Category: Daily Trust

The Adamawa State Government, in partnership with development partners, will conduct a special polio vaccination exercise in two local government areas, targeting a total of 130,000 children.

Director, Disease Control and Immunisation of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ADSPHCDA), Dr James Jacob Vassumu, disclosed the position at a media dialogue on Friday in Yola.

He stressed that the Agency, in conjunction with its development partners, has scheduled the special vaccination for November 5th to 12th, targeting 130,000 children in Gombi and Fufore LGAs.

Dr Vassumu stated that the proposed exercise was carefully planned to strengthen immunity in the targeted communities of the two local councils as part of activities for the November 2026 National Plus Days Immunization Campaign.

Vassumu said that the history of polio virus circulation, disease surveillance records, and assessment of immunisation coverage informed the choice of the exercise in Gombi and Fufore councils.

He explained that the vaccination exercise will focus on children from zero to 59 months of age, with special emphasis on those living in hard-to-reach communities where routine immunisation coverage remains inadequate.

Troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have arrested a suspected kidnapper while attempting to collect ransom from a female resident in Nasarawa State.

The suspect, identified as Mukaila Iliyasu, was arrested at Akwaba in Eggon Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, during a joint security operation conducted by troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, and DSS personnel.

The arrest followed intelligence reports that Iliyasu had allegedly threatened to abduct a woman unless she paid the sum of ?200,000.

The Acting Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, made the confirmation in a statement.

According to the statement, DSS operatives alerted the military to the alleged threat on October 29, leading to the deployment of a coordinated operation to track down the suspect and prevent the planned abduction.

To facilitate his arrest, a soldier reportedly went undercover and posed as the individual assigned to deliver the ransom.

The suspect was apprehended while collecting the money, with security operatives recovering ?200,000 believed to be the ransom demanded from the intended victim.

The military described the operation as a successful intelligence-led intervention that prevented a possible kidnapping and underscored the importance of cooperation among security agencies in tackling criminal activities.

Following his arrest, Iliyasu was handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke and General Officer Commanding 5 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, praised the troops and DSS operatives for their professionalism, courage and effective coordination.

Gara urged the security personnel to sustain their collaboration and strengthen intelligence sharing to tackle kidnapping and other security threats across their areas of responsibility.

He also emphasised the need for continued inter-agency cooperation to protect lives, safeguard communities and maintain peace in the region.

Kwara United FC suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to visiting Bendel Insurance in their NPFL Matchday 11 encounter at the Rashidi Yekini Mainbowl of the George Innih Stadium, Ilorin, on Sunday.

Both sides began the encounter cautiously, adopting a measured approach as they sought to establish control and create scoring opportunities.

Aliyu Ferinyaro and Uche Jaguar came close to breaking the deadlock for the Harmony Boys in the first half, but their efforts were thwarted by the resilient defensive line of the Benin Arsenal.

Kwara United were forced into an early substitution in the 17th minute when Anthony Nnamdi, who sustained a knock, was replaced by Mighty Emmanuel.

In spite of the efforts of both teams, the first half ended goalless.

The hosts returned from the break with renewed determination and were rewarded in the 49th minute when Stephen Gideon put Kwara United ahead.

Ferinyaro unleashed a shot that was parried by the Bendel Insurance goalkeeper, allowing Gideon to react quickly and slot home the rebound.

However, the celebrations were short-lived as Kayode Oke restored parity for the visitors in the 52nd minute, capitalising on a poorly marked loose ball.

Bendel Insurance completed their comeback just three minutes later, with Chinedu Nwosu scoring in the 55th minute to hand the Benin-based side a 2-1 lead.

Kwara United subsequently intensified their efforts to find an equaliser, with further tactical substitutions introduced to change the course of the game.

However, the visitors remained resolute defensively to protect their advantage until the final whistle.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Kwara United coach Ladi Ojokojo, who stood in for Ashifat Suleiman, expressed disappointment with the outcome but remained optimistic about the team’s prospects.

He assured that the team would continue to work hard to return to winning ways.

The defeat leaves Kwara United in 14th position on the NPFL table with 12 points from 11 matches.

