National News
Active media engagement will engender better recognition – NAN MD
Active media engagement will engender better recognition – NAN MD
Mr Buki Ponle, Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has said that better media engagement by stakeholders would engender better recognition of programmes and projects by citizens.
Ponle was responding to a remark made by Ahmed Gombe, Special Adviser on Information Management and Strategy to Gov. Muhammad Yahaya of Gombe State, during a courtesy visit to NAN Headquarters on Thursday in Abuja.
Gombe had told NAN MD that the government and people of Gombe were surprised that the Gov. Yahaya was not recognised with a national honour during the recent conferment on notable Nigerians.
“So much has been achieved in Gombe State under His Excellency. Education, healthcare, infrastructure, revenue generation and other sectors have received significant boosts under his administration.
“This is why we were taken aback when he was not conferred with national honour. But then, we saw it as an opportunity to review our information management system,” he said.
Ponle said Yahaya and other hardworking governors missed out on national honours was the lack of appropriate information management and strategic communication.
“Engaging the media is crucial to giving your principal’s achievements the necessary push.
“With your appointment and the kind of machinery you have set in motion, Gov. Yahaya is now clapping with both hands and we will play our part to make you successful in this new role,” the NAN MD said.
Ponle said that NAN and Gombe State would explore meaningful collaboration which would assist in projecting the activities and achievements of the state.
To achieve this, he said a Memorandum of Understanding with deliverables, inputs, timelines and evaluation, would be signed by NAN and the Gombe State Government.
Earlier, Gombe thanked the NAN MD for welcoming him with open arms, saying his visit was in recognition of the role NAN plays as an information powerhouse.
“My insistence on making this visit is deliberate for two reasons. NAN is a clearinghouse for news in Nigeria and I can’t fully achieve my new mandate without involving you.
“Also, I have a justifiable sense of belonging because I have other ties with NAN in other capacities. I believe that once you have NAN you have all,” he said.
Nigerien Army Deserter Who Joined Boko Haram Surrenders in Diffa Region
By: Our Reporter
A deserter from the Niger Republic Armed Forces who reportedly joined the terrorist group Boko Haram has surrendered to local authorities in Kindjandi, located in the Diffa Region of southeastern Niger Republic.
The individual, identified as Abba Ibrahim, had been serving with the Nigerien Armed Forces since 2022 before deserting his post in Bosso on March 8, 2025, according to military intelligence sources. He fled alongside a fellow soldier, Bandam Dala, and subsequently joined a Boko Haram faction active in the Lake Chad area.
Security sources disclosed that Ibrahim surrendered on April 21, 2025, arriving in Kindjandi on horseback with a rifle. He was accompanied by an unidentified young man whose details are yet to be confirmed.
Ibrahim was taken into custody by the Nigerien Armed Forces on the morning of April 22, 2025, and is currently undergoing debriefing and interrogation by military intelligence.
The Diffa Region has remained a hotspot for insurgent activity due to its proximity to Lake Chad and border areas with Nigeria, where Boko Haram and other extremist groups operate.
Nigerien Army Deserter Who Joined Boko Haram Surrenders in Diffa Region
National News
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
By: Michael Mike
The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) has commended the initiative by ECOWAS to extend an invitation to the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger for the official launch of ECOWAS’ golden jubilee in Accra.
The Network, in a press statement on Tuesday, said it supports the initiative by ECOWAS to ease tensions and foster diplomacy in a bid to sustain the common heritage, shared history, and longstanding socio-cultural ties of the peoples.
The statement read: “As ECOWAS opens its doors and extends an arm of friendship and collaboration to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the Network encourages the three countries to reciprocate the gesture, upholding the spirit of good neighbourliness and cross-border cooperation. Such
cooperation is necessary now more than ever, especially as we require a concerted effort to confront matters of common interest to the subregion, such as security and trade.
“WADEMOS maintains the position that the restoration of trust and confidence between
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, on the one hand, and ECOWAS, on the other hand,
remains critical to sustaining cooperation and enhancing the free movement of goods and people. Building trust and confidence, we believe, is also critical to effectively combat the growing threat of terrorism across the subregion.
“Considering the close ties that exist among the West African peoples, WADEMOS
continues to urge the three Sahelian countries to be reconciliatory in their engagements with ECOWAS.”
WADEMOS is an independent and non-partisan network of diverse national and transnational civil society organisations and civic groups working to promote and defend democracy, good governance, and inclusive development in the West Africa region.
It mobilizes, coordinates, and leverages the collective voice and power of civil society and other pro-democracy actors, resources, and opportunities within the West Africa region to advance its mission. The current membership of WADEMOS stands at 47 spread across West Africa.
The WADEMOS Secretariat is based in Accra, Ghana.
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
Interior Minister Orders Investigation into Alleged Extortion by NSCDC Officers
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of extortion involving officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The officers, according to a viral post, allegedly extorted ₦5.2 million from a group of young men traveling from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State to Akure, Ondo State.
The Minister, in a statement by his spokesman, Babatunde Alao, noted that any officer found guilty will face the full weight of the law.
He said: “We will not tolerate any form of misconduct from our security agencies.
“We are building a paramilitary that is disciplined, professional and serve Nigeria and Nigerians with all sense of diginity and patriotism.
“On this case, we will see that justice is upheld and ensure that security personnel serve with forthrightness,” he said.
Interior Minister Orders Investigation into Alleged Extortion by NSCDC Officers
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