Home Blog Page 406

“Calm Down, Discussions On For Nnamdi Kanu’s Release” – Gov. Otti

By
The Source
-
0
Alex Otti and Nnamdi Kanu

By Charles Igbo

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has appealed to those aggrieved by the life sentence in jail passed on the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB to calm down as the jail term is not the end of the road for Kanu’s case.

Recall that Nnamdi Kanu who had been facing prosecution by the Federal Government which preferred a six-count charge against him, all of which bordered on terrorism and other issues was finally sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20 by a Federal High Court presided over by the Honourable Justice James Omotosho.

Four of the charges carry the death sentences, but Omotosho, taking refuge in a Bible passage in the book of St. Mathew, converted the death sentences to life imprisonment.

The sentence has been received with mixed feelings. While some people from, obviously, Kanu’s Southeast Region have condemned it, some other people, quite a number of them from the Southeast, have also hailed the judgment insisting that the IPOB leader’s activities and orders destroyed the Zone, and violently took the lives of hundreds of people.

Yet, not a few think that all things considered, a political situation is the best option – an option which many stakeholders from the Zone had canvassed for a couple of years.

In reaction to Kanu’s sentencing, Otti, in a statement on Friday, disclosed that channels have already been activated  to secure the release of the IPOB leader from prison. He said diplomatic moves have already started for it to materialise.

In the statement, Otti acknowledged that the fate which befell Kanu has “broken a lot of our people”,   and said he had, at all times, advocated for dialogue as the best route to addressing “the IPOB issue, dating back to 2017 when soldiers invaded Kanu’s Afaraukwu home in Umuahia.”

At the time,the Governor

said he condemned the incident and warned in his ThisDay column, “Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly with a Sledgehammer,” that such forceful approaches would escalate rather than resolve the crisis.

“The poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today. “Leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint, and tolerance rather than force and violence.”

Otti said he had, since December 22, 2023, began engaging top federal authorities to explore a political and diplomatic solution and revealed that certain agreements were reached, but they depended on the timely conclusion of Kanu’s trial.

Otti: “Now that judgment has been delivered, the alternative resolution will kick in.

“With the assurances I have received, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom.

The Governor, however,  warned politicians against exploiting Kanu’s ordeal for political gain, and posited that the focus should be on unity and a collective push for a peaceful solution. He assured that he would continue to pursue the matter using wisdom, high-level dialogue and diplomacy, with the ultimate goal of restoring lasting peace to the Southeast.

The statement reads in full:  ”Yesterday, Thursday November, 20, 2025, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja found our son and a citizen of the state, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism-related offences and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.

“Without doubt, this development has broken a lot of our people and created an atmosphere of shock and sorrow in Abia and beyond.

“It would be recalled that in September 2017 when soldiers invaded the family home of Mazi Kanu, leading to destruction of property and loss of lives, I immediately and strongly condemned that avoidable act and appealed that dialogue should henceforth be explored as the best approach to resolving the IPOB issue.

“Eight days after that military onslaught at Afaraukwu Umuahia, specifically on September 25, 2017, I wrote a piece on my Thisday Column captioned ” Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly With a Sledge Hammer”. I condemned that invasion and the killings that followed once again, and offered extensively well-thought-out views and suggestions I felt could help de-escalate tension and unite the nation if the then federal government was willing to pay attention to those views.

“This is because I recognise that leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint and tolerance rather than force and violence.

“I still strongly believe that the poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today, hence we cannot allow it to linger and create a bigger monstrous situation for us.

“While the trial that led to this conviction lasted, I personally engaged the authorities at the highest level, starting from December 22, 2023, on alternative resolution strategy. I must state that some agreements were made which were dependent on quick dispensation of the matter at the federal high court. Unfortunately, the matter dragged until this time.

“I am confident that judgement having been delivered, the alternative resolution will now kick in. It is instructive that this strategy was explained to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when I visited him while he was in the DSS Custody earlier in the year.

“While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated and will continue to work on the already agreed strategy until his freedom is secured. I’m also happy to collaborate with other well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely want this problem resolved, to push for his freedom through the same diplomacy and dialogue with the federal government, which though did not create the problem, but can courageously and compassionately solve it and take the credit.

“I’ll like to use this opportunity to appeal to our people to remain calm and refrain from utterances and actions capable of stoking fear, violence and insecurity and may negatively affect the the outcome of the engagements we are already having. I have no doubt that with the assurances I have received from the Federal Government, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom.

