Tragedy struck in Zamfara State when Halliru Liman, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Wasagu Division in Kebbi State, was reportedly shot dead by a soldier at a military checkpoint.

The incident occurred in the Danmarke area of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday.

According to Abubakar, DPO Liman was en route to Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State to attend a meeting when his journey was abruptly cut short at the military checkpoint manned by personnel attached to Operation Dadarin Daji.

Despite identifying himself as a police officer, Liman was shot on the spot by the soldier.

The Zamfara State Police Command has called for a thorough investigation into the incident, stressing the need for accountability and justice.

The statement reads, “On August 28, 2024, at approximately 1030 hours, SP Liman was brutally murdered by military personnel led by one Hassan, attached to OPHD Sector 6, Dan Marke area of Bukkuyum, Zamfara State.

“The circumstances surrounding this heinous crime are alarming and unacceptable.

“SP Liman, who was on his way to attend a monthly conference in Birnin Kebbi, was stopped by military personnel despite identifying himself as a police officer.

“In a shocking display of aggression, Hassan pointed his gun at SP Liman and shot him in the head, resulting in his instant death. We condemn this unprovoked attack in the strongest possible terms and demand a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident

“The military’s actions are a clear violation of the rules of engagement and the principles of inter-agency cooperation. We urge the relevant authorities to take immediate action to address this egregious incident and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

“The police and military must work together to maintain peace and security, not engage in violent confrontations that undermine public trust. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of SP Halliru Liman and assure them that we will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served.”

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been plunged into darkness after the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) disconnected the institution’s power supply due to unpaid electricity bills.

This development was confirmed in a statement released by the university’s management on Wednesday, highlighting the growing financial strain caused by escalating electricity costs.

UNILAG has been struggling to cope with rising energy expenses, a situation exacerbated when EKEDC recently upgraded the university’s tariff classification from “Band B” to “Band A.” This upgrade led to a significant increase in monthly electricity bills.

Prior to the tariff change, the university was paying between ₦150 million and ₦180 million per month.

However, under the new “Band A” category, the June bill nearly doubled, soaring to almost ₦300 million—a 100% increase that has left the university financially strained.

The university management expressed deep regret over the ongoing blackout that has affected the campus since Tuesday.

They explained that despite ongoing negotiations with EKEDC and a recent payment of ₦180 million made on August 20, the institution was abruptly disconnected from the power supply on August 27, without any prior notice.

“Just two weeks after our meeting, we were hit with a staggering bill of nearly half a billion naira (₦472 million) for July, further increasing our debt burden! We kept our promise and paid ₦180 million on August 20, yet on August 27, EKEDC disconnected us without notice and has refused to reconnect the university to the national grid,” the statement read.

The university management assured the community that they are actively working to resolve the issue with EKEDC. In the meantime, they urged calm and announced that power supply across the campus would be rationed until further notice.

Police operatives in Lagos have arrested a nurse over the death of a 36-year-old woman simply identified as Abiola in the Lekki area of the state.

She reportedly died after undergoing a botched buttocks enlargement procedure at a clinic in the Lekki-Phase 1.

BBL is a popular enhancement surgery that sculpts the buttocks while removing excess fat from other body areas.

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The spokesman for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident in a statement.

He said the deceased’s driver reported the incident at the Maroko Police Division.

“Upon their arrival, the clinic owner directed a nurse to administer the injection on Abiola. Moments later, chaos ensued as the woman lost consciousness and started gasping for breath.

“Desperate for help, the driver rushed Abiola to another hospital in Lekki Phase 1 but she was confirmed dead by the staff on duty upon arrival.

“Detectives from the command had visited the scene, gathered evidence, inspected and photographed the woman’s remains, and subsequently transported the corpse to a morgue for autopsy.”

“The nurse has been taken into custody while an investigation into the incident continues.”

Meanwhile, experts have warned that complications from butt enhancement can lead to death, particularly if conducted by a quack.

The Federal Government’s decision to ban under-18 candidates from sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examination Council has sparked mixed reactions.

The Federal Government introduced the 6-3-3-4 system of education in 1983 with the primary focus of meeting the educational needs of its citizenry and equipping the youths with sellable skills that would make them self-reliant.

