Notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide has reportedly killed 20 suspected Boko Haram fighters in a village between Niger and Zamfara states, Daily Trust learnt.
The Boko Haram fighters allegedly foot-soldiers of a renowned Boko Haram leader, Sadiku, were said to have ambushed Dogo Gide in an attempt to eliminate him.
However, Gide and his fighters engaged them in a gun fight, thereby killing 20 of them and seizing a cache of weapons during the showdown.
The fight happenned at Kwatankoro Forest situated between Niger and Zamfara states.
A recently surfaced video captured Gide’s victory speech, where he displayed seized items, including ten AK-47 rifles, RPGs, mobile phones, and an identity card reportedly linked to Sadiku’s faction. “Sadiku and his group ambushed us, but we prevailed. Only one of our men was injured, while at least 20 of theirs were killed,” Gide declared, condemning the faction for attacking civilians under the guise of jihad.
The rivalry between Dogo Gide and Boko Haram factions highlights the shifting dynamics of extremist operations in the region, where personal vendettas and strategic motives drive conflict.
Reports had it that Gide’s animosity stemmed from the 2023 murder of his brother Sani allegedly by Boko Haram fighters, prompting him to sever ties with the group and vow revenge.
Gide has since focused his efforts on expelling Boko Haram elements from his territory, particularly in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area, where he dismantled roadblocks set up by the group.
Daily Trust reports that recently Gide has called on displaced villagers to return to their respective homes, pledging to restore normalcy and earn community forgiveness.
It would be recalled that sometime in February 2024, at least five bandit leaders and scores of their foot soldiers were killed in a deadly inter-bandit clash in Yankuzo village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The bandits’ leaders allegedly killed in the fight are Dogo Bali, Dan Makaranta, Malam Gainaga, Mallam Tukur, and Malam Jaddi.
The clash was between the renowned bandits’ leader, Ado Aliero and two bandit leaders, Kachalla and Dogo Bali, who teamed up against the latter.
Daily Trust recalled that the fight erupted after Kachalla ignored a warning extended to him by Ado Aliero to desist from attacking villages around the Yankuzo area, an axis presumed to be Aliero’s territory.
The confrontations took place in Yankuzo, Yan waren Daji and Munhaye and Mada villages in Tsafe and Gusau local government areas of the state respectively.
Kachalla was said to have invited his friend Dogo Bali for an operation in the Yankuzo area and while they were busy operating, Aliero placed his men at a strategic place for an ambush attack and they killed scores of Kachalla and Bali’s foot soldiers.
A source hinted Daily Trust that during the gun battle that lasted for several hours, Ado Aliero’s group succeeded in killing many fighters, among them four prominent bandit leaders: Dogo Bali, Dan Makaranta, Malam Gainaga, Mallam Tukur, and Malam Jaddi.
Also, several other foot soldiers were injured during gun fights, the source added.
Aliero also attacked the camp of Alhaji Dan Nigeria, another notorious bandits’ leader, in Yan Waren Daji, forcing him to abandon the camp and leave behind over 150 AK47 rifles.
The fight also escalated to other enclaves shortly after the news of Bali’s death broke and led to eruption of clashes among followers of the three bandit leaders in Mada, Munhaye and Yanwaren Daji villages.
Daily Trust reports that a significant number of bandits’ foot soldiers were killed in Dabar Gahori enclave when fighters of the three groups engaged in a gun battle.
Dabar Gahori is one of the biggest enclaves in Zamfara State that is hosting a chunk of bandits of different groups.
Tinubu inaugurates Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks in Abuja
…Pledges to prioritise welfare of military officers
…40% of army personnel lack accommodation – COAS
By Idowu Isamotu & Baba Martins
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday inaugurated the newly constructed barracks in Abuja to accommodate officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army to address the shortage of accommodation.
The barracks named “Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks”, Asokoro Abuja, comprise 16 major generals’ quarters, 34 brigadier generals’ quarters, 60 major colonels’ flats and 60 lieutenant captains’ flats.
It also includes 180 senior non-commissioned officers blocks of flats, 264 corporal and below flats, worship centres, sports facilities and a power house in the barracks.
In his remarks, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said naming the new army barracks after President Tinubu was a way of ‘giving honour to whom honour is due’.
Oluyede said it was in appreciation of his extraordinary support and commitment to improving the welfare and operational needs of the army, particularly in reducing its accommodation burden.
He said the project was initiated and executed by his predecessor Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya and Late Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.
Giving the details of how the new Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks would be allocated, Oluyede said the barracks contain a total of 614 apartments, and both senior and junior officers as well as soldiers would be accommodated.
The Chief of Army Staff said over 40 per cent of the Nigerian Army personnel were without accommodation, stressing that the Nigerian army still faced an acute shortage of accommodation, which must be addressed as they continued to defeat insecurity nationwide and reintegrated frontline troops into the barracks.
While speaking, President Tinubu said enhancing the welfare of officers and men of the armed forces remained paramount to his administration.
The president also emphasised the importance of locally producing military equipment to enhance domestic defence capabilities.