“May I also caution politicians who have positioned themselves to play petty and dirty politics with the travails of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to jettison the idea, and rather work with us to secure his freedom.

“Finally, I want to assure our people of my unwavering resolve and commitment to genuinely solving this problem with wisdom, high level dialogue and diplomacy, with a view to ensuring that genuine peace returns to the South East.“

The IPOB Leader was, on Friday, November 21, moved from the Headquarters of the DSS, Abuja, where he has been in custody since 2021, to a Custodial Centre in Kaduna State to start serving his sentence.

SouthEast: You Saw The Smoke

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
-
0
Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu

By Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu

When South East communities were burning under IPOB/ESN occupation, many of you acting shocked today behaved like you were blind back then.

You saw the smoke, smelled the fire, and still insisted nothing was happening.

You helped rebrand crimes as “Unknown Gu(n)men,” even when those of us with common sense told you these men were very known.

Kanu went on radio and called them angels, and you clapped. He praised the Imo jailbreak with his full chest, gave them frame-by-frame guides on air on how to break into more prisons. When a few of us shouted that this was a disaster in the making, you blocked your ears and formed Stevie Wonder.

They went from Umu Chineke to Umuoma Kanu, and somehow you still pretended this was a liberation army and not a terr0r syndicate.

ESN commanders were not patriots or freedom fighters. They were armed robbers, pris0n escapees, failed cvltists, and the worst products of society.

But you, with your “I’m educated, I’m enlightened” pride, didn’t stop to ask what happens when a pr0scribed group recruits criminals, arms them, and unleashes them on communities.

You honestly believed people who burnt police stations, destroyed prisons, chased out security, and hijacked vigilante weapons were going to protect you?
Protect who?
How?

You didn’t question anything. You didn’t observe. You didn’t analyse. You were carried away by chants of ideology and hashtags, shouting about imaginary freedom while the people at home were being held hostage by your so-called liberators.

When ESN and Umuoma entered communities, life collapsed overnight. When they took over the South-East, life collapsed every Monday.

The same region shouting about marginalization was deliberately marginalizing itself every Monday, destroying its economy to “prove a point” to the federal government. Self-inflicted injury. Own goal.

These men weren’t hiding their atrocities, they were uploading the videos themselves.

Execu*tions. T0rture. Ext0rtion. Burning homes. Instilling fear. And still, you pretended not to see it. Yet your families lived there. Your children were there. Your ageing parents were there. In the South East.

Who did you think was enforcing the “Sit-at-Home”?
And what exactly about “liberation” requires you to obey or die?
Don’t look away now. Answer.

If you cover spilled milk with newspaper instead of cleaning it, the smell will remind you. And when the newspaper rots, the mess underneath will ch0ke you. That is exactly what happened in the South East. You covered evil with “freedom” propaganda, and now the consequences are rotting openly.

You come online today yapping about “justice.”
What justice did the victims of Kanu’s orders get?
What justice was given to their families?
Did their lives not matter because they didn’t fit your political fantasy?
Did their loved ones not cry?
Did their children not bleed?

And then there are the ones proudly saying, “Kanu opened my eyes, he taught me history.”

Oh, the irony.
The same man who manipulated you with half-truths and emotional blackmail somehow became your professor of history.

His savior complex fed directly on your gullibility. You were chosen deliberately because you were the easiest to deceive. You were the experiment that proved that those who shout “we are wiser than ndi mba ozo” actually lacked the very critical thinking they bragged about.

He played on your anger, your insecurity, your identity crisis, and your desperation to belong. And you swallowed it whole. No questions. No logic. Just blind loyalty. Even when the truth sla*pped you, you didn’t dare turn back. And you called those who did , “sabo”.

The cold, brutal truth is, you were not enlightened. you were exploited.
You were not freedom fighters. You were useful tools.
And the South East became the sacrificial lamb for his delusion of grandeur.

Biafra has really became the opium of the masses.

Today, the average IPOB apologist would rather quote Kanu than use the internet to research basic facts.

How else do you explain people who watched a five-hour judgment, saw cold hard evidence, heard a defendant refuse to explain or defend anything, and still came out convinced he was wise or for their interests? That judgment covered only a fraction of the actual cri*mes. You watched all of it. And if you honestly didn’t, you do not have to believe me. You can go to Orsu, Orlu, Lilu, Achala, Mbosi, Ihiala, Mbaitolu etc and verify with your own eyes or ask people from those communities ESN invaded.

