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Indigenes of Udekama (Degema) community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State have accused a local security outfit owned and regulated by a former militant leader, Alhaji Muhajid Asari Dokubo, ‘Amama Soldiers’, of land grabbing and other infractions in Kalabari, and Udekama communities.

Also, the community accused the private security group of masterminding and executing a soldier, identified as Ohusuo Esau, with service number, 13NA/70/3337, a personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), identified as Prayer Warmate, and a final year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Augustine Okubo.

The community noted that the killings occurred during the burial of the mother of the late soldier(Esau), on February 23, 2024.

The people spoke at a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, Port Harcourt.

The distraught community decried that despite reports on the attacks, no action had been taken either by the government or security agencies.

‘It is disheartening to report that even though the Udekama communities have been attacked several times with those incidents reported to the authorities and security agencies, no deterrent action, including arrests or investigation of the named assailants have been taken at any time.’ they said.

However, Dokubo described the allegations as unsubstantiated, saying that his security outfit is legitimate, and professional in its duties.

The spokesman of Udekama Council of Chiefs, High Chief Ohusuo Abraham-Francis, said their neighbouring Kalabari neighbours were encroaching into their ancestral lands, apparently using Asari Dokubo-led security outfit.

The ‘Amama Soldiers’ laid siege on Degema community on August 8, 2026, shooting indiscriminately and disrupting a community age-long Traditional Cleansing Festival, which marks a new year in the Degema cultural calendar.

‘This act of gross violation of the people’s rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as guaranteed under Section 38 of the Constitution, 1999 (amended) even though the community informed the security agencies ahead of the event. This is another curious dimension to the genocidal actions of Dokubo packaged as acting in defence of his Kalabari people.’ the community stated.

Abraham-Francis further claimed that Dokubo and his security group were insisting on taking over the land on the ground of court judgments against Udekama community land; but said the community have since appealed the judgments and that the outcome is yet to be decided.

The people, however, denied any of the judgments vesting ownership of the Udekama land on any Kalabari community.

‘Less than a month after judgment was delivered by the State High Court in a civil suit between Usokun-Degema and Obama marked DHC/76/CS/2020 (HRH Chief Charles F. Sunday-Ugu VII and ORS v. Chief Samuel Kalada Harry and ORS on July 17, 2026, Asari Dokubo’s heavily armed ‘Amama Soldiers’ led Obama community to Usokun-Degema land on Sunday, August 16, 2026, about 4:00 in the evening, to commence construction.

‘Though the Usokun-Degema community reported this case of criminal trespass and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace on the same day about 5:34 in same evening at the Degema Divisional headquarters, neither have arrests been made nor invitation of the suspects made by the police,’ the statement read in part.

They lamented that Udekama communities were at the verge of extinction, if the activities of the security outfit continued unchecked.

The communities called on the President Bola Tinubu, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Special Adviser of Homeland Security, Maj.-Gen Adeyinka Famadewa, Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa, Amnesty International and other non-governmental organisations to come to their rescue.

‘Furthermore, operating a mercenary contract with the Federal Government by a private security outfit, including Asari Dokubo’s occupational Army ‘Amama Soldiers’ is no grounds for unfettered derogation of the rights of other Nigerians to live peaceably in their natural abode.

‘The Federal Government pays Asari Dokubo’s ‘Amama Soldiers’ to rout Boko Haram, bandits and other groups, which are terrorising Nigerians.That brief does not extend to the liberty which Asari Dokubo enjoys to pursue his life-long crave to take over our ancestral domains.

‘His contract does not include clauses authorising him and his security outfit to import tons of arms and ammunition or trained battalions of militants that he has deployed to shoot at defenceless Degema citizens, including women and children, or ransack our communities.’ High Chief Abraham-Francis stated.

‘We, the aboriginal people of Udekama (Degema), in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State say no to the genocidal killings, unwarranted acts of aggression on our communities by Royal Fouche Security and deliberate misinterpretation of judicial pronouncements by Kalabari people,’ he stated.

In a statement by his Press Secretary, Alabo Daerefaa Braide, the ex-militant leader said: ‘We state categorically that the allegations, insinuations and descriptions contained in the said statement do not represent the position of the Amanyanabo of the Source, nor do they accurately portray the character, operations or mandate of Royal Fouche Security Services(Amama Soldiers).

