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The 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members kidnapped by gunmen in Imo State have allegedly been subjected to physical ass@ult by their captors, with the kidn@ppers reportedly reducing their ransom demand to N5 million per victim.

The graduates were abducted on Thursday while travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were reportedly att@cked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, while travelling in two buses.

A relative of one of the victims, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the abd¥ctors initially demanded N50 million for each victim but had now reduced it to N5 million.

“They are still demanding N5 million. They have come down to N5 million each,” she said.

Akande also alleged that the abductors had started beating the victims, including the women.

When I spoke to my sister, they started beating them since yesterday,” she said.

Asked if the female victims were also being assaulted, she replied: “They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them.”

She said one victim was also allowed to speak with his father, with the abd¥ctors reportedly monitoring the calls to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government said it was working with the Imo State Government and security agencies to secure the victims’ release.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the government was drawing on its experience from the recent Oriire abduction to assist efforts in Imo State.

“Oyo State Government had not and will not abandon its citizens. We will continue to work endlessly and desperately to secure the release of our children,” he said.

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Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of its newly inaugurated substantive Vice-Chancellor, Professor Carter Dike Umeoduagu, barely 48 hours after assuming office.

Umeoduagu was formally sworn in as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university on Thursday, October 1, 2026, marking the commencement of his tenure.

However, the professor reportedly took ill on Saturday, October 3, two days after his assumption of office, and subsequently died.

His sudden death has sent shock waves through the university community, particularly coming at a time when the institution has been facing leadership challenges.

The development is also coming amid recent controversy over the leadership of the university, including disputes surrounding the tenure of the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eugene Okoye Nwadialor, and the emergence of an acting leadership structure.

The death of Umeoduagu, coming almost immediately after his formal assumption of office, has added a tragic dimension to the university’s recent leadership crisis.

Details of the circumstances surrounding his illness and death were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.

The university community, academics, colleagues, family members and associates are expected to mourn the deceased academic and administrator, whose tenure as Vice-Chancellor ended almost as soon as it began.

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… Urges Rivers to re-elect Tinubu in 2027

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike has challenged former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to account for the $308 million proceeds from the sale of the state-owned power plants during his administration.

Wike spoke on Sunday at a town hall meeting with leaders, elders and stakeholders of the Ogbakor Etche, in Etche Local Government of Rivers State, where he launched a fresh attack on his predecessor’s record in office.

The minister accused Amaechi of failing to translate his eight years as governor, and later eight years as Minister of Transportation, into meaningful development and opportunities for the people of Rivers State.

He specifically questioned the circumstances surrounding the sale of the state’s power plants for $308 million.

Recall that the Justice Omereji Commission of Inquiry investigated the sale and reportedly indicted the former governor. Amaechi had challenged the commission’s report in court, but the case was subsequently dismissed by the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Wike said; “Amaechi sold the gas turbine power stations for $308 million. Where is the money? What did Rivers people get from it?

“So, where is the money? Rivers people are asking: what happened to the $308 million?”

The minister also challenged Amaechi to point to his achievements for the people during his eight years as governor between 2007 and 2015.

“When you had the opportunity to be governor of Rivers State, what did you bring to our people?” Wike asked.

“From Igwuruta to Chokochoko, it was a problem. From Chokochoko to Omoku, it was a problem.

“You became Minister of Transportation for eight years. Which person from our area did you bring to the limelight? Mention just one!”

Wike urged the people of Etche to reject politicians whose primary concern, he said, was political survival rather than development of their communities.

He said political support should be based on tangible achievements and opportunities delivered to the people.

The minister cited what he described as concrete gains secured for the area, including the appointment of Professor Dimiri Mercury as Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University and the establishment of the university’s Faculty of Agriculture campus in the area.

He also mentioned political appointments involving Senator Allwell Onyesoh and House of Representatives member Kelechi Wogu as part of the benefits of political engagement and alliances.

Wike said; “Politics is not about what one person will gain. Politics is about what your people will gain.

“Ask yourself; what has this person brought to our people? What has he done to improve the lives of our people? What opportunities have been created?

“We must begin to ask these questions because politics without development is meaningless.”

Wike also praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying the Federal Government’s emphasis on due process, accountability and development offered a new direction for governance.

He urged the people to align with what he described as the President’s development-oriented agenda, rather than support politicians based solely on personal loyalty.

According to him, Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated commitment to the rule of law and transparency in the management of public resources.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, we are witnessing a system that respects the rule of law and demands absolute transparency from public office holders,” Wike said.

“Governance is about lifting the people, not about personal aggrandisement or evading lawful inquiries into state properties.

“When people loot or mismanage the commonwealth, the law must take its course”, he added.

The minister said the President’s focus on infrastructure and inclusive governance should encourage citizens to support leaders capable of delivering practical dividends of democracy.

Wike told the gathering that the people of the region must “wise up” politically and make decisions based on what would advance their communities.

He said political allegiance should no longer be built around individuals but around programmes, development and opportunities for the people.

The meeting provided a platform for Wike to canvass support for what he described as a new political direction centred on development and alignment with the Tinubu administration.

He maintained that the people should judge politicians by their records in office, insisting that public office must be used to improve the welfare of the people rather than for personal political survival.

Wike and other political stakeholders had earlier paid a condolence visit to the palace of late elder statesman and member of the Rivers State council of traditional, ruler and the Etche/Ochie of Etche land, Emmanuel Opurum, who died at the age of 106.

The minister pledged to support the family in the burial arrangements.