Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has criticised what it described as attempts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to downplay worsening insecurity in the country, saying the government is ‘living in denial’ of the realities confronting Nigerians.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APM, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, stated this in Abuja on Saturday while reacting to the security situation in the country and comments made by the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd), that security had improved under the Tinubu administration.

The Minister, while speaking in a television interview earlier on Tuesday, had stated that the government had ‘defeated terrorists.’

Musa also claimed that kidnapping had been decimated to a point where it had become more of a ‘social ill’ than a wider security concern.

‘Frankly speaking, we have defeated terrorists because now, like I said, the attacks are not as rampant and it is now kidnapping.

‘Like I said, kidnapping is a social ill where you now see wives kidnapping husbands and husbands kidnapping children’, he responded to a question.

The minister went on, ‘I can tell you there is improved security. Maybe if you noticed, you don’t hear so much of Boko Haram attacks, ISWAP attacks and all these things here and there, maybe one-off.

‘Now, I say, the trajectory is this: from criminality to kidnapping to terrorism, insurgency; once you are able to hit them, it goes back downwards.

‘So, we are now back into the stage of abductions and kidnappings because that is the easiest way for them to try and raise money.’

However, the APM noted that the Global Terrorism Index 2026 ranked Nigeria as the fourth most insecure country in the world, adding that the country had moved up two places from the sixth position recorded in the 2025 index.

The party berated the Minister for what it described as a ‘dangerous distortion of reality’, arguing that the situation on the ground and reports by international organisations contradicted claims that insecurity had improved.

‘It is deeply disappointing that a minister of the Federal Republic could appear on national television to make such claims at a time when millions of innocent Nigerians are being killed, kidnapped, displaced and terrorised in various parts of the country,’ Yusuf stated.

The spokesman said the government’s position demonstrated what he described as insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians facing killings, maiming, rape, abductions for ransom and captivity by bandits in dehumanising conditions.

According to him, the administration could not claim to feel the anguish of families whose lives had been permanently ruined by insecurity over the past three years.

He noted, ‘Only last week, 600 Nigerians, mostly women, children and the elderly, were abducted from Dekera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida villages in Niger State and are still languishing in captivity.’

Yusuf further cited data by SBM Intelligence, which he said showed that kidnapping for ransom had become a highly monetised industry under the Tinubu administration, with more than N7.78bn reportedly paid as ransom between July 2025 and June 2026.

The APM accused the administration of either being ‘dangerously disconnected from reality’ or deliberately attempting to manipulate public perception by denying the worsening security situation.

It also criticised what it described as the administration’s dismissal of abductions as a ‘family affair’, saying such acts constituted terrorism and should be treated as a national security emergency.

‘If the security situation has truly improved as the administration claims, the APM challenges the President, the Minister of Defence and other senior officials of the Tinubu Presidency to travel by road without armed security details as other Nigerians must do,’ it said.

The party argued that insecurity was ‘festering’ under Tinubu because, according to it, the administration lacked the capacity to develop and implement an effective blueprint to tackle the challenge.

The APM urged Nigerians not to despair, but to remain committed to voting for its presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, in the 2027 election.

It boasted that Makinde was prepared with a blueprint to tackle insecurity and other challenges facing the country, adding that the tenure of the Tinubu administration would end on 29 May 2027.

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, and his wife, Engineer Tamunomini Makinde, have been honoured with the chieftaincy titles of Aare Asoludero of Ibarapa Land and Yeye Aare Asoludero of Ibarapa, respectively.

The titles were conferred on the couple by the Eleruwa of Eruwa Land, Oba Samuel Adegbola Ajobo Olurin I, during activities marking his first anniversary on the throne and the commissioning of the newly reconstructed Eleruwa Palace in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area.

The ceremony, held on Saturday, attracted traditional rulers, government officials, community leaders and other dignitaries who gathered to celebrate the monarch’s first year in office and witness the commissioning of the palace.

Speaking at the event, Governor Makinde expressed appreciation to the Eleruwa and the people of Eruwa for the honour bestowed on him and his wife.

Makinde said his administration would continue to promote inclusive governance and equitable development across the state, assuring residents of Ibarapa that ongoing projects in the zone would be completed.

He specifically assured the people that the Ido-Eruwa Road project would be completed, while stating that the government would also explore the possibility of establishing a university campus in the zone.

The Governor said, ‘Our administration will continue to ensure inclusivity and equitable development across all zones of the state.’

He also appealed to traditional rulers in the state to remain above partisan politics and continue to provide leadership for all members of their communities, irrespective of political affiliation.

