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Police Hold Man For Allegedly Robbing POS Operator At Gunpoint

The Police Command in Enugu State has detained a 28-year-old suspect for allegedly robbing a female Point-of-Sale (POS) operator of N200,000 at gunpoint in Obollo-Afor in Udenu Local Government Area.

This contained in a statement issued by the command’s Spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, on Sunday in Enugu.

Ndukwe said that on Oct. 18 at about 12.26pm, police operatives attached to Udenu Division, supported by members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested and detained the suspect. (NAN)

He said that the detention of the suspect followed a report that he had robbed the victim at her shop along Old Orba Road, Uhulor, Obollo-Afor, on Oct. 17, at about 9am.

‘Preliminary investigations indicate that the victim raised the alarm as the suspect fled and was allegedly threatening to shoot anyone pursuing him.

‘A Beretta-like pistol and an expended 9mm ammunition shell were recovered from him, while the suspect has confessed to the crime during interrogation.

‘The suspect will be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations,’ he said.

Ndukwe quoted the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, as commending the operatives for the successful operation and acknowledged the complementary support provided by the neighbourhood watch group.

The commissioner reiterated the command’s commitment to combating crime and urged residents to promptly report suspicious activities to the police and other recognised security agencies. (NAN)

Roxberry storm top with historic 20-0 league rout

Roxberry have sent a chilling warning to their title rivals after becoming the first team in Uganda’s pool league history to register a 20-0 victory, a result that propelled the defending champions to the top of the Nile Special National Pool League.

Roxberry dismantled Corporate Shooters on Sunday to move to 35 points, two ahead of second-placed Scrap Buyers, setting up a mouthwatering encounter between the leading sides in Mbale this weekend.

The two teams will be in action at Oak Bar alongside Greater Mukono and in-form Adi’s Spot, with Roxberry seeking to consolidate their advantage in an increasingly competitive title race.

Fielding Simon Lubuulwa, Ian Kazibwe, Ibra Ssejjemba, Joseph Kasozi and Arnold Ssemukwano in their starting line-up, Roxberry overwhelmed their opponents through consistency rather than break-and-finish victories. Teenage sensation Herbert Mukisa and Robert Tumusiime featured in the second half.

Ssejjemba, Kasozi and Ssemukwano each won all four of their games. Kazibwe and Lubuulwa also maintained perfect records before being replaced.

‘The target was to win our games, and we went in focused on doing that. Our opponents made it easier because things were not working for them, but we still had to take our chances and get the points,’ Ssejjemba said.

Corporate Shooters captain Gregory Ogeni admitted his team had struggled.

‘It wasn’t our day. Nothing went our way. The table’s pots were tight, but we also failed to win games we should have won. It was bad to lose that way, but in sport, we move on to the next match,’ Ogeni said.

Greater Mukono struggle

Greater Mukono, fourth in their debut season last year, have slipped to sixth as a revamped squad struggles to find its rhythm.

They lost 11-9 to Wakiso City after trailing 6-4 at half-time, with Osman Kisubi and Jacob Muwanguzi helping Wakiso secure the victory.

Captain Najib Matovu believes the team can recover.

‘We have a new-look squad, but these are good players and they need to catch up with the pace of the league,’ he said.

Matovu, Allan Kayiwa and Farouk Kagumya are among the retained players, while Musa Muloba, Julius Ssemanda and Willy Yiga joined this season.

Greater Mukono subsequently beat Nakawa 15-5, but Nakawa remain among the league’s weakest sides after also losing 16-4 to Wakiso City.

There are also cracks in the Upper Volta side that finished second last season after losing 11-9 to Adi’s Spot without star player Caesar Chandiga and Mansoor Bwanika.

Mukono Ladies lead

Mukono remain unbeaten in the ladies’ league after four wins and a draw. Samona are second on 13 points, while Akaanya are third on 12. Genesis remain bottom without a win.

Roxberry’s Kasozi leads the men’s scoring charts with 38 goals and six A’s, matching Scrap Buyers’ Ibrahim Kayanja and teammates Kazibwe and Lubuulwa. Ssejjemba and Glorious Ssenyonjo have five A’s each.

In the ladies’ category, Rashida Mutesi, the only player with a break and finish (two), leads the scoring charts with 17 goals.

