Youth Corp Member Killed As Army, Robbers Engage In Gun Duel In Abuja

-

April 27, 2026

By Ayodele Oni

The Ondo State Police Command, has arrested three suspected motorcycle thieves during separate operations in the State.

The Command’s spokesman, Abayomi Jimoh, revealed in a statement on Monday that: “In a coordinated operation on 9th April 2026, operatives attached to the Funbi-Fagun Division, acting on credible intelligence provided by a vigilant security guard, arrested one Joseph James ‘m’, aged 28, at about 0430hrs.

“The suspect was intercepted while attempting to move a stolen black Boxer motorcycle from the Sabo area of Ondo.

“The motorcycle, valued at approximately ₦500,000 and reported stolen on 8th April 2026, was promptly recovered. The suspect has made useful statements, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend his fleeing accomplice.

“Similarly, on 22nd April 2026, the Command responded swiftly to a report by one Olowolafe ‘m’ of Araromi Street, Akure, whose red Boxer motorcycle had been stolen.

“Acting on intelligence, operatives tracked and arrested one Raji Akeem ‘m’ at Shasha while attempting to dispose of the stolen motorcycle.

“The suspect had been severely assaulted by an irate mob before police intervention and is currently receiving medical attention under police custody.

“The recovered motorcycle has been secured as exhibit, while investigation is ongoing to identify and apprehend other accomplices.

“In a related development, sustained investigative efforts of operatives of Enu Owa division into an earlier case reported on 14th October 2025 led to the arrest of one Adedigba Adeola ‘m’, who had deceitfully dispossessed a commercial motorcyclist, Jolayemi Ahmed ‘m’, of his motorcycle under the pretext of a trip.

“Upon his arrest on 18th April 2026, the suspect initially denied the allegation but later confessed during interrogation, admitting to being the principal actor.

“He further revealed that he concealed the motorcycle in an uncompleted building for four days before selling it to one Danjuma Gideon ‘m’ of Canon Adeyemi Road, Ondo.

“Efforts are ongoing to recover the motorcycle and arrest all other persons connected to the crime. The case will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.”

“For Ten Times, Peter Obi Has Been Denied Platforms To Speak At Nigerian Universities Including UNN” – POMR

By

-

April 27, 2026

By Ayodele Oni

Peter Obi Media Reach, (POMR) has stated that Obi’s denial of usage of public spaces is part of surreptitious schemes to limit his freedom and deny him access to the Nigerian people.

The Media office asserted that it is privy to the various schemes being put in place clandestinely to limit Obi’s freedom.

It said in a statement signed by its spokesman Ibragim Umar that “Already there have been recent and recurring reports of Peter Obi being prevented from speaking at public institutions, specifically focusing on the recent cancellation of his lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and similar incidents at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and other public institutions.

”This worrisome development is not an isolated administrative hiccup; but a symptom of a deepening democratic malaise.

“This incident follows a disturbing pattern occurring over 10 times in recent months—where public institutions, including his alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), have revoked platforms for the presidential aspirant at the eleventh hour.

”It’s a well-established fact that Universities are, by definition, the ‘marketplace of ideas.’

“Intended to be sanctuaries for critical thinking, rigorous debate, and the free exchange of perspectives, but in an attempt to suppress our principal’s, public institutions are succumbing to external political pressures and intimidation.

“In the words of Obi himself, ‘such occurrences now point to a troubling pattern that should concern all well-meaning Nigerians’. POMR would want to reiterate that Universities and other public institutions of learning must remain platforms where ideas can be shared freely without restriction.

”The irony is stark that while Mr Obi has been welcomed to speak freely at notable global centres of excellence—including Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, and Yale—within his own country, the doors of public learning are increasingly being bolted.

“This disparity raises a critical question: What is the state of a nation that fears the dialogue of its own citizens within its own halls of learning?

”We like to therefore call upon the administrative heads of public institutions and the relevant governing bodies to resist political intimidation and uphold the sanctity of academic freedom.

“A country that silences its thinkers and its leaders within its ivory towers is a country that risks intellectual and social stagnation.

We stand for an open Nigeria where the ‘force of argument’ always supersedes the ‘argument of force.”

Abducted Pupils Of Kogi Orphanage Rescued, Proprietor’s Wife Still Being Held

By

-

April 27, 2026

Abducted Pupils Of Kogi Orphanage Rescued

By Ayodele Oni

Fifteen out of the 23 persons abducted by gunmen from an orphanage in Kogi State have been rescued.