Makinde urged the monarchs to ‘remain apolitical and continue to serve as fathers to all, regardless of political affiliation.’

In his remarks, the Eleruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola Ajobo Olurin I, said the Governor and his wife were deserving of the titles, describing them as ‘foremost achievers, humanists and accomplished professionals.’

The monarch commended Makinde for what he described as his administration’s developmental strides in Eruwa and other parts of Ibarapa.

He, however, appealed to the Governor to expedite action on the completion of some projects in the area, particularly the Eruwa Farm Settlement and Ido-Eruwa Road.

Oba Adegbola said the Governor and his wife had demonstrated ‘commitment to the progress and development of society,’ adding that the honour was in recognition of their contributions and achievements.

The event was attended by several dignitaries.

The Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, has expressed satisfaction with the National Examinations Council (NECO) on its aggressive deployment of technology, particularly its transition to Computer-Based Examinations (CBE), saying the reforms have significantly strengthened the Council’s capacity to conduct credible examinations.

Speaking at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and other education stakeholders, Alausa commended the leadership of NECO Registrar, Prof Dantani Wushishi, for driving what he described as a remarkable transformation of the examination body.

‘I can tell you today, with all unequivocation, NECO is better placed. NECO conducts better exams. NECO uses better technology,’ the Minister said.

He was particularly emphatic about NECO’s speed in embracing computer-based testing, describing the Council’s technological transformation as ‘amazing.’

‘When we also go to this CBT, they move quickly, they deploy better technology. The transformation of NECO, amazing,’ Alausa said.

The Minister said NECO’s ability to adapt quickly to new technologies was one of the reasons the Federal Government backed Wushishi’s continued leadership of the Council, insisting that the decision was based on performance and results rather than patronage.

‘We’ve worked with him, we’ve got him to where we want, he’s doing so well, why do we have to change him?’ he asked, stressing: ‘This thing is not about patronage to us. It’s not about patronage, it’s about value.’

The Minister’s endorsement comes against the backdrop of NECO’s broader digital transformation, which includes online registration, biometric verification, computer-based testing for selected examinations, digital certificates and automated grading.

The Federal Government is also driving the gradual conversion of NECO examinations from the traditional Paper-Pencil Test (PPT) to Computer-Based Examination (CBE), as part of measures to improve efficiency, strengthen examination security and tackle malpractice.

Alausa said the increasing use of technology was particularly important in the fight against examination malpractice, which he described as one of the most serious threats to the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.

‘It’s sad. Before we came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,’ he said.

According to the Minister, examination questions were allegedly being obtained for as little as N3,000 before the current administration of NECO, led by Prof Wushishi, began implementing reforms to strengthen the security and integrity of its examinations.

Alausa described the situation as a disturbing reflection of how deeply examination malpractice had become entrenched in the country’s education system. He said the widespread leakage of examination questions not only undermined the credibility of public examinations but also placed students who prepared honestly at a serious disadvantage.

He warned that the continued tolerance of malpractice could ultimately undermine students who genuinely prepare for examinations, creating a system in which honesty becomes a disadvantage.

‘The danger was that the good students would also become bad,’ Alausa said, urging parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students to support efforts to restore integrity to public examinations.

The commendation comes as the examination body has continued to expand its international footprint, conducting examinations in at least eight countries and providing Nigerian curriculum-based examinations for schools and candidates in the diaspora.

The Council, which recently marked its 25th anniversary, says its examinations have impacted almost 35 million Nigerians since its establishment.

Wushishi has repeatedly pledged to deepen NECO’s investment in technology, human capital and institutional processes while strengthening fairness, credibility and integrity in examination administration.

The Federal Government also believes that measures such as the serial numbering of examination question papers will further help to reduce the risk of question-paper leakages before examinations.

Three years after the Federal Government approved a three-month N25,000 monthly palliative for vulnerable Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy, pensioners are still waiting for payment, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The union, in a letter to the President, appealed for the immediate release of the N75,000 total relief to pensioners, saying none of its members had received the approved payment since the measure was announced in October 2023.

The NUP, through its General Secretary, Comrade Godwin Amadin, said the palliative was approved as part of measures to cushion the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians, including pensioners.

According to the union, the approval was received by senior citizens ‘with joy and renewed hope,’ particularly because pensioners have been among those hardest hit by rising costs of food, drugs, transportation and electricity.

‘However, we are constrained to inform Your Excellency that no single pensioner has been paid this approved palliative to date,’ the NUP said.

The union expressed concern that the prolonged delay had further worsened the hardship facing pensioners, many of whom, it said, had served the country for 35 years or more under specialised public service conditions.

