POLITICS
Neighbouring Countries Involved in Illegal Arms Circulation, Navy tells Reps
By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
The Nigerian Navy yesterday, told the House of Representatives that some Nigeria’s neighbouring countries do not have armouries, making war against Proliferation of illegal arms difficult for the country.
Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, (CNS), who was represented by Commodore Jemila Sadiq Abubakar, made the disclosure at a public hearing on four security bills by the House Committee on National Security and intelligence.
This is even as stakeholders at the public hearing on a Bill to establish the Commission against Proliferation of arms and light weapons, rejected Foreign Affairs Minister as the Chairman of the proposed Commission.
The proposed legislations were; bill to establish the National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, bill to make Provision for the Integration of Private Close Circuit Television (CCTV), bill to Repeal the Explosives Act, and bill to designate the month of November as the National Appreciation for Security Agencies Month.
While making contributions to the bill seeking to establish the National Commission against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, Abubakar said the weapons donated by developed countries to neighbouring nations were compounding Nigeria’s security challenges.
She said the lack of armoury in some of the neighbouring countries made arms available to Chadean soldiers, who in turn sell them when they are broke.
“Section 9 (1) suggests an additional function of proposing a seized weapons and arms be used by security agencies; I think we can look at the provisions of the international convention on the issue of how the arms should be used when seized.
“Other sections have been addressed by our colleagues, so I’m sure their presentations have been submitted.
“I want to contribute to the coming seminar on the operation of arms to be organized by the House of Representatives.
“I was in charge as a member of the fight against Boko Haram and I can tell you categorically here, I stand to be corrected, that some of these countries that we have borders with have no armoury.
“They do not have armoury. So most of their arms that are being donated by — I don’t want to be specific — the developed countries in the name of assisting us to fight our problems — are compounding our problems in Nigeria because you find out that each average Chadean soldier has 20 to 30 arms underneath his bed. When he is broke, he brings it out and sells it for 30 dollars, 20 dollars. I am here, I am standing here, and I am saying it.
“Since we are going to collaborate with ECOWAS and other countries that are donating such arms to these countries (African countries) I think we should insist that they should either enact laws to govern the handling of these arms and ammunition or build an armoury for these countries or else we will not see peace”, the Naval Chief said.
Speaking on the bill to establish integration of private close circuit television (CCTV) to fight insecurity, Abubakar said: “I think we should build a wall between us and these neighbouring countries or we should have serious surveillance or else we will not see peace in this country. I am telling you this, I have been in that area for years, so I know what is happening.
Other stakeholders who also spoke on the small arms and light weapons Commission, said since members of the Commission were mostly arms bearing security agencies, it was only appropriate for Minister of Interior to be Chairman of the Commission and not Minister of Foreign Affairs as proposed.
Speaking earlier, Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House, said “knowledge would be drawn from everywhere,” because security is an important national issue.
“The security agencies are welcome to make submissions but everyone is welcome to submit as well. I say so because I want to underscore the fact that security is about everyone and we are all stakeholders,” he said.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a purported anti-North statement allegedly attributed to him.
A viral statement allegedly quoted Akpabio as threatening that Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu lost the 2027 presidential election.
Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media, Jackson Udom, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
Udom said the petition, signed by the Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, urged the DSS to urgently investigate the dissemination of the alleged false, inflammatory and divisive statement.
He said the graphic, bearing Akpabio’s photograph and designation, attributed the following words to him: ‘Northerners you will be the ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.’
“Unequivocally, the President of the Senate did not make this statement.
“No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recordings, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it.
“The graphic carries no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source,” he said.
Udom said the statement appeared to have been deliberately manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation for the purpose of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.
He said those behind the scheme intended to provoke regional resentment against Akpabio and portray him as threatening people in the Northern part of the country.
According to him, preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records identified some persons as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the purported fabricated graphic.
He listed the persons as Abdullai Musa, who posted the graphic in a Facebook group styled ‘Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24”.
Others were Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic commentary expressly credited to him, and Ibrahim Ammar, a verified Facebook account that subsequently reproduced the graphic and similar commentary.
“These persons should not be presumed guilty before investigation.
“Nevertheless, their early and substantial roles in circulating the material make them persons of interest, who may possess information capable of identifying the graphic designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network,” he said.
Udom said their publication records, devices, communications and the provenance of the image should therefore be investigated in accordance with the law. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for its strides in innovation and technological development, assuring the agency of the Federal Government’s continued support.
