The British High Commission has rejected claims that a man arrested in Delta state over alleged illegal arms procurement is a serving member of the UK military.

BACKGROUND

On Monday, a delegation of Niger Delta stakeholders and a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) petitioned the high commission over an alleged plot to incite unrest in Warri, Delta state.

They asked the commission to probe Micah Polo, a man who was identified as a major in the British army.

Polo, who is Nigerian by birth, was recently apprehended in connection with procuring illegal arms to fuel the alleged planned mayhem.

However, DSS operatives from the Delta command were said to have foiled the move last Friday, arresting the arms supplier during a covert exchange near Asaba.

During the operation, over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition were reportedly confiscated.

Reports said Polo was intercepted in Lagos as he attempted to board a flight to the UK.

The petitioners urged the British government to cooperate with the DSS to uncover Polo’s collaborators, some of whom are reportedly still at large.

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION REACTS

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the British High Commission clarified the country’s connection to Polo.

“The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces,” the statement reads.

The commission, however, noted that Polo did serve as a junior ranking officer in the UK armed forces reserves but was discharged.

“Whilst in the Reserves he was a junior rank not a commissioned officer,” the statement added.

“We have a common law and Data Protection Act duty to protect the personal details of our current and former employees and are therefore not able to release any additional information in this matter.”

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has sparked speculation over a potential political realignment after openly questioning the viability of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a platform for his political aspirations beyond 2027.

Speaking at a constituency outreach meeting on Tuesday in Ikot Akpankuk, Ukanafun Local Government Area, the governor likened the PDP to a faulty aircraft, suggesting he might consider boarding a “different plane” to reach his political destination—an analogy many interpret as a hint at defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“If you wanted to travel with Ibom Airline, and on the verge of taking off, it developed a fault that won’t enable it to fly, won’t you board the next available plane to take you to your destination?” Eno asked, addressing a large crowd at the Town Square meeting for the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam federal constituency.

His remarks come amid growing concerns over internal disunity and instability within the PDP, exacerbated by recent defections, including that of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to the APC.

Despite raising concerns about the PDP’s direction, Governor Eno called on his supporters to remain committed to the goals of his administration, emphasizing that service delivery remains his top priority.

As part of the engagement, the governor distributed empowerment packages to more than 400 constituents. The distribution included Traders and Farmers Grants, substantial MSME funding, and equipment support. Specifically, 154 traders received grants, 116 farmers were supported, four individuals received N5 million each for business development, and 131 benefitted from equipment support.

In his remarks, Governor Eno urged beneficiaries to utilize the funds responsibly and cautioned against investing in Ponzi schemes or other non-productive ventures.

“We need to meet with the people from time to time. Governance doesn’t end at elections,” he said. “We’re here to listen, to assess your needs, and to let you know what we’ve done and what we plan to do.”

Eno also revealed that the administration had so far covered four of the state’s 10 federal constituencies in this engagement drive and assured that all would be completed in time to incorporate their needs into the 2026 budget.

“We will review your requests and prioritize based on available resources. What we can’t do now will be considered in future budgets,” he added. “This government belongs to the people—it is for you, with you, and by you.”

Governor Eno has not formally declared any party switch, but his comments have intensified political discussions about the evolving dynamics within Akwa Ibom and the national opposition landscape.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to, within 24 hours, release the socialite and businesswoman, Aisha Achimugu.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a short ruling, also directed that parties in the suit, especially the EFCC, should report to the court on May 2 to give an update on compliance with the order of the court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) earlier reported that the operatives of the EFCC arrived at the court with Achimugu on Wednesday as ordered by the court.

Ovation magazine publisher and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu, has accused the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, of frustrating Peter Obi out of the PDP. 

During the build-up to the 2023 general election, Obi dumped the PDP for the Labour Party (LP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Momodu said Wike was the reason Obi left the PDP.

He explained that ahead of the 2023 election, Atiku wanted the PDP to cede power to the Southeast rather than rotating it within a few regions.

The publisher implied that Wike could have benefited from Atiku’s suggestion if he had not dissociated himself from the Southeast region.

