Author: user user

An Indian Defence Minister after 38 years: Partnership without capture

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh landed in Colombo earlier this week for a three-day official visit, the first by an Indian Defence Minister in 38 years. The last such call was by K. C. Pant in 1988. That long silence itself tells a story.

For nearly four decades, defence business between the two neighbours was handled by service chiefs, training colleges and quiet staff talks. New Delhi has now chosen to put a political minister at the centre of the relationship, and to do so immediately after a dense sequence of Indian visits and against a harder contest in the Indian Ocean.

The visit will be read, in Delhi, Beijing and Washington, as a signal. Our task in Colombo is narrower and more serious: to convert the signal into national capability without converting the island into a platform.

Not an isolated visit

Singh’s program is the latest layer in an unusually concentrated Indian engagement since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office in September 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit in April 2025 was the first by any foreign Head of Government after the new presidency. Seven documents were signed. Among them was the first comprehensive India-Sri Lanka Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, a five-year umbrella covering joint exercises, training, port calls, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, information exchange and possible defence-industry cooperation. Either side may terminate it with three months’ notice. That exit clause is not a detail. It is the difference between a structured partnership and a treaty alliance.

What followed was a rhythm, not a one-off. The eighth Annual Defence Dialogue was held in Colombo in June 2025. The Indian Navy Chief called in September 2025. After Cyclone Ditwah, India arrived as a first responder and later announced a reconstruction package of some $ 450 million; External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar came as Special Envoy. In January 2026 the Indian Army Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, handed over vehicles and training aids, opened a friendship corner at the Defence Services Command and Staff College, and laid a wreath at the IPKF memorial in Battaramulla. The Indian Vice-President visited in April. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was in Colombo on 5 August with rupee lines of credit for railways and other priorities. Later that month, Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander, Vice-Admiral Damian Fernando, made his first overseas visit in command, to New Delhi, and met the Chief of Defence Staff, the Defence Secretary and the Navy Chief.

Singh therefore arrives not as a stranger opening a file, but as the political seal on work already in motion. He is scheduled to call on the President, who holds the defence portfolio, the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary. The itinerary also takes in the IPKF memorial, the Defence Ministry, the parliamentary precincts, Gangaramaya Temple, a likely reception on an Indian Navy ship, the National Defence College, and the Sita Amman Kovil in Nuwara Eliya. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha has said relations have ‘never been better’ in decades. The visit calendar, at least, is not an invention.

What already stands on defence floor

It is important to be precise about what already exists, so that we do not mistake institutionalisation for a sudden tilt.

Training is the deepest bond. India is the largest foreign trainer of the Sri Lankan armed forces, offering on the order of a thousand to twelve hundred vacancies a year. One naval accounting records more than two thousand Sri Lankan naval personnel passing through Indian courses over nine years. Shared classrooms produce shared language, shared drills and personal networks that outlast any single Government. Reports ahead of this visit point to three new memoranda, one likely on air-defence guns, one on cadet-corps links, and one on cooperation between the Sri Lanka Defence College and Indian defence institutions. If signed, those instruments would push the relationship into the next generation of officers, not only today’s operators.

Exercises are now routine rather than ceremonial. The twelfth edition of SLINEX, the bilateral naval exercise, was held in Colombo from 14 to 18 August 2025, with a harbour phase of professional exchanges and a sea phase of gunnery, boarding, replenishment and communications. MITRA SHAKTI, the army exercise with air elements, held its eleventh edition in Belagavi last November. A fourth bilateral diving exercise was conducted in Colombo in April 2026. The two navies and coast guards continue International Maritime Boundary Line meetings. An Indian Navy Dornier was based here for maritime surveillance from August 2022 to August 2025. A Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was commissioned with an Indian grant of about $ 6 million. INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri took part in the International Fleet Review marking the Sri Lanka Navy’s 75th anniversary.

None of this is trivial. None of it, by itself, is alignment. Hardware, hours at sea and staff-college seats are instruments. What they become depends on command, data and political purpose.

National security questions that matter

Three questions should govern Colombo’s handling of the next 72 hours.

