Author: user user

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, has intercepted smuggled goods with a Duty Paid Value of N6.19bn and recovered N683.66m in additional revenue within four weeks of intensified enforcement operations.

The Acting Comptroller of the unit, Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this on Tuesday during his maiden press briefing in Ikeja, Lagos, where he disclosed that operatives of the unit thwarted 195 smuggling attempts involving prohibited and restricted goods.

Afeni said the seizures, valued at N6,194,695,947.05, comprised 3,407.83 kilogrammes of cannabis, 400 grammes of cocaine, 100 grammes of methamphetamine, imported rice, frozen poultry products, used clothing, tyres and 21 exotic foreign-used vehicles.

‘Other seized items included 6,949 cartons of spaghetti, 1,250 rounds of 12-calibre cartridges, 23,220 pieces of new machetes, 8,025 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, codeine syrup and eight live pangolins.

‘The unit also intercepted a 40-foot container carrying 2,760 pieces of office chairs in completely knocked-down form, alongside other prohibited imports’ he stated.

Highlighting the Units revenue profile, Afeni said the unit generated an additional N683,661,304.05 between September 30 and November 3, 2026.

According to him, the revenue was generated through intensified compliance checks, scrutiny of import declarations and the correction of under-valuations.

He attributed the recovery to enhanced risk profiling, targeted examination of questionable declarations, improved operational coordination and collaboration with relevant government agencies.

He further revealed that the unit has strengthened its enforcement strategy through intelligence-driven operations, improved surveillance and risk-based examination to curb smuggling, protect government revenue and safeguard the nation’s economic interests.

Afeni assured importers, licensed customs agents and other stakeholders that the unit would continue to facilitate legitimate trade while taking decisive action against duty evasion, false declarations and other fraudulent practices.

He said the operations were also aimed at protecting local industries from unfair competition arising from the smuggling of prohibited goods, particularly imported food products.

The Acting Comptroller expressed concern over the interception of 23,220 new machetes allegedly smuggled into the country without the required certificates and permits, warning that such items could pose security risks ahead of future elections.

He also highlighted the seizure of more than 3.4 tonnes of cannabis, noting that the interception would help disrupt illegal drug supply chains and prevent the circulation of harmful substances.

Afeni said the unit was collaborating with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Army, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and other regulatory agencies to strengthen enforcement.

He added that seized narcotics and suspects would be handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution, while other prohibited items would be transferred to relevant agencies in line with their statutory responsibilities.

Afeni reaffirmed the unit’s commitment to revenue protection, trade facilitation and the suppression of smuggling, urging members of the public to support the campaign by reporting suspicious activities.

He said the unit would sustain intelligence-led enforcement and strengthen compliance monitoring to protect the nation’s economy.

Project Management Institute (PMI) and TIME Studios have unveiled the second season of The Solutionaries, a documentary series highlighting how innovative climate solutions are transformed into scalable projects capable of delivering measurable impact.

All three episodes are available on TIME.com/PMI/thesolutionaries. The series follows innovators and project leaders as they test solutions, prepare them for real-world challenges and establish the operational structures required to expand their impact.

Season Two features Adam Gardner and Lauren Sullivan of REVERB, Alisha Fredriksson of Seabound, and Kate Kallot of Amini, whose work spans sustainable live music, maritime decarbonisation and artificial intelligence.

The documentary examines how collaboration, strategic planning, adequate resources and disciplined project management help turn ambitious ideas into practical solutions to environmental and development challenges.

PMI said the series comes at a time when organisations face increasing pressure to integrate sustainability into their operations and deliver lasting change.

A recent PMI report found that 59 per cent of organisations are still struggling to fully integrate sustainability at project and functional levels, highlighting the gap between sustainability commitments and implementation.

Commenting on the initiative, PMI’s Chief Marketing Officer, Menaka Gopinath, said bold ideas were necessary to address global challenges, but meaningful progress depended on turning those ideas into action.

‘Projects are how great ideas become real, and the professionals who lead them make that possible,’ she said, noting that the featured initiatives demonstrate how project management can deliver measurable climate, economic and social progress.

Produced in partnership with TIME Studios and Good is the New Cool, and directed by Edward Buckles Jr., the series explores the often-unseen work required to move innovation from concept to lasting value.

