In a tense turn of events at the University of Ibadan, officers of the Nigerian Army have reportedly arrested and detained four individuals amid a protest against fee hikes.

It was gathered that the detained protesters, identified as Aduwo Ayodele, Made Gbadegesin, Olorunfemi Adeyeye, and Nice Linus, were apprehended and bundled into an Army van during a Monday demonstration.

Adeyeye, the National Secretary of the African Action Congress, managed to record a distressing video while inside the van. In it, a man in military uniform is clinging to the vehicle as it speeds towards the Agodi area of Ibadan.

In a distress message sent to our correspondent on WhatsApp chat, Adeyeye said, “UI security officers swooped on us as I joined UI students to raise placards. They dragged us, beat us, and then called soldiers from Operation Burst.”

A student, requesting anonymity for fear of victimisation, disclosed that the arrests occurred concurrently with a swearing-in ceremony for the new Students’ Union executives, with protesters voicing their dissent against the fee hike.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Brig. General Onyema Nwachukwu and the UI Dean of Students Affairs, Prof Adekeye Abiona, were futile at press time.

Expressing condemnation and demanding the protesters’ release, human rights group, the Take It Back Movement, in a post on X, said, “Here is @activistfemi being moved to an unknown location by @HQNigerianArmy officers. He was arrested by operation burst during an ongoing protest around the University of Ibadan. We condemn this as despicable, and demand his immediate release.”

The National Association of Nigerian Students in April denounced the “outrageous” fee hike for new UI students, citing financial burdens imposed on families already grappling with economic challenges.

According to NANS Public Relations Officer Victor Igbudu, the fee increase for the 2023/2024 academic session, which ranged from N230,000 to 412,000, was deemed unacceptable.

A viral video circulating on social media shows a woman lamenting the demolition notice served on her property in Lagos State allegedly just two months after moving in.

In the video that surfaced online on Monday, the yet-to-be-identified woman cried as she recounted the ordeal.

A picture of a demolition notice dated May 7, 2024, was also attached to the video.

She said, “We bought that property in February, and we’ve only been there for two months. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights, everything… If you’re in Lagos, you’ll know how much property in Eti Osa costs.

“Each time my son sees me crying, he will always ask me why I am crying. How do I explain this to our son? What do I tell my children? I’m trying so hard to be strong, but this is very painful.

“I don’t wish for anybody to work so hard and face something like this. I don’t.”

The video, which was shared on X.com on Monday by Spotlight Abby, tweeting with the handle #Spotlight_Abby, has garnered reactions from netizens, with some sympathising with the couple and others criticising the decision to invest in Lagos real estate citing recent incidents of demolitions.

It also raised concerns about the need for thorough due diligence before investing in real estate in the state.

One Nneka Busy Body tweeting as #Nnekabusybody wrote, “While this is sad I’m a bit confused. With the uncertain investment landscape of Lagos and everything we see and read about, you still went and bought property in Lagos in 2024? How? Why?”

Another user tweeting anonymously as #ideniyor wrote, “She and her husband deserve it. They bought a land without lawyers and due diligence. Cry me a river. The seller landed a fast one on them.”

This is not the first time property demolitions in Lagos have sparked controversy.

Last week residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State decried the demolition of their multimillion-naira houses in the area by the state government while seeking compensation for a new shelter.

Speaking on the incident, the state commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that the government issued the residents of Mende Villa Estate two demolition notices in 2021 and 2023.

On Wednesday, Wahab, in a post on X.com, also hinted that illegal builders whose houses are demolished may soon be asked to pay for the demolition.

World record holder Tobi Amusan, is the fastest woman in the women’s 100m hurdles this year after running a blistering 12.40s to win the first Jamaica Athletics Invitational in Kingston, to win the race ahead of Jamaican and world champion, Danielle Williams.

For most part of the race, Amusan was behind reigning world champion Williams and America’s Nia Ali but surged ahead in the closing stages, beating the previous world-leading time of 12.42s set by Tonea Marshall of the USA on April 20.Williams finished second in 12.46s seconds, with Christina Clemens of the USA taking third place in 12.54s.

Another Jamaican athlete, Yanique Thompson, secured fourth in 12.59s while Ali slipped to fifth with a time of 12.65s.

