Category: cover

 

President Bola Tinubu said his administration is committed to reclaiming ungoverned areas, particularly forests, in the North West and across Nigeria, deploying advanced surveillance and technology to combat kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism.

 

“We will invest more in technology and take over the forests,” Tinubu said when he addressed the Katsina elders and leaders at a state dinner held at the Government House on Friday night.

 

The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of Friday’s engagement in a statement he signed Saturday titled ‘We will secure our forests and enhance surveillance in the Northwest, President Tinubu assures in Katsina.’

 

Nigeria’s Northwest has seen a hail of terror activities in the past decade. A UNIDIR survey of 2,947 residents found that bandit attacks jumped 731 per cent between 2018 and 2022, leaving 8,300 people dead and 9,527 abducted between 2019 and Q1 2024—62 % of all kidnappings nationwide.

In Katsina, RouteWatch’s Security Risk Index recorded 277 attacks and 684 fatalities in June 2024 alone, and a twin assault on Layin Gara and Maikuma villages on April 8, 2025, killed six residents and dragged 59 hostages into the bush.

 

Those raids are launched from the 220‑km‑long Rugu Forest, where security officials say over 100 armed camps sprawl across Sabuwa, Faskari, Dandume, Safana, Batsari, Danmusa and Jibia LGAs, giving gunmen a maze of caves and thickets in which to regroup whenever the armed forces strike.

 

The National Bureau of Statistics’ capital‑importation data shows that Katsina drew zero foreign direct investment in the first nine months of 2024, placing it among 34 states that received no new capital, while neighbouring Kaduna was the north’s lone recipient. Tallies show two factory closures in Katsina between 2020 and 2024, part of a wider exodus of 102 plants nationwide blamed on insecurity and rising operating costs.

 

At Friday’s dinner, Tinubu argued that “Investment is cowardly, and it will not go where there is banditry and terrorism. We will solve the problem together with the states and local councils.

 

“We will invest more in technology and take over the forests. Security is a national issue, not just at the local or regional levels. If we genuinely need investment in Nigeria, we must address security.

 

“On the issue of security raised by former governor Aminu Masari again this evening, yes, I agree that security is a challenge for the country. I addressed the men and women of the armed forces earlier today and assured them that we will do everything to fight terrorism and banditry.”

 

The President highlighted encouraging signs of Nigeria’s economic recovery, attributing recent positive growth indicators to bold policy decisions.

 

He said the federal government will consider upgrading the airport in Katsina State to create jobs and expand the economy.

 

Tinubu also promised that victims of terrorism will receive support to pick up their lives.

He thanked former Katsina Governor, Aminu Masari, for his role in ensuring that he got the endorsement of the North West and emerged as the APC presidential candidate.

The President also thanked the governors who honoured the invitation of the Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Radda, for the commissioning of projects and his daughter’s wedding.

 

The governors were those of Kaduna, Jigawa, Borno, Benue, Yobe, Sokoto, and Kwara States.

 

He acknowledged the leadership roles of Katsina indigenes in the country and described President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of integrity who contributed significantly to Nigeria’s development.

 

“I wish him well,” Tinubu said.

 

In his remarks, Governor Radda said the state had established a security outfit that gathers and supplies intelligence.

 

He projected that the proposed airport expansion, including the cargo terminal, customer terminal, and fire truck, would create 2,700 direct jobs and cost N54bn.

 

Meanwhile, Former Governor Masari thanked the President for appointing two ministers from the state to the Federal Executive Council.

 

Masari also thanked the President for appointing Kaduna indigenes as special advisers, chairmen of boards and heads of regulatory agencies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission and Transmission Company of Nigeria.

 

On why he supported the President’s ambition to contest the 2023 elections, he said:

 

“You have the political will and courage to face the challenges of this country. You know the problem with humans: There will be resistance when new changes and a new social order are coming. And if you are not strong enough and determined, you will succumb, and the problem continues.

 

“But leadership is not about when it is all well. The hard way is the best; you know leaders during hard times. I know and believe you can do it; you have the courage.”

 

Masari said the insecurity in the North West must be tackled holistically from the bottom up.

 

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bode George, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to implement the recommendations of the 2014 Constitutional Conference in honour of Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Edwin Clark.

 

George appealed at a media briefing on Friday in Lagos.

 

Adebanjo, the late leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, who died at 96 on 14 February, will be buried today (Saturday) in Ogun State.

 

Similarly, Clark, the late Niger Delta leader, who died at 97 on 17 February, will be buried on 13 May in Delta State.