According to Momodu, Wike disqualified himself by saying he was not an Igbo man. He added that the former Governor of Rivers State declared that he was not interested in any Igbo agenda.

Since the PDP was considering zoning its presidential ticket to the Southeast, Momodu alleged that Wike subsequently frustrated Obi out of the party to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.

Momodu said, “It was the same Wike people complaining about north-south that brought the committee through our party primary open. That’s why I was able to buy a form. I bought a form because, at that time, Atiku had told them that if they ceded power to the southeast, then it would make sense to him, but if it would still be a rotation between just a few zones, he would not support it. He wanted them to cede power to the southeast. But because Wike had already disqualified himself by saying he’s not an Igbo man, he said he’s from south-south, he’s not interested in Igbo anything, so he succeeded in frustrating Peter Obi out of the party. So, the coast was clear for Nyesom Wike.”

The PDP chieftain further explained that the opposition party did not have a zoning problem until Wike and his allies within the party started using it to push a north-south agenda for the party’s presidential ticket.

Nigerian commercial banks have raised the transaction alert fee from ₦4 to ₦6, effective Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Naija News reports that this information was communicated to customers in a message sent early Wednesday morning.

The banks attributed this increase to a recent rise in telecom rates as announced by the telecommunication service providers.

It is worth noting that the federal government has authorised the telecommunications service providers to implement a general increase in their tariffs.

The commercial bank also noted that SMS alerts to international phone numbers are subject to higher charges.

“Dear Valued Customer, Please be informed that effective Thursday, May 1 2025, the SMS transaction alert fee will increase from ₦4 to ₦6 per message. This adjustment is due to a recent increase in telecom rates as communicated by the telecommunication service providers.

“Kindly note that transaction alerts are important and help you keep track and stay in control of activities on your account.

“If you prefer not to receive transaction alerts via SMS, you can update your preferences by completing the transaction alert form on our website and sending it to gtbankmailsupport@gtbank.com,” a message sent to Naija News correspondent by Guaranty Trust Bank reads.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has said defection should be based on logical reason and ideology.

Naija News reports that Momodu said he was a member of the Labour Party before he defected to the National Conscience Party (NCP), then to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and settled with the PDP.

The former presidential aspirant of the PDP stated this on Wednesday in an interview with Arise News.

“There is nothing wrong… Anybody who knows me knows I am a democrat. I believe in freedom of speech, freedom of association and even freedom of movement. So you can move to wherever you like, but you must be able to defend your action,” he said.

According to him, in Labour Party, his presidential ambition reached a dead end, he had to consult with his political family to decide what he should do.

“I once moved from Labour Party to National Consicence Party. What happened? I was a fledgling presidential candidate. And when I felt a roadblock, I reached a dead end. I had to consult my people, where do we go? Let’s look for a party that is similar in ideology to the one we are leaving. That is why we opted for the National Consicence Party at the time. Then I contested and had about 26,000 votes nationwide,” he disclosed.

The Ovation Publisher stated that his defection to NCP and the total result he got after the election made him change his mind on contesting on smaller platforms.

“Then we learned a lesson that it would be difficult for any fringe political party to win a presidential election. You need platforms, you need so many things to be able to achieve your dream,” he stated.

Momodu said he joined APC and supported former President Muhammadu Buhari, but found out that APC was going in the wrong direction.

“We then isolated two main political parties in Nigeria. At the time that Buhari came, we all supported Buhari in 2014.

“Then I decided APC was going in the wrong direction. So the only option I had to actualize my dream was PDP, that is why I joined PDP,” he added.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has stated that the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi does not require any coalition with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or support from political figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to win the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking in an interview with Punch, the Deputy President of the NLC Political Commission, Theophilus Ndubuaku insisted that Obi remains a formidable and widely accepted candidate.

He described the PDP as a “crisis-ridden and near-empty platform,” dismissing any speculations that Obi would rejoin the party.

He said, “Peter Obi doesn’t need any coalition to win the 2027 presidential election. He is a sellable candidate. If you recall, he was already coasting to victory in the 2023 elections before the controversial glitches. He even defeated Tinubu in his own stronghold in Lagos, which shows Nigerians want him in power.”