Playoff plots thicken

In the ongoing PBA Governors Cup, at least one ‘independent’ team – either Rain or Shine or Converge – not affiliated with either MVP or RSA will make it to the Final Four. Phoenix is another independent hoping to break into the semis. In the Philippine Cup this season, no independent crashed the semis party as San Miguel Beer ousted Barangay Ginebra and TNT eliminated Meralco. SMB went on to clinch the title via a 4-2 triumph over TNT in the finals. In the Commissioner’s Cup, ROS took out SMB in the quarterfinals and reached the semis but bowed to Ginebra while TNT disposed of Meralco to advance to the finals. In the Last Dance, Ginebra downed TNT, 4-3. ROS has been the only independent to enter the semis in two conferences this campaign and did it once.

The usual contenders are back in the Governors’ Cup playoffs. Magnolia is facing TNT. NLEX is squaring off with Phoenix. ROS and Converge are dueling. SMB and Ginebra are back at each other’s throats after their Philippine Cup skirmish. Drawing first blood in the quarters were NLEX and TNT. Phoenix had a chance to steal Game 1 but Ken Tuffin missed the back end of two free throws with 22 seconds left and failed to trim the lead to one. NLEX held on to win, 97-92. In the other series, TNT snapped Magnolia’s six-game win streak, 92-70. The four teams return to action in Game 2 at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, tomorrow.

ROS and Converge will face off in the first contest at the Smart Araneta Coliseum while SMB engages Ginebra in the second encounter tonight. ROS is No. 1 in bench points (47.2) with coach Yeng Guiao rotating starter roles for 13 players. What must bother Guiao is ROS averaging 17 turnovers, the most in the league. Worse, ROS is shooting 65.6 percent from the line, last in the conference. Converge, in contrast, is dominating key offensive stats, ranking first in offense (122.4), field goal percentage (50.6 percent), assists (29.4), rebounds (55.1), paint points (65.2), free throw percentage (80.1 percent), fastbreak points (24.3) and four-point percentage (40 percent). Five FiberXers are averaging double figure points so they’re a handful for ROS to contain. Converge is the hottest squad in the league with five straight wins and it looks like Serbian active consultant Djordje Jovicic is making an impact in working with head coach Vice Gov. Delta Pineda. ROS’ hopes hinge on defense. Aaron Fuller is an experienced workhorse and ROS’ anchor in the middle. In ROS’ six wins, Guiao’s troops held four victims to less than 100 and that kind of defensive effort is what could bring Converge down.

SMB has won five of its last six with George King, June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and Don Trollano humming on offense. In those five victories, SMB averaged a whopping 134.2 points. Ginebra has found a gem in Jordan Murphy, a tireless livewire whose infectious energy is rubbing off on teammates. Ginebra has won back-to-back entering the quarters and coach Tim Cone’s squad appears to be peaking at the right time. RJ Abarrientos’ resurgence from a forgettable Asian Games stint is timely and Troy Rosario is playing like a renaissance man. If only Stephen Holt can regain his shooting touch and Scottie Thompson is back at full strength, Ginebra will be tough to handle. SMB’s depth is a problem for Cone and if the Beermen control the pace, Ginebra might run out of gas in an extended series.

NCDC: 2027 Elections May Be Postponed If Ebola Spreads

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said the 2027 general election could be postponed if the Ebola outbreak in the country spreads to a level that makes such a decision necessary to protect public health.

Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, stated this during an interview on Channels Television.

According to him, the severity and geographical spread of the outbreak would determine whether postponing the election should be considered.

Idris, however, stressed that there was currently no reason to contemplate such a move, expressing optimism that the outbreak would be contained without disrupting the electoral timetable.

‘We hope the election will not be postponed, but if the thing (Ebola) gets wide enough, that might be considered. As of now, there is no need for that,’ he said.

The 2027 general election is expected to begin in January, with political parties and aspirants already making preparations ahead of the polls.

The NCDC chief’s remarks come amid concerns about the potential implications of the Ebola outbreak for public gatherings and other activities that could increase the risk of disease transmission if the situation deteriorates.

He maintained that any decision to postpone the election would be guided by public health considerations rather than political interests.

Addressing suggestions that the government might exploit the outbreak for political purposes, Idris insisted that health officials had no intention of using disease outbreaks as a political instrument.

‘We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon. No government will use Ebola as a political weapon,’ he said.

The NCDC director-general explained that Nigeria had been closely monitoring developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the outbreak originated, and had anticipated the possibility of the virus reaching the country.

