The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army has launched a probe into the death of a police officer in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

The Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

Although did not indicate when the probe started, he regretted that a soldier attached to the Ojo Cantonment Barracks stabbed the policeman, Saka Ganiyu, to death.

“The incident, which is presently under investigation, escalated and resulted in the death of the policeman,” the statement read.

Ayeni stated that the soldier involved in the tragic event has been apprehended and handed over to the Military Police for investigation and disciplinary action.

“The soldier suspected to have committed the offence has since been apprehended and handed over to the Military Police for investigation and further disciplinary procedures.

“The incident is highly regrettable, given the Division’s commitment to the Nigerian Army Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement.

“The Nigerian Army has continuously sensitized its personnel not to engage in activities that would tarnish its image and bridge the trust with other security agencies as well as the civil populace.

“The General Officer Commanding 81 Division NA commiserates with the family of the deceased and the Nigeria Police on this unfortunate incident.”

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, in a continued effort to tackle insecurity in the Northwest, has called on bandits’ informants to repent or be sent to their early graves soon.

The statement was made by the minister during an operational visit at security-threatened areas in Sokoto State, including Gundumi, Hawan Durum village, Isa and Sabon Birni Local Government Areas on Thursday.

The visit was in line with the directives of President Bola Tinubu to crush bandits in the Northwest.

Matawalle said that so far, the operation has recorded massive success, with the killings of several notorious bandits kingpin in the axis.

Some of the villages around this axis have been deserted by the residents over the years due to the heightened rate of insecurity.

The Minister called on the people of the town to fear God and assist the Federal Government in this fight, saying that the informants are the major contributing factor on insecurity in the axis.

He encouraged troops to continue the good work they are doing and assured them of Federal Government’s maximum support.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, has described Nigeria’s 25.6% of out-of-school children as a threat to the Country’s future.

He stated this at a two-day International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria held at the Banquet Hall of the State House Abuja, during which he noted that the North has the highest number of figures.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage by these frightening numbers as the consequences are dire and far reaching. Now is the time to treat them as an emergency, and the only way forward is to take specific action plans that address the unique needs and barriers in each region,” Shettima declared at the event attended by development partners including the World bank, UNICEF, British Council, Oando Foundation, UNESCO, FCDO, Newglobe, Plateform Petroleum.

“States in the north west and north east face the highest out of school rates in Kebbi, Zamfara, and Bauchi for example, more than 60% of primary school age children are not in school with Kebbi at a staggering 64.8%. The secondary school numbers are similarly alarming with Bauchi at 66.75% Kebbi at 63.8% and Jigawa, which is my own state, at 62.6%.”

Represented at the event by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, Vice President Shettima said, “This is a mirror from which we cannot afford to look away because the consequences are dire and far-reaching.”

Senator Shettima noted that the dignity of the girl child defines every civilization.

He said, “Today, we are bound by a duty higher than merely observing the challenges before us. We bear the responsibility of setting the tone for this nation, and there is no greater calling than to prioritize the education of the girl child and others. This is a mirror from which we cannot afford to look away because the consequences are dire and far-reaching.

“The statistics of our out-of-school children in Nigeria are a stark reminder of the urgency of this mission. The latest multiple indicator cluster survey showed that 25.6% of children of primary school age are out of school, and this rate rises to 29.6% for secondary school-age children, each child, abandoned to the streets, is a liability that the nation will one day pay for. We must therefore remember that the child who remains out of school today will be a threat to their peer in the classroom tomorrow, and we cannot afford to turn away from this reality, and the need for creative and innovative solutions is now more present than ever.”

“The issue of girl child education is for every nation, but in our part of the world, her vulnerability is especially pronounced. Her education is more than a moral obligation. It is the stabilizing force of our economic and social order, for every additional year a girl remains in school, her future earning potential increases, infant mortality rates decrease, and poverty levels in communities fail.