Amusan and other prominent athletes snubbed the Doha Diamond League to attend the Jamaica Invitational.

The Nigerian ended last season on a high by winning the Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon for a third consecutive time, silencing critics about her disappointing performance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where she placed fifth and lost the title to Williams.

A middle-aged woman, Abike Olonade, has been arrested for trafficking a 16-year-old student to Libya.

It was reliably gathered that the victim, whose name is yet to be disclosed, is a student of Adeoye Lambo Secondary School in Obada Oko, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Confirming the arrest, the command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, in a statement in Abeokuta, on Saturday, said the suspect confessed to trafficking the victim to Libya.

She said, “One Abike Olonade has been arrested for trafficking 16 year old student of Ademoye Lambo Secondary School in Obada Oko, Ogun State.

“She confessed that the victim has been trafficked to Libya.”

The Adamawa/Taraba states command of the Nigerian Customs Service has said it recently seized 12,435 litres of Premium Motor Spirit worth N10.8 million.

The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the command, Bashir Garba-Bature, made the disclosure while briefing journalists in Yola.

According to him, the seized items included 491×25lt and 8× 20lt jerrycans of the commodity, saying that the petroleum was intercepted in Mubi enroute to the Cameroon Republic.

“The command officers while on anti-smuggling operations along the border frontiers within the period of two weeks had recorded 05 incidents of interception of PMS on its way to the neighbouring Cameroon Republic,” he said.

He assured that the command would sustain the fight against the menace of smuggling, saying: “we have strategically deployed our operatives along the flashpoints.”

Mr Garba-Bature solicited the cooperation, understanding and collaboration of relevant stakeholders such as the media, sister security agencies and patriotic citizens to effectively put an end to the ugly trend of smuggling.

He stated, “We attributed the successes recorded to the unwavering support and encouragement being extended to us by the current leadership of the service under our Comptroller-General, Mr Bashir Adeniyi.’’

The government is implementing new laws and policies that will facilitate growth in IT-enabled services in the country, President William Ruto has said.

The objective, the President announced, is for these measures to help the government unlock opportunities in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services sector.

Consequently, the government is enhancing the country’s competitiveness and aligning it with global standards to accelerate the growth of the BPO market and other IT-enabled services.

The goal, he noted, is to scale up government investments in the relevant infrastructure, including the national broadband and digital hubs, to create jobs for at least one million digital workers in the next five years.

“We are determined to claim our fair share of the BPO pie for the benefit of our young men and women who are eager to contribute to growing our economy,” he said.

He noted that Kenya’s strength is in a large, skilled youthful workforce, government policies which give priority to the digital economy as a strategic pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, an education system that stresses digital skills, a strategic geographical location aligning with global time zones and proficiency in English, a language widely used in major economies.

President Ruto made the remarks during the launch of Call Centre International (CCI) Global Contact Centre at Tatu City in Ruiru, Kiambu County, which has already created more than 5,000 jobs.

Present were Cabinet Secretaries Rebecca Miano and Eliud Owalo, Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi and United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, among others.

The President said the government is strengthening existing laws to create a conducive environment for the ICT-BPO industry to thrive.

“Our goal is to develop sector-specific legislation that aligns with international standards in the short, medium and long term,” he said.

Government efforts in strengthening the sector, President Ruto explained, include enforcing BPO standards that meet international best practices, updating fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to keep pace with technological advancements and investing in green energy.

He said the government is also working with the private sector in enhanced skills training for Kenyan youth to ensure that they are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

“These efforts demonstrate our commitment to fostering a thriving, sustainable and globally competitive BPO sector in Kenya,” he said.

The President appealed to investors to collaborate with the government in its digital hubs programme for BPO operations to succeed and expand.

The Emir of Tikau in Yobe, Muhammadu Abubakar Ibn-Grema, is dead.

The emir’s younger brother, Abubakar Talba, confirmed the death in an interview with journalists in Damaturu on Saturday.

Mr Talba, a prince of the Tikau Emirate Council, said the emir died in Potiskum at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

“ Yes, I can confirm to you that the emir died after a brief illness. He was over 70 years old at the time of his death,” he said.

The prince said the deceased, a first-class chief, would be buried by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, according to Islamic rites.

Mr Ibn-Grema, whose palace is located in Nangere Local Government Area, was the paramount ruler of the Karekare people.

