The Defence Headquarters has said the recent kidnap incident in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists displaced from other parts of the country following intensified military operations.

The military authority disclosed this on Thursday while reacting to what it described as “mischievous and misleading publications” surrounding comments credited to the Defence Headquarters on the classification of terrorists and criminal elements operating in the South-West.

In a statement signed by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Michael Onoja, the DHQ said the attackers behind the Oyo abduction were members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad terrorist group displaced by sustained military offensives across the country.

“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement read.

The statement also stressed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remained committed to supporting constitutional governance and protecting democratic institutions.

“At no time did the Defence Headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement added.

The DHQ further disclosed that troops remained actively deployed across affected areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks threatening national peace and stability.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability and unity of the nation,” the statement said.

The clarification followed recent attacks on communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers and other residents from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle.

The incident also left several persons dead, while one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was later killed after a video linked to the attack surfaced online.

…As Governor extols Enugu APC as model for internal democracy

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, is poised to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket, as party members turned out en masse across the state’s 260 wards on Thursday to participate in the governorship primary election, where he was the sole aspirant.

Although collation was still ongoing as at press time, Mbah looks good to clinch the party’s ticket, as members predicated their support for his second tenure on his outstanding performance in the last three years.

At Owo Ward, Nkanu East Local Government Area, where Governor Mbah participated and was received by party faithful in their thousands, the crowd affirmed Mbah’s candidature with a roaring ‘yes’ when the panel comprising Prince Arinze Arum, Mrs. Ngozi Eni, and Barr. Osinachi Nnajieze put the question.

Speaking, the Ward Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Mbah, and Member representing Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, said Mbah’s reelection was sacrosanct for the people of Enugu State, adding that the governor had become a reference point in good governance in Nigeria.

“I have gone to vote in my own ward before coming here. The same thing that is happening here is happening concurrently in the 260 wards across the state and reports are very good. Anyone who knows the state of affairs in Enugu State before you came in would know that a lot of changes have taken place.

“It is not enough to get power. What you use the power for matters more. But Peter Mbah is called the Rock because of how he is using power to do mighty things. Today in Nigeria, you cannot talk about three governors that are performing without counting our own governor among them,” Hon. Nnaji said.

In his remarks, Governor Mbah said the direct primary election in Enugu APC had been a fruitful and unique exercise underlined by internal democracy and the people speaking directly to office seekers.

“Just yesterday (Wednesday), we concluded the direct primaries of all the 24 State Constituencies. It is interesting to note that of those 24 seats, we did not have any two persons that picked forms to vie for one office.

“It is no different with the primary exercises for the Senate and House of Representatives. In fact, in the constituency where we had a second person, in the course of the process, he wrote a letter to the party withdrawing from the contest and pledging his total commitment to support the other candidate.

“Today again, I am the sole aspirant for the governorship ticket of our party. And it has not happened by accident or coercion or cowardice. It happened because our people are not cowardly. It has happened because our people are smart. Our people are wise and they know what is good when they see one.

“So, because we have not created division or disharmony among ourselves, Enugu State APC is largely becoming the standard bearer of what grassroots politics and democracy should be. We are also increasingly becoming a model of how to manage internal politics,” he stated.

He urged party members to remain united going into the 2027 general election in order to record resounding victories.

“This is because once you begin to experience those divisions, implosions, and attrition, then you have already started diminishing your support base, even before you get to the general elections. So, this is why what we have done as a party over the primaries exercises is very, very important,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the Hon. Danmalikin Hausa-led APC Committee for the Governorship Primary Election in Enugu State, which also visited several locations to monitor the exercise, to conclude the collation of results and formally announce the outcome, which many expect to confirm Mbah as the APC gubernatorial candidate for Enugu State.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called on stakeholders and Nigerians to lead vigilance against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to medicines/drugs and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR).

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call on during a one-day Pharmacovigilance Workshop and Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting in Enugu.

Represented by NAFDAC’s Director, South-East Zone, Dr Festus Ukadike, the director-general noted that the gravest consequences of irrational medicine use today is AMR.

She explained that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics had accelerated the emergence of resistant microorganisms that no longer respond to conventional treatment.

“This means that infections previously treatable with common antibiotics are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to manage.

“If urgent action is not taken, antimicrobial resistance may reverse decades of medical progress and place humanity at serious risk.

“This is why Pharmacovigilance is extremely important. Pharmacovigilance refers to the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine-related problems.

“In simple terms, Pharmacovigilance helps us ensure that medicines remain safe and effective even after they have been approved and released into the market,” she said.

Adeyeye noted that no medicine is completely free from side effects.

“However, through effective Pharmacovigilance systems, healthcare professionals and patients can identify harmful reactions early, report them appropriately, and help regulatory authorities take necessary actions to protect the public,” she said.

She said that Pharmacovigilance remained a core mandate of the agency, adding that stakeholders and general public should play active part in monitoring AMR and ADR to ensure effectiveness of medicine and treatment.

Speaking, the Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, commended NAFDAC for the workshop, while urging the agency to put more effort in curbing sales of fake medicines in the hinterlands.

Asadu said that Pharmacovigilance was needed more in the hinterlands of the state to stop people paddling fake medicines and “selling outright chalk as medicine in villages in the state”.

He gave the commitment of royal fathers in the state in providing necessary support to NAFDAC to check paddlers of fake medicines, “as we see our people die due to their activities.”

Corroborating, the State Coordinator of World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Adaeze Ugwu, said that the organisation would continue to support NAFDAC in the agency’s resolve to strengthen food and healthcare in the country.

Also, Dr Oliver Ezemba, Chairman, Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietory Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), urged everybody to get concerned on the issues of AMR and ADR to guarantee quality medicines for everyone.

Ezemba called on Nigerians to imbibe the habit of reporting any irregularities observed while using a medicine to NAFDAC for proper investigation, which would serve the benefit of many Nigerians using same medicine.

The participants asked questions on AMR and ADR as well as made pledge on reporting any suspectable AMR or ADR case through the NAFDAC’s Med Safety Mobile App using their cellphone or computer set.

In the workshop, a presentation was made on “Need for Effective Pharmacovigilance by All’, delivered by Mr Chidi Uche and Mrs Ogechi Udeh, who are NAFDAC officials.