COVER
Thugs Burn Kogi PDP Women Leader to Death
Despite tears and anguish by sympathisers and family members over the killing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women leader in Kogi and two policemen, among others in Bayelsa, Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that reported violence was not enough to discredit the result of the election.
DAILY ASSET gathered that two policemen were shot dead by unknown gunmen yesterday, along Otuogidi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.
While one of the policemen died in the hospital, a staff with the state broadcasting corporation, Simon Onu, was among those ambushed and shot dead by stray bullets of political thugs in the state.
The hoodlums carted away the riffles of their victims creating apprehension in the state few days to the Saturday governorship election.
The attack, according to report, occurred at a checkpoint close to the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology located in Ogbia.
Earlier, Onu was killed by suspected political thugs at a rally ahead of the state’s governorship election.
Witnesses said scores of people, mostly supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, were injured in the attack. They said the thugs were loyal to the All Progressives Congress.
In Kogi state, before the killing of the PDP Women Leader, Wada/ Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward, Mrs. Acheju Abuh, no fewer than six persons had been reportedly killed before, during and after the election.
She was reportedly burnt to dead in her home by suspected political thugs, who barricaded the entrance of her residence, poured fuel on the house, locked it up set the compound ablaze.
According to reports, the thugs, who were shooting sporadically, arrived Hon Mrs. Abuh’s house at about 2pm, “surrounded the house, blocking every exit and escape routes from outside”.
“They then sprayed the building with petrol and set it ablaze as terrified villagers watched from afar.
Our Correspondent gathered from eyewitnesses that she reportedly attempted to escape through a window, but was prevented by the metal burglary proof and gun shots with bullets raining in her direction.
“The blood thirsty thugs waited, shooting and watching with relish while Mrs. Abuh cried from inside the inferno until her voice died out”, eyewitnesses said.
They reportedly left only when the entire house and Mrs. Abuh had been burnt to ashes.
The Kogi state police command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer, DSP William Aya.
Aya in a statement titled: “Culpable homicide/mischief by fire ” issued later stated: “On 18/11/2019 at about 16.30hrs, one Musa Ety of Ochadamu, Ofu LGA reported at the Station that, at about 1030 of same date, there was a misunderstanding between one Awolu Zekeri, aged 35 and member of APC and one Gowon Simeon, a member of PDP both of Ochadamu. In the process, Gowon Simeon stabbed Awolu Zekeri with a knife on his lap, he died on his way to the Hospital.
a
” As a result, angry Youths in the area mobilized to the house of one Simeon Abuh of same address who is an uncle to the suspect, set it ablaze, thereby burnt one Salome Abuh, aged 60 years”.
The police confirmed that three other houses were equally burnt in the process.
Aya said that the corpse has been moved to the University Teaching Hospital Mortuary Anyigba for autopsy and disclosed that the Police Mobile Force and Police Special Forces have been drafted to the area to prevent any breakdown of law and order while investigation was ongoing.
Deaths Not Enough to Discredit Election – Bello
Meanwhile, Bello yesterday said the just-concluded governorship election in the state was free and fair despite damning reports to the contrary by election observers.
Bello who spoke during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accepted that there was violence during the election, but said it was not enough to discredit the poll.
“In every election, there is bound to be one issue or the other and you can’t take a pocket of issues to judge the general conduct of the election.
“Regarding the comments of the civil society organisations, they are entitled to their own opinions but let us know the parameters with which they are judging this election.
“How many polling units did they visit out of 2,548 polling units, 239 wards and 21 local governments across the difficult terrains of this state? How many people have they reached out to?
“Have they interviewed all the electorate? So, what are their yardsticks?” he said.
One of the observers, the Diplomatic Watch, had raised the alarm at the reports of fatalities and missing people during the Kogi election and urged stakeholders to be calmed.
“We express our alarm at reports of widespread incidents of violence and intimidation, some of which were witnessed by our teams in Kogi. There are reports of fatalities and people missing, including INEC staff. Our thoughts are with all victims and their families,” their statement read in part.