The State Government confirmed that 23 out of the victims were pupils, while the remaining person was the wife of the proprietor.

The statement said though the orphanage was not registered with the State Government, it has, however, commenced a rescue operation which has led to the rescue of 15 of the 24 abductees.

The State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, made this known in a statement issued on Monday, describing the incident which occurred on Sunday as unfortunate and avoidable.

‎”Fifteen pupils have been rescued following the swift intervention of security agencies, while efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims.

“The facility, identified as the Dahallukitab Group of Schools, was operating illegally in a remote, bushy location without registration with the State Government or the knowledge of relevant authorities and security agencies.

‎”The incident occurred late on April 26, 2026, when unknown gunmen invaded the premises and abducted 23 pupils alongside the wife of the proprietor.

“Security operatives, led by the Nigeria Police Force in Kogi State and supported by other agencies, have responded promptly, leading to the rescue of 15 of the victims.”

‎Fanwo commended the gallantry and professionalism of the security agencies, noting that their swift and coordinated response significantly curtailed the impact of the attack.

‎While assuring that efforts are being intensified to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice, the government raised concerns over the operation of unregistered institutions in isolated locations.

He warned that establishing orphanages, schools, and similar facilities in vulnerable areas without proper registration and notification to authorities poses serious security risks, especially in the prevailing security environment.

‎The government, therefore, urged operators of orphanages and schools to comply strictly with existing regulations and engage relevant authorities for proper security assessment and protection.‎

Reaffirming its stance, the Kogi State Government assured residents of its uncompromising commitment to the protection of lives and property, adding that security operations remain active to bring the situation under full control.

Peter Obi Fumes As OAU Gives Reason For Last Minute Cancellation Of Lecture

By

-

April 27, 2026

By Ayodele Oni

The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has blamed short notice for the cancellation of a proposed lecture by Peter Obi.

In a statement issued by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, the university said the organisers failed to provide timely information about the high-profile guest, giving notice only a day before the scheduled event.

According to the statement, such short notice made it impossible for the university to put in place adequate security and logistical arrangements required for hosting prominent personalities.

The Management explained that events involving individuals of Obi’s stature necessitate prior notification to enable coordination with relevant security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to ensure safety within the campus.

“As a result of the late request and the inability to complete these critical arrangements, the university could not approve the use of Oduduwa Hall for the programme,” the statement read.

The university emphasised that the decision was based strictly on safety concerns and adherence to established protocols, stressing that it does not reflect any disregard for Obi, whom it described as highly respected.

The clarification follows concerns raised by Obi, who had earlier described the cancellation as part of a growing trend of disrupted academic engagements across Nigerian universities.

He warned that such incidents could signal a threat to intellectual freedom in higher institutions.

Obi disclosed that the OAU lecture was one of more than 10 similar cancellations he had experienced, suggesting a pattern that should concern stakeholders.

He noted that he had been scheduled to deliver the lecture before proceeding to Ibadan for a political summit when he was informed that the event would no longer hold.

“This is no longer incidental; it points to a troubling pattern,” Obi stated.

OAU Explains Why Obi’s Lecture Was Canceled

By

-

April 27, 2026

The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has explained why it refused to approve the request of the Labour Party, LP 2023 Presidential candidate, Peter Obi to use its facility for a lecture event.

The University management said in a statement on Sunday, signed by its spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju that the organisers of the lecture failed to give it an ample time to prepare. As such, the University said, the organisers denied it enough time to vet the calibre of the individuals who were billed to attend the lecture.

Recall that Obi had condemned the university’s action, saying it has become a pattern for universities in the country to deny the opposition leaders from using their premises for events, describing the development as very worrying and unacceptable.

Obi disclosed that he has been denied 10 times by ivory towers in the country to use their premises for engagement, noting that the development “should concern all well-meaning Nigerians.”

Reacting, Olanrewaju said the organisers of the programme should be blamed for what happened, saying the institution was given a very short notice about the engagement, as such security agencies, such as the DSS, police and others could not be informed to prepare for the event.

“The general public is hereby informed that a particular group within the Students’ body extended an invitation to the former presidential candidate and two-term governor of Anambra State to deliver a lecture within the University premises,” OAU said.