Truly, for many of you, the lights are on but no one is at home.

And that’s the part you can’t admit, because admitting it means acknowledging the blo0d that flowed while you chanted.

But denial doesn’t wash bl0od away. It doesn’t change the facts. It only stains your conscience deeper.

When Governance Becomes Theatre: The Tragedy of Nigeria’s Diplomatic Decline

By
The Source
-
0
Abraham Amah
Abraham Amah

By Abraham Amah

There are moments in a nation’s political life when governance begins to resemble theatre, when official actions raise more questions than answers, and when even the most patient citizen is forced to pause and wonder what direction the country is truly heading. The recent decision by the Nigerian Government to train 50 Senators and Members of the House of Representatives on “how to negotiate with the United States” is one such moment. It is not simply curious—it is a troubling sign of how far we have drifted from seriousness.

At first, the idea sounds almost admirable, perhaps even innovative. But look deeper and you find a quiet tragedy unfolding before our eyes: the steady neglect of the very institutions built to give Nigeria strength, coherence, and credibility on the global stage. It is a symbolic gesture that betrays an uncomfortable truth—that our political class no longer trusts or understands the machinery of statecraft.

For decades, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been home to some of Africa’s finest career diplomats—men and women who have dedicated their lives to understanding global power structures, decoding Western policy behaviour, cultivating relationships, negotiating peace, and defending Nigeria’s interests in rooms where every word carries weight. These diplomats are trained, seasoned, and tested. They represent the intellectual capital of our foreign policy tradition.

So what does it say when legislators with little or no background in international relations are packaged into a short seminar to learn how to negotiate with Washington? What becomes of the years of expertise accumulated within the Foreign Affairs Ministry? And why are we now treating diplomacy like a skill that can be acquired in a hotel ballroom over the course of a working week?

The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs—once the nerve centre of our foreign policy thinking—deserves special attention. The NIIA used to be the meeting point for scholars, diplomats, and thinkers whose analyses shaped the continent’s diplomatic direction. Here, doctrines were debated and refined; foreign policy positions were crafted with intellectual weight. Today, however, the NIIA is a shadow of itself, struggling for relevance and funding while lawmakers are sent elsewhere to learn what the institute was created for.

Then there is the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. NIPSS was never meant to be a ceremonial school. It is Nigeria’s apex leadership training institution, designed to prepare senior officials for national and international responsibility. It trains decision-makers in strategic thinking, national interest, security, and diplomacy. Yet instead of sending legislators to Kuru, we now see efforts to send them to crash courses on topics best handled by our own national institutions.

The irony grows deeper when we consider that the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency both possess the analytical and institutional capacity to guide any national engagement with the United States. The DSS understands the internal psychology of governance and monitors foreign influence patterns, while the NIA is Nigeria’s specialist organisation for understanding the motivations, interests, and strategies of foreign governments. Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NIIA, they form a formidable structure capable of supporting and shaping high-level negotiations with any global power, including the United States.

That we are ignoring this infrastructure speaks volumes. It suggests a leadership environment that no longer recognises the tools of statecraft. It reveals a governing elite more enthralled by the symbolism of activity than the substance of preparation. It is the kind of behaviour that nations exhibit when they begin to drift from institutional maturity and toward performative governance.

Nigeria was not always like this. We once led Africa with confidence and intellectual depth. We played central roles in resolving conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Our diplomats influenced decisions at the United Nations and the African Union. We anchored ECOWAS with stability and purpose. We articulated bold foreign policy positions guided by philosophy, national interest, and a deep understanding of Africa’s place in the global order. The world listened when Nigeria spoke.

How did we get from that era of diplomatic clarity to a period where our leaders seek short-term training instead of leaning on our institutional memory? How did we move from producing global statesmen to outsourcing our own diplomatic competence?

Diplomacy is not a casual conversation. It is not something learned on the eve of a foreign trip. It is a delicate and highly intellectual enterprise, requiring emotional intelligence, historical awareness, strategic thinking, psychological sensitivity, and years of experience. It is an accumulation of knowledge, not a weekend tutorial. Countries that take diplomacy seriously rely on their institutions, not on improvised solutions.

