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A family in Ondo State is demanding a full investigation after three siblings were found dead near a stream inside the 32 Artillery Brigade Army Barracks in Akure.

The deceased are 11-year-old twins, Joshua and Jacob Jonah, and their 5-year-old sister, Blessing. Their father, Samuel Jonah, who works as a farmer and security personnel within the barracks, said he doubts the children drowned and believes there may have been foul play. Jonah told reporters the children went with him and their mother to their farm on Friday, September 4. He said he left around noon to collect his salary and later returned with his wife. They told the children to keep playing and come home by 6 p.m. “When we got home at 6 p.m. and did not see them, I started to worry. By 8 p.m. there was still no sign of them, so I took my motorcycle back to the farm,” Jonah said. He reported the matter to the Military Police and joined a search that lasted into Saturday morning. The family also checked their church. The breakthrough came during prayers on Saturday when a soldier called him back to the barracks. Jonah said soldiers led him to a small stream near his farm. Their bodies had been covered with leaves. “I removed the leaves myself. I was devastated. Those were my only children,” he said. But it was what he saw next that raised his suspicion. “When I uncovered them, I saw blood coming from their ears.

There was also blood on my youngest daughter’s body. They were not very wet, and there was no water in their stomachs. I have never seen someone who drowned bleed like that,” he alleged. “I asked how all three could die in water at the same time. I suspect bandits or other people may have been involved,” he added. Jonah said he has no direct proof but wants authorities to investigate thoroughly. The children’s uncle, Mazi Hassan, described the incident as shocking and called for justice. “Three children from one family cannot just die like that.

Government should investigate and bring those responsible to book,” he said.

Hassan also claimed a similar incident had occurred in the barracks before. Confirming the incident, Ondo Police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said the children had gone to the farm with their father before being reported missing. “A search was conducted and their bodies were found on September 5 near a small river within the farm. “We are documenting the circumstances and investigation is ongoing,” Abayomi stated. The bodies have since been released to the family for burial. Speaking on the ugly incident, the Spokesperson for the 32 Artillery Brigade Army Barracks in Akure, Omale Innocent, said he learned of the case on social media and confirmed that police have taken over investigations. As of press time, the cause of death has not been officially determined. The family insists they will not rest until they get answers.

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Igho ‘Tiny’ Ubiribo, the British-Nigerian influencer and close associate of Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, who died following complications from a penis enlargement procedure in Thailand, had previously been declared wanted in Nigeria over alleged drug trafficking.

Ubiribo, who died in Bangkok on March 6, 2026, had been declared wanted alongside his wife, Danielle Simba Allen, an Anglo-Zimbabwean fashion entrepreneur, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with an alleged international drug trafficking syndicate.

The couple was among individuals the anti-narcotics agency listed in 2023 as “celebrity couple wanted over seized illicit drugs.”

According to the NDLEA, Ubiribo, also known as Tiny, and Allen, known as Dani, were allegedly involved in recruiting teenage girls into the illicit drug trade while operating as alleged leaders of an international syndicate said to have links to Los Angeles, United States.

The agency had also declared Port Harcourt-based prophetess and founder of Christ Power Adoration Ministries, Faith Ugochi, wanted over the alleged activities.

The NDLEA said investigations linked Ubiribo and his wife to the alleged drug trafficking operation and that repeated attempts to secure their appearance for questioning had failed.

The agency alleged that two teenage girls, identified as Favour and Shalom, were recruited as sales representatives in the illicit drug trade by Ugochi, who allegedly used her church platform to recruit teenagers brought to her for assistance.

The girls were allegedly recruited on behalf of Ubiribo and Allen, whom the agency described as the owners of the operation.

The NDLEA further identified Edward Omatseye, also known as Montana, as the alleged coordinator of the syndicate’s activities in Nigeria, while Nnochiri Chidinma Promise was identified as a representative of Ben Cargo Ltd, which the agency said was responsible for shipping illicit consignments into Nigeria.

“Several attempts to get Prophetess Faith Ugochi, Igho Ubiribo and Danielle Simba Allen to submit themselves for questioning have proved abortive,” the agency said at the time.

Ubiribo and his wife remained at large for about three years, with the drug trafficking investigation unresolved.

