and delivered to the men.

    Speaking with The Nation, the old woman said: “I know Friday very well as he usually comes to assist me in doing some domestic chores at my home. To show appreciation to him, I used to give him meals. I never thought he could do this.

    Read Also: ‘Your pant or your life?’

    “I had washed my pants and put two of them out to dry at 3 a.m on June 10 at the corridor of my house. But when I went to remove it the next morning, I found out that one was missing; then I raised the alarm.

    “After series of investigations, a relative who suspected Friday, called him and urged him to confess. The relative promised not to be angry with him. He did eventually confess to stealing the underwear and that was when we invited the police to arrest him.

    “When he was arrested, he took the police to the house of three boys, claiming that one of them asked him to fetch the underwear and promised to give him N2,000,” she said.

    The suspects were transferred from Irewolede Police Station to the New Iyin Police Station on Bank Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    A relative of the old woman, who did not want his name in print, urged the police to prosecute the suspect and make him provide the pant stolen.

    He also urged the police to charge the suspects to court since they had admitted of have committed the crime.

  • Wide Gate Initiatives trains university lecturers on peacebuilding, multi-track diplomacy

    Wide Gate Initiatives trains university lecturers on peacebuilding, multi-track diplomacy

    By Tunde Akinyemi

    In a bold move to institutionalise and mainstream peacebuilding within the Nigerian academic framework, the Wide Gate Initiative for Peace and Dispute Resolution (Wide Gate Initiatives) has launched an intensive training programme for lecturers at Osun State University (Ikire Campus). 

    The training, under the theme Achieving Sustainable Peace through Collaborative Effort: Role Awareness and Practical Tools in Conflict Resolution, aims to equip educators with tools to integrate peace education into their teaching and research.

    The week-long programme, held in June 2019, featured lectures, practical workshops, simulations, and conflict-mapping exercises. Over 50 lecturers from various departments—education, political science, sociology, and mass communication—participated.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony, Adebobola Omowon, Executive Director of Wide Gate Initiatives, emphasized the importance of academia in shaping peaceful societies. “The university is a microcosm of society. If we want peace in Nigeria, we must first create peace in our classrooms, in our syllabi, and in the minds of those we teach,” Omowon stated.

    The training introduced participants to multi-track diplomacy—a peacebuilding framework that goes beyond formal negotiations to include grassroots actors, NGOs, academics, businesses, media, and religious institutions. Lecturers were also trained in conflict-sensitive pedagogy, trauma-informed teaching, and research methodologies that prioritize social justice and reconciliation.

    “Nigerian universities must become more than knowledge factories—they must become peace incubators,” Omowon continued. “By embedding peace studies and conflict resolution into academic curricula, we help students become not just professionals, but nation-builders.”

    Participants left inspired. Dr. Ibiloye, a provost of the Campus, described the training as “transformational.” “This is the first time I’m seeing peacebuilding broken down into practical, actionable strategies that we can teach and apply in our communities,” he said.

    Insecurity in Nigeria has often been linked to systemic issues—youth unemployment, political marginalization, ethnic tension—all of which are academic concerns. With this initiative, Wide Gate Initiatives is positioning universities as hubs of intervention, where data, dialogue, and innovation converge to build peace.

    The initiative also plans to replicate the programme in other universities and polytechnics across the country. According to Omowon, “Peace is not a one-time event. It must be taught, reinforced, and lived out daily, especially by those who train the next generation.”

  • BoI disburses $82m for ship procurement

    The Bank of Industry (BoI) has disbursed $82million to some indigenous investors for the purchase of ships. The cash covers support for companies involved in ship repairs and allied investments.

    The money represents a part of the $200million fund under Nigeria Content Intervention Fund (NCIFUND).

    The Managing Director of BoI, Kayode Pitan, who spoke at the maiden edition of Nigeria Maritime Finance Fair in Lagos, said the funds provided have created 3,117 jobs across the country.

    The forum was organised by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), with: Banks/Private Sector Participation as a panacea for dearth of investment in the Maritime Industry as theme.

    Represented by a senior official of the Bank, Victor Agina, he explained to stakeholders that companies with about 51 per cent Nigerian equity, and which also sources at least 40 per cent of its raw materials locally, are eligible for the bank’s loans.

    He further explained that the NCIFUND is being managed in partnership with Nigerian Content Development and Monitoting Board (NCDMB), adding that the activities being financed must be connected to the oil & gas sector and that the beneficiaries must be contributors to the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF).

    He added that borrowers under the NCDF scheme are entitled to facilities with a five-year tenor inclusive of one year moratorium.

    He, therefore, urged the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to partner the bank in the management and disbursement of its Cabotage Vessels Finance Fund (CVFF) .

    Also speaking at the event, NIMASA Director-General, Dakuku Peterside, reiterated the agency’s commitment to  ending  waiver regime within its earlier stipulated timelines.

    Represented by Director in charge of Cabotage Services, Victor Egejuru, said efforts are ongoing to upgrade existing shipyards and  support new shipyard facilities.

    He added that the delay in disbursement of the CVFF, also has to do with ongoing amendment in the Cabotage Act.

    Although he regretted that the eighth National Assembly (NASS), was unable to complete the amendment to the Cabotage Act, Peterside nonetheless expressed optimism that the ninth National Assembly will expedite action on the legislation.