The Harmony Boys will next travel to face Rangers International in Owerri next weekend as they seek to bounce back from the home setback. (NAN)

Recent revelations that more than 300 containers of critical electricity equipment imported by the Federal Government remained stranded at Nigerian ports for years have exposed the administrative bottlenecks and institutional inefficiencies undermining efforts to improve electricity supply across the country, experts have said.

The equipment, some of which have reportedly been trapped in the ports for close to two decades, were procured under various government-funded and development-partner-supported electricity projects, including the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) donor-funded projects and the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).

Despite their importance to the country’s electricity infrastructure, the equipment have been unable to reach their intended destinations because of unresolved import documentation, disagreements over duty exemptions, mounting shipping demurrage, port charges and bureaucratic delays involving government agencies.

President Bola Tinubu has consequently directed the immediate clearance of the stranded containers, a move that has generated mixed reactions among stakeholders in the power sector.

While some experts have welcomed the directive as a demonstration of political will to address longstanding challenges in the electricity industry, others believe the development exposes years of institutional failures that cannot be resolved through presidential orders alone.

What power minister said

Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Joseph Tegbe, who disclosed the presidential directive after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, expressed dismay that equipment meant to strengthen the country’s electricity infrastructure could remain abandoned at the ports for such an extended period.

Tegbe said: ‘Those containers are not empty. It is appalling to see that we find ourselves in such situations.

‘They were imported by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Power/Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) under various power projects over the years.’

However, industry experts said the circumstances surrounding the stranded equipment reveal structural weaknesses in government procurement, importation and project implementation processes.

Nigeria has an installed electricity generation capacity of approximately 13,014.40 MW to 13,625 MW, while available or generated power fluctuates between 4,000 MW and 5,403 MW.

This was largely attributed to ageing or inadequate infrastructure to support transmission and power distribution.

It would be recalled that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) recently recovered abandoned power equipment worth billions of naira from various seaports across the country, following an intervention by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, said during a visit to the NPA in August that the released items were in 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages.

Some experts called for a critical evaluation of the equipment in order to retrieve those that are still useful.

A former Chief Technical Officer, Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and MD/CEO, Idfon Power Engineering Consultants (iPEC) Limited, Engr. Idowu Oyebanjo, said the situation arose when the projects were awarded to contractors at low cost without demurrage.

According to him, some of the contracts are structured on Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) Lagos terms, meaning the equipment are delivered to the Lagos port without sufficient arrangements to ensure their prompt clearance and transportation to the project sites.

He explained that the difficulties begin even before the containers arrive in Nigeria, as critical import documentation and duty exemption approvals are often not completed before shipment.

Oyebanjo stated that upon the arrival of the containers and notification sent to the shipping agents, the agents approach TCN to obtain an Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC).

However, TCN would reportedly inform them that the relevant file was with the Ministry of Power, while the ministry, in turn, would say it was with the Ministry of Finance.

He added that the Ministry of Finance often views the imported equipment as potential revenue for the government and consequently seeks to impose a five per cent import duty.

He noted that such equipment should ordinarily benefit from the relevant government exemptions, considering that they were imported specifically for public electricity infrastructure projects.

According to him, some of the consignments arrive without properly processed Form M, the mandatory import declaration form; Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR); Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) certification; and Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC).

These omissions, he said, leave the equipment exposed to additional clearance requirements and charges.

Oyebanjo said the situation becomes more complicated after the containers spend 90 days at the ports without clearance.

He disclosed that a particular batch of 22 containers accumulated liabilities of N483.88m because of the conflicting classifications and the continued accumulation of shipping charges.

Providing details of the contents of the containers, Oyebanjo said they include critical electricity infrastructure approved by the Federal Executive Council for various transmission projects.

Among the equipment are 300 Mega Volt-Ampere (MVA), 330/132/33 kilovolt (kV) transformers intended for Ikeja West, Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) spares, 33kV double-circuit lines for Katampe and materials for the proposed Super Grid.

He said some of the equipment had remained in the ports for about 20 years.

Oyebanjo alleged that the prolonged delays had also created opportunities for an auction racket, claiming that some overtime cargo were auctioned to cronies at about 10 per cent of their value before being resold to TCN.

‘How to avoid recurrence’

To prevent a recurrence, he recommended the establishment of a dedicated TCN desk at the Nigeria Customs Service, rather than leaving the process entirely within the purview of the Ministry of Finance.

Such a desk, he said, should operate with pre-approved duty waivers to ensure that documentation and clearance arrangements are completed before the equipment arrive in the country.