Speaking earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said a new state-of-the-art facility for the armed forces had become imperative because the Garki headquarters, which was initially designed to be a temporary office, had become inadequate for its operations.
He also said the new facility would serve as a beacon of excellence and a symbol of dedication and modernisation of the Nigerian armed forces.
In attendance at the events were the Deputy Senate President representing the Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Tajuddeen Abbas; Senator Ahmad Lawan; Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi; National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, and other service chiefs.
Senate rejects 2025 budget proposal for investment, security tribunal
By Saawua Terzungwe
The Senate has rejected the 2025 budget proposal for the Investments and Securities Tribunal.
The Senator Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West)-led Senate Committee on Capital Market rejected the proposal over errors in the figures and items presented during the agency’s 2025 budget defence by its chairman, Amos Azi, in Abuja.
Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) moved a motion for the election of the proposal while Senator Aliyu Wadada, (SDP, Nasarawa West) seconded.
“Mr Chairman, if you permit that with the grilling that they have seen, he has also publicly, on behalf of his team, owned up to the shortcomings and errors.
“Therefore, Mr Chairman, at any point that pleases you, I think they can return to correct whatever has to be corrected and meet with the leadership of this committee,” Senator Dickson said.
The chairman of the committee, Izunaso, thereafter directed the chairman of the agency to return on Friday to re-present the budget.
Skin bleaching: FG mulls national policy on cosmetics
By Ojoma Akor
The minister of state for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, says Nigeria is in the process of developing a national policy on cosmetics to ensure safety and quality of cosmetic products in the country.
He stated this at the high-level segment of the regional awareness raising workshop on elimination of lightening cosmetic products containing mercury and other hazardous substances to health in Gabon.
A statement from the federal ministry yesterday said guidelines on the safety assessment of cosmetic products were being developed to strengthen regulatory oversight and ensure that all products met international safety standards.
The minister said Nigeria might have been called “the world capital of skin bleaching” or “the skin-lightening hothouse of the world”, potentially due to its recognition as having the highest usage rates of skin-lightening products across the globe put at 77% among Nigerian women by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
While acknowledging that it is the highest rate in the world, he said it reinforced the prevalence of a cultural and societal preference for lighter skin tones in the country.
He said despite the well documented harmful effects, the use of skin bleaching products like creams, ointments, soap, pills and injections was common among non-white populations throughout the world.
He said it was particularly widespread in Africa especially among women and had been described by the WHO as a public health problem requiring urgent action.
He also said not only are men using skin-lightening, they also tend to put pressure on women directly or indirectly to lighten their skin and therefore campaigns must not exclude the menfolk.
He said African countries needed to come up with such a national policy to set clear standards and provide guidance for the manufacture, importation, and sale of cosmetics in their country.
He said the federal government through various initiatives had been working to promote the use of safe cosmetic products free from hazardous substances such as mercury and hydroquinone.
Student loan: We’ve disbursed N116.184bn so far – NELFUND
By Saawua Terzungwe
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disclosed that it has so far disbursed N116. 184billion for upkeep of students across the benefitting institutions in the country as of January 1, 2025.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer, disclosed this when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund during the 2025 budget defence yesterday in Abuja.
He said a total of 352, 796 students applied for the loan, while 108,484 benefitted.
He also disclosed that NELFUND only has an allocation of N58.4billion as budget envelope for the 2025 fiscal year.
The managing director said, “Out of the N58.4billon budgetary proposal for 2025, N12.2billion is earmarked for personnel cost, N24.7billion for overhead cost and N21.4billion for capital expenditure.”
After consideration of budgetary proposals for the agency, the joint committee accordingly approved it through a voice vote.
Transcorp Power posts 115% pre-tax profit, to pay N37.5bn full dividend
Transcorp Power Plc, a Transcorp Group power business, hit significant milestones in its financial performance for the full year ended 2024, signalling further robust growth in revenue and profitability.
In the company’s latest audited results, released to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Thursday, Transcorp Power reported a 115% increase in revenue and 165% growth in Profit After Tax (PAT), demonstrating strong operational leadership and strategic execution.
Specifically, the company’s revenue growth increased by 115%, from N142.1 billion recorded at the end of the 2023 financial year to N305.9 billion in 2024.
Gross profit also rose significantly by 89% from N75.4 billion in 2023 to N142.2 billion.
Its profit after tax surged by 165% to N80 billion in 2024, up from N30.2 billion recorded the previous year.
The financial results showed that following the complete repayment of its USD loan, the company’s gearing ratio reduced significantly from 64.48% at the end of 2023 to 29.70% in 2024, indicating improved financial stability.
Return on assets increased from 13.53% in December 2023 to 20.17% in December 2024, while the company’s return on Equity grew from 52.25% in FY 2023 to 63.19% in FY 2024, demonstrating efficient income generation from equity.
Demonstrating its commitment to shareholder value, the board of directors has proposed a final dividend of N3.50k per ordinary share, which when combined with the Interim Dividend of N1.50k paid at half-year, brings the total dividend for the 2024 financial year to N5.00k per ordinary share.
