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Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the governorship candidates of various political parties have signed a peace accord pledging to commit to peaceful and issue-based campaigns in Adamawa state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Ahmed Tijjani Galadima, Chief Maurice Vonobolki of the People’s Democratic party PDP, pharm.Theman Wafarininyi of the Young Progressives party,YPP were among those who signed the peace accord.

The Adamawa state peace commission in collaboration with National peace commission and ABAK peace Foundation convened the signing initiative held at the banquet hall Government house Yola on Tuesday to ensure 2027 Violence-Free Campaigns and Elections Peace Accord Summit, held under the theme, ‘Peace Before, During and After the Elections.’

The National Peace Committee is being chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, while The Kukah Centre serves as its secretariat and have been engaging political public office seekers in the country for some years now

Under the agreement, the candidates pledged to reject electoral violence, hate speech, ethnic and religious incitement, intimidation, threats, misinformation, disinformation and personal attacks throughout the electoral process.

They also committed to conducting issue-based campaigns centred on their policies, programmes and visions for the development of Adamawa State.

The organisers said sustaining peace during the 2027 electoral process would require the collective efforts of political parties and candidates, their supporters, traditional and religious leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations, the media, youth and women groups, and the electorate.

Indications have emerged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is considering moving against candidates who violated certain provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act in respect to Thursday’s judgment of the Supreme Court.

Candidates who emerged in controversial primaries have been of the opinion that since the Supreme Court did not mention any candidate by name, INEC cannot take any action on them without a recourse to the court for direct pronouncement.

A highly reliable source in INEC who spoke with our correspondent confirmed that the commission is worried about the anxiety generated as a result of the judgement and the various interpretations it is been given that it may go ahead and impose the necessary sanctions once the legal department okays the action.

Daily Trust learnt that due to the time limit before the commission releases the final list of candidates, it may not have the luxury of time to wait for the outcome of further litigations before it could take definite actions on the confirmation of candidates.

The Commission’s official timetable provides for the publication of the final list of candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly elections not later than September 12,, while the governorship and state Assembly final list is scheduled for October 10, 2026.

Inside sources say due to time constraints the commission is bound to come out with a position by next week as it is making efforts to get the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement with a view to acting on it.

When contacted of INEC National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education Malam Mohammed Haruna confirmed that INEC is working towards reviewing the judgement after obtaining a CTC of the judgment.

He said ordinarily, it takes about a week to obtain the CTC but that the judgment was delivered on the 24th of September which is not up to a week adding that immediately the commission obtains the judgment, the legal department of the commission would get to work after which there would be a meeting of the commissioners a position would be taken on the matter.

He also confirmed there are lots of issues pertaining to the judgment that would have to be resolved as there’s a lot of anxiety in both the commission and in the political parties as no one is cetin about what may become of the fate of candidates who are seen as falling in the category of those that may be affected by the judgement.

There are fears the candidates who emerged late or after presenting themselves for elections on other platforms like ex-IGP Mohammed Adamu, Sheik Isa Pantami; Kingsley Chinda; Shehu Buba; Mohammed Nami, may be affected.

Section 77 states in part that a party shall maintain a digital register of its members containing the name, sex, date of birth, address, State, Local Government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number and photograph in both hard and soft copies.

Each political party shall make such register available to the Commission not later than 21 days before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses or conventions; Only members whose names are contained in the register shall be eligible to vote and be voted for in party primaries, congresses and conventions while a political party shall not use any other register for party primaries, congresses and conventions except the register submitted to the Commission. And that a party that fails to submit the membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election.

The Yobe State House of Assembly has pledged to increase budgetary support for Yobe State University (YSU) and facilitate access to interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and other agencies.

The Speaker, Chroma Buba Mashio, made the pledge on Tuesday when the university’s vice chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Bashir Tahir, led the university management on a familiarisation visit to the Assembly.

Mashio said the university management would be invited to participate in the 2027 budget defence.

He also pledged to use relevant platforms, including the Nigerian Speakers Conference, to facilitate interventions from TETFund and other agencies.

The speaker urged the university to extend its expertise to the state’s primary and secondary schools.

‘We are having problems from secondary to primary school in Yobe State. We want to know how you, as learned people with qualified professors and others, can advise us and advise the state government,’ he said.

Earlier, Tahir said his administration, which assumed office in January 2026, had focused on repositioning the university for academic excellence, accountability and greater impact.

He said the university had completed accreditation processes for Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography and sponsored 16 medical doctors for postgraduate training abroad.

Seven are studying in India, while six others are expected to travel to Malaysia in October.

He said 32 academic staff had also been sponsored for postgraduate training in Nigeria, while 70 academic and non-academic staff had benefited from in-house postgraduate programmes.

