The police command in Jigawa says its operatives have begun an investigation into the circumstances around the headless corpse of a teenager found on the side of the road in Jikas-Dabaja village of Gwaram LGA.

SP Lawan Shiisu, the command’s spokesperson, said this in a statement.

Mr Shiisu said the teenager’s corpse was found at about 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

“On Wednesday at about 2200hrs, the Divisional Police Headquarters Gwaram informed us about a corpse in Jikas-Dabaja village, Gwaram LGA.

“A team of policemen rushed to the scene and on arrival, they discovered a headless corpse. The corpse also had his private parts removed.

“The corpse was later identified as that of a 14-year-old Almajiri, who went missing two (sic) earlier,” Mr Shiisu said.

He explained that the victim’s relatives were contacted after being certified dead by a medical doctor on call.

”The remains were released to them for burial. Investigations are ongoing with a view to apprehending the perpetrators,” he said.

In another development, Mr Shiisu said the police were also investigating the death of a 22-year-old bride in Hadejia LGA.

Mr Shiisu said the deceased, identified as Zainab Ibrahim, was found dead with her throat slit five weeks after her wedding.

He added that the victim was rushed to the General Hospital in Hadejia, where a doctor pronounced her dead.

The police spokesman said the investigation has since begun, and efforts were being made to apprehend the crime’s perpetrators.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has again written to the State House of Assembly, informing the lawmakers of his intention to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House for consideration and approval.

The governor, in a letter dated March 13 and addressed to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, said he intends to prevent the budget on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, or any other day within March that the House may deem fit.

Fubara said his decision is in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment and in response to the lawmakers’ request for him to re-present the budget.

He recalled the bitter experience of visiting the Assembly Quarters with his entourage, where the lawmakers were temporarily sitting to present the budget, but he was denied access to the complex.

The letter read, “You may recall my failed visit to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday, 12th March 2025, for the presentation of the 2025 Rivers State Budget in compliance with the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“As you know, the planned presentation of the said budget could not take place because my entourage and I were locked out at the gate and denied entry into the premises despite the prior delivery of a soft copy of the notice to you following the failure of the Clerk to accept the hard copy from us.

“Recall further that before this unfortunate incident, the House issued a 48-hour ultimatum to present the 2025 budget even when we were yet to be served with the certified true copy of the judgment and accompanying enrolled orders.

“Therefore, we were simply complying with both the order of the Supreme Court and the request of the Rivers State House of Assembly when we came to present the 2025 budget on the 12th of March, 2025.

“The Supreme Court has directed that all arms of government should exercise their powers and perform their duties within the ambits of the Constitution and ordinary laws of our country, and this we must do to end the lingering stalemate and advance the progress of our state and the well-being of our people.

“No matter the depth of our differences, we believe the interests of the state and our people should take priority over political conflicts.

“Against this background, it is my pleasure to again notify you, Mr. Speaker, of my desire and intention to present the 2025 Budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday, 19th March 2025, by 11.00 a.m. or any other date within March 2025 that you may consider convenient.

“Thank you for the kind consideration of my request by the House, and please accept, Mr. Speaker, the assurance of my highest regards.”

The Senate on Thursday approved for second reading the bill to establish the National Council for Traditional Rulers, aimed at formally giving monarchs and community heads vital roles in the country.

The bill was sponsored by the Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District, Simon Lalong.

When the bill was first introduced, it sparked extensive debate among lawmakers, with concerns raised about potential conflicts between the responsibilities of traditional rulers and elected officials at the Local Government level.

But Lalong, a former Plateau governor argued that today’s traditional rulers are well-educated and can provide valuable counsel on issues such as insecurity and other national matters, which could assist the government in addressing the needs of the citizens.

The erstwhile director-general of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council also asserted that they would be useful in the areas of security and conflict resolution in local communities.

He said, “When there are crises and killings, the first thing people say is ‘let’s hold the traditional ruler responsible.’ It is true in their communities, they know everybody, including the criminals. But we expect them to be the ones running up and down.

“We need to charge them with responsibilities where they will be committed. But for now, you can’t hold them responsible. As the director-general of the campaign for Asiwaju and Kashim, we went around having some meetings with these traditional rulers.

