The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe, has between January and May, destroyed more than 100 illegal refining sites through airstrikes in the Niger Delta.The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, made this known in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja.

Ejodame said the NAF executed over 173 missions and 265 sorties, accumulating approximately 270 flying hours in support of joint military operations and independent strikes across key oil-producing states. He said the airstrikes also destroyed 53 boats, 74 cooking tanks, two reservoirs and several transport vehicles.According to him, these actions significantly degraded the capacity of oil thieves and vandals operating along critical corridors such as Buguma, Imo River, Port Harcourt, Okrika, Egbema/Ohaji and the Trans Niger Pipeline Right of Way.“The operations are aligned with national efforts to curb militancy, stop environmental degradation caused by illegal refining, and protect strategic oil and gas infrastructure, the backbone of Nigeria’s economy,” he said.NAF spokesman said the NAF had intensified air operations in the Niger Delta, recording significant successes in the ongoing fight against crude oil theft and the protection of vital national assets.He said the NAF 115 Special Operations Group (115 SOG), which hosts the air component had maintained a high tempo of aerial missions across the region, dismantling illegal refining sites and disrupting the logistics of criminal networks.“While the NAF continues to promote civil-military cooperation and community development in the region, it emphasises that the kinetic component of its campaign remains essential to uprooting entrenched criminal networks.“These sustained air operations underscore NAF’s commitment to national security and economic stability by ensuring that Nigeria’s oil heartland remains secure and productive,” he added. (NAN)

The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Mr Kabir Akanbi has called on members of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC) to ensure balanced, fair and objective in reporting.Akanbi made the call while receiving the Executive members of NAJUC Abuja chapter, who paid him a courtesy visit.

He also them to protect the sector’s image and credibility through well informed, researched, unbiased and factual reportage of its activities. He expressed dismay that reports in public space about the judiciary have been disappointing and uncalled for especially from the social media.Akanbi said judicial officers should not be disrespected, condemned and rubbished because of the perceived mistakes of the few.“I make bold to say that majority of the judicial officers in the country are men of honour, integrity, highly educated and impeccable characters, who have been discharging their adjudicatory duties without blemish, fear or favour.“It is very unpatriotic and unfair to label the Judiciary, particularly, judicial officers as generally not living up to expectations of Nigerians in terms of dispensation of justice, just because of a few lapses,” he said.He noted that the few identified bad eggs are being called to order through the instrumentality of the National Judicial Council so as to maintain the sacred duty of the arm of the government.He said that dishing out sensational reports by some media houses, especially social media in a bid to gain attention and visibility, only end up robbing off on the reputation of Nigeria as a country.“Most of the reports are targeted at few judicial officers and the Bench because they don’t have information officers, or personal assistants that will speak in their defence.“When these reports are reeled out to the public without proper fact checking, the public always believed, and at the end of the day, it is Nigeria as a country that has her name dragged into the mud’’.He insisted that some of the reports tend to portray the country in bad image and have exposed Nigeria and Nigerians to ridicule and unfair treatment in some foreign countries.Earlier, the Chairman of NAJUC, Abuja chapter, Mr Kayode Lawal thanked the Chief Registrar for finding time to play host to the Executive members of the association adding that the visit was mainly to congratulate him on his appointment as the Chief Registrar.Lawal reminded Akanbi that judiciary correspondents are also the spokespersons for judicial officers through the dissemination of their judgments to the general public, hence, the need to work in harmony.He also reminded him of the enormous tasks as he spearheads the administrative leadership of the apex court and charged him to justify the trust and confidence reposed in him with the appointment.Lawal expressed optimism that Akanbi would excel in the revered position, in view of his vast experience and rich background as a thorough bred lawyer, astute administrator and manager of men and resources.He assured the Chief Registrar of NAJUC’s resolve to be factual, objective and fair in their day to day reportage of the Judiciary.Mr Tobi Soniyi, the Special Assistant (Media), to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun had informed the Chief Registrar that NAJUC and the Supreme Court have a long standing relationship and pleaded that the cordiality be upheld and sustained. (NAN)

Prof. Felicia Ayatse, wife of the Paramount Ruler of the Tiv nation (Tor Tiv), Prof. James Ayatse, has urged the Federal Government to address incessant attacks on farmers in Benue state to curb food insecurity.Report says that she made the call at the 2025 Mba’ Apostoli Festival, a fiesta that highlights food and cultural heritage, on Saturday in Abuja.

