News
Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
By: Michael Mike
Scavengers activities have been restricted in and around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to dumpsites as they have been warned against moving around either during the day or at night in the city.
The present ban followed the criminal activities of some scavengers popularly known as ‘baba nbolas’ in the area.
They have been alleged to be involved in carting away critical infrastructure especially manholes from the expressways in the city.

Parading 36 scavengers who were arrested with dangerous weapons and vandalized items, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Dr Olusola Odumosu, said scavengers who roam the streets of FCT, indiscriminately, perpetrate all forms of criminal activities under the guise of scavenging.
According to him, the move by the FCT Administration was necessitated by the need to nip vandalism of public infrastructure such as manhole covers, streetlights, solar panels, armoured cables, and so on, in the bud.
Items recovered from the 36 suspects include four daggers, three jack knives, two chisels, three knives, two pinches and 10 bottles of codeine syrup.

Others are 45 wraps of indian hemps, thrash bags, pieces of iron rods and narcotic drugs.
The scavengers, he explained, go about the nooks and crannies of the city and satellite towns; house-to-house, estate-to-estate, scavenging for plastics, scrap metals and irons.
He said: “But from previous arrests, interrogations and investigations, we have realised that their real business is to vandalise and remove our road infrastructure such as: manhole covers, flood drain covers, streetlights, armoured cables, rail sleepers, iron rods for bridge enforcement and the likes, which would fetch them good money.
“The public also needs to know that some ‘Baba Nbolas’ now disguise to rob innocent commuters and bystanders as they go about with dangerous weapons to attack and disposes them of their personal belongings especially at night. Our record shows that many who dared to challenge them in the past had met their untimely deaths while others are maimed in various parts of the Federal Capital Territory” he said.
Many residents of the FCT and environs, Odumosu noted, have experienced sudden disappearances of many of their household items like generators, cooking pots, stoves, pressing iron, air conditioners, compressors, car batteries, security light panels, iron drain covers and so on.
“Scavengers are major suspects to most of such disappearances and they carry out these activities whenever they notice that there is no one in sight, but not without wielding dangerous weapons in case they are busted by the house owners.
“The most vital is that many of them work as informants for armed robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins, terrorists, bandits a#nd all sorts of criminal gangs. Many families have fallen victims of kidnapping, abduction for ransom, murder, assassination and the likes because they give information about your family, the number of children you have, the types of cars you drive, where you work and by extension, keeping tabs on your movement.
“They (baba nbola) also assess and profile you through the kind of household waste products you dispose which, in most cases, reveal your status and lifestyles.
Unfortunately, and in most cases, many of us perceive these miscreants and criminals as ordinary innocent, poor Nigerians, hustling for their daily bread so they move about unchecked and unquestioned by anyone, some of us even sympathise with them, by extending alms to them, whereas, they are responsible for the various crimes happening around you.
“Owing to these revelation and credible intelligence at our disposal, it is therefore imperative that citizens and residents join hands with the corps and other security agencies to flush out these dangerous elements in the FCT by chasing scavengers away whenever you see them in front of your houses, your streets, neighbourhood or estates.
“The public should note that, although, they appear innocent, armless and vulnerable, most of them are extremely dangerous, their activities are criminal in nature and they constitute threats not only to the safety and security of lives, property and infrastructure in the FCT but to Nigeria’s national security architecture as a whole” he noted.
The commandant used the occasion to advise FCT residents to dispose their refuse properly and stop patronising the Baba Nbolas for the sake of their own safety and that of their family members.
Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
Crime
Vigilante in Yobe gunned down Fulani herder over alleged destruction of farmland
Vigilante in Yobe gunned down Fulani herder over alleged destruction of farmland
By: Zagazola Makama
A Fulani herder has been shot dead and a vigilante injured following a confrontation between herders and security operatives in Jakusko Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that at about 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, a group of Fulani herdsmen were allegedly destroying farmlands in Lafiya, Saban, Garin, Sara, Jaba and Muguram villages.
According to him, a joint patrol team comprising the police, Joint Task Force (JTF) and vigilantes was immediately deployed to the affected areas.
“Upon arrival at the scene, one of the herders attacked a vigilante, Saidu Yau of Lafiya village, with a machete, inflicting a deep cut on his left thigh.
“The same herder also attempted to attack a soldier, Private Adamu Ismail, attached to the JTF. The soldier, in self-defence, fired at the attacker, leading to his death,” said the sources.
The sources said that both the injured vigilante and the herder were rushed to the General Hospital, Jakusko, for medical attention.
“The herder was confirmed dead by a medical doctor, while the injured vigilante is responding to treatment,” the sources added.
