Category: Daily Trust

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.

The Nasarawa State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and state chairman of the party, Danlami Mohammed Musa, has denied the existence of any agreement to step down for the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, or any other politician.

Musa spoke during an interview amid ongoing speculation that the thousands of the former IGP’s supporters who recently defected to the SDP could lead to a substitution of the party’s candidacy. When asked if there was any arrangement with the ex-IGP, Musa replied: ‘What agreement? There is no agreement between me and him.’

Addressing whether he would consider stepping down should the need arise, he stated: ‘Everything is in God’s hands. If a reason comes up, we will talk.’

He, however, affirmed that he remains the party’s authentic candidate in the state.

‘Even during the primaries, I had no intention of running; the law gave me the candidate position… that’s why in the primaries, I was declared the candidate. I am the candidate of the party now,’ Musa said. ‘If anything changes or moves forward, it falls under substitution. But there is no such talk right now for anyone.’ Musa further maintained that the SDP in Nasarawa State is peaceful and free from internal crisis.

‘My party, we have no issues. Everything is peaceful, and yes, everything is going well,’ he added.

The former IGP, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over primary controversy, and his supporters recently defected enmasse to the SDP, fueling widespread speculation regarding a potential candidacy substitution ahead of the elections.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has called for increased investment in rail, storage and other logistics infrastructure to improve petroleum product distribution, reduce transportation costs and strengthen Nigeria’s refining sector.

Opeifa made the call as a panellist at the West African Refined Fuel Market (WARFM) 2026 Conference in Abuja, during a session on ‘Investment Opportunities in African Refining, Storage, Pipeline and Logistics.’

The conference was organised by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in collaboration with S and P Global Commodity Insights and the West Africa Regulators Forum.

According to Opeifa, refining petroleum products without adequate infrastructure to distribute them creates a major challenge for the economy.

‘When products are refined and they are not distributed, it becomes a very big issue,’ he said.

Drawing from his experience in the regulatory, logistics and management sectors of the Nigerian economy, Opeifa said one of the country’s major challenges remained the mobility and distribution of products.

He said Nigeria must therefore adopt a holistic approach to addressing challenges in storage, pipelines and transportation, with road and rail playing complementary roles.

According to him, building refineries without corresponding investments in pipelines, rail links and storage facilities would continue to create bottlenecks in the movement of petroleum products from production centres to markets.

Opeifa said the railway should not be viewed only as a means of passenger transportation, but as strategic economic infrastructure capable of moving large volumes of petroleum products and other commodities over long distances.

He noted that shifting more bulk cargo from road to rail would reduce logistics costs, ease pressure on highways, improve road safety and strengthen supply-chain efficiency.

The NRC boss identified investment opportunities in petroleum tank wagons, ship-to-rail transfer facilities, refinery-to-rail infrastructure, inland petroleum storage hubs, rail terminals, maintenance facilities and digital freight systems.

He also said existing railway corridors could be rehabilitated and commercially optimised through private-sector participation, including Public-Private Partnerships, concessions, joint ventures and track-access arrangements.

Recalling the damage caused by flooding in Mokwa, Niger State, Opeifa said the NRC management was working to overcome the setback and restore the affected route to a sustainable operational condition.

He added that provisions had been made in the 2026 budget to improve rail connectivity to major ports across the country.

According to him, beyond the existing rail connection to Lagos ports through the narrow and standard gauge networks, there are plans to extend rail connectivity to Tin Can Island Port.

He said the Port Harcourt railway station would also be linked to Onne Port, while the rail track from Aba would be extended to Enugu in the first instance and subsequently towards Maiduguri.

Giving an update on ongoing standard gauge projects, Opeifa said the Abuja-Kaduna railway had been completed, while the Kaduna-Kano section was expected to be ready by the end of 2026.

He added that the Kano-Maradi rail project, extending towards Niger Republic, was expected to be completed in 2027.

Opeifa advocated an integrated ship-pipeline-rail-road distribution system in which the various modes of transportation complement one another rather than compete.

He said improved rail connectivity between refineries, ports, storage facilities and regional markets would strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major energy supply hub in West Africa and support trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The NRC Managing Director stressed that efficient logistics infrastructure was essential to achieving competitive petroleum pricing, noting that high transportation costs ultimately affect the price paid by consumers.

He said Nigeria’s investment opportunity lies not only in expanding refining capacity, but also in building the infrastructure required to move petroleum products efficiently, affordably and reliably to markets.