“We see this reflected in the gender parity index, which shows that girls have almost caught up with boys at the primary school level with a ratio of 0.99 and even surpassed boys at secondary school level with a ratio of 1.08. These gains are, however, at risk unless we intensify our interventions to reach every girl, particularly in areas where barriers remain strongest.

“This is why, at the National Economic Council, we have set out to guarantee the future of a girl child, adopting education as one of our critical thematic areas of intervention, alongside health, nutrition and employability in a rapidly changing world.

“We have set the ambitious goal of achieving 0.6 score on the World Bank’s human capital index, and we understand that the road to this objective involves increasing years of schooling, improving the quality of education and ensuring that no child, especially no girl child, is left vulnerable or out of school.”

The Vice President, however, stated that education financing remained a critical aspect of the President Bola Tinubu-led government strategy hence the country has seen a significant increase in education expenditure.

“For example, in 2022 states spent 1 trillion Naira on education, representing 12% of total expenditures. By 2024, States committed 2.4 trillion to education, while the federal government allocated 2.2 trillion. This bring the combined total allocation to 4.6 trillion naira.

“Although states have 14% of their budgets dedicated to education, we must aim higher. Our campaign to see 15 to 20% of state budget allocated to education is not just a target, but a necessity as it is the surest way to guarantee the future of our children and our nation,” he stated.

While calling for partnership with the administration to address the issues, Shettima said the stakes are high and the risk posed by each out-of-school child should be a concern to all stakeholders.

“What we need is a concerted, multi-sectoral approach. The Federal Government, states, local governments, civil society and our partners in the donor community must come together with a singular focus, ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of gender or geography, receives quality education.

“We must combine our advocacy and awareness campaigns as championed by the human capital development program, with practical interventions like increasing budgetary allocation to the education sector.

“Whatever reforms we adopt to build a safe space for educating the girl child must be championed from within our communities. Policy making involves all of us, and we must engage local leaders, traditional rulers and religious figures to understand the implications of failing to educate the future of this nation,” he added.

On its part, the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) identified practices such as early marriage, early childbearing, poverty, illiteracy, gender-based violence, and other forms of discrimination as factors that have continued to violate girls’ rights to education in the country.

Chairman of the NGF and Governor, Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq expressed concern over the rising number of out-of-school children, pervasive learning poverty, and the insufficient capacity of teachers to foster empowerment through education.

He lamented that despite efforts to reverse the situation, the empowerment of the girl child is still hindered by inadequate access to quality education.

He said the conference under the theme “Girl child empowerment through quality education” was therefore a clarion call on the authorities to take decisive action with a view to reversing the trend.

According to him, quality education remains the cornerstone of national socioeconomic development. Achieving this requires robust education financing, highly qualified teachers, comprehensive instructional materials, strong advocacy, and the provision of necessary infrastructure. Initiatives to re-enroll children in schools, improve learning outcomes, and secure adequate funding are essential to ensuring that every child receives a quality education.

“Our goals include enhancing basic numeracy and literacy, increasing primary school enrollment to reduce the number of out-of-school children, and ensuring smooth transitions from primary to secondary education. The states are resolutely committed to addressing these challenges for the betterment of our society.

“There is renewed vigor in advocating for increased education financing by the states. The NGF champions the advocacy for effective and sustained budgetary resource allocation to the education sector at both federal and state levels. In 2022, states allocated N1 trillion (12%) of their total expenditures to education.

This increased to N1.6 trillion in 2023 and further to N2.4 trillion in 2024, alongside the federal allocation of N2.2 trillion.

Governor Abdulrazak however, noted that states including Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Abia, Ogun, Kano, Oyo, Jigawa, Niger, Akwa Ibom, and Kwara have made substantial contributions, with many meetings or exceeding the international benchmark of allocating at least 15% of their budgets to education.

“These efforts underscore the positive trajectory of education financing by sub national governments,” the NGF chairman said.

The National President of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Garima, has revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is currently asking oil marketers to buy petroleum products from its depot at N1,010 per litre in Lagos State.

He stated that the price peg is significantly higher than what the oil company paid to purchase products from the Dangote Refinery.

