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UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall on Saturday led some prominent women activists in a march on major streets of Nigerian capital city of Abuja to demand for the end of violence against women.
The march was part of activities marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) celebrated worldwide.
During the march which was organized in Abuja by the UN Women in conjunction with Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), Medicaid Cancer Foundation, the UN Resident Coordinator alongside the women carried placards demanding for an end to violence against women and spoke against what they termed crime not only against women but humanity.
Addressing the media after the long walk, Mr. Fall said there was urgent need for an end in violence against women, girls and boys, insisting that everyone needs to be involved in the campaign as it affects the entire human race.
He lamented that the statistics of violence against women is still very much alarming and showed that it needed to be approached with all round strategies that would make people to know its harm and get offenders no hiding place.
Fall said there is still much told be done by government, law enforcement agencies and leaders in all sectors to build awareness against violence against women and to expose it for what it is: crime against humanity.
Speaking on the need to put an end to the crime, the former First Lady of Kebbi State and Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr Zainab Bagudu said with the law against violence against women in place, there is still need to fight on until the society shows it does not tolerate violence against women.
She said after the law, “then the next step becomes the implementation and general awareness, the mindset of the average, person from our environment, is that they don’t even understand what constitutes abuse. So we need to educate them, to make them aware, and most importantly, to combine the facilities that they need if abuse should take place, we focus on women and young adolescent girls, but boys are also victims of abuse, and they can turn out to be perpetrators once they have been abused.”
She said “there is continuous need
to organize educational classes in schools and different places, so that we can educate our boys and they can prompt be supportive.”
She noted that there is need for much more efforts at ending the violence against women, insisting that: “Well, it’s (campaign) never enough. We’re a very large country. The population is high, so we know the challenges that we have and different conflicting priorities. So it’s important that we don’t get tired, and one of the advocacies that we do, to call on government to provide more resources, and donor partners, to help us. The task can be quite big, and the police can sometimes not be as responsive as we would like them to be, due to other reasons, but we hope that they will be more acute to the trauma that this causes to women, children and some men when it happens, and that’s why we keep on advocating so it’s not enough. We need to have more. We need to have more action. We need to have more understanding. There are also programmes that focus on educating our security forces so that they really understand how they should be reacting. Every police station should have a desk against gender based violence and women should have the confidence, or abused victims should have the confidence to approach these desks, make their point without fear of stigmatization.”
On her part, the Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, said the campaign was on in all parts of the Federal Capital Territory to drive the message to the grassroots.
She noted that: “We need to keep aggregating and scaling like what is happening today. We need to have more of this advocacy. We need to have more of the intentionality of collaborations between governments and private, public individuals, people who are able to invest and engage not just the interest, but in terms of the action and bringing interventions from messaging to the place of invested empowerment, of the mindsets of cultural traditional practices.”
Project Manager of WARIF, Adeola Potts-Johnson, on her part, said the campaign has been a success so far for it has grown from just being held in a city to many important cities of Nigeria and prominent cities across the globe.
She said WARIF would continue to push the bar until violence against women becomes history.
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
News
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
By: Michael Mike
In a sweeping show of reform across Nigeria’s internal security architecture, the Federal Government has promoted more than 70,000 paramilitary officers within three years and launched a technology-driven Integrated Operating Centre to track immigration violators in real time.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the twin developments in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 Sectoral Performance Retreat for agencies under the Ministry of Interior. The retreat, held at the Nigeria Army Conference Centre, was themed “Accountable Leadership, Measurable Impacts: Reviewing Results, Renewing Commitments.”
Tunji-Ojo described the mass promotion exercise as unprecedented, saying it reflects the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to improve morale and restore professionalism across the paramilitary services.
“Only yesterday, I approved the 2026 promotion of personnel across all agencies under the Ministry. By April and May, the implementation will commence,” the minister said, urging officers to reciprocate government’s support with discipline, patriotism and improved service delivery.