He was installed as emir on July 25, 2001, and spent 23 years on the throne before his demise.

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, visited Kaduna State on Friday and met with wounded and injured Nigerian soldiers at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.

PUNCH Online reported that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, visited Kaduna State on Friday, where they were welcomed by Governor Uba Sani, who gifted the Duke traditional Hausa attire and photo frames of the prince with his late mother, Princess Diana, and another with his wife.

The duo arrived in Nigeria to promote the Invictus Games, an initiative Prince Harry founded to support the rehabilitation of wounded and sick service members and veterans, including Nigerian soldiers engaged in a 14-year conflict against Islamic extremists.

A report on the official website of the Duke of Sussex stated that Prince Harry toured the hospital facilities alongside the Chief Medical Director, Col. NS Onuchukwu.

The report partly read, “Designed to help wounded servicemen and women recover after injury, the hospital includes a leading physiotherapy gym and a high-tech prosthetics lab which offers state-of-the-art replacements to those who have lost limbs – a donation offered by Germany that has been transformational for on-site prosthetic fittings.

“Prince Harry met up with around 50 courageous soldiers across two wards, hearing about their stories of service and sacrifice and wishing them all a speedy recovery. Two of the men he had seen at last year’s Invictus Games, and their smiles were a reminder of what they’d seen was possible post-injury.”

The report also added that Prince Harry “was especially pleased to be able to congratulate Princess Owowoh in person since her graduation from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.”

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the fuel crisis being experienced in the country will soon be a thing of the past.

Mr Bamidele gave this assurance in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the Oil Technology Conference in Houston, Texas on Friday.

He said the legislature is working tirelessly to ensure that fuel scarcity and frequent queues at filling stations are resolved.

He said there were plans to involve more private-sector players in the construction of new refineries.

“The Senate is working to ensure that more private-sector players are licensed to own and operate refineries. This is to support other smaller ones that are springing up in several parts of the country.

“In addition to licensing new refinery operators, the Federal Government and Senate are working to ensure that the existing refineries are turned around with repairs and replacement of parts carried out where necessary,” he said.

Bamidele said the Senate had received an assurance from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that two of its refineries in Warri and Port Harcourt would come on stream before the end of the year.

He also noted that the commitment to licensing new refinery operators and revitalising existing refineries remained vital for increasing domestic oil production.

Opeyemi maintained that the focus was to ensure that Nigeria meets its OPEC production quota.

He explained that achieving such milestones would provide more revenue for the government and halt lack and borrowings.

By enhancing local refinery capacity, he said the country could reduce its dependence on fuel imports leading to a potential decrease in petrol prices.

He explained further that what drives pricing is the ability to meet demand in the face of every product, finding its level and place in a free market.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Senate Committee of Downstream, Ifeanyi Ubah, said the last Turn Around Maintenance that happened at the refineries was about 15 years ago, which led to the comatose state of the facility.

Ubah said that the non-deregulation of the downstream sector had put undue pressure on NNPC Ltd., as the entire industry depends on the company for its petroleum needs.

He pointed out that no country could meet its energy needs by having a single entity; importing its petroleum product needs.

However, to be self-sufficient, Ubah urged the government to create a cluster of five to eight modular refineries within the riverine communities.

Over the month, thousands of commuters in the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto and Anambra states have been left stranded at various bus stops due to the scarcity of PMS required by transporters to run their vehicles.

Prince Harry told students in Nigeria it was okay to have a bad day, as he and Meghan began a three-day visit to the country.

The Duke of Sussex told children at a mental health summit in Abuja “there’s no shame to acknowledge that today is a bad day, that you left school feeling stressed”.

The visit comes after Harry concluded a brief visit to London, where he told the BBC it had been “great” to be back in the UK.

Their visit is part of a series of events linked to the Invictus Games, the sporting event for injured servicemen and women founded by Prince Harry which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

The couple landed in Abuja on Friday morning, and began their visit with a tour of Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital city.

They were greeted by traditional dancers and met some of the primary schoolchildren.

One group of year five pupils told the BBC they were really excited about the visit, saying they hope it will raise their school’s profile.

During their tour the couple visited a kindergarten class where children aged up to five danced and sang – at one point, the visitors got to their feet and joined the class in singing Jump Up, Turn Around.

