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Nigerian Government To Engage Militants Over Kidnapping, Others

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Amid the incessant cases of sea piracy and kidnapping at the coastal communities in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, the President General of Oro Development Union, Sir Esang Nsa Bassey in this interview urged Akwa Ibom State government to seek audience with the ex-militants who have expressed willingness to stop their nefarious activities. He also expressed dismay at the delay in the realization of Ibaka deep seaport, among other issues.

The Federal government in 2013 proposed to construct a bridge for Oron-Calabar River, what is the update?

Actually, the contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded in 2013 under the leadership of Goodluck Jonathan without funding the project. We hope that the present Federal government will mobilize contractors to complete the bridge. It’s about 13.5km. The bridge when completed will ease movement from the South South region to the North East region of the country and boost the economy. Even the people of Northern Cross River will equally benefit. We urge the federal government to make funding arrangements immediately. Oron remains a coastal town and a Nigeria window to other countries such as Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, among others.

So we want the federal government to reactivate that project, resolve what held it back. They would have signed the funding agreement but there came the issue of alignment where the bridge should start and where it should stop, so we want them to speedily resolve what was the problem. Also we have the issue of our seashores being constantly washed away; the federal government, since it is their duty, should protect our shorelines so that it will not go beyond what we are having at the moment.

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Is there any problem between Akwa Ibom State government and Oro nation because Uyo, Nsit Atai, Okobo road have remained uncompleted for many years unlike other road projects?

As a people, we don’t have any problem with the Akwa Ibom State government. Since 1999, the five local governments in Oro have been supporting the state government even up to this moment but I can’t understand why we’ve been marginalized and our road remains like that up till this moment. I will say the present administration is trying to do something about it, until they do it, it is what it is. The truth is that unless you develop Oro the whole Akwa Ibom State remains undeveloped. Thank God that the state government is trying to do something on parts of the roads. While the state government is doing that, we call on the federal government to work on the trunk A road- Oron-Uyo Ikot-Ekpene-Aba. The portion between Aba Ikot Ekpene is under construction but Uyo Oron, Ikot Ekpene Axis of trunk A road should be awarded to good contractors and the project completed as soon as possible, it is something that will boost the economy of the area.

Honestly, Ibaka deep seaport has been embroiled in politics over the years, the Federal government set up an implementation committee to deliver the port within two years, what happened thereafter we cannot comprehend. Till today, the state government has not told us why the federal government had to leave, why the name has to change from Ibaka deep seaport to Ibom deep seaport and where the new location of the seaport is.

I think one day the seaport will be constructed at Ibaka because it has a natural bay; as I said earlier, unless you develop Oron, the rest of the Akwa Ibom State will remain undeveloped, because if you can’t develop a seaport there, I don’t see how this state can develop economically and benefit from blue sea economy that the present federal government is championing. Go to Lagos State, they have Tin Can Island, Apapa wharf, then Lekki seaport and they are building another one in Badagry and we are here struggling to get one seaport.

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I think we should understand that when the port is constructed, it’s not only Oro people that will benefit from it, everybody will benefit from that. So, nobody should try to stifle the project thinking to stop Oro people from benefiting from it. Also, if the state government allows the proposed solution hub of the NNPC to come up, it will also bring development to the state.

Are you not worried that the Maritime Academy upgraded to a university is yet to commence operation?

Yes we are very worried that Maritime Academy is yet to function as a university after the law establishing it received assent by the then President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022. What is remaining now is for the Federal government to constitute the governing council and appoint a Vice Chancellor. We hope that the senate president, Chief Godswill Akpabio will look into it as he promised and ensure its full implementation.

The rate of sea piracy and kidnapping in Oron is getting too high, what are the measures put in place by the union to address it?

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Insecurity has become a problem all over the country. We know that it is getting high in Oron, a once bubbling community and market in Oron is now a ghost town due to the activities of these people.

When I assumed office, I had a meeting with the ex-militants in this area, they paid me a courtesy visit and issues of insecurity, sea piracy, kidnapping were raised and they (ex-militants) assured me that they would work with me to ensure that insecurity is addressed. If you look at other parts of the country, the governments are using them (ex-militants) to maintain peace by giving them contracts to protect the area as well as pipelines.

So, why is our state government not adopting that? Why is our state government refusing to speak with these ex-militants who agreed to stop militancy and incessant kidnapping in Oron? They said they need the government to assist them in terms of funding and engage them. I use the opportunity to call on the Akwa Ibom State government to address the issues of ex-militants in Oron so as to curb the insecurity issues bedeviling the area.

Since the creation of Akwa Ibom State, we’ve had prominent sons and daughters of Oron in government but none has become the governor, do you still have hope that the Oron nation will produce a governor in the near future?

