Kebbi State Government has reopened the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, months after a deadly bandit attack in which 25 schoolgirls were abducted and the school’s vice principal was killed.

The mass abduction occurred in the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025, when armed gunmen stormed the boarding school in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.

The assailants killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, during the raid and abducted 25 students from their dormitory.

the abducted schoolgirls escaped on the day of the attack, while the remaining 24 were rescued on November 25, 2025, and reunited with their families following search and rescue operations by security forces.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Kebbi State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Halima Bande, said confidence had been restored among parents, students and school officials through counselling and the deployment of security personnel, paving the way for the resumption of academic activities.

“The abducted students have been rescued, and confidence has been restored through counselling and the presence of security personnel.

This has paved the way for the resumption of academic activities at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga,” she said.

Dr Bande said the reopening followed a security meeting with principals and heads of secondary schools held in Birnin Kebbi.

She disclosed that Governor Nasir Idris had directed the deployment of additional security measures to ensure the safety of students and staff across public schools in the state.

The commissioner said the government had rolled out security awareness programmes for school principals and personnel, noting that similar sensitisation sessions had been conducted in Zuru, Yauri, Jega, Bunza and Argungu, with the Birnin Kebbi meeting marking the final phase.

Bande emphasised that safeguarding schools is a collective responsibility, urging administrators, teachers and students to remain vigilant.

She also advised school leaders to strengthen collaboration with host communities and security agencies as part of proactive safety strategies.

The commissioner commended the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Department of State Services, DSS, for their role in sensitising school administrators on security awareness and preventive measures.

Edo State Police Command has released the first set of Ambrose Ali University, AAU, students.

The students, who were arrested over a protest were released to the Edo State Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu on Monday evening.

Addressing journalists in Benin City, Iyamu said those released were found to be innocent.

According to the commissioner, some of the students took advantage of the protest to loot and maim.

He said: “One thing everybody needs to understand is that the governor of Edo State is the governor of everybody.

“Some persons that tagged themselves as students went on rampage and from protest it turned out to be a riot, stealing and maiming people, going into the palace of the King to steal his wife’s weavon and stealing Indomie. That is no longer a protest

“People should understand that those same people are part of Edo State and they will cry to the governor and of course, he is saddled with the responsibility of securing their lives and properties.

“The police did their job, carried out the raid and at the same end of the day, those not culpable should be released. That’s the instruction of the governor and that is what we are doing.

“Some people should learn to know that when there are issues we should look at them holistically. If someone calls himself a student and kills somebody, you should be brought to book.”

Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Abia State chapter, Kingsley Ononogbu has identified disunity among the party members and sabotage of party’s interests as some of the factors that stopped APC from  winning Abia State during the 2023 election.

Ononogbu, who was speaking to journalists on Monday in his office after receiving the members of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said that the identified mistakes have now been corrected, for the 2027 task.

The Abia APC Chairman said that his party was working hard to win the 2027 election in Abia, and appealed to all party members to shun  sabotage but to  work in one direction to achieve the party’s goals.

“We have suffered defeat in the past that came from disunity, so the only positive thing to learn from that is that there must be collaboration, accommodation and sensitivity to other people’s feelings”, Ononogbu said.

He promised to support the Abia State chapter of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, led by Abia State Coordinator, Henry Ikoh and other support groups in  their grassroots sensitisation drives.

Speaking earlier at APC office in Umuahia during his team’s visit, the Abia State Coordinator Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Henry Ikoh said the group was working hard  to ensure the victory of President Bola Tinubu and his party, the APC in the State.

African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Borno State has inaugurated its Transitional Committee and Membership Registration Committee as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The inauguration ceremony was held on Monday, January 12, 2026, in Maiduguri and was attended by party leaders and members from across the state.

The ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Babagana Buhari, attended the event.

The Transitional Committee is chaired by Alhaji Ali Wurge, with Fali Wabulari as secretary. The Membership Registration Committee is headed by Peter Biye, while Kolo Bukar serves as secretary.

Other party leaders inaugurated at the event include Kashim Imam Matawalle, Nicolas Msheliza, former Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Bulama Fugu, Attom Magira, Umar Alkali Nasco, Umara Kumalia, Tijjani Amadu Yarwama, Fatima Zarah, Mohammad Ali Jajari, Hauwa Kwajafa, Bukar Kachallah, Sadiq Mamman Gadai, Lawan Kolomi and Babakura Abba Yusuf.

Speaking at the event, Kashim Imam Matawalle urged party members to remain united and committed as the ADC intensifies preparations for the next general elections.

Party officials said the inauguration of the committees is aimed at strengthening party structures, enhancing membership registration and improving grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls.