REVERB, founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and musician Adam Gardner, works with artists, festivals and venues to reduce the environmental impact of live music. It has supported 400 tours, engaged fans in more than 8.6 million environmental actions, helped eliminate over 4.6 million single-use plastic bottles and addressed more than 464,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. It has also raised over $26m for environmental and social causes.

Seabound, founded by Alisha Fredriksson, is developing modular onboard carbon capture technology for the shipping industry. Its containerised system can capture up to 95 per cent of carbon dioxide and sulphur emissions from engine exhaust. The company has completed two pioneering pilot projects and raised more than $10m in equity and grant funding.

Meanwhile, Amini, founded in 2022 by Kate Kallot, is building sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure to help countries in the Global South control and use their data locally.

Operating across about a dozen countries, the company has digitised more than 10 million historical and institutional records and trained 15,000 data scientists and developers. In Barbados, it has established a national AI system used by the Prime Minister and government, with services supporting citizens in more than 90 languages.

The three stories demonstrate how project management can help scale solutions addressing environmental sustainability and broader economic and social needs.

The chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zaka Maikalangu, has flagged off the construction of 2,000 ultramodern shops in Wasa district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Maikalangu, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, said the project would boost commercial activities, create jobs and improve access to essential goods in the area.

He said the market was being developed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between AMAC and Imavug Ltd. on 7.5 hectares of land near Wasa Primary School, along Apo-Karshi Road.

He explained that the council entered into the partnership because it lacked the financial capacity to develop all its markets independently.

According to him, the project would benefit Wasa and neighbouring communities, particularly women and youths, while reducing roadside trading in the city centre.

He urged residents to cooperate with the developer and ensure that members of the host community were carried along throughout the construction process.

The chairman also assured prospective traders that the shops would be affordable, adding that council engineers would monitor the project to ensure compliance with construction standards.

He said the developer had requested two years to complete the project but expressed optimism that it would be delivered earlier.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Imavug Ltd., Mr Albert Erhabor, said the market was designed to address challenges such as congestion and poor planning in existing markets across the FCT.

He said the company consulted traders in Gudu and other markets to understand their needs before designing the facility.

Erhabor said the 7.5-hectare market would accommodate more than 2,000 shops of different sizes, ranging from four to 75 square metres, as well as duplex shops, warehouses, restaurants, banks and event halls.

He added that the facility would operate partly on alternative energy sources, including solar power, while its pricing structure would accommodate traders across different income levels.

According to him, the company has secured financiers and prospective buyers, with several shops already taken up.

On Friday, October 23, 2026, as villagers in Binnari community, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, gathered at the market to buy and sell goods shortly after Friday prayers, armed men suddenly opened fire on the crowd. Unknown to the villagers, the attackers had taken strategic positions around the market, blocking escape routes and shooting at people who attempted to flee.

In the ensuing pandemonium, many people ran into nearby bushes and forests in a desperate bid to escape. However, eyewitnesses said they encountered more gunfire from other armed men concealed in the surrounding vegetation.

In all, as many as 60 people were reportedly killed, while several others remained missing and were presumed dead. In the days following the attack, local authorities discovered additional bodies of people who had either died from gunshot wounds or succumbed to exhaustion and other circumstances while fleeing the violence.

Karim Lamido is one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of Taraba State, particularly during the rainy season. This made it difficult to deploy security personnel promptly to contain the situation and conduct search-and-rescue operations for those who had fled into the bushes.

News of the killings generated horror and outrage within and outside the state. Karim Lamido has long been a flashpoint of communal violence in Taraba. This year, there have been several incidents of violent clashes between ethnic groups over chieftaincy and land disputes, resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of property. Similarly, during the last by-elections in the local government, there were reported clashes between supporters of rival politicians.

Against this background, it is particularly disturbing that the Taraba State Government appeared unprepared for violence on such a scale. Given the history of recurring conflicts in the area, the government ought to have put proactive security measures in place to prevent, or at least mitigate, an attack of this magnitude. It is equally disturbing that the attackers reportedly operated unchallenged for several hours without any intervention by security forces. This failure undoubtedly contributed to the heavy casualties.

Reports indicate that the armed attackers came from neighbouring Plateau State, which shares a border with Karim Lamido. The local government also shares boundaries with Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa states. Its strategic location at the intersection of four states, coupled with difficult terrain and poor accessibility, makes it vulnerable to infiltration by criminal elements who can exploit jurisdictional boundaries to evade security operations.