‘The Amanyanabo of the Source disclaims and rejects the allegations portraying him as the sponsor or commander of an alleged ‘occupation army.’

‘Royal Fouche Security Services is a professional security organisation providing security services in various locations and should not be described as an armed ethnic militia without credible evidence or a competent authority’s finding,’ Braide added.

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, have arrested four suspects in connection with alleged illegal dealings in refined petroleum products in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The suspects: Kehinde Akinjinrin, Abiwo Ola, James Etajuwa and Shadrach Omoshola, were arrested at the Igbokoda seaside during an anti-crude oil theft operation by the Navy between September 3 and 4.

They were allegedly found with suspected illegally refined petroleum products and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being transported without the requisite authorisation.

The Navy handed over the suspects and the exhibits to the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at its Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda.

The NSCDC spokesman in Ondo, Daniel Aidamenbor, lauded the Navy for the operation and continued collaboration between the two security agencies.

‘The suspects were reportedly found in possession of suspected illegally refined petroleum products, as well as petroleum products suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being conveyed without the requisite authorisation,’ he said.

Aidamenbor said the partnership was critical to protecting the nation’s economic assets and curbing the activities of vandals and other economic saboteurs.

He said the NSCDC, being statutorily empowered to investigate and prosecute such cases, would ensure that the matter was thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

‘As the agency empowered to investigate and prosecute matters of this nature, the command will ensure that the case is thoroughly investigated and that justice is served in accordance with the law,’ Aidamenbor added.

He added that the action would also serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar activities.

Aidamenbor, however, reaffirmed the command commitment to strengthening collaboration with sister security agencies to combat crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism and other forms of economic sabotage in the state.

Ogun State Executive Council has approved a fresh package of infrastructure and economic development projects, including new road constructions, two general hospitals, a power-generation investment and establishment of an agency to drive the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The decisions, approved at the weekend, further reinforce the administration’s drive to expand infrastructure, strengthen health care delivery, support businesses and provide the energy required to sustain Ogun’s rapidly growing industrial economy.

Briefing reporters on the outcome of the Exco meeting yesterday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the Council approved the reconstruction of the 4.87-kilometre Siun Junction-Iperu Junction Road, linking Obafemi Owode and Ikenne local government areas.

It also approved the reconstruction of the 4.87-kilometre Simawa-Lukosi/Ogijo Road in Sagamu Local Government.

Akinmade said the Council further approved variations for the reconstruction of the Sango-Ota-Ijoko-Agbado-Oke-Aro-Akute Road (Phase I) in Ifo Local Government Area and the 69.2-kilometre Abeokuta-Abule Egba Road.

He said the projects would improve connectivity, ease the movement of people and goods and open up more opportunities for economic activities across the state.

In the health sector, the Council approved the building of new General Hospitals at Itori in Ewekoro Local Government and Aiyepe in Odogbolu Local Government.

According to Akinmade, the projects would expand the state’s health care infrastructure and bring medical services closer to residents, particularly in communities where demand for health care services continues to increase.

In a major boost to enterprise development, the Exco also approved the establishment of Ogun State Enterprise Development Agency, with a mandate to coordinate and strengthen support for MSMEs across the state.

The agency is expected to promote entrepreneurship, facilitate access to business opportunities and strengthen the capacity of small and medium-sized businesses to expand, create jobs and contribute more to the state’s economy.

The Council also approved Ogun State’s participation in power generation through the adoption of Gateway Power Limited, in furtherance of the administration’s plan to provide more reliable electricity for the state’s expanding industrial and commercial base.

Akinmade said the power initiative was particularly important to Ogun’s economic development, given the state’s growing concentration of industries and businesses, adding that a more dependable electricity supply would enhance productivity and strengthen the environment for investment.

The Council approved the appointment of Otunba Osunsina Olumide John as the new Olu of Ifo in Ifo Local Government.

The latest approvals cut across critical areas of Ogun’s development agenda-transport infrastructure, health care, enterprise development and energy-reflecting the administration’s strategy of building the infrastructure and economic ecosystem required to support sustained growth across the state.

Joining the Nigerian Army is an ambition shared by many young Nigerians, but prospective applicants should understand that recruitment follows an official process and should rely only on information provided by the Nigerian Army.

The Nigerian Army operates an official online recruitment portal where eligible applicants can create accounts, submit applications and access recruitment-related information.

