From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani terrorists yesterday reportedly hijacked two commercial vehicles and kidnapped no fewer than 19 travellers along Adoka-Naka road in Gwer-west local government area of Benue State.

The Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW ) in charge of the High Level Unit, Yakubu Onu confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Makurdi.

According to him, two vehicles were involved in the incident.

He explained that the first vehicle loaded nine passengers from High Level Motor Park Makurdi and was heading to Lokoja before six passengers were abducted and taken to the bush, leaving three others behind.

He further said that the Second vehicle was coming from Ankpa to Makurdi with eight passengers on board and all the passengers were abducted at the same spot.

“The driver and the three passengers spared went to report at Naka police station and were asked to continue their journey, but we are yet to hear from them.

 “Also, we are yet to get further information from those coming from Ankpa in Kogi State”, Onu stated.

The district head of Naka and Ter Toshi in Gwer-West, Chief Daniel Abomtse, also confirmed that two commercial vehicles were hijacked and passengers abducted on Naka/Adoka road.

He disclosed that the incident happened just three Kilometers to Naka town and promised to get the details later.

Effort to get the Benue State Command Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene for confirmation as at the time of filing this report proved abortive.

Relatedly, unidentified hoodlums have attacked and gruesomely murdered a youth mobilizer identified as Raphael Ikyav a.k.a ‘Spanar’ in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

DAILY ASSET gathered that the incident happened on Wednesday night at about 7:30 pm along Akpehe road in Makurdi.

An eye witness who spoke on condition of anonymity told DAILY ASSET in Makurdi on Thursday, that the victim was attacked in his shop and stabbed to death.

“The hoodlums trailed Ikyav to his shop last evening at about 7:30. He stabbed multiple times and left in a pool of blood before help could arrive, he died”,

When contacted, the Benue State command Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene confirmed the incident.

“Yes, the murder of the youth leader is confirmed please. Investigation is ongoing to unravel those behind the dastardly act”, Anene said.

By David Torough, Abuja

The World Bank has projected that poverty in Nigeria will increase by 3.6 percentage points over the next five years, rising through 2027.

This is according to the Bank’s Africa’s report, released during the ongoing Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, DC.

The report paints a troubling outlook for poverty reduction in Nigeria, highlighting that despite some recent gains in economic activity, particularly in the non-oil sector during the last quarter of 2024, structural issues related to resource dependence and national fragility are likely to hinder progress.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria, alongside other resource-rich and fragile countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, will experience a worsening poverty situation—unlike non-resource-rich countries, which are expected to see faster poverty reduction.

“Poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries—including large economies like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo—is projected to increase by 3.6 percentage points between 2022 and 2027,” the report stated.

The report underscores that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the highest extreme poverty rate globally, with a disproportionate concentration of the poor: In 2024, 80% of the world’s 695 million extreme poor lived in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Within the region, half of the 560 million extreme poor were located in just four countries.

In comparison, South Asia accounted for 8%, East Asia and the Pacific 2%, the Middle East and North Africa 5%, and Latin America and the Caribbean 3%.

Resource-rich countries are expected to lag in poverty reduction due to slowing oil prices and weak fiscal structures. Conversely, non-resource-rich countries are benefiting from high agricultural commodity prices, which are fueling stronger growth despite fiscal pressures.

The report adds: “This follows a well-established pattern whereby resource wealth combined with fragility or conflict is associated with the highest poverty rates—averaging 46% in 2024, which is 13 percentage points higher than in non-fragile, resource-rich countries.”

In light of these projections, the World Bank recommends that Nigeria and similar economies focus on improving fiscal management and building a stronger fiscal contract with citizens to promote inclusive economic development and long-term poverty alleviation.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has announced the recovery of N1.58 billion from defaulting employers through enhanced enforcement efforts.

This information was shared by the Director General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran yesterday in Kano during the First Run 2025 Consultative Forum for States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to her, state remittances have also improved, reflecting a greater adoption of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Oloworaran noted that as of February, total pension assets under management had surpassed N23 trillion.

She noted that in spite of these advancements, challenges remain, as only 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had enacted laws to implement the CPS.

“Six states operate hybrid schemes, while another six have bills at advanced legislative stages.

“Notable progress has been made in Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi and Abia states. However, full implementation of the CPS is currently limited to eight states,” she explained.

To address this gap, PenCom has introduced a flexible adoption model, allowing states to begin implementation with new employees or those with fewer than 10 years of service.

The director general further stated that the commission was providing technical support to assist states in planning for legacy liabilities and transitioning their entire workforce in a financially sustainable manner.

She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to achieving full onboarding of all states and the FCT into the CPS.

“With sustained dialogue, technical collaboration, and strong political will, we are confident of reaching this goal,” she said.

Oloworaran described the ongoing forum as more than just a routine meeting, calling it “a call to collective action.”

She urged participants to seize this opportunity to co-create solutions, share innovations, and renew their commitment to a secure, unified, and inclusive pension system.

Earlier, the Head of Service (HOS) of Kano, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to pension reforms.

He commended PenCom for its leadership in promoting best practices and described the forum as a “vital platform for dialogue, peer learning, and policy refinement.”

Musa said that Kano State had made significant progress in restructuring its pension system, notably through the adoption of a hybrid model that combined elements of the defined benefits and the CPS.

He revealed that the state government, under the leadership of Gov. Abba Kabir, had taken bold steps to settle pension backlogs and improve the management of retirement benefits.

He added that the state government had paid N16 billion in outstanding entitlements, which represented about 40 per cent of the liabilities inherited from previous administrations.(NAN)