Police operatives in Sokoto State have repelled a suspected bandit attack on Tsabre Village in Isa Local Government Area, recovering two rocket launchers and other items reportedly abandoned by the attackers. The attack occurred around 1am when the assailants allegedly opened sporadic gunfire to create panic among residents, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i. Rufa’i said the Divisional Police Officer in Isa mobilised tactical teams, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Violent Crime Response Unit, after receiving a distress call. The operatives reportedly engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat into a…
Author: National Update
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja A Professor of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Strategy, John Olatunji Alabi, has called for increased investment in entrepreneurial education, innovation and enterprise development to drive economic transformation and tackle unemployment in Nigeria. Alabi said universities must move beyond producing certificate holders and become “engine rooms” for entrepreneurship, innovation, research commercialisation and youth empowerment. The don made the call while delivering the 46th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) at the institution’s Felele Campus, Lokoja. The lecture was titled, “Entrepreneurial Leadership through Entrepreneurial Education and Empowerment: Building an Entrepreneurial Economy in VUCA World.” Alabi described entrepreneurial…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove serving heads of federal government agencies who have joined efforts to mobilise political support for his 2027 re-election bid. HURIWA said the reported formation of a coalition of federal agency chiefs to support Tinubu’s campaign raises serious questions about the separation between public administration and partisan politics. The group was reportedly launched by the Forum of Chief Executives of Federal Parastatals, which has pledged to mobilise at least 10 million votes for Tinubu and establish a complementary structure to the All Progressives Congress…
The arrest of the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Ben Smith, after he reportedly went to seek the release of another detained coordinator has escalated a confrontation between the movement and the Akwa Ibom State Police Command. Smith was reportedly taken into custody at Ikot Akpan Abia after accompanying supporters to facilitate the release of Elijah Noah, the state coordinator of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, who had been arrested during a planned Independence Day march in Uyo. The development has now triggered a fresh demand by the Obidient Movement for the immediate release of both coordinators and…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has challenged Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, to take urgent action to address insecurity following the reported abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps members along the Owerri–Onitsha Road. HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, on Thursday, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the corps members. It also urged security agencies to deploy all available resources to locate and rescue the victims and arrest those responsible. Reports indicate that the corps members were travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to various NYSC…
Germany has cut petrol and diesel prices under a new emergency fuel subsidy, but the biggest test of the intervention may be whether the full benefit reaches motorists or is absorbed by energy companies. The German government’s latest move took effect Thursday as the country grapples with a sharp energy shock linked to disruptions in Middle Eastern fuel supplies amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Average petrol prices fell by about 14 cents to €2.06 per litre, while diesel dropped by roughly 15 cents to €2.20, according to automobile association ADAC. The government has set the subsidy at 17 cents per…
By Douglas Baye-Osagie _dbayeosagie@yahoo.com_ Another non-qualification now looms over Nigerian football. The 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau was not merely a bad result; it was a warning about the complacency that has followed the Super Eagles for too long. Guinea-Bissau scored through Franculino Dju, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló to hand Eric Chelle his first competitive defeat within 90 minutes as Nigeria coach, leaving the Super Eagles on three points after two matches while Guinea-Bissau moved to six. After missing the 2026 World Cup, Nigeria cannot afford another major tournament failure. The most troubling part is that this was…
ABUJA — Alternative Bank has opened a new branch in Gwarinpa, Abuja, expanding its presence in the capital while pushing financing into renewable energy and other areas beyond conventional banking services. The bank launched the branch on Wednesday before traditional leaders, government representatives and institutional partners. Alternative Bank Executive Director, North-Central, South-East and South-South, Garba Mohammed, said the new location would give customers easier access to the bank’s financing products, including Alt Power. Alt Power allows customers to finance renewable energy installations and repay the cost over time. “We provide services that give people access to renewable energy. We call…
By Lamara Garba The first sign that Bauchi is being left behind is not a road sign. It is the silence. As the road stretches towards Yankari, the bustle of the city gradually gives way to open country. Buildings thin out, the horizon widens, and forests, rocky hills and grasslands begin to dominate the landscape. The journey takes on a different rhythm as the ordinary noise of the city gradually gives way to the sounds of the wild. Then comes Yankari. Here, nature does not arrive as a carefully constructed attraction. It is already there, in the ancient woodland, open…
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has accused Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, of applying a double standard to political expression. His criticism followed the arrest of five Maiduguri residents over T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.” Dalung said the reported prosecution of the men raised serious questions about the space available for dissenting political opinions in Borno State. The five residents were reportedly arrested by the police and charged with conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery. Amnesty International has condemned the arrests and called for their immediate release, according to BusinessDay, which…