Archive January 26, 2026

Bandits Ambush Police Patrol Team, Kill Inspector In Oyo

Following an ambush on a patrol team at the state’s Budo Masalasi border post, suspect bandits have killed an inspector of the Nigeria Police Force in Oyo State.

READ MORE: Police In Oyo intercepts Truckload Of Suspect Explosives

As security personnel and residents expressed concern about the growing threat of violent attacks in the area, the incident, which took place over the weekend, sparked a community outcry.

When armed assailants opened fire on the officers, it was discovered that the patrol team was performing routine security work.

The inspector suffered fatal injuries and later passed away during the gunfire exchange.

Other patrol team members suffered injuries in the attack, and they were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Their current circumstances were not immediately disclosed.

The police have not yet revealed the identity of the murdered officer until his family is informed.

Olayinka Ayanlade, the police public relations officer for the Oyo State Police Command, confirmed the incident and said the command had begun a manhunt for the perpetrators.

According to him, the police commissioner had mandated an immediate and thorough investigation into the attack in order to apprehend the perpetrators.

An inspector bravely abdicated the attack in the name of duty during an attack on police officers, according to Ayanlade.

The Commissioner of Police ordered an immediate manhunt and a thorough investigation as soon as information was received. According to his comments, preliminary investigations indicate that some of the attackers suffered bullet injuries and that they are currently on their way to safety.

The police spokesman confirmed to the state’s residents that adequate security measures are being put in place to stop further attacks and protect lives and property.

Cal-fouri, a lesser-spotted law & Russell v the Shed – Prem talking points


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Noah Caluori is constantly setting, reviewing, and, invariably, achieving goals.

The 19-year-old is confident in stating them publicly as well.

He explained last week that, by the end of this career, he wants to be one of the game’s all-time greats.

Medium term, he wants to be a regular England starter by next year’s Rugby World Cup.

And, more immediately, he wants to end this season in Prem Rugby’s top three try-scorers.

He can probably pencil in a tick in that last box already.

He sits clear at the top of the try-scoring pile with 12 – two more than Tommy Freeman and four more than Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who are quite possibly England’s starting wings against Wales in a fortnight’s time.

Caluori’s five-try haul against Sale in October, on his first Prem start, demonstrated his helium-heeled leap.

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For his second try, a delicious late swerve on to Elliot Daly’s long pass left Ethan Grayson flailing, before the afterburners did for Elliott Obatoyinbo.

The other three scores were all about acceleration, anticipation and finishing, rather than aerial ability.

Critics might question whether his tries only come in gluts against well-beaten teams. They would be wrong to. Caluori, who also crossed twice in December’s defeat by Exeter, was making only fifth Prem start of the season.

Amid a clutch of replacement cameos, he is scoring a try on average every 34 minutes.

Is a solitary Bear fair?

Ellis GengeGetty Images

There were 48 players named in total in England’s Six Nations squad announcement on Friday – 36 players in the squad, five rehabilitating alongside them and another seven name-checked as being unavailable for selection because of injury.

Among all those options, Bristol were represented only once, with prop Ellis Genge making the cut.

There will be plenty at Ashton Gate who think the Pennyhill pack of Bears should be larger.

Since losing away to Bath at the end of October, Bristol have won eight out of nine matches in the Prem and Champions Cup. And that one defeat by Bordeaux-Begles could easily have gone the other way.

Their latest victory, amid teeming rain away to Exeter, came with an old-school single-digit scoreline – 8-5 – and plenty of grit.

Although Louis Rees-Zammit’s blind-side foray and long pass through sheets of rain to find Noah Heward for the only try showed razzle-dazzle isn’t confined to the firm pitches at either end of the season.

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Centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg – who will be available to England from November – is surely destined for a senior squad spot given the time and expertise invested by the Rugby Football Union in clarifying the South Africa-born centre’s eligibility with World Rugby.

Perhaps Bristol fans won’t be fuming for too long then.

Their side travel to Leicester (six names in England’s announcement) on the other side of the Six Nations break in a match with big top-four ramifications.

Freeman kick dusts off law book

Henry Pollock and Tommy FreemanGetty Images

Law 18.2, sub-clause d, was the unlikely star of the weekend.

In the 78th minute of Northampton’s 43-29 away victory over Sale, Arron Reed attempted to swat back a box-kick, Saints’ England winger Freeman hacked the loose ball ahead and Henry Pollock gathered and galloped over for a Saints try.

The replay showed Freeman had one foot firmly in touch, while stretching the other back on to the field of play to boot the ball through for Pollock.

Instinctively, it looked wrong. He was in touch, he was in contact with the ball, the television match official would surely rule it out.

However, referee Anthony Woodthorpe was wiser.

The law book states: “The ball is not in touch if… a player, who is in touch, kicks or knocks the ball, but does not hold it, provided it has not reached the plane of touch.”

Freeman could not only kick the ball through with his other foot in touch, he could conceivably have reached infield it and batted it to a team-mate with his hand.

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Van Poortvliet and a next generation of nines

Jack van PoortvlietGetty Images

Jack van Poortvliet has 21 England caps.

It could easily be more.

He was the first-choice nine heading into the last Rugby World Cup, only to suffer a serious ankle injury in a warm-up match against Wales, ruling him out and opening the door for Alex Mitchell.

More poorly timed set-backs have checked his progress. A shoulder injury kept him out of the most recent autumn internationals. A knee complaint deprived him of the early rounds of last year’s Six Nations.

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It was the highlight of a dashing performance, quick in thought and feet, which ended with him hobbling off 10 minutes from time.

Tigers coach Geoff Parling hoped it was only a dead leg

Russell takes on the Shed

Finn RussellGetty Images

Finn Russell shushing the Shed has become an annual tradition.