His death was announced in London on March 6, prompting an outpouring of tributes from friends and associates, including Davido.

In an emotional tribute, Davido described Ubiribo as a man of “light, energy, courage, resilience” and a trusted ally, saying he could not bring himself to speak about him in the past tense.

However, details surrounding Ubiribo’s death emerged months later during a UK coroner’s inquest.

On September 5, coroner Jean Harkin ruled that the 43-year-old died from a pulmonary embolism caused by complications from a penis enlargement procedure he underwent while on holiday in Thailand.

Evidence presented at the inquest showed that Ubiribo had been injected with about 40 millilitres of hyaluronic acid and lidocaine at a Thai clinic in March.

UK pathologist John du Parcq said in his report that cellular material found in Ubiribo’s lungs matched the hyaluronic acid used in the penis filler injection.

According to the pathologist, the finding was consistent with a pulmonary embolism and also matched the results of the Thai autopsy.

Ubiribo’s death has therefore brought renewed attention to a man whose public profile was marked not only by his close association with one of Africa’s biggest music stars but also by an unresolved drug trafficking investigation in Nigeria.

At the time of his death, there was no indication that the NDLEA case against him had been concluded.

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The Federal Government’s borrowing from domestic investors rose by 90.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to N24.7 trillion in the first eight months of 2026, compared with N12.98 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Findings by Financial Vanguard, based on public finance data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), also showed that credit to the government grew more than four times faster than credit to the private sector during the period.

The sharp increase in domestic borrowing came despite a significant rise in government revenue reported by key agencies, including the Nigerian Revenue Service, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The government has also benefited from savings associated with the removal of petrol subsidies and increased naira proceeds following the floating of the exchange rate.

However, public finance analysts have raised concerns over extra-budgetary spending and other fiscal exposures, which they say may be contributing to the government’s growing financing needs and prompting increased borrowing from both domestic and external sources.

Govt credit grows 4.5 times faster than private-sector credit

The latest CBN money and credit data showed that credit to the government rose by 43 per cent YoY, from N23.69 trillion in July 2025 to N33.92 trillion in July 2026.

By contrast, credit to the private sector increased by only 9.6 per cent, from N76.13 trillion to N83.43 trillion over the same period.

This means credit to the government grew about 4.5 times faster than credit to the private sector.

The surge in Federal Government borrowing was driven largely by increased issuance of Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds, FGN savings bonds and Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs).

Borrowing through FGN bonds rose by 145 per cent YoY to N7.78 trillion in the first eight months of 2026, from N3.18 trillion in the corresponding period of 2025.

Similarly, borrowing through NTBs increased by 78.6 per cent to N16.92 trillion, from N9.47 trillion, while borrowing through FGN savings bonds rose by 22 per cent to N40.56 billion, from N33.18 billion.

Why FG is borrowing more

Experts who spoke to Financial Vanguard attributed the sharp increase to the government’s larger financing requirements amid a significant fiscal deficit, rising expenditure and higher debt-service obligations.

They, however, warned that increased reliance on the domestic market could crowd businesses and households out of available credit.

The Chief Executive Officer of MDU Capital Ltd, Ayodeji Ebo, said the increase reflected “larger financing requirements arising from high debt-service costs, recurrent expenditure, infrastructure and security needs, and a fiscal deficit that remains significant despite improved revenue.”

According to Ebo, the government may also be relying more heavily on the domestic market to reduce its exposure to foreign-exchange risks.

He, however, cautioned that not all NTB issuance should be regarded as fresh borrowing, noting that part of the issuance represents refinancing or rollover of maturing obligations.

Chief Economist, United Capital Plc, Ayodele Akinwunmi, identified infrastructure spending and the need to bridge fiscal deficits as major drivers of the increased borrowing.

He said the impact of the borrowing should also be assessed in relation to the infrastructure being financed.

“Across the country, we have witnessed significant growth in infrastructure development, ranging from physical projects, such as roads and railways, to soft infrastructure, including education, healthcare and security.

“These advancements have contributed positively to the ease of doing business, creating a more enabling environment for economic activity,” Akinwunmi said.

He noted that Nigeria’s infrastructure financing gap remained substantial, making it difficult for the government to rely solely on annual budgetary allocat