According to him, population movements, international air travel and activities at the country’s ports of entry were among the factors that made the possibility of importing the disease a concern for public health authorities.

He said surveillance efforts had been informed by the developments in the DRC, although the possibility of the virus reaching Nigeria could not be completely ruled out.

‘This Ebola thing started in DRC a couple of months ago and we were tracking. They said for you to track again there is a possibility that it may get here due to our population movement, flight into this country, and ports of entry, yet it came. No government will use Ebola as a political weapon,’ he said.

DepEd: Complete suspension of classes if temperature hits 42 degrees Celsius

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has issued comprehensive guidelines for schools amid the threat of the super El Niño, ordering the suspension of all physical and home-based academic activities once ambient temperature hits 42 degrees Celsius, to ensure the safety of learners and teachers.

‘We cannot afford to wait until extreme heat hits before we act. Our plan this year is proactive, deliberate and organized,’ he said.

Angara signed Department of Education (DepEd) Memorandum 64, Series of 2026, which aims to keep school environments safe, protect the health of learners and personnel and ensure that learning continues throughout the anticipated dry spell.

‘We are making sure our schools are fully prepared to manage heat stress, water shortages and health risks, protecting the safety and well-being of our learners and personnel without unnecessarily sacrificing precious classroom time,’ he added.

Under the guidelines, physical classes will be suspended when temperatures reach 33 to 41 degrees Celsius, with learners shifting to lighter home-based tasks and health check-ins.

When temperatures range from 27 to 32 degrees Celsius, school heads may shorten in-person hours or shift to hybrid and flexible home-based schedules.

Regular face-to-face classes with scheduled hydration breaks may continue when temperatures remain below 27 degrees Celsius.

‘Every community experiences weather conditions differently. Through our 4H framework and daily classroom-level monitoring, we are empowering our school heads with the flexibility to adjust hours or shift to modular learning only when local conditions genuinely require it,’ Angara said.

The policy takes effect immediately and will remain in force until the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration officially announces the end of the 2026-2027 El Niño episode.

Beyond its impact on classroom activities, the anticipated El Niño could put further pressure on household budgets, as the Philippines is among the economies most exposed to rising prices from the weather phenomenon, according to research and analysis firm BMI.

BMI expects drought-driven food inflation to be the main economic risk from the El Niño episode.

‘Local food inflation has historically been 1.8 to 2.5 pp (percentage points) higher within a year of an extreme drought and El Niño makes such droughts significantly more likely in exposed regions,’ it said in its report.

While food stocks could cushion the impact, BMI said Southeast Asia has thin buffers, putting rice, palm oil and coffee supplies at risk.

‘Rice stocks have fallen below 2023 levels in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, leaving the Philippines, which imports around a third of its rice, most exposed to higher prices,’ BMI said.

However, well-stocked global rice markets limit the risk of a repeat of the price spike seen in 2023 to 2024.

BMI said El Niño could increase drought risks for cropland across Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Central America and northern South America, threatening the production of rice, maize, sugar, palm oil and coffee.

Overall inflation accelerated to 7.2 percent in September, ending a four-month downtrend, driven mainly by faster increases in food prices.

Food inflation rose to 6.8 percent from 4.6 percent in August, largely due to higher vegetable prices.

From January to September, overall inflation averaged 5.4 percent, above the government’s two to four percent target.

Nigerians now spend 120% of income on food – Oyedele

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has said some Nigerians spend as much as 120 per cent of their income on food, forcing them to borrow money or rely on relatives to survive.

Oyedele spoke at Chatham House in London, where he said a government survey showed that food expenses exceeded the incomes of some households.

‘In fact, there was a survey we did that shows that up to 120 per cent of household income is spent on food. Like, how do you spend 120 per cent of your income? You borrow food before the end of the month,’ he said.

The minister said Nigeria’s poverty rate remained above 50 per cent despite an unemployment rate of about five per cent, pointing to the growing number of people who work but still struggle to meet their basic needs.

‘That tells you something. As a policymaker, you don’t sit back and say we don’t have unemployment. You have working poor,’ he said.

Oyedele attributed the pressure on households to high food prices, which he said were not falling as quickly as headline inflation. Food inflation stood at 19.6 per cent in September.

‘Headline inflation is falling faster than the price of a basket of tomatoes, gari, and beans. And this widens inequality,’ he said.