This dividend payout highlights the company’s strong financial position and reaffirms its dedication to rewarding shareholders for their continued support and investment.
Commenting on the results, Emmanuel N. Nnorom, Chairman, Transcorp Power, emphasised the company’s focus on stakeholder value: “Transcorp Power has become one of Nigeria’s most formidable power operators, committed to bridging the energy gap in the country and contributing to the nation’s economic growth.
“This financial performance reflects our unwavering commitment to our shareholders and stakeholders. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of value creation and assure our investors of continued robust returns.
“I am proud of how our organisation faced and responded to a particularly challenging market and macroeconomic environment and our future is bright.”
Speaking on the performance, the Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Power, Peter Ikenga, attributed the results to the company’s strategic investments and a deliberate focus on enhancing operational efficiencies.
He said: “Transcorp Power is dedicated to financial discipline and delivering unparalleled value to our stakeholders. Since our public listing, we have maintained consistent growth across all financial metrics, aligning with our mission to deliver value. We are confident in our ability to sustain this trajectory of success.”
Transcorp Power Plc is an electricity generating subsidiary of Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group), a leading, listed African conglomerate.
Transcorp Power is committed to improving electricity supply in Nigeria and together with Transafam Power Limited, contribute over 20% of Nigeria’s installed power capacity. The company is creating value across Nigeria and driving economic growth, demonstrating its mission to improve lives and transform Africa, as part of Transcorp Group’s integrated energy strategy.
Transcorp Group of companies operates the 972MW gas-fired Ughelli Power Plant and the 966MW gas-fired Afam Power Plant, with a total joint installed capacity of approximately 2,000MW.
FG approves establishment of Ebonyi State University of ICT
By Chidimma C. Okeke
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the establishment of Ebonyi State University of ICT, Science and Technology, Oferekpe.
Presenting a letter of recognition of the new university to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State on Thursday, Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said the institution is now recognised as the 66th state university in Nigeria and the 278th in the Nigerian university system.
He said a copy of the recognition letter would be forwarded to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Ribadu said: “We want to say on the part of the commission, we are ready and willing to support this young university. However, we need to indicate that giving a recognition letter is not equated with starting or commencement of academic activities. We will still have to undertake what is called resource verification.
“The commission will visit when the university is ready; it will invite the commission to go and look at the state of affairs, to look at the infrastructure, to look at the classrooms, look at the library, look at the staffing.
“After that, the commission will give the go-ahead for commencement of academic activities. It is pertinent to note that this university becomes the 66th state university.”
Speaking, the Ebonyi State governor said the university was proclaimed in 2021, adding that the reason for its establishment is to increase access to higher education.
“The reason for the establishment of this university is to ramp up the access to quality and affordable tertiary education particularly for the state indigenes and grant everyone the opportunity to tertiary education in order to address the needed technological manpower requirements of the state in particular, and the nation in general, especially now that the world is fast changing because of the tech-driven phenomenon.”
“The need for adequate funding for the sustainability of institutions of this magnitude is never lost on us as a government. And I want to assure you that Ebonyi State under my leadership will ensure that adequate budgetary provisions, in both capital and recurrent expenditures, are made available on a sustainable basis, in order to guarantee the academic growth, relevance and quality assurance of this nascent institution.
“On the gradual take-off of this university, I want to further inform the executive secretary that the state government has already injected critical mass of funds towards the construction of some strategic buildings on the university campus,” he said, adding that the critical manpower needed to drive the developmental strides of this university has been appointed.
The governor has also flagged off the Ebonyi State scholarship programme, where about 1000 students are already being trained for masters and doctorate degrees, in both local and foreign universities.
“It is intended that on graduation, these trained officers shall be injected into the various tertiary institutions in Ebonyi State to contribute in building the needed human capital development in the state,” he said.
NAFDAC destroys N1.37bn worth of substandard, expired products
By Ojoma Akor
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday, destroyed substandard and unwholesome products worth N1.367 billion.
Speaking during the destruction exercise at the agency ‘s dump site at Kuje, Abuja, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye , said some of the goods are psychoactive and controlled substances, antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarial, herbal snuff, and herbal remedies, including drugs seized from hawkers.
She said “We also have food products like cookies vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, and items from supermarkets with labelling only in foreign languages, lacking English translation.”
Prof. Adeyeye said that there were also cosmetics product, chemicals and expired and unwholesome products voluntarily submitted for destruction by Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN).
Represented by Festus Ukadike, she said the agency was fully committed to ensuring that only safe, high-quality, and effective medicines and wholesome food products were available to Nigerian consumers.
She enjoined all consumers of NAFDAC-regulated products to remain vigilant and be aware of the drugs, cosmetics, food, and other regulated products they purchase.
She said consumers should not hesitate to report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office.
The NAFDAC DG said , “Our relentless pursuit of justice against counterfeiting cartels has also resulted in the seizure of over 6,000 bags of re-bagged rice in the FCT alone. These deceitful cartels aim to exploit and harm the unsuspecting Nigerian populace for economic gain.”