From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

Police Operatives of the Enugu State Command attached to the Thinkers Corner Division, in collaboration with members of the Neighbourhood Watch, on June 1, 2025, at about 11:30 p.m., arrested a male armed robbery suspect, one Nwachukwu Chukwuma aged 20.

The police public relations officer Enugu State command headquarters Daniel Ndukwe in a statement said that the suspect was apprehended while loitering suspiciously on a street within the Thinkers Corner area of Enugu. A search conducted on him led to the recovery of one locally made pistol loaded with one live cartridge.According to the statement, investigation is ongoing to determine the suspect’s criminal intentions and involvement in armed robbery cases in the area.The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the investigation to be meticulously conducted to identify and apprehend the suspect’s accomplices and recover additional exhibits.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Scores of students of the Federal University of Otuoke in Bayelsa State were sent back home by officials of the institution over allegations of improper dressing on campus.The officials of the SERVICOM under the office of the Vice Chancellor of the Institution, at about 7AM mounted vigilance by the entrance of the institution and picking out students found breaching the dressing code.

Most of the Students found allegedly breaching the dressing code were those found with tinted hair, coloured hair. Others include those female students with leggings and tight jeans, boys with saggy jeans.A lecturer and top member of the Academic Staff Union of the University, Socrates Ebo, had earlier on officials social media handles of the institution, had reminded students to follow the university’s dress rules.He said only suits, trousers, shirts, skirts; blouses, gowns, and native wear are allowed. For shoes, only sandals, covered shoes, canvas, and sneakers are permitted on campus. He also said body revealing clothes, ripped Jeans, and dying of hair are no longer allowed.According to him, “Many believe this kind of dress code should be adopted in all universities to promote discipline and proper appearance among students.”Many of the students however has commended the institution management for moving against cases of indecent dressing,”It’s a welcome development; I just hope the management of the university continues with this new development.”“The improper dressing is becoming too much, mostly those newly admitted students. Kudos to the SERVICOM boss for taking the bull by the horn to sanitize the university system.”But one Lucky Ebidou, a student of the Institution, expressed reservation over the development, calling on the Institution management to adopt the same zeal shown against indecent dressing to tackle issues of over congested lecture rooms and lack of power supply on campus.Another student, Egbegi Edeinbofa, also called the attention of the Institution management to issues of over congested lecture rooms and poor health facilities, “where students buy drugs with their own money, Or the fact that this institution doesn’t have light.”

From Sylvia Udegbunam, EnuguThe Enugu state university of Science and Technology (ESUT) Institute for peace, Conflict and Development Studies (IPCDS), has harped on the importance of peace in any nation, Nigeria inclusive, positing that no positive feat could be achieved in a conflict ridden- society.

A lecturer on good Governance, Peace and National Cohesion at the IPCDS, Dr. Ben Nwoye, stated this when he led Phd students of the Institute on an internship visit to Rector, Institute of Management and Technology IMT Enugu, professor Gozie Ogbodo in his office. Nwoye, who was accompanied on the visit by the Institute’s Academic Coordinator, Dr. Chiedozie Nwafor, averred that peace remains paramount in human existence and development, hence it has no alternative.The politician turned classRoom teacher, noted that conflict from time immemorial has never done any nation any good, be it developed or developing, hence the need for all and sundry to always embrace peace. He said that the visit was part of the learning process for the Phd students of the Felix Asogwa led Institute.”It is an outstation internship visitation by the Ph.D. and Course Lecturer of Advances in Peace, Governance, and National Cohesion of the Institute”Nwoye further explained that the visit was “in line with the mission and vision of the Institute, in line with the course description” stating that they embarked on the visit with a view to engaging with the IMT Rector on good governance, leadership, and national cohesion.The former Enugu state Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress said that it was also designed to explore potentials and challenges for the development of the state and the nation.According to him, “The programme is not a mere place for theorising, but a place where practice experiencing aspiration of the National needs, experiential learning is focused, and also about Taking Gown to Town” Nwoyed stated.In his remark, the IMT Rector, applauded IPCDS for its commitment in grooming students who would serve as Ambassadors of peace to the society on completion of their studies.Professor Ogbodo, a former Deputy Vice Chancellor DVC, Godfrey Okoye, university expressed readiness to partner IPCDS in advancing peace in Enugu state and elsewhere via the institution.Professor Ogbodo, however, advocated for the need to evolve a modern way of resolving conflict because of the contemporary technological advancement in the present day world.The Rector regretted that unresolved conflicts have wrecked serious havoc on nations across the globe, including Nigeria.Ogbodo highlighted some of the innovations his administration has brought to IMT since assumption of office in the last six months he took over the mantle of leadership of the foremost institution.

He said he met the expired curriculum and programmes on assumption of office, “but as I speak, “all the academic programmes have been restored because I declared a state of emergency on the situation.”Upon assumption of office, I discovered that over 70% of our academic programmes were expired, overdue for accreditation and re-accreditation and consequently, I declared a state of emergency in respect to the academic programmes””Then by the special grace of God, the governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, was very supportive and we were able to subject the programmes to accreditation on April 4th, 5th and 6th. “They came here and subjected all of them to accreditation, the officials of National Board for Technical Education, NABTE, came here this week. “On Tuesday, I received the official notification that we scored 100% of the accreditation. And more importantly, we were granted full accreditation. The first in IMT, it was not partial but full accreditation for all the programmes” he hinted.”The core essence of any tertiary institution and indeed any institution is academic programmes, and that is what we are here for.”In addressing your academic programmes, we look at it from two perspectives, the quantity and quality. What is the quantity, how many courses are you offering? Here we are offering 65 programmes.”That is the quantity and I can tell you quantity wise that we are good. Quality wise is still where I have an ongoing task to make sure that the lecturers attend lectures and teach on time.”I have started enforcing students’ attendance and enforcing that any student who does not attend lectures for 70% of the term will not be eligible to write examinations”.”I want to make sure that as students are encouraged to attend lectures, the lecturers also are encouraged to come and teach them. It takes two to tango in any academic institution. If students come and the lecturers don’t come, it doesn’t not make sense and vice versa” He added “I have set up two monitoring teams now. Every day they must monitor the lecturers, make sure the lecturers are there and if they are not there, write me a report. And the students make sure that they are there. “Every student in IMT today must enter the gate in his departmental uniform. In November when I came here, they could come in with anything they liked. And so today, that one is settled. If you are not wearing your departmental uniform, you will not enter the gate.”In my experience, any student that endeavors to attend lectures for 50% of the semester will have enough material and confidence to enter into the examination hall without looking for anywhere to sort. “There was a menace that I also inherited. That menace is called sorting. Today, I have also banned sorting and there is a popular cliche that the sorter and the sorted will be punished because it takes two to tango. “I have about 28 cases of people who have attempted to sort and we are handling it”. Professor disclosed.