Category: Daily Trust

Air Peace has accused aviation unions of violating a subsisting Federal High Court judgment by disrupting its operations, assaulting employees and intimidating passengers during an industrial action on Tuesday August 11, 2026.

The airline said the action caused significant operational and financial losses estimated at more than N2 billion, while thousands of passengers were left stranded or had their journeys disrupted.

But one of the union leaders in a chat with Daily Trust insisted that the unions had not committed any offence by their action, challenging the airline to go back to court if it felt the picketing exercise was a violation of any court order.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace Limited, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, described the incident as ‘deeply disturbing,’ saying the airline’s employees, passengers and operations were subjected to violence, intimidation and disruption.

Daily Trust reports that aviation unions led by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), under the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), shut down operations of the airline yesterday on Tuesday over alleged anti-union practices and non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) to aviation agencies.

But speaking yesterday the Air Peace COO said the unions have cited two major reasons for their action: the alleged indebtedness of airlines to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in respect of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), and the lack of unionisation among employees of airlines.

Olajide, however, questioned why Air Peace was singled out when the TSC issue was allegedly an industry-wide matter.

She said the Director-General of the NCAA had publicly stated that airlines, and not Air Peace alone, were complying with the regulator’s directives concerning the applicable payment.

‘This therefore raises a fundamental question: if the issue is industry-wide, why was Air Peace singled out for violent and disruptive picketing?’ she asked.

On unionisation, the Air Peace executive said more than 98 per cent of Nigerian airlines do not have unions, stressing that employees of Air Peace had made it clear that they did not wish to belong to a union.

She argued that the decision by the airline’s workers was protected by their constitutional rights and that the company had not prevented any employee from making an independent choice.

Olajide also alleged that union members were seen in videos urging passengers not to fly Air Peace but to patronise other airlines.

She questioned the rationale behind such a campaign, particularly as the other airlines being promoted were allegedly facing similar issues concerning indebtedness to the NCAA and unionisation.

She called on the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the action.

The COO further alleged that some Air Peace employees were physically assaulted while expressing their opposition to unionisation, including a female employee who was allegedly left bleeding and bruised.

‘How can workers’ rights be defended by violently attacking workers exercising their own constitutional rights?’ she asked.

Olajide also raised concerns about airport security, questioning how individuals were able to gain access to a controlled airport environment and disrupt airline operations.

She said airports were sensitive national assets and argued that violence and disruption should not be allowed to occur without consequences.

Olajide said passengers also had constitutional rights, including the right to travel without unlawful interference.

She noted that Air Peace had consistently supported Nigerians during difficult periods and contributed to the development of the country’s aviation sector, making the disruption particularly unfortunate.

Court Order

A major part of Air Peace’s position centres on a Federal High Court judgment obtained on April 26, 2024, by staff and employees of the airline against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Inspector-General of Police and other unions.

Olajide said the judgment declared it unlawful and unconstitutional for the unions to threaten or coerce Air Peace employees, directly or indirectly, into joining the unions against their wishes.

The court also gave a perpetual injunction against the unions from harassing the applicants by any means at their places of work or any other place and to refrain from causing or instigating any breach of the peace likely to occasion harm to the applicants or their employer or any threat to their lives and property.

The COO added that the court also directed the police to ensure compliance with the judgment across the country.

The Air Peace executive therefore described the August 11 action as a violation of the subsisting court order.

She also argued that the disruption raised issues under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) on aviation security and unlawful interference.

She warned that individuals involved could face consequences if the matter were appropriately pursued by relevant authorities.

Air Peace called on the Federal Government, security agencies, airport authorities and aviation regulators to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the incident.

Speaking with our correspondent, the General Secretary of ATSSAN, Comrade Frances Akinjole said the unions did not act illegally and challenged Air Peace to return to court.

Abubakar Sadiq Abbas, a poultry expert from Katsina State, has combined his knowledge of computer science with years of hands-on experience in poultry farming to develop a digital platform designed to transform farm management and decision-making in the poultry industry.

Abbas has worked in poultry production and farm management for several years, including eight years as a general manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of a poultry farm.

His experience managing poultry operations exposed him to significant gaps in farm management, particularly in the way farmers record, analyse and use information to make decisions.

This experience motivated him to leverage his expertise in computer science to develop a system known as PoultryPro.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, Abbas explained how his background in technology, business administration and hands-on poultry farming contributed to the development of the platform.

