By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

There’s joyful noise in different parts of Nigeria as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has reduced the price of petrol at its retail stations from N960 to N945 per litre.

The new price took effect on Thursday, February 13, following directives from the company.

At an NNPC filling station in Ejigbo, attendants confirmed the price change, noting an increase in customer turnout and long queues.

However, some consumers believe the reduction is too small to impact their expenses.

The commercial driver at the station stated that he would not lower transport fares due to the slight difference in price.

Other filling stations, including Ardova, Mobil, and Petrocam, have not made any changes.

Ardova continues selling at N970 per litre, while Mobil and Petrocam sell at N960 and N970 per litre, respectively.

This adjustment follows a similar move by MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, which recently set its petrol price at N925 per litre in Lagos. MRS also announced regional prices of N935 per litre in the South West, N945 per litre in the North, and N955 per litre in the South East.

The recent price changes are linked to global energy trends and a drop in crude oil prices.

Since the removal of fuel subsidies, petrol prices have fluctuated, reaching nearly N1000 per litre.

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, the product was sold at N198 per litre.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Anambra State Government has sealed a shrine in Umuofor village, Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area, allegedly used by one Ekene Igboegbueze for illicit rituals aimed at supernaturally enriching individuals.

The Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, disclosed this while leading operatives of Operation Udo Ga-Achi to the shrine.

He explained that the government’s action was prompted by multiple complaints from residents of Okija, as well as a viral online video in which Igboegbueze openly admitted to engaging in Oke Ite, Yahoo Plus, and Awele—practices that contravene Anambra State’s Homeland Security Laws.

Mr. Emeakayi further revealed that, in addition to sealing the shrine, the state government had confiscated all properties acquired by the suspect through the proceeds of the alleged illegal activities. He added that all items recovered from the shrine would undergo forensic examination, and the results would determine the government’s next course of action.

Speaking on the development, the Director of Operations for Agunechemba Security Outfit, Mr. Chinenye Ihenko, decried the rising influence of fraudulent native doctors and self-proclaimed pastors, stating that their activities encourage a dangerous “get-rich-quick” mentality among youths.

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Tunde Oyekola and Stephen Angbulu
The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security.

Ajayi made this call while delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

In his lecture, titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” Ajayi emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in recruitment and staffing within security agencies to ensure only the best minds are enlisted.

Represented by the DSS Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the DG argued that recruiting top academic performers into the DSS should be a compulsory national policy, similar to Israel’s selective university admission system.

The DSS DG stressed the need for a shift in public perception, noting that many Nigerians view security agencies as adversaries rather than allies.

He warned that such attitudes negatively impact intelligence gathering, peacebuilding, and national integration.

“Like I know, in Israel, there is one examination that students take to get admitted into the university. The moment you score above 70 marks, you have no option but to be sent to the university there.”

He contended that intelligence work requires exceptional intellect to tackle sophisticated criminal networks.

“Tell me how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to keep security in a criminal gang that is constituted of First Class people? You know, it takes intellect to track criminality.”

“So, if I have my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing, the academia should be able to supply us, sincerely, the details of students who have excelled in their various fields of study so that they would be forced to serve this great nation,” he said.

The lecture further highlighted the critical role of intelligence agencies in safeguarding national security, emphasising that public perception of security organisations as adversaries rather than allies hampers intelligence gathering and peacebuilding.

Addressing Nigeria’s security landscape, Ikenweiwe noted that traditional threats such as sabotage, subversion, and espionage have evolved into more complex challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, separatist agitations, militancy, cybercrime, and economic sabotage.

He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these threats through strategic collaborations with sister agencies and continuous stakeholder engagement.

Speaking on an overview of the mandate of the DSS, he said the service’s internal security responsibilities are accommodated in the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024 and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999.

The former summarily mandates the Service to prevent and detect any crime against the internal security of Nigeria as well as protect non-military classified national security matters, while the latter, promulgated by Abdulsalami Abubakar, mandates the service to, among others, prevent, detect and investigate the threat of espionage, subversion, sabotage, terrorism, separatist agitation, law and order and economic crimes of national security dimension.

“The instrument also demands that the DSS gives timely advice to the government on all matters of national security interest. Most importantly, the Service is empowered by the aforementioned legal frameworks to execute other functions as may from time to time be assigned by Mr. President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“The centre also offers short-time capacity-building training in those areas. Quite a number of officers from the Nigeria Armed Forces, other security agencies as well as officers of other nations have benefitted from the programmes, graduated and are doing well in their callings,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a related development, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday received a delegation from the DSS, led by the Deputy Director-General, Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja, at the State House, Abuja.

The visit underscored the administration’s commitment to empowering women in leadership roles within the security sector.

Tinubu applauded the DSS for appointing a woman to such a high-ranking position, stating, “Women who have proven themselves in their careers deserve recognition and leadership roles. This is a testament to my husband’s long-standing belief that women are highly responsible and committed.”

She urged female leaders in the DSS to support one another and diligently execute their duties to inspire future generations.

In response, Adekayaoja expressed gratitude for the administration’s commitment to gender inclusivity and reaffirmed the DSS’s dedication to ensuring national security and stability.

With the push for compulsory recruitment of Nigeria’s brightest minds into intelligence services, the DSS aims to bolster its operational effectiveness in addressing evolving security threats and strengthening national peace and integration.

THE PUNCH