From Joseph Amedu Lokoja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Kogi Secretariat, has dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming a corps member serving in the state was castrated.

The NYSC State Coordinator, Femi Osungbohun, refuted the rumour in an interview with our Correspondent in Lokoja.

Osungbohun described the claim as “Fake news”, stating the Corps member is alive, healthy, and serving at his Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).

The state Coordinator urged the public to disregard the falsehood, reassuring that the safety and welfare of Corps members remain a top priority.

“We confirm the corps member in question is safe, healthy, and actively serving at his deployment location.

“The NYSC Kogi State management assures the public that corps members’ welfare and security remain top priorities, in line with the Director-General’s directives.

“We urge everyone to verify information before sharing to prevent unnecessary panic.

“The corps member has been located and is in good health, carrying out his duties as usual.

“We encourage the public to disregard the false report and support our efforts to maintain a positive environment for our corps members,” he said.

Speaking on the rumour, the Corps member, Obdarekpe Abdusalam Oshiorenua, KG/26A/0133, serving at Dangote Cement Factory, identified a social media acquaintance, AvinofLagos, as the perpetrator of the falsehood.

The 27-year-old, Oshiorenua from Edo State, described the incident as an “absolute falsehood”, stating that it stemmed from a minor disagreement on social media that escalated into abusive exchanges.

“The individual then used my NYSC picture to create and spread the false narrative, causing distress to me, the NYSC and my family,” he said.

The Corps member urged security agencies to track down AvinofLagos and bring him to justice, while also calling for social media regulation to prevent similar incidents.

“I think social media should be regulated. Everybody should look from each other’s view, not post or comment anyhow to hurt one another,” Oshiorenua said.

Armed assailants killed 73 people at a gold mine in South Sudan, government officials said on Monday, in violence linked to a dispute over gold extraction.

The attacks occurred on Saturday near Jebel Iraq in Central Equatoria state in the south of the country, Vice President James Wani Igga said.

At least 25 others were injured and some fled the scene.

Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as the search for missing people continues.

It remained unclear which group was responsible for the attack.

The vice president said an official investigation would be launched and security measures at mining sites and commercial centres would be strengthened.

Charles Madut, the governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in the country’s north-west, condemned the attack, describing the violence against innocent civilians as unacceptable and said that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed banks to complete a mandatory cybersecurity self-assessment within three weeks, as part of efforts to strengthen resilience across the financial system.

In a letter dated March 30, 2026, and published on its website on Tuesday, the apex bank said, “Institutions are required to submit their completed CSAT within the following timelines: i.

The directive, addressed to banks, selected other financial institutions, and payment service providers, introduced a Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Tool to evaluate the cyber risk exposure of regulated entities.

The CBN stated that the move was in line with its statutory mandate under the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 2020 and its broader commitment to improving cybersecurity standards in the sector.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria, in furtherance of its statutory mandate under the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and consistent with its commitment to strengthening cybersecurity resilience across the financial sector, hereby notifies all Deposit Money Banks, Payment Service Banks, Microfinance Banks, Payment Service Providers, Finance Companies, and Development Finance Institutions of the deployment of its Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Tool,” the letter read.

According to the regulator, the CSAT is designed as a supervisory instrument to provide a comprehensive view of financial institutions’ cybersecurity posture.

It explained that the tool would assess critical areas, including governance structures, risk management frameworks, technology systems, third-party risk exposure, incident response capacity, and overall operational resilience.

“The CSAT is a structured supervisory instrument designed to obtain comprehensive information on the cybersecurity posture of regulated institutions,” the CBN said.

The bank added that insights generated from the exercise would support risk-based supervision and enhance regulatory oversight of cybersecurity threats within Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.

To ensure compliance, the apex bank said all affected institutions must complete and submit the assessment through a dedicated portal, with access credentials to be communicated to their Chief Information Security Officers and other relevant officials.

“All submissions must be fully completed and accompanied by relevant supporting documentation, where applicable,” it stated, noting that the data to be provided must reflect institutions’ positions as of December 31, 2025.

The CBN also issued a warning against false or incomplete disclosures, stressing that accuracy and transparency would be strictly enforced.

“Supervised institutions are reminded that all information submitted to the CBN must be accurate, complete, and verifiable. Submission of false, misleading, or inaccurate information constitutes a regulatory breach and will attract appropriate sanctions,” the letter added.

It also disclosed plans to validate submissions through off-site reviews and supervisory engagements to confirm the data’s reliability.