Describing the technology, he said PoultryPro was a digital poultry farm management and intelligence platform designed to help farmers manage their farms from a single platform.

‘Farmers record their daily farm activities, including egg production, feed consumption, bird numbers, mortality and culling, health, medication and vaccination, inventory, sales, expenditure and revenue.

‘The platform then turns these records into analytics and performance insights. Farmers can see trends in production, feed usage, bird performance, costs, revenue and other important indicators, allowing them to understand how their farm is performing rather than relying on guesswork.

‘PoultryPro also incorporates AI-powered intelligence. The long-term objective is for the AI to analyse the farm’s historical and current data, identify unusual patterns and provide useful insights, forecasts and alerts that can support farmers in making better decisions,’ he said.

Abbas explained that PoultryPro was structured around three phases: ‘Capture’, ‘Understand’ and ‘Predict’.

He said the system ‘captures reliable farm data, uses analytics to understand what is happening on the farm, and uses AI to help predict trends, identify potential problems and support better decision-making.’

Abbas, who is currently pursuing his doctorate, said his inspiration for developing the platform came from his firsthand experience in poultry farming since 2017.

‘After spending years managing poultry operations, I realised that many farmers have a lot of information about their farms, but that information is often scattered across notebooks, spreadsheets, WhatsApp messages or simply kept in memory.

‘The bigger problem is that recording data alone is not enough. Farmers need to understand what the data means.

‘For example, knowing that a farm produced fewer eggs today is useful, but being able to analyse production trends alongside feed consumption, bird numbers, mortality, expenses and revenue can help the farmer understand what may be affecting profitability.

‘That is what inspired PoultryPro. I wanted to move poultry farming from basic record keeping and guesswork to data-driven management, analytics and eventually AI-assisted decision-making,’ he explained.

Abbas said PoultryPro had been undergoing continuous development since 2025, with the platform evolving based on practical insights and feedback from poultry farmers and other industry stakeholders.

He said the development had been progressive, starting with the basic concept of farm records before evolving into a comprehensive farm management tool.

The platform currently includes financial tracking, sales monitoring, data analysis, artificial intelligence capabilities, human resources management, notification systems and other functionalities.

PoultryPro is fundamentally a software solution rather than a physical machine requiring imported raw materials.

The digital tool is designed to streamline poultry farm operations and can be accessed through devices such as smartphones and computers.

Abbas said the main objective was to demonstrate that locally developed agricultural technologies could effectively address challenges faced by farmers.

On financing, he said, like many emerging technologies, securing financial support had been a major challenge.

‘I started by leveraging my personal experience, technical knowledge and available resources, rather than waiting for large external funding before beginning development.

‘I also participated in innovation and entrepreneurship programmes where PoultryPro was presented and received valuable feedback and support. The platform has benefited significantly from competitions, mentorship, exposure and feedback from stakeholders.

‘One of the most important things I have learned is that you don’t necessarily need everything at the beginning. You need to start with the problem, build a solution, test it with real users and continuously improve it,’ he said.

The innovator said the response from the poultry industry had been encouraging.

‘We recently engaged with the Poultry Association of Nigeria, and they were impressed with the concept and provided recommendations for taking the platform to another level,’ he said.

According to him, one of the features that distinguishes PoultryPro is that it is not simply a digital notebook but combines farm management, financial records, analytics, alerts and AI intelligence on one platform.

Abubakar said the analytics could help farmers understand areas such as production performance, feed consumption and efficiency, bird numbers and losses, mortality and culling trends, revenue and expenditure, farm profitability, as well as historical performance and trends.

He said the AI component was designed to take the process further by analysing data generated by the farm and helping to identify patterns, anomalies, potential risks and future trends.

‘For example, as sufficient farm data is accumulated, the system can potentially identify unusual changes in production or feed consumption and provide an early warning for the farmer to investigate.

‘Our vision is for PoultryPro to become a digital operating system and intelligence layer for poultry farms, not just a record-keeping application,’ he said.

Abubakar encouraged farmers to recognise that farm data was an asset, saying PoultryPro allowed them to capture such data and turn it into more useful information through analytics and AI.

‘Instead of simply asking: How many crates did I produce today?

‘The farmer can begin asking: How is my production performing compared with previous weeks? How much feed am I using per bird? Why is production changing? What are my major expenses? What is my actual revenue and profitability? Are there unusual patterns that I should investigate?

