
News
Why National Security Council ordered reopening of Dangote’s Obajana Cement Coy
The National Security Council says it ordered the reopening of the Obajana Cement Company for the sake of peace and Nigeria’s economic prosperity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the cement company was initially closed down following disagreements between the Kogi government and management of the company, headed by Aliko Dangote.
NAN, however, reports that, at the course of the week, the meeting of the security council, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered the reopening of the company after agreement was reached between the two disputing parties.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed that an agreement had been reached to ensure the re-opening of the Company to give room for peace in the state.
“An agreement has been reached between the Kogi government and the Dangote Cement in Kogi on the need to re-open the factory and ensure that there is peace in the state.

“Government is committed to the provision of employment to its citizens rather than closing factories that will make people unemployed.
“We do hope that the parties involved will respect this agreement and come to terms with the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties involved,” he said.
Dingyadi said the agreement was reached under the supervision of the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
He said the Council also reacted to the Thursday’s ruling of the Court of Appeal , which discharged the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu of the terrorism charges levelled against him by the Federal Government.
The minister said that council was briefed and it observed that Kanu was discharged and not acquitted.
The meeting also noted with delight the successes being recorded from ongoing onslaught against terrorists and other criminals across the country.
NAN reports that the security agencies have been recording what has been described as ‘impressive results’ against terrorists and other criminals in the North East, North West and other parts of the country.
A terrorist kingpin, Ali Dogo, popularly known as Yellow and 30 of his fighters were neutralised in airstrikes by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch on Oct. 8, 2022 at a location in Kaduna State.
Yellow and his fighters fled military onslaught from their location in Niger, to take refuge in one Alhaji Gwarzo’s house at Yadi in Giwa Local Government area of Kaduna state, when they were bombed.
Similar fruitful results were being recorded by the military in the fight against terrorist groups and oil thieves in other parts of the country in recent times.
President Buhari had earlier on Tuesday conferred National Honours on 450 Nigerians and non-Nigerians, noting that the affected citizens distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity.
According to him, citizens who contribute to national development deserve to be encouraged and appreciated.
He also assured that he would hand over a “Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders,” assuring that his administration would continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the country.
On Oct. 11, Buhari administered judicial oath of office on Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Council chamber of the State House, Abuja.
The swearing in of Ariwoola followed his confirmation by the Senate on Sept. 21 three months after his appointment by the president.
Ariwoola, an indigene of Iseyin in Oyo State, was appointed as acting CJN on June 27, following the resignation of Justice Tanko Muhammad, on health grounds.
On the same day, the president also presided over the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja.
The Council approved N11.8 billion for the procurement of equipment and setting up of a fire fighting trucks maintenance centre in Katsina State and an aircraft maintenance centre in Abuja.
It also endorsed the completion of the ongoing construction of Enugu-Onitsha expressway by MTN Nigeria PLC, telecommunication company, at the cost of N202.8billion via the Tax Credit Scheme of the federal government.
The President participated in a virtual meeting of the Heads of State and Government of member states of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), on Oct. 13.
The meeting was convened to review progress on efforts to deal with the maritime challenges in the region.
GGC is an international body that was established by the Treaty signed in Libreville, Gabon, on July 3, 2001, comprising Angola, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Sao Tome and Principe.
Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the Gulf of Guinea Commission in 2008.
At the GGC meeting, Buhari appealed member states to remit their outstanding Annual Assessed Contributions to the Secretariat to meet the Commission’s objectives.
According to the president, the continued non-payment by the majority has greatly affected the ability of the Commission to fulfill the mandate for which it was established in 2001.
President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China also commiserated with President Buhari on the recent boat mishap in Anambra.
Over 40 people were reported to have died in the accident which happened on Friday, Oct. 7, at Umunankwo in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra. (NAN)
Business
Enugu Air Launches New Website
…moves online services to www.enuguairlines.ng
Enugu Air has announced the launch of its new official website, enuguairlines.ng, as part of efforts to provide passengers and customers with a better, safer and more convenient digital experience.
The airline said the migration to the new website is designed to improve how passengers connect with Enugu Air and access its services online, including flight bookings, schedules and the latest updates.
Announcing the development, the airline said: “We’ve moved! We’re innovating! We’ve migrated to a better, safer and convenient website to connect you to the world.”
Passengers can now access Enugu Air’s online services through its new web address, enuguairlines.ng, which the airline described as its new digital home.
The airline urged passengers and prospective travellers to save the new web address and use it for flight bookings, checking schedules and obtaining the latest information about its operations.