“Every time we want them to participate, they ask to be given a role. So, it was also part of our (electioneering) campaign. So, I don’t see how we can jettison that when we are struggling for a constitutional amendment with respect to security. If we don’t have security, every other thing we are doing is rubbish.”

Despite his assurance, some senators still expressed concerns about the possibility of overlapping duties and emphasized the need for the bill to clearly delineate the roles of traditional rulers and government officials to avoid confusion.

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stressed the importance of clearly defining the functions of traditional rulers within the bill.

He also suggested holding a public hearing to gather input before the bill proceeds to a third reading.

Akpabio acknowledged the value traditional rulers could bring in providing counsel on a wide range of issues that could benefit the government.

The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Establishment, with a mandate to report back within four weeks

A Spanish court has ordered a former top UN official wanted on suspicion of fraud which cost the agency millions of dollars to be remanded in custody, according to a ruling made public Thursday.

An internal UN court ruled last year that Vitaly Vanshelboim, a Ukrainian, secretly collected $3.0 million in gifts, including a new Mercedes, from a British businessman while he invested more than $58 million of the body’s money in the man’s companies.

At the time he was the deputy head of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a little-known agency that acts as a kind of general contractor for other arms of the organisation.

Vanshelboim was put on leave in 2021 while the UN investigated the allegations and was sacked in early 2023. He moved to Spain three years ago.

A New York court in January issued an international arrest warrant for Vanshelboim for alleged bribery, money laundering and electronic fraud.

Spain’s top criminal court on Wednesday ordered he be remanded in custody because he poses a flight risk, according to a ruling made public on Thursday.

While Vanshelboim has family and economic ties in Spain, “such ties cannot be considered sufficiently strong to counter the aforementioned risk, given that he has only been living here for three years,” the court said.

The UN has said it lost the bulk of the more than $58 million in UNOPS funds which Vanshelboim entrusted to the British businessman.

The scandal led to an overhaul of the agency and embarrassed the UN.

Many inmates in custodial centres are reportedly facing death from hunger due to poor feeding and rampant food racketeering.

This was made known on Thursday in Abuja by the Secretary of the Independent Investigative Panel, Dr Uju Agomoh, on alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) while briefing the media.

Ms Agomoh spoke to journalists at the ongoing second public hearing to address the alleged corruption, abuse of power and degrading treatment of detainees against NCoS on Thursday in Abuja.

She said, “During our inspection visit as a panel, in February 2024, there was no food up to the approved weekly standards by the service. The stock they are supposed to have for at least seven days, as is the practice, is not being implemented. This is about being open to knowing where the problem is because many inmates are dying due to lack of food. I have personally been going to correctional centres for more than 30 years, but I have never seen what we see these days. There have always been problems, but it has never been the way it is now.’’

Ms Agomoh, who doubled as the Founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Actions (PRAWA), emphasised that transparency was crucial for the investigative panel’s goal of enhancing efficiency within the NCoS.

She, however, warned that starving inmates posed a danger, as hunger could fuel aggression.

She added that the panel’s investigation revealed that officers in-charge of facilities were responsible for supplying food, but prioritised profits over performing their duties.

She noted, “First, the quantity that is provided is small. Second, this drive for profit-making worsens the process. The officers in-charge are one of the checks and balances for the contractors.’’

The panel secretary requested a response from the Nigerian Correctional Service regarding the implementation of Section 14, Subsection 4 of the NCoS Act.

Speaking, the NCoS Acting Comptroller General, Sylvester Nwakuche, disclosed that a ‘Prison Ration Committee’ had been established to monitor the quality and quantity of food served to inmates.

Mr Nwakuche, represented by Assistant Controller General (ACG), Ibrahim Idris, assured that the service regularly conducted routine checks and maintained a constant presence on duty.

A member of the panel, Dr Ikechukwu Ezeugo, observed that only a few of the correctional service’s over 12 farm centres were operational.

Mr Ezeugo further observed that food produced by inmates in the farm centres was not utilised to feed them, but rather sold to food contractors, who then resale or resupply the produce to the farm centres and other custodial facilities.

He said, “The panel also discovered that inmates at the farm centres were unfit for labour, including those with health conditions like sickle cell anaemia, as well as underage detainees.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had in September 2024 inaugurated the panel to probe allegations of corruption and gross abuse of office levelled against some personnel of the NCoS.