According to him, the company purchased the product from the refinery for between N800 and N900 but is asking marketers to sell it at N1,010 per litre in Lagos, N1,045 in Calabar, N1,050 in Port Harcourt, and N1,040 in Warri.

Garima said this when he appeared on ChannelsTv Sunrise Daily on Thursday.

Recall that on Wednesday, the retail stations of NNPC raised the price of petrol to N1,030 from N897/litre in Abuja, and in Lagos, it was hiked to N998/litre from N868/litre. Other locations witnessed similar price hikes, a development that triggered anger among Nigerians.

The price hike, the second in one month, represents about 14.8 per cent or N133 rise.

With the latest price adjustment, it means that in the less than 17 months of the current administration, the price of petrol has risen by over 430 per cent from May 29, when it took over the reins of power.

Although Nigerians had expected cheaper fuel prices following the commencement of the naira for crude sales, the IPMAN chair attributed the recent adjustment in the price of fuel to the impacts of the deregulation of the sector.

He said, “Well, we know now that we cannot call it an increase, but rather, we can call the removal of subsidy deregulation. Now, deregulation has started taking place fully.

“But our major challenge now is that independent marketers have an outstanding debt from the NNPCL and the company collected products through Dangote at a lower rate which is not up to N900 but they are telling us now to buy this product from them at the price of N1,010 per litre in Lagos, N1,045 in Calabar, N1,050 in Port-Harcourt and N1,040 in Warri.”

On why the marketers haven’t approached Dangote to get the product at the same price, Garima explained, “We have a problem with that because we have booked products through the NNPCL, and suddenly, when they decided to increase the price, they are now asking us to add more money to buy above what Dangote is selling to them.

“We have informed them to return our money to our banks so that we can go directly to Dangote for our supply. Presently, our money is with them, for about three months. We buy our products from them before loading. NNPC doesn’t sell on credit and when products are available, they call us to pick them up.

“But with the recent changes, we have requested that they sell to us at Dangote price or return our money. That’s the current situation and is the reason for the scarcity. We started negotiation yesterday.

“Dangote is selling to them around N800 to N900 and we are asking that it should be sold at that same price. We can decide to sell at a lower price of N1,020 or N1,010.

“We also refused to buy it because they bought it at a cheaper price from Dangote but want to sell it more expensive than the amount they currently sell at their stations. This is a great challenge because this will mean our price will be higher, and it also means they would have a profit of over N100 per litre.”

He added, “Marketers want to be fully engaged in the business of petrol and its components. The NNPCL has been the one bringing in the product and loading and has an offtake in Dangote Refinery.

“We are now being allowed to import and there is no challenge on that issue. What we are after is to get the product directly from Dangote and not through NNPCL. Currently, they are owing us up to N15bn.”

The Delhi High Court has granted an Indian couple the right to use the frozen sperm of their late son, Preet Inder Singh, for surrogacy.

Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman agrees to carry and deliver a child for another person or couple, who will become the child’s parent(s) after birth.

It is often used as a solution for individuals or couples facing infertility, medical complications, or other barriers to conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term.

BBC reported on Wednesday that this landmark ruling followed a four-year legal struggle after a hospital refused to release the sperm.

The couple expressed their joy, stating, “We were very unlucky, we lost our son. But the court has given us a very precious gift. We would now be able to get our son back,” Preet’s mother, Harbir Kaur, told the BBC.

Harbir Kaur and her husband, Gurvinder Singh, initiated legal proceedings after Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi refused, in December 2020, to release the sperm stored in its fertility lab.

Their 30-year-old son, Preet Inder Singh, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in June 2020 and admitted for treatment.

“Before he began chemotherapy, the hospital advised him to store his semen as the treatment could adversely affect the quality of his sperm,” Gurvinder Singh explained. Preet Inder, who was unmarried, agreed, and his sperm sample was frozen on June 27, 2020.

He passed away in early September of the same year.