He also called for a change in the procurement structure for future electricity projects, recommending that all new contracts adopt Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) arrangements, under which contractors would be responsible for delivering equipment to the project sites rather than simply bringing them to Lagos ports under CIF terms.

On his part, a power expert, Engr. Ibrahim Sulu said since 2016, presidential approvals have cleared stranded power equipment again and again, only for it to pile up.

He said the country needs a standing rule that does not depend on whoever is minister, adding that all contracts are Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) to the project site, with the contractor bearing demurrage.

A power stakeholder, Duru Oguzie, expressed dismay over the prolonged abandonment of the equipment, describing the situation as evidence of a lack of patriotism among some Nigerians entrusted with managing public resources.

He criticised the Nigeria Customs Service for allowing the equipment to remain stranded for years when they could have been released earlier for use in the country’s electricity infrastructure.

He described the development as a show of shame, arguing that the equipment had lost much of its potential value to the country because of the prolonged delays.

Oguzie urged the Federal Government to maintain zero revenue charges on the stranded electricity equipment to ensure their immediate release.

He argued that the government should prioritise the national interest and the potential benefits of deploying the equipment rather than focusing on revenue collection from assets already procured with public funds or development financing.

However, another stakeholder, Saka Mohammad, questioned the political narrative surrounding the presidential directive.

He said the applause generated by the presidential directive was undeserved because the clearance of the equipment should be viewed within the broader context of the government’s responsibility to address the longstanding weaknesses in the power sector.

He maintained that the Federal Government should take more proactive measures to ensure that the problems responsible for the abandonment of critical electricity equipment do not recur.

However, energy expert Rasheed Adeleke described the clearance of the stranded equipment as a positive development that could support improvements in the electricity sector.

He lamented that the equipment had remained trapped at the ports for almost two decades, saying the situation exposed the persistent institutional failures and unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles slowing the development of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.

Beyond the stranded equipment, concerns have also been raised about the direction of the country’s transmission infrastructure development and the feasibility of some newly announced projects.

A competent source with knowledge of the industry said, ‘Now, as elections approach, the President has promised Nigerians that he will fix the power sector and end estimated billing. He even challenged Nigerians not to vote for him if he fails to deliver on these two promises.

‘They have now introduced the East-West transmission project without publishing the necessary details, technical studies or implementation plan. Yet, they claim it will be completed in two years and add 14,000MW to the national grid. This is being presented to Nigerians without adequately explaining the technical and commercial realities.’

The source added, ‘Electricity is not generated simply by making political promises. It requires properly coordinated investments in generation, transmission and distribution, supported by credible technical studies, financing and implementation capacity.

‘Without addressing these fundamental issues, the promise of adding 14,000MW in two years raises serious questions about the feasibility and credibility of the project.’

Until the killing of Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka in Katsina State, I had never heard his name. I had never listened to his sermons, watched his videos or familiarised myself with his religious teachings. I therefore have no opinion on his beliefs, his theological positions or what he represented. I may take time to understand his teachings, but that is not the subject of this article. His death is relevant here only because it triggered an unusually heated exchange across social media, bringing me face to face with something that has troubled me deeply over the past few days.

What I have witnessed is an increasingly disturbing exchange among young Nigerian Muslims, many seemingly in their twenties and thirties, debating the differences between Islamic religious movements and traditions. Videos of clerics are being circulated, shared and defended by their followers. Some are being used to attack opposing interpretations of Islam, while others contain statements that are difficult to reconcile with the values of compassion, restraint and respect for human life that should underpin religious teaching. The exchanges involve adherents of Izala and other Salafi-oriented currents, as well as followers of Sufi traditions, including the Tijaniyya and other tariqas. These are not uniform communities, and their theological differences should not be confused with support for violence. However, the hostility and some of the utterances being circulated are deeply concerning.

For four days, it has been difficult to open my X timeline without encountering another video or argument arising from this controversy. What is particularly troubling is not simply that people disagree about religious doctrine. Disagreement is neither new nor inherently dangerous. Muslims have different schools of thought, traditions and interpretations, and there is room for robust theological debate. What should concern us is the growing willingness of some voices to justify hatred, dehumanisation and violence in the name of defending religious positions. When young people begin to consume, defend and reproduce such messages as ordinary religious discourse, we must ask ourselves what kind of society we are preparing them to inherit.

