Police Probe Alleged Child Theft in Benue, Suspect Complainant Under Investigation

By: Zagazola Makama

The Benue State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the alleged disappearance of a two-month-old baby in Gboko Local Government Area of the state.

Police sources said the incident was reported at about 1400 hours on June 22 at the ‘A’ Division, Gboko, by Terna Mbaigbaade of Apine Village, Mbayion.

According to the report, the complainant alleged that while he was at the Gboko Main Market on June 20 at about 1200 hours with his infant son, Aondoyaven-ga Terna, an unidentified woman took the child and disappeared to an unknown destination.

Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer led a team of detectives to the scene and commenced investigations to establish the identity of the suspected woman and trace the missing child.

Police authorities said efforts to identify the suspect had so far proved unsuccessful, while search operations were ongoing to locate and rescue the infant.

However, investigators disclosed that the complainant was also being questioned as part of the ongoing inquiry, as preliminary findings suggested that the circumstances surrounding the report appeared suspicious.

The case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.

Police said efforts were continuing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure the safe recovery of the child.

Police Probe Alleged Child Theft in Benue, Suspect Complainant Under Investigation

Police Rescue Three Suspected Robbers from Mob, Recover Firearm in Lagos

By: Zagazola Makama

The Lagos State Police Command has rescued three suspected armed robbers from an attempted mob lynching and recovered a firearm allegedly used in robbery operations in the Sabo area of the state.

Police sources said the incident occurred on June 20 at about 2230 hours following information that three suspected robbers were about to be lynched by an angry mob.

Acting on the report, a team of police operatives was swiftly deployed to the scene, where the suspects were rescued and taken into custody.

The suspects were identified as Sulemon Azeez, 27, Yusuf Tijani, 22, and Timileyin Oyetola, 24, all said to be of no fixed address.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly robbed a resident, Ishola Oluwasegun, of his belongings and shot him multiple times in the thigh before they were apprehended by passers-by who overpowered them.

The victim was immediately rescued and evacuated to Lagos Island General Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment and responding positively.

Further investigation by police detectives led to the recovery of a locally made pistol loaded with three live cartridges from a house within the area.

Police said the weapon was allegedly used by the suspects to carry out the robbery and other criminal activities.

The command stated that investigations were ongoing to determine the full extent of the suspects’ involvement in criminal activities and to identify possible accomplices.

Police Rescue Three Suspected Robbers from Mob, Recover Firearm in Lagos

Global AIDS Fight at Crossroads as UN Warns Funding Cuts Threaten Goal of Ending Epidemic by 2030

By: Michael Mike

The global fight against HIV/AIDS stands at a defining moment as the United Nations warned that steep funding cuts and growing attacks on human rights could reverse decades of hard-won gains and derail the ambitious target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

As world leaders on Monday convened at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) delivered a stark message: the world is dangerously close to losing momentum in one of modern public health’s greatest success stories.

The meeting, which comes nine years after the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, is expected to produce a new Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS that will guide the global response over the next five years and represent the last major international commitment before the 2030 deadline.

UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, described the gathering as a pivotal opportunity to rescue and accelerate the global response.

“This Political Declaration is our chance to build on 25 years of commitment and point the way to 2030 to show that multilateralism can deliver,” she said. “We cannot fail because we know what we must do: sustain financing, protect the rights of people living with HIV, empower communities and ensure innovations reach everyone in need.”

The warning comes despite remarkable progress achieved over the past decade. According to new UNAIDS data released ahead of the meeting, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 56 per cent since 2010, while new HIV infections have fallen by 43 per cent globally. More than 32 million people living with HIV are now receiving life-saving treatment, a development that once seemed unattainable.

The global HIV response has often been cited as one of the most successful examples of international cooperation. Since the first UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2001, governments, civil society groups, scientists and development partners have mobilised unprecedented resources to combat a disease that claimed millions of lives and devastated communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

At its peak in the early 2000s, AIDS was among the leading causes of death worldwide, killing millions annually and leaving countless children orphaned. International initiatives, including the establishment of the Global Fund and the United States’ PEPFAR programme, transformed access to antiretroviral treatment and dramatically reduced mortality rates, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

However, the gains now appear increasingly fragile.

UNAIDS reported that nearly nine million people living with HIV remain without treatment, while global development assistance for health fell by 23 per cent in 2025, the sharpest decline ever recorded. The agency warned that funding reductions are already disrupting testing services, prevention programmes and access to essential commodities.

In some high-burden countries, HIV testing programmes declined by 22 per cent between 2024 and 2025, while funding for condom supplies has been slashed by more than 90 per cent.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, called on governments to demonstrate renewed solidarity.

“This meeting is a chance to demonstrate that, even in difficult times, the international community can rally once again around science, human dignity, solidarity and shared responsibility,” she said.

Health experts have expressed concern that treatment interruptions could trigger a resurgence of the epidemic, leading to increased infections and preventable deaths, particularly among vulnerable populations.

The situation is further complicated by growing criminalisation and discrimination against groups considered to be at higher risk of infection, including young women and girls, men who have sex with men, sex workers and people who inject drugs.

Keren Dunaway of the International Community of Women Living with HIV warned that many of the rights and protections that underpinned progress against AIDS are being eroded.

“These gains were not handed to us. They were won through decades of advocacy,” she said. “The future of the response will depend on the choices we make in this room.”

Despite the challenges, UNAIDS says opportunities still exist to finish the fight. Domestic financing for HIV programmes has grown substantially, accounting for more than half of all HIV funding globally, while scientific breakthroughs, including long-acting HIV prevention medicines, are opening new possibilities for controlling and ultimately ending the epidemic.

AIDS advocate Sandra Thurman urged world leaders not to abandon the mission at the final stretch.

“The world has come too far. The stakes are too high. And the opportunity is too great. Now is not the time to quit. It is time to finish the job,” she said.

For Africa, which remains home to the largest population of people living with HIV, the decisions reached at the New York meeting could prove decisive. Public health experts warn that failure to sustain investments and political commitment could reverse decades of progress and undermine global efforts to achieve one of the most ambitious public health goals in modern history—the end of AIDS by 2030.

Global AIDS Fight at Crossroads as UN Warns Funding Cuts Threaten Goal of Ending Epidemic by 2030