The Bath string-puller first asked for a little less noise from the Gloucester hardcore in November 2023 after landing a touchline kick in a come-from-behind 45-27 win.

In October 2024, after Bath had triumphed 55-31, he pulled the same gesture down the lens of a post-match camera.

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With Caluori marking one of his tries with a 45-degree torpedo dive and Pollock saluting nonplussed Sale fans on his way to the line, are score celebrations getting bolder?

Freeman’s sarcastic gesturing for a TMO review after seeing previous ‘tries’ chalked off in Northampton’s December win at Bath will still take some beating for this season.

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Gov Adeleke Demands Release Of ‘Withheld’ ₦130bn LG Funds

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has demanded the release of more than $ 130 billion in statutory funds, which he claims were withheld from the state’s local governments.

He claims that the ongoing blockade has harmed local government and caused hardship to residents and workers.

In a statewide broadcast on Monday about the unlawful occupation of local government secretariats and the defense of democratic order, Adeleke claimed that the court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors had unlawfully occupied state offices for nearly a year despite court-sacked Osogbo judgments from the state’s top courts in November of that year and court-affirmed affirmations from the Court of Appeal in February and June of that year, which invalidated their elections

The governor remarked, “The court removed them, not my administration,” and emphasized that new local government elections were held in accordance with existing court orders, leading to the swearing-in of duly elected chairmen and councillors on February 23, 2025.

He referred to the secretariats’ current owners as being deposed and acting without a valid mandate.

Adeleke claimed that supporting the ongoing occupation with police support undermines democracy and the rule of law by former governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola.

He further claimed that political thugs and armed police officers harassed and intimidated local government employees who attempted to resume their duties.

The withholding of local government funds was central to the governor’s address. Adeleke made it clear that the councils’ legal accounts have not been made public about the statutory allocations due to Osun local governments, which total approximately $ 130 billion, as of February 2025.

READ ALSO: 11 People Killed In An Armed Attack On A Soccer Field in Central Mexico

He claimed that the funds are necessary to cover the salaries of council workers, traditional council members, and retirees in 332 primary health care centers.

He argued that the state government had to look for money and make agonizing sacrifices to keep salaries paid for almost a year, which he claimed was unsustainable.

He said that while “government is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion,” this burden cannot continue indefinitely.

The governor also pointed out that senior bank officials are already facing criminal charges against the United Bank for Africa (UBA) for allegedly allowing unauthorised persons to operate local government accounts.

He questioned whether the bank’s operations in New York or London would tolerate such behavior.

Adeleke pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow for the release of the withheld funds and safeguard democratic institutions.

He urged the President to rescue Osun local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege and insisted that the president was not involved in the alleged illegality.

Adeleke framed the crisis as a choice between constitutional order and complete impunity, noting that “there is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation.”

He demanded the release of council funds and the immediate end to the occupation of local government secretariats in Nigeria and democracy advocates.

Kado Dawn Raid: One Suspect Shot, Arrested After FCT Police Bust Motorists’ Robbery

A gang of armed robbers targeted motorists near the MRS Filling Station on Friday, January 23, breaking the calm and tranquility of the Kado district in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

An immediate response was called at the Mabushi Divisional Headquarters at around 6:15 am, according to police reports.

Officers immediately called in the suspects to a shootout.

One gang member had a bad luck when he was shot and apprehended at the scene, despite the majority of the group’s escape into the nearby bushes.

A police response team from Mabushi Division responded to the scene as soon as they heard the report, according to the command’s police public relations officer, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement released on Monday and obtained by Persecondnews.

She explained that the suspects, who were about three in number, made an attempt to flee after being spotted by the police team, which led to a pursuit and a gunfight.

One of the suspects received gunshot wounds during the incident, and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, while the remaining suspects fled into nearby bushes, she said.

A Volkswagen Golf 2 in black with registration number was recovered from the robbery suspects at the scene along with an operational vehicle. One Firman generator, one Tecno Spark 4 Android phone, one Barreta pistol, one locally produced pistol, and one Tecno T353 phone are all included.

One Access Bank ATM card, one catapult, one pair of pliers, two pairs of canvas shoes, two pairs of slippers, one singlet, one cap, one jacket, one T-shirt, and one handkerchief are also included.

Adeh claimed that arrest efforts are still being made for the suspects who were fleeing.

She claimed that Police Commissioner Miller G. Dantawaye has reassured residents of the security-related commitment of the organization.

He reassures Federal Capital Territory residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property.

Defection: Gov Yusuf Gave Assurances That He Would Remain With NNPP — Dipo Olayoku

Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, had promised to keep his job, according to Dipo Olayoku, the party’s national secretary.

However, Olayoku, who made this statement on Monday during an interview with The Morning Brief on Channels Television, made it clear that the governor’s decision was not unexpected.

He claims that Yusuf’s defection was planned about a year ago.

He continued to say that despite the fact that some of the party members had confronted him about some of these moves, he would continue to support the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) despite these discussions.

He continued, “We had our national convention on December 20, 2025,” adding that the governor had lied about his departure. He even gave a speech about what he called “unity” among party members, the party chieftain continued.

Olayoku questioned whether the governor was entitled to defection, but he also raised a moral issue.

The big question is, “But what about the Kano people who gave their lives to support him and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)?” he inquired.

Defection

In a letter to the NNPP Chairman of the Diso-Chiranchi Ward in the Gwale Local Government Area, Yusuf resigned last week. The resignation date is January 23, 2026.

He left the party because of persistent internal crises and the need to defend the state’s general interests.

He claimed that the party’s divisions had grown worse and that there had become less cohesive as a result of the disagreements.