 

Both deceased nationalists are said to have inspired and participated in the 2014 Constitutional Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

Speaking on how to immortalise the duo, George said the best way to honour them was to release and implement the resolutions into which they invested all their life’s experience, in the national interest.

 

The retired naval commodore and former military governor of Ondo State said he had become closer to Adebanjo and Clark during the Confab, having worked with them in the same sub-committee on what constitutional system should be adopted.

 

George said, “Mr President, I am appealing to you today, May 2 to release the report of the 2014 Confab for the benefit of the people of this country, in memory of the two old men, to immortalise their names.

 

“These people (Adebanjo, Clark, and other elder statesmen) are crying to Tinubu to release and implement that report.

 

“The report was unanimously agreed upon at the plenary session by the delegates. That is where we can achieve peace.

“When I saw all the work — the contributions of these two elders — and look at it, they died three days apart, I am not afraid to say we are going to take over from where they stopped.”

 

According to him, it has become imperative for the nation to revisit the report now that the ship of state appears to be drifting in terms of the economy, politics, security, and other areas.

 

He added that the current system and constitution had become incapable of meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian people.

 

The elder statesman said implementing the Confab resolutions would help resolve numerous challenges facing the country, including corruption, nepotism, sectionalism, and poverty.

Speaking on security and economic challenges, George urged the President not to relent in tackling hardship and security threats.

 

He said there was also an urgent need to reform the electoral process so elections reflect the will of the people.

 

On recent defections of some PDP bigwigs to the ruling APC, the PDP chieftain noted that he was yet to understand what genuinely attracted the defectors to the APC.

 

However, he said there was an urgent need to resolve all internal crises in the PDP to rebuild confidence in the party.

 

While urging PDP leaders to shelve personal ambitions and work in the national interest of the party, George insisted that “the PDP is not finished”.

 

A former Edo State Governorship aspirant, Kenneth Imasuagbon, has said Nigeria is losing global respect due to the problem of insecurity and the poor state of its economy.

 

In a statement by Imasuagbon on Saturday in Benin, the Edo State capital, the politician said the country’s inability to solve its problems is becoming a national embarrassment.

 

He said, “The world is laughing at us and we are losing global respect. Foreign news headlines mock our pains. We are now seen as a country of chaos, a land where life has little value,” he said.

 

He noted that the government’s inability to tackle insecurity is preventing investors from coming into the country, which has further compounded the problems of unemployment and poverty.

He added, “This crisis is driving investors away. People don’t put money where they can be killed. The result is joblessness, poverty, and economic collapse. Every gunshot fired by a bandit kills not just a person but also a business idea,” he said.

 

The educationist said that as a patriotic Nigerian, he cannot stay silent while the country drifts further into darkness.

 

“At 59, I should be talking about building legacies. But how can we build when nothing is working? Roads are unsafe, schools are closing down, and farmers are scared to go to their fields. What kind of country is this?” he queried.

 

He urged the government to act quickly and decisively in tackling the challenges facing the nation.

 

He added, “We need leaders who care, not ones who give excuses, not leaders who are only concerned about elections.

 

“Nigerians are dying, businesses are collapsing, hope is dying. President Tinubu must wake up. This is not what we voted for.

 

“Citizens must remain united and demand accountability. We must not allow silence to destroy us. If leaders fail, the people must rise. This is our country. We must fight to make it better.”

 

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has condemned the action of a group of women loyal to suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, over their walkout on the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during an empowerment programme in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

 

The minister described the incident as a “show of shame” and an embarrassment to the people of Rivers State.

 

PUNCH Online earlier reported that the women, led by some sacked local government vice-chairmen loyal to Governor Fubara, walked out of the venue after allegedly being sidelined and replaced on the programme list by loyalists of Wike.

 

The event, held at the EUI Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt, was organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative and aimed to empower 500 women across the state.

 

Wike, who is currently in China on official engagements, issued a statement on Saturday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

 

He described the walkout as a direct insult to the offices of the President and First Lady and offered an unreserved apology to President Bola Tinubu and his wife on behalf of the people of Rivers State.

“As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality yesterday’s show of shame, and we apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the character and ideals of the people of Rivers State,” the statement partly read.

 

The former Rivers State Governor also alleged that the walkout was sponsored by his successor, Governor Fubara, adding that his “shenanigans” — referring to the incident — would not bring peace to the state.

 

He urged Fubara to “demonstrate honesty by being bold enough to tell President Tinubu what exactly he wants,” stating that the governor’s actions contradicted his peace appeals.

