Category: Daily Trust

The Kano State House of Assembly has extended the suspension of the chairmen of Rogo, Bagwai and Bebeji Local Government Areas by another three months.

The Assembly also extended the mandate of its ad hoc committee investigating allegations of violations of due process and administrative procedures against the three council chairmen.

The extension followed the expiration of the initial three-month suspension and investigation period earlier granted by the House.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Assembly, Kamaluddeen Sani Shawai, said the extension was to enable the committee to conclude its investigation, examine the petitions against the chairmen and submit its report to the House.

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The statement added that the committee, constituted under the leadership of Speaker Jibril Ismail Falgore, had been given another three months to complete its assignment.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have traded blame following an attack on the convoy of the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya.

Dan’iya had alleged that personnel of the Marshal and Community Guard, state-owned security outfits, attacked his convoy around the Sokoto Airport at about 9 pm on Friday, October 30, shortly after he escorted former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to the airport.

The ADC candidate, in a statement by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, claimed that security personnel blocked his convoy and prevented it from passing, allegedly acting on orders from above to stop ADC members from entering Sokoto.

He alleged that gunshots were fired during the confrontation, his vehicle was damaged, and two Department of State Services (DSS) officers attached to his security team were detained.

Dan’iya described the incident as a threat to his life and called on the police, the DSS and other relevant authorities to investigate the matter and establish those responsible.

The ADC candidate further alleged that earlier in the day, personnel of the security outfits had been deployed at entry points into the state, where vehicles bearing ADC inscriptions were reportedly stopped from entering.

The Director-General of the ADC campaign council, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the alleged attack on Dan’iya.

Goronyo, in a statement, described the incident as a threat to the safety of the party’s governorship candidate and members of his entourage.

He maintained that no governor, political party or security commander had the authority to prevent citizens from entering a state because of their political affiliation.

The ADC director-general also accused the state government of allegedly deploying public security resources for partisan activities, arguing that security personnel should concentrate on addressing banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges facing communities.

However, the APC dismissed the allegations, describing them as fabricated claims intended to attract public sympathy and divert attention from the ADC’s political challenges.

The state APC Chairman, Alhaji Haruna Adiya, said the allegations were part of what he described as a propaganda campaign against the state government.

Adiya, in a statement, questioned the credibility of the account, particularly the claim that personnel of the state security outfits detained DSS officers and interfered with their vehicles.

He also faulted what he described as inconsistencies in the ADC’s account of the incident, arguing that while the party’s media aide reportedly claimed that security personnel prevented Dan’iya from entering Sokoto metropolis, the candidate’s statement indicated that he had visited different locations in the city to pay condolence visits and attend to other engagements.

The APC chairman also dismissed claims that security personnel were deployed to restrict ADC members from entering the state, explaining that Sokoto was preparing to host a major traditional title conferment ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

He said the event was expected to attract prominent personalities and visitors from different parts of the country, making adequate security arrangements necessary.

Analyst condemns attack

Speaking on the issue, Dr Aminu Hayatu, a political scientist at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), said the growing tension between political parties in some states was being fuelled by alleged attempts to suppress opposition activities.

He warned that the situation could degenerate into widespread violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said although heightened political tension was expected as the country moved closer to another election, the pattern of developments in some states over the past month suggested that the situation required serious attention.

He said the alleged restrictions, which he claimed were deliberately targeted and controlled by actors within the ruling party, had deepened opposition grievances over the political environment ahead of the elections.

According to him, the growing frustration had also contributed to retaliatory actions by opposition supporters, who sometimes resorted to tearing down ruling party banners whenever they sighted APC members or their campaign activities.

He warned that the situation could trigger more political violence as the election approached and potentially worsen during the polls if urgent steps were not taken.

Hayatu said security agencies had a critical role to play in containing the situation.

He, however, stressed that they could only do so by remaining neutral and resisting attempts by political actors to use them as instruments of intimidation or suppression.

He said the perceived involvement of security operatives in actions against opposition parties could further undermine confidence in the electoral process.

He argued that political parties must be allowed to operate freely and enjoy a level playing field to prevent existing tensions from escalating and threatening the conduct of free and fair elections.

Hayatu said suspicions that the ruling party was attempting to influence the electoral process had also contributed to the growing political hostility, noting that civil society organisations had raised concerns about the situation.

