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Defence Minister seeks sustained global support for terrorism victims

Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, has urged the global community to establish sustained support systems for victims and survivors of terrorism.

According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Leah Latung- Babatunde, Gen Musa made the call at the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The statement explained that the meeting was co-convened by Spain and Iraq to strengthen international responses to the needs of victims and survivors of terrorism.

Gen Musa said the international community must move beyond short-term humanitarian relief to sustained measures addressing the long-term needs of terrorism survivors.

‘Behind these figures are families displaced, livelihoods destroyed, communities fractured, and lives permanently changed,’ he said.

The minister said Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about 60 per cent of global terrorism deaths in 2025, underscoring the disproportionate burden borne by the continent.

He said Nigeria had secured 865 terrorism-related convictions in 2026, demonstrating the country’s commitment to accountability in the fight against terrorism.

He reaffirmed that Nigeria also remained committed to rescuing captives and providing comprehensive post-rescue support, including medical care, psychosocial rehabilitation, economic assistance and community reintegration.

While drawing from Nigeria’s experience, he proposed a three-point framework for stronger international cooperation, comprising enhanced peer learning, inclusive partnerships and targeted UN support.

He advocated institutional mechanisms for member states to share operational models, referral systems and lessons learned, including approaches that failed to achieve their intended outcomes.

Musa said direct feedback channels and partnerships among national authorities, civil society and victims’ associations would strengthen survivor participation in justice and rehabilitation efforts.

He also called for expanded UN technical assistance, capacity building and resource mobilisation tailored to countries bearing the heaviest burden of terrorism.

The minister commended UN initiatives, including the UNOCT Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme and Victims of Terrorism Associations Network.

He also acknowledged Germany’s support for developing the Toolkit for Technology-Enabled Support to Victims of Terrorism.

Musa reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to share its experience and collaborate with international partners in strengthening support for terrorism victims and survivors.

He expressed optimism about the International Conference on Victims of Terrorism scheduled to hold in Baghdad, Iraq, in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Arvid Lindblad crashes during Second Practice in Baku

Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad crashed during the second free practice session in Baku, bringing out the red flags.

The incident occurred when Lindblad’s car hit the safety barrier. The damaged car was subsequently removed from the track, allowing the session to resume.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is taking place at the Baku City Circuit from September 24 to 26. It is the 15th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with the main race scheduled for Saturday, September 26.

The Baku City Circuit is 6.003 kilometers long and features 20 corners.

The street circuit is known for its long straights, heavy braking zones and the narrow section around Icherisheher, making car setup and straight-line speed important factors throughout the weekend.

NSCDC leadership pays condolence visits to Minna Emirate, families of 37 dead miners, survivors

The leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), led by its Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, has paid condolence visits to the families of the 37 miners who died in the Corps’ custody last week.

Audi also visited the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, and the families of the survivors of the incident that led to the miners’ deaths.

According to the Corps’ Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, the visit aimed to commiserate directly with the affected families during this period of grief.

Babawale said the CG and his team condoled with the families and gave firm assurance that the Corps would not shield anyone found culpable, emphasising that it would strictly uphold justice and transparency.

He said the CG noted that the Federal Government, under the directive of the Presidency, has constituted a high-powered investigative committee to probe the incident.

He assured the public that the NSCDC is fully cooperating with the panel, noting that relevant personnel have already been placed in protective custody to ensure they are fully available for a transparent investigation.

Highlighting the cultural and spiritual significance of the third- and seventh-day prayers for the departed, the CG explained that his visit was also to join the Muslim faithful in offering prayers for the repose of the souls of the deceased and strength for the bereaved families.

Responding on behalf of the traditional institution and the families, His Royal Highness thanked the Commandant General for the swift administrative actions taken, for cooperating with the Presidential Committee, and for deeming it fit to personally visit and identify with the community in their moment of grief.

Gatchalian: Villar vote on impeachment rules not a move to join majority

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday that Sen. Mark Villar’s vote to make the voting base to convict Vice President Sara Duterte more flexible does not indicate he is joining the Senate majority.

The senator clarified that after Villar, the sole minority bloc member to do so, voted to let the impeachment court adjust the conviction threshold depending on how many senator-judges are present.

‘As of yesterday, yung kaniyang boto ay to overturn the ruling ng presiding officer. So yun lang yung kaniyang boto. Wala naman siyang binoto na majority or minority, SP wala namang ganon,’ Gatchalian told the media in an interview.

