Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation UDO KA (OPUK) have rescued 14 persons kidnapped by bandits during a clearance operation at Orokam Forest, bordering Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State and Ogbadigbo in Benue.
A credible military source told journalists on Saturday that the victims were abducted while returning from a burial over the weekend.
He said the victims were freed on Friday after troops and a vigilance group’s personnel stormed the hideout, acting on credible intelligence.
The source revealed that the kidnappers opened fire as the team approached, but were overpowered by the superior firepower of the troops, forcing them to flee and abandon their captives.
He said preliminary findings showed that the victims were taken from two communities, Ezimo Agu in Udenu LGA of Enugu State and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA of Benue, and were held in different locations within the thick forest.
According to him, the rescued victims have been handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Udenu Division, for profiling and reunification with their families.
The source said the troops had intensified patrols in the general area to deny criminals freedom of action.
He reiterated the Nigerian army’s unwavering commitment to sustain the tempo of operations across the country to continue safeguarding citizens.
A U.S. court has sentenced Oluwaseun ‘Sanatana’ Adekoya to 20 years in prison for stealing and laundering $2million in bank and wire fraud.
Described as “Nigerian ringleader of nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies,” U.S. Department of Justice in a statement, said Mr Adekoya led fraud syndicate that stole and laundered over $2 million by impersonating people across the country.
The 40 years old “serial scammer” earlier this year was found “guilty of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft after a three-week trial.”
Mr Adekoya, who led a massive criminal network, according to Department of Justice, was sentenced on Tuesday by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli.
Though Mr Adekoya previously obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States of America in 2004, he would be deported after serving his jail sentence.
His sentence also included serving five years of supervised release and paying restitution of over $2.2 million and a mandatory special assessment of $1,100.
According to Departme of Justice, proof at trial established that from the comfort of his luxury apartment in New Jersey, Mr Adekoya obtained publicly available information regarding people’s home equity lines of credit (“HELOCs”) at localized credit unions throughout the United States of America, shifting his focus over time to different parts of the country to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
Described as a notorious “career fraudster,” the Department of Justice said, “Adekoya then utilized encrypted messaging platforms, like Telegram, to obtain Social Security numbers, account numbers, mother’s maiden names, and other personal identifying information (“PII”) for individuals he had identified as having substantial amounts of equity available in their HELOCs.
It added, “Adekoya then gave this information to a vast web of managers he recruited from all over the country, along with fake driver’s licenses for lower-level workers to use to impersonate the HELOC customers and conduct withdrawal transactions on their accounts. To insulate himself from detection, Adekoya utilized a web of “burner” phones and encrypted messaging applications and laundered his substantial share of the proceeds through bank accounts in other people’s names.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone said, “For nearly two decades, Oluwaseun Adekoya abused the privilege of lawful permanent resident status to steal the identities of innocent Americans so he could live lavishly in our country, without an ounce of remorse.
He added, “Now he gets to spend two decades in prison, and he deserves every last day of his sentence. I look forward to his subsequent removal from the United States.”
In furtherance of its commitment to strengthening productive relationships with key institutional stakeholders across Ogun State, the National Association of University Students (NAUS), Ogun State Campus Monitoring Committee (CMC), under the distinguished leadership of its Chairman, Comr. Adeyemi Boluwatife Opeyemi (BOLEXIS), on Friday, 5th December 2025, paid an official courtesy visit to the Office of the Chief Medical Director of Oba Ademola Maternity Hospital, Abeokuta, Dr. Olugbenga Taiwo.
During the visit, the Chairman, Comr. Adeyemi Boluwatife Opeyemi (BOLEXIS), conveyed heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Taiwo for his unwavering support, administrative guidance, and fatherly role toward the student community. He further applauded his invaluable contributions to the success of the NAUS Leadership and Mentorship Summit 2025, held last month at Tai Solarin University of Education, an event that made significant impact across several campuses in Ogun State.
As a recognition of his outstanding leadership, commitment to educational development, and consistent advocacy for student-centered initiatives, NAUS OGUN CMC proudly presented an Award of Honour to Dr. Olugbenga Taiwo. The award stands as a symbol of the Association’s gratitude for his dedication to fostering a progressive and supportive educational environment for students across the state.