He urged political stakeholders to take the warning signs seriously.

He described Nigeria as an increasingly fragile polity, already grappling with economic difficulties and persistent security challenges, saying the addition of political violence could further destabilise the country.

The political scientist said the violence witnessed in Sokoto reflected what had been happening quietly in some parts of the North, warning that the situation could spread to other states if left unchecked.

A bereaved husband and five other persons conveying his wife’s corpse from Kano State to her hometown in Okpoga, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, have been abducted by armed men along Adoka Road in Otukpo LGA of the state.

Witnesses said that the incident occurred on Friday at about 8pm when the mourners, who had travelled from Kano, were approaching their destination, barely an hour drive from the scene of the attack.

Some residents of the area, alleged that they woke up to discover an abandoned corpse on the middle of the road and, upon closer inspection, realised that the occupants of the vehicle conveying the deceased had been whisked away by the attackers.

They alleged that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) arrived at the scene on Saturday morning, evacuated the corpse and deposited it at a morgue in Adoka town.

When contacted, the FRSC Information Officer, Ahula, said the officials were in a meeting but promised to obtain details of the incident and get back to our correspondent.

Meanwhile, an Idoma social media influencer, Meddy Olotu, claimed to have spoken with members of the bereaved husband’s family, who disclosed that the kidnappers had opened communication and were demanding N15 million for the release of the six abducted persons.

Olotu said the victims were intercepted and taken away while the corpse was abandoned at the roadside in their own homes state by the abductors after travelling all the way from Kano, just as the family members were preparing to receive the corpse for burial.

‘They were heading to Okpoga to bury their dead when they were intercepted along Adoka road. The family members said they were in touch with the husband of the deceased and his friends until they lost communication with them while they were traversing the Adoka axis,’ he said.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, acknowledged that the abduction took place along Adoka road, describing it as unfortunate and traumatic.

‘Yes, it happened. Incidentally, the driver of the vehicle is my friend. This is the unfortunate incident we are witnessing. The kidnappers are demanding N15 million.

‘But the security agencies are working to ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued,’ the chairman told journalists in Makurdi by telephone.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incident, saying it occurred on Friday and that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.

A Kano State High Court has sentenced two young men, Aliyu Adamu and Mubarak Abdussalam, to death by hanging for murder, while a third defendant, Sadik Sanusi, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The Kano State Government had charged the trio with criminal conspiracy, murder and concealing a crime.

Delivering judgment, Justice Fatima Adamu of Court 18, Miller Road, said the prosecution, led by Barrister Salisu Muhammad Tahir, had presented sufficient evidence to establish the charges against the defendants.

The court found Aliyu Adamu and Mubarak Abdussalam guilty of killing Alhaji Dahiru, a resident of Yankusa, by stabbing him with a knife.

It also found them guilty of conspiring with Sadik Sanusi, who allegedly used his commercial tricycle to convey them to the scene where they burnt the victim’s body.

The prosecution said the defendants committed the offence in an attempt to seize the deceased’s land ownership documents.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has celebrated the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, over his 20th year on throne, describing him as ‘My Dear Leader and Esteemed Brother’.

In a statement he personally signed, President Tinubu said in the last 20 years, the Sultan has not only preserved the glorious heritage of the Sokoto Caliphate but ‘enriched it, redefined it, and made it a formidable instrument for peace, unity, and national development.’

The President, who is currently in Saudi Arabia praying for Nigeria, noted that the Sultan had stood for religious harmony and tolerance, adding that under his leadership as Co-Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, ‘Christians and Muslims have found common ground, and our diversity has become a source of strength rather than division.’

He said, ‘My Dear Leader and Esteemed Brother, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, Today, I join millions of your subjects and friends in Nigeria and abroad to celebrate you as you mark 20 years on the exalted throne of your forebears as the 20th Sultan of Sokoto.’

Tinubu said the Sultan ascended the throne with humility, courage, and a profound sense of duty.

‘In the two decades, you have not only preserved the glorious heritage of the Sokoto Caliphate; you have enriched it, redefined it, and made it a formidable instrument for peace, unity, and national development.

‘Your uncommon wisdom, your calm in moments of tension, and your unwavering commitment to Nigeria have always struck me. You have been more than a traditional ruler. You have been a moral authority, a bridge between faiths, a voice of moderation, and a steady counsellor to leaders across the country.’