Another observer group, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA Africa), had called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Kogi state following reported cases of “violence, vote-buying, and manipulation of voters”.
YIAGA said “the elections in the state did not reflect the preferences of voters because they were not given genuine opportunity to exercise their right to vote”.
The Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD), said 10 deaths and 129 cases of violence and electoral crimes were recorded in the polls in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
Poor Conduct Abates Violence – Observer Group
A non-governmental organisation, CLEEN Foundation, also gave reasons security personnel could not stop violence in the two states, where elections were held.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Benson Olugbuo, stated this in a report on the conduct of security personnel deployed for election duty in the states.
The group, which deployed 61 observers to both states for the elections, in its report said the poor conduct of security personnel explained why there was no resistance to political thugs who were shooting and snatching ballot boxes in both states.
“CLEEN Foundation, an accredited observer, noted that most of the security personnel did not use force at anyone in the polling units observed. This explains the situation of no resistance by political thugs in shooting and snatching ballot boxes in Bayelsa and Kogi states respectively.
“The security personnel were unable to manage or prevent thugs and men in security uniforms in Kogi state especially from disrupting elections and carting away voting materials.”
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has launched DAWN: DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, unveiled its Impact Report and presented MSME Data Assets at the seventh edition of Annual Lecture held in Abuja.
DBN, in a statement on Thursday, said while delivering a welcome address, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the central challenge was no longer reforms themselves but ensuring benefits reach businesses at end of the chain.
He asked how to make sure benefits reach traders in Onitsha, fabricator in Aba, farmer in Kebbi and young founder in Yaba, noting that MSMEs accounted for about half of Nigeria’s GDP and more than eight in every ten jobs, adding that when reform works for MSMEs it works for most Nigerians.
He explained that reform becomes prosperity only when entrepreneurs can act on it whether through long tenor loans to buy equipment, banks willing to take risk or skills and records needed to grow.
He said working through Participating Financial Institutions DBN provides longer term funding, partial credit guarantees through subsidiary Impact Credit Guarantee Limited and capacity building including Entrepreneurship Training Programme.
He disclosed that as at December 2025 DBN had disbursed a cumulative N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 Participating Financial Institutions creating about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
Under the new five year strategy, the Bank aims to reach more than two million MSMEs with deliberate targets for women led businesses, youth led businesses and underserved states.
On DAWN, Okpanachi said finance alone had not enabled enough women-led businesses to scale.
He said initiative brings together financing, guarantees and credit support, technical assistance, outcome linked grants and market linkages delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.
Its priority sectors are agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and creatives, technology and green business.
He said DAWN is about moving gender focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity.
On the sidelines of the lecture DBN and African Development Bank held a signing ceremony of AfDB DBN 61 million United States dollars Gender Line of Credit development that reinforces Bank commitment to women led enterprises.
Okpanachi urged Participating Financial Institutions to extend lending into sectors and states where access to finance has been limited, policymakers and regulators to measure reform by what changes for business at end of chain and MSMEs to formalise, keep good records and use support now available.
The Vice President as Special Guest of Honour was represented by Dr Fred Iklaga Senior Technical Adviser in the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Economy.
Keynote speakers were Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, and Chairman of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya.
Fireside chat featured Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Abubakar Suleiman, manufacturing and trade entrepreneur Mrs Omoyemi Chukwurah and by video Kola Masha of Babban Gona.
The Secretary to the Government of Federation, represented by Augusta Warren Bekaredebo, said 2026 tax reforms would bring relief to many small businesses expressing optimism that a lot of businesses will be smiling by next year because they will be exempted from tax.
By Tambaya Julius, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened possible nationwide industrial action following the failure of talks with the Federal Government over workers’ welfare, petrol prices and other outstanding labour demands.
The warning came after a meeting between the government and organised labour at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, ended without an agreement.