Police sources said the remains of the deceased herder had been released to the Sarkin Fulani, Hon. Hassan Lamido Manu, pending the arrival of the family.
He said investigation into the incident was ongoing to ascertain the circumstances and prevent further clashes.
Vigilante in Yobe gunned down Fulani herder over alleged destruction of farmland
News
PEBEC Commends FRSC on Nationwide Clearance of Driver’s Licence Backlog
PEBEC Commends FRSC on Nationwide Clearance of Driver’s Licence Backlog
By: Michael Mike
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has commended the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for the improvement in the issuance of driver’s licences nationwide and clearance of the backlog.
A statement on Wednesday by Director General, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu acknowledges the prompt and comprehensive actions taken by the FRSC in response to service delivery concerns regarding delays in the production of driver’s licences nationwide.
The statement read: “Following PEBEC’s formal communication on November 7, 2025, the FRSC initiated a full internal review and identified the delays within the national driver’s licence production system. PEBEC commends the Corps for swiftly restoring system functionality and implementing enhanced monitoring mechanisms to prevent future disruptions.
“The Council welcomes FRSC’s successful clearance of accumulated backlogs and its increase in daily production capacity to 15,000 licences, an important milestone in improving service efficiency. Of particular significance is the FRSC’s introduction of the Contactless Biometric Capture System, a forward-looking innovation that aims to deliver permanent driver’s licences within 48 hours, effectively eliminating the need for temporary licences. This aligns strongly with PEBEC’s mandate to drive regulatory efficiency, enhance transparency, and improve citizen experience in public service delivery.”
“PEBEC encourages all applicants whose licences have been produced to visit FRSC centres nationwide and pick up their permanent driver’s licences, in line with the nationwide sensitization campaign by FRSC for the collection of over 294,000 unclaimed licences. This will help decongest service centres, improve turnaround times, and support the Corps’ ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency,” the statement added.
“The Council reiterates its commitment to collaborating with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure seamless, responsive, and business-friendly service delivery across Nigeria,” the statement further stated.
PEBEC Commends FRSC on Nationwide Clearance of Driver’s Licence Backlog
News
IPOB staged video in attempts to frame herders, incite genocide narrative
IPOB staged video in attempts to frame herders, incite genocide narrative
By: Zagazola Makama
A controversial video circulating on social media has triggered outrage over a “staged attempt to weaponise disinformation, incite ethnic tension and portraying peaceful herder communities as Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria’s South East
The video, which purportedly shows “Boko Haram with arms” issuing threats in Hausa, has been dismissed by multiple security sources, community leaders and conflict monitors as inauthentic and deliberately crafted to mislead the public and international community.
The individuals in the clip neither speak with the accent typical of Boko Haram or ISWAP fighters, nor display the mode of presentation associated with jihadist groups in the North East.
Instead, the attackers’ heavily disguised faces, awkward staging, and inconsistent speech patterns strongly suggest that the recording may have been produced by elements of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), allegedly attempting to portray themselves as Fulani or northern extremists.
The objective of such fabrications is twofold: to demonise peaceful pastoralist communities in the South East, and to build false evidence for international audiences by claiming that “genocide” is being committed against Igbo people by Muslim groups despite a lack of credible evidence supporting such claims.
A senior security analyst who has monitored separatist activities in the region described the video as “another poorly staged propaganda material designed to mislead Nigerians and deepen ethnic suspicion.”
According to him, Boko Haram and ISWAP cells have never produced videos with their faces tightly covered in the manner seen in the clip, nor do they speak with the accent heard.
“The mannerisms, language delivery and the entire setup clearly do not align with Boko Haram or ISWAP’s media signatures,” he said. “These are not Fulani herders, nor northern extremists Boko Haram. This was engineered for propaganda purposes.”
Sources in the South East also note that violent attacks in the region over recent years burning of police stations, targeted killings, extortion, enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders have largely been carried out by IPOB’s armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). Yet some of these incidents have been blamed on Fulani communities to sustain a dangerous narrative of ethnic persecution.
Such deceptive tactics risk escalating tensions between ethnic groups and misleading international observers into misunderstanding Nigeria’s complex security landscape.
“This is how dangerous precedents are set,” a northern pastoralist leader said. “We have suffered enough from false accusations. Videos like this are used to justify hatred, violence and calls for international intervention based on propaganda.”
Misinformation especially videos staged to impersonate other groups has become a growing tactic among violent non-state actors seeking sympathy, legitimacy or international attention.
As investigations continue, authorities urge the public to verify information before sharing, noting that propaganda remains one of the most potent weapons used by extremist groups to inflame divisions.
IPOB staged video in attempts to frame herders, incite genocide narrative
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