The President said as Sultan and as President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, ‘you have consistently stood for religious harmony and tolerance. Under your leadership as Co-Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, Christians and Muslims have found common ground, and our diversity has become a source of strength rather than division.

‘Your advocacy for peace in the North and across the Sahel, your passion for education, especially for the girl-child, your support for our farmers and for public health, and your quiet but effective interventions for the poor and vulnerable speak to a reign that is truly people-centred.’

He explained that personally, he valued their friendship deeply as his ‘counsel has been honest, patriotic, and always in Nigeria’s best interest. Thank you for your support and your prayers for our nation.

‘As you celebrate this historic milestone, I pray that Almighty Allah (SWT) will continue to grant you good health, long life, and renewed wisdom. May your reign continue to bring peace to Sokoto, unity to Nigeria, and honour to the Ummah.’

A Kano State High Court has ordered the remand of a lawyer, Barrister Dalhatu Shehu Usman, at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre until November 6, 2026.

The court, presided over by Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, gave the order following his arraignment by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission over alleged fraud, forgery of receipts and failure to appear in court.

During the sitting, defence counsel, Barrister A.A. Sani, challenged the competence of the lawyers prosecuting the case, arguing that they lacked the authority to handle the matter.

He also urged the court to remand his client at the correctional centre instead of returning him to the custody of the anti-corruption commission, where he had spent more than 10 days on the order of the court.

The judge adjourned the matter until Friday, November 6, for a ruling on the preliminary objection challenging the authority of the prosecution team.

Justice Yusuf also ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre pending the next hearing.

A face that belongs to no one should not choose who governs Nigeria. When the Independent National Electoral Commission announced that it would embed artificial intelligence in the conduct of the 2027 elections, eyebrows were raised. Who would regulate INEC’s use of a technology so powerful and so open to abuse? The commission offered assurances. The fears remained.

With the display of the preliminary voters’ register, those fears are becoming manifest. Barely a month after INEC announced that its register had crossed 103 million names, Nigerians scrolling through it found faces that did not look human. Faces with the unmistakable sheen of artificial intelligence.

INEC first called them ‘suspected’ images and said the online register did not reflect ongoing data clean-up. Three days later, its own Director of ICT, Lawrence Bayode, went further. Some registration officers, he said, had used their official logins to add questionable records in several states. Some of the photographs were AI-generated. Others reflected ‘very bad registration.’

That is not a rumour from a partisan blogger. That is an admission from inside the commission.

And it raises questions INEC has not yet answered. How many records were added this way? In which states and wards? Which officers did it, and on whose instruction? Will they be prosecuted?

Silence on these questions is not an option. The commission plans to certify the final register on December 15. Once that happens, every fake name on it becomes a legal entry, a ballot waiting for a hand. The window to clean the register is not months. It is weeks.

But care is needed. Social media is awash with figures: 20 million AI voters, even 50 million. None of these numbers has come with a method, a sample or a single verifiable dataset. Inflated claims do the riggers’ work for them. They tell the young voter in Gombe or Ogbomoso that his vote is already stolen, so why bother? A demoralised electorate is the easiest one to defeat.

The truth is serious enough without exaggeration. INEC has admitted that insiders manipulated the register. The scale is unknown. That alone should alarm every Nigerian, whatever their party.

It should also alarm INEC, because the commission’s credibility is its only real asset. Its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has said that ‘algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes.’ But Nigerians will judge the commission by what it does before December 15, not by what it says at conferences.

So what must INEC do?

First, publish the numbers. The commission says its Automated Biometric Identification System flagged the irregularities. Then it knows how many records were flagged. It should publish that figure, broken down by state and local government, and update it weekly until certification.

Second, purge the fakes in public view. Every record removed should be listed, with the reason for removal: duplicate, deceased, underage, fabricated image. Political parties and accredited observers should be invited to witness the process and test the results.

Third, hand over the register. The Electoral Act entitles political parties to copies of the voter register. INEC should release the cleaned version early enough for parties, civil society and the media to audit it before certification, not after.

Fourth, name and sanction the officers involved. If staff used official logins to plant fake voters, that is not ‘very bad registration.’ It is an electoral offence, and it should be prosecuted as one.

