Category Nigeria News

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.

His visit was to brief the President following the safe return of 183 worshippers abducted from the Kurmin Wali community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Disclosing this via his X, the governor said the meeting on Friday focused on issues of strategic importance to the state, particularly security, infrastructure, and broader developmental initiatives aimed at achieving lasting stability and shared prosperity.

“I briefed Mr President on the safe return of worshippers abducted from churches in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area, on January 18, 2026,” he said.

The governor said the successful rescue of all the victims was the result of painstaking, intelligence-driven operations carried out through close collaboration between state and federal security agencies.

“I provided a detailed account of the painstaking, intelligence-driven operations carried out through close and effective collaboration between state and federal security agencies, which culminated in the successful rescue of all victims.

“This outcome affirms the strength of coordinated leadership, institutional synergy, and the professionalism of our national security architecture when guided by clarity of purpose and unwavering resolve,” Sani stated.

READ ALSO: Gov Sani Receives 183 Rescued Worshippers In Kaduna

He appreciated Tinubu for what he described as the President’s “ceaseless personal calls” during the two weeks the abducted worshippers were held captive, noting that the outreach provided reassurance and comfort to the affected families and the wider Kaduna community.

The two leaders also reviewed critical developmental and infrastructural projects in Kaduna State.

According to the governor, of particular importance, was the commencement of the long-awaited Birnin Gwari road project, which he described as a transformative intervention capable of improving security, stimulating economic activities, and restoring connectivity to previously isolated communities.

He noted that the meeting underscored the urgency of rehabilitating other major road networks, including the Kaduna Eastern Bypass, the Jere–Kwoi–Kafanchan road, and the Zaria–Pambegua–Saminaka road, all considered vital for regional mobility and economic integration.

Governor Sani also commended the dedication and sacrifice of security personnel whose efforts ensured the safe return of the abducted worshippers.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has replaced Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, with ex-Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, as Chairman of the National Convention Central Coordination Committee ahead of the party’s March 27 and 28, 2026, convention.

Disclosing this in a statement via X on Friday, the National Secretary of the APC, Surajudeen Basiru, said Uzodimma, who was earlier named to lead the committee, would now serve as treasurer.

The ruling party also expanded the membership of the committee from 73 to 90 members in a move aimed at accommodating more party stakeholders.
Basiru said the committee was reconstituted following “further consultations with its leadership and national stakeholders”.

READ ALSO: Uzodimma, Other APC Govs Meet In Abuja

“In further consultation with the leadership and national stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Central Coordination Committee for the 2020 National Convention has been reconstituted,” the statement read.

“Sub-committees of the Central Coordination Committee will be constituted and announced in due course.”

ADJUSTED APC 2026 SCHEDULE OF NATIONWIDE CONGRESSES, NATIONAL CONVENTION, AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

NOTE: The Expression of Interest Form and the Nomination Form will be available for purchase and collection at the Directorate of Organisation, 2nd Floor, APC National Secretariat,… pic.twitter.com/Ko48TIhmfA

Under the new arrangement, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, was named Vice Chairman I, while Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, will serve as Vice Chairman II.

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, was retained as Secretary of the committee.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday announced that repairs on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway will require at least two months for full completion.

”Following discussions with the contractor and the Controller of Works, it was agreed that a period of about six weeks to a maximum of two months will be used to complete the work. Some of these repairs need time to properly seal.” The Lagos State Sector Commander of FRSC, Ganiyu Hamzat, revealed in an interview.

According to Hamzat, certain damaged sections of the road have been causing vehicles to collide while trying to dodge oncoming or unsuspecting vehicles.

READ ALSO: JOHESU Suspends 84-Day Strike

“We discovered that some of the bad portions of the road cause vehicles, while trying to dodge oncoming or unsuspecting vehicles, to ram into one another, thereby creating unnecessary accidents,” he said.