(‘As of yesterday, his vote was to overturn the ruling of the presiding officer. So that’s all his vote was. He didn’t vote majority or minority, SP, there’s nothing like that.’)

To recall, Presiding Officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero ruled that Duterte’s conviction required 16 of 24 votes, in accordance with the Constitution.

When the Senate impeachment court was divided on Wednesday to overturn Escudero’s decision, all remaining minority senators but Villar did not participate in the voting.

This ruling was revisited after Sen. Erwin Tulfo appealed to the court to determine who will be allowed to vote on Duterte’s conviction, given that Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are detained, Sen. Bato dela Rosa is at-large, and Sen. Loren Legarda is on medical leave.

With the absence of the four, only Villar, Minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Sens. Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar are the only minority Senators actively participating in the proceedings.

Asked whether Villar has expressed intent to join the majority bloc, Gatchalian said there have been no such offers as of the moment.

Villar has yet to explain his vote on the threshold.

Nationwide rapid alert system eyed for school emergencies – PNP

Amid a string of security incidents in schools, the Philippine National Police (PNP) eyes the nationwide adoption of a rapid alert system to speed up the reporting and response to emergencies on school grounds.

In a statement on Thursday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the agency is looking into institutionalizing the ‘Build Partnership. Early Detection. Swift Alert. Tactical Response’ (B.E.S.T.) School Alert and Rapid Response System.

The technology-based platform, developed by the Calabarzon regional office, allow schools, police and other local stakeholders to quickly report incidents, share information and coordinate responses during emergencies.

‘Technology is a critical aspect of our security and law enforcement, and our personnel must have access to modern facilities and training innovations to improve our security systems,’ Nartatez said.

Under the Calabarzon pilot program, around 155 schools are expected to use the application as part of an organized alert and response mechanism.

PNP said it may coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to further develop and sustain the platform if it is expanded nationwide.

‘We have skilled police experts, and we are also equipped with advanced technology that can help us elevate our emergency response techniques,’ Nartatez said.

‘Now is the time to utilize them properly,’ he added.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the Department of the Interior and Local Government eyes the creation of quick reaction teams, in coordination with the PNP to respond to emergencies in schools.

The latest incident occurred at Banga National High School on Sept. 18, where three minors were killed

Site issues delay UP martial law museum bidding; opening date unset

Unresolved site arrangements for the University of the Philippines (UP) Freedom Memorial Museum have delayed its procurement, with competitive bidding yet to begin and no contractor or definite opening date for the long-delayed project, according to the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC).

Bidding planned for July 2025 and mobilization targeted for September that year did not push through because arrangements for the museum site at the UP Diliman remained unresolved, HRVVMC acting Executive Director Lawrence Charles Salazar told the Inquirer.

‘The Commission did not proceed with the infrastructure procurement while the site arrangements and availability remained unresolved,’ Salazar said.

‘Because formal competitive bidding has not yet been initiated, no contractor has been selected to date,’ he added.

Salazar said specific completion and public opening dates would only be established once competitive bidding is completed and the infrastructure works contract is awarded.

Physical construction of the permanent museum has also yet to begin as of September.

The HRVVMC furnished the Inquirer copies of a deed and correspondence with UP documenting developments involving the museum site, including the consideration of an alternative location before the university ultimately decided to proceed with the original site.

Alternative site proposed

Salazar said UP informed HRVVMC in March this year that the original 1.4-hectare site along C.P. Garcia Avenue could no longer be made available and proposed an alternative location.

The HRVVMC board then authorized a ‘structured transition’ to the proposed alternative site, subject to technical evaluation.

On May 29, HRVVMC asked UP for technical documents on the proposed site, including information on its survey, land use, utilities, environmental conditions and access. It followed up on the request on Sept. 2.

‘The project remained on hold pending resolution of the site and technical requirements,’ Salazar said.

Salazar said UP informed HRVVMC on Sept. 18 that, after further deliberations and consultations, it had decided to proceed with the original site, which the university considered the ‘most straightforward and least complicated approach’ to facilitating construction.

UP also informed the commission that about 6,000 square meters of the 14,000-square-meter property were ready for construction, while the remaining portion was expected to become available by late 2026 or early 2027.

Salazar said HRVVMC was now evaluating the technical, institutional, procurement and implementation requirements following the latest development.

UP President Angelo Jimenez earlier told the Inquirer that site readiness was the foremost issue affecting the project’s timeline, while procurement, contractor selection and construction mobilization were within HRVVMC’s purview.

