Category: Daily Trust

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has uncovered 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms alongside an assortment of supplementary rifle parts following the detailed examination of a massive arms haul seized at the Tin Can Island Port Command.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had on Thursday, 6 August, disclosed that Customs had intercepted a container containing concealed crates of knocked-down components preliminarily identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.

Speaking further on the development, National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Abdullahi Aliyu, in a statement on Sunday, said 399 rifles were uncovered after officers finalised the coupling and examination of the seized items.

According to the statement, the additional rifle parts recovered include 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs, 80 charging handles, 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips/handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.

Aliyu said the CGC had warned that criminal networks could seek to exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports ahead of the next general elections to move prohibited items into the country. He assured Nigerians that the Service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent such activities.

‘We are about to enter a major election cycle, and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this. We are going to redouble our efforts to ensure that we do not allow them to do so,’ Adeniyi was quoted as saying.

Following the complete inventory and assessment of the illicit shipment, Adeniyi said Customs is preparing to hand over the seized armaments to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has endorsed the candidature of Mr Muhammad Bello Bala Shagari as National Representative of the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization (NAMYO) Nigeria and Vice Chairman for the Africa Region, ahead of the organisation’s forthcoming General Assembly and elections.

The endorsement was contained in a letter dated June 24, 2026, and addressed to the Secretariat of NAMYO.

In the letter signed on behalf of the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, the ministry described Shagari as a distinguished youth leader whose record of service, commitment to youth development and contributions to youth diplomacy had earned him both national and international recognition.

The ministry said Shagari had, over the years, demonstrated exemplary leadership by advancing youth participation, promoting international cooperation and fostering constructive engagement among young people from diverse backgrounds.

According to the ministry, Shagari’s experience, integrity and leadership capacity made him ’eminently qualified’ to continue serving the organisation in higher capacities.

‘Accordingly, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development hereby conveys the full support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his candidature and respectfully commends him to the consideration of the Secretariat and all member chapters of NAMYO,’ the letter stated.

The ministry further expressed confidence that Shagari’s election would strengthen NAMYO and contribute to the advancement of youth cooperation, peacebuilding, sustainable development and international solidarity among member states.

The suit filed by former Minister of Environment, Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi, challenging the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primary in Nasarawa State has been scheduled for hearing on September 29 at the Federal High Court, Court 5, Abuja.

The Director General of the MHA Campaign Organisation, Barrister John Mathew, disclosed this in Keffi after a meeting of the ex-minister’s campaign organisation.

Mathew said all parties had been served and had exchanged documents, but the case was delayed due to the court’s annual vacation.

‘Hopefully on the 29th, the court will hear us and then reserve judgment,’ he stated.

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The campaign organisation reiterated its ‘total rejection of the announcement of Major General Nuhu Angbazo as the winner of the primaries in ADC’, saying ‘he didn’t win.’

‘You don’t cancel an election after it has been conducted and results are known simply to confer advantage on somebody,’ Mathew said.

He described the case as ‘very unique,’ alleging that the party canceled the results of an entire local government where Abdullahi led with over 10,000 votes.

According to him, the cancellation was done ‘on the ground that there was violence,’ despite a certified INEC report before the court, stating that ‘we monitored this election in all the 11 wards, and the elections were peaceful, and these are the results.

‘The results are the same thing with the results that we have, which the party, after receiving it, decided to cancel it and not collate it. So, this is the entire basis, nothing more than that,’ he said.

Mathew said the canceled results ‘are already before the court’ as part of their evidence.

‘We will insist that justice be done, and we’ll do this case to the very, very last court in Nigeria, if it becomes necessary. So, we don’t accept him as a candidate for ADC because he never won any election,’ he added.

On possible reconciliation, the DG said there can be no talks while the disputed declaration stands.

‘You don’t steal something that belongs to another person and while still holding it in your left hand, you reach out with your right hand asking for forgiveness and for reconciliation. The first thing for you to do is to drop that thing that you have stolen before you ask for forgiveness,’ he said.

Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi served as Minister of Environment under President Muhammadu Buhari and contested the ADC governorship primary in Nasarawa State, but the party announced Nuhu Angbazo as the winner.

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) said it recorded a total tax collections of N27.1trn in seven months of 2026.

NRS chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, stated this while appearing on a Channels TV Politics Today programme.