The first is maritime domain awareness. Sri Lanka’s core security geography is not a land frontier. It is the exclusive economic zone and the sea lanes that pass our shores. The live threats are narcotics, people-smuggling, illegal fishing, and the possible relocation of cyber-fraud compounds. Conventional naval war is not on this year’s operational list. Indian help with sensors, hydrography, diving, boarding drills and search-and-rescue is therefore rational. The test is who owns the picture. Shared awareness is useful. Exclusive dependence on one partner’s fusion centre is a vulnerability. Australia’s Disi Rela program against irregular maritime movement, Japanese passage exercises, and United States capacity support, cutters, aircraft, humanitarian exercises, already exist. They should remain in the mix. Maritime security should be a Sri Lankan-led coalition of convenience, not an Indian franchise.

The second is the air and coastal defence gap. Talk of Indian air-defence guns is not abstract after the 2026 conflict in West Asia reached our own waters, the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle, and later Iranian hulls lingering near the exclusive economic zone. The Government’s public line was the correct one: no combat use of our territory, airspace or waters by any party; humanity first; sailors rescued. That posture only works if the State can see, and if necessary contest, its approaches. Accepting guns, radars or training is compatible with an independent foreign policy if command, basing and rules of engagement remain Sri Lankan. Integrating them into another country’s kill-chain would not be.

The third is internal security. Easter Sunday accountability, narcotics networks that run through ports and prisons, and communal peace are not separate from geopolitics. Partners price political risk. A State that cannot govern its harbours, its financial system and its extremist ecosystems will be offered ‘help’ that looks like tutelage. India’s interest in counter-terror coordination and drugs overlaps with genuine Sri Lankan needs. The discipline required is the same as in any sound intelligence relationship: cooperate on targets; do not outsource the service.

The wreath at the IPKF memorial will be watched, as it was when the Indian Army Chief stood there in January. The years 1987 to 1990 remain raw in our political memory. The only stable line is professional honour to the dead, not a political rehabilitation of an intervention that divided this country.

How the region will read Colombo

India’s motive is not mysterious. Sri Lanka sits on the approaches to India’s southern seaboard. Chinese commercial and dual-use presence at Hambantota and Colombo Port City, and continuing engagement with the People’s Liberation Army Navy, is the backdrop. Pakistani naval units calling at Colombo, including a Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine earlier this year, only sharpen New Delhi’s preference for a denser security habit with us. Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR, Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, are the language. The operational aim is that extra-regional navies do not treat Sri Lankan harbours as a default logistics base against Indian interests.

Our motive should be equally clear, and different. Geography makes India the permanent neighbour. Crisis behaviour, liquidity and fuel in 2022, the cyclone in 2025, the energy and remittance shock of 2026, has already shifted public sentiment. That is a political fact. It does not require Colombo to adopt India’s threat picture of China, or to freeze other relationships.

A workable posture is polyalignment with a spine. India is the deepest security and connectivity partner, domain awareness, disaster response, training, Trincomalee energy cooperation, grid links and rupee credit, on the condition that ports, exclusive economic zone access and intelligence fusion remain under Sri Lankan law. China remains a major economic and infrastructure partner; new exclusive strategic footholds should not be created, and debt and operational control must stay visible. The United States, Japan, Australia and Europe matter for markets, green shipping, extra training pipelines and non-traditional maritime threats. Ordinary naval diplomacy with Pakistan and others is manners, not signalling.

The Government’s stated doctrine, an independent policy that does not favour any country, and territory that will not be used against a third party, is the right public frame. This week will test whether that frame can coexist with deeper, more structured Indian defence cooperation. It can, if the new memoranda are capability contracts with exit clauses, not political alignment documents.

Take help. Keep the choice

Colombo should treat the expected instruments as a capability audit.

On air defence, welcome sensors and guns that Sri Lanka can man, maintain and switch off. Reject any arrangement that requires foreign crews, foreign rules of engagement, or data that only flows one way. In cadet corps and staff colleges, take the training and keep a parallel pipeline with other professional schools so that the officer corps is not a single-source product. On the 2025 Defence Memorandum, measure implementation by Sri Lankan readiness, hours of maritime coverage, time-to-rescue, interdiction rates in the exclusive economic zone, disaster lift, not by the number of Indian ship-days in harbour.

Joint training should emphasise humanitarian assistance, counter-narcotics, hydrography, diving and lawful boarding. Those are the missions that serve the public and do not lock us into someone else’s contingency. Scenarios that only make sense in an India-China or India-Pakistan crisis should be declined politely and firmly.

