
News
Kogi killings: Igala/Bassa nationalities protest alleged ethnic cleansing, demand investigation
Ethnic nationalities in Kogi State took to the streets in Abuja on Tuesday to protest the serial killings allegedly orchestrated by agents of politicians.
They called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to carry out thorough investigation to fish out those responsible for acts of violence that has seriously threatened peace in the state.
By 10 a.m., the ethnic nationalities under the aegis of the Coalition of Igala/Bassa Socio-Cultural Associations stormed the Garrison Command of Defence Headquarters in Abuja, chanting anti-government songs.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Stop illegal arrest and detention of Kogites’, ‘Stop the killing of Igala/Bassa people in Kogi State’, ‘Let peace reign in Kogi State’, ‘Igala, Bassa, Okun and Egbira are all brothers’, ‘Protect our lives, it’s not rocket science, save Kogi youths’ and ‘Enough of the bloodbath.’
In a petition addressed to the Service Chiefs during the protest, the coalition accused the government of orchestrating violence, arson, and ethnic cleansing against the people of Igala/Bassa Kingdom in Kogi East Senatorial District.

The petition was co-signed by representatives of various Igala/Bassa associations, including Dr. Ojoachele Akor Felix (Igala Youths Leaders Assembly), Comrade Jackson Omonu James (Okakachi Igala), Benjamin Sekpe, (Bassa Grand Alliance), Salifu Oguche Usman, (Ane Igala Restoration Network), Onogu Collins (Igala Youths Council), Chris Ukwenya (Ujuju Agbadufu Igala), Mabe Adaji (Iko Ukola Mabe), Abubakar Danmusa (Makoji Ata Foundation), and Peters Onuma (Kogi Conscience).
The coalition alleged that since 2016, there had been a campaign of harassment, intimidation, and violence against political opponents and persons with divergent political views, particularly those from the Eastern Senatorial District of the state.
The leader of the protesters and human rights activists, Jacob Okpanachi, cited incidents during the 2019 general elections and the Kogi State governorship elections where the properties of political leaders were destroyed and lives were lost.
He alleged that the violence has continued in the lead-up to the 2023 general election, with numerous incidents involving attacks on political opponents and their properties.
One such incident mentioned in the letter was the attack on Alhaji Yakubu Muritala Ajaka, a governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, on May 28.
He also said that Radio Kogi, Ochaja Broadcasting Station, was vandalised and looted on June 2, 2023, for allegedly airing news about the attack on Alhaji Ajaka.
The coalition also said thugs and even military officers had been used to perpetrate violence against the people of the Igala/Bassa Kingdom.
The petition also described how Navy Commander Nicholas Uchendu Akalezi allegedly led a contingent of the Nigerian Navy and operatives in a siege on Ejule community on June 21, 2023.
The attack, according to the coalition, resulted in several casualties and the destruction of properties, including the murder of Bala Kabiru.
They urged the Nigerian Navy and other relevant authorities to intervene and protect the people of the Igala/Bassa Kingdom from the violence and ethnic cleansing in Kogi State.
The letter reads in part, “On account of the foregoing facts, we most respectfully pray to your very exalted office as follows.
“We respectfully request that you thoroughly investigate our petition, in order to ascertain its veracity, and if found to be true, bring all persons and agencies who have participated in these horrific acts against our people to justice.
“We also request that you take all necessary constitutional steps to protect our people and secure their right to political participation.”
The group further sought intervention and protection for the people of the Igala/Bassa Kingdom from the Nigerian Navy and other relevant authorities.
They stressed that the people of Igala/Bassa have suffered greatly primarily due to their larger population size and political influence within the state.
“Our people have suffered greatly under Alhaji Yahaya Bello’s governance, which has been characterised by sheer brutality and high-handedness.”
The protesters called for immediate action from the Federal Government and relevant agencies, seeking thorough investigation and justice for those involved in the alleged acts of violence.
They also asked for constitutional measures to protect their people and guarantee their right to political participation.
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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