Mr Tunji-Ojo, who is also the Chairman of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board, suspended several officers overseeing the Maximum and Minimum Custodial Centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State.

The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa Chairman, Chris Smith, has cleared the U.S. President Donald Trump to impose harsh sanctions on Nigeria over the killing of Christians in the West African country.

The House Subcommittee reached the resolution following a Wednesday hearing regarding the prosecution of Christians in the West African nation, noting that the wanton violence against Christians in Nigeria had significantly worsened in recent years.

“One of our distinguished witnesses today—Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria— travelled a long distance to be with us today and will testify, and this is from his testimony. Militant Fulani herdsmen are terrorists,” Mr Smith said during the hearing on Wednesday.

He said, “They steal and vandalise, they kill and boast about it, they kidnap and rape, and they enjoy total impunity from the elected officials. None of them have been arrested and brought to justice.”

The subcommittee noted that Nigerians constituted 90 per cent of Christians killed worldwide annually, citing a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa showing out of the 55,910 people killed between October 2019 and September 2023, 21,000 of them were abducted in the context of terror groups.

“Make no mistake, all of these attacks are based on religion, like I said, and diverting attention from it denies what we have seen with our own eyes. This “religious cleansing” needs to stop, and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” the report noted.

The subcommittee blamed the Nigerian government for not doing enough to protect protest Christians from persecution even though freedom of religion is enshrined in the country’s constitution while decrying instances where Nigerian court system has been weaponised to punish Christian population.

“Yet, the Government of Nigeria has failed to make progress against religiously motivated persecution of Christians despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in its Constitution,” the subcommittee noted in their report.

It added, “Likewise, Nigerian legal framework supports pluralism at both federal and state levels but glaring contradictions exist, especially with laws that criminalise blasphemy—some even carrying the death penalty.”

Mr Smith blamed the previous Joe Biden administration for removing Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation, which was placed on the country under first Donald Trump term at the White House despite U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s recommendations for four consecutive years between 2021 and 2024 to redesignate the country.

He recommended that Mr Trump should do more to help Christians in Nigeria, including placing the country on CPC designate on Nigeria and urged him to reach out to his Nigerian counterpart Bola Tinubu on the matter.

Mr Smith also asked the Trump administration and the U.S. Senate to be ready to work together to impose sanctions if the killing of Christians doesn’t stop.

“While I strongly believe that President Trump will again designate Nigeria a CPC—and do much more to assist the persecuted church including outreach to Nigerian President Tinubu —last night I reintroduced the resolution. I hope that we will have a robust discussion and that it will get marked up,” Mr Smith said.

He added, “Let me also say that, and I’ll put the rest of my statement into the record, this hearing we’re hoping will be a catalyst for action by our own government and also by Congress and of course , above all, the Executive Branch. The new president has a lot to do and I think he’ll do this and then, if necessary, impose sanctions. Where that has happened, there has been change. Where it doesn’t happen, the status quo, the killing fields continue.”

The police command in Lagos State on Wednesday exhumed the body of a 28-year-old graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), Adedamola Ogunbode.

The corpse was buried in a shallow grave behind the LASU fence in its Ojo Campus.

The deceased, a political science education graduate, had been missing since January 16.

The police earlier announced the arrest of four suspects and a search for four others allegedly linked to the murder of the 2024 graduate.

The suspects were alleged to have transferred the money in the deceased’s bank account and shared among themselves.

The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, who was at the site of the exhumation, said that one of the suspects led the police to the site.

He said, “January 16 was when all this started after a report was received by the Ojo Police Division that the young man went missing. After the new Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, assumed duty on February 18, he gave orders to the State Criminal investigation Department to investigate the case. That was when the case was upgraded from that of a missing person to a case of suspected murder. This led to arrest of one of the principal suspects who did not only confess to killing the young man, but also led us here, where the victim was buried.’’

Mr Hundeyin said that the police would apprehend the remaining suspects and wrap up the investigation.

He said, “Now that we have seen the body, the investigation is gradually coming to an end. We will intensify efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects.’’

The spokesperson assured Lagos residents that justice would be served in the case.

“The suspects will definitely be prosecuted to ensure that justice is served. We use this opportunity to commiserate with the family of the deceased. We also thank the Lagos State Government for its immense support in every area of crime fighting within the state.” ‘

Mr Hundeyin told journalists on Monday that the police had sealed a church where one of the arrested persons worshipped, following intelligence report of a planned arson in retaliation.