More than two decades later, a modified system, Universal Basic Education (UBE), also known as the 9-3-4, was introduced, with a curriculum expected to meet global best practices.

Experts have, however, observed that the implementation of the education policies led to the menace of admitting underage children into secondary schools.

The trend of parents pushing their children to finish their education at a very tender age has become alarming.

It has been observed that parents encourage their children to skip primary five and six and “jump” into Junior Secondary School. At the end of secondary school, a Nigerian is expected to be about 18 years old, but many students often graduate at 16 or less due to skipped grades.

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This is also applicable to Senior Secondary schools as some parents push their children into taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) while in SS 2.

This development has led to many students graduating from secondary schools at ages 14, 15 and 16, and getting admission into tertiary institutions in the country.

The consequence is that younger, immature candidates who ought to be in the controlled space of their parents find themselves unrestrained in a tertiary school environment.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme that the Federal Government had instituted a new age policy for secondary school leaving examinations, setting the minimum age at 18.

This means underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the Senior School Certificate Examination, both crucial for advancing to tertiary education.

The directive also affects the West African Examinations Council, which administers the WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council responsible for the SSCE.

Since the pronouncement, the minister has received both hail and knock.

Mamman confirmed that the age limit to undertake the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, overseen by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, will also be 18.

He added that this was not a new policy.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time,” Mamman stated.

Last month, Mamman, in a meeting with JAMB and other education stakeholders, insisted that the UTME should be set at 18 years.

Mamman stated: “JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underage students, those under the age of 18, from our tertiary institutions for the 2024 admissions… It doesn’t require a statement of the minister… we are only restating what is in the law.”

However, the law sparked criticisms, particularly from university stakeholders, as many of those categorised as underage candidates had already taken the UTME without anticipating the directive. This posed a threat to potential 16 and 17-year-olds, who had already passed the UTME and were seeking admission into universities.

Following the disapproval, the minister reversed the directive, allowing candidates from 16 years to be admitted into the university as it previously stood until 2025.

However, following Sunday’s pronouncement, Mamman insisted that there was no going back on the policy.

The National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, maintained that ASUU had not yet discussed the matter, but stated on a personal note that children should follow the standard academic progression: six years in primary school, six years in secondary school, and then move on to university at the age of 18.

Also, Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar berated the Federal Ministry of Education over the policy.

He wondered how such anti-scholarship regulation was the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting Nigeria’s educational system.

A former Presidential Spokesperson, Dr Doyin Okupe, says the present economic indicators show that the nation’s economy is beginning to make a recovery and an obvious turnaround is now clearly observable.

Okupe, a former Director-General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, made this remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

He was reacting to the criticism of President Bola Tinubu by Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, over the socio-economic challenges in the country.

NAN reports that Afenifere had on Wednesday expressed concern over what it described as the near collapse of the economy.

The Yoruba group expressed the concern in a communique issued at the the end of its quarterly meeting held in Ogun .

In the communique, signed by its Deputy Leader, Chief Oladipo Olaitan ,and Deputy Secretary -General, Mr Alade Rotimi-John ,the group said that the state of the economy had left the people perplexed with hardship.

Reacting, Okupe said that Afenifere spoke well about the current socio-economic challenges ,but its response was belated.

“It is commendable that Afenifere, a pan- Yoruba socio- cultural organisation and now political group,has always lived to its nationalistic stance.

“This it does by criticising the government of the day in spite of the fact that a Yoruba man , Asiwaju Tinubu, is the current President of the country.

“This is one of the outstanding and commendable attributes of the Yoruba people as a race and Afenifere has been consistent in this patriotic display of true nationalism.

“However, while it is true that the country and its citizens are undergoing very harsh socio-economic conditions, principally because of strong and brave economic policies put in place to correct the economic quagmire brought on the country by the previous administration.economic indicators show that the economy is begining to make a recovery and an obvious turn around is now clearly observable,” Okupe said.

According to him, all hands must now be on deck to support the administration to succeed in its efforts to revamp the economy.

(NAN)

Nigerian-born UFC star, Israel Adesanya, has revealed what led to his decision to become a professional fighter.

This is as he also urged aspiring athletes not to follow his footsteps but to create their own path and draw inspiration from him and other celebrated athletes.

Fielding questions when he attended a Celestial Church of Christ service in Lagos, the Last Stylebender said he started fighting as a way of looking out for himself.

