News

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested two men suspected of having links to cattle theft and an alleged attempt to compromise an investigation in Alkaleri Local Government Area.

The suspects were identified as 26-year-old Abdullahi Adamu and 20-year-old Muktashir Idris, both residents of Jarmai Village in Dangi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The command’s spokesperson disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday.

The statement said the development followed a report by two residents of Yalo Village, Alkaleri LGA, over the theft of 103 cattle by unidentified gunmen in July 2026.

According to the police, the complainants formally reported the matter at the Alkaleri Divisional Headquarters on August 6, 2026.

Police operatives later moved to Mararaban Liman Katagum, where the complainants reportedly identified three of the missing cattle.

The police said a traditional leader in the area helped the operatives to arrest the two suspects, who were taken to the police division on August 7.

During questioning, Idris allegedly told investigators that his master, identified as Alaba, sent him to sell the stolen cattle.

The command said efforts were in progress to apprehend Alaba.

The investigation also uncovered an alleged attempt to influence the case with N400,000.

The police said a brother of one of the complainants told investigators that Alaba had given him the money to compromise the case. The cash was subsequently recovered and kept as an exhibit.

According to the command, the man had earlier indicated that he would help the police secure Alaba’s arrest but did not fulfil the promise.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.

The police said the suspects would be charged to court after the investigation is concluded.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party has emerged victorious in Saturday’s governorship election, winning 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas in Osun State, while his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 11 LGs.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to officially declare the results following the completion of collation and announcement of results on Sunday.

Adeleke’s victory was anchored on strong performances in key LGAs including Ede South (26,188 votes), Ede North (35,427 votes), and Osogbo (36,480 votes), where he secured significant margins over his APC opponent.

The APC, however, recorded notable victories in Irewole LGA (29,972 votes), Boripe LGA (19,963 votes), and Obokun LGA (16,120 votes), among others.

The election, which was largely peaceful, recorded significant voter turnout across the state, with over 1.2 million accredited voters participating in the exercise.

Political analysts view Adeleke’s victory as a reaffirmation of his administration’s performance over the past four years, despite the APC’s vigorous campaign to unseat him.

In his acceptance speech, Adeleke thanked the people of Osun State for their continued trust in his leadership, promising to deliver more democratic dividends in his second term.

The APC has yet to officially respond to the election outcome, though party supporters have expressed mixed reactions to the results.

The governorship election was keenly contested, with both parties deploying their top political heavyweights to campaign across the state in the weeks leading up to the poll.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, have prevented a suspected bandit attack on Manja community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The incident occurred at about 2:10pm on Friday after security personnel received information about the movement of armed men from the mountain ranges towards the community.

According to counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the suspects were dressed in black outfits and red berets and moved with cattle towards the community.

Troops stationed at Manja Forest responded to the report and advanced towards the area, where they made contact with the suspected bandits.

The encounter reportedly forced the armed men to retreat into the bushes with their cattle.

The troops, with support from members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, maintained a presence in the area and monitored the situation to forestall any further security breach.

Troops Repel Militia Attack In Bassa

In a separate incident, troops of Sector 3, Operation Enduring Peace, repelled an attack by suspected militias on Ariri community in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.

Zagazola Makama reported that the incident occurred at about 11:30pm on Saturday after troops received a distress call and moved to the community.

The arrival of the troops forced the attackers to flee the area.

A subsequent search of the community led to the recovery of the body of a man identified as Maianguwa Ishe.

Another victim, identified as Joseph Ezekiel, was found with gunshot wounds sustained during the attack.

Ezekiel was evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The troops have since launched a manhunt for the fleeing attackers. They are also conducting fighting patrols in the area as part of efforts to prevent further attacks and apprehend those responsible.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Independent National Electoral Commission has uploaded 2,897 polling unit results from the Osun State governorship election to its Result Viewing Portal.

The figure represents 76.99 per cent of the 3,763 results expected from polling units across the state.

As of 7:24pm on Saturday, checks on the portal showed that the number of uploaded results had risen from 2,266, representing 60.22 per cent, recorded about an hour earlier.

The latest upload was recorded at 7:21:09pm from polling unit 29/08/08/001 in Ife North Local Government Area.

The uploads came as the collation of results continued across the 30 local government areas of the state.

The election is being closely monitored through the IReV platform, which allows polling unit results to be accessed by the public as they are uploaded.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party is seeking another term in office against the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam; and other contenders.

The commission’s Result Stats section showed continuous updates as more results were uploaded from polling units. Users can refresh the portal to view the latest figures.

The development comes as voters, political parties and election observers await the completion of the result collation process and the eventual declaration of the winner.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to guarantee a peaceful, transparent, and credible governorship election in Osun State scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.

The President, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, charged the Inspector-General of Police and other security chiefs to provide maximum protection at polling units across the state.

Fifteen candidates are vying for the governorship seat, including the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Hon. Najeem Salaam.

“As the people of Osun State head to the polling units to elect who will govern them in the next four years, I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure orderly conduct of the election. The election must be transparent, free and fair,” Tinubu said.

The President emphasized that INEC must use the Osun off-cycle election as a test case to demonstrate its full preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

“No room should be allowed for troublemakers to disrupt the process. Electoral officials and voters must be protected so they can perform their civic duties without fear or intimidation,” he added.