Defence talks must also be bound to the prosperity agenda. Trincomalee as an energy and industrial node, electricity interconnection, port productivity and cyclone reconstruction are where security cooperation either pays the citizen or looks like militarisation. A Defence Minister’s visit that produces only wreaths and signed paper will be read in the region as alignment. A visit that also moves energy storage, disaster systems and maritime safety will be read as statecraft.

I write as a former Police officer who spent a working lifetime on intelligence, counter-terrorism and the unglamorous work of keeping a multi-religious island in one piece. Geography gave us a seat at the table of Indian Ocean commerce and security. Institutions, energy policy, port performance and social cohesion will decide whether that seat produces prosperity, or merely more invitations to other people’s contests.

Singh’s visit should be received with courtesy, used with discipline, and remembered for what it adds to Sri Lanka’s ability to stand on its own water. Take the neighbour’s hand. Keep the island’s choices. Make sure every exercise, every gun and every training slot leaves us more able to say no the next time a great power asks to use our sea, our air or our soil.

(This analysis is offered in the interest of national security, institutional reform, and public safety)

ACS Manufacturing taps clean energy from ACEN

ACS Manufacturing Corp. has signed a retail electricity supply (RES) agreement with ACEN RES, the retail electricity unit of ACEN Corp., to power its two manufacturing facilities in Laguna with renewable energy (RE).

ACS is the manufacturer behind household names like Pride Detergent, Shield Bath Soap, and Unique Toothpaste.

ACEN said Thursday that the partnership was enabled by the government’s Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).

RCOA is a mechanism that allows large electricity consumers with a peak monthly demand of at least 100 kilowatts (kW) to choose their own supplier rather than being limited to the local franchise utility.

RAP, meanwhile, allows a group of smaller facilities or end-users to combine their power requirements to reach the 100kW minimum demand required to participate in RCOA.

Switching to renewable energy allows ACS to eliminate an estimated 4,270 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) annually, which matches the carbon absorption capacity of over 193,000 trees.

‘Our switch to renewable energy for our Laguna plants is a strategic move to align our manufacturing processes with our commitment to the environment,’ said Mai Supetran, CEO of ACS Manufacturing. ‘We see this as a way to enhance our operational efficiency while tangibly reducing our carbon footprint.’

ACEN RES continues to expand its footprint in the retail electricity market, supporting the national goal of increasing the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix while empowering businesses and institutions to exercise greater control over their power supply sourcing.

The retail supplier has maintained its position as the leading green energy supplier in the country based on the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) latest report on the competitive retail electricity market (CREM).

‘We are proud to support ACS Manufacturing in this significant step of their sustainability journey,’ said Tony Valdez, senior vice president at ACEN.

‘By choosing to switch to 100 percent renewable energy, companies like ACS Manufacturing empower ACEN to continue developing more renewable energy assets in the country. We remain committed to helping more eligible customers navigate the RCOA and RAP programs to realize both cost savings and a meaningful reduction in their environmental impact.’

 50th Birthday: Hon. Lanre Oladebo Felicitates Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa

The Member of the House of Representatives representing Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency, Hon. Lanre Omoleye Oladebo, has congratulated the Chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

In a congratulatory message, Hon. Oladebo described Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa as a distinguished parliamentarian, accomplished public servant and valued colleague whose dedication to legislative duties and commitment to national development remain worthy of commendation.

He noted that attaining the age of 50 is a remarkable milestone, providing an opportunity to reflect on a life defined by service, achievements, leadership and meaningful contributions to society.

Hon. Oladebo also expressed his personal appreciation for the celebrant’s friendship, collegiality and commitment to the business of legislation, noting that his wealth of experience, intellectual capacity and dedication continue to add significant value to the National Assembly.

The statement reads:

‘It is with great pleasure that I join your family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers in celebrating you as you attain this remarkable milestone of 50 years.’

‘Your journey has been marked by dedication, resilience, intellectual capacity and an unwavering commitment to public service. Beyond being a distinguished parliamentarian, you have been a dependable colleague and a leader whose friendship I deeply value.

As you celebrate your Golden Jubilee, I pray that Almighty God grants you renewed strength, sound health, greater wisdom and abundant grace to continue your service to humanity and our dear nation.

