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INSECURITY: Akume’s Aide Calls on Alia to Name Alleged Sponsors
In response to recent comments made by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia regarding the security situation in the state, Mr. Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has issued a statement.
Alia, who was a guest on Channels Television on Friday, criticized Akume and “his cronies” for remaining silent on the growing insecurity in the state.
Akume served as governor of Benue from 1999 to 2007.
The governor claimed that an interim report from a judicial panel he set up implicated politicians based in Abuja and within the national assembly in the orchestration of attacks in the state.
Although Alia refrained from naming those indicted, he said the report would be made public by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
In a statement released Saturday, Kuanum countered that Akume has been actively engaged in addressing security concerns in Benue and ensures that such matters are consistently brought to President Bola Tinubu’s attention.
He argued that the governor either misunderstands the workings of government or is attempting to manipulate public opinion by demanding that Akume publicly address the media on the state’s security situation.
Kuanum called on Alia to submit the names of those implicated in the report to both President Tinubu and the federal security council.
“If the Governor of Benue State has expected that the SGF would be seen in the media discussing the efforts he has been making in that regard, then it betrays either a lack of understanding of governmental administrative procedure, or he is deliberately and unfortunately seeking to manipulate public sentiments against the SGF,” the statement reads.
“As a member of the Federal Security Council His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia very well understands how the Federal Executive Council functions and how it is through its channels of communication and administrative action, in which the SGF is centrally involved, that several security interventions have been made to Benue State and elsewhere towards tackling insecurity.
“It is also pertinent to remind His Excellency the Governor of Benue State that those he has persistently sought to label as cronies of the SGF in Abuja, particularly those in the National Assembly, have been most vociferous on the floor of the NASS in calling attention to issues of insecurity in Benue State.
Distinguished Senators Titus Zam and Emmanuel Udende as well as members of the House of Representatives from Benue State have been up and doing consistently in keeping the issue of attacks, killings and kidnappings by suspected herdsmen, bandits and terrorists on the front burner of discussion in both chambers of the NASS.
“Those efforts by the Benue lawmakers in the NASS have resulted in a number of motions which have gotten the attention and action of the Federal Executive Council.
“By his official designation, the SGF is permitted more of asymmetrical contributions to the scourge of insecurity in Nigeria, which yields more telling impact, than if he were to be mounting the rostrum to publicly discuss what he does regarding the matter.
“On the allegations by His Excellency the Governor that the report of his Panel of Inquiry indicts certain persons of complicity in fuelling insecurity in a part of Benue State, it is noteworthy that by administrative procedure, such reports are taken through stages of vetting and gazetting into a White Paper before their content may be deemed as a credible and official position of Government.
“But since His Excellency the Governor has chosen, perhaps as a result of how burning the issue is, to let the cat out of the bag before the administrative procedure, we urge him to make good on his word and expose those involved in the crime of aiding and abetting insecurity in his state.
His Excellency the Governor of Benue State must understand that his allegations and preemptive indictment of the persons so fingered now carry the weight of national security concern and must be treated as such.
“He should forward to His Excellency the President and to the Federal Security Council the names of those so indicted and their roles in sponsoring, aiding and abetting insecurity in Benue State as he claimed, and should also bring it publicly to the attention of the whole world who those enemies of Benue State are,” he stated.
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President Tinubu returns to Lagos ahead of APC primaries tomorrow (Video)
Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at about 7:12 p.m. at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
• President Tinubu chats with African business leaders during the African CEO Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday arrived in Lagos after a three-nation visit to France, Kenya and Rwanda.
Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at about 7:12 p.m. at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
A statement issued by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that the president was received by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; and other government officials.
President Tinubu, while in France, met with global investors, emphasising transparency and fiscal discipline and explaining the rationale for the swift implementation of the bold economic reforms his administration has instituted.
Watch Video below:
News
Anxiety as chemical pollution affects 6 Ogun schools, 90 students
Triggers Widespread Panic One Month After Similar Incident
More than 90 students across several secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode were hospitalised on Friday after a suspected chemical odour permeated the town, sparking panic among parents and residents.
Ohibaba.com learned that the pollution was caused by gas leak along the Agoro/Okunowa Road axis of Ijebu-Ode; the situation is now under control by the state environmental monitoring agency, and poses no further danger.
The incident occurred barely one month after a similar chemical odour episode at Our Lady of Apostles Girls School left several students hospitalised.
Eyewitnesses reported that a strange smell spread rapidly across parts of the ancient town, prompting parents and guardians to rush to schools to evacuate their children. Emergency responders moved over a thousand students from affected schools to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, for medical attention.
Medical personnel at the hospital said many of the affected students complained of abdominal pain and related symptoms. Residents in surrounding communities and adjoining streets were also reportedly impacted by the unusual odour.
Affected schools include Our Lady of Apostles School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Sambadola Private School, Adeola Odutola Secondary School, and St. Anthony School, Esure, in Ijebu Mushin.
As of the time of reporting, no senior government officials had arrived at the State Hospital, where anxious parents and residents gathered in large numbers.
Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, urged parents to remain calm, assuring them that medical personnel were attending to the students. He added that environmental officials from both federal and state agencies had been mobilised to investigate the situation.
The General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Hon. Kehinde Bello, disclosed that an air quality monitoring device installed at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School recorded elevated methane gas concentrations, with peak readings of about 13,500 ppm in surrounding areas.
Bello explained that the device was deployed under the state government’s environmental surveillance programme for early detection of abnormal air quality. He noted that while the methane level remains below the lower explosive limit, it is environmentally significant and requires urgent investigation.
The Ogun State Government has since activated a multi-agency team comprising environmental regulators, emergency responders, and technical air quality experts to assess the situation.
Bello advised residents to stay calm, continue normal activities, and avoid open flames or ignition sources in areas where unusual gas odours are noticed. He urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, or respiratory discomfort to seek immediate medical attention at nearby health facilities.
The government assured the public of its commitment to protecting lives and public health, promising further updates as investigations progress.
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JUST IN: Dangote files new lawsuit against FGN over fuel import licences
The new filing asks the Federal High Court in Lagos to set aside import permits issued or renewed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), arguing they breach an earlier order to maintain the status quo.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a new lawsuit against Nigeria’s attorney general in a bid to overturn fuel import licences issued to marketers and the NNPC state oil firm.
Reuters reported that the new filing asks the Federal High Court in Lagos to set aside import permits issued or renewed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), arguing they breach an earlier order to maintain the status quo.
The case signals renewed tensions almost a year after Dangote withdrew an earlier lawsuit challenging similar licences.
That case sought to nullify import permits issued to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and several traders.
NMDPRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Regulators and marketers have previously argued imports are needed to ensure adequate supply and prevent shortages.
Dangote said in the filing that the licences issued this month undermine its operations and contravene the law, which it argues allows imports only when domestic supply falls short.
Dangote ended the earlier lawsuit in July 2025 without explanation, leaving unresolved questions over competition and supply in one of Africa’s largest fuel markets.
Nigeria has long relied on petrol imports due to underperforming state refineries. Dangote’s $20 billion facility, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, was billed to end that dependence, but imports have continued to cover supply gaps as the refinery ramps up output.
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