In what observers see as a major shift toward data-driven border management, Tunji-Ojo disclosed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has inaugurated an Integrated Operating Centre (IOC) equipped with sophisticated surveillance and data harmonisation tools.
According to him, the centre provides real-time intelligence on foreigners who have overstayed their visas, with historical data covering up to a decade.
“With the kind of sophisticated gadgets and equipment now in place, the Immigration Service has become a strong internal security enabler. The Service will go after those who have overstayed. It is no longer business as usual,” he declared.
The minister said the deployment of advanced analytics and harmonised databases has placed persons of interest squarely on government radar, reinforcing efforts to secure Nigeria’s borders and sanitise its migration system.
As part of ongoing reforms, he revealed that seven new Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) have been established to strengthen border surveillance and migration management nationwide. He commended the Comptroller-General of the NIS, Kemi Nanna Nandap, for what he described as visionary leadership in modernising the Service.
The minister also applauded the efforts of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Federal Fire Service (FFS), but warned that commendation must not breed complacency.
He tasked the NSCDC with intensifying protection of critical national infrastructure, including oil pipelines, solid mineral sites, schools and hospitals, stressing that the corps “cannot be run like a volunteer service.” He urged its Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, to submit a clear operational roadmap following his reappointment.
On correctional reforms, Tunji-Ojo insisted that efforts must go beyond custodial management to ensure rehabilitation and reintegration, warning that repeat offending signals systemic failure.
“If offenders complete their sentences and return to crime, then we have not succeeded,” he said.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, described the retreat as a critical platform for reviewing stewardship and aligning performance with national priorities. She said the Ministry carries enormous responsibility in border management, citizenship administration and internal security, all of which directly affect the daily lives of Nigerians.
Ajani stressed the need to align operations with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, encouraging openness to constructive criticism and innovative thinking.
She expressed confidence that the retreat would produce a concrete roadmap to guide the Ministry’s agencies in delivering measurable results in the year ahead.
The dual announcement of mass promotions and high-tech border surveillance signals a government intent on pairing welfare reforms with operational efficiency — a strategy officials say is essential to strengthening Nigeria’s security framework in an era of complex internal and cross-border threats.
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 17 Brigade, Operation FANSAN YANMA of the Nigerian Army, on March 4, 2026, successfully engaged terrorists during clearance operations at notorious hideouts in Barkishi Maiha Gumma, Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that In the ensuing gun battle, the troops overpowered the terrorists, neutralising two insurgents and recovering one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, four rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle, a matchete, a Tecno phone, and two extra phone batteries.
There were no casualties among the troops.
The sources said that the General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander, Sector 2 Joint Task Force (North West), Maj. Gen. Paul Koughna, commended the troops for their bravery and urged continued operations to completely eliminate terrorist threats in the region.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
By: Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reaffirmed that its substantive drug trafficking case against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, remains firmly on track, clarifying that recent court proceedings discharging him on a separate matter do not affect the ongoing trial.
The agency said the core drug case is scheduled to continue before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, March 16, 2026.
NDLEA’s clarification follows the decision of Justice James Omotosho, who discharged Kyari in a 23-count charge relating to alleged money laundering and non-declaration of assets. The anti-narcotics agency stressed that the ruling pertains to a different case and should not be confused with the main drug prosecution.
Reacting to inquiries on whether the agency would challenge the ruling, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, explained that the prosecution team has been directed to obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment before determining the next legal step.
He emphasized that the matter decided by Justice Omotosho is distinct from the substantive drug charges pending before Justice Nwite, noting that the latter remains active and unaffected.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Thursday, said: “First, I need to clarify that the ruling by Justice Omotosho is completely different from the main and substantive drug case which continues before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, March 16, 2026. That one is very much on course.”
He added that the prosecution team would review the detailed judgment upon receipt of the CTC to guide the agency’s management in deciding whether an appeal is warranted.
The development underscores the complex legal battles facing the suspended senior police officer, as the NDLEA maintains its resolve to pursue the substantive drug allegations to their conclusion in court.
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
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