‘May this new chapter of your life bring you greater accomplishments, fulfilment and lasting impact. May the years ahead be even more rewarding than those behind you.

‘Happy 50th birthday, my dear Chairman and distinguished colleague. I wish you many more years of good health, happiness, peace and impactful service.’

Govt shrugs off AI’s blue senators link

The government played down an incident involving the TH-AI Passport project after a word-and-colour game linked “senators” with blue, the colour associated with the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT).

Deputy Transport Minister and BJT deputy leader Siripong Angkasakulkiat said on Wednesday that the incident showed users should understand how AI works and should not automatically treat its answers as facts.

The issue gained attention on social media after a user tested the AI system in the TH-AI Passport project by asking it to match words with colours.

When the term “senators” was entered, the system responded with “blue”, prompting jokes and political comments.

Many believe Bhumjaithai is closely aligned to a so-called blue faction of senators. The connection is not always portrayed in flattering terms.

The answer caused a stir on social media, with many users praising the AI as “being smart” and “having deep knowledge.” Others said they tried the same test and got the same result.

The original poster later shared a video to confirm the result was genuine and not edited.

Mr Siripong said he also did his own test using ChatGPT, asking it to choose a colour that best matched each word he entered. The system returned “banana-yellow, apple-red, senators-orange, Nantana-pink and Siripong-blue”, he said.

He said he was not an AI expert but grew up experimenting with the technology. He said AI responses depended on the information available to each system and how it processed the data.

Citing navigation apps as an example, he said they directed users to incorrect routes but became more accurate as more people used them and the systems learned from the data they received. Mr Siripong said the proper way to use AI is to ask questions, check the answers, and consider whether the responses made sense.

He added users should not simply believe what an AI system or other people tell them without checking the information or asking questions. “If you use it this way, you won’t become stupid. If you believe whatever it tells you, or whatever people tell you, without verifying or asking questions, then you will definitely be,” he said.

Government spokesman Dr Ekkapob Pianpises on Wednesday encouraged people to make fuller use of the TH-AI Passport, saying most AI users still rely on the technology mainly for basic information searches.

In a Facebook post, Dr Ekkapob said about 80% of AI users use the technology much like they use Google, while only 20% use prompts effectively to get more from AI systems.

He recommended Perplexity’s Sonar Deep Research, included in the TH-AI Passport, which can help with literature reviews and research summaries.

Teacher Retraining Will Tackle Social Media Jargon – Adutwum

Former Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has called for the continuous retraining of teachers to enable them to deal with the growing influence of social media language on students’ academic work.

He said the use of informal expressions and social media jargon in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) should prompt schools to strengthen classroom supervision, teacher development and academic counselling.

In an interview with JoyNews yesterday, Dr. Adutwum said teachers had a critical role to play in helping students understand the difference between informal communication and the language required in academic settings.

He said the situation did not constitute a crisis but presented an opportunity for the education system to improve the professional development of teachers.

‘I don’t think the sky is falling. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s an opportunity for teacher retraining, professional development,’ he said.

Dr. Adutwum explained that teachers should be able to identify instances where students use inappropriate social media expressions in their schoolwork and correct them before they become established habits.

He advocated continuous professional development programmes and professional learning communities through which teachers could share experiences and discuss emerging challenges affecting students.

‘These issues can be discussed there, for teachers to then go back to their classrooms and be able to spot these things and advise students,’ he said.

According to him, the problem should be addressed long before students entered the examination hall, arguing that classroom exercises and internal examinations provided opportunities for teachers to detect weaknesses in students’ use of formal language.

He said students who repeatedly used social media expressions in their academic work needed to be guided on the consequences of carrying such habits into external examinations.

Dr. Adutwum also emphasised the importance of strengthening guidance and counselling in schools to help students develop a clear understanding of when informal language was appropriate and when formal language was required.

He said a coordinated approach involving teacher retraining, regular assessment and academic counselling would help schools respond effectively to the influence of social media on students’ writing.

The former minister said strengthening these areas would enable teachers to intervene early and help prevent the use of social media jargon from affecting students’ performance in future examinations.

Ossiomo Power ownership crisis deepens as management denies CCETC 75% stake

The ownership crisis rocking Ossiomo Power Company, located in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, has taken a new twist, with the management declaring that its alleged Chinese partner, Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd (CCETC), is not a co-owner of the company.

