Author: Opeyemi Alao

Governor Abba  Yusuf of Kano State has approved the appointment of Prof. Amina  Bayero as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of Northwest University, Kano for a five-year term effective Dec. 1,  2025.

This is contained in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Tofa, on Thursday in Kano.

According to Tofa, the appointment followed a recommendation by the University Governing Council after a rigorous selection process.

As Visitor to the university, Yusuf commended the council for its dedication to merit and integrity throughout the selection process.

He also asked for prayers for Allah’s guidance as Bayero assumes her new responsibilities.

Bayero, a distinguished scholar of analytical chemistry, is the first female PhD holder in chemistry from the Bayero University Kano.

She had served as Head of Department, Dean of Faculty of Science, and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano. (NAN)

The Police Command in Anambra has detained five male suspects in connection with vandalism and theft at an International Company located at Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed this in a statement to newsmen on Thursday in Awka.

Ikenga noted that the arrest of the suspects was carried out during a coordinated operation in the evening of Dec. 8, by police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu.

He explained that the RRS were working with the police personnel from Neni Divisional Headquarters on a follow-up investigation into a case of conspiracy and armed robbery and they successfully arrested the five suspects.

He disclosed that the operatives recovered one pump action, 10 live cartridges, and one black motorcycle from the suspects.

The PRO gave the ages of the suspects as: 18, 20, 22 and 23 years respectively.

He said that upon their arrest and subsequent interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and named a major receiver of the stolen properties.

Ikenga said that further investigations were ongoing, adding efforts are underway to apprehend other fleeing suspects and to recover the stolen and vandalised items. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said insecurity in Northern Nigeria remains his deepest concern, stressing that the crisis threatens national progress and stability.

The President, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, stated this during the 25th Anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna state today November 22.

In his address titled ‘A Generation Summoned by a Crisis’, President Tinubu acknowledged that his administration inherited multilayered security challenges but now addressing them with renewed urgency.

“Nothing troubles me more gravely than the security crisis bedevilling Nigeria, especially Northern Nigeria. Affliction in any part of the country is a setback for every part. We cannot prosper when one limb of the national body is paralysed.

The layers and sophistication of the security challenges we inherited are daunting, but what should inspire confidence is the urgency with which my administration is pursuing solutions.” he said.

According to him, there has never been a time when the North more urgently needed honest, courageous voices than now.

“Yes, there have been missteps. Yes, there have been moments of drift. But we cannot say the North has failed unless we abandon our responsibility to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

We fail the day we sleep comfortably while millions sleep with empty bellies, the day fear becomes a permanent companion for travellers moving from one village to another.

But let no one believe that hope is lost. The dysfunction inherited over decades fractured bonds and strained unity. Yet the ethnic and religious diversity gathered here today is a declaration of the collective resolve to overcome polarisation and resist any agenda designed to divide.”he said.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, has alleged that Nigerian immigration officers seized her passport at an airport, preventing her from travelling abroad.

The lawmaker, who recently marked her second anniversary in the Senate with a series of project inaugurations in Kogi State, went live on Instagram as she confronted officials over what she described as the unlawful confiscation of her travel document.

In a video obtained on Tuesday, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, instructed the officers to withhold her passport — an act she condemned as a gross violation of her fundamental rights.

“Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said during the live broadcast.

She alleged that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred, recalling a previous episode where she was stopped from travelling despite having no legal restrictions against her.

According to the senator, officers told her that Akpabio had directed them to act, accusing her of damaging the country’s image during interviews with international media.

“This same thing happened before when I was stopped from travelling even though I had committed no offence,” she said. “The last time, I was told the Senate President ordered that my passport be withheld because I ‘spoil the image of the country.’”

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan further alleged that the Controller General of Immigration had acted on Akpabio’s instruction and described the move as politically motivated. “This is wrong,” she said, adding that her passport was released only after the intervention of an unnamed influential figure.

She also claimed that President Bola Tinubu had directed the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all Federal Government cases against her.

The senator’s passport was later returned by immigration officers, though the brief detention reignited public debate over political freedoms and executive overreach.