I have seen a video in which a cleric reportedly claimed that parents should kill a ten-year-old child who refuses to observe Salah, presenting this as an Islamic instruction. That is an extremely dangerous misrepresentation. The commonly cited Hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud about teaching children to pray at seven and disciplining them at ten does not instruct parents to kill their children. The Quran expressly prohibits killing children. Yet statements of this nature can circulate widely, acquire credibility because of the religious authority of the speaker and reach young people who may not have the knowledge to challenge them.

Other videos have been even more disturbing. One showed a group of young people in uniforms resembling those of a religious organisation chanting threats to obtain weapons and attack people attending churches in Enugu and Plateau. The organisation publicly disowned the statements and called for an investigation. That response should be acknowledged. However, the recording itself raises serious questions about how young people are being influenced, what they are being taught to regard as acceptable and how easily violent rhetoric can become a collective performance.

I want to emphasise that this is not an argument about Muslims against Christians. It is not even primarily an argument about the relationship between Muslims and people of other faiths. What I have been observing is a problem emerging within Muslim communities themselves. It is about Muslims being encouraged to regard other Muslims as enemies because they follow a different school of thought, belong to another religious movement or interpret certain texts differently. If we cannot tolerate differences among ourselves, what hope do we have of building a society in which people of different faiths can coexist peacefully?

The implications go far beyond the arguments currently playing out online. Arewa has spent years confronting organised violent extremism. Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups have inflicted enormous damage on communities, institutions, education, livelihoods and the bonds that hold the region. Governments have invested heavily in military operations, intelligence gathering and other security interventions to contain these threats. Yet I fear we are paying insufficient attention to another dimension of the problem: the possibility that we are creating the conditions for a generation of individualised extremists.

A young person may never join Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru or any other organised group. They may never enter a terrorist camp, receive weapons training or have direct contact with an insurgent commander. But if they spend years consuming messages that teach them to hate people who disagree with them, that portray other Muslims as legitimate targets, or that present violence as a religious obligation, they may eventually develop an extremist worldview of their own. They may act independently, without belonging to any recognised organisation. This is not to suggest that every young person who encounters such content will become violent. It is to recognise that the normalisation of violent ideology creates a risk that we cannot afford to ignore.

We may spend the next decade dismantling organised terrorist networks only to discover that the ideas sustaining violence have become more widely distributed among individuals who are difficult to identify through conventional security structures. In that situation, the challenge will be considerably more complex. How do we confront an extremist who has no organisational affiliation, whose radicalisation has taken place through years of online exposure, and who believes that violence is a legitimate expression of faith? Prevention must therefore begin long before an individual becomes a security threat.

This is why I believe the federal and state governments across Northern Nigeria must take a much firmer position on the regulation of public religious preaching. Not everyone should be able to wake up one morning, declare themselves a religious authority and use a public platform to issue inflammatory opinions or dangerous religious instructions without accountability. A sermon delivered in a mosque does not remain within that mosque. It can be recorded, uploaded and circulated to thousands, sometimes millions, of people. A speaker who addresses a relatively small congregation may end up influencing young people across the country.

Regulation, however, must be properly designed. Nigeria’s Constitution protects freedom of religion and expression. These rights must not be undermined by governments seeking to control legitimate theological debate or silence religious criticism. But freedom of religion cannot be a licence to incite murder, threaten communities or promote violence. The distinction must be clear, and the law must be applied fairly, transparently and consistently.

Some states already have legal and administrative arrangements for regulating public preaching and religious institutions. The question is whether these mechanisms are effective, whether they are being properly enforced and whether they adequately address sermons that are recorded and distributed online. Governments should review existing frameworks and work with recognised Islamic institutions, respected scholars from different traditions, legal experts, child protection professionals and security agencies to establish credible standards for public religious instruction. There should be clear qualifications and accountability requirements for those occupying public preaching platforms, effective complaints mechanisms and independent procedures for investigating credible allegations of incitement. Regulation must target dangerous conduct, not theological disagreement.

Saudi Arabia is not a model that should be copied wholesale, nor should any country be treated as an example in every aspect of religious governance. However, its system of formal requirements for the appointment of mosque imams demonstrates that public religious leadership can be subject to institutional standards. Nigeria must develop an approach suited to its own constitutional and religious context, rather than treating the regulation of public preaching as an impossible undertaking.