The fighter, who was decked in Celestial garment in a video sighted by our correspondent online, said he decided to become a professional fighter when he realised he was good at fighting.

He also highlighted the roles played by his father, saying he wouldn’t have become a fighter without his father’s support.

When asked why he took fighting as a profession, he said, “That’s a long story, but for me, I was just standing up for myself. It was what it took to learn how to fight and eventually, I realised I was good at it and I took it as a career and it worked out well so far.”

Adesanya also claimed faith has played a major role in his career, adding that after preparing for fights, he also holds onto faith.

He said, “Faith is something you have to have in this life. You can’t walk by side, you have to walk by faith. Faith has guided me a lot through my life and not just my career alone.

“I just trust in myself and trust in the high power. I trust and believe in who I am and I stand steadfast in it.”

“I prepare for my fight through training, hard work, and sometimes, you don’t know what the outcome is going to be and you just have to have faith.

“Faith is something I hold on to in life in general and it helps me in all parts of my life and even in my career,” Adesanya added.

On his advice for aspiring athletes, the last stylebender said, “Don’t try and follow in my footsteps. I’d say create your path. Get inspiration from someone like myself and what I have done and use it to further yourself in your own life.

“I feel like people trying to copy what someone’s done right now isn’t worth it. If you’re inspired by what someone has done, take that inspiration and use it in your own life.”

The PUNCH reports that the Nigerian-born athlete, who arrived in Lagos last Wednesday, received a hero’s welcome despite his recent UFC 305 loss to South African fighter, Dricus Du Plessis.

He had also visited his hometown of Esa-Oke in Osun State.

Adesanya had also been spotted enjoying the Lagos nightlife as he hit a popular club on Lagos Island Friday night.

The mixed martial arts star shared glimpses of his outing on his Instagram stories, drawing attention from fans and celebrities alike.

Despite losing to Dricus du Plessis in a thrilling UFC 305 main event, Adesanya reportedly earned more than the reigning champion.

The bout, which took place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, saw Du Plessis successfully defend his UFC Middleweight Championship for the first time, forcing Adesanya to tap out in the fourth round.

The fight, which was the first-ever UFC title clash between two African fighters, held significant historical importance and generated substantial financial rewards for both competitors.

According to reports from The Sportster, Adesanya, a former two-time middleweight champion, was guaranteed $750,000 for the fight, while Du Plessis got $500,000.

Canada-based Nigerian woman, Amaka Patience Sunnberger, has dismissed the possibility of arrest or deportation after the Nigerian House of Representatives urged the Canadian government to prosecute her for inciting violence and genocide against Yoruba and Benin people.

In a viral video clip that started trending on X.com on Thursday, Sunnberger cited her Canadian citizenship as protection, stating that Canada’s legal system is unlike Nigeria’s, where arrests can be made without questioning.

She said, “Somebody just send me message, say them arrest me, say them wan deport me, with passport? I be Canada pikin.

“See am now, I dey house, why I go dey lie?

This comes after a video clip surfaced on Tuesday, showing her making threatening comments against Yoruba and Benin people during a virtual meeting on TikTok.

The woman, claiming to be a resident of Ontario, Canada, vowed to harm Yoruba or Benin individuals she encounters, sparking outrage and prompting the House of Representatives to request her prosecution.

The House of Representatives has written to the Canadian government, urging it to investigate and prosecute Sunnberger for her inciting comments, which it said violate international and Canadian laws.

Holders of Canadian visitor visas will not be able to apply for a work permit within the country.

This is coming amidst recent immigration reforms that have sparked protests, especially amongst international students.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in a statement on Wednesday said it will discontinue the policy that allows visitors to get a work permit with immediate effect.

“While the temporary policy was set to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC is ending the policy as part of our overall efforts to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and preserve the integrity of the immigration system,” the statement read.

The policy was introduced in August 2020 to assist visitors in Canada who were unable to return home because of border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors could apply for a work permit without having to leave Canada. Also, anyone who had held a work permit within the preceding 12 months but had changed their immigration status to “visitor” became eligible to “work legally in Canada while waiting for a decision on their new work permit application.”

However, the IRCC said that “some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization.”

It, however, said it will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the policy.”