The official recruitment portal is recruitment.army.mil.ng, while the Nigerian Army’s main website is army.mil.ng.

1. Visit the official recruitment portal

Applicants should first visit the Nigerian Army’s official recruitment website.

They should avoid links circulated through unofficial social media accounts, WhatsApp groups or individuals claiming to be recruitment agents.

The official portal provides access to the Army’s recruitment application system and relevant support information.

2. Check the recruitment announcement

Before starting an application, applicants should confirm that a recruitment exercise is open and carefully read the requirements for that particular intake.

The Nigerian Army conducts recruitment exercises under specific intakes, meaning the requirements, application period, and applicant categories can vary.

For example, the recruitment portal currently contains information relating to the 91st Regular Recruit Intake (91RRI) and shortlisted candidates.

3. Create an account

Applicants eligible for an open recruitment exercise must create an account on the recruitment portal.

The portal lets applicants create a Nigerian Army recruitment account, after which they can log in to continue the application process.

Applicants should ensure that the personal information used to create the account is accurate and belongs to them.

4. Provide the required personal information

After creating an account, applicants should complete the information requested on the application form.

This may include personal details and other information required by the particular recruitment exercise.

Applicants should carefully check their entries before submitting the form because errors in important personal information can create problems during subsequent stages of recruitment.

5. Upload the required documents

Applicants should prepare the documents requested for the particular recruitment exercise before completing the application.

Take the exact documents and eligibility requirements from the official recruitment announcement rather than from unofficial recruitment agents or social-media posts.

Candidates should also ensure that uploaded documents are clear and contain accurate information.

6. Review the application before submission

Before submitting an application, candidates should review the entire form and check their personal information, educational details, and uploaded documents.

This is an important step because applicants should not assume that incorrectly entered information can be corrected automatically after submission.

7. Submit the application through the portal

Once all required sections are complete and checked, the applicant can submit the application through the official recruitment portal.

Applicants should keep any application or registration information generated by the portal for future reference.

8. Check the portal for recruitment updates

Submitting an application does not mean that an applicant has automatically been selected.

Candidates should continue checking the official recruitment portal for information about shortlisting, screening and other stages of the recruitment exercise.

The recruitment portal currently includes a section for shortlisted candidates, showing how it is also used to communicate recruitment-related information.

9. Be careful of recruitment scams

One of the most important precautions for applicants is to avoid people who claim they can guarantee selection in exchange for money.

Applicants should rely on the Nigerian Army’s official recruitment channels and should not hand over money or sensitive information to individuals claiming to be recruitment officials without verifying their identity.

The official recruitment portal provides recruitment support contacts, including the Nigerian Army recruitment email and toll-free number 193.

10. Confirm whether the application window is still open

Applicants should pay close attention to the opening and closing dates of each recruitment exercise.

For instance, information currently available on the Nigerian Army recruitment portal relates to the 91RRI process, including shortlisted candidates. Therefore, anyone intending to apply should first confirm whether a new application window has opened, rather than assuming registration is still ongoing.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday declared that the era of white elephant projects was over, warning the Regional Development Commissions against becoming conduits for wasting public funds through projects that do not directly improve Nigerians’ lives.

The President also warned the boards and managements of the commissions against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and ethnicisation of their operations, saying his administration would not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable.

Tinubu spoke in Abuja while declaring open the first North Central Stakeholders Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the President charged the commissions to develop clear, concise, attainable and fundable programmes capable of unlocking the economic potential of their respective regions.

‘The era of white elephant projects is over and there is no excuse for the Commissions to become another conduit for wasting public funds.

‘Such actions will not be tolerated and government will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable’, Tinubu said.

Tinubu, however, assured the commissions of the Federal Government’s political and financial backing, directing the SGF to ensure that all funds accruing to them were released as and when due.

‘Government will continue to give the NCDC and other Regional Development Commissions the political and financial backing to embark on key projects that will unlock the economic and industrial potentials of the nation.

‘I therefore direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to ensure that all funds accruable to the Commissions are released as and when due,’ he said.

The President also urged the commissions not to rely exclusively on government funding, advising them to explore alternative sources of financing, including public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing, subject to their establishing laws and government guidelines.

Tinubu said establishing the Regional Development Commissions was part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development and address longstanding development gaps across the country.

He clarified that the commissions were not established to replace, duplicate or usurp the functions of any tier of government.