So before anyone teaches our lawmakers how to negotiate with Washington, Nigeria must honestly confront the questions that matter:

What happened to our career diplomats, and why are they being sidelined?

What happened to the NIIA, and why is one of Africa’s most important foreign policy think-tanks no longer at the centre of national discourse?

What happened to NIPSS, and why has it been reduced to a neglected option rather than the first stop for strategic training?

What happened to the DSS and NIA, and why are their strengths not being integrated into our external engagements?

And most importantly, what happened to a Nigeria whose voice once carried moral and diplomatic authority across the world?

Nations do not decline only because of economic hardship or political instability. Many decline because they treat knowledge casually, institutions lightly, and national strategy as an afterthought. They collapse when short-termism replaces long-term planning. They become irrelevant when political theatrics crowd out intellectual competence.

If Nigeria is serious about reclaiming her rightful place in the global community, the solution will not be found in hurried workshops for lawmakers. It will be found in the revival of our diplomatic institutions, in the empowerment of our seasoned experts, in restoring the honour and relevance of the NIIA and NIPSS, and in recognising that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DSS, and NIA must be the central pillars of any serious engagement with a global superpower.

Until we return to a leadership culture that values expertise, invests in institutions, and respects the depth required for diplomacy, every training of this nature will remain what it truly is—performance, not progress; symbolism, not substance; and ultimately, an embarrassing misuse of national resources.

The world is watching, and history will remember whether we chose competence or convenience.

Elder Amah writes from Umuahia, Abia State

Niger State School Attack: 227 Students, 12 Teachers Kidnapped – CAN

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
-
0
St Mary’s School - Niger State

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has put the number of abducted students in the Niger state school invasion at 227.

The Source reports that suspected terrorists had, early Friday morning, November 2, 2025, invaded St Mary’s Catholic School Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area of the State, kidnapping teachers and students.

However, while confirming  the incident, the Police authorities and Niger State Government insisted that the number of abductees were yet to be ascertained .

But at an interactive session with the Media late Friday, the Niger State Chairman of CAN, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, informed that about  215 students, and 12 teachers were taken away by the invaders.

“I just returned from the community this night after my visit to the school . I met with some parents of the missing children and assured them that efforts are being made in collaboration with the Government and Security Agencies to ensure that the Children are rescued and brought back safely.

“From our record, 215 pupils and students, and teachers were abducted by the terrorists. During the attack, some students escaped, and parents have started coming to pick their children because the school has to be shutdown”, Yohanna stated

Earlier, Independent sources had estimated that about 53 students were abducted by the hoodlums.

The Niger State Government and Police authorities in their various statements had, also, blamed the refusal of the  Management of the school to obey security advisory directing the closure of schools within the area, and other security challenged Councils .

A statement from the Niger State Police Command spokesperson, W.A. Abiodun informed that the State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, has assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted to unravel why the school was still in session after the Government’s directive for schools to be closed .

“The Commissioner of Police, assured that this incident will be investigated, and necessary action taken against the school management for continuing academic activities contrary to the state Government’s directives on closure of schools in the area due to security challenges”, the police statement reads in part.

Christians Genocide: US Congress Public Hearing ‘One-sided’- FG

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
-
0
Mohammed Idris - Minister of Information and National Orientation

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, has condemned the ongoing public hearing by the US Congress over alleged Christians Genocide in the country.

 Idris who spoke on Channels Television Politics Today on Friday,  said the investigation is misleading because the lawmakers are relying on distorted claims by some people.

The Congress investigations comes few weeks after President Donald Trump said he was prepared to use military force against the country if the federal government failed to stop targeted attacks against Christians in the country.  

The US leader also designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, CPC as part of his government efforts to put pressure on Nigeria to end the killings of Christians by Islamic radical groups

The federal government had earlier in the week dispatched a high-powered delegation led by Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA to the US as part of its trouble-shorting efforts with the UG government, after earlier denying that Christians are being systematically wiped out by Islamic insurgents.   

According to the Minister, the alleged Christians genocide cannot be supported with verifiable facts, saying the federal government is doing everything to protect the rights of all Nigerians regardless of fail or creed, describing the US Congress hearing to be “one-sided’ that “falls short of the standards expected of a fair and objective congressional inquiry.” 

“The hearing did not present a balanced picture. It ignored the complexities of insecurity in Nigeria and failed to recognise that victims of violence cut across religious lines,” the minister said.