Jimenez said the university remained committed to the museum but had encountered logistical difficulties in relocating its Campus Maintenance Office (CMO), which occupied the original site. Those difficulties led UP to consider alternative locations before it eventually decided to proceed with the original property.

Eight-year plan

Plans for the permanent museum at UP Diliman date back to Sept. 21, 2018, when UP and HRVVMC signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing their partnership to establish a permanent memorial and educational resource honoring victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime.

An agreement for the memorial complex was approved in 2019, identifying the 1.4-hectare property along C.P. Garcia Avenue. The site was occupied by the CMO, whose relocation later became one of the issues affecting the project’s timeline.

The project’s construction and completion targets have since gone through several revisions.

In 2022, then-HRVVMC Executive Director Carmelo Victor Crisanto said construction could begin that year, with the museum expected to open in June 2024.

By September 2024, UP and HRVVMC had agreed to expedite the project. On Sept. 27 that year, HRVVMC completed and formally turned over to UP a P80-million relocation facility for the CMO, intended to accommodate affected university units and facilitate the clearing of the museum site.

The deed furnished by HRVVMC to the Inquirer documents the turnover and transfer of possession of the facility to UP.

The two sides then targeted a December 2024 groundbreaking.

‘The December 2024 groundbreaking target did not materialize because the anticipated site possession and turnover arrangements had not been completed within the projected timeframe,’ Salazar said.

UP Diliman subsequently informed HRVVMC in November 2024 that partial possession of the museum site was expected by March 2025 and full possession by September 2025.

Salazar said the developments affected the timing of site mobilization and succeeding project activities.

What comes next

Before construction can begin, HRVVMC said the site and related project requirements must undergo finalization and technical verification.

The next steps include the publication of an invitation to bid, competitive bidding, bid evaluation and contract award, followed by site mobilization and physical construction.

The project would then undergo interior fit-out and installation of museum components, exhibition development and curation, and operational testing before it can open to the public.

Republic Act No. 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, created HRVVMC and tasked it with establishing, restoring, preserving and conserving a memorial, museum, library or compendium honoring human rights violation victims during the Marcos regime.

While construction of the permanent museum remains pending, Salazar said the commission continues its archival and research work, collections and documentation, exhibitions and educational programs, and survivor-centered memorialization activities.

Capacity building key to efficient public service – HoS

Zamfara State Government said it will sustain its institutional capacity building initiative to achieve competency and professionalism in public service.

Zamfara State Head of Service, Shehu Baraya, announced this at his office during a brief ceremony marking the end of the Pre-Examination Refresher Course and examination for directors aspiring to become permanent secretaries.

The course was organised by the Office of the Head of Service, in collaboration with the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, at Government House, Gusau.

He thanked the Public Service Institute of Nigeria for its continuous partnership and professional support to Zamfara State Government.

During the ceremony, a sealed examination result was presented to the Head of Service by the Head of the PSIN team, Dr AbdulKareem Ishaq, for onward submission to Governor Dauda Lawal.

The exercise was the second organised in the last three years under Governor Lawal’s administration.

Present at the occasion were the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Dr. Usman Shehu Hassan, and the Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Human Resource Development, Barr. Suwaiba Ibrahim Barau, among others.

Why my father hid my Hausa identity-Gbenga Hashim

Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr Gbenga Hashim, has revealed the extraordinary family secret behind why his Hausa and royal identity remained concealed from him for almost three decades.

Hashim, grandson of the 40th Sarki Yauri, said his late father, Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri, deliberately kept his royal heritage away from him as a child after receiving a warning from an Islamic cleric about possible dangers within the royal family.

According to him, the cleric advised his father against exposing the child’s identity prematurely, prompting him to take what was ultimately a life-changing decision to protect his son by keeping his identity secret.

‘He chose protection over inheritance,’ Hashim said.

As a result, Hashim was relocated and raised in the Borgu Emirate under a different identity.

Although he was named Abdulmalik at birth, he grew up within a Yoruba cultural environment, largely removed from the Hausa traditions, royal connections and family history of his paternal lineage.

For almost 27 years, he said, he lived without knowing the full circumstances surrounding his identity.

The extraordinary story is detailed in Chapter 13 of his forthcoming autobiography, Sunrise At Midnight, scheduled for publication soon.