Tinubu also called on Osun voters to turn out in large numbers to exercise their civic rights while avoiding any acts that could disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election.

“Voters should feel confident to go out in their numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice as all measures necessary to ensure a peaceful, free and fair election have been put in place,” the President stated.

“Our elections must be credible, and the outcome of the Osun Governorship election must reflect the will of the people,” Tinubu declared.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.

In the legal action, Atiku and the ADC are questioning the authenticity of the NYSC certificate submitted by President Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They allege that the document bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” rather than the President’s widely recognized name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” and are urging the court to scrutinize its validity.

The plaintiffs are specifically praying the court to mandate INEC to produce President Tinubu’s Form CF001, the affidavit of personal particulars submitted for the presidential election. Furthermore, they are seeking an order to disqualify both Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from partaking in the 2027 general elections if the court upholds their claims regarding the alleged discrepancy.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A former Christian pastor in Ondo State, Olabanjo Felix Gold, has announced his departure from Christianity and declared his commitment to Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, the indigenous Yoruba spiritual tradition.

Olabanjo, who founded Image of God Evangelical and Prophetic Ministries, made the announcement in a video circulated online.

In the video, he introduced himself under a new spiritual identity and spoke about his transition from Christianity to the practice of Ifá.

According to him, he was previously known as Pastor Olabanjo Felix Gold, the founder of Image of God Evangelical Ministries. He said he now identifies as Ifawamiri Aworan Olodumare, Babalawo of Ifá.

The former pastor expressed appreciation to traditional spiritual elders whom he credited with playing important roles in his spiritual transition.

He singled out his Oluwo, Baba Aifuwapẹ, Oluṣẹgun Latunji, whom he described as the Araba of Isararemọ, for special recognition.

Olabanjo also acknowledged other individuals who he said offered him support and guidance during his spiritual journey.

He stressed the significance of mentorship and the role of elders within indigenous spiritual practice.

The former cleric further made a strong declaration about his new religious conviction. He rejected Christianity and other foreign religions and affirmed his allegiance to Ìṣẹ̀ṣe.

He described the foreign religions as false and maintained that Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is the authentic spiritual path.

The announcement has generated reactions on social media, with the development attracting particular attention because of Olabanjo’s previous position as a Christian pastor and his leadership of an evangelical ministry.

His decision has also sparked discussions online about religious conversion and the growing interest in traditional African spiritual practices.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A long-time associate of Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Kabiru Abdullahi, has left the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Abdullahi announced his resignation from the NDC in a letter addressed to the chairman of the party in Kofar Ruwa Ward, Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

His defection comes ahead of the 2027 general elections and adds to the political realignments within Kano State as major parties position themselves for the next electoral contest.

Abdullahi, who has been associated with Kwankwaso for several years, did not state in the report the reasons for his decision to quit the NDC and join the APC.

The development is expected to attract attention within political circles in Kano, given Abdullahi’s previous relationship with the NDC’s vice-presidential candidate.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 19-year-old woman, Aisha Musa, over an alleged attempt to poison her husband at Gwamma Village in Bauchi Local Government Area.

The police said the suspect had been married for about 40 days when she allegedly put a poisonous substance in her husband’s food on August 12, 2026.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Nafiu Habib, said the command received a distress call from an unidentified woman in the Wunti Dada area of Bauchi at about 7:40 p.m.

According to Habib, officers attached to the ‘C’ Division, Tafawa Balewa Estate, were dispatched to the location after the report.

The victim was taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi for medical attention. He was said to be in stable condition at the time of the report.

Police said Musa was arrested soon after the alleged incident. Habib added that the suspect allegedly admitted involvement during questioning.

Investigators also recovered an empty bottle suspected to have contained the poisonous substance and portions of the meal. The items were taken as exhibits as part of the investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

“The suspect will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation,” the police spokesman stated.

The command reiterated its appeal to members of the public to remain alert and report suspicious activities to the police or the nearest security formation.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has selected former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

The announcement was made on Thursday at the APM national convention held at the Government House in Bauchi.

A statement by Dotun Oyelade, Oyo State Commissioner for Information, said Makinde unveiled Daura as his choice for the vice-presidential slot at the gathering.

Makinde said the former DSS chief was selected in response to the security challenges facing the country. He expressed confidence that Daura’s experience would help address the insecurity affecting Nigerians.

The governor also said he was prepared to tackle the country’s worsening poverty situation, which he attributed to poorly implemented policies over the past three years.

The APM candidate said his administration would seek cooperation with politicians who share his vision as part of efforts to improve the country after the 2027 election.

Makinde declared his intention to contest the presidency on May 14 at a joint mega-rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APM in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

At the time, he said his decision to seek the presidency was driven by the need to reset the country. He also maintained that the challenge extended beyond securing victory at the polls, as Nigerians deserved a genuine opportunity to determine the nation’s direction.

Daura served as DSS Director-General from July 2015 until August 2018. His tenure ended after he was reportedly removed over a controversial DSS operation at the National Assembly complex.

Before his latest political move, Daura was an aspirant for the governorship ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Katsina State.

He resigned from the ADC on Sunday and announced plans to join the APM. He cited what he described as injustice and instability within the party as reasons for his departure.

Daura’s selection by Makinde marks another major development in the political realignment ahead of the 2027 presidential election.