The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) has honoured Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, in recognition of his administration’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and transforming the state’s health sector.

The prestigious award was presented to Mbah during the Guild’s 28th Annual General Meeting and Conference, held in Enugu on Thursday. The event brought together medical professionals and other stakeholders to deliberate on emerging issues and challenges in the healthcare industry.

The conference was themed, “The Business of Medicine in the Present Economic and Security Challenges in Nigeria,” with the sub-theme, “Digital Health, Telemedicine, Integrating Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and AI Tools Without Breaking the Bank.”

Receiving the award, Mbah expressed appreciation to the association for choosing Enugu State as the host of its annual gathering.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to repositioning the state’s health sector through strategic investments, modern infrastructure and improved access to quality healthcare services.

He particularly highlighted the state-of-the-art 300-bed Enugu International Hospital, which is expected to commence operations soon.

According to him, the hospital represents one of his administration’s landmark investments aimed at expanding the state’s capacity to provide world-class medical services.

“The 300-bed Enugu International Hospital will definitely reduce the need for residents to travel outside the country for specialised healthcare,” he said.

Earlier, the National President of the Guild of Medical Directors, Dr Raymond Kuti, commended Governor Mbah for his visionary leadership and the strides recorded in the state’s health sector.

Kuti emphasised the importance of sustained government commitment to building a stronger, more efficient and accessible healthcare system.

The keynote address was delivered by Emeritus Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam, Medical Director of Memfys Hospital for Neurosurgery, Enugu.

Similarly, Prof. Emmanuel Chino Iyidobi, Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, delivered the sub-theme presentation, focusing on the opportunities and practical applications of digital technologies in modern medical practice.

The recognition of Governor Mbah by the Guild further underscores the association’s acknowledgement of his administration’s efforts to transform Enugu State’s healthcare landscape through innovation, infrastructure development and strategic partnerships.

The 28th Annual General Meeting and Conference also reinforced the importance of collaboration between government and private medical practitioners in addressing prevailing economic and security challenges while embracing digital solutions to make healthcare more accessible, affordable and sustainable for Nigerians.

The gathering provided a platform for critical discussions on the sustainability, innovation and future of medical practice in Nigeria.

Shock and grief have enveloped the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, community following reports that six newly graduated students have been found dead inside an apartment in the Hilltop area of Nsukka.

The tragic incident reportedly occurred on Thursday morning, barely 24 hours after the victims celebrated the completion of their academic programmes at the university.

The deceased, comprising five females and one male, were said to be pharmacy graduates who had participated in a sign-out celebration on Wednesday.

Videos and photographs of the celebration had earlier circulated on social media, showing the graduates jubilating with friends over their academic achievement.

However, the celebration reportedly turned tragic following the discovery of their lifeless bodies inside an apartment during a private gathering in the Hilltop axis, an off-campus community near the university.

A social media influencer, Chininkem Ugwuanyi, raised the alarm over the incident in a post, describing Thursday as a dark day for the Nsukka university community.

He wrote: “Dark Thursday in Nsukka @ University Of Nigeria Nsukka….

“Seven Pharmacy students who just signed out or graduated yesterday all died in an in-house party at the Hilltop axis of the school environment.

“They reportedly lost their lives at a house party while celebrating their sign-out.”

Meanwhile, a disturbing video purportedly showing the lifeless bodies of the victims inside a spacious room has circulated on social media, further heightening concerns over the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Although reports circulating online have given conflicting figures, with some claiming that seven students died, information available in the initial account identified six victims.

The cause of their deaths had not been established as of the time of filing this report. It was also unclear what happened inside the apartment before the victims were discovered.

Efforts to reach the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls put through to his telephone were not answered.

The university management had also yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of press time.

The tragedy has sparked concern among students, residents and members of the university community, with many demanding an urgent investigation to establish what led to the deaths.

The incident has left families, friends and colleagues mourning the sudden loss of the young graduates, whose academic celebration has been overshadowed by an unexplained tragedy.

The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered and raided facilities known as phone farms, allegedly used to manipulate online conversations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The police also arrested a suspect accused of circulating false information about a political candidate from the South-South region in an alleged attempt to influence voter behaviour and damage the candidate’s reputation.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a webinar titled ‘AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote’, organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation.

Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, explained that phone farms are facilities where hundreds of mobile phones and automated accounts are deployed to create the impression that large numbers of people are discussing or promoting particular issues online.

He said the police discovered the facilities while investigating alleged coordinated attempts by some individuals to manipulate the electoral process.

“We have recently come across information regarding the coordinated effort being made by some individuals to see that they tamper with our elections. Having dissected the information, we were able to carry out targeted raids at phone farms,” he said.

Explaining how the facilities operate, Abdullahi said individuals deploy multiple mobile phones and bots to circulate information simultaneously, thereby manipulating public perception and creating artificial online engagement.

“They call it phone farms, where you have bots arranged to manipulate and spread information simultaneously, making you believe that a whole lot of people are talking about the same subject.

“Meanwhile, it is just an individual behind hundreds of phones, arranged in what they call a phone farm, so that they can manipulate the system. The police were able to disrupt this,” he added.

The police chief also disclosed that a suspect was in custody over the alleged circulation of false information about a political candidate from the South-South region.

According to him, the suspect allegedly spread misleading reports about activities that had either not taken place or were still in the pipeline, with the intention of influencing voter behaviour and discrediting the candidate.

“As I am talking to you now, we have somebody in our custody who came up with this kind of information regarding one of the candidates from the South-South part of the country, carrying information regarding things that were not done or that were in the pipeline and said that they were not done, just to predict voter behaviour, and then make them behave in a manner that is negatively targeted to disparage these candidates,” Abdullahi said.

He explained that the police investigated the complaint, traced the source of the information and subsequently arrested the suspect.

Abdullahi warned that the police would arrest and prosecute anyone found guilty of spreading false information capable of undermining the electoral process.

“What we are doing now is, first of all, to send the message that the police are ready to arrest any person found spreading false information.

“Two, we are going to carry out investigations. Three, we will ensure that such a person is prosecuted. This is a message for people not to even contemplate doing that kind of behaviour,” he said.

On the growing use of artificial intelligence to manipulate electoral information, Abdullahi said the police had acquired cyber solutions capable of detecting deepfake videos, manipulated photographs and cloned audio recordings with up to 99 per cent accuracy.

He identified AI-generated videos, manipulated photographs and voice cloning as potential threats to the 2027 elections, warning that the technologies could be used to make candidates, public officials and electoral authorities appear to have made statements they never uttered.

He added that the police were conducting digital forensic examinations of audio recordings, videos and photographs circulating on social media as part of efforts to identify manipulated content.

According to him, the force had also established an election monitoring room and commenced intelligence gathering ahead of the polls.

However, Abdullahi stressed that the police would not interfere with legitimate public opinion, noting that investigations and enforcement actions would be guided by established legal provisions.

“If the relevant legal elements are not established, we cannot go out and disrupt the peaceful conduct of public opinion. We cannot do that,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to verify election-related announcements through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly reports concerning changes to the election timetable.