₦airaland Forum

***One student rescued— Police

***Gov Ododo mobilises security agents to rescue abductees

***It’s time to make Safe Schools Initiative work — NAPTAN

LOKOJA— Gunmen on Tuesday attacked Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting four students, the principal and a National Examinations Council, NECO, ad-hoc staff.

The attack, which occurred at about 5:25 pm while the students were writing their NECO examination, came as three newly passed-out soldiers on their way from Zaria to Zamfara State, were also abducted by terrorists who demanded N50 million.

However, both the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, and Defence Headquarters said they were not aware of the development.

On the Kogi attack, residents said the heavily armed assailants stormed the community, firing sporadically to scare people before invading the school.

A community leader, Sunday Alkali, said residents were relaxing under trees when the gunmen suddenly appeared.

“The gunmen seemed surprised to see many people outside at that time of the day and initially retreated. They later returned, shooting indiscriminately, forcing everyone to flee for safety,” he said.

According to residents, it was only after the gunfire subsided that they discovered the school had been attacked.

“We initially did not know what the gunmen were after. After the shooting stopped, some of us went to the school and found examination papers scattered across classrooms and the school premises. There were no students or school officials in sight,” another resident said.

The victims were later identified as the school principal, Mr. Nyada Daniel; the NECO exams supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu; and four students.

Residents noted that the number of abducted students could have been higher but for the fact that only a limited number of candidates were writing Literature in English at the time, unlike core subjects such as English Language and Mathematics, which attract larger attendance.

The kidnappers were also said to have contacted some relatives of the victims on Tuesday evening, demanding ransom for their release.

“At least four families have received calls from the abductors demanding huge sums of money for the victims’ freedom,” Alkali alleged.

Following the incident, soldiers, police officers, local vigilantes and hunters were said to have been mobilised to the area to track the abductors and rescue the victims.

“Soldiers, policemen, vigilantes and hunters are combing the surrounding forests in search of the kidnappers,” a resident, who requested anonymity, said.

Army, Lokoja; 21 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Anyigba; the Nigeria Police Force; the Department of State Services, DSS; the Kogi State Vigilante Service; local hunters; and other security outfits had been deployed to the area. Advanced technology is also being deployed to support the rescue operation,’’ the government stated.

It further disclosed that preliminary findings indicated that the examination centre, located in a remote area, was allegedly being used as a “miracle centre” for external candidates

According to the statement, the two female candidates involved were not regular students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, while the examination arrangements did not conform with the security framework put in place by the state government for candidates participating in the ongoing NECO examinations.

The government, however, maintained that the circumstances surrounding the examination centre would not affect its responsibility to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors in the state.

It assured that every effort was being made to rescue the victims and apprehend those behind the abduction.

The government appealed to residents of Olowa and neighbouring communities to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid the rescue efforts.

It reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property, expressing confidence that the victims would be safely reunited with their families.

However, school abductions have not ended; they have intensified and spread from the North-East to the North-West and now to the South-West, President Bola Tinubu’s own geopolitical zone.

Insecurity around schools has become normalised, with children, teachers and parents living under constant fear. The recent foiling of a planned school abduction in Edo State by the DSS, working with vigilant citizens, shows that the threat is nationwide and that official protection remains inadequate.

Meanwhile, seven months after the Senate decided to probe how far the initiative has achieved the expected results, not much had been done.

The Senate Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, summoned key government officials, including the then Finance Minister, Wale Edun and Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa, after it was revealed that nearly N6. 2 billion of the 2023 budget was allocated solely to the Nigeria Police Force, while a large portion of previous funds was consumed by consultancy and other sundry issues.

Exam halls should be sanctuaries not crime scenes, Atiku

Reacting to the development, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, declared that an examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene, condemning the abduction of the victims.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC, described the incident as further proof that the Nigerian state has abdicated its most fundamental responsibility, which is the protection of life, learning and the future of its children.

He said; “An examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene. A school principal should be preparing students for the future, not negotiating with kidnappers.

‘’A NECO official should be supervising examinations, not struggling for survival in the hands of bandits. Yet this has become the grim reality under a government that has normalised insecurity.”

Atiku said the latest attack was not an isolated tragedy but part of a dangerous national pattern in which educational institutions had become preferred targets because criminals no longer feared the Nigerian state.

“It is impossible to separate this attack from the attitude this administration has displayed towards education.

‘’A government that has repeatedly made education more expensive through unprecedented increases in WAEC and NECO examination fees, neglected public schools, failed to secure learning environments and reduced education to empty campaign slogans should not be surprised that criminals now see schools as abandoned territories,” he said.

He said government policies had sent one unmistakable message, that education is no longer a national priority.

“First, they priced poor children out of classrooms. Then they fail to protect those who remain in school. This is a double assault on the future of Nigeria. One is economic exclusion; the other is violent intimidation.

‘’Together, they amount to a systematic destruction of the dreams of an entire generation,” he said.

Atiku linked the security failure to what he described as reckless federal budgeting, saying the repeated incompetence Nigerians continued to witness under the Tinubu administration was the inevitable consequence of a government that has abandoned probity, discipline and accountability in public finance.

He noted that every successful attack on a school emboldened other criminal groups, making educational institutions increasingly attractive targets because the consequences had been minimal and the response largely reactive.

“The collapse of school security is not merely a security failure; it is a collapse of governance itself. A country where children cannot safely write examinations is a country steadily surrendering its future to fear,” he said.

Atiku called for the immediate and unconditional rescue of every abducted victim and demanded a comprehensive review of security arrangements for all schools and examination centres across the federation.

Terrorists abduct 3 newly passed-out soldiers in Zamfara

Meanwhile, three newly passed-out soldiers have been ambushed and abducted by terrorists while travelling through Anka axis of Zamfara State.