Tahir listed the commissioning of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre, six new postgraduate programmes and the establishment of a Faculty of Computing among the institution’s achievements.

He also said 10 students had benefited from the Grema Mohammed Scholarship sponsored by Ashaka Cement Company.

Amnesty International has rejected the Nigerian Police Force’s claim that five men arrested in Maiduguri while wearing ‘Tinubu Must Go’ T-shirts were in possession of drugs, describing the explanation as an attempt to justify what it called their unlawful detention.

Daily Trust reports that after the nationwide outrage which trailed their arrests, the Borno State Police Command denied that the motive of arrest was political.

In a statement on Wednesday, Nahum Daso Kenneth , Police Public Relations Officer in the state, said, ‘The Command wishes to categorically state that the Nigeria Police Force is a professional, non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint.’

The police alleged that they conspired to print and wear T-shirts bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go’ with the intention of causing a breach of public peace around the West End Roundabout area of the city.

The police subsequently defended the arrests, saying the suspects were also in possession of drugs.

But in a statement, Amnesty dismissed the drug allegation and accused the police of introducing a new narrative in an attempt to justify the continued detention of the men.

The rights organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five men – Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed – insisting that expressing a dissenting political opinion is not a criminal offence.

The organisation said the Borno State Police Command must end what it described as ‘bizarre and desperate attempts’ to justify the arrests.

It said linking the five men to drugs and other crimes was a ‘familiar playbook’ aimed at justifying political repression and undermining democratic freedoms.

‘Earlier, police accused the five men for alleged inciting disturbance, breach of public peace, and thuggery, and now linking them to drugs manifests a desperate attempt to punish them for their peaceful political activities,’ Amnesty said.

The organisation argued that, in the absence of a recognisable criminal offence arising from the men’s political expression, the new drug allegation appeared to be an additional attempt to build a case against them.

Amnesty maintained that citizens in Borno State and across Nigeria have the right to support or oppose political parties and candidates without fear of arrest or reprisal.

It said freedom of political expression was not constitutionally reserved for supporters of any particular political party.

‘The five men must be released immediately and unconditionally. Holding and expressing dissenting political opinion is not a crime,’ the organisation said.

Amnesty also called on the Nigeria Police and the Borno State Government to end what it described as arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition members and supporters.

It warned that continued arrests over peaceful political expression could further restrict civic space and freedom of expression in the state.

The men were reportedly arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Maiduguri, where they pleaded not guilty

. Their lawyers subsequently applied for bail, with the court expected to rule on the application on October 6, while the substantive case was adjourned to October 26.

The police allegations and Amnesty’s characterisation of the arrests remain contested, with the police maintaining that the suspects committed offences beyond merely wearing the T-shirts.

The Controller of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Muhammed Anas, has cautioned residents to take all necessary precautions against flooding as rainfall continues to intensify across the territory.

Controller Anas said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, noting that the heavy, persistent rains call for heightened vigilance, particularly in low-lying areas, riverbanks, and communities with inadequate drainage systems.

He stressed that human activities often exacerbate flooding and emphasised that safeguarding lives and property is a shared responsibility.

The Controller further advised residents to contribute their quota to mitigating the effects of flooding by clearing drains, gutters, and surroundings of refuse and debris regularly.

He also urged them to avoid constructing buildings in flood-prone and low-lying areas, monitor weather forecasts, heed flood alerts from relevant authorities and avoid crossing flooded roads, bridges, streams, or rivers, whether on foot or by vehicle.

In the event of flooding, residents are advised to remain calm and move immediately to higher ground or another safe location.

Controller Anas also advised them to switch off the power supply at the mains and avoid touching electrical appliances, wires, or other electrical installations; avoid walking or driving through floodwaters, as even shallow water can be dangerous and immediately contact the Federal Fire Service or other emergency responders for assistance.

The 54-hole Nigeria Closed of the 2026 Lakowe Lakes Classic teed off on Monday at the par-72 Lakowe Lakes Golf Club, with more than 150 professional golfers expected to compete across the two-stage tournament.

The Nigeria Closed offers a N30m prize purse, while the international leg, scheduled for Oct. 2 to Oct. 4, will feature a $50,000 prize purse and World Golf Ranking points.

Professional golfers from more than 12 African countries are expected to join Nigeria’s leading players for the international competition, with participants drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo, The Gambia, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Zambia.

Adding further incentive to the international leg, CIG Motor is offering a brand-new electric car to the overall winner.

The Nigeria Closed will give local professionals the opportunity to compete for substantial prize money before the arrival of the wider continental field for the international tournament.

Former Nigeria number one golfer Oche Odoh described the hosting of the Sunshine Development Tour events in Nigeria as a significant development for the country’s professional golfers.