We note that the Taraba State Government has since taken steps to mitigate the effects of the attack, including the distribution of relief materials, the establishment of a security cordon and the commencement of search-and-rescue operations. However, there are important questions that must be addressed. The government reportedly declared Karim Lamido an area of ‘particular security concern’. Yet, residents and others within the state have continued to question why Governor Agbu Kefas has not visited Binari to commiserate with the affected community.

While declaring Karim Lamido an area of particular security concern is a step in the right direction, especially given its remoteness and vulnerability, such a designation must translate into concrete and sustained action. It should be backed by robust intelligence gathering, effective surveillance, adequate security deployment and proactive measures to detect and deter criminal elements from establishing bases in the area and using it for their nefarious activities.

This is an issue that requires the involvement of neighbouring states as well as the Federal Government. Although Taraba is not entirely free from security challenges, it has been relatively outside the areas most frequently associated with mass killings of this nature. The Binari massacre therefore represents a dangerous escalation of insecurity in the state. Karim Lamido, given its remoteness, difficult terrain and location along the borders of several states, may have become an attractive operational base for criminal elements.

We therefore call on the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Taraba and neighbouring state governments, to treat the Binari killings as a defining moment in the country’s efforts to end the cycle of violence. Nigerians have grown weary of recurring acts of wanton violence and unabating killings across the country. It has become almost routine for such tragedies to occur, followed by official statements of condemnation, emergency relief interventions and the deployment of security personnel to affected communities. With time, public attention fades, only for another massacre to occur elsewhere.

This cycle must end. The Taraba State Government must work closely with the Federal Government and security agencies to thoroughly investigate the Binari massacre, identify and arrest those responsible, and ensure that they are brought to justice. Beyond this, the authorities must establish a lasting security arrangement that prevents a recurrence of such attacks, not only in Karim Lamido but also in other vulnerable communities across the country.

We at Daily Trust extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed, the people of Binari and the entire Taraba State over this tragic and unfortunate incident.

There’s confusion over who is the winner of the Zamfara North All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial primary election as two different aspirants, Sahabi Ya’u Kaura and Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura were declared winners by different officials of the party.

Our correspondent reports that chairman of the Senatorial Primary Election, Dr. Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu declared the incumbent Senator belonging to the state minister for Defense Bello Matawalle camp, Sahabi Ya’u Kaura as the winner of the primary while later, the secretary of the committee Sani Abdullahi declared Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura belonging to the Director General Presidential campaign council Senator Abdul’aziz Yari camp as the winner of the primary.

The APC chairman for the North Senatorial district primary election Dr. Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu, had announced the result after the election said Sahabi Ya’u scored a total of 49,176 votes to defeat his closet opponent, Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, who scored 9,628 votes and Abdullahi Sani Shinkafi came third scored 6,206 votes.

Dr. Auwal described the election as credible and accepted by all aspirants.

‘Having satisfied the requirements of the law and the APC Primary election guidelines, I Dr. Auwal Abdullahi the chairman of the APC Zamfara North senatorial zone primary election declared Sahabi Yau Kaura as the winner of the primary election,’ Dr. Auwal declared.

Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura has however insisted that his declaration as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election for Zamfara North was authentic, saying the result was jointly collated and announced by members of the election committee sent by the party’s national headquarters.

Addressing journalists at his country home in Kaura Namoda, Kaura alleged that the chairman of the primary election committee was hijacked by some anti-democratic elements and taken to an unknown destination.

He said the committee chairman was abducted and subsequently announced a purported result single-handedly, declaring Senator Sahabi Ya’u as the winner, contrary to the outcome jointly collated by the majority of the committee members.

According to him, the majority of the panel members had collated the results and officially declared him winner of the primary election.

Kaura described the alleged abduction of the committee chairman as an attempt to truncate democracy, insisting that the electorate would not succumb to such an attempt.

He also dismissed claims by his opponents that another candidate had been declared winner, describing the purported declaration as null and void and without any effect.

Our correspondent recalls that one of the aspirants, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi had earlier instituted a suit against the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Senator Sahabi Ya’u over alleged irregularities in the party’s primary election for Zamfara North Senatorial

The appeal court in Sokoto ordered for a fresh primary election and was accepted by the APC, while a new date was set for the primary election which is again produced the current disputed result.