He stated, “The church was sealed following intelligence reports that some people planned to burn it out of vengeance, and we do not want that to happen.’’

Those present at the site included police personnel, health workers, local government officials, LASU students, lecturers, and Ojo residents.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed that two persons died and six others sustained injuries in the gas tanker explosion that occurred under the Otedola Bridge on Tuesday night.

It also confirmed that 12 vehicles, eight tricycles and a building were destroyed by the incident which happened around 8pm on Tuesday.

A 30 tonnes DAF truck without registration number, laden with Automated Gas Oil (AGO) fell on its side while negotiating a bend inward Omole.

As soon as it fell, an explosion followed with fire balls spiralling into a nearby Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), a bungalow and a mechanic village.

Giving update on the incident Wednesday morning, the Permanent Secretary (PS) LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said the deceased were both male adults.

He said three of the six injured persons suffered severe burns and were moved to the hospital while the other three received immediate medical attention.

Oke-Osanyintolu said: “At 20:14pm, LASEMA’s Tiger Response Team arrived to find a 30 ton DAF gas tanker overturned and engulfed in flames, spreading fire to nearby vehicles and houses.

“Safety precautions were implemented. Fire containment measures were established to prevent further spread. Search and rescue operations continued.

“The fire was put out at 10:02pm on Tuesday. The fatality has been handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), while victims were receiving medical treatment.

“LASEMA Response Team (LRT), LASEMA Pre-Hospital Care Unit, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) were agencies that participated in the operation,” he said.

Mamman Giwa has assumed duty as the 29th police commissioner of the Enugu command.

Mr Giwa, who succeeded the former Commissioner, Mr Kanayo Uzuegbu, who was recently promoted to assistant inspector general of police and redeployed, resumed duty on Tuesday.

This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Giwa, on resumption of duty in Enugu, sought the cooperation of residents to help the police achieve its mandate of securing lives and property.

He pledged commitment to implementing a professional, proactive, and people-friendly policing strategy.

On Wednesday, a Jos Magistrates’ Court sentenced a 23-year-old trader, Joseph Peter, to nine months imprisonment for stealing foodstuff and a gas cooker from his neighbour’s house.

Magistrate Shawomi Bokkos sentenced Peter after pleading guilty to breaking, entering, and theft.

The judge gave the convict an option to pay N20,000 as a fine.

She also ordered the convict to pay N130,000 as compensation to the complainant.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Ijuptil Thiawur, told the court that the case was reported at the Anglo-Jos Police Station on January 11 by Ngumut Jacob, the complainant.

Thiawur said the convict also stole clothes, a laptop and a phone.

A gas tanker explosion at Otedola Bridge, Lagos, has claimed the life of one person, with four others sustaining injury, while 14 vehicles were destroyed.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in Lagos, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday night.

Mr Farinloye added that the explosion occurred around 8:30 p.m. at Otedola Bridge, Lagos, affected a storey building and damaged four shops.

He said the incident occurred when a fully loaded gas tanker fell while trying to access the expressway from Otedola Estate road.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, has condemned a terrorist attack on a passenger train and the subsequent hostage-taking in Pakistan.

Mr Baghaei extended his sympathies to the government and people of Pakistan.

He reaffirmed Iran’s stance against all forms of terrorism, saying that Iran is ready to assist Pakistan in bringing terrorism to an end.

Militants launched the attack in the Kacchi district of Balochistan province.

The attack targeted the Jaffar Express train, which was carrying over 450 passengers from southwest Quetta city to northwest Peshawar.

A banned terrorist outfit, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack via social media.

Pakistani security forces have freed 155 passengers from a hijacked train as the operation to rescue the remaining hostages continues in the south-western province of Balochistan, officials said on Wednesday.

The train, which was carrying around 450 passengers, including army personnel and their families, was targeted by more than 100 gunmen from the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Tuesday afternoon.

“A full-scale military operation is underway in which 27 terrorists have been killed,” security sources said.

“Militants were using the passengers as shields and they have placed suicide bombers wearing explosive vests dangerously close to the hostages,” said a security official, who is not authorised to speak on the record.