‘This is where the analytics and AI components become important,’ he said.

Abubakar said PoultryPro was designed to evolve from simply telling farmers what happened to helping them understand why it happened and, ultimately, anticipate what might happen next.

Isa Sanusi, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said the organisation would use the case to demonstrate that political figures should be held accountable for remarks that could contribute to violence during elections.

Sanusi made the statement on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday while reacting to a video circulating online in which Fadahunsi, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator representing Osun East, was seen making remarks that Amnesty described as inciting.

‘We are going to use him as an example. We have had so many terrible politicians say terrible things ahead of the election,’ Sanusi said.

‘But this one is exceptional, a situation where somebody came out on record, saying that ‘kill them wherever you find them’.’

The remarks have drawn criticism ahead of the election, with the Osun State Police Command summoning Fadahunsi on Tuesday. The senator was subsequently questioned by the police for about two hours on Wednesday.

Sanusi said Amnesty International would continue to advocate accountability for statements or actions that could threaten peaceful political participation.

He said the organisation would also draw attention to the matter internationally.

‘We are going to use this man as an example to show that the impunity by Nigerian politicians cannot continue and we cannot tolerate it again,’ he said.

Sanusi further argued that advocacy of hatred and incitement to violence should be treated seriously under both Nigerian law and international human rights standards.

‘I believe that that person does not deserve any peace again, because advocacy of hatred is a crime under international law as well as Nigerian laws,’ he said.

He added that Amnesty would continue to press relevant authorities to take appropriate action where political statements are considered capable of encouraging violence.

Amnesty International Nigeria had, on Wednesday, condemned the remarks attributed to Fadahunsi, saying authorities have an obligation to prohibit advocacy of hatred where it constitutes incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence.

The organisation described the comments as reckless and said they could contribute to tension ahead of the Osun governorship election.

‘Senator Fadahunsi must be held accountable,’ Amnesty International Nigeria said.

The FCT Police Command has applied to a Chief Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the remand of two suspects over an alleged case of criminal breach of trust and cheating involving about N50 million.

The application, filed by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, was brought against Mrs Evergreen Ngozi and Bonaventre Ifeshinachi before the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse, Abuja.

The police, through their counsel, C.I. Nwachukwu, urged the court to remand the defendants for 14 days to enable investigators conclude ongoing investigations into the matter.

According to a motion ex parte and an affidavit deposed to by a police officer attached to the Wuye Division, Faruk Yakubu, the matter was reported to the police on July 10, 2026, following allegations of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The police alleged that the defendants obtained hired vehicles and used them as collateral after allegedly forging vehicle documents to secure a loan.

The affidavit further alleged that the suspects neither returned the vehicles nor repaid the money obtained through the alleged transaction, putting the amount involved at about ?50 million.

The prosecution told the court that investigations had commenced immediately after the complaint was lodged but were yet to be concluded.

It argued that a remand order was necessary to enable investigators to complete their work and apprehend other persons who might be connected with the alleged offences.

The prosecution also expressed concern that releasing the suspects at that stage could compromise ongoing investigations.

The application was brought pursuant to Sections 6(1) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 4 of the Police Act, 2020, and Sections 293 and 294 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

During the proceedings, the court considered the application and submissions of the prosecution in line with the provisions of the ACJA governing remand proceedings.

The matter was subsequently adjourned for further proceedings.

The allegations against the defendants have not been proven in court, and they remain presumed innocent unless and until a competent court decides otherwise

The investment significantly expands Rafa’s production capabilities while reinforcing its commitment to innovation, industrial excellence and long-term value creation across Nigeria and West Africa.

The company has signed contracts for the construction and installation of a state-of-the-art Continuous Saponification Plant integrated with a Continuous Vacuum Soap Cooling and Drying Plant, with a 10-tonnes-per-hour production capacity.

Speaking on the development in Lagos, the General Manager of Starium Detergents FZE, Mr. Muhammed Midan Rabiu, described the investment as another defining milestone in the company’s growth journey.

Rabiu stated that the company remains committed to supporting local value creation, strengthening industrial capacity and contributing to the development of globally competitive African manufacturing.

‘This investment represents another defining milestone in Rafa Corporation’s journey to build one of Africa’s leading home and personal care manufacturing enterprises. We are investing in world-class technology, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and the people who will shape our future because we believe Africa deserves consumer products manufactured to the very highest global standards.