‘This partnership is a major boost for professional golf in Nigeria. Our players are the biggest beneficiaries because they now have more opportunities to compete internationally, improve their games and earn ranking points without always travelling outside the country,’ Odoh said.

The international leg is also expected to provide Nigerian golfers with an opportunity to measure themselves against professionals from across Africa while competing for ranking points on home soil.

At least three people have lost their lives while several others were injured following a stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna.

The injured victims are currently receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday night when youths reportedly linked to a planned protest over the recent deaths of 37 artisanal miners were allegedly invited to the Government House to shelve their protest.

Among those who lost their lives were a woman, Dije, and her daughter, Hurairat, both internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area.

Hurairat’s husband, Abubakar, a butcher, was reportedly killed by bandits in 2023 along the Allawa-Pandogari Road.

Following the attack and the subsequent desertion of the Allawa community, Hurairat had been living in Minna as an IDP.

Dije, who was staying with her husband as an IDP in Gurmana, had visited her daughter, Hurairat, when they both heard that the governor was going to distribute money at the Government House. They subsequently went there.

Mallam Musa Allawa, one of the IDPs, told Daily Trust that Dije and Hurairat would both be buried at 10am on Wednesday.

Sources, including some appointees of the governor, had posted on social media before the stampede that the youths had gathered at the Government House to show solidarity with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

One of the appointees told Daily Trust that other people, including women, later trooped to the Government House after hearing that the governor would distribute N10,000 to those gathered.

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, said the government would release a statement in due course.

Also, the Spokesperson for the Niger Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to verify the information and revert.

More than 3,000 passengers who travelled to Kano on Saudi Arabian Airlines flights have been left without their luggage, which remains in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, weeks after their arrival.

The affected passengers said the situation had left many of them without clothes, medication, documents and other essential belongings.

Some passengers, who returned to Nigeria nearly two weeks ago, said they were shocked to arrive at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport without their checked-in luggage.

In some cases, they said, even their hand luggage was not delivered.

The passengers said neither the airline nor the relevant Nigerian authorities adequately informed them that their luggage would not travel with them.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed that more than 3,000 passengers were affected by the baggage backlog.

The authority said about eight tonnes of luggage had been brought into Nigeria so far following its intervention.

However, it said an estimated 180 tonnes of luggage remained stranded in Jeddah.

‘We arrived with only our phones’

One of the passengers, Engineer Usman Ahmed Zun-Noorayne, who travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on September 1 and returned to Nigeria on September 15, said passengers boarded the flight without being informed that their luggage would not arrive with them.

‘We were not told anything. On the verge of entering the plane, we were told that they were going to collect our hand baggage,’ he said.

According to him, passengers were given the impression that their hand luggage would be available immediately after landing.

‘But when we landed, there was no communication. After being cleared by immigration, we proceeded to take our baggage and the place was empty.

He said some passengers had left phones, house and car keys, ATM cards, identity cards and other valuables inside their hand luggage.

‘It has been happening for weeks’

Another passenger, Babagana Muhammad, who travelled with his wife from Heathrow Airport in London, said they checked in two pieces of 23kg baggage each before departing for Kano.

But after landing in Kano on September 17, they waited at the baggage carousel only to hear from airport porters that the aircraft had arrived without passengers’ luggage.

According to him, there was no airport official from the NCAA, cargo handling company or Saudi Arabian Airlines available to explain what had happened or when the baggage would arrive.

Muhammad said the lack of communication had compounded the frustration.

Passengers demand answers, compensation

Following the disruption, affected passengers have begun organising themselves to demand explanations and compensation from the airline.

Zun-Noorayne said passengers visited the Saudi Arabian Airlines office in Kano on Monday, where the airline told them that a company supplying jet fuel to flights operating from Kano had defaulted, resulting in a fuel shortage.

He said passengers were also not given a definite date for the delivery of their belongings.

Airline cites jet fuel shortage

A senior staff member of Saudi Arabian Airlines’ Kano office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the baggage disruption was linked to a shortage of jet fuel at the airport.

When Daily Trust visited the airline’s Kano office, the premises were locked, while a staff member confirmed that workers had gone out to help resolve the issue.

The senior staff member said the airline had explained the situation to passengers and was making arrangements to transport their baggage separately.

‘We have a problem at Kano airport as there is no jet fuel there. But now, we are trying to use cargo flights to convey their luggage as soon as possible,’ the staff member said.

He explained that aircraft have limits on the amount of load they can carry, saying the airline had therefore prioritised transporting passengers while making arrangements to bring their luggage later.

He assured passengers that their luggage was safe and would be delivered.

Airport authorities dispute fuel claim

However, the management of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport said it was not aware of any jet-fuel shortage.