‘Macroeconomic stability means little to a mother who still cannot afford food,’ he added.

The minister also said Nigeria had no taxes on fuel, arguing that the pressure on household budgets was linked to deeper structural problems rather than fuel taxes.

He identified low agricultural yields, seasonal farming, post-harvest losses, poor storage and logistics, high transport costs and insecurity in farming communities as major factors driving food prices.

He cited losses of up to 60 per cent of tomatoes after harvest as an example of the challenges facing the agricultural sector.

On measures to address the situation, Oyedele said the government was investing in agricultural technology, irrigation to support year-round farming, improved storage facilities and access to finance for smallholder farmers.

He said the administration was also providing direct support through a cash transfer programme that had reached more than 10 million ‘In the short term, the administration is providing direct support through a cash transfer programme that has reached more than 10 million households. Payments are made digitally and beneficiaries are verified with National Identification Numbers to reduce leakage,’ he said.

Oyedele said the government was prioritising agriculture and non-tradable services, which together employ 81.4 per cent of working Nigerians.

He said the aim was to grow the sectors faster than the overall economy, increase incomes and gradually reduce dependence on cash transfers.

Kano: Man’s Body Recovered From Open Water

The Kano State Fire Service has recovered the body of a 42-year-old man, Sani Uba Kwaru, from an open water at Dan Agundi, Kano.

The service said it received a distress call from one Hamisu Muhammad at about 1pm on Monday, reporting that a man had fallen into the water.

In a statement, the service’s Public Relations Officer, PFO Kabiru Isah Jafar, said its rescue team mobilised to the scene and recovered Kwaru unconscious.

The service urged residents to exercise caution around open water and other potentially dangerous areas.

BOC auctions 11 luxury cars

Eleven luxury vehicles with combined floor prices of P226.86 million, including a 2022 Ferrari SF90 Stradale and a 2021 McLaren Senna, are up for auction at the Port of Manila (POM), the Bureau of Customs said yesterday.

The BOC said interested bidders may participate in a sealed-bid auction.

The public viewing of vehicles will be held today until Oct. 29 at the Manila port grounds.

A public auction will take place at 10 a.m. on Oct. 30 at the BOC-POM’s prefab building.

‘Place your bids on your dream luxury cars while helping the government generate revenue through a transparent public auction,’ the BOC said.

Also up for auction are a Lexus ES, a Toyota Alphard, two Land Rovers, a BMW X6, a Mercedes Benz, a Bentley and two Rolls Royce cars.

Of deception behind Uganda’s impressive economic growth figures

Popular messaging app, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has started aggressive advertising. Graphic and video notifications inundate status updates of users. If one clicks on them, they are sent straight to the account of the WhatsApp digital marketers.

There, products and services are explained in a great detail and then a message asking the user what exactly they want, pops up. That way their (advertisers) contacts are automatically included in the phone book of the users. The readiness of the advertisers to do business is upfront.

The interesting bit is that most of the demand generators or advertisers are Chinese companies marketing Chinese manufactured products. The irony is that since 2017 WhatsApp is blocked in mainland China (just like Facebook is banned in Uganda since 2021.) But WhatsApp works in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan where many Chinese businesses have offices.

The products range from light to heavy industrial machinery, tools, electric vehicles, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, household appliances, electronics plus electrical materials, mobile phones and computers, human and animal feeds, agricultural implements, sports equipment, textiles, cosmetics and beauty products to mention but a few.

In contrast, most of the Ugandan advertisers market housing, schools, restaurants, food and drink, mobile phone services, entertainment events, imported goods from China for sale, gospel and religious crusades, political rallies, etc. In a nutshell, it is more about the production of primary, low value-added products, consumption and fun. This is how it has been since independence, 64 years ago.

Uganda is currently in a very uncomfortable financial position. The national currency, the Shilling, is at its lowest in the last 33 years when valued against the United States Dollar. The exchange rate is in the neighbourhood of 4,400 for a dollar. Fuel prices per litre have moved to about Shs6,800 for petrol and Shs7,100 for diesel. This has affected overall food and essential household prices.

Those in charge of our economy say it is going to be like this or even get worse before it gets better.

All manner of arguments have been proffered including the war between USA/Israel and Iran plus the concomitant closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The war between Russia and Ukraine, the Protection of Sovereignty Act 2026, which some claim restricts inflows of foreign currency and drop in coffee prices on the world market.