In his remarks, Dr. Taiwo expressed deep appreciation to the NAUS leadership for the honour bestowed upon him. He shared insightful reflections on leadership, public service, sacrifice, and responsibility. He also revealed with pride that he was once an active student comrade during his days at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, which shaped his passion for youth development and service.
Furthermore, he charged the student leaders to remain focused, disciplined, and visionary as they advance in the leadership journey, emphasizing that true leadership is a lifelong path defined by service, integrity, and resilience.
The visit concluded on a cordial and inspiring note, with renewed assurances of continued collaboration between his office and NAUS OGUN CMC in advancing quality education, student welfare, and transformational leadership across Ogun State.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has fixed December 8 for hearing in a motion ex parte filed by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the date on Thursday after he declined to give audience to Mr Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel, who announced his appearance for the IPOB leader despite not being a lawyer.
Mr Kanu, in the ex parte motion personally signed by him, sought an order that, in view of the impossibility of the applicant (Kanu) being present in court or chambers to personally move the motion, “this motion shall be deemed moved in absentia and in terms of the motion.”
He also sought an order compelling the federal government and/or the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) “to forthwith transfer him from the Sokoto Correctional Facility to a custodial facility within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.”
Alternately, Mr Kanu sought an order transferring him to the court’s “immediate environs, such as the Suleja or the Keffi Custodial Centre, for the purpose of enabling the applicant to effectively prosecute his constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal.”
Mr Kanu, who was convicted for terrorism offences on November 20, is presently serving the life imprisonment at the Sokoto State Correctional Centre.
The convict, who sacked his team of lawyers prior to the judgement, opted to defend himself.
When the case was called on Thursday, Mr Omotosho asked for the appearance of a lawyer.
But Mr Kanu’s younger brother, Mr Emmanuel, who is not a lawyer, then announced an appearance for the IPOB leader.
The judge then told Mr Emmanuel that such an application cannot be moved by him.
He said,“This ex parte motion cannot be moved on the convict’s behalf because you are not a legal practitioner.”
The judge, who said only a legal practitioner could move the motion, advised Mr Emmanuel to either engage a lawyer or approach the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for legal representation since the law allows it.
“When I said representation, it is not his (Kanu’s) father, brother, sister or relations I meant. I mean his counsel. I am not going to the merit of this application now in the interest of justice.
“But you cannot represent a human being when you are not a lawyer, you can only represent a corporate body. Therefore, you cannot move the application because you are not a solicitor or advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“For you to be qualified as a lawyer, it will take you another six years or thereabouts. So get a counsel to move the application,” the judge said.
When Mr Emmanuel asked for the next adjourned date, Mr Omotosho said though there were cases on the court docket on Monday, Mr Kanu would be accommodated.
“Thank you, sir,” Mr Emmanuel responded.
The judge, therefore, cautioned against misleading the public on how Mr Kanu could compile his record of appeal.
Mr Omotosho said contrary to a remark by Aloy Ejimakor, one of Mr Kanu’s lawyers who was later engaged as a consultant, the convict need not be in court for his record to be compiled.
“Let me advise generally so that you don’t delay the process. The issue of appeal – I must not pretend that I am not part of society.
“Mr Ejimakor granted an interview, talking about the deprivation of the defendant (Kanu) to compile his record. That is an erroneous opinion.
“The defendant may not be in court to compile record. His attendance is not required, though the appearance of his representative may be required. The rights of a defendant is different from the rights of a
The National Association of University Students (NAUS), Ogun State Campus Monitoring Committee (CMC), under the leadership of the Chairman, Comr. Adeyemi Boluwatife Opeyemi (BOLEXIS), extends heartfelt congratulations to the newly inaugurated executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State Joint Campus Committee (JCC), ably led by Comr. Gabriel Francis Abiola (SOLUTION).
The inauguration, held on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, at the Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, Ilese, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the entire student community in Ogun State. This emergence of vibrant, dedicated, and gallant leaders signifies renewed hope and strengthened representation for all students across the state.