He noted that progress on ongoing repairs has been slower than expected. “Since work has now started, we observed that if we continue at the pace initially adopted, it will take about twice the time originally scheduled. As a result, we decided to re-strategise, and that is what we are doing now,” Hamzat explained.

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To reduce inconvenience to motorists, the FRSC will focus on repairing two expansion joints at a time instead of 1.

“Instead of working on 1 expansion joint at a time, we are now going to work on two expansion joints at a time so that motorists experience the inconvenience once, rather than suffering repeatedly from one section to another. It is better to face it head-on,” he said.

Hamzat highlighted that overloading on the expressway is a major factor contributing to road damage, calling for the use of weigh bridges to prevent vehicles from prematurely destroying the road.

“High-level chemicals are now being used so the repairs can heal faster, reducing the curing period to about seven days before reopening to traffic,” he added.

Work has already been completed on one side of Kara Bridge, and both sides will now be repaired simultaneously.

“By the time this phase is completed, the inward Lagos section of the expressway will be finished, allowing motorists coming into Lagos to heave a sigh of relief,” Hamzat said.

According to him, the FRSC is working in collaboration with other agencies, including LASTMA, the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and even the military. He also appealed to motorists tolerate temporary inconveniences for long-term benefits.

“We cannot ignore this situation or continue to witness crashes. The problem must be confronted decisively,” Hamzat stressed.

“Driving against traffic will no longer be tolerated. This is a warning, not an appeal. Anyone caught driving against traffic will be appropriately penalised and, if necessary, prosecuted in a court of competent jurisdiction.”

The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, says the commendation of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, by U.S. President Donald Trump, was a testament that under President Bola Tinubu, there is no religious disharmony.

Oshiomhole stated this during an interview with State House Correspondents on Friday shortly after a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

READ ALSO: ‘Very Respected Woman’, Trump Praises Remi Tinubu At US Prayer Breakfast

On Thursday, President Trump praised Nigeria’s Senator Tinubu, describing her as a “very respected woman” during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Oshiomhole, who said he came to visit the President for the first time in 2026, noted that he also used the opportunity to congratulate President Tinubu for the comments of the President of the United States of America about Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

He recounted how Trump, known for his blunt style, described Mrs Tinubu as “a very respectable woman, a very responsible woman, and a pastor of the largest church in Nigeria,” before inviting her to stand for recognition.

“I came to greet Mr President. I have not seen him in 2026, we wish him a happy new year, but also, very importantly, yesterday (Thursday) we saw how the most powerful man, President Donald Trump of the United States of America, in acknowledging not just the First Lady of Nigeria… but describing her as a very respectable woman, a very responsible woman, and a pastor of the largest church in Nigeria, and he invited her to stand up for recognition,” Oshiomhole said.

Trump, while addressing participants at the faith-based gathering, which was attended by political and civic leaders from across the world, highlighted Mrs Tinubu’s influence and stature, drawing.

The U.S. President recognised the Nigerian First Lady’s role as a pastor in one of Nigeria’s largest churches and referenced her pastoral background.

The former APC National Chairman expressed national pride in the moment, noting the applause it drew and contrasting it with potential opposition criticism in reverse scenarios.

“If it were the other way around, imagine what the opposition would have been saying now… he said Nigeria’s First Lady is here. She’s a Christian, but also a Christian pastor, a woman who commands respect, a responsible and respectable woman. So congratulations

“To the credit of Mr. President, Trump understands that the Nigerian President is a Muslim. But, he now celebrates the fact that he has a Christian wife, who is also a Pastor of the largest church in Nigeria. So, there can be no tension between the Qur’an and the Bible. That to me is a message to all Nigerians, that we should just work together as a people for the common good.

“If there are challenges, we fix them collectively, and if there are benefits, we share them together as a people. For me, that is the central message. We mustn’t run down our country. We have issues. Together we will fix them, and they are being fixed,” he added.

Gunmen suspected to be herders have killed 13 people in a fresh attack on a community in Benue State.

