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Federal Government to transfer N75,000 cash to 70m Nigerians

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The Federal Government has announced plans to distribute N75,000 cash transfers to an estimated 70 million ‘poorest of the poor’ Nigerians by 2025.

This was disclosed by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, during his appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television on Wednesday.

Prof. Yilwatda revealed that the ministry aims to deploy the program across all 36 states of the federation by the end of January 2025, targeting the registration of up to 18.1 million Nigerian households through the National Identity Number (NIN) system.

“We want to deploy by the end of January across 36 states to ensure we start harvesting the NIN number of up to 18.1 million Nigerian households that we need to capture as fast as possible so that we can make payment for them,” the minister said.

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“The target of the president is that we should target 15 million households. And an average household is about 4 to 5. We are discussing here roughly about 70 million households with about N75,000 per person this year,” the minister noted.

The initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to address extreme poverty and create a more inclusive social safety net.

Yilwatda noted that each household in the program would have an average of 4 to 5 individuals, translating to a target of roughly 70 million individuals nationwide.

The program will also enhance the digital identities of low-income Nigerians by collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to increase NIN registrations. According to Yilwatda, this will help streamline the process and ensure the most vulnerable populations are included in the database.

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“We are doing the data capturing, but for now, the poorest of the poor that we have in our data is only 1.4 million with NIN. We are working with NIMC, deploying resources, and conducting training. NIMC has brought in more devices under a program with the World Bank to assist us in data capturing for those without NIN numbers.”

The Minister detailed ongoing efforts, saying, “We are training in some states like Rivers, Kwara, Abuja, and Nasarawa, among others, and deploying to these states in the first round. By the end of January, we want to deploy across the 36 states to start capturing the NIN numbers of up to 18.1 million households. This will enable us to make payments to them for Conditional Cash Transfers.”

The minister emphasized the importance of leveraging technology to make the cash transfer program efficient, transparent, and accountable. He added that digital registration would reduce errors, improve tracking, and ensure that funds are disbursed to those most in need.

On January 12, 2024, President Bola Tinubu suspended all programs managed by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation due to allegations of misappropriation, including those under the direct cash transfer initiative.

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Earlier, on January 8, 2024, President Tinubu had suspended Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, over allegations of funds mismanagement within NSIPA.

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Troops rescue 34 abductees, nab ISWAP informant, recover arms

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Troops of the Nigerian Army have, in the last 24 hours, rescued 34 kidnap victims, apprehended suspected ISWAP informants and recovered arms and ammunition in coordinated operations nationwide.

This is contained in an operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

The report said that troops of Operation HADIN KAI rescued 31 kidnap victims from terrorists along the Buratai-Kamuya road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno.

It said the rescue followed a swift response after troops of 135 Special Forces Battalion detected ISWAP/JAS terrorists abducting civilians from four vehicles through CCTV surveillance.

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According to the report, troops immediately deployed a quick reaction force, engaged the terrorists and forced them to abandon the victims and flee, with one motorcycle left behind.

“In another operation, troops of 145 Battalion conducted a fighting patrol to the Turoh general area of Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area.

“The terrorists reportedly fled on sighting the troops, leaving behind two motorcycles and illicit drugs recovered during exploitation of the area.

“Also, troops of 232 Battalion Tactical apprehended a suspected ISWAP informant at Garaha Market in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa,” it said.

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In the North-West, the report revealed that troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA engaged terrorists moving with rustled cattle in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.

It added that the troops’ superior firepower forced the terrorists to withdraw in disarray during the encounter.

The report also revealed that troops of Operation MESA rescued a kidnapped woman and her two children along the old Obajana-Jakura-Tajimi road in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi.

According to the report, preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were abducted on July 29 from a Ruga settlement in the Gada-Biyu area of the same local government.

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“In Plateau State, troops of Operation Enduring Peace responded to reports of an attack on a herder in Bassa Local Government Area.

“The assailants had fled before the troops arrived, while the deceased and recovered cattle were handed over to the victim’s family,” it added.

In the South-East, the report said the troops of Operation UDO KA recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of three suspected terrorists linked to the ambush of troops in Imo on May 4.

It added that the operation, conducted in Delta and Imo states, followed intelligence obtained from earlier arrested suspects.

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According to the report, troops recovered four AK-47 rifles, one FN rifle, a pistol, 11 AK-47 magazines, two FN magazines, 239 rounds of assorted ammunition, a fragmentation jacket and other military items from terrorist camps.

“The recovered weapons included rifles earlier carted away during the May ambush on troops, while further exploitation led to the discovery of another terrorist camp containing additional arms and ammunition,” it said.

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Joint military task force rescue kidnapped Lt Col, civilian after 10-day search operation

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A joint military task force has rescued a senior Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after an intensive 10-day search-and-rescue operation across forests and communities in Enugu State.

This was contained in a military operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Abuja.

The breakthrough came in the early hours of Saturday following sustained operations by troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA (OPUK).

The search mission involved personnel of the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NN SBS), and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, operating under the leadership of the Commander, 82 Division Garrison, with support from the Air Component.

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According to the report, between 6:00 p.m. on July 31 and 6:00 a.m. on August 1, the joint troops continued search operations using actionable intelligence across Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze forests and adjoining communities in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.News

At about 2:00 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Inyi Division alerted the troops to the suspected location of the kidnapped victims.

The troops immediately mobilised and launched a fighting patrol into the area, where they discovered Lt. Col. Amobi and Mr. Onwuanra abandoned at the edge of a forest. The civilian was found with a gunshot wound.

The victims were successfully rescued and evacuated to Inyi before being moved to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for medical treatment and comprehensive evaluation.

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During preliminary debriefing, the victims disclosed that they had been blindfolded shortly after their abduction and transported to an unknown location.

They said they were later abandoned in a forest around the Enugu–Anambra border as the kidnappers came under sustained operational pressure.

The military attributed the successful rescue to the relentless pressure mounted by the joint force, supported by the Air Component, which maintained continuous dominance of the suspected hideouts and denied the abductors freedom of movement throughout the 10-day operation.

The sustained search-and-rescue mission ultimately forced the kidnappers to abandon the captives and flee.

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Further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing to identify, track and apprehend those responsible for the abduction.

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JUST IN: Fire engulfs Lagos airport’s Terminal 2

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Fire has engulfed Lagos airport’s Terminal 2.

FAAN said its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) had been deployed to contain the fire.

“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to inform the public that a fire incident has occurred at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,” the statement read.

“The FAAN Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) is currently responding to the incident and working diligently to contain the situation.”

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FAAN said there were no reported casualties or loss of life.

“There have been no reported casualties or loss of life,” the authority stated.

It added that further updates would be provided as more information becomes available.

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