Months later, when the grieving parents sought access to the sperm, the hospital denied their request, prompting the couple to turn to the Delhi High Court.

In their plea, the couple, now in their 60s, assured the court that they would raise any child born using their son’s sperm, and in the event of their death, their two daughters had undertaken responsibility for the child.

Justice Prathiba Singh ruled that under Indian law, there is no prohibition against posthumous reproduction if consent has been given by the sperm donor.

She noted that, in the absence of a spouse or children, Preet Inder’s parents were entitled to the sperm under the Hindu Succession Act, as they became his legal heirs.

The couple’s desire to use the sperm was driven by their wish to continue their son’s legacy.

Quoting Indian Express on Thursday, Hindustan Times reported that the judge, referencing the Hindu Succession Act, ruled that parents are entitled to their deceased son’s sperm as they are “Class-1 legal heirs.”

“He loved his sisters and was much loved by his friends. He is the screensaver on my phone. I start my day by looking at his face every morning,” Ms Kaur shared while declining to release a photo due to privacy concerns.

The family plans to keep the surrogacy within the family, with a relative offering to be the surrogate. Under Indian law, commercial surrogacy is illegal.

According to their lawyer, Suruchii Aggarwal, while the case is rare, it is not without precedent.

Meanwhile, TodaysFamilyLawyer on Thursday reported that last week, the judge ruled in favour of the couple, stating that “Indian law does not prohibit posthumous reproduction if the deceased has given consent.”

She acknowledged that “as Preet was unmarried and had no children, his parents became his legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act and were entitled to access the sperm sample.”

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, has expressed its concern over the recent increase in petrol pump prices.

The National President of the association, Mr Dele Oye, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.

Oye said that the prices, which had reached N998 and N1,030 per litre respectively, were placing a strain on businesses and households across the country.

He spoke on the potential economic consequences of the price hike, warning that the increase could lead to higher transportation costs, exacerbate inflation and severely impact small and medium-sized businesses.

According to him, the decision, influenced by several underlying factors, warranted careful examination of its potential repercussions on the economy, particularly in the realms of pricing for goods, services and transportation.

“With transportation costs directly tied to fuel prices, this increase will serve as a catalyst for higher freight charges.

“Given that fuel is a primary driver of inflation, the rise in petrol prices will exacerbate the already high inflation rate in Nigeria.

“Households will find themselves paying more not only for fuel, but also for everyday goods and services, prompting a vicious cycle of rising costs and economic hardship.

“The recent fuel price increase will have a profound impact on micro and nano businesses, many of which rely heavily on petrol generators to power their operations,” he noted.

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has shared his preference for traditional Orisa worship over Christianity and Islam, citing a deeper personal connection and the non-violent nature of African spirituality.

In a recent interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, Soyinka expressed that his faith in Orisa worship resonates more profoundly with him compared to the faith practices found in Christianity and Islam.

Soyinka emphasized that Orisa worship, as one of the indigenous African religions, promotes creativity and peace, distinguishing it from other faiths he has encountered.

He remarked on the importance of cultural heritage and the rich traditions associated with Orisa worship, asserting that these practices encourage a harmonious existence devoid of violence.

Soyinka said, “I was fortunate to be born in two worlds – the Christian world and traditional Orisa worshippers. My grandfather, until he – poor man – also got converted – he was an Orisa person and a chief, and his (grandfather’s) side (of Orisa) fascinated me a lot more.

“For me, it (Orisa worshipping) was more artistic, creative, and also more mysterious. I don’t find much of the mysterious in Christianity and even less in Islam and that is for a simple reason that I didn’t grow up in a Muslim environment.

“Orisa is open, and very ecumenical and that is why these foreign religions were able to penetrate it and even distort the truth. Because of the generosity of this spirit (Orisa), it is not violent. It is one of those African religions which eschew violence.

“I don’t believe in the Islamic or Christian God and for the adherents of these religions if that makes me an atheist, so I say, I am an atheist. I insisted that all human beings have a certain spiritual core in their being, I believe myself to be a more spirit-sensitive person.”