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I have great hope that one day we will have a governor of Oron extraction; we are standing on a three tripod, the other two have had their turn and Oron will one day occupy the hilltop mansion. Irrespective of the marginalization of Oron people, we will get there. All I know is that political power is not given, it is worked for, we shall raise our sons and daughters who will have the will to work for the power, grab it and run with it.

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Metro

Kano man opens fire at marriage ceremony over noise disturbance, kills one

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There was pandemonium in Tudun Yola Quarters of Kano metropolis after a 34-year-old man, identified as Rabiu Mukthar, allegedly opened fire on people attending a marriage ceremony, killing one person and injuring three others.

The Kano State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying the suspect used a pump-action gun to sporadically shoot at the gathering during the celebration.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the suspect reportedly came out of his house while music was being played at the marriage ceremony and opened fire on those attending the event.

According to him, the police immediately swung into action after receiving information about the incident and arrested Mukthar alongside another person.

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He added that the pump-action gun allegedly used in the attack was recovered from the suspect.

During interrogation, Mukthar reportedly told the police that the organisers of the musical event did not consult residents before holding the celebration.

He was quoted as saying that the loud music disturbed him and prevented him from sleeping, prompting him to resort to shooting at the gathering.

The police said Mukthar and the other suspect are currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Kano State Police Command as an investigation into the incident continues.

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The command condemned the attack and reiterated the need for residents to seek lawful means of resolving disputes rather than resorting to violence.

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Metro

Police uncover secondary school student selling nude videos to classmates for N500,000

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The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a secondary school student who sells nude videos to his classmates for N500,000.

Omosetemi Agbede-Zuokumor, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ugborikoko Division, disclosed this at a town hall.

At the town hall in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, the Chief Superintendent of Polcie (CSP) raised the alarm while recounting an outreach conducted by her team at a secondary school in Delta State.

According to her account, police personnel seized several expensive smartphones, including iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and Samsung devices, after allegedly discovering students watching pornographic content and engaging in sexual activities during school hours.

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However, the investigation took a more disturbing turn after one male student unlocked his phone for the officers.

Speaking in a trending video, Agbede-Zuokumor said officers allegedly discovered several intimate videos and photographs involving female students from the boy’s class on the device.

“After we went to the school and seized the secondary school students’ phones, one of the students unlocked his phone, and we found almost nude videos of his female classmates,” she said.

She alleged that the student claimed the videos were being sold.

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The officer further claimed that the student had more than 85 foreign phone numbers, including Australian numbers, which he allegedly used in online fraudulent activities.

She said the student was allegedly using photographs of white or foreign-looking individuals, commonly referred to as “oyibo faces”, as part of the scheme to deceive people online.

According to the officer, the student also allegedly had the intimate images and videos of female classmates on the same device and was reportedly selling them for as much as ₦500,000.

She added that the boy reportedly told officers that the female students had asked him to sell the material on their behalf.

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The allegations have raised serious concerns over the exposure of children to cybercrime, pornography and the non-consensual circulation of intimate material among young people.

The officer also expressed concern over the type of smartphones being used by some of the students, noting that many of those whose phones were seized reportedly possessed expensive devices despite coming from families engaged in small-scale businesses.

“Most of these students are using iPhone 15 and 16, while their parents are petty business owners,” she said.

She described the situation as troubling and warned of the potential consequences for young people becoming involved in cybercrime and other harmful online activities at an early age.

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The officer further disclosed that some parents later visited her office seeking the return of the seized devices.

“It’s sad to see that their parents came to my office to collect back the destruction of this generation,” she said.

The reported incident has sparked concerns about the growing exposure of young people to pornography, cybercrime and the misuse of smartphones, while also highlighting the need for stronger parental guidance, digital education and safeguarding measures in schools.

The allegations made by the officer have not been independently verified and the identities of the students and the school involved were not disclosed.

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Fire Razes About 300 Shops In Ibadan Market

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Property and other valuables worth millions of naira have been lost to a fire incident that gutted the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Sunday night.

The affected shops included jewellery shops, furniture outlets, second-hand clothing shops and others.

The cause of the fire, which started in one of the shops before spreading to others, had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

A trader, who simply identified herself as Iya Alia, said, “The fire started around midnight. I cannot be specific about that time. And those affected were gold sellers, furniture shops, second-hand clothes shops and many others. The shops affected were almost 300.”

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Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said, “This is devastating. This is huge. I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed.”

When contacted by our correspondent on Monday in Ibadan, the state capital, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, confirmed the incident.

He said, “Yes, it occurred. That number we cannot ascertain, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion.

“Whether it’s a gas explosion or other things, when you have a gas explosion, it would spread. But as I’m talking to you, the situation has been under control since 1am.

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“On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s part of the post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone.”

Nigerian Tribune reports that a similar incident occurred at the herbal section of the market in 2024, when over 200 shops were completely razed.

It will also be recalled that a fire incident on Saturday, August 22, 2026, razed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex, located along the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

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