The couple mentioned their own family: Archie, who turned five earlier this month, and two-year-old Lilibet.

Meghan said that dancing was Lilibet’s favourite class, adding: “Maybe it’s all the jumping around.

“During a visit to a STEM class, when pupils showed the robot cars they had created, the duchess said that Archie also liked construction.

When told by the class that they would be showing the robot cars in class one day, Meghan said: “We will have to come back for the exhibition.”

The couple then spoke to students to deliver remarks launching a two-day mental health summit.

Meghan began by telling the audience: “We have got to acknowledge those amazing dance moves” saying Harry was excited and nearly jumped up to join.

Harry asked the children to put their hands up if the words “mental health” scare them or if they know what they mean, before going on to talk about the stigma surrounding mental health worldwide.

The duke told the children the message he wanted them to remember was that mental health affects everyone in the world.

“The more you talk about it, the more you can kick it in the long grass”.

He made the children promise, after Friday, not to be scared of talking about their mental health, and ended his speech with: “It’s okay, not to be okay.”

He then handed the microphone to Meghan who joked: “Do you see why I married him he’s so smart.

“She then went on to encourage the children to share their stories, saying that Lilibet once said to her: “Mama, I see me in you.”

Even though she meant literally, Meghan said she hung onto the words, saying she sees herself in her daughter but also all the students there.

“I believe in you”, she told them.

The couple were also joined on stage by Brian, one of three Lightway Academy students who spoke on stage about mental health.

“Both boys and girls have feelings and emotions they bottle up because they can’t really express it… it can lead to suicide,” he said.

He went on to add that he hoped the summit would enlighten him and teach him more about mental health.

Lightway Academy’s School Director, Joyce Agbese, told the BBC mental health is a topic not often talked about in Nigeria.

She praised Prince Harry’s message to the students, which was to “speak up and speak out, don’t bottle things up”.

“He nailed it, basically yes. We want to encourage them to speak out, speak up, express their emotions in the right way,” said Ms Agbese.

“When somebody this popular or this famous speaks about mental health it makes people realise that it’s normal and so they don’t have to be afraid to talk about it.”

At least three people have died and several more are in hospital after a bus crashed and fell into a river in the Russian city of St Petersburg, local officials say.

The accident took place on the Potseluev Bridge over the Moika River in the historic city centre on Friday afternoon.

Footage shows the bus swerving into oncoming traffic, colliding with two cars before breaking through the bridge barrier and falling into the water – sinking within seconds.

The driver of the bus has been detained, authorities say.

An estimated 20 people were on board at the time of the incident, according to Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Authorities said the accident left four people in critical condition and two more seriously injured.

Officials say the incident happened after the driver of the bus lost control when turning into the bridge from Bolshaya Morskaya Street.

“Rescuers took nine people out of the sunken bus,” the Emergency Ministry said on social media. “Unfortunately, three people died.

“CCTV footage from the scene – unverified by the BBC – appears to show passers-by jumping in the water to attempt to rescue passengers.

Footage later released by the authorities shows emergency services lifting the bus out of the river using heavy machinery.

The Emergency Ministry later said rescue operations had been completed.

The Potseluev Bridge is in the centre of St Petersburg, close to tourist attractions including the Peter the Great Naval Museum and around 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the Hermitage Museum.

Lebanese foreign affairs minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday said his country asked for assistance from Qatar to evacuate Lebanese women from Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

“We requested Qatari assistance to get Lebanese women and their families out through the Rafah crossing, as they have been stuck since the start of the aggression on Gaza, in spite of all our previous attempts to bring them home,” Mr Bou Habib said.

This is according to a report by the Lebanese National News Agency.

Mr Bou Habib made the remarks after meeting with Qatar’s ambassador to Lebanon, Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani.

Meanwhile, Mr Bou Habib praised Qatar’s constructive role in helping Lebanon emerge from its presidential crisis.

He said Qatar is working through the five-nation group on Lebanon, which comprises Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, and the United States, to help the country accelerate its presidential election and financial and economic reforms.

The position of Lebanese president has been vacant since the end of the term of former President Michel Aoun in October 2022.

The parliament failed to elect a new president for the country in light of the division of political forces and the failure of the parliamentary blocs to agree on a consensual figure to assume the presidency.