It argued that the N75,000 due each beneficiary would have provided significant relief for food, medication and other basic necessities had it been paid promptly.

The NUP therefore appealed to Tinubu to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to commence payment of the palliative to pensioners nationwide.

The union also pointed out that the palliative had already been paid to civil servants ‘almost three years ago,’ further fuelling its demand for immediate action on the pensioners’ outstanding payment.

The pensioners said they had already provided verified data to NASSCO to facilitate ‘seamless, transparent, and direct payment’ to beneficiaries.

The union commended the President for the regular payment of monthly pensions and the recent approval of N25 billion for the implementation of pension harmonisation and payment of other pension arrears.

It urged the administration to extend the same commitment to the outstanding palliative, saying its release would help restore hope and dignity to senior citizens.

‘We have absolute confidence in your ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ and your commitment to ‘leaving no one behind’,’ the union said, appealing to the President to urgently intervene.

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The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has warned troops to desist from substance abuse, misuse of social media and other related vices.

He gave the warning during his visit to 12 Brigade Area of Responsibility (AOR) from September 2 to 4, 2026, as part of his maiden operational tour of formations and units under his command.

He was received on arrival by the Commander, 12 Brigade, Chari Maigumeri Barracks, Lokoja, Brigadier General Kasim Umar Sidi, who briefed him on the operational activities within the Brigade’s AOR.

Speaking during the visit, the GOC, Major General Mahmuda, commended the commander and his troops for the tremendous operational successes recorded, particularly the recent rescue of 15 National Youth Service Corps members and six civilians abducted in Kogi State.

He further thanked them for their efforts in keeping Kogi and adjoining states safe and calm for socio-economic activities to thrive. He said this was responsible for the sharp decrease in criminal activities.

The GOC emphasised the strategic importance of Kogi State as a corridor to the eastern and southern parts of the country, urging the troops to sustain the operational tempo by ensuring that the state remains peaceful and calm.

Relatedly, the GOC visited the 21 Battalion Headquarters, Ayingba, in Dekina Local Government Area, where he was received by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Godiya Solomon Monde.

He addressed the troops and commended them for their resilience and dedication to duty, which he said had translated into several operational exploits. He said this had brought sanity to Kogi East and glory to the fatherland.

He urged them to sustain the operational tempo by denying criminal elements freedom of action. The GOC underscored the importance of discipline, adding that it remains the bedrock of the Nigerian Army.

He charged them to maintain the core values of the Nigerian Army, in line with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu’s, command philosophy.

Major General Mahmuda emphasised the need for sustained operational readiness and effective collaboration with other security agencies and critical stakeholders.

A pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ, Iri Orun Parish, Bidemi Odukoya, allegedly killed his wife at their residence in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, before later dying after jumping in front of a moving truck.

According to Punch, Odukoya, who was the father of three boys, reportedly threw himself in front of a truck along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway shortly after the incident.

The incident reportedly happened around 2am on Monday, August 31, following a fight between the couple.

A neighbour, Oluwatoyin Oseni, said the couple had a history of domestic fights, some of which left the wife injured.

‘Sincerely, Mummy Daniel and her husband, who we fondly called Iri Orun, have always engaged in domestic fights. Recently, I had to help take care of the wife after their usual fight,’ Oseni said.

‘There was even police involvement, after which we thought that the misunderstanding had been settled.

‘It was after the tragedy of Monday, August 31, that we got to understand that both husband and wife had reportedly not been on speaking terms since June as a fallout of their regular squabble.’

Oseni said the couple’s 14-year-old first son, Daniel, alerted her around 2am after his father allegedly attacked his mother.

She said she and another neighbour went to the couple’s home and found the woman dead on the ground.

‘We later got to hear that the Shepherd used a machete and wooden stool to smash the head of his wife. We also saw Daddy Daniel with a cutlass in his hand,’ she said.

‘As I was asking him why he would go to the extent of killing his wife, he calmly said that he too was as good as gone. But because he was holding the cutlass, we could not move closer.

‘He later went inside the house, but we never knew that he had escaped that midnight from the community to go and kill himself at Ifo along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.’

The youth leader of the community, Seun Adelana, said the couple’s disagreement was reportedly linked to allegations of infidelity.

‘The husband was said to have been alleging that the wife was dating another man, and some people also said that the shepherd was dating another woman,’ Adelana said.

‘So, this is what we gathered led to the altercation, which made the husband kill the woman.’

The Baale of the community, Taiwo Akiode, said some residents in Ifo later saw Odukoya on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

‘Some people at Ifo told us that when the deceased got to the expressway, he was crossing the expressway back and forth repeatedly,’ Akiode said.

