COVER
Furious Youths Protest as Police Stray Bullet Kills WASSCE Student in Ibadan
By David Torough, Abuja, Attah Ede, Makurdi and Jude Dangwam, Jos
A stray bullet has allegedly killed a student who was heading to the examination centre to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination being organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident happened on Gbagi market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state, when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer in pursuit of a suspect hit and allegedly killed the student on Tuesday. Angered by the sad incident, youths in Ibadan took to the street in protest of the killing of the student.Yesterday’s incident came a few days after operatives of the Nigeria Police Force had reportedly killed a 400-level student of Kwararafa University, identified as Emmanuella Ahenjir during a stop-and-search operation in Benue State.The final student died after officers of the Nigerian police allegedly opened fire on a vehicle during a stop-and-search operation at Wurukum Roundabout in Makurdi.Investigations revealed that the boy was on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother when the incident struck.The student, according to multiple eyewitnesses, was on his way to the examination centre.One of the sources, simply identified as Ajani, said, “A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle. One of the bullets reportedly hit the student. The student was riding on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother.“The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.Another witness said, “The deceased was on his way to the examination centre alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened.”Meanwhile, irate youths took the student’s lifeless body to the state Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, to demand justice and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.The deceased body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital morgue.As of press time, authorities have not released an official statement on the incident.NANS Condemns Death of WASSCE StudentThe National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone D, has strongly condemned the death of a student who was hit by a stray bullet while on his way to write his WASSCE exam in Ibadan, Oyo State.The student was reportedly in his father’s car, heading to the exam centre, when he was struck by a bullet fired by police officers chasing a Hilux vehicle.The President of the student group, Owolewa Taiwo, described the incident as a national disgrace and a direct attack on Nigerian students.In a statement signed on Tuesday by the Coordinator, Owolewa Taiwo, the General Secretary, Oluwole Olutunde, and the Public Relations Officer, Kuku Isaiah Eromidayo, NANS said, “It is with deep pain, heavy hearts, and righteous indignation that we, the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Southwest Zone D led by Comrade Owolewa Taiwo, condemn in the strongest terms the senseless and inexcusable killing of a WAEC candidate today, May 20, 2025, at Alaakia, Ibadan by a reckless officer of the Nigeria Police Force.”They explained that the victim was innocent and had nothing to do with the police chase.“According to verified reports, the young student was on his way to sit for his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) paper, an examination that represents the future dreams and aspirations of millions of Nigerian youths, when he was tragically struck by a stray bullet from policemen allegedly chasing a Hilux vehicle. The student, inside his father’s car, was unarmed, unthreatening, and clearly uninvolved. Yet, his life was cut short by the same institution meant to protect him.“This is not just an accident; it is a national disgrace and a direct attack on the Nigerian student body. We are tired of issuing condolence statements. We are tired of hashtags. We are tired of watching our comrades fall to bullets and brutality.”NANS demanded urgent actions from the authorities, saying, “Immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of the officer responsible for this heinous act. Immediate suspension and investigation of the entire unit involved in this operation. From reports gathered this unit has ties to the disbanded SARS and has continued operating with impunity.“Public apology and adequate compensation to the family of the deceased student. A thorough overhaul and accountability process for rogue elements in the police force operating in Oyo State.”The student leaders also called on the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, the state Commissioner of Police, and the Inspector General of Police to act quickly.“We call on His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, and the Inspector General of Police to rise to the occasion. The eyes of the Nigerian students and the entire nation are on you. You must not protect killers in uniform. You must not shield murderers under the guise of duty.“The Nigerian Police must stop killing our members. We are students, not criminals! We will not fold our arms and watch our colleagues be slaughtered. We will not keep quiet in the face of injustice.“We are giving a 24-hour ultimatum for action. Failure to respond will be met with the full weight of our resistance, peaceful protests, mass mobilisation, and legal action. An injury to one is an injury to all. In NANS Zone D, we prioritise the lives, safety, and dignity of Nigerian students above all. We say NO to police brutality. We say NO to extrajudicial killings. We say NO to the silence that fuels oppression.