“When foreign bodies reduce criminality, banditry and communal disputes to a religious war, they not only misinform their own public but also endanger efforts to build unity at home.”

The magazine had earlier reported that the federal government, on Tuesday, sent the NSA, top security chiefs,  including the Inspector General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defence Staff, CDS and other top federal government officials to meet with top officials of the US government as tension continue to rise over the remark by President Trump that he was prepared to attack Nigeria militarily if the alleged Christians genocide persists.  

On Friday, Ribadu shared a picture with the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth  on his Facebook page, as part of the ongoing peace-building meetings to douse tension between the two countries.

Meanwhile, diplomatic analysts insist that the spat between the countries will only exacerbate if the Tinubu administration continues to push back rather than being reconciliatory with the Trump administration. 

Students’ Abduction: FG Announces Closure Of Unity Schools

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
-
0
Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School - Kebbi State

The Federal Government has ordered the immediate closure of 41 federal Unity Colleges across the country to forestall further security breach. Majority of the schools affected are in the northern part of the country, while some schools have also been shut in the south.

The development followed the recent abduction of secondary school students in Niger and Kebbi states. The closure was announced on Friday by the federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The magazine had earlier reported that dozens of high school students were abducted by bandits, who also took away some members of staff of the affected schools.

The situation has created serious apprehension across the country as parents are now worried about the safety of their ward sin government borading schools.

According to a circular issued yesterday by the Ministry, the directive followed heightened tension across the country over the targeted school abduction by the criminals.

The circular, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Abdulkadir, on behalf of the Minister, said the government has resolved to prioritise the safety of students and staff.

“Sequel to the recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to prevent any security breaches, the Honourable Minister of Education has approved the immediate closure of the listed Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) with immediate effect. Principals of affected Colleges are to ensure strict compliance,” the ministry said.

The magazine had earlier reported that two of the 25 school girls kidnapped in Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi state escaped form their abductors, and have now been re-united with their parents.

Kebbi School Girls Abduction: Gov. Idris Alleges Sabotage, Asks Who Withdrew Soldiers Just Before Incident, Demands Probe

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0
Nasir Idris - Governor of Kebbi State

By Ayodele Oni

Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has faulted the withdrawal of military personnel from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, shortly before the abduction of students by bandits.

Bandits had early hours on Monday, invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State killed the vice principal and whisked away 25 girls.

Idris spoke on Friday in Birnin Kebbi while receiving the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, who paid him a sympathy visit over the incident.

He described the situation as unfortunate, especially as Government had received intelligence reports on a planned attack and immediately convened a security meeting.

“As a responsive Government, when we received intelligence on a possible attack, we summoned a security meeting.

“The security agencies assured us that all was well and that personnel would be mobilised to the school.

“The military was deployed, but they later withdrew by 3 a.m., and by 3:45 a.m., then the incident happened,” he added.

The governor revealed that the state had demanded a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of soldiers before the girls were kidnapped.

He said clerics had also been directed to intensify prayers for the safe return of the victims and for peace in the state.

“What is happening in this country shows that enemies are working against this government. We return to God and continue to pray for divine intervention.”

Idris described the NLC president’s visit as historic, saying it demonstrated solidarity in a time of distress.

“We assure you that we will do everything humanly possible to rescue our daughters and return them safely to their homes,” the governor assured.

Earlier, Ajaero said the incident was worrisome and occurred at a time the state was recording significant progress in service delivery and development under Governor Idris.

He stated that the NLC believed the abduction was “more than a mere coincidence”, adding that any attempt to derail the state’s developmental strides would not succeed.

“Any attempt to stop the tide of progress will never succeed. We are ready to place the state side-by-side with others in terms of development.

“This is a distraction, but we urge you to stand firm. We sympathise with you and we are with you,” he told the governor.

Nnamdi Kanu: Ohaneze Ndigbo Alleges Bias, Ethnic Profiling

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
-
0
Nnamdi Kanu in Court

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide has strongly flayed the conviction and sentencing of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

The Source reports that Kanu was on Thursday November 20, 2025. handed down a life sentence by a Federal High Court Abuja presided over by Justice James Omotosho.

The verdict climaxed years of Federal Government’s prosecution of the IPOB leader on a seven count charge bordering on terrorism and other related issues.