He said the tax-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio moved to 13 per cent from 10.3 per cent, based on the ongoing tax reforms of the incumbent administration.

He added that Nigeria has emerged from a difficult period of economic adjustments and is now recording strong signs of recovery and accelerated growth.

‘The Service’s tax collection has doubled due to the digitisation of tax systems, the four new tax reform laws, the transformation of the revenue service, and an executive order that closed loopholes in the system,’ he said.

The NRS had declared N12.3 trillion total tax collections in 2023, N21 trillion in 2024, and N28.3 trillion in 2025.

He noted that Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP was on a decline as a result of economic growth, which has moved from 2.74% in 2023 to 3.8% in the first half of 2026, while external reserves moved from an unrestricted $3.99 billion in 2023 to a 17-year high of $51.9 billion as of July 2026.

He added that the country’s balance of payments had moved from a $3.34 billion deficit to a $2.38 billion surplus in the first quarter of 2026.

He explained that Nigeria was witnessing a more stable macroeconomic environment due to ongoing financial sector reforms and tighter monetary management.

According to him, the exchange rate stability, moderating inflationary pressures, and improving liquidity conditions have enhanced business confidence, thereby allowing companies to make longer-term investment decisions with greater certainty.

He said, ‘Nigeria’s economy is showing strong signs of full recovery and accelerated growth following a series of necessary reforms by the current administration. The economy has moved decisively from acute macroeconomic distress to a more stable and increasingly resilient footing.

‘This is as a result of President Bola Tinubu’s economic management acumen and doggedness in implementing his reforms as part of his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country.’

President Tinubu had in 2023 announced major economic reforms that include fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reform, reduction in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) deficit financing, and tax reform, among others.

Speaking further on the economic recovery, Adedeji noted that the banking sector recapitalisation had strengthened the financial system’s capacity to support large-scale corporate financing, adding that the ongoing tax reforms had simplified administration and broadened the revenue base.

‘These reforms have improved the overall business climate and reduced structural inefficiencies as well as enhanced the operating environment for capital-intensive and export-oriented firms by improving market efficiency, strengthening macroeconomic stability, and increasing investor confidence,’ he stated.

The NRS boss affirmed that comprehensive structural reforms embarked by the President Bola Tinubu Administration had translated into measurable improvements in corporate financial performance through stronger market fundamentals and a more predictable business environment.

‘The resulting improvements in operational efficiency, financial transparency, and investment planning provide a clear economic explanation for the substantial increases in both revenue and earnings before tax recorded by many of the companies in this dataset,’ he added.

On assumption of Office in May 2023, the NRS Chairman said President Tinubu inherited ‘four mutually reinforcing distortions – a fiscally unsustainable fuel subsidy regime, an opaque forex system that discouraged investment, a non-performing oil sector, and a tax base far below its potential’.

The economic indices, he pointed out, showed significant recovery as evident in retreating inflation rates, balance of payments swinging from deficit to surplus, first-ever net petrol export, doubling of tax collections in nominal terms, and the reshaping of the country’s productive base.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, for allegedly ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine while attempting to travel to Italy via Addis Ababa and France.

The suspect was arrested at the airport’s departure hall on Sunday, August 2, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET930.

He was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that investigations revealed that Cyril arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, 2026, and allegedly ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe on August 2.

‘In his statement, he claimed he had been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the drug consignment for a fee of 3,500 euros in order to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based,’ Babafemi said.

He added that attempts by some drug trafficking syndicates to export 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers to Saudi Arabia were thwarted by NDLEA operatives at a courier company in Lagos.

Babafemi said a similar attempt to send 500 grammes of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack to Italy was also foiled by NDLEA officers at another logistics company on Monday, August 3.

He added that a consignment of 2.3 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, coming from the United States was intercepted at another shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway on Tuesday, August 4, intercepted a truck heading north with 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in bags of rice chaff.

The statement said two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, who were allegedly transporting the consignment, were arrested.

It added that a total of 147 kilogrammes of skunk was recovered from Ita-Ogbolu Forest during a raid operation on Monday, August 3.

A trade expert, Okey Ibeke, has attributed the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) 2026 Commonwealth Gold Award for Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the impact of its Customs Cares initiative, describing the programme as a model for combining trade administration with sustainable community development.

