Category Nigeria News

Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State, has approved Professor (Mrs.) Eunice Eboserehimen Omonzejie’s appointment as Ekpoma’s Vice Chancellor.

Umar Ikhilor, the secretary to the state government, stated in a statement that the appointment was made using one of three names that the university’s governing council had suggested to the governor.

Professor Omonzejie is described as a distinguished academic in the Department of Modern Languages at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, as well as a distinguished scholar of French and Francophone African literature. She frequently contributes to literary studies, gender studies, and cultural studies as an active researcher and editor.

Read more about Okpebholo’s approval of payments to 714 unemployed edo workers here.

She has spearheaded mentoring, research, and advocacy for female academics and students in the Ambrose Alli University Chapter of the National Association of Women Academics (NAWACS).

In addition to co-authoring the book Women Novelists in Francophone Black Africa: Views, Reviews, and Interviews, Professor Omonzejie co-edited several groundbreaking works, including French Language in Nigeria: Essays in Honor of UFTAN Pacesetters and Language Matters in Contemporary West Africa.

Eunice Omonzejie has been named the new vice Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, according to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpholo.

Umar Ikhilo, the secretary to the state government, made this announcement in a statement on Monday.

Read more about Okpebholo’s approval of payments to 714 unemployed edo workers here.

He claimed that the appointment is immediate.

According to the SSG, the university’s governing council had recommended three names to the governor: Omonzejie, a professor.

She is a renowned author of French and Francophone African literature and has been a tenured academic at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, for many years.

The new VC is a prolific researcher and editor who has contributed to literary studies, gender studies, and cultural studies in Africa and the Netherlands.

She has spearheaded mentoring, research, and advocacy for female academics and students in the Ambrose Alli University Chapter of the National Association of Women Academics (NAWACS).

Omonzejie is the author of Women Novelists in Francophone Black Africa: Views, Reviews, and Interviews, as well as French Language in Nigeria: Essays in Honor of UFTAN Pacesetters and Language Matters in Contemporary West Africa.

Her appointment, according to the state government, is a sign of her commitment to Ambrose Alli University’s growth and development, as evidenced by her academic excellence, administrative acumen, and dedication to its development.

The final list of candidates for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja’s, election has been released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Prior, the commission had scheduled the exercise in the nation’s capital for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Political parties are no longer able to resign or replace their candidates, according to the electoral body’s statement on Monday.

No further candidate withdrawal or replacement will be permitted with this publication, according to the statement signed by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, partially read.

He brought up the fact that the commission published the personal information of candidates who entered political party primaries for the 2026 FCT area council election on August 18, 2025.

For Next Stage, INEC Clears ADA, ATP, and 12 Others. READ ALSO:  

By the deadline of 6 p.m. on Monday, August 11, 2025, and the end of the period for candidates’ withdrawal and substitution, a total of 17 political parties had submitted the details of their candidates (Form EC9).

The commission’s election official stated that the commission hereby publishes the final list of candidates for the 2026 FCT area council election.

Additionally, it added that the full list of candidates’ political parties, ages, genders, and academic backgrounds has been made available for public viewing on our website and social media platforms.

See the following statement in its entirety:

INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

PRESS ELEASE

A COUNCIL ELECTION IN THE 2026 FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT) AREA COUNCIL ELECTION PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL LIST OF CANDIDATES

The Commission published the personal information of candidates who were chosen from the candidates’ primaries conducted by political parties for the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election on August 18, 2025. By the deadline of 6 p.m. on Monday, August 11th, 2025, and before the deadline for candidate withdrawal and substitution, a total of 17 political parties had uploaded the candidate information (Form EC9).

In response, the Commission hereby releases the final list of candidates for the 2026 FCT Area Council election. For public access, we have posted a complete list of the candidates’ political parties, ages, genders, and academic credentials.

No further candidate withdrawal or replacement will be permitted with this publication unless a candidate’s death or a running mate passes away before Election Day, as permitted by Section 34 (1) of the Electoral Act.

On Saturday, February 21, 2026, the FCT Area Council elections will take place.

Ejeh Ijachi, the head of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was shot by unknown gunmen in the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, causing another homicide for the indigenous community.

What may not be unrelated to the violent conflict that killed eight people in 2017 took place at his residence on Monday morning.

Read more about the arrests of six police tactical teams in Benue.

Eight years prior to his death, he reportedly escaped assassination attempts because of an alleged long-standing conflict between him and a relative over a land ownership dispute.

In the Ondo and Ogobia communities, lives were lost as a result of the land dispute.

Major Lawrence Ugboh, a former state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was one of them who was killed in September 2017 along with seven others.

The assassins fled from his home and opened fire upon seeing him inside his compound, according to an eyewitness who spoke to Channels Television on the condition of anonymity.

They surrounded him and fired a close-range shot at him. An eyewitness added that his body has since been deposited at the Otukpo morgue.

LG Chair Refirms the attack

Maxwell Ogiri, the chairman of the Otukpo Local Government Area, confirmed the incident by stating that an unidentified gunman had shot the late Ejeh while tracing his whereabouts.

“Ejeh Udeh was murdered. Although we haven’t yet been told what caused his murder, whether it was in the past or present, we can only assume that those responsible had some motives.

After returning from a hangout with some friends and associates, they followed him to his home. When he parked his car outside of his home, they started to fire at him as they got closer, finished him off, and then finished him off.