Adding, “It is important to note that events involving high-profile personalities of such standing require adequate prior notification to the university authorities because it will enable the institution to make necessary logistical and security arrangements, including proper liaison with relevant security agencies such as the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to ensure the safety of the guests, members of the university community and the general public.

“Consequently, given the short notice and the attendant inability to complete these critical arrangements, the university authorities could not approve the use of Oduduwa Hall for the event as requested by the organisers

“It is not, in any way, a reflection of disregard for the person or status of His Excellency, Peter Obi, whom the university holds in high esteem.”

The magazine had earlier reported that the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike recently failed to approve the request of the major opposition political party in the country, the ADC to use the Eagle Square, Abuja, the nation’s capital for its National Convention.

The action drew sharp condemnation from not a few well-meaning Nigerians who contend that the opposition should not be denied the use of public properties, so long they have met the requirements.

Dangote Reveals Plans To Employ 95,000 Workers In Lagos Refinery

By

-

April 27, 2026

Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote and President of Dangote Group has revealed that his multi- billion dollar Petrochemical Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria will be able to employ close to 100, 000 skilled workers after its ongoing expansion.

The Dangote boss disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos during his induction as an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, NAE, saying the refinery is key to Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

The refinery currently processes 650,000 barrel a day will the future plan by its management to expand capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day in the immediate future.

The development is coming on the heels of reports that the refinery has ramp up the export of fuel, including jet fuel to Europe and Asia amidst the US/Isreali – Iran war.

The war has led to a sharp decline in the global fuel supply, particularly after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking last week, Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson of the Airlines Operators of Nigeria, AON, revealed that Dangote Refinery has become a game changer when it comes to the supply of fuel in the country and globally, saying the refinery currently supplies over 95 per cent of the Jet A1 fuel consumed nationwide, while also exporting 1.1 billion litres of aviation fuel to Europe between March and April 20.

“It is a matter of fact that over 95 per cent of aviation fuel supplied across the country comes from the Dangote refinery. To airline operators in Nigeria, Dangote is not just a refinery; it is a game changer and, indeed, a lifesaver,” Okonkwo said.

According to Dangote, the ongoing expansion project will add at least 95,000 skilled workers to the nation’s labour market when finally completed, adding that the company is committed to the country’s industrial growth.

Dangote: “This award is particularly meaningful because it recognises what we are doing in the industry, especially our commitment to employing engineers and skilled professionals. At the peak of construction for this expansion, we expect to have about 95,000 skilled workers on site, and we will continue to grow.”

The magazine reports that the business mogul had last week unveiled plans to build another 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery in East Africa, as part of the Group’s quest to expand its footprints beyond Nigeria amidst ongoing plan to reduce the continent’s reliance on imported fuel.

Obasanjo To FG: Stop Wasting Public Funds On Refineries, They Can’t Work Again

By

-

April 27, 2026

Amidst the federal government’s efforts to revamp the three state owned petroleum refineries in the country, former President Olusegung Obasanjo has urged the government to bury the thought, saying the refineries cannot work again.

The former Nigerian leader made the remark during an television interview with ace broadcaster Sony Irabor at the weekend, saying whatever the NNPC in doing to revamp the refineries will end up in futility.

Obasanjo spoke on the heels of recent efforts by the state-controlled Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC Limited to bring back the refinery to work, one of such efforts, the NNPCL disclosed is the ongoing search for technical partners who can operate the refineries.

While rebuffing such plans by the NNPCL, Obasanjo said it would be a waste of time and resources, citing his experience with the state owned refineries.

Recall that Obasanjo, while in office, had sold the refineries to Nigeria’s business mogul Aliko Dangote but his successor, President Umaru Yar’adua reversed the sale.

Dangote has since build his won private refinery costing over $20 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Obasanjo said state-owned corporations are bill to fail, saying the Public-Private Partnership, PPP is the best model to run key utility bushiness such as the NNPCL.

“One of the lessons that I learnt is that PPP (public-private partnership) works. Look, one project that has not been destroyed by the government in Nigeria is the NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas), where the private sector has 51 per cent, and the Nigerian government has 49 per cent,” he said.

“See what we did with Nigerian railways. See what we did with the national shipping company. See what we are doing now, even with the NNPC. The NNPC has refineries, and I said to people that it will never work. And a man had the audacity to say, ‘Am I a chemical engineer?”