BusinessDay reports that the ownership crisis resulted in the shutdown of the company and prevented the management of Ossiomo from operating the company by the Chinese since September 2025.

The dispute has also led to litigation both at the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City and the Singapore International Centre for Arbitration.

It would be recalled that a top director of CCETC, who simply gave his name as Mr. W, had alleged that Uwa Igiehon, the managing director of the company, has 25 percent equity shares, which was for the land and licences, while CCETC had 75 percent.

However, speaking with newsmen in Benin City, Uwa Igiehon revealed that the relationship that existed between Ossiomo Power Company and CCETC was that of an owner (Ossiomo) and a contractor (CCETC).

Igiehon insisted that CCETC was a contractor to Ossiomo Power Company (COPC), the project company, until it switched off its engines.

He said the company is 100 percent owned by Ossiomo Power, adding that there is no direct relationship between Ossiomo Power and CCETC.

He described the alleged claim by CCETC that it has 75 percent of the shares of the power company as ’tissues of lies.’

He added that the Ossiomo Power Company is one of the corporate players within the Ossiomo Industrial Park, which acquired the landed property in Ologbo.

Igiehon explained that Ossiomo Power facilities are within the Ossiomo Industrial Park, which comprises the energy, oil and gas, metals, marine and agricultural sectors.

According to him, in 2008, Ossiomo Industrial Park acquired the site in Ologbo from Oba Erediauwa. In 2013, Ossiomo Power was incorporated as a special purpose company for power generation and transmission, and in 2015, NERC granted the company electricity generation, transmission and distribution licences.

‘In 2017, Ossiomo Power executed the Power Purchase Agreement with the Edo State government on a ‘Willing Buyer-Willing Seller’ basis.

‘In 2018, Ossiomo Power signed a Joint Venture Agreement with CCETC following the introduction of CCETC to Ossiomo Power by Sinohydro/Power China, and in 2020, Ossiomo Power commenced 24/7 power supply to its customers.

‘Between the year 2020 and 2025, Ossiomo Power supplied 24/7 electricity to millions of customers around the Benin metropolis before CCETC abruptly and violently switched off its engines, thereby stopping power production and supply.

‘But on September 5, 2025, Ossiomo Power started power supply from Ossiomo’s 100 percent-owned IPP2. Again, on October 5, 2025, CCETC used local thugs to shut down Ossiomo IPP2 and disconnected it from Ossiomo’s 33KV line.

‘Since then, our efforts to restart generation, transmission and distribution of power to our customers have been thwarted by the CCETC and its paid local thugs,’ he said.

The managing director of the company further added that CCETC has never owned any shares in the power company, stating that in 2017/2018, CCETC applied to join the project, but Ossiomo Power refused to have a direct relationship with CCETC because of lack of trust.

He further stated that the Chinese firm was supposed to contribute USD750,000 and USD53 million in equity and debt capital to the project company (COPC), but alleged that, true to the management’s suspicion, CCETC failed to meet its conditions precedent, which excluded it from being a shareholder of the company.

‘The documentation at the CAC duly confirmed Ossiomo Power as the 100 percent shareholder of COPC since August 2022.

‘The issue is that CCETC failed to fulfil its obligations and breached all the agreements. CCETC was supposed to construct a 50MW power plant for COPC, but it never constructed any power plant and, as of today, COPC does not own any power plant.

‘It’s because CCETC is aware it cannot construct a power plant of its own that they are using force to occupy Ossiomo Power facilities and using thugs to attack and vandalise our facilities,’ he alleged.

Igiehon, who also spoke on the company’s relationship with its Ologbo host community, described the relationship as cordial.

He said the relationship resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the community, stressing that the MoU led to the supply of free electricity to the residents from 2021/2022 after more than six years of being in total darkness.

He said the darkness was occasioned by the disconnection of power supply by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over alleged non-payment of bills and vandalism.

He also added that in 2025 alone, Ossiomo Industrial Park contributed over N182 million as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the Ologbo community.

Opposition unity in jeopardy: Atiku, Obi, Makinde resist calls to step aside

Efforts by the G-100 opposition coalition to produce a single consensus presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections have hit a major roadblock. Key contenders and political parties are firmly refusing to step down.