‘These projects significantly strengthen our capacity to innovate, expand our product portfolio and respond to the evolving needs of consumers across Nigeria and West Africa. Beyond increasing production capacity, we are building an integrated manufacturing platform that will drive industrial development, create sustainable employment and contribute meaningfully to the growth of Africa’s consumer goods industry,’ he said.

The Kaduna State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Isa Ashiru, has approved the appointment of key officials to his campaign organisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The appointments, announced on Tuesday, are aimed at strengthening the campaign structure and improving mobilisation and coordination across the state.

In a statement signed by Ashiru, Dr. John Markus Ayuba was appointed Director-General of the campaign organisation, while Bashir Ibrahim Sakadadi will serve as the Deputy Director-General (Operations). Mukhtar Lawal Baloni was appointed Secretary of the campaign organisation.

Ashiru stated that the appointments are part of efforts to establish an inclusive and result-oriented campaign structure.

The organisation is expected to focus on grassroots mobilisation across all 23 local government areas of the state.

Sokoto State Government has approved the purchase of 1,000 Bajaj motorcycles at the cost of N1,759,250,000 for distribution to security agencies in the state as part of efforts to strengthen the fight against banditry.

This was part of the resolutions reached at the 6th regular meeting of the State Executive Council for the year 2026.

The purchase of the 1,000 motorcycles is intended to complement the recent procurement of 62 armoured vehicles worth N27 billion by the state government, which were distributed to security agencies to enhance security operations in areas affected by banditry.

The Council also approved the sum of N723,171,671.23 for the renovation of Government Technical College, Runjin Sambo.

Other projects approved by the Council include the rehabilitation of A.A. Raji Special School at the cost of N498,995,000; renovation of Phase I of the College of Nursing Sciences at the cost of N489,319,380; and renovation of the male and female hostels at the College of Basic and Remedial Studies at the cost of N229,363,455.

Also approved were the renovation of staff quarters and upgrading of the perimeter fence at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Wurno, at the cost of N174,642,000; construction of a perimeter fence at Wamakko Primary Health Centre at the cost of N133,665,861.32; procurement of vocational learning equipment for 46 women’s vocational centres across the 23 local government areas of the state at the cost of N93,880,000; and the purchase of PVC pipes and plumbing fittings for the maintenance of 142 semi-urban water supply schemes across the 23 local government areas at the cost of N90,208,410.

The 6th regular State Executive Council meeting for the year 2026, chaired by the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Idris Muhammad Gobir, lasted for about two hours.

In a statement made available to journalists from Dar es Salam, Tanzania, Onoh dismissed Pretoria’s demand as an ‘illegal levy’, arguing that Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, could not be compelled to accept what he described as an internally incurred South African government expenditure.

His reaction followed reports that South Africa had written to Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia seeking reimbursement for expenses incurred in accommodating, transporting and repatriating tens of thousands of foreign nationals amid the country’s recent immigration crackdown and wave of anti-immigrant tensions.

South African authorities said the expenditure covered transportation, temporary repatriation centres, accommodation and staff overtime. The country’s Home Affairs Department described the costs as unforeseen and unavoidable.

But Onoh said Nigeria will not pay a single cent of the R292 million ($18.5 million) repatriation bill imposed by South Africa.

‘As an independent sovereign nation, and that Nigeria firmly rejects this illegal levy, which directly violates international law, the principles of continental solidarity, and the fundamental rights of African citizens,’ Onoh rejected.

He rather demanded for Xenophobic Property Indemnification by South Africa.

In a strong worded statement, Onoh said that Nigeria rejects the Illegal Bill Under International Law, adding that Nigeria formally returns South Africa’s invoice without consideration.

He stated that under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the protection and human rights of migrants are the binding responsibility of the host nation.

Onoh said that South Africa cannot weaponise its self-induced budgetary deficits to penalise sovereign nations for a ‘voluntary return’ crisis its own state institutions failed to contain.

He stated that the R292 million spent by Pretoria’s Home Affairs Department was an internal operational cost of South Africa, not a debt collection item for foreign embassies.

Onoh said that South Africa’s request completely ignored the severe, humongous financial losses due to Xenophobic looting,

uncompensated financial damages inflicted upon Nigerian investors and traders.

‘Due to the state’s failure to deter hostile anti-immigrant groups like Operation Dudula, African migrants have faced immense economic losses and South African government displays the what he termed ‘Xenophobic financial diplomatic audacity’ aimed at fracturing further diplomatic relations with other African nations including Nigeria.’