“Same Enugu Air. New web address,” the airline stated, emphasising that the change represents an improvement in its digital platform while retaining the Enugu Air brand and services.
The airline further encouraged customers to visit, www.enuguairlines.ng for all flight-related information and online services.
It further stated that the old website, enuguairlines•com has been discarded and no longer in use.
News
Kidnapped female Police officer found dead in Ebonyi
A kidnapped female police officer has been found dead in Ebonyi State after a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate was arrested and led police operatives to the scene where her remains were recovered.
The Nigeria Police Force disclosed this in its state-by-state operational update issued by Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Ani Iniedu on Monday, detailing several arrests, rescues and recoveries recorded across the country between September 19 and 20, 2026.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested following a sustained intelligence-led and technology-based investigation into the kidnapping of the female officer.
The suspect reportedly led combined police teams to the crime scene, where the remains of the officer were recovered.
The police said the case is being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abakaliki.

In a separate operation in Adamawa State, police operatives rescued two kidnapped victims from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Shako Forest, Toungo Local Government Area.
The operation, carried out on September 20 following actionable intelligence, also led to the recovery of two magazines containing 10 rounds of 7.62×39mm live ammunition.
A National Identification Number (NIN) card, mobile phone, passport and chain were also recovered from the suspected hideout.
In the Federal Capital Territory, police arrested 334 suspects during coordinated raids on criminal hotspots, black spots and uncompleted buildings across several locations.
The operation, conducted on September 19, also resulted in the recovery of various quantities of substances suspected to be illicit drugs.
Meanwhile, police in Anambra State arrested a suspected child trafficker who was allegedly intercepted while travelling with a six-month-old baby boy.
The baby was recovered and handed over to the appropriate authorities for necessary action, according to the police.
In Kaduna State, four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate were arrested following intelligence-led operations.
Police said the suspects confessed to their alleged involvement in kidnapping and provided information about fleeing accomplices. A locally made Dane gun was recovered.
Another suspected kidnapping syndicate member was arrested at Soba Market in the state. Police said the suspect also confessed and gave information implicating five fleeing accomplices.
In Ogun State, police arrested a suspect linked to a fatal shooting incident in Isara, Remo North Local Government Area.
One single-barrel gun, one live cartridge and one expended shell were recovered during the operation.
In Imo State, a suspect was arrested during a raid on a suspected criminal gathering at Nekede, Owerri West Local Government Area, with police recovering a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun.
Police in Ekiti State also arrested two suspects linked to multiple shop-breaking and stealing incidents in Ado-Ekiti and recovered suspected stolen iron rods.
In another operation in Ado-Ekiti, police recovered an abandoned white sack containing a pump-action gun loaded with two live cartridges and a locally made single-barrel gun from a farmland.
In Benue State, police tactical teams, supported by personnel of the Police Mobile Force and military, intervened in a renewed communal conflict at Akpa-Mbakor Community in Tarka Local Government Area.
The security teams dispersed the rampaging youths and restored normalcy in the area, according to the police.
In Oyo State, police arrested a truck driver allegedly involved in a fatal road traffic incident along the Ijebu-Ode/Idi Ayunre Road.
The truck was impounded for further inspection and investigation.
The police said all the cases remain under investigation by the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments.
News
UK excludes Nigerian, Ghanaian-trained teachers from teaching qualification list
Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana are no longer eligible to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England under the United Kingdom’s overseas-trained teacher application route.
The change took effect on September 9 and means teachers trained in the two West African countries can no longer use the route to obtain QTS, a status recognised by many schools in England.
The UK Department for Education said countries included in the scheme must meet specific requirements to ensure that applicants’ qualifications, professional standing and teaching experience can be properly verified. One of the requirements is that a country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional status and providing authenticated references.
According to the department, Nigeria and Ghana did not meet the reference-verification requirement.
“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain. This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications,” the department said.

The UK department said about 90 percent of applications are assessed within 12 months.
India was also removed from the eligible list because it does not have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing.
South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the list of countries whose teachers can use the QTS application route.
The department said the verification process was necessary to ensure that information provided by applicants was genuine and that teachers awarded QTS possessed the required skills and experience to teach in England.
To apply for QTS, overseas-trained teachers must have a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree and professional recognition as a teacher in the country where they trained.
Applicants must also have completed any mandatory induction requirements needed for full teacher registration in their country of qualification.
They are required to demonstrate that they are qualified to teach children aged between five and 16 and have at least nine months of teaching experience gained after qualifying as a teacher.
Applicants must also provide employment references that verify their work history and use an email address linked to the school’s official domain.
Depending on the country where a teacher trained, additional requirements may include qualifications to teach pupils aged between 11 and 16 and a specialism in subjects such as mathematics, science, biology, chemistry, physics, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish.
However, because teachers in England are employed by individual schools rather than the Department for Education, schools may consider alternative routes into teaching.
The department said teachers who are no longer eligible to use the QTS application service can explore other routes into teaching in England.
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