The congress has given the Federal Government until Tuesday, October 27, to make meaningful progress on the issues, warning that its relevant organs would decide the next line of action if the next meeting fails to produce concrete commitments.
The NLC has also directed its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to begin mobilising members for possible nationwide action.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, expressed disappointment over what he described as the government delegation’s lack of preparedness for the negotiations.
According to the congress, organised labour presented its demands in good faith but left the meeting without any concrete commitments from the government.
The demands include a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, renegotiation of the national minimum wage, implementation of agreed tax relief measures and resolution of the terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The congress also called for the resolution of issues raised by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) over peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
The NLC said the government delegation lacked the necessary authority to engage meaningfully on the issues presented by labour representatives.
“The meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour, convened at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on 22nd October 2026, has ended without resolution,” the statement said.
It added that the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be adjourned until October 27 to allow the government to prepare adequately for further discussions.
The preparations, according to the statement, would include bringing relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to the negotiating table.
The congress said it remained open to dialogue but would not accept continued delays in addressing workers’ concerns.
“We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action,” it said.
The labour body urged workers and members of the public to remain calm while the negotiations continue, even as it directed its affiliates and allies to prepare for possible industrial action.
“However, we urge all affiliates of NLC and TUC; all state councils and our civil society allies to be alert and start mobilising for a possible action across the nation while we hope that the tenets of our demands are met by the government,” the statement added.
The October 27 meeting is expected to provide another opportunity for both sides to address the outstanding issues and prevent a possible escalation of the dispute.
However, the NLC’s decision to begin mobilisation suggests that tensions could rise if the next round of talks fails to produce meaningful progress.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has barred its personnel from escorting politicians during campaigns for the 2027 general elections.
Zonal Commanding Officer, RS6, ACM Abimbola Owolabi, gave the directive during her maiden visit to the Cross River Command in Calabar on Wednesday.
Owolabi said patrol vehicles and sirens must not be used for political activities or private engagements, including weddings and funeral processions.
She directed officers deployed to campaign venues to focus exclusively on traffic management to prevent congestion and road crashes.
The zonal head warned personnel against leading political convoys or providing escorts for politicians, stressing that official vehicles must not be used for unauthorised purposes.
CBN Introduces New Regulatory Framework for Non-Security VASPs, others
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a comprehensive regulatory framework for non-security virtual assets...
Group tasks Women Journalists on Reporting Impact of Coal Mining in Enugu
ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu A non-governmental organisation, Renevlyn Development Initiatives, has called on women journalists in Enugu State to intensify...
RMAFC Chairman Tasks Directors, Others on Accountability, Productivity
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu has...
NDLEA Secures 18 Convictions, Arrests 130 Suspects in Kaduna
ShareThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kaduna State Command, said it secured 18 convictions and arrested 130 suspects for...
Gen Z No Longer Think for Themselves, Ayra Starr’s Mother Blames Social Media
ShareNene Aderibigbe, mother of Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, has criticised the influence of social media on Gen Z, claiming that...
Davido, Chioma Arrive in Style for Zlatan, Davita’s Wedding in Morocco
ShareNigerian music star, Davido, and his wife, Chioma Adeleke, have arrived in style in Marrakesh, Morocco, for the wedding celebration...
Lessons from the 2023 Presidential Elections: Obi Vs Wike
ShareBy Sunday Adelaja My goal in this article is to go beyond promoting a particular candidate like I did in...
Certificates Without Jobs: The Uncomfortable Reality of Nigeria’s Education System
ShareBy Idris Rufai Welcome to Nigeria, where young people are highly educated, professionally qualified and, unfortunately, increasingly experienced in the...
FG Generates N33tn Revenue in 10 Months – Oyedele
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Federal Government generated N33tn in revenue between January and October 2026, while about 90 per...
Terrorists Flee Strongholds, Military Block New Bases – DHQ
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed reports and suggestions of a ceasefire with Boko Haram terrorists,...