Tensions heightened earlier this week when tens of thousands of international students took to the streets across Canada to protest against new immigration policies introduced by the federal government that could see about 70,000 of them deported.

As of 2023, international students made up 37 per cent of study visa holders in Canada.

However, the recent cap on student visas is expected to reduce the intake of foreign students by 35 per cent, a move the government argues is necessary to alleviate pressures on housing, unemployment, and public services.

In June, the Canadian government further tightened regulations by announcing that foreign nationals would no longer be able to apply for a PGWP at the border.

This decision has sparked fears among students who are concerned about their future in Canada.

Student advocacy groups, including the Naujawan Support Network, have warned that many international graduates could face deportation once their work permits expire at the end of the year.

The Federal Government has approved a 50 per cent subsidy for the electricity consumed in hospitals across the nation.

This followed a promise by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, that the Federal Government would subsidise electricity in hospitals and universities, even if they are on Band-A feeders.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced on Thursday that the Federal Government has approved the 50 per cent electricity subsidy for public hospitals.

According to him, this gesture aims to reduce the running costs for public hospitals and alleviate the impact on patients.

Alausa made this disclosure at the National Neo-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna, where he unveiled the electronic health records and an alternative power supply source at the Lawal Jafaru Isah Emergency Complex and the solarisation project at the dialysis unit, which includes a solar-powered borehole.

Speaking recently in Ibadan, Adelabu, however, said the government would not subsidise private businesses operating in these universities and hospitals.

The minister disclosed that the government was aware that universities and hospitals are having challenges paying the bills.

However, he said the Federal Government was planning to meter all businesses running in each of the institutions to prevent paying subsidies to private businesses.

“We know they are development institutions, they are social institutions. But inside the health and educational institutions, private businesses are hiding under them. These people charge their customers commercially and they expect to be subsidised because they are located within the territories of these institutions.

“We said no, go and do a proper search and meter everybody. For the ones that are properly health and education-related, we are ready to subsidise them, even if they are on Band A. We are compiling our data, DisCos will collect a certain amount and the government will pay the balance. But we must get the data right so that we are not subsidising a private business that is charging its customers commercially. That will be an abnormal profit and it is unfair,” he stated.

After the Federal Government removed subsidies from customers categorised as Band A and upgraded their daily electricity supply to a minimum of 20 hours daily, universities and public hospitals cried out that their bills had skyrocketed.

Recently, the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital cried out over what they described as an outrageous electricity bill charged by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company for May.

The institutions said they were jointly presented with a bill of about N280m for May instead of the less than N100m they used to pay.

The Ministry of Power has yet to give details of the subsidy arrangement for the institutions.

The Minister of Power’s spokesman, Bolaji Tunji, promised to revert.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has declared that the union will not be intimidated by external pressures, following his appearance at the Intelligence Response Team headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

Ajaero, who was invited by the police to address allegations of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony, arrived at the IRT office at 10:17 a.m. and left shortly after 11:15 a.m.

Speaking to journalists at the Labour House after leaving the police headquarters, Ajaero asserted that the NLC remains committed to defending the rights of Nigerian workers and will not be cowed by any form of intimidation.

“We can’t be intimidated,” he stated emphatically. “The allegations against us are baseless, and we have nothing to hide.”

Reflecting on the challenges faced by labour leaders, Ajaero shared, “You can’t do this job we’re doing without this type of hazard. Even at the unit level, some of us experienced it, as far back as 1997/1998 with Femi Falana, we were equally together in the cell during the time of Abacha… but whatever the case is, we’re out to continue the struggle, we’ve gotten minimum wage but we can’t be intimidated, we have to press for its implementation as soon as possible.

“Every other thing that will make the welfare of the Nigerian workers worthwhile, we will be involved in it,” he noted.

Ajaero further explained that his appearance before the police was in the interest of transparency and to clear the air on the unfounded accusations levelled against him and the NLC.

He noted that the union would continue to fight for the welfare of workers and stand firm in the face of challenges.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Ajaero maintained a confident stance, dismissing the claims as an attempt to weaken the labour movement.

“Our resolve is stronger than ever,” he added. “We will continue to champion the cause of workers across the nation, no matter the obstacles.”

The NLC president’s appearance at the IRT headquarters followed his initial invitation by the police on August 20, which he was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances.