The Federal Government has inaugurated an independent investigation into the reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, as the unfolding tragedy raises urgent questions about detention conditions, the treatment of suspects and accountability within the security system. Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said he had ordered the suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the Corps and officers on duty during the arrests and detention, while inaugurating a 10-member investigative committee to establish what happened to the detainees. The committee has been given two weeks…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an independent investigation into the reported deaths of 37 young miners in Niger State, warning that the incident highlights the human and environmental consequences of Nigeria’s reliance on mineral extraction. The environmental advocacy organisation said the deaths, involving young people reportedly aged between 14 and 20, should trigger a broader examination of the economic conditions pushing youths into hazardous mining and the environmental costs of the country’s extractive development model. The miners reportedly died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after security operations targeting…
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice is seeking to strengthen the role of journalists in holding Member States accountable for implementing its judgments, as concerns persist over the enforcement of decisions issued by the regional judicial institution. The President of the Court, Hon. Justice Ricardo Claudio Monteiro Gonçalves, made the call at the opening of a three-day training workshop for journalists from ECOWAS Member States, urging participants to use their media platforms to draw attention to governments’ obligations under regional treaties. He said the Court’s existing enforcement mechanism places responsibility for executing its judgments on Member States, but described the…
By Segun Adewale in Gombe The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to conduct a fresh primary election for its governorship ticket in Gombe State. The court, presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, gave the order in a suit filed by Usman Aliyu Garry to challenge the emergence of Prof. Isa Ali Pantami as the PDP governorship candidate. Garry had challenged Pantami’s emergence after the party announced him as its sole candidate on June 26, 2026, arguing that the required primary election was not conducted. Pantami, who was an aspirant of the…
By Segun Adewale in Bauchi The Bauchi State Government has flagged off the payment of backlog of gratuity arrears to over 1000 retired civil servants in the state. The state Governor, Senator Bala Abdukadir Mohammed in a symbolic handover of the cheque on Wednesday directed the commencement of payment of outstanding gratuity to retired civil servants from 2012 to 2016 in the state. The Governor who was represented by his deputy, Rt Hon Auwal Jatau, said the exercise would commence with the first batch of beneficiaries, while subsequent payments would be made until all eligible retirees had received their entitlements.…
By Segun Adewale in Bauchi The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance has called for an independent and impartial investigation into allegations linking the Senator representing Bauchi South, Senator Shehu Umar Buba, to individuals and networks allegedly associated with banditry, kidnapping and terrorism financing. Spokesperson of the Coalition, Comr. Adedeji M. Abdulsalam, made the call on Wednesday during a press conference in Bauchi to address the allegations trending in the public domain. Abdulsalam said the Coalition was not declaring the senator guilty, but stressed that the allegations, which border on national security, must be subjected to evidence-based investigation…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that Nigerians must keep the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, away from the national treasury, citing what it described as his documented history of bribery and corruption scandals. The party made the declaration in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, CON, in Abuja on Thursday, 24 September, 2026. The statement argued that Atiku’s record as a former public official reflected some of Nigeria’s most notorious episodes of corruption and cronyism, insisting that the 2027 election presented Nigerians the opportunity to permanently end…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has rejected his purported membership of the policy team of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, insisting he was never consulted before his name was published. Moghalu made the disclaimer in a statement reacting to a release by the Atiku Abubakar and ADC campaign team, which had listed him among members of the former Vice President’s policy team for the 2027 presidential campaign. He explained that he neither gave his consent nor had any knowledge of his name being included on…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola Deputy Governor of Lagos State and APC Governorship Candidate for the 2027 election, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has engaged the leadership of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, reaffirming his commitment to consultative governance ahead of the polls. The engagement, disclosed in a statement by the E-KOH Initiative, held at the society’s National Headquarters in Surulere, Lagos, where Hamzat met with the National President of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society, Prince Mosediq Adeniji Kazeem, SAN. According to the statement, the meeting formed part of Hamzat’s continuing consultations with community, religious and institutional leaders on issues concerning the development and…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola Nigeria’s $700 billion mineral resources will be developed under a new framework with the United States, following an agreement to deepen American investment in the country’s mining sector. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, at the Nigeria Mission House in New York on Wednesday, 23 September, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Announcing the development in a post on his X handle on Thursday, 24 September, 2026 Alake said the framework covers geological data and exploration, mineral…