Argentina’s health ministry announced a “targeted” vaccination campaign against dengue after the country logged more than 420,000 cases this year.

The ministry said in a statement that a vaccination program targeting affected areas would be established based on recommendations from the National Immunisation Commission (Conain) and as part of a comprehensive strategy against the endemic.

The ministry said the vaccination drive “will begin in stages, with the population between 15 and 19 years old” in priority districts.

According to official data released on May 5, Argentina has detected 420,867 cases of dengue and 291

According to official data released on May 5, Argentina has detected 420,867 cases of dengue and 291 deaths so far this year.

The mosquito-borne disease is circulating in 19 of the country’s 24 districts.

Dengue, a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causes an acute illness that usually develops symptoms such as headache, high fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rash.

Bandits on Thursday night invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogi State and abducted some students.

An eyewitness account indicated that the bandits swooped on the university around 9pm while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.

The source said that the bandits came in through the bush, went into three lecture halls and began to shoot into the air to scare the students.

“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them, the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.

“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students.

“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.

According to the source, the students were preparing for their first-semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.

A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for “more than an hour”.

“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.Contacted, CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.

“I don’t talk to journalists on incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, were not successful.

Retired Cdre Jerry Omodara, State Security Adviser, could equally not be reached for comments as calls to his line were not picked up nor returned.

Like in several parts of the country, abduction for ransom is the new normal. In February, gunmen reportedly kidnapped nine travellers in Oshokoshoko, along the Kabba/Obajana/Lokoja Road in Kogi State.

A man arrested for allegedly attacking a woman with a box cutter shot and seriously wounded two officers in a Paris police station on Thursday after grabbing one of their weapons.

A source close to the case said the incident happened in the French capital’s 13th district shortly before 10:30 pm (2030 GMT), and that one of the officers’ wounds was life-threatening.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office later confirmed the source’s account to AFP.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez arrived at the scene around midnight, accompanied by prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

Nunez told reporters that the suspect had been arrested at around 10:00 pm for a “very violent attack on a woman” with a box cutter.

“The officers intervened and brought him back here (to the police station), and it was during his processing that he snatched the weapon” and “seriously” wounded the two officers, he said.

The officers were both immediately transferred to hospital, as was the suspect, who was himself seriously wounded by return fire, Nunez added.

“We are very worried about the state of health (of the officers),” he continued, lauding the station staff’s “courage and responsiveness”.

Nunez said an investigation was underway to establish the “circumstances” surrounding the incident.

Reached by AFP, the prosecutor’s office said three investigations had been opened — one into the “attempted murder of the woman”, and one into the “attempted murder of persons holding public authority”.

The third was being carried out by the IGPN, the national police’s internal affairs department, to look into the use of “intentional violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority”, as is routine when an officer uses their weapon.

The office said the suspect had been hospitalised with a chest wound, but his life was not in danger.

“The investigations should clarify the circumstances of the events, the identity of the suspect, and his possible links to the female victim,” it added.

The palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday disowned a claim by a man in a viral video, who had said the monarch is his father.

A release by Moses Olafare, the monarch’s spokesperson, said the man in the viral video had engaged in act of impersonation, noting that the matter had been reported to security agencies for further action.

Olafare said Oba Ogunwusi, being a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and would stop at nothing to take full responsibility over them.

He declared that the self-acclaimed prince is unknown to the palace and the Ile-Ife populace, saying “He is not a child of Ooni Ogunwusi as fraudulently claimed, but also never related in any way to any lineage of the Ogunwusi royal family and the Giesi Royal Compound of Ile-Ife at large.”

The release further read in parts, “Our attention has been drawn to an amateur video clip featuring a grown-up individual claiming to be a son of our father, Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll, the Ooni of Ife, virally trending across various online platforms. We categorically condemn and denounce this shameless act of impersonation in the strongest possible terms.

“It is imperative to clarify that the Ooni of Ife, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and stops at nothing to take full responsibility for them (both those who are in Nigeria and outside the country).

“As all of Ooni’s children are well known to the palace and the people of Ile-Ife, the eldest child of the Ooni is Princess Adeola Ogunwusi, a Master’s Degree holder working and residing in Canada, followed by Princess Adewamiwa Ogunwusi who recently relocated to further her education in Dublin, Ireland from where she had come 3 years ago for her secondary school education in her home country Nigeria.

