Former Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has pledged to turn the concerns of ordinary people into laws and policies that improve their lives, as he intensifies his bid for the Jigawa South-West senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections. Abba, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the district, made the promise during his campaign flag-off in Gwaram, Jigawa State, where he called for purposeful leadership and effective representation. He said his ambition was to ensure that the needs of his constituents received attention at the National Assembly, stressing that political representation must go beyond occupying public office to delivering…
Author: National Update
Retired police officers could see a major change in their retirement benefits, with Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu proposing a 200 per cent gratuity and pensions tied to officers’ last salaries. The proposal comes amid longstanding complaints by serving and retired police personnel over inadequate pensions, delayed payments and the contentious Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Disu disclosed in Abuja on Sunday that a presidential committee was examining the proposed changes as part of efforts to overhaul the police pension system. Under the proposed framework, eligible officers would receive pensions linked to their final salaries, alongside an enhanced gratuity. The plan…
The death toll from the deadly attack on Binnari community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State has risen to 50, with residents recovering bodies from nearby bushes and a river, community sources have said. The figure is far higher than the 10 fatalities initially confirmed by the police, raising fresh concerns over the scale of the violence and the vulnerability of communities along the Taraba-Plateau border. Gunmen reportedly stormed Binnari on Friday shortly after Jumu’ah prayers, firing indiscriminately, looting homes and food supplies, and setting shops and motorcycles ablaze. According to community accounts, 27 additional bodies were…
Demand Probe into Death of Five Engineers, Aid Habila The Obidient Movement has challenged Minister of Works David Umahi to provide evidence linking Peter Obi to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), while demanding fresh investigations into the disappearance and reported deaths of five engineers in Ebonyi State and the death of a female medical aide attached to the former governor. The movement described Umahi’s allegation against Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027, as unfounded and challenged the minister to substantiate his claims. In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Communications, Onyeka Dike,…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused President Bola Tinubu of shifting blame for Nigeria’s worsening hunger and poverty to previous administrations and opposition parties, insisting that his government must take responsibility for the hardship Nigerians face under his watch. HURIWA said Tinubu’s decision to blame political opponents during the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 re-election campaign flag-off in Kaduna raised questions about his administration’s willingness to accept responsibility for its economic policies and security failures. At the rally, Tinubu reportedly declared: “They created the hunger. They created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it.” But…
Armed bandits unleashed a deadly midnight assault on Kaura Namoda in Zamfara State, killing seven local vigilantes and abducting an unspecified number of residents after reportedly battling community defenders for more than three hours. The attack exposed the growing risks confronting local security groups as armed assailants continue to strike communities in north-western Nigeria, where residents face persistent threats of killings and mass abductions. The gunmen reportedly entered Kaura Namoda through a riverine route around midnight on Friday before attacking parts of the town and engaging members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in a prolonged gun battle. Chairman of…
A suspected international cocaine trafficking network has come under scrutiny following the arrest of a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65kg of cocaine at Lagos airport and the subsequent arrest of a Nigerian car dealer accused of helping to facilitate her movement ahead of an attempted international flight. The operation, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), exposed alleged links involving suspects in South Africa, Nigeria and the United States, with investigators tracing the activities of the woman, identified as Qhina Beauty, to a Lagos-based car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe. Qhina was arrested on October 7 at the…
President Bola Tinubu has opened his 2027 re-election campaign with a promise to secure another term, but his bid faces mounting scrutiny over the rising cost of living, persistent insecurity and growing public demands for economic relief. Tinubu launched the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign on Saturday in Kaduna, urging supporters to return him to office in the January 16, 2027 presidential election. “Come 2027, January 16, you must go out massively and elect me again,” the President told thousands of supporters gathered at the 10,000-capacity Ranchers Bees Stadium. But the campaign’s opening rally also exposed the economic debate likely…
A coalition of civil society organisations in Abuja has demanded the withdrawal of the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria Bill, 2025, calling for an independent investigation into alleged foreign interests behind the proposed legislation. The coalition, led by Comrade Amina Mohammed, said the bill raised concerns about Nigeria’s food sovereignty, indigenous agricultural heritage and the potential influence of external commercial interests on national nutrition policies. In a statement issued on October 24, the group alleged that interests in Europe and the United States might be backing efforts to advance the bill sponsored by Hon. Chike John Okafor. It acknowledged that…
Former Voice of Nigeria Director-General and APC founding member, Osita Okechukwu, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of fuelling political tensions through his alleged breach of Nigeria’s power-rotation convention ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Okechukwu said the controversy vindicated zoning advocates, arguing that power rotation remained crucial to managing Nigeria’s diversity and sustaining national unity. In a statement on Sunday, he urged Northerners to resist what he described as ethno-identity politics driven by individual presidential ambitions. He cited Sudan’s experience with ethnic rivalry as a warning against rhetoric that could deepen divisions in Nigeria. Okechukwu argued that the 2027…