 

“It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace; those who genuinely want peace must work and act for it. These are the same people pleading for peace, yet doing things contrary to their words.

 

“How can you claim to want peace and at the same time sponsor people to insult everyone, including the President and his wife? All these shenanigans will not bring peace, and I am sure they know that — because they are not sincere in their back-and-forth calls for peace,” he added.

 

Dozens of outraged passengers, including expatriates, children, and families, were left stranded overnight at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after Air Peace abruptly cancelled multiple flights.

 

Passengers were forced to sleep on cold, hard aluminium chairs in the departure hall, PUNCH Online has confirmed.

 

Videos and photographs obtained by our correspondent show frustrated travellers protesting the airline’s negligence. Some stood in anger, demanding answers, while others sat helplessly.

 

Passengers’ anger was amplified by a wave of cancellations that have plagued Air Peace recently, a situation that has sparked a clash between the airline and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

While the NCAA has warned the airline to put an end to its serial delays and cancellations, Air Peace claims the actions are safety-driven and in the interest of the passengers.

 

Passengers who spoke with our correspondent lamented that their plans were ruined, their patience exhausted, and their voices unheard; they, however, called on the government to intervene and address the growing disruptions in the aviation industry.

 

The former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Ogun State, Dr. Kunle Ashimi was among those stranded at the airport.

 

The medical doctor who was scheduled for a 6:00 pm flight on Friday was first shifted to 8:00 pm but remained at the airport till past 3:15 am.

 

Speaking with our correspondent, Ashimi said, “If it had been a passenger arriving late, they would be penalised or denied boarding entirely. But who holds the airline accountable for this kind of abuse?”

 

He further said he had booked a hotel in Ikorodu, Lagos, and lamented the financial loss and emotional toll the delay caused him and others.

 

Recounting different passengers’ painful experiences, Ashimi told our correspondent about an expatriate who missed a once-a-week international connecting flight due to the delay.

Also, a nursing mother, who gave her name simply as Adetoun, said her child has a doctor’s appointment in Lagos very early Saturday morning but has to sleep in the airport hall.

 

She said, “My child, who is supposed to meet his doctor in the morning, would have to sleep in the airport hall, contending with mosquitoes, which is very painful for me.”

 

Amidst the outcry, Air Peace aircraft arrived around 3:15 am, eventually landing in Lagos at 4:10 am.

All efforts to get the spokesperson of the airline, Dr Ejike Ndiulo, were unsuccessful. Text messages and calls were not replied to.

 

Meanwhile, barely 10 hours earlier, the airline had said its decisions to cancel or delay flights are mostly for safety concerns.

 

Air Peace added that its business priority isn’t profit but safety, even though it has more aircraft than the authority schedules daily.

 

Air Peace said this in a statement in reply to the warnings by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority for the airline to operate in accordance with its available aircraft, insinuating that the airline was operating more routes than its available aircraft.

 

Air Peace stated, “At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority. These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations. We fully empathise with our esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations.

 

“However, we do not regret taking operational decisions rooted in the protection of human lives and in strict adherence to safety standards. If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operational standards fall short of what is safe, we will not operate that flight,” the airline’s management added.

 

See the photos below.

 

Afrobeats megastar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido has once again shown love to his fans, gifting $5,000 to Ghanaian TikToker #Ananzooficial after watching his emotional cover of ‘With You’, a track featuring Omah Lay from Davido’s latest album 5ive.

 

The video, now viral, shows #Ananzooficial singing with passion and pitch-perfect delivery, capturing the essence of the original track.

 

Clearly touched, Davido respondedwith the generous monetary reward under the post’s comment section. He wrote, “5K US for OLS, contact #deekay-dmw”.

 

This spontaneous gesture not only highlights Davido’s generous spirit but also reinforces his reputation as an artist who values and uplifts his fans in real, tangible ways.

In November 2021, Davido raised ₦200 million through a social media campaign and added ₦50 million of his own funds, donating a total of ₦250 million to 292 orphanages across Nigeria. He continued this tradition by donating ₦237 million to 424 orphanages in July 2023, benefiting over 13,000 children. In November 2024, he pledged another ₦300 million to support orphanages and combat drug abuse among youth.

 

Davido also offered a five-year full scholarship to Morro Suleyman, a Ghanaian student with excellent academic results but financial constraints, enabling him to attend Adeleke University.