He was found guilty of all the seven charges preferred against him, four of which carry death penalties. He was, however, sentenced to life in jail in place of death sentence.

The Apex Socio-cultural Organization of the Igbo, however, in a statement from its spokesperson, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, on Friday November 21, 2025 while condemning the judgment, also described it as “deeply troubling and potentially capable of unsettling the peace and stability of the Country.”

The statement quoted the President General, Senator Azuta Mbata, as expressing the  serious disappointment and concern  of the entire Igbo nation in the Court’s decision, noting that the development has also provoked widespread concern over what not a few have come to perceive to be a pattern of discriminatory treatment in Kanu’s case .

“Beyond the legal questions, the Igbo nation is deeply troubled by the pattern of harsh treatment meted out in this case which many perceive as reflective of ethnic bias.

“This perception erodes trust in national institutions and touches directly on the dignity and integrity of the Igbo People”, the Ohaneze Ndigbo stated.

This is as the body expressed serious concern that the fate of the IPOB leader is bound to exacerbate the precarious security situation in the South East region.

According to the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the continued incarceration of Kanu has been a major driver and enabler of agitations, violence and killings in the region in the last few years.

Ohaneze, therefore, called on President Bola  Tinubu to consider the urgent exploration of political options to resolving the situation in the overall interest of national unity, peace and stability.

According to it, resorting solely to the application of force will never yield any meaningful results in the present circumstances.

Rather, the umbrella body of the Igbo nation, insisted that high handed approach will only deepen instability and restlessness in the South East region.

The body further emphasized the need for the pursuit of justice, fairness and equity by the authorities, insisting that sensitivity and inclusiveness can preserve the unity we all desire in the country.

“His (Kanu’s) incarceration has become a flashpoint for unrest, frustration and radicalization. Continued hardline responses will only deepen instability.

” In the interest of national unity, peace and equity, we urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adopt a political solution.

” Dialogue, not maximum punishment, offers the best path toward healing longstanding grievances, restoring calm in the South  East and advancing true national reconciliation”, the Igbo Organization added.

Nasarawa Police Debunks Alleged Abduction Claim, Says Students Fled On Sighting Hunters

By
Akinwale Kasali
-
0
Nigerian Police

By Akinwale Kasali

The news of an alleged abduction of Students of St. Peter’s Foundation Secondary School, Rukubi, in Doma Local Government Area, Nasarawa on Friday has been debunked.

The Nasarawa State Police Command in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, described the viral accounts circulating across social media and some news outlets as “false” and not reflective of the actual events.

According to the statement, the alarm was triggered when students heading to the school field for Physical and Health Education classes sighted armed hunters in the area and fled in panic, mistaking them for kidnappers. Their teachers subsequently escorted them back to the school premises.

Nansel said the Commissioner of Police, Shetima Jauro Mohammed, immediately deployed a joint team of police officers and military personnel stationed within the vicinity after receiving the initial distress report.

“Upon arrival, it was discovered that the Students had sighted some hunters carrying Dane guns and, out of fear, fled, mistaking them for kidnappers.

“The area was thoroughly combed, and normalcy was immediately restored,” the statement said.

The Command urged the public to disregard the circulating reports, advising Journalists and Media Organisations to verify information before publication to avoid creating unnecessary panic.

“The report is mere rumour unworthy of publication as factual news,” the statement added.

Insecurity: Plateau Closes Public Schools

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0
Governor Caleb Mutfwang

By Ayodele Oni

Following security breaches in Kebbi and Niger states which led to the abduction of students, the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (PSUBEB) has directed the immediate closure of schools across the state.

The Government statement lists the affected schools as Government Junior Model Secondary Schools (GJMSSs) which will close effective Saturday, 22 November 2025, while Primary and Day Schools will close effective Monday, 24 November 2025.

The statement added that the decision is underscoring the urgent need for preventive action.

“The Board assures parents, guardians, and stakeholders that this closure is a temporary but necessary step to forestall potential threats and to reassure communities that the government is prioritizing the wellbeing of our learners.

“The Board calls on all Local Government Education Authorities, school administrators, and community leaders to cooperate fully with this directive and remain vigilant.”

Early in the week,  25 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi state were kidnapped while the school vice principal was shot dead before dawn on Monday.

Early Friday morning, the bandits struck at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution located in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger and abducted yet to be identified number of students and staff.

1...405406407...3,040Page 406 of 3,040