From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

No fewer than 24 parishioners abducted from a branch of  Ecclesiastical Church Winning All(ECWA) Church at Àyetoro-Kiri in Kabba/ Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi state last month have regained freedom.

Gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the Church on December 14, 2025, and kidnapped about 37 parishioners.

The victims including elderly women, men and teenagers were abducted during the raid.

Since the incident, the community leaders and the families of the victims have been engaging their abductors to secure their release.

According to the community youth leader, Daniel Friday, 17 of the abducted parishioners were released on Tuesday to reunite with their families.

A source from the community, who sought anonymity said, “On January 1, 2026, seven of the abductees were released after prolonged negotiations and the payment of a huge sum of money, running into millions to their assailants.

“Of the seven, four were released alive, while three were confirmed dead; two died before release and one died in the hospital, while receiving treatment.

“Thereafter, negotiations continued, leading to the release of three more victims on Monday, December 12, 2026, and a further 14 victims on Tuesday, December 13, 2026, bringing the number of released abducted parishioners to 24 out of 37.”

The source further hinted that the Aiyetoro Kiri Bunu Development Association, working alongside the affected families, secured the release of the abducted parishioners.

The source from the community added, “The latest release brings renewed hope to the community, though it came at significant financial cost”, describing the process as involving a “painful sacrifice of huge resources.”

The Aiyetoro Kiri Bunu Development Association reaffirmed its commitment to securing the freedom of the remaining 13 abductees, calling for continued prayers and support from the public.

Residents of the community on Wednesday appealed for urgent assistance to ensure the safe return of those still being held by their assailants.

Efforts made to confirm the development from Kogi state police command and the state government were unsuccessful as inquiries in both text message and calls were not responded to as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, according to a report from the community, arrangements are underway to ferry the released parishioners to a hospital in Kabba for medical attention.

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a landmark agreement to comprehensively review the remuneration and welfare of university academics, a move expected to bring an end to 17 years of recurrent industrial unrest in Nigeria’s public universities.

The agreement, unveiled by the Minister of Education, Dr.

Tunji Alausa, follows prolonged negotiations that began in 2009 and have been marked by repeated strikes and disruptions to academic calendars nationwide.

Central to the pact is a major overhaul of academic staff pay and allowances, approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), with implementation scheduled to commence on January 1, 2026.

Under the new framework, university academics in federal tertiary institutions will receive a 40 per cent upward review of their emoluments. According to Dr Alausa, the increase is designed to boost morale, improve service delivery, enhance global competitiveness, and stem the persistent brain drain that has undermined Nigeria’s higher education system.

The revised structure retains the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) while introducing a newly consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA). Government officials clarified that the bulk of the 40 per cent increase will be delivered through the CATA component, which is exclusive to university academics.

The Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance is designed to cover critical professional needs, including journal publications, conference attendance, internet access, learned society memberships, and book allowances. These provisions, the government said, are essential to effective teaching, cutting-edge research, and meaningful international academic engagement.

By consolidating these benefits, the agreement aims to directly strengthen research output and teaching quality, rather than treating academic tools as ad hoc or discretionary perks.

Another key feature of the deal is the restructuring of Earned Academic Allowances. The nine categories of these allowances have now been clearly defined, transparently earned, and strictly tied to specific academic duties. They include postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical responsibilities, moderation, examination duties, and leadership roles within the university system.

The government noted that this approach promotes productivity, accountability, and fairness, ensuring that payments are directly linked to measurable academic work.

In a first for the sector, the Federal Government has also approved a dedicated Professorial Cadre Allowance for senior academics. The allowance applies strictly to full-time Professors and Readers, in recognition of their expanded scholarly, administrative, and research responsibilities.

Under the new structure, Professors will earn N1.74 million annually—equivalent to N140,000 monthly—while Readers will receive N840,000 per annum, or N70,000 monthly. The allowance is intended to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency.

Describing the intervention as “structural, practical, and transformative,” Dr Alausa said it would enable senior academics to focus more effectively on teaching, mentorship, innovation, and global knowledge production.

Government officials expressed optimism that the agreement would establish a durable foundation for industrial harmony in federal universities by addressing long-standing remuneration and welfare grievances that have repeatedly disrupted academic activities.

Dr Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the faithful implementation of the agreement and sustained engagement with stakeholders, describing the pact as a decisive step towards resolving a crisis that has plagued Nigeria’s tertiary education sector for nearly two decades.

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has inaugurated an Artificial Intelligent (AI) research and integration team to advance weather forecasting innovation.

NiMet’s Director-General, Prof. Charles Anosike, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said the move was part of the Agency’s drive to strengthen innovation, digital transformation, and service delivery in meteorological and climate services.

According to him, the inauguration underscores NiMet’s commitment to complement decades of physics-based forecasting with emerging AI-driven approaches.

This, he said, was in line with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the ongoing modernisation of meteorological services in Nigeria.

“The newly constituted technical team is tasked with identifying opportunities, standards, and best practices for the application of artificial intelligence in meteorology, and with driving the integration of AI-based tools into NiMet’s operational forecasting systems.

“The initiative is expected to enhance the speed, accuracy, and accessibility of weather predictions through hybrid AI–traditional forecasting models,” NiMet’s DG said.

According to him, building internal AI capacity is critical to sustaining NiMet’s leadership in technological innovation among government agencies.

He said that emerging technologies were responsibly deployed to support aviation safety, agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and national development.

”Members of the AI Research and Integration Team were drawn from across the Agency’s units, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to innovation.

“The inauguration marks another milestone in NiMet’s ongoing efforts to leverage digital technologies and research-driven solutions to deliver world-class meteorological services in Nigeria.” he said.