Atiku Abubakar, African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi, and Allied Peoples’ Movement candidate Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State have all maintained their presidential ambitions. Their reluctance to step aside has created fresh uncertainty around the coalition’s single-ticket strategy.

Despite the growing resistance, coalition leaders remain optimistic about overcoming the impasse. G-100 member Ambassador Umanu Elijah expressed confidence that ongoing consultations would produce an agreed consensus candidate by 30 September. The political network advocates a united front to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress.

However, political reality presents a steep climb for the coalition. None of the top three candidates has demonstrated any willingness to yield ground or withdraw in favour of a rival. Instead, their respective campaign camps continue to project them as the most viable flagbearers, actively positioning each candidate as the ideal choice to lead the unified platform.

Compounding the coalition’s challenge, several other political parties have outrightly dismissed proposals to surrender their slots. Platforms including the African Action Congress, the Democratic Leadership Alliance, the Allied Peoples’ Movement, and the Action Democratic Party have formally rejected suggestions that their presidential candidates step aside.

Opponents of the arrangement contend that forcing a single ticket without a shared ideological foundation risks creating an elite power grab rather than a meaningful alternative for voters.

With the self-imposed 30 September deadline fast approaching, the push for opposition unity remains deeply fragile. As key stakeholders defend their individual political interests, the prospect of a consolidated opposition ticket continues to hang in the balance.

PFIPC: Court returns Adeyemi’s rights enforcement suit to registry for reassignment

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday returned the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the detained fake Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, to its registry for reassignment.

The court declined to proceed with the hearing of the suit, after it established that the 72-hour period given to the respondents in the suit to show cause why Adeyemi’s remaining reliefs should not be granted had not expired.

The matter, which came up before Justice Obiora Egwuatu, had been scheduled for the respondents to show cause in response to Adeyemi’s application.

At the proceedings on Thursday, counsel for the applicant, Muhammad Abdulaziz, told the court that the respondents had been duly served and that the applicant was ready to proceed.

Counsel for the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mercy Akeredolu, was also in court, while other respondents were absent.

The applicant’s counsel said, ‘As ordered yesterday, all the respondents have been duly served and we are ready to proceed.’

The registrar subsequently confirmed that the order had been served on the respondents on 8 September, while the hearing notice was served on 9 September.

Justice Egwuatu, however, queried the timing of the service and pointed out that the 72-hour period had not elapsed.

The judge also questioned the competence of the proof of service for the hearing notice, asking whether it had been properly deposed to before a commissioner for oaths, and subsequently held that the respondents were yet to exhaust the period granted to them to show cause.

‘Well, in any case, the 72 hours is not expired. And yesterday, you told me it will expire today and that was why I fixed today. You know the urgency of your matter, you are the one to do the needful,’ Justice Egwuatu said, and thereafter returned the case file to the registry for reassignment, directing the applicant to return when the respondents’ time had expired and the matter was ready to proceed.

The development followed an earlier order by the court directing the Inspector-General of Police, the police and the Attorney-General of the Federation to show cause within 72 hours why Adeyemi’s remaining reliefs should not be granted.

The court had, however, granted one of the reliefs sought by Adeyemi, ordering the authorities to allow him access to lawyers of his choice at reasonable hours while he remains in custody.

Among the six reliefs sought by Adeyemi in his fundamental rights suit is an order for his release from custody, bail pending the determination of the case, and access to medical practitioners of his choice.

He also sought an order restraining the police from interrogating him or obtaining a statement from him without his lawyer being present.

The court declined to grant the substantive reliefs on an ex parte basis, insisting that the respondents should first be given an opportunity to respond.

Adeyemi was arrested in Osun State in July after the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over his repeated failure to appear for arraignment.

He is facing an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation over his claim to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, an organisation the Presidency has disowned as ‘fake’.

Adeyemi is expected to be arraigned on 30 September following an earlier order by Justice Mohammed Umar directing security agencies to arrest him and produce him in court after his repeated failure to appear.

2027: Oladele, Olaosebikan, Tunji get Sharafadeen Alli media, comunications, public affairs campaign appointments

A former Southwest Bureau Chief of The Nation newspaper, Mr Bisi Oladele has been appointed as the Director of Media and Publicity by the Oyo state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sharafadeen Alli.