It is said that if you don’t know when the rain started beating you, you will never know when you started getting wet.

Uganda’s economic problems did not start recently. We have had major underlaying challenges which unfortunately are covered up by arguments of impressive economic growth figure which average about six percent per annum.

Three areas besides low production and productivity that are never brought into the conversations with the seriousness they deserve are national debt plus leakages from inefficiency and corruption.

Almost everything we are consuming like the goods advertised by the Chinese on WhatsApp status are imported. Increasingly we are including a lot of importation of food despite the fertile soils and majority of people being employed in agriculture. Many of our markets have carrots, onions, tomatoes and Irish potatoes plus fruits imported from Kenya and South Africa.

So many of our people are extremely poor and live on the periphery of the economy. They are not into value addition and thus are not bound to earn significantly to create effective and reliable demand to support the economy. 2023/2024 Uganda Bureau of Statistics National Household Survey Report put at least 16.1 percent of Ugandans, or about 7.2 million people living below the absolute poverty line of $1 per day.

You can’t expect significant tax revenues from unproductive people. Yet the government must provide services like health, education, and roads for them.

The solution creates a problem. We must borrow significant amounts to support the budget. As of June 2025, Uganda’s foreign debt stood at $16.30 billion, which is about Shs63.19 trillion. Total public debt stood at around $37.12 billion, or approximately Shs143.92 trillion. This burden sits on a 2026/2027 national budget of about $23.5 billion or Shs84.39 trillion.

This debt does not come cheap. The largest and fastest-growing expenditure in Uganda’s budget is debt servicing. In the 2026/2027 budget, almost 40 percent of the budget which is Shs33.4 trillion is allocated for debt servicing which is mainly payment of interest. This is money that would go towards production.

Yet a significant amount of Uganda’s national expenditure, including from borrowed funds, is lost in corruption. The IGG puts it at about Shs10 trillion per year. Or you have shoddy work on infrastructure like roads and dams, meaning there is no value for money.

Uganda has spent about Shs1.5 trillion on the proposed 264-bed Lubowa Specialised Hospital in the last five years.

The rest is channelled towards things other than serious economic production. The foreign travels. The endless national functions. All the pledges and donations to Artistes and other hangers for the sake of political patronage, fall in this category.

The Ugandan economy is not going to reap from where it has not sown. If we are focusing on waste, consumption and corruption, the economy may grow but the growth will be deceptive. This is because even money diverted from roads, to private property like apartments is part of the national growth figure.

The priorities have to be clear and intentional. Countries like China that we call upon to invest in Uganda prioritise education and training plus transfer and acquisition of the latest technology. They may even steal it if need be. This is how they build capacity with skills to match high level production and development of superior technology. They don’t just make people happy by giving them free money.

That is how China managed to move about 850 million people out of extreme poverty in the last four decades. By coincidence, this is the same time the ruling NRM government has been in power, chasing the dream of transforming Uganda into a developed country.

’Cancer Survivors, Caregivers Deserve Strong Support Systems’

Healthcare professionals, cancer survivors, caregivers, policymakers and other advocates have called for stronger policies and support systems to improve the quality of life of people living beyond a cancer diagnosis.

The call was made at the cancer survivorship forum, ‘Beyond the Diagnosis: The Untold Realities of Cancer Survivorship and Caregiving,’ organised by the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) in partnership with Project PINK BLUE in Abuja as part of its Cancer Survivorship Initiative.

Daily Trust reports that the gathering brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to examine the often-overlooked realities faced by cancer survivors and caregivers, including the physical, emotional, social and financial challenges that frequently persist long after treatment has ended.

Speaking at the gathering, Chief Medical Officer of AMCE, Dr. Aisha Umar, said cancer care must extend beyond diagnosis and treatment to include survivorship and long-term wellbeing.

She said, ‘As advances in medicine continue to improve cancer outcomes, we must ensure that survivors are not left to navigate the next chapter of their journey alone.

‘Comprehensive cancer care must address not only treatment, but also rehabilitation, mental health, social reintegration and long-term quality of life.

‘Survivorship is an essential part of the cancer care continuum, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that patients and their families receive the support they need to thrive.’

Participants shared personal experiences and professional insights on the realities of living with and beyond cancer, highlighting the resilience of survivors and the critical role caregivers play in supporting treatment and recovery.