Pakistani elite commandos, backed by air power, have launched a massive operation after the train was hijacked in the remote Sibi district.

Local media reported that at least 10 people, including the train driver, were killed in the gun battle.

The total number of casualties among soldiers, passengers and militants remains unclear after several hours of clashes.

The BLA, which has previously targeted trains and buses carrying security personnel, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group demanded a prisoner exchange and threatened to kill hostages if the operation continued.

Violence in Balochistan has surged as China and Pakistan advance the second phase of a major infrastructure project linking Chinese cities to the Arabian Sea.

The BLA and local political groups accuse both governments of exploiting the region’s resources through coercive policies.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has issued a public alert regarding the activities of 58 companies allegedly operating illegal Ponzi schemes under the guise of investment opportunities.

The anti-graft agency said the companies were neither registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria nor the Securities and Exchange Commission.

EFCC said it had taken legal action against many of the entities, leading to the conviction of five, while another five have pleaded guilty and are awaiting further judicial processes.

The companies are Wales Kingdom Capital, Bethseida Group of Companies, AQM Capital Ltd, Titan Multibusiness Investment Ltd, Brickwall Global Investment Ltd, Farmforte Ltd & Agro Partnership Tech, Green Eagles Agricbusiness Solution Ltd, Richfield Multiconcepts Ltd, Forte Asset Management Ltd, Biss Networks Nigeria Ltd, S Mobile Netzone Ltd.; Pristine Mobile Network, and Letsfarm Integrated Services.

Others are Bara Finance & Investment Ltd, Vicampro Farms Ltd, Brooks Network Ltd, Gas Station Supply Services Ltd, Brass & Books Ltd, Annexation Biz Concept & Maitanbuwal Global Venturescrowdyvest Ltd, and Crowdyvest Ltd.

Also listed are Jadek Agro Connect Ltd, Adeeva Capital Ltd, Oxford International Group and Oxford Gold Integrated, Skapomah Global Ltd, MBA Trading & Capital Investment Ltd, TRJ Company Ltd, Farm4Me Agriculture Ltd, Quintessential Investment Company, deprinz Global Enterprises, Rockstar Establishment Ltd, S.U. Global Investment, Citi Trust Funding PLC, Farm Buddy, Eatrich 369 Farms & Food, and Globertrot Farmsponsors Nig. Ltd.

Farm Sponsors Ltd, Cititrust Credit Ltd, Farmfunded Agroservices Ltd, Adamakin Investment & Works Ltd, Cititrust Holding PLC, Green Eagles Agribusiness Solutions Ltd, Chinmark Homes & Shelters Ltd, Emerald Farms & Consultant Ltd, Ovaioza Farm Produce Storage Ltd, Farm 360 & Agriculture Company, Requid Technologies Ltd, West Agro Agriculture & Food Processing Ltd, NISL Ventures Ltd & Estate of Laolu Martins, XY Connect Investment Ltd, River Branch Unique Investment Ltd, Hallmark Capital Ltd, CJC Markets Ltd, Crowd One Investment, and Farmkart Foods Ltd were also listed.

Other alleged scam companies on the EFCC alert are KD Likemind Stakeholders Ltd, Holibiz Finance Ltd, Ifeanyi Okpe Oil & Gas Services, Servapps Nigeria Ltd, Barrick Gold Mining Company and 360 Agric Partners Ltd.

The anti-graft agency assured the public of its continued vigilance in monitoring financial activities across the nation.

It advised Nigerians to exercise caution when investing and verify the legitimacy of investment firms through appropriate regulatory agencies before engaging in any financial transactions.

Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on Tuesday in Jenin Governorate, northern West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry identified one of the victims as 58-year-old Faiza Ibrahim Abu Ghali but did not disclose the identities of the other two victims.

The statement mentioned that they were shot dead by Israeli forces at dawn.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that at least three militants were killed during a counterterrorism operation.

This operation was carried out in coordination with Israeli security forces in the town of Qabatiya and the city of Jenin, both located in the Jenin Governorate.

According to the IDF, the armed militants had barricaded themselves inside a structure and were killed in an exchange of fire.

The Nigerian House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to ensure the blocking of all prngraphic sites in the country.

The House wants the Commission to compel all internet service providers to block all such contents with immediate effect.

Dalhatu Tafoki, an All Progressives Congress (APC), lawmaker from Katsina State, sponsored the motion.

