Police arrest INEC officials, recover election materials in Taraba by-election

By: Zagazola Makama

The Police Command in Taraba has arrested some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and recovered election materials allegedly diverted during the by-election for Karim Lamido I Constituency of the State House of Assembly.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that on Sunday that the arrests followed credible intelligence provided by party agents.

The sources said the incident occurred on Aug. 16 at about 2:20 p.m. when a team of policemen intercepted the suspects at a private residence in Angwan Sarkin Panya village.

Those arrested included Gideon Amos, 49, an Assistant Presiding Officer II assigned to Polling Unit 16, Angwan Yusuf Dogo, Bikwin Ward, and two others identified as Matthew Jayi, 47, and Tiasama Mathias Musa, 32.

The suspects allegedly diverted materials meant for three polling units PU 005 Gandara, PU 016 Angwan Yusuf Dogo, and PU 029 Angwan Sarkin Primary School — to the residence.

Items recovered from them included three ballot boxes, two BIVAS machines, 19 booklets and 20 pieces of ballot papers, two stamp pads with ink, one marker, and two result sheets.

The sources also disclosed that in the process of resisting the diversion, a police officer on election duty, PC Christian Garba, had his uniform forcibly removed by hoodlums who fled with it.

The sources added that voting had ended in most polling units and collation of results was in progress while investigations into the incident were ongoing.
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Police intercept 107 suspected thugs, recover arms during Kano re-run elections

By: Zagazola Makama

The Kano State Police Command says it has intercepted 107 suspected political thugs and recovered arms and dangerous weapons during the ongoing re-run and by-elections in the state.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation, conducted on Aug. 16 at about 11:00 a.m., followed credible intelligence and was carried out jointly with the military, DSS and other security services.

It was gathered that 20 vehicles conveying the suspected thugs, believed to have been imported from neighbouring states, were intercepted across the affected local government areas.

Items recovered from the suspects included four locally fabricated rifles, axes, cutlasses, daggers, swords, and sticks.

Security sources said the elections in the affected areas were marred by violence, thuggery, stuffing of thumb-printed ballot papers, threats, and intimidation of voters, as well as alleged inducement of electorates by government officials.

The sources added that operations were still ongoing to restore peace and ensure the credibility of the electoral process.

Police intercept 107 suspected thugs, recover arms during Kano re-run elections

Denmark, UNODC Partner Bayelsa State Government to Launch Youth Empowerment Programme

By: Michael Mike

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Bayelsa State Government and with support from the Government of Denmark has launched the Youth Peace Champions programme in Bayelsa State.

The programme, which marks a significant stride in empowering young Nigerians as drivers of sustainable peace, is a strategic expansion that brings a proven, youth-led peacebuilding model, celebrated for its impact in North-East Nigeria, and now extended to the Niger Delta region for the first time.

Rooted in the conviction that sustainable peace must be people-led and youth-powered, the Youth Peace Champions initiative is a grassroots movement. It equips young people with essential tools, specialized training, mentorship, and influential platforms to become effective peacebuilders and positive changemakers within their own communities.

The programme now launched in Bayelsa, which is implemented under the project “Strengthening the Niger Delta Peace Architecture using Community-based Crime and Violence Prevention Strategies” (funded by Denmark), directly aligns with the state’s pioneering youth policy. It stands as a potential blueprint for youth-led transformation across Nigeria: Investing in Youth, Building Resilient Communities.

Building on documented successes in the North-East, where 32 Youth Peace Champions reached over 9 million people with campaigns like #SeeTheChild, UNODC is adapting its methodology to Bayelsa’s unique context. A diverse cohort of 25 young leaders has been meticulously selected from five communities: Otuan, Ekeremor, Ikebiri 1, Ekowe, and Ayamasa. This group, representing both formal and informal sectors, includes 13 females (one with a disability) and 12 males.

These champions will undergo intensive training in peacebuilding, crime and drug use prevention, future-forward skills, creative communication, and emerging trends. Crucially, they will be mentored by established leaders across various sectors who share UNODC’s core belief: peace must be youth-led and locally driven. Beyond advocacy, they will serve as visible community role models, fostering social cohesion, driving positive change, and promoting self-reliance through inclusive, sustainable, community-owned actions.

The programme was inaugurated during the International Youth Day commemoration jointly hosted by UNODC and the Bayelsa State Government in Yenagoa.

UNODC Country Representative for Nigeria, Mr. Cheikh Toure, stated at the launch, that: “The theme for this year’s International Youth Day, ‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,’ underscores the perfect timing of this inauguration. We are equipping these young people not merely with skills but with a powerful platform to amplify their voices, propose solutions, and stand as beacons of hope for their peers. This is not charity. It is not tokenism. It is a vital investment in leadership, in resilient communities, and in the peaceful, prosperous Nigeria we collectively envision. The Bayelsa Youth Peace Champions now join a growing national movement, spanning geopolitical zones and cultures, united by a common purpose: to reclaim peace and rebuild futures.”

On his part, the Commissioner for Youth, Bayelsa State, Hon Alfred Kemepado emphasized: “On this International Youth Day, we stand united with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to ignite a movement, one that empowers our young people to become torchbearers of peace and leadership. The inauguration of the Youth Peace Champions is more than a program; it is a call to action. It is a bold statement that the voices, courage, and vision of our youth will shape the destiny of Bayelsa, of Nigeria, and of the world. Together, we are raising a generation that will not only dream of peace but will defend it, live it, and lead it.”

According to a statement: This initiative directly supports the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security, emphasizing the critical need for inclusive, localized approaches in fragile contexts.
With rising interest from other Nigerian states, UNODC extends an invitation to strategic partners. Supporting the scaling of this transformative, evidence-based model offers an opportunity to promote peace, prevent crime, foster youth livelihoods, and create a powerful ripple effect of hope across Nigeria, Champion by Champion.

Denmark, UNODC Partner Bayelsa State Government to Launch Youth Empowerment Programme