Religious leaders themselves must also recognise the responsibility that comes with influence. Scholars who understand the Quran, Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence have a duty to challenge dangerous distortions of religious teachings. They cannot leave the task of correcting misinformation entirely to government or security agencies. When a cleric makes a statement that encourages violence, other respected scholars should be prepared to challenge it publicly and explain why it is unacceptable. Silence can create the impression that such statements are legitimate or uncontested.

Parents, schools and communities must also pay attention to what young people are consuming online. Religious education should cultivate understanding, discipline, compassion and respect for human life. Children must be encouraged to ask questions, examine claims and seek guidance from knowledgeable and responsible adults. We cannot assume that everything delivered in the language of religion is necessarily sound or harmless.

The governors of Arewa and the federal government must understand the urgency of this challenge. One of the greatest acts of service they can render to Arewa is to confront the spread of religious extremism before it becomes even more deeply embedded in the communities. This is not a problem that can be postponed until the next security emergency. It is already demanding attention.

I am genuinely concerned about the environment in which our children are growing up. If we continue to allow hatred to be dressed up as religious instruction, if we allow young people to consume calls for violence as ordinary online content, and if public religious platforms remain beyond meaningful accountability, we should not be surprised by the consequences. I may be generous in giving us another ten years, but the danger could emerge much sooner.

Arewa cannot afford another generation raised to believe that religious disagreement is a justification for hatred or that violence is an acceptable defence of faith. We have already lost too much to organised extremism. We must not allow its ideology to become so normalised that the next threat comes from individuals who no longer need an organisation to tell them whom to hate or whom to kill. The time to act is now, before the ticking time bomb within our own communities becomes another tragedy we will claim we never saw coming.

The Kano State Consumer Protection Council (KCPC), in collaboration with the leadership of Singer Market, has arrested some traders accused of attempting to alter the expiry dates of an expired milk product.

The council also sealed the shops linked to the alleged offence.

In a statement signed by its Director of Public Enlightenment, Jamilu Mustapha Yakasai, the council said the operation followed an emergency call from the Deputy Chairman of the Traders’ Association, Aminu Umar Dogara.

The Director of Monitoring of Traders and Products at the council, Auwalu A. Muhammad, said the call alerted the council to the alleged malpractice within the market.

He said officials were immediately deployed to the scene to investigate the matter, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the closure of the affected shops.

Muhammad said the council was committed to protecting consumers from expired products and goods whose information, condition or quality had been altered in violation of the law.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the council, Dr Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, said the KCPC would not allow individuals or traders to violate consumers’ rights.

He warned that anyone found guilty of such an offence would be prosecuted and face the appropriate punishment.

Dr Ibrahim commended market association leaders for their cooperation with the council in preventing the circulation of substandard and adulterated products in markets.

He said such collaboration would contribute to protecting public health and consumers’ rights.

The executive secretary also thanked the Kano State Government, under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, for its support and for allowing the council to discharge its responsibilities without interference.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf of plotting to disqualify the party’s governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, ahead of the 2027 election.

Daily Trust has reported how Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deleted Gwarzo’s name from its updated governorship candidate in the state and said it was due to a court order.

The commission however clarified that it has no problem with the candidate, adding that his omission was in compliance with the court.

But speaking at a press briefing in Kano on Sunday, Kwankwaso alleged that the governor initially sought to use INEC to remove the NDC candidate from the ballot but later resorted to the courts when that move failed.

According to him, Governor Yusuf had realised that he made a political mistake and had since been making frantic efforts to prevent the NDC from participating in the governorship contest.

‘What he wanted was for INEC to declare that there was no governorship candidate in Kano. When that did not happen, they went to court seeking the disqualification of our candidate,’ Kwankwaso said.

The former Kano governor alleged that associates of the governor secretly instituted legal action against the party and INEC in a bid to secure a court order without attracting public attention.

He claimed that the case was structured in a manner that would prevent the affected candidate from becoming aware of the proceedings until after judgment had been delivered.

Kwankwaso, however, insisted that the NDC candidate had no constitutional or legal impediment that could warrant disqualification.

‘Our candidates have no issues relating to age, educational qualification or any other constitutional requirement. There is nothing that should stop them from contesting the election,’ he said.

