Category Nigeria News

In continuation of ongoing operations across Taraba, codenamed Operation Lafiya Nakowa, troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army / Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have apprehended a gunrunner in Gassol Local Government Area of the state.

The troops, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a raid operation at Shagada Village under Namnai Ward in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, which led to the arrest of a suspected gun-runner identified as Abdulmudallabi Audu, aged 25, who was found in possession of arms and ammunition.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Two Suspected Gunrunners, Recover Eight Guns In Kaduna

Items recovered from the suspect include one AK-47 rifle, two AK-47 magazines, fifty-three rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition

A statement from the 6 Brigade Nigeria Army, Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, says the suspect and the recovered exhibits are currently in the custody of 6 Brigade Headquarters for further investigation and possible prosecution.

READ ALSO: Suspected Gunrunner Nabbed, Submachine Gun Recovered In Taraba

Following the operation, the Commander, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their vigilance, professionalism, and swift response to actionable intelligence.

Uwa reiterated the brigade’s commitment to sustaining aggressive operations across Taraba State to ensure peace, security, and the protection of law-abiding citizens within the North-East and adjoining regions.

Senator Ned Nwoko has dismissed claims suggesting he married Regina Daniels when she was 17 years old. 

The lawmaker, who took to social media on Thursday morning, described the claims as “entirely untrue and misleading”.

“For clarity, during my first meeting with Regina, I asked her age, and she told me she was 21 years old,” Senator Nwoko posted on his X handle, attaching the Nollywood actress’s voter card to buttress his argument.

“I further asked if she had any documents to support this, and she presented her INEC voter’s card, which clearly shows that she was born on October 10th, 1998. I informed her that I would keep this document in my possession, and I have done so since that day.”

It has come to my attention that false claims are being circulated by Regina, suggesting that I married her when she was 17 years old. These claims are entirely untrue and misleading.

For clarity, during my first meeting with Regina, I asked her age, and she told me she was 21… pic.twitter.com/zlfaGjTdFo

According to him, since their marriage took place six years ago, Daniels is 27 years old, and he asked the public to ignore any suggestion to the contrary.

“According to all verifiable records, our marriage took place six years ago, which means Regina is 27 years old today. Any suggestion that I married her at 17 is false and should not be accepted by the public,” the Delta North lawmaker said.

A public affairs analyst, Majeed Dahiru, says President Bola Tinubu cannot be accused of religious bigotry.

Dahiru, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explained that Tinubu in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief, has mobilised the military to tackle security threats within two years in office.

“President Tinubu has not by any sense of imagination been accused of religious bigotry or having sympathy with Islamist jihadist terror groups,” he said.

“Absolutely not. You can criticise him for every other thing but nobody can actually criticise him for this because he does not qualify for such criticism.

“That alone is something to bargain to say, ‘Look, I am the President of this country. I am the Commander-in-Chief. There is no way I will preside over a country and sit idly and allow, encourage the killings of Christians,” Dahiru stated.

He, however, noted that while some Christians were being killed in parts of the country, there had been gains recorded in the fight against insurgency.

READ ALSO: Approach Nigeria’s Situation With Understanding, FG Tells Trump

Trump’s Claims

On October 31, United States President Donald Trump said Christianity faced an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter”.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed.

“Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.

The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.

“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!

“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump wrote.

The Lagos State Government has announced plans to launch the second phase of the ‘Ounje Eko’ Farmers’ Subsidy Programme before the end of November this year to support farmers across the state and ensure they have access to quality feed to boost their production.

This was announced by the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, during a press conference at Alausa, Ikeja.

READ ALSO: Yuletide: Lagos Launches 24-Hour Traffic Control, Clears Illegal Structures

The commissioner said the programme was a critical intervention of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration aimed at sustaining food production, empowering farmers, and stabilising food prices across Lagos, particularly during the yuletide season.

Olusanya added that the results of the first phase of the subsidy programme launched earlier this year were resounding, as over 5,000 farmers benefited directly from the intervention.

The commissioner also said that over 993.3 metric tons of poultry feed and 265.65 metric tons of fish feed were supplied.

According to her, the programme sustained the production of 258,000-layer birds, resulting in over seven million eggs produced and 177,100 catfish.

Egg prices, she said, dropped from ₦6,000 per crate to between ₦5,000 and ₦5,400.

Olusanya stated that building on this success, Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the implementation of the ‘Ounje Eko’ Farmers’ Subsidy Programme Phase II, expanding its reach and scope to provide greater impact and support to farmers across different value chains.

The commissioner further explained that phase two would include interventions like a 25 per cent subsidy on poultry feed layer mash, broiler starter and finisher
25 per cent subsidy on fish feed.

Others are free distribution of grains to pig farmers across the state to support livestock nutrition and sustainability, and distribution of agricultural equipment and inputs to crop farming clusters across the state to enhance mechanisation and reduce manual labour.

She emphasised that the programme would cut across 10 locations in the state, including Farm Service Centre, Agege; Agricultural Training Institute, Araga; Epe Coconut House, Mowo; Badagry Fish Farm Estate, Odongunyan, Ikorodu; Erikorodo Poultry Estate, Ikorodu; Aiyedoto Poultry Estate, Ojo; Ministry of Agriculture Cooperative Office, Ajah; and the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre.

As with the first phase, the commissioner explained that participation will be restricted to recognised and registered farmer associations such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter (PAN-LAG), Lagos State Catfish Allied Farmers Association of Nigeria (LASCAFAN) and Farm Estate and Settlement Associations to ensure transparency and accountability.

The state government advised farmers to register with the necessary associations to benefit from this support.

The co-founder of BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde, has decried what he described as a gross connect in the Federal Government’s budgets.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Onigbinde highlighted fiscal challenge in the annual budgets.

He also accused the current administration of not maintaining a regular calendar regarding the presentation of budget for every fiscal year.

Watch the video below:

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Wednesday, said elections are won when voters trust the outcome of the exercise.

He stated this at the 2025 All Nigerian Editors Conference, which held in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

“The reality heading into 2027 is that elections are won and lost not only on policies or candidates but on whether voters believe the outcome will be legitimate.

“That belief is shaped by whether they have been hearing fragmented, tribal narratives or cohesive, nation-building ones. And that is an editorial choice you make daily,” he stated.

Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of the All Progressives Governors’ Forum, charged journalists, especially editors, to always abide by the code of ethics of the profession.

He saluted the efforts of Nigerian editors over time, saying they have accomplished much that deserves recognition.

READ ALSO: Criticise Government Policies With Knowledge, Fairness, Tinubu Tells Editors

Role Of Media

The governor cited instances where media practitioners had used their newsrooms to produce investigative journalists who exposed corruption.

“You have published reports that held power accountable. Through your coverage, you have amplified marginalised voices.

“These contributions matter, and they are essential to democracy. But what is often missing is journalism that actively builds cohesion, not just reports on its absence.

“There is a difference between neutrally documenting division and actively choosing narratives that remind Nigerians of shared values, shared stakes, and a shared future,” the Imo governor said.

“You report on ethnic tension, regional disparities, and religious conflict; as you should. But how often do your editorial choices highlight what binds us rather than what divides us?

“None of this requires abandoning your watchdog function. You can hold the government accountable and avoid framing every accountability story as evidence of irredeemable dysfunction. You can report electoral irregularities and avoid suggesting that the entire system is corrupt. You can cover political competition and remind citizens that competitors will govern the same country afterwards,” Uzodimma added.