The Chairman of NAUS Ogun CMC, Comr. Adeyemi Boluwatife Opeyemi (BOLEXIS), calls on all student leaders across universities, polytechnics, and colleges in Ogun State to give their full support to the newly inaugurated NANS executives. This is a clarion call to serve humanity, uphold unity, and advance the collective interests of Nigerian students.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has agreed to accept the Federal Government’s revised offer of a 40 per cent salary increase for its members, effectively ending months of deadlock in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.
Sources familiar with the talks disclosed that during the final negotiation session held in Abuja on November 24–25, 2025, the government committee chaired by former Head of Service Alhaji Yayale Ahmed informed ASUU leaders that 40 per cent represented the highest increment the administration could accommodate. The union had earlier rejected a 35 per cent proposal.
Although the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) has endorsed the new offer, zonal and branch leaders are required to brief members before the union formally communicates its acceptance to the government and proceeds to sign the renegotiated agreement.
A progress report signed by ASUU President Professor Chris Piwuna and seen by journalists in Abuja outlines wide-ranging agreements reached across seven key areas: university funding, autonomy and governance, conditions of service, salary structure, earned academic allowances, implementation mechanisms, and administrative reforms.
Key Highlights of the Agreement
University Autonomy and Governance: Full autonomy reaffirmed; vice-chancellors to be appointed strictly on merit without preference for host-community indigenes; governing council membership to comply with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act; heads of department, deans, and provosts to be elected internally.
Funding and Budgeting: Adoption of a needs-based budgeting model; commitment to protect university lands; exploration of new innovative revenue sources, including taxes, to ensure sustainable funding; strengthening of research funding through the National Research Council and private-sector partnerships.
Academic Staff Structure: Abolition of the controversial pyramidal promotion system; future promotions to be based on research output and performance rather than vacancy availability.
Import Incentives: Duty-free importation approved for books, laboratory equipment, journals, teaching aids, and sustainable energy materials.
Earned Academic Allowances: Universities to receive annual funding equivalent to 12 per cent of their academic staff wage bill for the payment of earned allowances.
Salary Review Mechanism: Automatic upward adjustment of university lecturers’ salaries whenever public-sector wages are reviewed; comprehensive review of the entire agreement every three years.
Implementation Framework: Establishment of a monitoring unit within the National Universities Commission (NUC), a joint implementation committee, and amendment of relevant laws where necessary.
The agreement also includes a non-victimisation clause protecting all parties involved in the negotiations.
The development comes days after ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government expired on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The union had threatened an indefinite nationwide strike over alleged government inaction on the 2009 agreement, outstanding earned academic allowances, withheld salaries, and the delayed release of the university revitalisation fund.
Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, has repeatedly stated that the Federal Government has substantially met ASUU’s demands.
With the NEC’s acceptance of the 40 per cent salary offer and the resolution of most outstanding issues, the threat of an immediate strike by university lecturers has been averted, pending formal ratification by ASUU branches and the signing of the new agreement.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said it received €3 million as the first tranche of the $40 million loan secured from the French Development Agency to support Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) projects.
The Executive Secretary, NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, who disclosed this during the inaugural meeting of the 13th NUC Board on Wednesday in Abuja, said the projects are in 10 selected universities across the country.
Mr Ribadu noted that since assuming office about a year ago, the commission had pushed forward several initiatives centred on research, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and skills development across Nigerian universities.
“We have secured a $40 million loan from the French Development Agency for the ICT Blueprint Project in 10 selected universities. The first tranche of €3 million has been deposited in our CBN account to kick-start the process.
“We have strengthened internal financial management, expanded access to university education through the licensing of new private universities, and approved new programmes and units.
“We have also supported the take-off of publicly funded universities, expanded open and distance learning centres, and continued system-wide quality assurance exercises,” he said.
He added that currently, the 2025 accreditation exercise is ongoing.
Hee said this continued to form the foundation of the commission’s direction while seeking for the board’s support in advancing them.
Mr Ribadu assured the board of the commission’s full cooperation, saying the management stood ready to draw from the members’ expertise.
“We will rely on your wisdom to guide us as we carry out our duties. I am confident that your collective experience will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to guide the Nigerian university system at a time when higher education continues to evolve,” he said.
On his part, the chairman of the 13th NUC Board, Oluremi Aina, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his sustained support for the university sector.