“For as long as INEC conducts a free and fair election, he will win. He can also leverage his local and international connections to make it happen.”

Ndubuaku insisted Obi commands nationwide acceptance across all six geopolitical zones and warned against any return to the PDP.

He said, “No serious candidate will consider the PDP as a viable platform at this point.

“Obi is a disciplined man. If people are suggesting he return to the PDP, on what basis? Compare the PDP’s issues with those of the Labour Party. While LP’s crisis—centering around Julius Abure—has been settled by the Supreme Court, the PDP is still battling a hydra-headed crisis. Moving from LP to PDP would be like jumping from frying pan to fire.”

He further noted that fears about zoning and power rotation are unfounded, especially in light of Obi’s reputation for performance.

The Federal Government has expressed worry at the heightened rates of emigration of Nigerians, mostly skilled workforce.

Naija News reports that the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, said 1.4 million citizens left the country.

Sununu stated this during validation of the 2025 policy and its Integrated Implementation Plan in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Minister assured that the government planned to reverse the trend through the National Migration Policy.

He explained that the National Migration Policy would make migration more beneficial to the country in terms of knowledge, economy and health.

Sununu, however, emphasized the role of good governance in discouraging brain drain affecting the country.

The Minister said: “As of today, the Nigerian Population Commission will agree with me that over 1.4 million Nigerians emigrated outside and a lot of them are highly skilled.

“Fifty one percent of the migrants that leave Nigeria have knowledge of tertiary level of education and most of them are also health workers. This is causing a brain drain in Nigeria.

“With the right policies in place and the right information, the issue of brain drain can be addressed, and we would, in turn, improve our skill, improve and promote brain circulation within the country.

“The revised National Migration Policy seeks to strengthen institutional coherence, mainstream international best practices, and reinforce national ownership of migration governance.

“The policy would make migration more beneficial to Nigerians, improve the rights of migrants and also derive much benefit to Nigeria in terms of knowledge, economy, health and others.

“The policy has been addressed in such a way that it has provided a lot of knowledge . With the knowledge embedded in the policy, Nigerians would know the dangers of irregular migration.

“We also have to get the commitment of security agents and work with them because the issue of irregular migration is connected with insecurity witnessed in some parts of the country.”

Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has expressed confidence that former Governor James Ibori will defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Oborevwori spoke on Tuesday during a vigil mass at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South Local Government Area. 

The mass was held in honour of Amos Utuama, a former Deputy Governor, who died at 77.

Speaking at the event, Oborevwori emphasised the need for political unity within the state, saying the political family founded by Ibori had become scattered.

“We can only say the truth. If you are sentimental, the family will break, the centre cannot hold,” he said.

He revealed that he had directly asked Ibori when he plans to join the APC, expressing optimism that the former Governor would soon make the move.

“I asked him, ‘when are you going to join us?’ And I know he will join us very soon in the APC. I will receive our leader in Jesus’ name,” Oborevwori said.

Addressing Ibori directly, the Governor added, “You have created a big family and the family needs to be united.”

In December 2024, Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, a member of the House of Representatives, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

Oborevwori, with other PDP heavyweights in Delta, joined the APC on April 23.

Aside from the Group Managing Directors of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS),  Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries that were relieved of their duties yesterday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has also asked over 200 staff with a year to retirement to quit.

A reliable insider source  in the NNPCL revealed to The Nation on Wednesday morning that the comprehensive list of the affected staff was not available yet.

He however noted that the affected ones know themselves. 

His words: “What happened is that apart from Bala Wunti and the three GMDs of the refineries, NNPCL asked staff who have just one year in service to retire.”

NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, didn’t pick calls from The Nation to confirm the report.

But speaking with The Nation on the condition of anonymity, the insider source in NNPCL said:  “Bala Wunti was not sacked but retired. He was also due to retire next year.” 

The NNPCL Chief Executive Officer Engr Bashir Bayo Ojulari was said to have sacked Wunti and Onoja in his reshuffling of the management of the company.

Ojulari had a few days after assumption of office made some similar changes.

On April 4,  he announced the appointment of an eight- man management team.