‘Rather, it is our way of looking at why development gaps still exist and trying to close them up for the benefit of our people,’ he said.

According to him, the commissions must focus on development priorities that unlock the potential of their respective regions while strengthening interconnectivity across the country.

He identified roads, rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and health as critical sectors requiring attention.

Tinubu also charged the Ministry of Regional Development to ensure that the commissions operated within the Regional Development Policy Document, while urging the legislature to provide the necessary oversight.

Speaking specifically on the North Central, the President said the region possessed enormous potential in agriculture, food production and agro-processing, solid minerals development and processing, industrial development, peace and security.

He, however, said the region had operated below its potential for too long, challenging stakeholders to use the summit to chart a new development trajectory capable of transforming its economic fortunes.

The President acknowledged the security challenges confronting parts of the region, saying the Federal Government had intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering, established more security formations, deployed additional personnel and increased the prosecution of criminals.

He said the government had also supported dialogue and reconciliation as part of efforts to restore peace and stability.

Tinubu urged the NCDC to complement the Federal Government’s efforts to stabilise the region, stressing that meaningful development could only take place in an atmosphere of peace and security.

He described the summit’s theme, ‘The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,’ as appropriate, saying it provided stakeholders an opportunity to develop a consensus-driven roadmap for the region.

The President urged participants to scrutinise the proposed development plan and ensure that it reflected the aspirations of the people while aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He warned the NCDC against letting the summit’s outcome suffer the fate of previous development initiatives whose recommendations were never implemented.

‘This Summit should not end up as one of those platforms where ideas are ventilated and reports generated only to be left dusting on the shelves. The NCDC should show a better example by following through to implementation,’ Tinubu said.

He urged the commission to translate the summit’s outcome into concrete, measurable projects that would stimulate economic activity, improve livelihoods, and unlock the North Central region’s vast potential.

Troops of Sector 2 Joint Task Force (JTF), Northwest, Operation Fansan Yamma, have eliminated several members of the Lakurawa terrorist group and recovered weapons, ammunition and motorcycles during an offensive in Arewa Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The operation is part of efforts to clear terrorist enclaves in the Northwest.

Reports said the troops advanced through identified terrorist enclaves around the Gumki general area of Arewa Dandi LGA, where they engaged the terrorists with superior firepower.

The Nation gathered that several terrorists were eliminated during the encounter, while others abandoned their positions and fled into the forest.

The operation followed contact by troops on the fringes of the Nigeria-Niger border to gather intelligence.

A thorough search of the area led to the recovery of one PKT machine gun, AK-47 rifles, a large quantity of 7.62 x 54mm belted ammunition and 7.62mm Special ammunition.

The troops also recovered four motorcycles, two smartphones, N87,000 and assorted combat and miscellaneous items.

The reports, issued on Monday afternoon, said troops had maintained a strong operational posture and continued to dominate the area to ensure the security of surrounding communities.

‘Troops are consistent in ensuring every corner of the surrounding area in communities was safe and secured,’ the reports added.

The Independent Media and Policy Initiative has challenged opposition presidential candidates to present Nigerians with alternative economic blueprints capable of growing the economy to $1trillion within four years.

The think-tank said presenting such plan ahead of the 2027 presidential election would be a better campaign strategy for opposition parties than engaging in mudslinging, personal attacks and criticism of the government.

In a policy brief by its Chairman, Omoniyi Akinsiju, IMPI advised the presidential candidates to focus on economic policies that could be subjected to measurable and verifiable tests rather than what it described as populist rhetoric.

The organisation said the candidates should make a $1trillion economy a central commitment in their manifestos.

It said, ‘We challenge the larger political class, especially presidential candidates, to headline their manifestos with a commitment to growing Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion over the next four years.

‘This is the only logical path forward for Nigeria. It ensures that any candidate who wins the 2027 presidential election will move the country past the era of managing scarcity and distributing handouts.’

According to the IMPI, achieving a $1trillion economy would expand national production and help transform Nigeria’s growing population from an economic burden into a major productive asset.

The group said meeting the target would, however, require clearly defined sectoral milestones rather than wishful thinking.

‘To demonstrate true readiness for national leadership, alternative presidential candidates must anchor their economic agendas to a single, measurable, and uncompromised destination: propelling Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2031,’ it said.