While presenting the motion, Tafoki emphasised that cyber prngraphy is a growing global concern and noted that Nigeria has not done enough to tackle the issue.

According to him, Nigeria is a “highly religious country” where major faiths preach against and prohibit nudity and obscenity.

The lawmaker went further to state that several countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East had enacted laws banning prngraphy.

To drive home his point, the Katsina lawmaker made reference to warnings from psychologists and sociologists about the negative impact of prngraphy.

According to him, prngraphy could lead to adultery, prostitution and addiction.

“Renowned psychologists and sociologists around the world have issued stern warnings on the psychological, sociological and mental consequences of viewing prngraphic content,” he said.

Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives subjected the motion to a voice vote where the lawmakers voted in support of it.

The House directed the NCC to impose penalties on service providers that fail to comply with the directive.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made key appointments in Nigeria’s education sector, naming Dr. Mohammed Mohammed Aminu as the new Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced this in a statement on Tuesday.

Dr. Aminu, who holds a Ph.D. in Automobile Technology and a Master’s in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, brings 28 years of experience in teaching, administration, research, and policy development.

Before his appointment, he was the Director of Procurement at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

A strong advocate for vocational education and skills development, he has published extensively on innovative teaching methods, youth empowerment, and poverty alleviation.

President Tinubu urged Dr. Aminu to leverage his expertise to provide transformational leadership at NABTEB, ensuring the agency continues to play a critical role in assessing and certifying skilled manpower vital for Nigeria’s industrial growth.

In addition, the President appointed Mr. Idris Olorunnimbe as Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Board.

A visionary leader with a deep commitment to youth empowerment, Olorunnimbe is the Group CEO of The Temple Company, a firm he founded in 2016.

His experience includes serving on the Board of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), where he played a key role in youth employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

Further strengthening UBEC’s leadership, President Tinubu named Rasaq Olajuwon as Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) and Tunde Ajibulu as Deputy Executive Secretary (Services).

Olajuwon was previously Director of Administration and Human Resources at the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), while Ajibulu, a Fellow of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), is a Director at Tangent Construction Nigeria Limited and Partner at Covenant Consultancy Services.

The President charged the new UBEC leadership to drive reforms that will expand access to quality basic education nationwide and enhance service delivery in the sector.

Scores of angry women in Ondo State have trooped the streets in Akure to protest against security challenges confronting the state, particularly the abduction of nine surveyors at Owode/Ilu Abo in the Akure North Local Government Area of the state.

The latest abduction followed the killing of 14 local farmers in some communities in the council area last weekend by suspected bandits.

The protesters, mostly market women, on Tuesday stormed the Alagbaka Government Office in Akure, lamenting the surveyors’ abduction.

The protest saw placard-wielding women blocking roads, obstructing traffic as they called on security agencies to secure the release of the kidnapped victims.

They stated that the victims were abducted on site and marched into the forest by the marauders.

A sister to one of the victims, Comfort Afolabi, said the kidnappers had reached out to the family, demanding N100 million ransom.

“We have been pleading with them, but they insist they won’t release him unless we pay the ransom. We are helpless and need the government to intervene,” Mrs Afolabi said.

Another protester, Oluwatoyin Arowosafe, said the victims were surveyors working under the supervision of a high chief in the Akure community.

Ms.Arowosafe, however, pleaded with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to tackle the security challenges in the state, saying that many residents were now living in fear.

He stated, “Many of our people were kidnapped, and they are demanding N100 million. They went to the farms, they are all surveyors and workers of High Chief Ijemikin of Akure, Oluwole Omotayo.’’

The state police spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, could not immediately be reached for comments.

But reacting to the protest, the special adviser on labour union to the governor, Bola Taiwo, said that the government was on top of the situation, adding that insecurity in the state would soon be surmounted.

“We are aware that you have reported to the security agencies, particularly the police. But let us assure you that the state government is not resting on the security challenges,” Mr Taiwo said.

The latest abduction added to the growing cases of kidnappings, killings and armed robbery in the state.

Last week, a farmer and his manager were attacked and abducted while returning from their farm in Osi, Oba-Ile area.

In January, five farmers were shot dead by bandits masquerading as herdsmen in the Ajegunle-Powerline community of the Akure North LGA.