Akume gave the commendation on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in Abuja when he received NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, members of his management team and winners of the agency’s Innovation Assessment and Award Competition.
The SGF described NASENI’s inter-agency and intra-agency innovation competition for federal civil and public servants and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as a significant milestone in efforts to develop home-grown solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
He said the innovative products emerging from the competition could have significant implications for national security, food sovereignty and healthcare, adding that the achievements demonstrated the depth of talent and ingenuity among young Nigerians.
“Nigeria has talents. I don’t doubt about that. Wherever you go in the world, Nigerians are recognized as people with lot of talents and people with a great future,” Akume said.
He also praised NASENI for adopting what he described as a transparent and non-partisan process in selecting and assessing the innovations, saying the credibility of the competition would encourage more Nigerians to come forward with innovative ideas.
Akume expressed optimism that sustained government support could enable Nigeria to attain greater technological heights, including developing advanced aerospace capabilities.
“Tomorrow, who knows, Nigeria can manufacture rockets that can send people to the moon. And this can be the courtesy of NASENI,” he said.
Earlier, Halilu said the award programme was designed to identify and recognise outstanding contributions by civil and public servants through both inter-agency and intra-agency competitions.
He said NASENI’s innovation strategy goes beyond developing technological products to equipping innovators with skills needed to commercialise their ideas successfully.
According to him, technical and engineering expertise must be complemented by competencies in accounting, marketing and business development for innovations to achieve their full potential.
Halilu disclosed that NASENI had, in about two years, facilitated the establishment of 20 factories across the country and developed more than 40 products as part of efforts to transform research and innovation into commercially viable solutions.
He added that the agency had also introduced programmes aimed at identifying and nurturing innovators from an early age. One of the initiatives, the Future Makers Programme, targets children between five and 15 years to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and innovation.
The meeting also featured demonstrations by representatives of two of the six winners of the innovation competition.
A team from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) showcased a security jacket equipped with technology designed to facilitate real-time communication with the command-and-control centres of security agencies, potentially improving coordination and response.
The winning team from NASENI, meanwhile, presented a commercial electronic platform designed to serve as a digital marketplace through which MDAs can promote and market their goods and services.
Akume congratulated NASENI and the winners of the competition, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for research, innovation and technological development in Nigeria.
From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress has taken Osun state Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election to court as the petition is now on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo.
The papers went up on Monday, 7 September.
Tribunal secretary Pefe Belemore had said the notices would be displayed before noon. Secretariat staff were already in the courtroom as preparations for sitting continued.Two petitions challenge the 15 August result that returned Adeleke for another term.
The APC case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Peoples Democratic Party case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola against Adeleke, INEC and Accord.
Display of the petitions is a procedural step. The parties must still be served before full hearing begins. Adeleke remains the declared winner. The detailed grounds of each petition have not been published. The tribunal has not issued a ruling.
Talata Mafara Attack: ISN Demands Intelligence Overhaul, Special Courts to Crush Banditry
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja The Institute of Security, Nigeria (ISN) has called for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s approach to...
Lagos Court Nullifies Onise of Ise Installation, Orders Withdrawal of Staff of Office
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja The Lagos State High Court sitting in Lagos has set aside and nullified the purported installation...
Former PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur is dead
ShareFrontline business magnet and former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur is dead. He was aged 90....
NAICOM, NCAA Partner to Strengthen Air Travellers’ Protection
ShareThe National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to...
Customs Seizes N43.5bn Narcotics, Drones, Expired Goods at Apapa Port
ShareThe Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted narcotics, controlled pharmaceuticals, drones and expired goods valued at N43.5 billion at the...
IPMAN Tasks Marketers on Local Refineries for Product Sourcing
ShareThe National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Shettima, has urged independent petroleum marketers...
CBN Bags NES Distinguished Organisation Award for Economic Reforms
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has received the Nigerian Economic Society’s (NES) Distinguished Organisation Award...
2027: Information Minister Urges Niger APC Leaders to Back Tinubu’s Reforms
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged APC leaders in Niger State...
Police Arrest Two Suspected Car Snatchers in Delta
ShareThe Delta State Police Command has arrested two suspected car snatchers and recovered a Toyota Camry in the state. The...
Otti Highlights Seven Investment Priority Sectors in Abia
ShareAbia State Governor, Alex Otti has highlighted seven priority sectors and investment opportunities to drive industrialisation and economic development in...