‘He later sat on the divider, after which he saw an oncoming truck and jumped before it and died.’

Candidates who will be below 16 years old by September 30, 2026, fall into the underage/exceptional category, and JAMB stated that their results would only be released after the required evaluation process.

If the candidate’s result has now been released, follow these steps:

Visit the JAMB e-Facility portal.

Log in using the candidate’s registered email address and password.

On the dashboard, select ‘Check UTME Examination Results’ or the relevant result-checking option.

Enter the required details, if prompted, and submit.

If the result has been released, the candidate’s UTME score and subject breakdown will be displayed.

If the portal shows ‘No Result Yet,’ the result may still be undergoing the process applicable to underage candidates.

Check by SMS

The UTME results for underage candidates can also be checked by sending UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 using the phone number used during UTME registration.

Important information for underage candidates

JAMB’s general admission age requirement is 16 years by September 30, 2026. However, exceptionally talented underage candidates may be considered through JAMB’s special assessment process.

Underage candidates who achieved the required high score may also be invited for further assessment before their results are fully processed.

Troops of 65 Battalion, Nigerian Army, have rescued two kidnap victims, Mr Kelvin Okafor and Mr Alex Anato, following their abduction at a farm in Igbonla, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

According to an official operational report made to our correspondent at the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, the victims were reportedly abducted on Friday, 4 September 2026, and were rescued in a coordinated operation involving operatives of the Nigerian Police, local vigilantes and other security agencies.

The report explained that the rescue operation was launched following credible information on the abduction of the victims while they were working on the farm.

According to it, ‘acting swiftly on the intelligence, the joint security team mobilised to the area and closed in on the kidnappers’ location.

‘On sighting the advancing troops and other security personnel, the kidnappers abandoned their captives and fled into the surrounding forest.

‘The joint team immediately pursued the fleeing criminals, resulting in the neutralisation of one of the kidnappers, while two others escaped deeper into the forest.’

It further added that the two victims were rescued unhurt and subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for necessary medical assessment, debriefing and further action, while the remains of the neutralised kidnapper were also handed over to the Police for appropriate action.

It reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army remained resolute in the protection of lives and property. In collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders, troops will continue to sustain aggressive and intelligence-led operations to deny criminal elements freedom of action and enhance the safety and security of communities across the country.

The All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) has urged the Federal Government to address outstanding payments for completed projects awarded to local contractors.

The association made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the burial of one of its members, Alhaji Mohammed Inusa, who it said died after battling an illness for about three months.

Mr Jackson Nwosu, National President of AICAN, said the deceased had completed projects worth billions of naira but was still owed more than N1 billion.

Nwosu alleged that the outstanding payment had made it difficult for the contractor to access funds needed for medical treatment.

He said the deceased required surgery which, according to him, could have been funded if part of the money owed him had been paid.

‘We are here to bury one of our members that died. He had been suffering from this illness for about three months,’ Nwosu said.

He said the association had been concerned about the financial difficulties faced by local contractors who were unable to recover funds invested in government projects.

Nwosu appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise payment of verified debts owed to indigenous contractors to prevent further hardship in the sector.

He also questioned why, according to him, foreign contractors were sometimes paid upfront while local contractors struggled to recover money invested in completed projects.

Similarly, Mr Rotimi Raheem, National Publicity Secretary of AICAN, said the association had lost several members in different parts of the country.

Raheem said the deceased had outstanding payments running into billions of naira but was unable to access sufficient funds for his treatment.

He said the association contributed some money toward the contractor’s medical expenses but could not raise enough because many members were also experiencing financial difficulties.

‘Two weeks ago, with the little we had, we gave it to him,’ Raheem said.

He said the association was concerned about the impact of delayed payments on contractors and called for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.

According to him, some contractors had not been paid for projects completed over the past two years because such projects allegedly lacked cash backing.

He said the situation was not peculiar to Abuja but affected indigenous contractors across the country.

Raheem urged the government to ensure that verified obligations to local contractors were settled, saying this would enable them to recover investments and continue contributing to national infrastructure development.

He said the association remained committed to engaging relevant authorities on the issue of outstanding payments to indigenous contractors.

Nuhu Inusa, son of the deceased contractor, said his father’s health began to deteriorate about three months before his death.

He attributed the worsening condition partly to the delay in payment for work his father had executed as a contractor.

According to him, the family had made efforts to draw the attention of relevant authorities to the situation and sought assistance from their representative, but without success.

‘Had the money been paid on time, I believe, though I am not God, that he might still have been alive by now,’ he said.

Inusa said his father eventually died from a tumour in his spine.