The chapter provides an account of his childhood, his father’s decision and the eventual discovery of the heritage that had been deliberately kept from him.

Hashim has previously spoken publicly about his unusual childhood. In an interview with THISDAY, he disclosed that he was born in Yelwa, Yauri, in 1969, while his father was a young police officer. He subsequently grew up with the family of his stepfather, Julius Bamidele Olawepo.

Hashim also paid tribute to his late father, whom he described as a highly influential police officer who rose to become a Police Commissioner and Commandant of the Police College, Kaduna.

Popularly known as ‘Zaki’ the Lion, Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri was widely respected across Northern Nigeria.

Hashim said the nickname reflected his father’s courage, discipline, strength and commanding personality.

Hashim and his siblings recently marked the 30th anniversary of their father’s passing with commemorative advertisements in major Nigerian newspapers.

For Hashim, the story of his father is inseparable from the story of his own identity.

The father who kept his royal lineage secret was also a man who, in Hashim’s account, carried a formidable reputation in public service.

Hashim’s account also takes him further back into the history of his paternal family, to his grandfather, Seriki Abdullahi Jibril, popularly known as Maiy Yauri.

He described his grandfather as one of the prominent traditional rulers of Northern Nigeria in his era and part of a generation of educated Northern royals who combined traditional authority with modern education, administration and commerce.

According to Hashim, Seriki Jibril, the 40th ruler of Yauri, was particularly distinguished by his knowledge of finance and trade, financial prudence, transparency and commitment to education.

He described him as a prominent royal of Hausa ancestry who was honoured with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during the colonial period.

Hashim further recalled that British records portrayed his grandfather as an unusually independent traditional ruler who, during the Second World War, exercised a degree of administrative autonomy that distinguished him from many of his contemporaries.

But for Hashim, the story is ultimately bigger than royalty.

It is the story of a father who chose secrecy as an act of protection; a child who grew up between cultures without knowing the full story of his origins; and a family history that eventually returned to him decades later.

‘For 27 years, I lived without knowing the full story of who I was,’ Hashim said.

He said discovering his Hausa and Yauri heritage did not diminish the Yoruba cultural environment in which he was raised. Rather, it gave him a deeper understanding of the different cultural and historical strands that shaped his identity.

His story, he said, is ultimately about family, sacrifice, identity, heritage and the strange ways in which history can remain hidden for decades before finding its way back into a person’s life.

Shipowners call on Dangote, others to support domestic fleet development

Nigerian indigenous shipowners have renewed their call for major cargo owners, particularly the Dangote Group, to support domestic fleet development through long-term Contracts of Affreightment (CoAs) covering petroleum products, cement, fertiliser and other bulk commodities.

The shipowners hinged their call on the principle of shipping economics: cargo creates trade, trade supports financing, and predictable cargo contracts enable shipowners to acquire vessels and build sustainable fleets.

Captain Ladi Olubowale, former president of the Nigerian chapter of the African Shipowners Association (ASA) and Group Managing Director/CEO of Seamate Maritime Integrated Services Limited, made the call during a Public-Private Dialogue with CEOs, organised by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping in Lagos.

The dialogue, themed: ‘Unlocking Efficiency in the Marine and Blue Economy Value Chain’, brought together maritime industry leaders, cargo owners, terminal operators and policymakers, with Mr Edwin Devakumar, Group Vice President of Dangote Group, participating as the guest CEO.

Captain Olubowale argued that Nigeria’s maritime development strategy should move beyond simply discussing vessel ownership and focus instead on creating the commercial conditions that make indigenous vessel acquisition bankable.

He said, ‘Shipping follows cargo. Give credible Nigerian shipowners long-term Contracts of Affreightment, and those contracts become the commercial foundation upon which vessels can be financed, acquired and deployed.’

He explained that shipping is fundamentally a capital-intensive private-sector business and that Nigerian shipowners cannot sustainably acquire large vessels without predictable cargo volumes and bankable employment contracts.

Rather than waiting for indigenous companies to first acquire vessels before giving them cargo, he proposed reversing the model: secure the cargo, establish credible long-term contracts, structure the financing, and allow qualified Nigerian operators to acquire vessels against those contracts.

According to him, for Dangote Group, whose expanding refinery, cement, fertiliser and industrial operations are generating substantial maritime cargo volumes, this could provide an opportunity to become an important catalyst for Nigerian fleet development.