Princess Adesewa is doing very well, Prince Tadenikawo Ogunwusi is widely known to be with his mother hale and healthy while the newborn twins Prince Adebisi Kehinde and Princess Taiwo Adeayo are being planned to formally make their historic entry into the palace in a couple of days by the customs and traditions of the Ife Palace.

“His marauding impersonation tactics to exploit the revered status of the Ooni of Ife for fraudulent personal gains is not only sacrilegious but also criminal. Impersonation of any member of the royal family is a sacrilege against the sanctity of the palace and the heritage it represents.”

According to the statement, the palace will leave no stone unturned to go after the man, using all possible means to scapegoat him to make him face the law for necessary deterrence.

The palace urged the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.

The statement added, “In assisting the law enforcement agencies on this project, any individual with useful information about the whereabouts of this impersonating marauder is implored to cooperate fully with the security authorities or the Ooni’s Palace to ensure that justice prevails as such a patriotic whistleblower’s identity is well protected in utmost secrecy and handsomely rewarded by the Ooni’s palace. Enough is enough.”

Olafare also called on the said impersonator to refrain from engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices, assuring that the House of Oduduwa remains committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and would not tolerate any attempt to undermine or tarnish its legacy through fraudulent means.

The Nigerian Navy says it will participate in a joint naval exercise led by the United States Africa Command (US Africom) to address emerging cases of sea piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

Rear Adm. Samsom Bura, the flag officer commanding, Central Naval Command, disclosed this at a news conference aboard the naval warship NNS Kada in Onne, Rivers State, on Thursday.

The Nigerian Navy has successfully eliminated sea piracy within the nation’s waters, but the problem persists in other GoG countries.

Mr Bura said the upcoming exercise named ‘Obangame Express 2024’ would enhance security in the GoG region and foster collaboration among navies within the regional block and allied nations.

“Exercise Obangame Express is an annual multinational maritime exercise initiated by U.S. Africom under the auspices of the U.S. Naval Forces Africa.

“The exercise, commencing on May 10, will feature Nigeria and other countries from Africa, Europe and North America participating simultaneously, with the Republic of Gabon serving as the host country.

“The objectives include promoting regional cooperation, improving maritime security, and enhancing the capabilities of the participating navies,” he explained.

Mr Bura explained that the Nigerian Navy would conduct the drill within Nigeria’s territorial waters and the GoG from May 10 to 17.

“The exercise will involve in-port training and at-sea scenarios like anti-piracy operations, gunnery exercises, visit board and search and seizure operations, and communication and information sharing.

“International and local partners, including a Spanish warship, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Justice, NIMASA, and members of the media, will participate in the exercise.

“The Nigeria Navy will deploy ships, aircraft, Special Boat Service teams (special forces), and maritime domain awareness facilities,” he added.

The flag officer reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to leveraging the exercise to combat crimes within Nigeria’s maritime area.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured the conviction of a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant, Christopher Oluchukwu, for defrauding individuals seeking employment for their children.

According to a statement posted on the website of the ICPC on Thursday, Oluchukwu was found guilty on all nine counts filed against him at Katsina State High Court 3.

The charges stemmed from allegations that he collected a total of N900,000 from three separate individuals under false pretences of securing them jobs within the NSCDC.

The statement partly read, “In the case filed by ICPC at the Katsina State High Court 3, the convict was accused of receiving the sum of N200,000:00, N300,000:00 and N400,000:00 respectively, from three individuals under the pretext of securing jobs for their children with the NSCDC.

One of the counts read, “That you Christopher Oluchukwu Ugwubujo on or about 25th and 28th day of November 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Court while being a public officer with the NSCDC conferred a corrupt advantage upon yourself by obtaining a total sum of four hundred thousand naira (N400, 000. 00) from one for a job placement for her daughter into NSCDC and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.”

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Abbas Bawale was reported to have found Oluchukwu guilty on all nine counts and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment without the option of fine.

“Similarly, the trial judge pronounced that the sentences were to run concurrently. He also held that even though the defendant was at large (he jumped bail), his sureties should be arrested and kept in custody for further investigation,” the statement added.