The festival, with the theme, “Seeds of Prosperity: Agric Meets Culture”, had in attendance traditional rulers, culture enthusiasts, exhibitors and farmers, government functionaries, as well as sons and daughters of Tiv nation, among others. According to the royal mother, the escalating attacks on farmers and destruction of crops by suspected militia herdsmen in the state’s border communities is a major threat to food production.She noted that as Nigeria grapples with rising hunger and systemic food insecurity, the Benue situation needed to be addressed as a “national emergency” because of the strategic place it occupies in food production.Ayatse therefore appealed to the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to direct security agencies to intensify efforts towards restoring lasting peace and ensure adequate security of affected communities.“If there is any time we need to fight this hunger and food scarcity, it is now, and I want to use this opportunity to appeal to every one of us, particularly those who can help us reach the Federal Government.“Although the Federal Government is making efforts to ensure there is peace and normalcy in Benue State, more needs to be done, because farming has seriously been brought to a halt in the State.“The farmers are not going to their farms because of insecurity; they are being hunted and killed on a daily basis.“If this trend is allowed to continue, hunger will wreck every part of Nigeria because Benue State has been, as the name implies, the food basket of the nation.“Benue State occupies a very strategic position in the production of food in Nigeria, so we must ensure there is peace in the State.“Besides ensuring there is peace and there is security of life and property in Benue State, I call on the Federal Government to help farmers in Benue State.“The insecurity has been very terrible in the state, but it has never reached the dimension we have experienced this year, so the Federal Government should do whatever it can to assist the farmers,“Otherwise, hunger is starring in our faces, not just in Benue State, but it is definitely going to affect the entire nation”, she said.Ayatse, however, commended organisers of the Mba’ Apostoli Festival for using it as a platform for showcasing culture and food production, particularly the Tiv cultural heritage. “I want to ask the organisers to continue this very important festival, combining agriculture and culture, and we must ensure that technology is seriously encouraged and used at all levels of farming.“I look forward to having this festival celebrated next year in Benue State”, she said.Earlier in his welcome address, Operations Manager of the Festival, Dr Cletus Akwaya, said the annual cultural fiesta was aimed at preserving agricultural heritage, culture and building food-secure communities.He therefore called on relevant government institutions, donor organisations and Nigerians of goodwill to ensure continuity of the festival in the FCT.“This year’s theme reflects our determination to uplift not just our culture of farming, but also the vital role our crops;yam, cassava, sweet potato and cocoyam play in nutrition, food security and economic development.“Support for this festival is support for food security, it is support for youth engagement, for rural development, for nutrition advocacy and for cultural preservation”, he said.In his Keynote address, Dr Khalid Ishiak, former Ag. Director General, National Agricultural Seeds Council, said Agric and culture were intertwined, with culture influencing agricultural practices, knowledge and the value placed on food and farming.He however noted that Nigeria’s inability to meet up with required optimum food production level has been attributed to factors such as population growth, climate change, conflict and displacement, post-harvest losses, among others.In her remark, Aveseh Asough, the Festival Director, said the annual event highlights both food and cultural heritage, fostering development, intercultural integration and promotion of peace in Nigeria.“Now in its 7th year, the Mba’ Apostoli Festival has grown into a landmark celebration of culture, agriculture and community development.“From its humble beginning in 2019, the festival has evolved into a globally recognised platform, attracting thousands of participants annually, from farmers and food processors to cultural enthusiasts , youth groups and development actors” , she said.(NAN)