Ibeke, Principal Consultant at International Trade Advisory Services Ltd., said the award reflects the Service’s transformation from a revenue collection and border enforcement agency into an institution delivering measurable social and environmental value.

In a statement issued in Lagos, he said the initiative, introduced by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by extending government interventions to communities around ports, border posts and Customs formations nationwide.

According to him, Customs Cares focuses on six pillars-education, healthcare, food security, environmental sustainability, social investment and the creative economy-through projects that have improved access to education, healthcare, clean water and other basic services.

He said the programme has delivered school rehabilitation projects, classroom renovations, scholarships, learning materials, solar-powered streetlights, boreholes and free medical outreaches, particularly in underserved rural and border communities.

‘The significance of these interventions lies not only in the number of projects executed but in the lives that have been touched,’ Ibeke said.

He noted that the Service’s environmental sustainability initiatives, including tree planting, sanitation campaigns, waste management and renewable energy projects, were central to its emergence as the Commonwealth Gold Award winner.

Beyond their social impact, he said the interventions have strengthened stakeholder engagement, improved relationships with host communities and reinforced public confidence in the Customs Service.

Ibeke argued that stronger community relations contribute to improved cooperation, enhanced border security and a more conducive environment for legitimate trade, while also supporting Nigeria’s broader investment and sustainability objectives.

He added that as investors increasingly assess countries on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, public institutions that embrace structured CSR programmes help enhance Nigeria’s institutional credibility and investment appeal.

He described the Commonwealth Gold Award as an endorsement of the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs and evidence that the Service is delivering value beyond its statutory mandate.

According to him, the institutionalisation of Customs Cares has transformed corporate social responsibility into a structured national programme implemented across Customs commands, strengthening public trust and stakeholder confidence.

‘The award validates the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to responsible governance, sustainable development and community partnership. It also demonstrates that public institutions can support economic development when they place citizens at the centre of their programmes,’ Ibeke said.

The Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University (formerly the University of Abuja), Prof. Akim Babatunde Fawoyemi, has urged the Gwagwalada Area Council to intensify efforts to complete the abandoned solar power project at the university’s staff quarters in Giri.

Fawoyemi made the appeal when he led the university’s management on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Kasim Mohammed Ikwa, on Tuesday.

He told the chairman that the solar power project at the university staff quarters was initiated by the immediate past administration of the council but was left uncompleted.

The vicce-chancellor expressed the university’s desire to strengthen its partnership with the council and appealed to the chairman to facilitate the completion of the project.

He said the delegation came to extend a hand of friendship to the host community, stressing that the university remains an integral part of Gwagwalada Area Council.

Fawoyemi also conveyed the university’s goodwill and wished the council chairman a successful tenure.

Responding, the council chairman expressed appreciation for the visit, noting that he had already planned familiarisation visits to the university and other federal institutions within the area council.

He reaffirmed the cordial relationship between Yakubu Gowon University and the Gwagwalada Area Council, expressing confidence that Prof. Fawoyemi’s leadership would further strengthen the existing partnership.

Addressing the request, Hon. Kasim assured the Vice-Chancellor that the council would direct the contractor handling the Giri staff quarters solar project to meet with the council’s Head of Administration to assess and verify the current level of work before appropriate action is taken.

The chairman also raised concerns over unresolved issues surrounding the Gwagwalada Neighbourhood Centre located near the university’s female hostel, noting that efforts were ongoing to find a lasting solution.

He further highlighted the growing congestion at the SDP Junction, describing it as both a security risk and a major environmental concern.

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has stated the renamed General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Science and Engineering Technology in Kaduna will help Nigeria reduce pressure on the Naira and capital flight.

The Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shua’ibu Aliyu, disclosed this at the weekend, saying the Fund was aligning its programmes with the 2026-2030 National Development Plan to develop a highly skilled workforce capable of driving growth across Nigeria’s oil, gas and emerging energy sectors.

He said this is aimed at supporting the Federal Government’s target of growing Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion by 2030 through investment in specialised education, technical skills and energy research.

Aliyu said the strategy focuses on building local capacity, reducing capital flight, strengthening research institutions and providing the manpower required for major energy infrastructure projects.

‘Our long-term vision is to develop a workforce that is trained in Nigeria, employed in Nigeria, and, by choice, exported to serve the broader African energy industry,’ he said.