They stormed Anwase Market in Mbaikyor, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, while taking several market women captive before setting the market ablaze.

Speaking with Channels Television on Friday in a telephone, Ibi Andrew, an aide to the Kwande Local Government Chairman, Vitalis Neji, said 13 people were killed.

Ibi confirmed that the local government Chairman, working with security agencies, have mobilised to the area to restore calm and forestall further attacks on the people.

READ ALSO: Officer, Four Others Killed In Benue Attack — Police

An eyewitness said the attackers invaded the community from a nearby mountain, firing sporadically, which caused panic before setting stalls on fire and abducting women, fleeing towards the mountain area

However, the Benue State Police Command has yet to confirm the attack.
Efforts to reach the Command’s spokesman, Udeme Edet, have proved abortive as she is not responding to messages sent to her phone.

Abande Community Attack

This latest incident comes two days after gunmen struck the Abande community in the Kwande local government area.

At least 16 people were killed following the attack by suspected armed herdsmen on the settlement.

Residents said that the attack had been carried out on Tuesday afternoon at the Abande market while traders and buyers were conducting business.

Witnesses reported that the assailants had stormed the market, opened fire on civilians, looted shops, and set parts of the market ablaze.

A community leader and former supervisory councillor in Kwande LGA,  Lawrence Akerigba, stated that the attackers had carted away millions of Naira from traders before setting the market on fire.

He explained that since it had been Abande market day, people were buying and selling when the herders attacked.

He further noted that the attackers had looted shops and taken large sums of money, and he added that by 11:55 pm, some of the victims’ bodies were being conveyed to Jato-Aka by personnel of the Mobile Police Force stationed in the area.

Akerigba also stated that, apart from the locals who had lost their lives, a mobile police officer, said to have been the unit commander on duty at the time of the attack, had also been killed.

He stated that several residents were still missing and that searches for them were ongoing.

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has suspended its nationwide strike, 84 days after the industrial action began.

This was announced in a communique issued by the union on Friday after its expanded National Executive Council (NEC) emergency meeting held in Abuja.

According to the communique, the meeting was convened to review the outcomes of a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and JOHESU held on Thursday at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

READ ALSO: Over 50 Survivors Of Kwara Attack Hospitalised

“After exhaustive deliberations and review of the terms of settlement of the conciliation meeting, the expanded NEC -in-Session voted unanimously to suspend the ongoing indefinite nationwide strike action to allow for the implementation of the FG-JOHESU Terms of Settlements,” the communique jointly signed by JOHESU Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, and Secretary, Martin Adekunle, read.

“While appreciating the masses for their understanding throughout the period of the industrial action, we appeal to consumers of health that a recurring infliction of injustice and a huge trust deficit necessitated this unfortunate and avoidable JOHESU nationwide strike and

”We hope that the Federal Government, as well as other State Governments, show both sensitivity and responsibility in ensuring Nigerians avoid this depth of suffering inthe  foreseeable future.”

The strike, which entered its 84th day on Friday, has paralysed activities in government-owned hospitals across the country, leaving patients stranded and forcing many to seek essential medical services outside public health facilities.

JOHESU expressed gratitude to the individuals and institutions that played a role in resolving the crisis.

This includes Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the chairmen of the health committees in both the Senate and House, hospital chief executives, professional organisations, and traditional leaders, particularly the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi

The union also thanked the leadership of the NLC and TUC for their support and solidarity, as well as its members across affiliate unions, MHWUN, NUAHP, SSAUTHRIAI and NASU, for what it described as resilience and commitment throughout the strike

The protracted strike has also triggered a 14-day ultimatum issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in solidarity with the health workers.

Indefinite Strike

JOHESU  in November 2025 announced an indefinite strike action, which it said would continue until the implementation of the adjusted consolidated health salary structure was implemented.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union, Kabiru Minjibir, had said the planned strike was expected to disrupt medical services and academic activities across the country.

According to him, the government has made no effort to reach an agreement with the unions.