Onoh said that hundreds of foreign-owned small businesses, manufacturing equipment, personal vehicles, and real estate assets were systematically looted, vandalised, or entirely burned down.

He reminded the south African government that major commercial entities and skilled African professionals were forced to permanently abandon their homes, stock, and long-term investments under active threat of violence while their government turned a blind eye to the atrocities.

He said that Nigeria is launching broad diplomatic consultations with the governments of Malawi, Ethiopia, and affected victims. Following this comprehensive audit, and if pushed to the wall, Nigeria will forward a multi-billion rand counter-demand for financial compensation to the South African government to cover the totality of these looted private fortunes.

Onoh said Pretoria must stop using African migrants as political scapegoats to divert attention from its domestic security and economic failures. Resorting to aggressive deportation bills and targeting regional allies undermines the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and isolates South Africa from the rest of the continent. Continuing down this hostile path will carry direct diplomatic and economic consequences for South Africa’s regional standing.

He warned pretoria that If South Africa chooses to reduce historical diplomacy to transactional accounting, Nigeria will gladly present its own historical invoice.

‘Nigeria spent over $61 billion which does not represent a single direct cash payment. Instead, it is a cumulative estimate spanning the years 1960 to 1994 and this massive financial, military, and diplomatic fortunes over decades to bankroll the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, providing safe havens and civil resources to South Africans when they needed them most. If a refund is what Pretoria seeks, South Africa must deduct this repatriation bill from its massive, outstanding historical indebtedness to Nigeria,’ Onoh said

In conclusion, Onoh said that Nigeria will explore all valid international and multilateral channels to ensure South Africa fully reconciles its broader historical obligations, protects remaining migrants, and pays the remaining balance of the multi-billion dollar liberation debt it owes to the Nigerian people if they so decide on following their current path of xenophobic diplomatic tactics.

Daily Trust had reported how the newborn was stolen in the early hours of Tuesday after a woman disguised as a nurse took the baby from his mother for alleged further care following his delivery.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Peter Aondongu, however disclosed on Thursday, that the baby has been recovered and promptly reunited with the mother at Police ‘A’ Division in Gboko.

Aondongu also said the police have also arrested several suspects in connection with the incident, with some of them being detained in Gboko while others are being held at the state Police Command headquarters in Makurdi.

He explained that the exact number of suspects arrested was, however, not yet known until more details are received from the police division in Gboko.

The PPRO said he would provide further details on the arrests and investigation later.

Meanwhile, residents of Gboko alleged that the baby was recovered on Wednesday night following a police operation that led to the arrest of a suspected child trafficker at Adekaa area of Gboko.

Residents said the suspect was tracked to the area through intelligence after allegedly travelling on a motorcycle from Tarka LGA, adding that the recovery of the baby would assist investigators to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft and whether the suspects are linked to other cases of missing children in the area.

Ndume, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said the current envelope budgeting system had created unnecessary bottlenecks between the defence and finance ministries, hampering the effective operations of troops fighting terrorism and banditry.

He made the call, in a statement, while commending President Tinubu for approving salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for certain categories of military personnel, effective next month.

The salary review, which will affect about 250,000 personnel, was a welcome development that would boost the morale of the Armed Forces, Ndume said.

He said the salary increase, coming after the recent expansion of military divisions from eight to 12, showed that the president had a blueprint for tackling insecurity.

‘The review of salary will go a long way in motivating our military personnel. I have been in the vanguard of better motivation for our men and officers in the military in terms of decent living wage,’ he said.

Ndume, however, said improved welfare must be accompanied by the prompt provision of arms, ammunition and other logistics required by troops.

‘I also want to urge Mr President to keep up his pledge on the provision of weapons and technological tools required by the Armed Forces to effectively discharge their duties,’ he said.

He said placing the military budget on First-Line Charge would ensure timely access to funds and eliminate delays caused by the existing system.

‘All these can be achieved seamlessly if we put their annual budget on First-Line Charge. This envelope budgeting is trapped in unnecessary bureaucracy between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance. It is a big encumbrance to the effective operations of our men and officers in the war theatre,’ he said.

Ndume urged Tinubu to introduce direct statutory funding for the military from the Federation Account, similar to arrangements for some government agencies.

He said such a measure would strengthen the military’s capacity to respond promptly to security threats across the country.