The incident comes months after Akpoti-Uduaghan’s high-profile dispute with Godswill Akpabio over seat reallocation in the Senate — a confrontation that led to her six-month suspension in March 2025. She resumed her duties on 24 September after the suspension was lifted.

The Chinese government has issued a stern warning against any form of external interference in Nigeria’s domestic affairs, following threats by United States President Donald Trump of possible military action over alleged persecution of Christians.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, November 4, the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, said Beijing “firmly supports the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as it leads its people on the development path suited to its national conditions.”

Ning described Nigeria as China’s “comprehensive strategic partner,” stressing that Beijing stands by the West African nation amid growing international tension.

“China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and threatening other countries with sanctions and force,” she said.

China’s remarks comes after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a ‘’Country of Particular Concern’ over what he described as a ‘’Christian genocide’ happening in Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu is seeking Senate confirmation for Enugu State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu-Udeh, as a minister.

The request was read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.

If confirmed, the nominee will replace Chief Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, from the same state, who resigned as Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology in the heat of a certificate scandal allegation on 7 October.

According to President Tinubu, the nomination was made in line with Section 147 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to appoint ministers subject to Senate confirmation.

‘I am pleased to forward to the Senate the nomination of Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu-Udeh, SAN, for confirmation as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

‘While I hope that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Senate, please accept, distinguished Senate President and distinguished Senators, the assurances of my highest regards’, the letter read in part.

Nnaji’s exit left Enugu State without representation in the Federal Executive Council — a constitutional requirement that mandates at least one minister from each of the 36 states of the federation.

Udeh, a respected legal practitioner recently conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is being tapped to fill that vacancy.

After reading the President’s letter, Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for immediate screening and confirmation.

Two suspected kidnappers have been gunned down by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command during a sting operation that led to the rescue of a victim held for N30 million ransom.

The operation, which took place in the Onipanu area of the state, was carried out by the command’s tactical team in collaboration with other security operatives, according to Punch.

Police spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, saying the rescue followed the abduction of Alhaji Hassan Atoyebi on October 27, 2025, around 8:14 p.m.
According to Odutola, the kidnappers invaded Atoyebi’s compound, switched off the generator to lure him outside, and then ambushed him and another resident.

“Unaware of the danger, the victim and another resident came out to inspect what they thought was a mechanical fault but were attacked by the assailants, who subsequently abducted Alhaji Baki Hassan Atoyebi,” the statement read.

The gang also made away with valuables, including a PoS machine, N900,000 in cash, three mobile phones, a power bank, and car keys belonging to a Highlander and a Corolla.

Odutola said the abductors later contacted the victim’s family, demanding N30 million as ransom for his release.

Acting swiftly, a joint security team traced the kidnappers to their hideout along a creek, where a gun battle ensued. Two of the kidnappers were shot dead, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

The victim was rescued unhurt and has since been reunited with his family. His mobile phones and vehicle keys were recovered from the scene,” Odutola confirmed.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alamutu Ogunlowo, commended the team’s gallantry and assured residents that the state remains unsafe for criminals.

This operation comes months after a similar rescue in July, when police neutralised two suspected kidnappers in Owode-Egba and freed three abducted residents from Ajebo community unhurt

The Supreme Court has dismissed appeals filed by Mr. Abubakar Ali Peters, Managing Director of Nadabo Energy Limited, in connection with an alleged ₦1.4 billion oil subsidy fraud.

Peters had approached the apex court seeking to overturn a decision of the Court of Appeal which revoked his bail and imposed stricter conditions. He also sought permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. However, the Supreme Court refused the requests, directing him to return to the trial court to continue his criminal proceedings.

The ongoing case, being heard before Justice C.A. Balogun of the Lagos High Court, involves Peters and his company, Nadabo Energy Limited.

They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly using forged documents to fraudulently obtain ₦1,464,961,978.24 from the Federal Government under the oil subsidy scheme.

The defendants allegedly inflated the quantity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported and supplied by the company, thereby claiming subsidy payments they were not entitled to.

Both Peters and Nadabo Energy Limited have pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. The trial is expected to continue before the Lagos High Court as directed by the Supreme Court