Faruk Isa Fagge, the Head of Operations at the airport, told our reporter that there are six jet filling stations at the airport; only one has no fuel, which he said accidentally happened to be the one that supplies fuel to the Saudi airline.

‘Also, an airline has a limit of the weight he could carry, including passengers, their luggage and the fuel he carries.

‘So, having known that there is no fuel from their supplier here, they take excess fuel that could bring them to Kano from Jeddah and take it back, thereby leaving passengers’ luggage. That on its own is an aviation crime, and the relevant regulatory agency is working on fixing that.

‘The airline has now agreed to dedicate a whole flight to convey the luggage soon,’ Fagge added.

NCAA intervenes

The NCAA said it had engaged Saudi Arabian Airlines over the baggage backlog.

The authority disclosed that about eight tonnes of luggage had already been brought into Nigeria following its intervention, while approximately 180 tonnes remained stranded in Jeddah.

It said the airline had agreed to compensate affected passengers who file complaints through its official complaint portal.

The authority said Saudi Arabian Airlines had cited operational challenges out of Kano as contributing to the disruption.

The NCAA assured passengers that it would continue monitoring the situation until their baggage was delivered.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of North-Eastern University (NEU), Gombe, Dr Mohammad Sani Isyaka, has emerged as Gombe State’s youngest professor at the age of 40.

According to a statement by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mukhtar Sani Saulawa, Isyaka was promoted to Professor of Organic and Natural Products Chemistry by the institution’s Governing Council, effective October 1, 2026.

The promotion followed the successful completion of the university’s external assessment process and was subsequently ratified by the governing council.

Born on August 30, 1986, in Gombe Local Government Area, Isyaka also became the youngest Deputy Vice-Chancellor from the state at the age of 37.

The university said he has also been admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (FICCON), in recognition of his contributions to the chemical sciences.

Isyaka obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Abuja in 2008, an M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the same university in 2012, and a PhD in Organic and Natural Products Chemistry from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, in 2020.

He began his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer at the Federal University of Kashere in 2012 before joining NEU, where he rose to the rank of Associate Professor in 2023 and full Professor in 2026.

According to the university, he has published more than 100 research papers in Scopus-indexed international journals and supervised M.Sc. and PhD students.

His research has focused on natural products chemistry, including the isolation and identification of 47 novel chemical compounds from three African Croton species.

One of the compounds associated with his research, Saniolide, was named in his honour and has shown activity against melanoma, renal and colon cancer cell lines in laboratory studies.

At NEU, Isyaka has served as Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, Chairman of the Senate Business Committee and pioneer Director of the Centre for African Medicinal Plants Research.

The Yobe State Government has paid over ?6 billion in pension and gratuity to 4,271 local government retirees and beneficiaries, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Mohammed Goje, has disclosed.

Dr. Goje disclosed this when he received members of the Committee on Local Government Staff Pension and Gratuity Payment, who briefed him on the progress and activities of the committee since its reconstitution in July 2022 by Governor Mai Mala Buni.

The committee was reconstituted by Governor Buni with a mandate to verify local government retirees and the next-of-kin of deceased local government employees to facilitate the processing and payment of their legitimate pension and gratuity entitlements.

Goni Usman Gana, Chairman, Committee Local Government Staff Pension, who spoke for the committee said the verification, screening and processing exercise has so far resulted in the payment of over ?6 billion to more than 4,271 beneficiaries, comprising living retirees and the next-of-kin of deceased local government staff.

The SSG commended Governor Buni for his commitment to the welfare of retirees and the families of deceased local government employees, describing the payment as an important intervention towards meeting the government’s obligations to people who dedicated their productive years to public service.

Dr. Goje also commended members of the committee for their diligence and commitment to ensuring that the exercise was conducted in accordance with due process.

The committee Chairman said the verification process was carried out with emphasis on transparency, fairness and due diligence, to ensure that genuine retirees and legitimate next-of-kin of deceased staff received their entitlements.

He explained that beneficiaries were subjected to the necessary screening and verification before their claims were processed, in order to protect the integrity of the exercise and prevent fraudulent claims.

The committee comprises representatives of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Local Government Audit Department, Local Government Service Commission, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Local Government Staff Pension Board.

The SSG urged the committee to sustain the transparency and diligence that have characterised the exercise, while ensuring that all genuine beneficiaries are identified and processed for payment.

He assured the committee of the state government’s continued commitment to addressing outstanding pension and gratuity obligations within available resources and established procedures.

The development, he said, reflects the Buni administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare and its responsibility to retirees who served the state and local governments.

With over ?6 billion already paid to 4,271 beneficiaries, the exercise continues to provide financial relief to retired local government employees and the families of deceased staff across Yobe State.