Police arrest man for alleged killing of 11-year-old son in Kogi

By: Zagazola Makama

The Police Command in Kogi has arrested a man, Jato Alhaji Jaye, for allegedly killing his 11-year-old son in Agbaja area of Oworo land, Lokoja Local Government Area.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that on Aug. 19, one Zuberu Adamu of Fulani bush camp, Agbaja village, reported to the police that his sister, Adama Adamu, complained she had not seen her son, Buhari Jato, who went for grazing with his father, Jato Alhaji Jaye, since Aug. 17.

A search party was immediately raised, which led to the discovery of the lifeless body of the boy in the bush. The father was reportedly found at the scene attempting to bury the body in order to conceal his act.

The sources said Police officers from Division ‘B’, Lokoja, rushed to the scene where photographs were taken, the suspect arrested, and the decomposing body released to the family on request for burial according to Islamic rites.

The sources added that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime, stating that the deceased had “offended him” while they were rearing animals together. He admitted using a Fulani stick to flog the boy as punishment, which led to his death.

The sources said the case would soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Lokoja, for further discreet investigation.

Police arrest man for alleged killing of 11-year-old son in Kogi

FG Partners for Better Treatment of Nigerian Travelers

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has taken an important stride towards enhancing the security and protection of Nigerian citizens traveling abroad through a partnership with ASFAAR, aims at addressing issues surrounding the integrity of Nigerian data and documents.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, on Tuesday while speaking at the Asfaar Press Launch and Media tour of Visa Processing facilities in Abuja, said Nigerians all over the world are maligned, noting that ASFAAR platform provides additional verification of traveler’s data, including their name, address, and character.

Represented by his Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communication, Alkasim AbdulKadir, he cited an example of a recent case where a Nigerian woman was wrongly tagged with luggage containing harmful substances.

He noted that: “If that person had come through ASFAAR, what it will have done is that it will have vetted her. It will have known her home address, it will understand her character.”

He stressed the importance of the Ministry’s collaboration with ASFAAR, saying it is part of their mandate to offer maximum support for such a platform.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is established to protect the sovereignty of Nigeria as a country where other countries are concerned, and this is one gateway for us to do that.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the protection and well-being of Nigerian citizens abroad, and this partnership is expected to enhance the security and protection of Nigerian travelers.”

Also speaking, a representative of the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Maculey William, said the partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ASFAAR, aims to streamline the process of obtaining visas and enhance the protection of Nigerian citizens abroad.

“We check the laws, what have we encountered in the past years was that Nigerians have had a tough time, but with this partnership, we are working to change that.”

William also explained that the new system will allow Nigerians to access any embassy with ease and resolve cases efficiently as he highlighted the importance of collaboration between the government and ASFAAR.

“The partnership will provide first-class service to Nigerians, and the sharing of revenue will be kept under the federal executive council. How it’s being shared is being kept under the federal executive council, they are fully in charge.”

On his part, the Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Asfaar, Dr. Jamil Hausawi, explained that the partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to ease visa restrictions and challenges faced by Nigerians traveling abroad, particularly to Saudi Arabia.

He said: “We started last November 2024, and one visit in Saudi Arabia due to a lot of complaints of visa restrictions and a lot of challenges Nigerians facing when they are traveling, especially to Saudi, not only for homeland privilege, but even more for work, teaching as a doctor and tourism to the Middle East.”

He further explained that the partnership led to the development of an indigenous digital ecosystem platform that meets international standards, including integration with Nusuk, a platform belonging to the Saudi Arabian government.

Hausawi highlighted the support received from key stakeholders, including the Office of the Vice President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said: “The main objective of this initiative is to make existing name registration the primary tool for any business application, ensuring that applicants are verified as Nigerian citizens responsible for their actions.”

Hausawi emphasized that the platform aims to simplify processes, enhance transparency, and detect potential issues related to government offices or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“This platform is just a solution, a complement to all what we have, all what we need,” Dr. Hausawi explained.

“As far as you are Nigerians, we try to help, we try to make it simple, transparent, and we will be able to detect any issue related to our principal offices, the federal government, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” He said.
End

Mali: jihadists overrun Farabougou, Tidel as army reels from internal purges

By: Zagazola Makama

The Malian army has suffered fresh setbacks with the fall of two military bases to jihadists of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) in Farabougou and Tidel on Aug. 19.

The development point to the mounting pressure on the Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMA), already weakened by infighting and sweeping purges ordered by the ruling junta in Bamako.

At Farabougou, FAMA units supported by traditional Donzo hunters were routed, while in Tidel, Malian troops alongside their Russian partners were overpowered.

Sources reports indicate that weapons, armoured vehicles and other military assets were seized by the insurgents, with images of captured tanks already circulating on jihadist propaganda channels.

The rapid expansion of jihadist control across Mali is matched by a visible retreat of state authority, raising concerns over the government’s ability to secure its population. Analysts note that while militants tighten their grip on rural territories, the central government remains absorbed in political intrigues and internal crackdowns.

In recent weeks, several senior officers have been arrested or dismissed, accused of disloyalty or complicity in alleged coup plots. This climate of suspicion has eroded morale within the ranks and left units vulnerable to external attacks.

Sources describe the approach as “self-inflicted damage,” as the army, already stretched thin on multiple fronts, now contends with both battlefield losses and internal mistrust.

Russia’s Africa Corps, formerly Wagner, has been presented by the junta as a guarantor of security. But the setback in Tidel exposed the limits of Russian support, with reports of Russian casualties alongside Malian troops. The images of destroyed armoured vehicles and lifeless bodies, according to analysts, shatter the myth of technological superiority often associated with Moscow’s forces.

Meanwhile, GSIM appears to be strategically targeting both the community militias allied with the state, as seen in Farabougou, and the foreign security presence, as in Tidel. By doing so, the insurgents aim to undermine the government’s claims of national cohesion and foreign-backed resilience.

The Malian army high command, which rarely communicates in detail on battlefield reverses, issued a terse statement confirming “simultaneous attacks on FAMA positions in Farabougou and Biriki-were” in the early hours of Aug. 19. It pledged to provide further details later and concluded with the slogan: “United, we will overcome.”

Security experts argue, however, that the army’s divisions and the ongoing purge of officers make such unity increasingly unlikely. They warn that while a military force can recover from defeats, it cannot survive prolonged internal disunity.

Mali now resembles a drifting vessel caught in storms, with the risk of national collapse intensifying. The war that justified two military coups, they note, appears all but lost, with the jihadists tightening their hold, the army demoralised, and the junta consumed by repression and paranoia.

Mali: jihadists overrun Farabougou, Tidel as army reels from internal purges