The Headquarters, Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK, has informed the general public that comprehensive security arrangements have been put in place well ahead of the Eid El Kabir celebrations to ensure a safe and secure environment for all.

It however, said that credible intelligence available to the Command indicates the possibility of isolated attempts by remnant Boko Haram Terrorist and Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, elements to exploit the festive period to carry out attacks against civilian targets using suicide bombers and IEDs, particularly in areas of high population concentration.

A statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation Hadin Kai, said the Theatre Command is assuring the public that these threats have been thoroughly anticipated.

The statement said that “Ahead of Wednesday’s celebrations, troops have been forward-deployed to critical and vulnerable locations across all sectors of the Theatre, surveillance and ISR assets have been fully activated, patrols have been intensified, and security forces are operating in close coordination with sister agencies, the CJTF, and community vigilance groups to forestall any threat and guarantee a secure festive period for all residents.

“In addition, members of the public are strongly advised to observe the following security guidance in the days leading up to and throughout the celebrations:

“Conduct Eid prayers and festivities as close to your homes and familiar localities as possible, and avoid large open gatherings where practicable.

“Exercise heightened vigilance in crowded public spaces such as markets, motor parks, banking halls, and prayer grounds.

“Report any suspicious persons, unattended objects, or unusual movements to the nearest military checkpoint, police station, or civil-military liaison point immediately.

“Cooperate fully with security personnel during patrols and screening operations.

“Avoid unnecessary movement, particularly at night or in areas with limited security presence.

“Refrain from spreading unverified information or rumours capable of causing public panic. Rely only on official information from verified government and security channels.”

The military called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, media organisations and community stakeholders to actively engage their communities and encourage the timely reporting of credible security information ahead of and during the celebration period. Your cooperation with security forces remains invaluable to the success of ongoing operations.

Operation Hadin Kai reassured all residents of the North East that troops are on standby, fully prepared, and firmly in control.

It added, “The Command remains resolute in its determination to deny terrorists any freedom of action and ensure that the Eid El Kabir celebrations proceed in an atmosphere of peace, safety, and dignity for all.”

The Olowu Kuta, Oba Hammed Adekunle Makama Oyelude has said the security challenges and growing waves of kidnapping for ransom confronting the Southwest region were long foreseen.

Oba Oyelude made this revelation during a visit by the leadership of the Osun Online Publishers Association, OOPA, on Sunday.

Oba Oyelude stressed the need for modern technological solutions in tackling insecurity, emphasising that the deployment of drones and surveillance equipment would significantly reduce risks faced by security personnel.

According to the traditional ruler, “The wave of insecurity in the Southwest is what had been foreseen ahead of time. I believe the Federal Government and governors in the Southwest are up to the task. Security budgets have been approved, but what we need now is proper coordination and application of platforms, both hardware and software.

“Rather than endangering our security personnel unnecessarily, drone technology and surveillance equipment will solve a lot of problems.”

The royal father also urged residents of the Southwest not to panic, encouraging citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.

“If you see something, say something. The major issue is that security situations should never be politicized under any disguise,” he warned.

Speaking further, the Olowu of Kuta said the burden of national security rests largely on the Federal Government, noting that state governments have limited control over federal security structures.

“No state government controls the Commissioner of Police in its state, neither does any governor control a Brigade Commander, talk less of a General Officer Commanding,” he said.

He advocated for the strengthening of regional security outfits such as Amotekun across southwest states while urging the Federal Government to deploy more technological platforms to complement local security efforts.

“In the Southwest, we already have a nomenclature of state policing through Amotekun. Every state government should strengthen its Amotekun corps, while the Federal Government should also up its game by deploying more security platforms,” he noted.

Oba Oyelude lamented the diminishing constitutional relevance of traditional rulers in Nigeria, declaring that monarchs today possess influence but lack legal authority.

“No monarch has real power again; what we have today are influential monarchs. The powers of traditional rulers were eroded long ago. Traditional rulers are not even mentioned in one line of the constitution, yet councillors are mentioned multiple times,” he stated.

According to him, the absence of constitutional roles for monarchs has weakened grassroots intelligence gathering and local security management.

“How many traditional rulers have been kidnapped or killed? We can only offer advice. The policy file of every traditional ruler is sitting on the desk of the local government secretary. We are merely managing that table so that it does not break,” he stated.

The monarch, however, disclosed that dialogue between traditional institutions and government authorities remains ongoing at both state and national levels.

“There is dialogue. The Federal Government and state governments are talking to us. There are interface meetings through the National Council of Traditional Rulers and state councils. We are the closest to the people,” he said.

Oba Oyelude called on the National Assembly to expedite legislative action that would formally recognize traditional rulers in Nigeria’s constitution.

“The speed with which the National Assembly passes executive bills should also be used to enact laws that will include traditional rulers in the constitution,” he said.

Drawing references from the traditional governance structure of the past, the monarch explained that local intelligence gathering used to begin from community leadership structures before modernization weakened those systems.

“When a visitor entered a community, the compound head or village head would immediately ask questions about the visitor. Intelligence gathering started from there. But today, we do not have constitutional roles,” he explained.

He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to recognize traditional rulers as critical partners in national development and security management.

“If the Federal Government truly wants it done, no executive bill spends more than 72 hours at the National Assembly. We expect Mr. President to be magnanimous enough to see traditional rulers as partners in progress,” the Olowu of Kuta declared.