“This young comrade’s life must not be lost in vain. Justice must be done, and it must be seen to be done.”Again, Herdsmen killed Past PDP Chairman, Three Others in BenueSuspected armed Fulani herdsmen have again killed the immediate past Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Tse-Defam, Mba’akov Vengav, Avihijime council ward, James Akase and three others in communities of Guma Local Government Area (LGA) and Gwer-West LGA of Benue State respectively, in a renewed attacks.DAILY ASSET gathered that, in Gwer-West LGA of the state, the herders shot to death, the immediate past Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Tse-Defam, Mba’akov Vengav, Avihijime council ward, James Akase.While in a separate attack on the same day, the herdsmen killed another three persons in some communities in Guma LGA of the state.It was further learnt that the villages attacked by the marauding herdsmen include Tse Ikpe Ago, along Yogbo-Gyungu Aze road in Mbayer/Yandev council ward, and Tse Kologa in Mbagune, Nyiev council ward, of Guma LGA.A Public Affairs Analyst in the state, Tivta Samuel Aondohemba, said the attacks on the aforementioned communities were “coordinated and unprovoked.”He explained that the multiple attacks by the herders, which occurred on Monday, left many other persons in the communities severely injured, while others were currently receiving treatment in various hospitals across the area.Meanwhile, the current PDP ward chairman of Avihijime, council ward, Gwer-West LGA, Samuel Udam, noted that, Akase, a former ward chairman, who was displaced from his ancestral home, met with his death when he went back to his ancestral home in search of food to sustain his family.According to Udam, it was while on this mission that he was ambushed and killed by the armed herdsmen, who had virtually taken over the whole of Gwer-West LGA.The Gwer-West LG chairman, Victor Ormin who confirmed the killing of the PDP chairman in the area, explained that, the deceased went to the farm to get some food when he met his waterloo, adding that another man who was kidnapped on Monday was released later in the night after his family paid the ransom demanded from them.However, the attack launched by herdsmen on Tse Ikpe Ago, Mbayer/Yandev council ward, and Tse Kologa in Mbagune, Nyiev council ward, Guma LGA of the state, left three persons dead.Samuel Aondohemba, said during the attack on Tse Ikpe Ago, one Bartholomew Ikornya, lost his life; while at Kologa village, Gabriel Korlaga and one Kunde, lost their lives during the attacks, adding that on the other hand, Akura, another native of the area who was shot in the leg is currently receiving treatment at a government hospital in Makurdi, the state capital.”These senseless killings are yet another painful reminder of the unending bloodshed our people in Benue state continue to endure”, he said.Efforts to get the Guma LGA chairman, Maurice Orwough, as well as the spokesperson of the State Command of the Nigeria Police to comment on the matter proved abortive.They did not pick their calls, neither did they respond to messages put across to them.Herdsmen Ambush Community, Kill Nursing MotherGunmen suspected to be herdersmen Militia ambushed the natives of Bangai in Riyom local government area of Plateau state and killed a breastfeeding mother of 8 months old baby with two other women injured.The National President of Berom Youths Moulder-Association Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri made this known on Tuesday in a statement jointly signed by the Secretary General of the Association Bature Iliya Adazaram in Jos.Mwantiri alleged that the tragic development was carried out by suspected armed Fulani, who ambushed the unsuspected travelers on a motorcycle from Bangai to Riyom and opened gunfire at the victim and made away with the motorcycle.He noted that the injured eight-month-old baby, Dalo Benjamin was found in the mother’s pool of blood while Mary Monday, 52 years and Regina Monday, 50 year old sustained fatal injuries.The statement reads, “Armed Fulani militants, in another tragic moment, ambushed and killed one Mrs Kangyang Benjamin, 32 years, a breastfeeding mother of an eight-month old baby at about 11:21AM of today, 20th May, 2025.”Mwantiri explained that an eyewitness who recounted the unfortunate incident to the youth body said, “The armed Fulani ambushed the unsuspecting victims, who were on a motorcycle from Bangai to Riyom, not knowing that the attackers had pinned down with arms, which they used and opened gunfire at the victim.”After shooting at the victims, we saw the fulani hacking the victims, one of whom is Mrs Kangyang Benjamin, who gave up her ghost at Riyom General Hospital while the dead woman’s eight-month old baby by name Dalo Benjamin, Mary Monday, 52 years and Regina Monday, 50 year old sustained fatal injuries,” as the baby, though injured, was found in the mother’s pool of blood, recounts by an anonymous source that saw the incident.”The attackers took away a motorcycle of Habila Danladi, who narrowly escaped as the said fulani drove towards Shonong/Rankum (Mahanga) area,” he noted.The Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) further called for the “dislodgement of all Fulani that grabbed over 151 lands in Plateau State otherwise law abiding citizens and residents would know no peace,” he stated
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils. The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.
The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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