By Francesca Hangeior

The Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) has cautioned against actions that could undermine Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, expressing concern over what it described as an emerging campaign to discredit the Department of State Services (DSS) and weaken public confidence in the agency.

In a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja, NEYGA spokesperson Ibrahim Dan-Musa commended the DSS for its vital role in ensuring national stability and combating banditry and terrorism.

Dan-Musa dismissed recent reports allegedly from unidentified local hunters accusing DSS operatives of misusing advanced telephone tracking technology, describing them as baseless and part of a smear campaign.

“The reports claimed that the technology, meant to aid in the rescue of kidnap victims, was instead being used by some operatives to extort money from criminals in exchange for concealing their locations.

“While we do not, and certainly cannot, speak officially for the DSS, we must state without fear of contradiction that such stories were fabricated to tarnish the agency’s image.

“We are not surprised that this falsehood is being spread by the same self-styled activist who falsely accused the DSS of abducting civil rights activist, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, to serve certain political interests. Comrade Austin has since disowned the said activist and publicly apologized for his unfounded allegations against the northern governor.”

The group also recalled how the same “activist,” in a viral video, falsely accused the DSS of invading the Federal High Court on the day the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned former Governor Yahaya Bello.

“It turned out that no DSS operative was anywhere near the court on the said day,” the group pointed out.

“We cannot thank President Bola Tinubu enough for appointing a thoroughbred professional like Mr. Tosin Ajayi as Director General of the DSS. From the agency’s remarkable exploits since Ajayi assumed office, we are proud to say that President Tinubu made an excellent choice.

“We in the North are particularly pleased with the relentless efforts of the DSS to make the North and the rest of Nigeria safer. Very recently, Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa publicly praised the DSS—not only for seizing large caches of arms and arresting or neutralizing scores of bandits and kidnappers, but also for securing the release of kidnapped Roman Catholic priests,” the group said.

“All of these achievements poke holes in the tissue of lies being peddled by the self-styled activist,” it stressed.

The group further highlighted an incident from 2018, when a court awarded ₦10 million in damages against the DSS over the 2016 accidental shooting in Bauchi of a businessman originally from Sokoto. 

“No Director General agreed to pay the compensation until Tosin Ajayi came into office. Not only did he pay the ₦10 million, he doubled the amount. Nothing could be more humane. We deeply commend DG Ajayi for that,” the group said.

NEYGA also recalled recent public apologies issued by several media outlets for falsely reporting that the DSS stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly. 

“The DSS’s acceptance of the apologies and decision to drop charges against the media houses is a sign of civility by the secret police, which we wholeheartedly commend,” the group added.

“We had imagined that, as a serial contestant for the office of President, this activist would be more circumspect, lie less, and demonstrate greater patriotism in the way he speaks about Nigeria—especially if, by some chance, he ends up occupying the nation’s highest office one day. Sadly, that has not been the case,” NEYGA said.

“We commend the maturity of the DSS leadership for enduring the barrage of lies constantly thrown at it by these so-called activists. Nigerians have seen through their antics and know they do not mean well for our beloved country.

“We urge the DSS not to be distracted by these merchants of falsehood and to remain steadfast on the path of making Nigeria safer,” the group said.

* Urges Aiyedatiwa to be proactive in his duties

By Francesca Hangeior

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has urged Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa to be alive to his duties of safeguarding the lives and property of residents of the state.

The party’s Director of Media and Publicity in the state, Mr Leye Igbabo, stated this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Akure.

Igbabo said that the party was alarmed by the alleged ceaseless killings of hapless residents of the state by gunmen.

He said that victims of such killings were lawfully engaging in their daily activities needed to bring food to their tables.

“The party cannot, in all honesty, find reasons why such assailants could operate without any form of resistance for months running, in a state where there is said to be a valid government in place.

“Gov. Aiyedatiwa has indeed failed in his constitutional duty as enshrined in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), in that he can no longer secure and protect lives and property of citizens of Ondo State.

“It is heart-wrenching to note that in less than one month, about 50 persons have been gruesomely massacred in various settlements within the state,” he said.

Igbabo expressed concerned that no arrest or prosecution had been made in the wake of these incidents.

He said that the party had been wondering if a government still exists in the state in the face of what he described as unprovoked and unrestrained killings.

“These killings are one too many and indicative of helplessness, hopelessness and huge compromise of those in the corridor of power in Ondo State,” he stated.

Igbabo urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the situation, as it appeared that the state government was incapacitated in tackling the menace.

By Francesca Hangeior

The number of UK payrolled workers and job vacancies slid ahead of businesses being hit by tax hikes and US tariffs, official data showed Tuesday.

Preliminary figures for March showed the number of payrolled employees dropped by 78,000 from February, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

That compared with a decrease of 8,000 in February from January, the ONS added.

Job vacancies in the three months to March dipped below pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2021.

Wage growth, however, remained elevated, with the annual growth in employees’ average regular earning edging up to 5.9 percent in the three months to the end of February.

The figures cover the period before the introduction this month of business tax hikes laid out in the Labour government’s maiden budget in October.

It “provides some tentative evidence that businesses started to respond to rises in business taxes and the minimum wage from this month by reducing headcount”, said Capital Economics UK economist Ashley Webb.

Businesses have in particular criticised the tax increases, warning it could lead to them holding back on hiring and limiting pay rises.

The ONS added that the unemployment rate remained at 4.4 percent in the three months to the end of February.

Webb said jobs growth could be further impacted “from the recent increase in uncertainty due to the chaotic way US tariff policy is being set”.

The UK was hit with a 10 percent levy on imports to the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which also target sectors like steel, aluminium and autos.

It creates a difficult situation for the Bank of England which has to contend with persistently high wage growth and stubborn inflation as well as the risks to the economy posed by tariffs.

“With pay growth still running above levels consistent with the inflation target, the… (BoE) will likely continue its gradual approach to cutting interest rates,” said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK.

“However, that will be set against growing risks to the domestic economy which are likely to depress labour market activity,” she added.

The BoE recently halved its forecast for the country’s total output this year, blaming global risks amid US tariff threats and deteriorating UK business confidence.

That came as the central bank cut in February its key interest rate by a quarter point, the third such reduction in six months.