Olubowale proposed that Dangote consider allocating portions of its maritime cargo requirements to qualified indigenous shipping companies under structured multi-year CoAs.

He noted that such arrangements could enable Nigerian shipowners to approach banks, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, leasing companies and international vessel financiers with identifiable cargo, predictable revenues and long-term commercial contracts.

From cargo contracts to national fleet capacity, Captain Ladi Olubowale also drew attention to the continued participation of foreign-controlled vessels in the transportation of Nigerian crude and petroleum cargoes.

He noted that large tankers, including Suezmax vessels, regularly call at Nigerian crude terminals such as Forcados, Bonny and Escravos, generating significant freight revenues from Nigerian-origin cargo.

VP defense team may still go to SC over conviction vote

Following the Senate impeachment court’s decision to lower the conviction threshold, Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team said she reserved her right to exhaust all legal remedies, including raising the issue before the Supreme Court.

‘Going up to the Supreme Court is a real possibility. As to when, well, we will have to discuss the matter with our client,’ defense spokesperson and lawyer Michael Poa said on Wednesday.

He added that they were set to have a discussion with the vice president ‘very soon.’

Poa also said that requesting a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court was also ‘an option.’

‘That’s definitely an option. But of course, we’ll have to see the pros and cons first,’ he said, adding that such a request was unlikely to delay the impeachment proceedings.

The court voted to revise the 16-vote threshold needed to convict Duterte in her impeachment trial. Under the newly adopted rules, the constitutionally required two-thirds vote for conviction will be based only on the number of senators who remain legally and factually capable of participating in the proceedings at the time of voting.

Lawyer Sheila Sison, Duterte’s lead defense counsel, told the court after the voting that the vice president’s participation in the trial, moving forward, ‘shall be with express reservation.’

Prevailing ‘circumstances’

‘We therefore put on record that, even as we understand that this tribunal will proceed as it deems fit, we are nonetheless constrained to place on record that, from this day forward, the respondent’s participation, or any participation that the respondent may have in this trial, shall be with express reservation, or ad cautelam,’ Sison said.

‘[…] She reserves every right to exhaust all legal remedies available under our laws and the Constitution, in keeping with the essence of a truly free and democratic institution and the right of every citizen to be heard before an impartial court that is neither biased nor intimidated, and that will courageously uphold a fair trial and, ultimately, render a just decision,’ she also said.

Sison stated that Duterte will ‘not shirk from accountability, nor does she fear the outcome of this impeachment trial.’

‘She asks for nothing spectacular from this court, only the most essential and basic guarantees due to every individual: fairness and impartiality from a court entrusted with upholding the most fundamental principles under our Constitution,’ she said.

Wednesday’s oral arguments on the conviction threshold took an emotional turn after the status and charges of detained senators were alluded to during the proceedings.

Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo, who was arguing in favor of reducing the threshold, pointed out that prevailing ‘factual circumstances’ have prevented some senators from participating.

‘So, it only makes sense to examine how these new events affect the computation of the two-thirds vote that our Constitution requires or states,’ he said.

Tulfo pointed out that the charges senators typically faced at the time the 1987 Constitution was drafted were different from today’s situation, and this could have affected how the specific provision in the Charter was framed.

‘The cases of senators then were either subversion or sedition; Those were their cases, not plunder or all other things. That’s why it probably didn’t cross the mind of the framers,’ he said.

Four of the 24 senators have been absent from impeachment proceedings: Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta have been detained over plunder charges, Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa has been in hiding since he was ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court in connection with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, and Sen. Loren Legarda has been on medical leave since August.

Emotional Villar

Senator-Judge Camille Villar, in response to Tulfo’s pronouncement, came to the defense of her fellow minority senators, stating that being detained and not being able to participate in the proceedings was ‘not their choice.’

‘I think it’s unfair to call them out … All those who are not here, they have not been proven guilty. They are not plunderers, they are not thieves, they have not been proven to [commit those crimes],’ a visibly upset Villar said.

‘As the youngest member of this august body, can we stop with these attacks on each other? […] Let us give each other due respect,’ she said.

Tulfo, in another manifestation, directly addressed Villar’s words and stated that he never said the detained senators have already been convicted.

He maintained that what he said was not an attack, but merely a confrontation of ‘the present reality that some senators are physically or legally unable to participate in the impeachment trial.’

‘The issue of detained senators is so intertwined in the determination of denominators, we cannot discuss the baseline without touching on the reasons why four of our senators are absent,’ Tulfo said