An Abuja Federal High Court has halted the production of an energy drink in a copied bottle design that is the subject of a copyright dispute.

The court presided by Justice Binta Nyako, ordered Mamuda Beverages Nigeria Limited to stop producing its Pop Power Energy Drink in a copied bottle design on the grounds that it infringes on the trademark of Fearless Energy Drink, a brand of Rite Foods Limited.

The court in its ruling refused a preliminary objection filed by Mamuda Beverages in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/705/2025.

Mamuda Beverages in its preliminary bjection had challenged the suit on the basis of abuse of court process, arguing that Rite Foods’ complaint of infringement of its intellectual property is different from an earlier suit between the parties, wherein Rite Foods had complained about a different act of infringement.

Ruling on the matter, the court held that Mamuda Beverages’ new bottle design still bears a striking resemblance to Rite Foods’ Fearless Energy Drink product.

The court, as a result granted an order restraining further production of the Pop Power Energy Drink pending the final determination of the suit.

The court ordered Mamuda Beverages to cease production of the product forthwith, destroy all existing products, and directed the court bailiff, in conjunction with the parties, to undertake an inventory of the products slated for destruction and file same.

The court equally ordered that the injunction shall remain in force until the end of the year or pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Consequently, the court adjourned the suit to Wednesday, 23rd September 2026, for the hearing of the substantive suit.

The order follows an earlier suit against Mamuda Beverages, filed in January 2025, in which Rite Foods sued the company for infringing on the trademark and design of its Fearless Energy Drink through the launch of a lookalike product, Pop Power Energy Drink.

However, Mamuda Beverages sought a settlement. Terms of settlement were agreed and filed and the court entered same as its consent judgment.

Some of the terms of settlement include that Mamuda Beverages would desist from further violation of Fearless Energy Drink trademark and identity pass-off.

It also agreed to destroy all infringing products and pledged to change its design and avoid any form of identity imitation.

However, Mamuda Beverages subsequently reintroduced Pop Power into the market with only cosmetic adjustments to its appearance.

Rite Foods maintained that the changes are minor and do little to address the original issues of consumer confusion. According to Rite Foods, reports from the market indicate that the new Pop Power continues to be informally referred to as “small Fearless”, reinforcing concerns that the revised product may not only breach the spirit of the earlier agreement but could also undermine consumer clarity and brand differentiation.

Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba state, on Friday pledged to uphold fairness, humility, and inclusive leadership following his emergence as winner of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election in the state.
Kefas made the commitment while delivering his acceptance speech shortly after he was declared winner of the keenly contested primary election.

Shortly after the announcement, members of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee visited the Government House in Jalingo, where they formally presented the election results to the governor.

In his remarks, Kefas described his victory as a collective achievement for all members of the APC across Taraba state, stressing that the outcome reflected the strength and unity of the party.

He expressed gratitude to the leadership of the APC at all levels for their support and confidence in his leadership, while also appreciating the people of the state for their continued trust and cooperation.

The governor also commended other aspirants who participated in the primary election, noting that democracy thrives on participation and provides a platform for diverse voices to be heard.

According to him, the conclusion of the primaries signals the end of political competition within the party, urging stakeholders to embrace unity and work collectively toward the development of Taraba state.

Kefas further reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the APC and driving policies aimed at building a more prosperous and inclusive state.

Earlier, the chairperson of the election committee said the exercise reflected the genuine will of party members, adding that the process was conducted with integrity and adherence to due process.

According to results announced by the Returning Officer, Governor Agbu Kefas polled 166,357 votes to emerge winner of the primary election, while details of his closest challenger were yet to be fully disclosed at the time of filing this report.

Members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Cross River State on Friday conducted a voice vote to affirm the only aspirant, Dr Effiong Nyong, as their 2027 governorship candidate.

The voice vote was conducted at the party’s state secretariat on Diamond Road Calabar where significant number of members converged for the affirmation.

Chairman of electoral committee, Dr MacFarlane Ejah, who is also the Secretary of the party in the state, had conducted the exercise in the presence of chairman of screening committee, Dr Minika Bassey, and other dignitaries as witnesses.

MacFarlane said the exercise complied with the rules and directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“What we have just done is in consonance with the latest directives of INEC. And so we formally affirmed and unveiled Dr Effiong Efa Nyong as our flag bearer for the 2027 Governorship election in Cross River State”, he said.

Speaking about his experience, credentials and the imperative for vying for the governorship seat, the veteran broadcaster and one time chairman of the party, said the decision to run for office of governor for the second time is borne out of his passion for his people, state and strong desire to impact governance to avert the retrogression witnessed in the state.

“My decision to vie for the governorship race for the second time is borne out of passion for my people, state, deep desire to avert the steady slide into retrogression.

“I have idea where we’re coming from. Hardly will people believe that civilisation actually started from here, and high standards were set from here for others to follow when the colonial masters held sway. Education, sports, civil service were top-notch.

“They chose Calabar as centre of national administration. Before the British came, the Portuguese had also laid out their standards. And so, our forebears had sustained the standards until recently when today’s politicians allowed such to degenerate.

“The level of poverty and backwardness is shocking. And so, as a true Son, it is imperative that we must come together to lift ourselves out of this trajectory,” he said.

He also spoke about the alarming multiple and high taxations, noting that it had impoverished the people and scared away businesses and potential investors from the state.