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Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses

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Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses

By Kayode Lawal.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and it’s governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo has closed their case against the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

The petitioners closed their case on Monday, shortly after calling 19 witnesses who testified of alleged irregularities, especially during the collation of votes at both the ward and local government levels.

The move to close their case was sequel to the tendering of five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), machines, that were used for the election.

The electronic devices, were tendered by a Senior Technical Officer in the ICT Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Anthony Itodo.

It will be recalled that following a subpoena order of the three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, INEC had last week tendered 148 BVAS machines used in 133 polling units in the September 21 governorship election.

The petitioners had anchored their claim against the outcome of the election on alleged wrongful computation of results during collation at the ward and local government levels.

After taking five witnesses last Friday, the tribunal has adjourned to Monday to enable the petitioners continue their case challenging the declaration of All Progressives Congress (APC’s) candidate, Monday Okpebholo as governor.

However, at the resumed hearing at the tribunal currently sitting in Abuja, the petitioners expressed satisfaction that they have established their case against the respondents, going by the testimonies of their witnesses and the plethora of documentary evidence brought before the three-member panel of justices.

Lead counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, thereafter informed the tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi that they would be closing their case against the respondents.

Although, INEC, Okpebholo and the APC opposed the admissibility of the five BVAS machines, the tribunal however accepted them pending its ruling on their relevance to the case.

Meanwhile, the tribunal has fixed Wednesday for INEC to open its defence.

The electoral umpire had declared Okpebholo of the APC winner of the September 21, governorship election after scoring a total of 291, 667 votes.

PDP’s Ighodalo came second after scoring a total of 247, 655 votes.

Aggrieved by the outcome of the election, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, praying it to nullify INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as governor.

The petitioners, among other things, contended that the governorship election was invalid by reason of alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

They equally argued in the petition marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, that governor Okpebholo of the APC did not secure the highest number of lawful votes that were cast at the election.

Meanwhile, Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Anthony Aziegbemin, expressed confidence that the petitioners through their lawyers have done justice to the case.

“We think the case is pretty straight forward, we think it is documentary based, we think it is specific, we think the judiciary will give it some judicial cognisance of what we tendered before them.

“We believe that they have all they need from us and all what we should produce, I think we have given it to them. And we expect them to look at them and see how it goes. But suffices to say that it is not a petition as we used to have it in the country where you call a lot of witnesses.

“We didn’t need to call a lot of witnesses, we called the witnesses that we needed, to prove our case and make our case more solid”, Aziegbemin.

The chairman described as strange INEC’s objection to the admissibility of its own documents, adding that it “gives us and Nigerians something to think about, why will INEC oppose the documents it certified to the petitioners to be tendered in the open court.

“I think the tribunal will look into that and see why they are objecting, though they said they will give reasons at the address stage but it is strange. It doesn’t add up”, Aziegbemin said.

Edo Guber: INEC Tenders Additional BVAS Machines, *As Ighodalo closes case against Okpebholo after 19 witnesses

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ACReSAL, NUJ sensitise 100 journalists to climate change, environmental reporting skills

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ACReSAL, NUJ sensitise 100 journalists to climate change, environmental reporting skills

The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, on Monday, trained 100 journalists to enhance coverage of climate change and environmental issues in Gombe State.

The one-day capacity building exercise is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), aimed at raising awareness on land restoration and sustainable landscape management.

ACReSAL is a World Bank financed project designed to tackle the pressing issues of land degradation and climate change in 19 states in northern Nigeria.

Dr Sani Jauro, State Coordinator, ACReSAL, described journalists as critical stakeholders in efforts towards reclaiming degraded lands and ensuring sustainable landscape management.

He said the training aimed at improving journalists’ understanding of climate related issues to help them communicate the challenges and solutions effectively to the public.

Jauro expressed optimism that the training would enhance the skills and knowledge of media practitioners in reporting ACRESAL, environmental and climate change issues.

The coordinator commended Gov. Inuwa Yahaya for his support in addressing environmental related issues, to improve lives and protect livelihoods of communities threatened by land degradation.

He also lauded the media support in the implementation of ACReSAL project through accurate reportage, and urged them to sustain the feat to promote community ownership of ACReSAL project.

NUJ Chairman, Faruk Muazu, lauded ACReSAL and Jewel Environmental Initiatives (JEI), the implementing partner, for their efforts at upskilling journalists.

Muazu urged other government bodies to partner with the organisation to train journalists on issues that would enhance development in Gombe State.

“This training will help improve the quality of conversations around climate change, land restoration and environmental issues across the state.

“It will ensure that the media becomes adequately informed about climate change related issues across the state,” he said.

Mr Ismail Bima, Project Coordinator, JEI, also urged journalists to prioritise environmental and climate change reportage to promote sustainable environment.

Represented by Danladi Aliyu, an official of JEI, Bima said awareness creation on ACReSAL project, government and stakeholders investment would build sustainability culture among residents.

One of the participants, Chika Udenkwo, commended the gesture, adding it would expose journalists better skills to report environmental issues and climate change.

ACReSAL, NUJ sensitise 100 journalists to climate change, environmental reporting skills

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Police arrest three suspected armed robbers in Abuja IDP camp

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Police arrest three suspected armed robbers in Abuja IDP camp

By: Zagazola Makama

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested three suspected members of a notorious armed robbery syndicate during a coordinated operation to rid the territory of criminal elements.

Zagazola Makama report that the arrest followed the directive of the Commissioner of Police, FCT, to flush out criminal gangs operating within the nation’s capital between Oct. 10 and 17, 2025.

The suspects Manaseh Emmanuel, 36, and Dogora Ibrahim, 21, both from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and Ibrahim Idamusa, 40, from Giri Local Government Area of Adamawa State were arrested by operatives of the Scorpion Squad led by ACP Victor O. Godfrey.

The suspects, who all reside in New Kuchigoro IDP Camp, Durumi, were apprehended following actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang was linked to a notorious and unrepentant armed robber, Ibrahim Yakubu a.k.a. Ycome, currently standing trial over an armed robbery incident at Maitama on Oct. 10, 2025.

Sources said that Police investigations further uncovered that Ycome, who was earlier brought out of prison on a reproduction warrant on May 21, 2025, had been coordinating illicit drug operations and other criminal activities from prison.

Sources said the suspects confessed to robbing several vehicles in different parts of Abuja, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other accomplices and recover stolen vehicles.

Police arrest three suspected armed robbers in Abuja IDP camp

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Operation Zenda JTF kill notorious robbery suspect in Benue, recover firearm and charms

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Operation Zenda JTF kill notorious robbery suspect in Benue, recover firearm and charms

By: Zagazola Makama

Operatives of Operation Zenda Joint Task Force (JTF) have neutralized a notorious armed robbery suspect, identified as Saater, during a gun duel in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation, which took place at about 8:00 p.m. on Oct. 18, followed credible intelligence that led the team to a hotel at the Owner Occupiers area of Makurdi, where the suspect was hiding.

The suspect, who was said to be a notorious kidnapper, assassin, and armed robber from Wannune in Tarka Local Government Area, was allegedly responsible for the killings of several persons, including the commander of local hunters and his wife, the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and a traditional ruler, among others.

Upon sighting the operatives, the suspect reportedly opened fire on the team, prompting a gun battle during which he sustained fatal bullet wounds.

Sources said he was rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, where he was confirmed dead while receiving treatment. His corpse has been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.

Items recovered from him include a locally fabricated short gun, two cartridges, assorted criminal charms, and seven SIM cards of different networks.

Operation Zenda JTF kill notorious robbery suspect in Benue, recover firearm and charms

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