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Clarification on viral video: soldiers intervened to rescue NYSC corps members held hostage in Awka — findings

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Clarification on viral video: soldiers intervened to rescue NYSC corps members held hostage in Awka — findings

By: Zagazola Makama

Fresh findings have clarified the circumstances surrounding a viral video showing a confrontation between the Deputy Governor of Anambra State and a military rescue team during the governorship election in Awka.

The video, shared extensively on social media, depicts the Deputy Governor verbally harassing a soldier at an INEC collation point, demanding to know why the military officer was present at the venue.

Military sources told Zagazola Makama that the soldier, along with a small rescue team, was deployed following a distress call from the NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs Pauline Ojisua.

According to the sources, at about 0820 hours on Nov. 8, the NYSC Coordinator alerted 302 Artillery Regiment (General Support), stating that corps members and INEC officials were being held hostage by political thugs at Ukwu Oji Umubele, Awka Ward 5, Awka South LGA, after the collation officer absconded from the polling unit. Acting on the distress call, the soldiers were promptly dispatched to the location.

“Troops promptly moved to the location, rescued the corps members and electoral officials, and escorted them safely to INEC office where collation continued without incident,” the sources stated.

However, upon arrival, however, the rescue team met the Deputy Governor, accompanied by political associates, who challenged the presence of the soldiers and attempted to obstruct their intervention.

A viral Video showed the Deputy Governor raising his voice and repeatedly, insisting that the military had no mandate to be in the collation environment, despite the emergency situation and the presence of threatened NYSC personnel. The soldier remained calm, clarifying that he was responding to a distress call.

The Deputy Governor continuously demanded explanations while refusing to listen to the INEC officials who placed the call. The soldier was heard asking: “Madam, what did you tell me when you called?” The video then cuts abruptly before the INEC/NYSC official could respond.

Sources within the security team said that the Deputy Governor’s conduct suggested displeasure with the military intervention, which prevented political thugs from taking advantage of the situation.

Zagazola report that Election security procedures allow military intervention only in life-threatening situations, particularly where corps members serving under NYSC, not political parties are endangered.

Furthermore, INEC collation guidelines bar candidates and their deputies from entering or staying inside collation centres, to avoid interference or intimidation.

Legal experts, Kelvin Martings described the soldier’s action as lawful, necessary and timely, given that the NYSC State Coordinator, a senior Federal Government official, requested immediate protection for corps members.

He also condemned the Deputy Governor’s behaviour, describing it as unruly and obstructionist, especially toward uniformed personnel responding to an emergency involving vulnerable citizens.

Another sources familiar with the matter confirmed: “The military’s swift intervention prevented potential harm to corps members. Any harassment of security personnel performing rescue duties is unacceptable.”

INEC is yet to issue an official statement as at press time.

Clarification on viral video: soldiers intervened to rescue NYSC corps members held hostage in Awka — findings

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

By Aisha Gambo

The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).

The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.

She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.

According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.

“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.

Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.

According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.

She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.

Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.

She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.

The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.

She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.

Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.

She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.

Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

By: Zagazola Makama

Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.

According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.

Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.

Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.

The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.

Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

By: Zagazola Makama

A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.

According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.

The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.

The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.

The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.

Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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