The former Nigerian leader said all his efforts, while in the office as president to make the refinery work failed to yield result, saying at a point he had to invite a top official of Shell to explain to him why the company refused to buy the refineries. 0:00 / 1:01

Obasanjo: “Look, when I was there, I called Shell. I said, ‘Look, please, I beg you, come and take 10 per cent equity and run the refinery for us.’ They said no. I said, ‘Okay, if you don’t want to take equity, don’t take equity. Come and run the refineries. They said no,”

“So, I called him, and I said, ‘Tell me, be honest with me. Why don’t you want to handle this?’ He said first, they want to let me know that they make most of their profits on the upstream, not the downstream.

“He said they run their downstream without making a loss, but they don’t make a lot of profit from it. It’s more of a service than a major profit-making. So that’s number one.

“Number two: he said our refineries are too small. This was when I was an elected President. He said our refineries are too small. One is 60,000 barrels, and another is 100,000 barrels. He said refineries at that time were in the range of 250,000 barrels to 300,000 barrels. Number three: he said our refineries are not well-maintained. We call quacks and amateurs to come and maintain our refineries. The refineries are not in good order. He said, ‘Number four, there’s too much corruption around our refineries, and they don’t want to be part of that,” Obansanjo explained.

The former leader recounted how he convinced Dangote to pay $750 million for the acquisition of 51 percent of two of the refineries, saying it was sad that his successor reversed the deal.

He stated: “Until one day, Aliko (Dangote) came and offered $750m to take two of the refineries; that will be 51 per cent. I said, ‘Wow, God, you are really a God of miracles.’ I told Aliko to bring the money quickly. They brought the money, and they paid.

“When I left office, NNPC went to my successor and convinced him. So I got up. I went to Umar. I said, ‘Look, Umar, maybe you don’t know; this is why we did what we did.’ He said, ‘Well, NNPC came to me.’ I said, ‘But you know that NNPC cannot run this thing. He said he knew. I asked, ‘Then why did you give in? He said because of pressure. And I said, ‘Look, when you sell these refineries, you will not get 200 million (dollars) for them, because you will sell them as scrap.’

Recall that Dangote had in July last year while hosting members of the Global CEO Africa in his office expressed doubt that the refineries will ever work again.

At least, $16 billion has been spent by successive administration in the country to revamp the refineries without results, experts say.

2027: Atiku Exposes Plot To Stop Northerners From Voting Over Insecurity

By

-

April 27, 2026

African Democratic Congress, ADC presidential hopeful, Atiku Abubakar has, described, as concerning reports of alleged plot to ensure that election did not hold in northern part of the country in 2027. He said the plot is meat to suppress votes from the northern part of the country.

The former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate alleged that the Senate is planning to declare the region insecure for political campaign due to the current insecurity ravaging the country.

The ADC chieftain said this will be achieved under the pretext of insecurity in the region, warning that this problem of insecurity in the northern part of the country should not be used as an excuse to stop political activity and election in the region next year, saying the government should tackle the problem head on instead of looking for an easy way out, and punishing people who want to exercise their civic right.

Abubakar made the remark in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noting that the development will portend serious and dangerous precedent for the country.

According to him, insecurity must never be used by the government to prevent a part of the country from exercising their political and constitutional rights.

He explained that the problem of insecurity cannot be tackled by disenfranchising the people, adding that this will lead to suspicion and polarization of the country as those affected will consider such action as deliberate.

Abubakar: “Let it be clearly stated: the right to vote and participate in the electoral process is fundamental and cannot be abridged under any guise. Any attempt—whether deliberate or disguised—to suppress political activities in parts of Northern Nigeria raises legitimate concerns about disenfranchisement

“At a time when citizens are already battling hardship and insecurity, the least the government can do is to guarantee their right to be heard — not to restrict it. Any policy that creates the impression of targeted exclusion will only deepen distrust and national division.”

The former number two citizen of the country called on the federal government to come clean on the issue, by assuring Nigerians that such plan is not in the offing, warning that the implication of executing such plot would be better imagined than experience because of its “far-reaching” implication on the country.

“Nigeria must never descend into a situation where elections are shaped by exclusion, fear, or administrative manipulation. The consequences of such actions are far-reaching and better imagined than experienced,” he said.

Power Generation: Lagos Adopts “No Power, No Pay” Policy

By

-

April 26, 2026