While Mr Kehinde Olaosebikan was also appointrd as the Director of Strategic Communication, a former media aide to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Mr Bolaji Tunji was also appointed Director of Public Affairs.

The appointment of the seasoned journalists and communication professionals to the key positions in his campaign media and publicity team was contained in a statement issued by the Media Consultant to Senator Alli, Dare Adekanmbi, made available to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.

The immediate past Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Demola Babalola and Oyo State APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Olawale Sadare, would serve as Deputy Director and Secretary respectively on the Media and publicity team.

Oladele, a seasoned multimedia journalist and communication strategist, brings more than 25 years of experience in journalism and public relations to the assignment.

He will work with other talented and experienced professionals across various communication genres, including Mr Ayotunde Olude, to strengthen the campaign’s media, publicity and strategic communication efforts.

Until his appointment, Oladele was Executive Editor of Newspeak Media and Chairman of the South-West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP).

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education (English) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Master’s degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan, and already concluding his PhD in Political Communication at Lead City University, Ibadan.

Olaosebikan, a veteran media practitioner, served as Chief Press Secretary to the late Gov. Lam Adesina of Oyo State and brings extensive experience in strategic communication and government media relations to the campaign.

Tunji, also a seasoned journalist and communication practitioner, served as Special Adviser to the late Gov. Abiola Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy.

The appointments, according to the statement, are aimed at strengthening media visibility, strategic communication, public engagement and overall information management ahead of the 2027 general election.

Customs impounds N43.5bn narcotics, drones, expired goods at Lagos Port

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, has handed over intercepted narcotics, controlled pharmaceuticals, drones and expired goods valued at N43.5 billion intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos to relevant government agencies.

Adeniyi handed over the narcotics to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while the illicit and expired drugs were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday.

The CGC said the seizures demonstrated the importance of Customs beyond revenue collection, stressing that the service was also responsible for supply chain security, border protection and ensuring the safety of imports.

He said criminals were increasingly concealing narcotics, restricted equipment and expired goods in legitimate consignments through false declarations, the use of agents and syndicates operating at ports.

According to him, concealment methods include hiding narcotics inside vehicles, drugs beneath household goods and restricted equipment declared as ordinary electronics to evade detection.

The CGC said the service had, over the past three years, strengthened its cargo-targeting capacity through profiling, risk assessment and the use of the Producer platform, which integrates trade data across Customs commands nationwide.

He also said that in July 2026, Customs established an INTERPOL Data Centre in Abuja, giving Nigeria access to more than 152 international security databases.

Adeniyi said strengthened collaboration with the NDLEA through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and international partners had enhanced intelligence-led operations.

He said Customs intercepted 11 containers containing three broad categories of prohibited and restricted items.

The first category comprised 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 7,624kg in three containers, as well as 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in household items.

The second category involved 100 high-definition dual-camera drones imported without the required approvals.

Adeniyi warned that the drones and other security-sensitive equipment could be used for unauthorised surveillance and criminal activities.

The third category comprised expired tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquids, disposable nappies and vaginal tablets, which he said posed serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.

The CGC also listed 1,282 bales of used clothing, 148 bags of foreign parboiled rice, lithium batteries and food items concealed alongside the illicit consignments.

He said drones and other security-sensitive equipment required end-user certificates and relevant security approvals.

Adeniyi warned that unauthorised imports would be detained and handed over to the appropriate government agencies.

He commended officers of the Apapa Command, the NDLEA and other local and international partners for their cooperation in combating illicit trade.

The CGC urged the media to continue exposing individuals and networks undermining legitimate commerce and national security.

He also advised importers to take advantage of the Advanced Ruling and Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes to ensure compliance with import regulations.

Adeniyi stressed that Nigerian ports would not be allowed to become safe corridors for prohibited and illicit goods.

Earlier, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, said the presence of the CGC and other stakeholders demonstrated the importance attached to leadership, collaboration and public accountability.

Oshoba said the participation of sister agencies also underscored the sustained inter-agency cooperation needed to strengthen national security, public safety and economic prosperity.

He assured that the Apapa Command remained committed to the CGC’s policy direction and would uphold professionalism, discipline, integrity and diligence in facilitating legitimate trade and protecting the national interest.

He said joint operations and collaboration with sister agencies had continued to help the command effectively tackle criminal networks and perform its duties.