Former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal has said that all arms of government have failed the People of Nigeria.

Tambuwal stated this on Monday while fielding questions in an interview on ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise Television.

He maintained that the electoral process is one policy decision that has negatively impacted the people.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, also alleged that the manner in which the current administration removed fuel subsidy without any alternatives affected Nigerians very negatively.

“I believe that as of today, it’s all the three arms of government that have failed Nigerians. At certain times in the past, you may find the executive arm wobbling and the legislature coming in through checks and balances, through the constitutional framework and strengthening things and reposition the government.

“You find the judiciary also having some challenges and then somehow interventions come in. But today, it’s all the levels.

“When you talk about democracy, part of the policy decisions that have negatively impacted I believe is the electoral process and closely related to the issues of governance and what we find today,” the former Sokoto governor stated.

Kwara State Government has issued a strong warning to the general public, particularly road users and residents along the Tunde Idiagbon Airport Road axis in Ilorin, the state capital, to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse along the roadside.

Such acts, the government warned, would henceforth be treated as environmental abuse and indiscipline, punishable under existing environmental laws.

The General Manager of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), Jide Aina, gave the warning while actively participating in a special clean-up exercise along Airport Road.

He expressed deep concern over the persistent misuse of the area, which has regrettably been turned into an illegal dumpsite by some unpatriotic individuals.

Aina lamented that despite the proactive intervention of the Kwara State Government through the Ministry of Environment, particularly the provision of four large Roro bins to facilitate proper waste disposal, some residents continue to dump refuse indiscriminately along the road setback.

He described the situation as unacceptable and a clear disregard for government efforts aimed at promoting a clean, safe, and healthy environment.

The KWEPA boss also condemned the practice of open burning of refuse along the road, warning that it poses serious environmental and public health risks to both residents and road users.

He stressed that illegal dumping and open burning of waste are criminal offences under the state environmental laws and will no longer be tolerated.

According to him, KWEPA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, has deployed environmental monitoring and enforcement teams to the affected areas.

He warned that any individual caught engaging in illegal dumping, open burning, or related environmental offences would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Jide Aina called on residents across the state to support the government’s environmental sanitation drive by adopting responsible waste disposal practices.

He emphasized that environmental cleanliness is a collective responsibility and a civic duty essential for public health, safety, and sustainable development.

The clean-up exercise attracted the participation of top government officials, including the Commissioner for Environment, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, and other senior officials, underscoring the state government’s commitment to restoring and sustaining a clean, safe, and environmentally friendly state.

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have again struck Otobi-Akpa community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, killing no fewer than four residents in a midnight attack.

It was gathered that the assailants, said to be heavily armed, invaded the community around 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, shooting sporadically and forcing residents to flee for safety.

The attack, which lasted for several hours, claimed the lives of Hon. Ochi Ayedu, Eje Uzu, Alinko, and Achibi, while several other residents are still unaccounted for as of the time of filing this report.

This latest incident comes just months after a deadly assault on the same Otobi-Akpa community, during which at least 13 people were killed, many others injured or reported missing, and more than 50 houses razed.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has said that the African Democratic Congress, ADC, risks political irrelevance if it fails to present former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, as its candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on Arise Television, Fayose described Obi as the major political attraction within the ADC, insisting that other figures in the party lack the capacity to generate significant electoral traction.

According to him, Obi remains the only factor capable of giving the party national relevance, adding that his political influence was evident during the 2023 elections when his emergence as the Labour Party presidential candidate helped the party secure seats in the House of Representatives despite its previously limited national presence.

Fayose argued that Obi’s appeal transcends party platforms, noting that he would attract similar support even if he contested on the platform of another lesser-known party.

He, however, clarified that he was not predicting whether Obi would win or lose the 2027 presidential election, but maintained that ADC’s fortunes would be worse than its current state if the party failed to field him as its candidate.

The former governor added that Obi remains central to ADC’s relevance in the 2027 electoral contest, warning that sidelining him would significantly weaken the party’s political standing.

He said: “Peter Obi is the life in ADC. I didn’t say there are no other human beings in ADC. I’m saying others are largely spent forces.

“Let’s say Obi didn’t go to ADC, let Obi go to another party. Let’s say Obi is in Accord. Obi will become… I’m saying it: Obi is the only traction, Obi is the only meaning, Obi is the only factor, Obi is the only person in ADC that matters.

“And if Obi had not gone to ADC and has gone…when Obi went to Labour, Labour that was never known people won elections to the House of Reps.

“I’m not saying Obi will win this election. I’m not saying Obi will not win this election, but I’m telling you, even if they don’t fill Obi, if ADC fails to fill Obi, their case will be worse than their coming together.”