By David Torough, Abuja

Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE have neutralized a suspected terrorist and recovered two AK-47 rifles and other military-related items during an intelligence-led operation in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The operation was conducted on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at about 9:50 a.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, the troops intercepted a green-coloured Golf vehicle with registration number DKA-808XM during a stop-and-search operation.

The troops reportedly discovered a concealed and well-fabricated compartment inside the vehicle’s dashboard while attempting to search it.

The driver allegedly refused to open the compartment and fled into a nearby bush. Troops pursued and apprehended him, after which he reportedly attempted to disarm one of the soldiers and was subsequently neutralized.

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, one magazine, two wooden rifle butts, nine magazine pouches, two camel bags, six jungle hats, a mobile phone and an ATM card.

The Commander of Operation ENDURING PEACE, Major General Maxwell Dangana, commended the troops for what he described as their decisive and aggressive posture during operations.

Dangana urged the troops to sustain the momentum in offensive operations against criminal elements across the joint operations area.

He also thanked residents for their support and called for greater cooperation from the public, particularly through the provision of timely and actionable information to security forces.

The operation is part of ongoing efforts by troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE to strengthen security and protect lives and property across Plateau State.

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

An abandoned newborn baby girl has been rescued alive near Ashar forest at Wuese community in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State by some good Samaritans.

The baby, who was seen wrapped up in clothes and packed up in a carton by her unknown mother, was picked up on Saturday August 29, 2026 by one Mbakasev Yisa with maggots allegedly found around the baby and a foul smell emanating from the carton.

An eye witness who identified himself as Terkumbur Gabriel Mbaukaan, told journalists on phone in Makurdi on Sunday, that the baby was in an extremely critical condition when she was rescued and immediately evacuated to Dooshima Clinic in Wuese for medical attention.

He narrated that the passerby Mbakasev Yisa, first discovered the abandoned newborn in the forest and immediately reported the situation to the police outpost in the area.

“As a councillor representing the area, I visited the scene to personally assess the situation and ascertain the condition of the abandoned child.

“So, when the policemen came to the scene, they carried out necessary documentation of the discovery and equally directed that Yisa take the baby to a medical facility for urgent medical attention. And because the baby’s condition was so critical, the first clinic we approached could not admit the child.

“We later took  the baby to Dooshima Clinic in Wuese, Konshisha LGA, where is being treated and fed with glucose and NAN infant formula as medical personnel work to stabilise the infant”, he said.

He said tests have been conducted to ensure the baby is healthy. However, she remains under observation at the hospital’s intensive care unit after being exposed to harsh external conditions immediately after birth.

“I have made a financial donation towards the child’s upkeep and appeal to the medical personnel to ensure that the infant receives continuous and effective treatment.

“I am using this opportunity to appeal to individuals, humanitarian organisations, community leaders, government agencies and other people of goodwill to support the baby’s treatment and welfare.

“We are managing the situation at our own level as a community. We have told those police officers attached to the police outpost here in our community not to take the matter to the divisional office in Tse- Agbaragba yet because we are following up the matter. We will do our best to ensure that the newborn baby gets well. Am also making concerted efforts to get across to the local government council chairman. He is yet to be informed”, he said.

Similarly, the youth leader of the Wuese community, Udigi Waya, equally confirmed the rescue of the newborn baby.

Waya lamented over the situation, saying that the baby may have spent approximately three days in the abandoned condition before she was rescued.

He maintained that the baby cried out whenever the carton was opened which was the only indication and apparent sign that the infant was still alive.

When contacted, the Benue State command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Peter Orchia Aondongu, said he was yet to get such a report.

“I have called the DPO of the Konshisha local government area and he told me that he is not aware of such a situation yet. So, I will still call him and get back to the press thanks”, he said.

The identity of the mother, the circumstances surrounding the delivery and what led her to abandon the newborn are the questions that still beg for answers.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the adoption of the T+1 settlement cycle in Nigeria’s capital market is going on smoothly, describing it as a development that has enhanced competitiveness and provided relief to market participants.

The Director-General of the SEC, Dr.

Agama, who was represented by the Director, Registration, Exchanges and Market Infrastructure, Mrs. Hafsat Rufai, said both local and international investors had expressed satisfaction with the new settlement cycle.

She said: “Feedback from them has been excellent. They are happy with T+1, and the local investors are also happy with T+1. The fear initially was around the availability of cash to settle, time zone being one of the major considerations.

 “Sometimes, in some countries, when we are closing our market at 4:00 p.m., it is still early in the day. Sometimes, it’s even longer than being early in the day; it’s midnight in some countries. And so everybody is concerned about how to source cash or how to source funds for settlement.

 “But knowing that it is not at 8:00 a.m., it is 5:00 p.m., I think that gives enough time for the custodian banks, who are representatives of those investors, to source the funds required and settle the securities and cash as well, because it’s a DVP market. It’s delivery versus payment.”

Agama said no default had so far been recorded due to the unavailability of funds for settlement at the new deadline.

 “It’s just a matter of letting everybody understand that the settlement time is not 8:00 a.m.; it is 5:00 p.m. And by 5:00 p.m., everybody is good. So far, it has been good. Feedback has also been very excellent,” he added.

According to him, the Nigerian capital market operated on a T+3 settlement cycle for several years before the market began a phased transition aimed at modernising the market, improving competitiveness and attractiveness, increasing liquidity and reducing settlement risks.

He said the market moved from T+3 to T+2 on November 28, 2025, before migrating to T+1 on June 1, 2026.

“Transaction day or the trade day when your shares are bought or sold on a particular day, that is day T, and then plus one, which is the current settlement cycle, means that when you buy your shares, say for instance you buy today, being a Monday, the shares will settle in your account by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow,” he explained.

Agama said the reduction in the settlement cycle was aimed at making the Nigerian market more efficient by allowing investors to receive their securities or cash sooner.

 “The emphasis on 5:00 p.m. is that over the years, when you were on T+3 or T+2, settlement time was 8:00 a.m. Meaning that if you buy your shares today on T+2, that is the trade date, and then two days after, which would have been Wednesday when you were on T+2, you would get your shares if you bought or you get your cash if you sold at 8:00 a.m.

 “Now we decided that we need to do better for the Nigerian market by shortening that cycle. So why buy today and wait for another 48 hours or thereabout, or two days, before you get your security? So, we shortened that transaction cycle, or settlement cycle, I beg pardon, to T+1, meaning that the trade day and a day after, that’s the first step.”

The SEC DG further disclosed that the market also shifted the settlement deadline from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. following the extension of trading hours.

He said trading hours on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) had earlier been extended from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“If you recall, we extended trading hours earlier this year from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. at the NGX, and then we thought, if market closes at 4:00 and we ask people to settle, that is, to provide cash and securities, at 8:00 a.m. the next day, that kind of close to being T+0 is almost as good as just telling me to pay.