The IMPI argued that any manifesto that failed to provide a pathway to the target would amount to an intention to manage poverty rather than create sustainable wealth.

The think- tank said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had already set a target of achieving a $1trillion economy and challenged opposition candidates to explain how they would achieve a better outcome.

‘Having officially anchored the administration’s current medium-term target around a highly realistic $1 trillion economy by 2030, the federal administration has shown clarity, execution capacity, and the momentum to scale national wealth.

‘Therefore, the burden of proof now shifts entirely to the opposition,’ the IMPI said.

It also challenged the candidates to identify the productive sectors they would reform and explain how they would do so without dismantling what it described as critical foundations, including unified foreign exchange windows and improved fiscal discipline.

IMPI also enjoined Nigerians to reject presidential candidates who fail to provide a clear pathway towards building a larger economy within four years of assuming office.

‘Any alternative candidate who refuses to commit to a $1 trillion manifesto headline admits a lack of vision to lead a modern Nigeria, and an intention to govern through fiscal rationing and poverty distribution rather than systemic wealth generation,’ it said.

‘Nigeria cannot afford another election cycle dominated by tribal sentiments, personal grievances, or vague manifestos. If the opposition truly represents a better alternative for the Nigerian people, they must step up, show their calculations, and give us a granular roadmap to a $1 trillion economy,’ the IMPI said.

As part of its ongoing effort to foster deeper technical exchange among engineering leaders in the Financial Technology (fintech) industry, Moniepoint has hosted the inaugural ‘Off-the-Record Engineering Mixer for Africa’s Fintech Builders.’

The Moniepoint Off the Record Engineering Mixer was created as an open forum for practitioners to move beyond conventional technical presentations and examine the failures, trade-offs and engineering decisions behind the systems powering financial services.

The engineers had candid conversations around ‘Building for Scale, The Trade-offs of Distributed Systems in Fintech’ and ‘Building Distributed Systems for POS at Scale.’

Held at Moniepoint Headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, the mixer convened senior engineering practitioners from across Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem, including Flutterwave, Cowrywise and Nomba.

Discussions examined the realities of operating financial technology infrastructure at scale, including system failures, network dependencies, architectural trade-offs, observability, security and designing for failure.

Moniepoint said convening senior engineering practitioners to examine operational realities reflects its view that the challenges of building at scale in African fintech are shared rather than proprietary, and that the industry improves when the people running these systems compare notes directly.

Moniepoint also used the platform to highlight its approach to building more resilient card payment systems and protecting customers from false debits, guided by a principle that customers should never be left carrying the cost of uncertainty created inside a system they rely on but cannot see into.

Speaking on the engineering philosophy behind this approach, Engineering Manager, Card Payments, Moniepoint, Ayomide Kolawole, said: ‘Building reliable payment infrastructure is about understanding every point at which a transaction can fail, determining what the system knows at each stage and designing the right response when things go wrong.

‘Our responsibility is to ensure that customers are not left carrying the consequences of uncertainty created within a system they rely on.’

Kolawole added that for Moniepoint, the goal is not simply to process transactions quickly, but to make sure that when something goes wrong, the customer experience does not become the cost of that failure.

Moniepoint’s card payments infrastructure processes more than 20 million transactions daily and is built around a deliberate approach to failure. When the system is sufficiently certain that a transaction is unlikely to succeed, it fails fast.

Where the outcome remains uncertain, the system continues to establish what actually happened before presenting a definitive response to the customer.

A key component of this infrastructure continuously evaluates the health of individual issuing banks across individual processors, monitoring success rates and response times in real time.

When a destination crosses a configured threshold, the system automatically stops routing transactions there, reducing prolonged waits and limiting the risk of transactions piling up behind the scenes.

Kolawole explained that the principles behind this approach also connected with the wider discussions at the Mixer.

The sessions, he said, examined the trade-offs that accompany architectural decisions such as sharding, asynchronous processing and service decomposition, with speakers highlighting how solutions designed to address one challenge can introduce new operational and maintenance considerations elsewhere.

Participants agreed that observability and security were similarly essential to understanding system behaviour, identifying emerging risks, and building resilience into financial technology infrastructure.

The sessions reinforced a central principle of engineering at scale. Reliability is not simply about building systems that work. It is about understanding how they fail, designing for uncertainty and ensuring that when failures occur, customers are protected from consequences they should never have to bear.