National News
Ndiomu Moves Against Niger Delta Indigenes As Amnesty Office Employs Over 80 Persons from Outside the Region

Ndiomu Moves Against Niger Delta Indigenes As Amnesty Office Employs Over 80 Persons from Outside the Region
…PAP Signs Contract to Pay HMO N250,000 Pee Staff
By: Michael Mike
Workers of the Presidential Amnesty Office have raised the alarm over the deployment of indigenes of the Niger Delta from the Presidential Amnesty Office by the Interim Administrator, Maj Gen Barry Ndiomu (Retd).
Some of the workers link the current move to alleged leakage of information on the activities of the leadership of the office.
Investigations revealed that indigenes of the Niger Delta in strategic positions were deployed back to the ministries and replaced.
According to the sources, those deployed include Oloye Kebbi (Peace Building Department), Mr. Okhuba – (Peace Building), Kennedy Febau (Peace Building Unit), Ebiere Ayamah (Vocational Training Unit), Jude Gbaboyor (Data/ICT), who was deployed to Warri, Delta State.
Others are: Highcoast Ombe (Post Training Unit), Samuel Sunday (Post Training Unit), Pere Ikuetemi (Legal Dept), Gabriel Ajama (Data Unit) And Agiri Emmanuel, the Head of Data who was moved to Agabagba in Ondo State.
Ndiomu, was said to have taken the action, attributing the leakage of information to the Niger Delta indigenes working in the office
The workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on it said that Ndiomu had authorized periodic seizure and search of the telephone of all members of staff of the office, with fear among the workers of the establishment that their telephones are bugged.
They stated further that while the Niger Delta indigenes were sent back to the ministries and others sent out of Abuja, over 80 persons have been employed in the Amnesty Office recently, most of them from Kogi.
The Head of Administration, Mrs Khairat Balogun is from Kogi State. Mrs Balogun, a staff of NTA was recently replaced with a new Head of Administration but she held back.
The new Head of Administration deployed from the office of the Head of Service, has been left without an office while the Human Resources component has been removed from the Admin Department and put under Mrs Balogun’s supervision.
The affected Amnesty staff were removed with the claim by Ndiomu that his mission was to shut down the programme.
Shortly before the end of the Buhari administration, the then National Security Adviser, Gen. Babagans Monguno (Rtd.) made moves to shut down the Programme which was resisted by the leaders and people of the Niger Delta.
When Ndiomu was appointed, he said he was at the PAP with a mandate to wind down the programme.
However, the situation and tension in the region made it impossible for him to abruptly bring the programme to en end.
There are serious concerns that the leadership style has adversely affected the Amnesty Office which has been relieved of some of its key roles in the region.
Ndiomu has since stopped fresh deployment of students for the scholarship programme which endeared government to many in the region.
Ndiomu also put an end to the training or empowerment programmes of delegates in the region and has been embarking on selective payment for existing contracts.
Investigations further revealed that the PAP under Ndiomu has entered into a contract with a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), to pay monthly charges higher than the salaries of the affected workers.
It was gathered that under the contractual arrangement, the firm NOVO Health Africa Limited, would be paid N250,000 per month.
The N250,000 per month is made mandatory for all members of staff even when the salaries of most staff is not up to N250,000.
The source alleged that: “The office has ventured into a contractual agreement with an HMO company, NOVO Health Africa Limited.
“Going by the terms of the agreement, PAP pays N250,000 per month for each worker. Curiously, the staff salary is not up to N250,000 and it was made mandatory for all staff.
“We suspect that the cost is inflated to serve as conduit for the diversion of funds.”
Ndiomu Moves Against Niger Delta Indigenes As Amnesty Office Employs Over 80 Persons from Outside the Region
National News
NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking

NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking
By: Michael Mike
The Director General, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hajiya Binta Bello has alerted of the increasing challenges in human trafficking where traffickers have continued to deceive victims with pseudo job opportunities and harvested their organs..
Addressing a press conference on activities lined up for this year’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, Bello said it should interest all that the fight against human trafficking has continued to take new dimensions with emerging trends daily.
She said this is coupled with a new destination and further exploitation of victims.
She lamented that some of the disturbing trends that are on the increase, include Fake Job Opportunities and Scholarships in some destination countries; Recruitment of Victims as Marketing Agents for some branded products with the intention to exploit them; Recruitment of unsuspecting youths for Online Scam (Yahoo-Yahoo) within Nigeria, Ghana and some West African Countries; Online Trafficking/Sextortion, revenge porn,– Nigeria and Ghana.
Others are Baby Factory; Organ Harvesting; Online Loan Scheme – This is a situation where the suspect uses social media handles to lure unsuspecting victims into accepting, but at the end of the day, compel them into prostitution in return for the loan.
She noted that even though the crime of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) continues to evolve, becoming more complex, transnational and interlinked with other forms of violence and exploitation, particularly affecting women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, NAPTIP has continued to perform maximally in line with its mandates.
Bello said: “The Agency has continued to carry out its activities in line with the 5Ps Strategies of Prevention, Partnership, Policy, Protection, and Prosecution. These have metamorphosed to massive awareness across the country to reduce the vulnerability of the citizens, increased collaboration and coordination, development of counter trafficking policies, rescue and rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking,and prosecution of offenders.”
She reiterated that: “Our resolve to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria is firm and unequivocal, and we shall continue to scale our strategies to outsmart the traffickers. It is our resolve to continue doubling our efforts to outsmart the tactics of the traffickers.
“In the coming months, it will be very challenging for human traffickers in the Country. We shall increase our coordination mechanism to empower all state and non–state actors to detect and report issues of human trafficking anywhere in the Country.
“In the same vein, we have built the capacity of our Cybercrime Squad and aligned it with the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC) under the Federal Ministry of Justice to effectively and swiftly respond and address the growing trends of online recruitment and exploitation.”
Bello said: “NAPTIP has also strengthened working relationship and collaboration with other sister Law Enforcement Agencies including the Intelligence Community to ensure adequate surveillance and interception of traffickers and victims of human trafficking. This is in addition to the reinforcement and stringent enforcement of the relevant counter trafficking legal instruments with neighbouring countries and partners to prevent human trafficking.”
She however insisted that: “Human trafficking is a visible threat to National Development. It is a crime that weakens the foundation and pillars of any nation, with women and youth as the main target. So, we must set aside any rivalry; we must join hands together and ensure the protection of Nigerians.”
On his part, the Country Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr. Cheikh Toure reaffirmed UNODC’s unwavering solidarity with
the Nigerian people in confronting the scourge of human trafficking.
He said: “This year’s theme “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime: End the Exploitation” demands we recognize a stark reality: trafficking is not incidental crime, but a calculated, transnational enterprise profiting from the vulnerability of our women, children, and men.”
He added that: “As custodian of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), UNODC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Government of Nigeria. We must dismantle criminal networks through coordinated, cross-border action, strengthening justice, protecting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable.
He insisted that: “Human trafficking violates every principle of human dignity, destabilizes societies, and undermines the rule of law. Let me be clear: UNODC will deepen its partnership with Nigeria working with government, civil society, and survivors to shatter criminal empires, uplift victims, and build a future where no Nigerian is bought or sold. The time for decisive action is now.”
NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking
National News
Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals

Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals
By: Michael Mike
The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Innocent Barikor has explained that the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR) has made it mandatory for producers to design products and packaging that can be recycled or reused in line with Circular Economy.
Barikor made the disclosure on Tuesday, while entertaining questions on NESREA Half Hour, an environmental programme by NESREA in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, that airs on the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM Abuja.
Represented by the Assistant Director Plastic, Engr. Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, Prof. Barikor described the Circular Economy as an economic system where products and packaging are designed to last, and their packaging at post-consumer stage or end-of-life are managed in a manner that such products can be recycled, reused, upgraded, repurposed or upcycled.
He said, “If you are producing anything, think of the end-of life of that product, it’s take-back, and what else it can be used for. Therefore, the responsibility of the producer is extended to the post-consumer stage or end-of-life.”
Barikor also stated that all producers are mandated to register with the relevant Producer Responsibility Organisation of their product’s sector, adding that here are Existing PROs in the country for the Food & Beverage , Battery, Electrical and Electronics and Tyre Sectors where the programme has already kicked off.
He said the agency was also partnering with a Fintech company to strengthen the implementation framework for the formalization of the downstream operators of the value chain and ensuring that waste pickers and collectors are properly trained and incentivized by the Producer Responsibility Organisations.
Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals
National News
Jonathan, Marwa, Onyema, 16 Others to Be Honoured at DICAN Conference

Jonathan, Marwa, Onyema, 16 Others to Be Honoured at DICAN Conference
By: Michael Mike
A convergence of Nigeria’s diplomatic community, security stakeholders, policy experts, and scholars is set to take place in Abuja on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, as the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) hosts the first-ever Diplomatic/Security International Conference, focusing on the intersection of diplomacy, national security, and Nigeria’s 4D Foreign Policy Strategy: Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora spearheaded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
This groundbreaking gathering, themed “Nigeria’s 4Ds Foreign Policy Strategy Amidst Global Security Challenges, Strategic Misperceptions, and the Age of Disinformation: The Role of Diplomacy, Intelligence, and Media in Shaping National and Global Stability.” is a timely response to the growing need for informed, cross-sectoral collaboration in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty and global interests.

It will bring together seasoned diplomats, representatives of foreign missions, security chiefs, media professionals, researchers, and civil society actors to dissect key issues shaping the nation’s international engagement and internal stability.
Chairman of DICAN, Idehai Frederick, described the conference as a bold intellectual platform aimed at bridging the gap between security policy, diplomatic action, and media accountability.
According to him, “Nigeria is undergoing a deep recalibration of its foreign policy doctrine under the 4D framework. We believe the media has a crucial role in amplifying these strategies, while experts and diplomats must align security and diplomacy with real-time global shifts. This conference offers that synergy.”
He said in recognition of outstanding contributions to diplomacy, peacebuilding, national cohesion, and security sector reforms, DICAN will present the prestigious DICAN Award of Excellence to 20 distinguished personalities and institutions who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s progress and international stature.
Among those to be honoured are:
Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, for his enduring efforts in peace diplomacy and conflict resolution across Africa;
Retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), for his trailblazing anti-narcotics reforms;
Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, for fostering regional connectivity, crisis evacuation, and supporting national diplomacy through aviation logistics;
The Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Nigeria, for its consistent diplomatic engagement and support for bilateral cooperation.
Others on the honour list include top security operatives, humanitarian actors, and institutions whose work has strengthened Nigeria’s international presence and internal security architecture.
The conference, will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and thought leadership sessions, with prominent speakers including: Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (Chief Host), The Minister of Defence, The Minister of Interior, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS,
The Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Nigeria, Mohamed Fouad,
As well as Nigeria’s Service Chiefs and select heads of foreign missions.
DICAN, as the umbrella body for journalists covering the diplomatic and foreign affairs beats in Nigeria, views this international conference not just as a media initiative, but as a national dialogue to reinforce Nigeria’s place in global diplomacy while confronting existential security challenges.
According to Idehai, “We are living in an era where diplomacy is not just about embassies and bilateral meetings. It is now an essential tool in combating transnational threats, shaping economic development, and projecting national interest. This conference creates that rare space for reflective, inclusive discourse.”
End
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