The NDC vice-presidential candidate further accused the governor and his allies of attempting to avoid electoral competition rather than face the party at the polls.

‘They do not want to contest against us. They believe that once they occupy government offices, they can do whatever they want. But Kano voters will decide,’ he said.

Speaking of previous political developments in the state, Kwankwaso recalled that a court ruling had once removed a candidate before he was subsequently reinstated ahead of an election that his party eventually won.

He expressed confidence that the electorate would reject what he described as attempts to undermine democratic choice in the state.

Kwankwaso also urged supporters, particularly young people, to verify their voter registration status and remain politically active.

He maintained that the NDC would participate in the election and defeat its opponents at the polls.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of Governor Yusuf on the allegations were unsuccessful as calls made to the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, were neither answered nor returned as at the time of filing this report.

A man, Salihu Nuhu, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a married woman, Hassana Uba, following a disagreement over N10 change in Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.

The incident reportedly occurred when Salihu bought a funkaso (local snack) worth N90 and paid with N100, but a disagreement arose over his N10 balance.

Salihu was accused of entering the woman’s house and beating her following the disagreement.

Hassana told the court that the assault left her hospitalised, where she received medical attention, including intravenous fluids.

She also alleged that her phone and some money went missing when people gathered to assist her.

At the hearing before Magistrate Court No. 44 in Kura, Salihu pleaded guilty to the charge after it was read to him by prosecutor Inspector Nasiru Dange.

Presiding judge Muhammad Alhaji Isah adjourned the case until November 19, 2026, for judgment.

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested two suspected cultists over their alleged involvement in cult-related activities in the state.

The suspects, identified as Chibuike Ezeji and Ikenna Emeka, were arrested with five firearms, eight live cartridges and substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

The command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, said the suspects were arrested on October 30, 2026, by police operatives working in collaboration with civilian vigilantes.

He said the police received a complaint from a resident of Umunede that Ezeji, 30, had allegedly threatened to kill him while brandishing a pistol.

Acting on the complaint, police operatives, in collaboration with members of the Umunede Civilian Anti-Cult Group, proceeded to a residence along Umunede Expressway, where a suspected cultist, identified as Oscar Ignatius, was believed to be residing.

According to Edafe, the operation led to the arrest of Ezeji and Emeka, 22, at the premises, while Ignatius escaped.

A search of the premises led to the recovery of a pump-action gun, a locally made cut-to-size gun, three locally made pistols, eight live cartridges and substances suspected to be cannabis and methamphetamine, popularly known as ice.

Edafe said the suspects were in custody and that investigations were ongoing, adding that they would be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to a broken pension system and forcing them to fight for the dignity and security they earned through years of service.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said it was disgraceful that officers who risked their lives protecting Nigerians are now reduced to staging daily protests at the National Pension Commission simply to make their legitimate demands heard.

‘A government that can deploy police officers to protect the powerful but cannot protect them in retirement has failed them utterly,’ he said.

Atiku said the administration’s treatment of retired officers exposed the hollowness of its claims to be tackling insecurity. ‘If police officers who served this country must endure humiliation to demand a fair pension, what hope is there for other Nigerians who have spent their working lives in public service?’ he asked.

Atiku said he was deeply troubled by the protests and had instructed his team to meet with the officers and hear their concerns directly.

He also faulted President Tinubu for failing to act on the Police Exit Bill, which, according to the statement, has remained on his desk since March.

The ADC candidate condemned the government’s ‘use and discard’ treatment of officers who spent their careers protecting Nigerians, including political office holders, only to be abandoned when they need support most.

Atiku said his Police Dignity Guarantee Plan would put the welfare and retirement security of law enforcement officers at the centre of his approach to tackling insecurity.

The plan includes prompt action on the Police Exit Bill, restoring gratuity for police officers and ensuring that officers are treated with dignity both during service and in retirement. He has also pledged to implement the Police Pension Board Bill within 30 days of taking office.

‘Insecurity cannot be defeated while those who protect the country are denied security in retirement. My Police Dignity Guarantee Plan will ensure that officers who serve Nigeria are properly supported throughout their careers and are not abandoned when they retire. We will make Nigeria affordable again and restore dignity to those who have spent their lives serving it,’ Atiku said.