Mr Aina said the board was assuming its mandate at a time of transition for higher education, with global standards rising and expectations increasing.
He outlined five central pillars that would guide the board’s work, covering performance evaluation, improved university rankings, digital literacy, research and institutional reforms.
Mr Aina added that the board would fully leverage technology in its operations.
“We will seek to leverage technology to ease our burden through adoption of digital platforms for the advancement of our collective objectives.
“I have a charge for the board. This board, in whom I am well-pleased, carries with it the weight of expectations and aspirations of the Nigerian people,” he said.
… Senate receives nomination following Badaru’s resignation
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
His nomination was transmitted to the Senate on Tuesday in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The President’s communication with the Senate was made public in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
General Musa is set to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned from the cabinet on Monday on health grounds.
Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced infantry commanders.
He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and was the recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa received his early education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria.
Dasuki advises Tinubu to appoint retired military officers as envoys He enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, earning a commission as Second Lieutenant the same year.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Musa held several operational and command appointments across the Nigerian Army.
His previous roles include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps in 2019; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and later Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the military’s flagship counterterrorism operation in the Northeast.
He subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed CDS in 2023 by President Tinubu.
In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu said General Musa’s extensive operational experience and leadership record make him eminently qualified to steer the Defence Ministry at a time Nigeria is intensifying efforts to upgrade its security architecture.
The Senate is expected to commence screening of the nominee in the coming days.
The Federal Government has reportedly proposed a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities, sources familiar with the development told our correspondent in Abuja.
The proposal comes as ASUU leadership prepares to return to the negotiation table with the Federal Government delegation headed by Yayale Ahmed.
The union’s decision follows a consensus reached at the National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja on Sunday.
Branch leaders who attended the meeting are expected to communicate the development to their members nationwide.
Speaking at the end of the NEC meeting, a member who preferred anonymity due to restrictions on media engagement during negotiations, said the union would continue discussions with the government.
“They made a proposal of a 40% salary increment. Branch leaders will go back and update members on the situation. As it stands, negotiations continue with the government next week,” the source said.
ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government ended last Saturday, heightening tension within the academic community of Nigerian public universities.
In a last-minute move to avert a potential strike, the government had summoned ASUU leadership to a meeting in Abuja on Monday, which lasted until Tuesday.
Both parties declined to make the discussions public due to strict rules governing the negotiation process.
The union had threatened a full-scale strike, citing the government’s “nonchalant” attitude toward its demands.
Key issues include the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and the disbursement of the university revitalisation fund.
The Minister of Edication, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who is currently out of the country, insisted that the government had met the union’s demands.
Speaking to State House correspondents two weeks ago, Alausa reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s directive that there should be no strike in public universities, emphasizing ongoing negotiations to keep students in school.
“As I told you, the President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school. The last strike they went on for about six days was not really needed. We’ve met literally all their requirements and are back at the negotiation table. We will resolve this,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the umbrella body of labour unions in the country, has expressed support for ASUU and vowed to advocate for the academic community if the government fails to meet its demands.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confiscated the international passport of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as part of an ongoing probe into the handling of $490 million recovered from the Abacha loot under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).
Malami, who was released on bail around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday after hours of questioning, was directed to report to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next 30 days. The condition also restricts him from travelling outside the country without the approval of the commission or a court order.
Sources said the former minister must provide full clarification on the whereabouts of the recovered funds and other related matters during the period.
“We are not accusing him of stealing money, but he must account for the $490 million recovered through MLAT. This is one of the key issues he has to address,” an EFCC source explained, noting that the volume of documents and level of engagement required warranted the seizure of his passport.
The anti-graft agency added that its findings would be made public after a thorough investigation, insisting it would not be distracted by what it termed “braggadocio” from the former minister.
Reacting on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Malami described the allegations as fabricated and politically motivated. He expressed confidence that he would be vindicated.
“The engagement was successful, and I was released while scheduling further sessions as the truth behind these fabricated allegations continues to unfold. I thank Allah for His intervention,” Malami wrote, without mentioning the seizure of his passport.
The probe marks one of the most high-profile investigations involving a former chief legal officer of the nation since the recovery of billions looted under the late military ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha.