He explained that the initiative would be implemented through two flagship institutions – the Centre for Skills Development and Training in Port Harcourt and the newly renamed General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Science and Engineering Technology in Kaduna.

According to him, the Port Harcourt centre would provide internationally recognised vocational and technical training for technicians, artisans and craftsmen in the upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum sectors, with certifications in areas such as welding, fabrication, instrumentation and offshore safety.

He added that the Kaduna-based university, recently licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to operate as a postgraduate institution, would provide advanced education and research opportunities through partnerships with leading universities in the United Kingdom.

Aliyu described the institution as ‘a strategic catalyst for Nigeria’s economic growth’ through the development of local technical expertise and conservation of foreign exchange.

To reduce dependence on overseas education, he said the Fund had expanded its split-site doctoral programme, allowing scholars to complete part of their studies in Nigeria and the remainder at partner universities abroad.

He disclosed that PTDF was also digitising the university to improve administrative efficiency and support blended learning.

The Executive Secretary said the Fund had aligned its training programmes with major national energy projects, including the AKK Gas Pipeline, UTM Floating LNG, Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, Bonga Southwest Aparo, Owowo, Zabazaba-Etan, OB3 Gas Trunk Line, Olokola LNG, Dangote projects and other investments by indigenous operators.

Nigeria’s construction industry is increasingly looking toward technologies that can improve the quality, durability, and performance of buildings and infrastructure.

One company contributing to this movement is Fincrete Global Company Ltd, the Nigerian company driving the market presence of VELOSIT GmbH and Co. KG, a German construction technology brand.

At the centre of this effort is Engr. Abiola Ayanwenu, who serves as Technical Director of Fincrete Global Company Ltd and also as Country Manager for VELOSIT GmbH and Co. KG in Nigeria.

Through Fincrete, VELOSIT’s construction solutions are being brought closer to Nigerian professionals and projects, with applications covering areas such as waterproofing, concrete repair, protection, and other specialised construction needs.

For Ayanwenu, the responsibility combines her technical background with the demands of leading the development of an international construction brand within the Nigerian market.

Her experience in Civil Engineering and Construction Project Management has given her a strong understanding of the technical realities of construction. She has also gained practical industry experience through her work with Beton-Bau Nigeria Limited and involvement in projects associated with organisations including WAEC and CIPM.

That experience now informs her work at Fincrete Global Company Ltd, where technical knowledge and market development come together.

The significance of her role also extends beyond the business itself. As a Nigerian woman holding technical leadership responsibilities while also serving as Country Manager for a German construction technology brand, Ayanwenu represents the growing presence of women in senior positions within the construction sector.

Her work reflects a broader shift in the industry, one where women are increasingly taking on responsibilities that influence how construction technologies and solutions are introduced, adopted, and applied.

As Nigeria continues to invest in infrastructure and development, the need for better construction practices will remain important.

Through Fincrete Global Company Ltd and its work with VELOSIT, Ayanwenu is playing a role in connecting international construction technology with the needs of the Nigerian market.

The Katsina State Police Command has foiled an attempt by suspected bandits to kidnap two people in Bakori Local Government Area, rescuing the victims and recovering an AK-47 rifle and other exhibits.

The command said one suspected bandit was arrested while another was neutralised during a gun duel between security operatives and the bandits.

In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said the incident occurred at about 4:30 am after the Bakori Divisional Police Headquarters received credible information about the movement of suspected armed bandits.

He said the suspects were sighted moving from Tamarke Village in Tsiga District of Bakori LGA towards Ganzaki Hill in Malumfashi LGA, while allegedly holding two kidnapped victims and rustled animals.

According to him, the Divisional Police Officer, Bakori, immediately mobilised a joint team of police operatives and local vigilantes to intercept the suspects.

‘The team tactically engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel and successfully dislodged them,’ the statement said.

The police said the operation resulted in the rescue of the two kidnapped victims, who were unhurt.

It added that the operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle with 24 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, five rustled animals and a Tecno keypad mobile phone.

The command said a subsequent search of the area and surrounding bushes led to the arrest of an injured suspected bandit and the recovery of the body of another suspected bandit who was neutralised during the encounter.

The police said an investigation was ongoing to apprehend other fleeing suspects and recover the remaining rustled animals.