 

In 2018, he donated ₦15 million for the surgery of a staff member at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

 

5ive, Davido’s April 18, 2025 release, includes 17 tracks and has become a runaway success, amassing millions of streams and sitting comfortably at the top of Afrobeats charts.

 

Operatives of the Nigerian Army under HADIN KAI are currently locked in a fierce gunfight with fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province following an attack on the town of Buni Gari in Yobe State.

 

The details of the battle was made known via the agency’s X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday.

The terse statement reads, “Troops of Operation HADIN KAI currently in a fierce battle against ISWAP attack at Buni Gari, Yobe State. Details later.”

 

Details later…

 

The Delta State Police have warned Nigerians to exercise extreme caution in handling their ATM cards, as cybercriminals are now using just the details on the cards to empty victims’ bank accounts.

 

The police warn that fraudsters now exploit basic card details, such as the card number, expiry date, and CVV, to make unauthorised transactions. Even without physical access to the card or the victim’s phone, these criminals can carry out swift, repeated debits.

 

The advisory was shared by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday.

 

He wrote, ” Please take care and be careful in handling your ATM cards. Only a picture of these details in the hands of scammers, your money is gone. They don’t need to have your pin or your phone.

Cybercriminals can drain bank accounts with just ATM card details, Delta police warn

“They are not required to have an OTP. All you will see is debit upon debit until your money is completely wiped out. Take care of your cards, and don’t use your cards to send people on errands to help you buy anything. Don’t say the Police did not tell you. Peace ✌️”

 

Authorities advise Nigerians to stop handing over their cards to others, avoid sharing images of their cards online or through messaging apps, and regularly monitor their bank statements for suspicious activity.

 

This warning comes amid a surge in card-related fraud, as cybercriminals become more sophisticated in bypassing traditional banking security measures.

 

 

The naira depreciated on Friday at the official market, trading at N1,602.18 to the dollar.

 

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria website showed that the Naira lost N5.49.

 

This represents a 0.34 per cent loss when compared to the N1,596.69 per dollar recorded on Wednesday, April 30, before the Workers’ Day holiday on Thursday, May 1.

The Naira had remained relatively static for three trading days, from Monday, April 28, to Wednesday, April 30, when it traded at N1,599.95, N1,599.71, and N1,596.69, respectively.

 

The local currency, which closed the current week on a negative note, had also opened the trading week with a minimal loss of 0.02 per cent.

 

Veteran fuji musician, Ayinla Kollington, has said that he is the king of fuji without any rival.

 

He stated this while appearing for an interview on Agbaletu TV. Speaking on why he didn’t attend or contribute to the burial of the mother of another iconic fuji singer, Wasiu Ayinde, aka K1 de Ultimate, Kollington said, “I called him several times, he didn’t pick up and didn’t return the call. I also remembered that when it on New Year’s Day, I also l called him but he didn’t respond. So, I left him alone.

 

“If it is because he is the head of the princes, it is in his hometown in Ijebuland, not in the Fuji industry. Even if he says he wants to be the head of the fuji industry, there is a song (he sang it), does he want to be God? You became the head of the princes and still want to be the head of the Fuji industry. Why not kill me then, when it isn’t pap that we eat? It isn’t possible, even if he attempts. I, as a person, Alhaji General Kollinton Ayinla, expect death from God come. If the one that I survived from didn’t claim my life, no one can kill me again except death from God comes, like the one that almost did.”

 

In the video, Ayinla was seen responding to the questions of his relationship with fuji music and stakeholders in the industry.

 

“When they ask, who is the head of Fuji Music, both here and abroad, it is my name that will be mentioned.” He mentioned that if that were the case, he would have done so publicly for all fuji musicians.

He also mentioned that he is the number one authority of fuji music in Nigeria and abroad, using one of K1 De Ultimate’s songs to reiterate his claims.

 

I don’t know why some people like to beat about the bush when they know the truth. Some people are looking for network. By the grace of God, K1 has got the network, and he has risen. He is blessed. That doesn’t mean that tomorrow, he would begin to talk about ‘number one, or number two’. I am the authority of fuji music in Nigeria and abroad

 

We recall that a similar video of his colleague, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as K1 D Ultimate, sharing his experience and journey into fuji music was posted last week on Dele Adeyanju’s YouTube page

 

Narrating the beginning of his journey into music, he mentioned that it was Sikiru who called him while they were still in the army and told him to begin their music career. He mentioned that it was after he wrote a letter to the Orderly room that he was a bit confident and started singing. He added that although fuji exited before he began singing and he suffered a lot because of fuji music. “It was me and Sikiru that began fuji music”