Fifth, extend the timeline if necessary. If the clean-up cannot be completed credibly by December 15, INEC should say so and adjust. A delayed, clean register is better than a punctual, poisoned one.

INEC cannot do this alone, nor should it be trusted to.

The National Assembly’s committees on electoral matters must summon the commission and demand a full account of every AI system it uses: what it does, who supplied it and who audits it. The question Nigerians asked at the start remains unanswered: no law today regulates how INEC deploys artificial intelligence. That gap must be closed by regulation before the election, not by apology after it.

Political parties must stop treating the register as INEC’s business alone. Every party has agents in every ward. Let them check the names against the people they know.

And the media must do what journalism exists to do: verify. Pick the wards. Find the names. Photograph the faces. Report what is proven, and label what is not.

Ordinary citizens have a role too. Check your own details on the register. Report entries you know to be false. Collect your PVC. On election day, stay to watch the count and photograph the result sheet at your polling unit.

A fake name in the register does not steal an election by itself. Someone still has to vote it, and that vote must still survive the collation centre. But the register is the foundation. Build the election on a corrupted list, and every result that follows will carry a question mark.

Nigeria has been here before. Ghost workers on the payroll. Ghost beneficiaries in social investment programmes. Now the ghosts have learned to use artificial intelligence.

The farmer who will walk two kilometres to vote in January deserves to know that his ballot will be counted alongside real neighbours, not invented ones. That is the least a democracy owes him. INEC has six weeks. It should use every one of them.

The senatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, turned violent on Monday following an attack by suspected political thugs on polling centres, including one near the Emir’s Palace.

The thugs attacked Namoda Model Primary School and the Galadima Dangaladima Ward polling unit in front of the Emir’s Palace, disrupting the electoral process and forcing voters and other residents to flee for safety.

The incidents triggered panic in the affected areas as voters abandoned the polling centres amid the violence.

Some suspected political thugs were also engaged in physical fight among themselves, leaving one person seriously injured.

Before the arrival of the thugs, one of the voters, identified as Malam Sanusi Kaura, had alerted the Daily Trust correspondent to their possible arrival.

‘I came to inform you, as a journalist and the voice of the voiceless, that we have received information that the thugs are on their way to disrupt the process,’ he said.

The attack disrupted activities at the polling centres as voters waited for the arrival of INEC officials, who had yet to arrive as of 11:30 a.m.

The two aspirants for the senatorial seat, the incumbent Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura, who belongs to the camp of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, from the camp of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, are both from the same political ward, Galadima Dangaladima, in Kaura Namoda metropolis.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government, Hon. Mannir Muhammad Haidara, narrowly escaped being lynched after suspected thugs attacked his vehicle at Namoda Model Primary School, damaging parts of it.

The attackers later moved to the Galadima Dangaladima polling unit near the Emir’s Palace, where they disrupted activities and the chanting of slogans by supporters.

The supporters were chanting slogans calling for the return of Senator Sahabi Ya’u to the Senate for a fifth term when the violence erupted.

The incidents created panic in the affected areas, with polling activities disrupted.

As of the time of filing this report, INEC officials had yet to arrive at Kyanbarawa, Kasuwar Daji, Maguru and Kaura Namoda, according to findings by the Daily Trust correspondent who visited the areas.

Africa’s digital economy is growing at remarkable speed, opening new opportunities for people, businesses and governments across the continent. Building strong cyber resilience will be key to sustaining that momentum, according to the new Mastercard-commissioned whitepaper, Africa’s Digital Defense Race.

The whitepaper highlights that between 2016 and 2025, mobile money users grew 5.9 times, digital banking users 4.7 times and the e-commerce market 5.3 times. The findings come as Africa’s digital payments economy is on track to reach USD 1.5 trillion by 2030.

However, cyber threat activity grew at a similar pace over the same period, highlighting both the growing risk facing Africa’s digital economy and the opportunity to strengthen the governance, skills, infrastructure and collaboration needed to secure its continued growth.

Shabir Ahmed, Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions Center Lead, Africa, said: ‘Africa’s digital growth is creating real opportunity for people and businesses across the continent, and protecting it has become a leadership priority. As threats become more sophisticated and coordinated, our response has to be just as coordinated. That is why we launched the Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, bringing the public and private sectors together to share intelligence, knowledge and best practices. Building that resilience together is how Africa continues to grow with confidence.’