Ogiri continued, “I went to the scene in the company of the DSS boss and other security agency heads, and they promised to expand their dragnet to make sure the perpetrators were apprehended,” adding.

Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, has stated that his administration is committed to expanding the state’s ports and that it will work with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to boost employment and economic growth.

When Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, the NPA’s chairman, and other board members, paid him a courtesy visit on Monday, Governor Fubara received the assurance in Port Harcourt.

The governor’s first official visit since the state’s end to emergency rule was made at the time of the governor’s visit.

Read more recently: Kenneth Okonkwo’s article, Fubara Should Seek Legal Redress for Lost Six Months.

Fubara praised the NPA’s call for synergy, arguing that state governments should be involved in interventions to ensure they address the people’s real needs.

He recalled Nyesom Wike’s prior commitment to a similar partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The governor lamented the state’s underutilization of the facilities, despite highlighting how crucial seaports are to national growth.

Therefore, he suggested holding a special meeting with the NPA to discuss ways to maximize the potential of the Port Harcourt and Onne ports.

Additionally, the governor argued that having functional ports would lead to employment, revitalize nearby neighborhoods, and lessen urban congestion.

He added that youth engagement and job creation through port activities would help solve minor security issues.

The governor promised to work with local government chairmen in the host communities to make the host communities’ ports’ environments cleaner.

Vital State Assets

Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, the NPA Board’s chairman, earlier than usual, thanked the governor for the audience by mentioning that Rivers State had the honor of hosting two significant ports.

He referred to the ports as important sources of wealth for the state.

He cited problems with the ports, including bad roads, poor sanitation, indiscriminate truck parking, minor security concerns, flash flooding, land encroachment by host communities, and the lack of a suitable office complex for the Ports Police Commissioner.

The NPA chairman vowed to keep up the work that the organization does with corporate social responsibility initiatives in local communities while working with the state government to make sure they are in line with the needs of the host communities.

He praised the Rivers government for creating a calm business environment where port operators were spared harassment or repeated taxes by government officials.

In connection with the abduction of Humphrey Wagbara, a resident of Igwuruta-Atali, three suspected kidnappers have been detained by Rivers State Police Command operations, and several dangerous weapons have been recovered.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the Command’s spokeswoman, made this known in a statement on Monday.

According to Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU) employees at Emohua Annex responded to a distress report on August 26, 2025.

According to the statement that Hassan Mohammed, 20, Bello Abubakar, 25, and Yusuf Ahmed, 23, were detained on September 19 in the LGAs of Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre, they are detained in Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre, Nigeria.

The suspects admitted to numerous kidnappings, including the abduction of Onwuli Jude and Nwabueze Nchekwube on September 24, 2025, from whom they demanded $6.9 million in ransom before killing Nchekwube, during interrogation.

Read more about Okpebholo’s approval of payments to 714 unemployed edo workers.

A G-3 rifle (Breech No.) is among the recovered exhibits. 10398), a magazine, three short knives, a jackknife, a stainless short knife, and a victim’s phone.

Olugbenga Adepoju, the state commissioner of police, applauded the operatives for their diligence and urged residents to report suspicious activity to security agencies on this front.

Adepoju claimed that additional weapons are being recovered and that searches are ongoing for the syndicate’s fledgling members.

See the following statement in its entirety:

PRESS RELEASE OF THE RIVERS STATE POLICE CODE:

Recovery of Exhibits and Arrest of Suspect Kidnappers

On 26th. A distressing report from the Rivers State Police Command in August of 2025 suggested the murder of one Humphrey Wagbara, “m’ of Igwuruta-Atali,” was discovered.

Based on this information, the Command’s operations at Emohua Annex and the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU) conducted a daring and coordinated operation on September 19. In connection with the victim’s kidnapping, three suspects were detained in different locations in the State’s Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre Local Government Areas in September 2025 at around 0200hrs. The suspects were:

Hassan Mohammed, ‘m’, is a 20-year-old man from Mandagali, Borno State, and a native of Wandigah Town.

Bello Abubakar, “m,” 25 years old, is a Sokoto State native from Roundabout Maura.

* 23-year-old Yusuf Ahmed from Bauchi State’s Hazari LGA.

The suspects voluntarily confessed to their involvement in numerous kidnappings in the State during interrogation, including:

* Onwuli Jude and Nwabueze Nchekwube were abducted on September 24, 2025, at the Igwuruta-Atali School Road, where they paid a ransom of Six Million and Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (#6, 900, 000) before killing Nwabueze Nchekwube.

* The Kidnapped of Mercy Chinyere ‘f’ on September 12, 2025, at the same location, where they also collected a ransom of Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (#3, 500, 000). before letting her go.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include:

* One G-3 rifle with a breech

Number 10398

One Magazine

* One Itel phone belonging to a victim who was abducted by Humphrey Wagbara.

* Three Short Daggers

One Jack Knife

One stainless short knife

Police are currently storing suspects and exhibits. Other syndicate members who are escaping are still being apprehended, and additional operational weapons have been recovered.

The Operatives’ diligence, bravery, and dedication led to these arrests and the recovery of exhibits, according to Rivers State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, psc, mnips. He urged residents to report any suspicious activity to the police station or other security agency, noting that the outcome of the operation demonstrates the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting the safety and security of all State citizens.