The literary icon also revealed that he said he doesn’t like to watch anything adapted from his life or works.

He said, “Let me put it this way, turning anything in my life into what other people can watch pains me. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. It’s wrong to say it’s terrific, let me just say I’m detached from it.

“It takes me a while to bring myself to watch me.”

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has expressed regret over the failure of Dangote Refinery to disclose the exact price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

This lack of transparency has raised concerns among stakeholders in the petroleum sector.

Despite initial expectations that the commencement of petrol sales by Dangote Refinery would help alleviate the rising cost of fuel in Nigeria, the anticipated benefits have not materialized.

Since the indigenous refinery began operations, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has continued to act as the intermediary, purchasing petrol from Dangote and selling it to other retailers.

In a recent appearance on Channels Television’s breakfast program, The Morning Brief, PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harris emphasized the need for improved communication between Dangote Refinery and the retail sector.

Gillis-Harris said, “As I speak to you this morning I don’t know what the Dangote price is all about. At this point in Dangote’s campaign into Nigeria, retail outlet owners like us should be able to know this is how much Dangote is willing to sell to us and we have kept that shrouded in secrecy up until now.

“NNPC came out and gave us a price template, that also did not tell us what is the exact price input from Dangote. So, we would encourage Dangote to open up space of communication, talk with all the stakeholders, get valuable inputs from everybody because it is a business that involves Nigerians, retail outlet owners like us, marketers and different consumers.

“So, there should be some level of business transparency even if it is a private business which we are so proud of that

Some Nigerian soldiers, who were attached to the Ojo Cantonment Barracks, have been accused of killing a policeman.

The soldiers, led by a yet-to-be-identified colleague, who was accosted for driving against the traffic around Volks Bus Stop, along the Ojo Iyana Iba Road area of Lagos State reportedly stabbed the policeman, Saka Ganiyu, to death.

PUNCH Online reports that the soldier, who was not wearing his uniform, while driving an unregistered T4 Volkswagen commercial bus against the traffic, was stopped by policemen on enforcement duty at Volks Bus Stop.

Angered by the action of the policemen, it was learnt that an altercation ensued and the soldier contacted some of his colleagues, who reportedly trooped out of the Ojo Cantonment Barracks and attacked the policemen.

A document chronicling the circumstances surrounding the soldiers’ attack on the policemen indicated that Ganiyu sustained varying degrees of injury during the attack and was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for urgent treatment.

“However, the injured Inspector (Saka Ganiyu) later died in the hospital while undergoing treatment. The corpse was deposited at the hospital’s morgue for preservation and autopsy.

“Meanwhile, the Commander 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment, has been contacted and the erring soldier was taken into custody at their base,” the document read.

It was gathered that the identity of the soldier was yet to be revealed by the military authority as a thorough investigation by the homicide detectives had been initiated to ensure justice for the policeman.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundenyin, did not respond to calls and had yet to respond to a text message sent to his mobile phone as of the time of filing this report.

The spokesperson for the 81 Division Nigerian Army, Olabisi Ayeni, when contacted for a reaction, said, “Let me do my findings and get back to you.”

He had yet to get back to our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.

Thirteen repentant members of the deadly terrorist group, Boko Haram have reportedly fled with rifles and motorcycles handed to them by the Borno State government.

Premiumtimes reports that the 13 are among thousands of former Boko Haram fighters and their families who had surrendered to the government and were enlisted to join the military in fighting the ins-urge.

The escapees attached to the military operatives in Mafa fled their camp between the 1st and 2nd of September.

The report quotes Malik Samuel, a researcher with a deep understanding of jihadi groups in northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region, as saying that eight ex-fighters first escaped from the camp on September 1 before five others followed suit the next day.

He said the escapees called Abdullahi Ishaq, a special adviser to the government on security matters, threatened to unleash more violence.

After their escape, the jubilant terrorists reportedly released a video brandishing the rifles.

The state government is yet to react to this development.