Mastercard Cyber Insights recorded 69,236 observed cyber events targeting African organizations in 2025, equivalent to roughly one event every eight minutes. Between 2016 and 2025, cyberattacks across the continent increased by more than 421%, compared with 307% globally, the whitepaper finds.

The whitepaper shows how cyber resilience priorities vary across Africa’s diverse digital ecosystem. Nigeria, home to one of Africa’s largest fintech ecosystems, accounted for a significant share of observed cyberattacks in Africa this year. South Africa’s concentrated financial sector was the target of 12.6% of the continent’s observed attacks. Morocco, a growing regional technology hub linking North Africa to Europe, has built one of the continent’s more institutionalized cyber governance structures. In Kenya, the report highlights the importance of strengthening resilience around the systems that support financial inclusion and digital growth.

Protecting the data that powers growth

Three sectors – technology, public sector and financial services – together account for 44% of observed activity, the whitepaper finds, reflecting the high-value data and services these sectors hold as engines of Africa’s digital growth. Personal information, financial information and customer-facing services together made up 27% of targeted assets, a reminder that resilience is ultimately about protecting the people and businesses relying on these services every day.

Talent is the opportunity

The whitepaper points to talent as the clearest opportunity for investment. Africa has roughly 200, 000 cybersecurity roles waiting to be filled, a shortage equal to 23% of its current cybersecurity workforce. The Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence supports this by bringing security leaders and teams together to share knowledge and best practices, and by helping organizations build readiness through scenario-based exercises.

Resilience is a shared responsibility

Collective action is already delivering results. Between June and August 2025, Interpol’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 led to 1,209 arrests across 18 African countries and the recovery of USD 97.4 million.

Mastercard approaches resilience through collaboration, working alongside governments, financial institutions and businesses of all sizes. The Center of Excellence brings together the public and private sectors to share threat intelligence, monitor risk and strengthen collective defense across the continent, providing a platform for the kind of coordinated response needed as Africa’s digital economy grows.

The full whitepaper, Africa’s Digital Defense Race, is among the Center’s first offerings and can be downloaded at (LINK).

About Mastercard

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, has conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s concern over 15 million mass housing deficit.

Darma tasked Nigerians to apply for the additional 5,000 mass housing units built through the mortgage banks to secure homes especially in Lagos State under the 5,000 Harmony Renewed Hope Housing Units developed in partnership with Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited in Ibeju-Lekki.

The minister, who spoke at the groundbreaking, of the buildings, explained that the Federal Government was considering a nationwide social housing initiative involving the construction of 100 housing units in each local government area, alongside a proposed 100,000-unit housing programme.

According to him, feasibility assessments and costing exercises were underway to accommodate differences in construction costs across states and ensure that the proposed developments respond to the housing needs of Nigerians.

Also, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited, Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa, described the partnership with the Federal Government as an important opportunity to make homeownership more accessible through structured and affordable payment arrangements.

He explained that the initiative was designed not merely to construct residential buildings but to develop sustainable communities where Nigerians could own homes through mortgage financing rather than depending entirely on outright payments.

Mosadoluwa encouraged citizens to take advantage of the opportunity to explore available housing and mortgage options.

He also called on Nigerians living abroad who intend to return home, retire in Lagos or provide permanent accommodation for their families to begin making enquiries about the programme.

According to him, home ownership should not remain an aspiration reserved for those capable of making full upfront payments, particularly when structured mortgage financing can provide a more practical route for eligible Nigerians to acquire residential properties.

He reaffirmed Harmony Gardens’ commitment to delivering the 5,000 housing units within the agreed 36-month period, supported by essential infrastructure, environmental responsibility and sustainable community planning.

Also speaking, Damola Akinyelure of Metroscape, lauded the Managing Director of Harmony Gardens for agreeing to undertake the delivery of 5,000 housing units in Lagos State under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope initiative.

Akinyelure acknowledged Mosadoluwa’s contributions to the 4,000 housing units already delivered in Karsana, Abuja, describing his involvement in housing development as significant.

He described the Harmony Gardens boss, popularly known as the Lagos Landlord, as a major player in Nigeria’s real estate industry whose contributions to housing development had not received the level of public recognition they deserved.

According to him, Mosadoluwa’s participation in large-scale residential development demonstrates the important role indigenous private developers can play in supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s housing challenges.