The new Army personnel were said to have been abducted in Zamfara on July 2, 2026, after they were allegedly abandoned by military authorities while travelling to their destination in Kebbi State, shortly after completing their passing-out exercise at the 26 Nigerian Army (26 NA) formation in Kaduna State.

Initially, the kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million ransom before later reducing the ransom to N5 million for each captive.

Families of the abducted soldiers stated that despite notifying military authorities about the incident, no rescue operation or official response had been communicated to them more than 13 days after the abduction.

Similarly, the Director of of Media Operations, Defence Headquarters, Major General Michael Onoja, also said the DHQ was not aware of the abduction.

Three political parties are yet to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the closure at 11.59pm of Tuesday, Daily Trust learnt.

A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the affected parties are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Nyesom Wike, and the Labour Party (LP) faction led by Nenadi Usman.

The official, however, said almost all registered political parties have successfully uploaded the names of their candidates for the 2027 general elections.

“As of now, only about three political parties are yet to upload the names of their presidential and running mate candidates. They are APGA, the PDP (Wike faction) and the LP (Nenadi faction). Virtually every other party has filed its candidates,” the official said.

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The commission had earlier extended the deadline for the submission of candidates after requests from some political parties, insisting that no further extension would be granted.

Political parties are expected to conclude the nomination process and upload the particulars of their candidates before the portal shuts, after which INEC will begin processing the submissions in line with the Electoral Act and its guidelines.

With the extended deadline for political parties to upload the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election ending yesterday, indications emerged that the presidential candidates of the major opposition parties had successfully met the requirement.

As of yesterday evening, there was no indication that any of the parties’ submissions had been withdrawn, while the names of their recognised national leaderships remained on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.

INEC had on Sunday extended the deadline for political parties to submit the names and credentials of candidates seeking to contest the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The electoral body announced that parties had until midnight on Tuesday, July 14, to complete the process, extending the earlier deadline of Saturday, July 11.

INEC said the extension followed appeals from political parties, which were expected to upload the names and personal particulars of their presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates before the deadline.

The parties that successfully uploaded their candidates include the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is fielding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for re-election; the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

INEC sources revealed that some political parties submitted only the names of their presidential candidates without running mates.

As parties uploaded candidates directly to the INEC portal, confusion persisted in some states over the identities of National Assembly candidates.

Our correspondent gathered that in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa states, there was still uncertainty over the names that eventually made it onto the portal.

Fears over ADC candidates

There were fears that following Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgement, the ADC’s presidential and National Assembly candidates might not be accepted by INEC.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had affirmed an earlier judgement restraining INEC from recognising or participating in state congresses conducted by the Mark-led leadership of the party.

However, checks by our correspondent yesterday showed that the INEC portal remained unchanged, with former Senate President David Mark still listed as the party’s National Chairman.

Daily Trust confirmed that Mark is recognised as the National Chairman of the ADC, while former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, remains listed as the party’s National Secretary.

Despite the appellate court’s decision, INEC had yet to effect any change to the party’s national leadership on its official portal as of the time of filing this report.

The portal also lists Dr Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary and Prof. Oserheimen Aigberadion Osunbor as the party’s National Legal Adviser.

The continued listing of Mark and members of the current National Working Committee comes as political parties race to beat the extended deadline of 11:59 p.m. on July 14, 2026, granted by INEC for the submission of candidates.

The development is likely to fuel further debate over the practical implications of Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgement on the leadership tussle within the ADC, particularly regarding which faction would ultimately be recognised by INEC for electoral purposes.

The ADC also called for the arrest and prosecution of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party.

The party said the call followed INEC’s dismissal of Gombe’s claim that he had obtained the commission’s access code and uploaded candidates for the 2027 general election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said INEC’s disclaimer that the document circulated by Gombe was false and forged amounted to a criminal attempt to undermine the integrity of the commission.

The party therefore urged INEC to refer the matter to law enforcement agencies, warning that allowing such claims to go unpunished could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

ADC said it welcomed the commission’s prompt clarification confirming that the document circulated by Gombe, purporting to show that he had obtained INEC’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the party, was forged and that the claim was entirely false.

Abdullahi had earlier announced that the party had successfully uploaded the names and particulars of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, to the INEC nomination portal.

He said the development marked another important step in the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election and its commitment to offering Nigerians a credible alternative built on competence, unity and national renewal.

NDC uploads Peter Obi

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Henry Seriake Dickson, earlier announced that the party had been granted access to the INEC portal to upload the names of its qualified candidates for the 2027 general election.

Dickson, who disclosed this in a statement posted on his X account, said the party had filed an appeal and an application for a stay of execution against a recent court ruling affecting its status.

The National Chairman of the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP, Abdulrahman Mohammed Takushara, also announced that the party under his leadership had successfully uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal.

He said: “This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the promise we made that, under my leadership, the PDP will fully participate in the 2027 general elections. today, we have taken another decisive step towards fulfilling that promise.”

Accord Party presidential candidate to know fate today

Our correspondent reports that the suit instituted against the Accord Party and INEC came up yesterday but was adjourned until today after the defendants served fresh court processes on Olawepo Gbenga-Hashim’s legal team shortly before proceedings commenced.

At the heart of the dispute is Gbenga Hashim’s claim that he lawfully emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of the Accord Party’s presidential primary but that the party failed to transmit his name to INEC in accordance with the Electoral Act.

Gbenga Hashim is asking the court to affirm him as the Accord Party’s lawful presidential candidate for the 2027 general election and compel the party to submit his name to INEC, having emerged from the presidential primary held on June 30, 2026.

In the alternative, he is seeking an order directing the conduct of a fresh presidential primary if the court declines to grant his principal relief, arguing that he fulfilled all constitutional and statutory requirements for nomination.

As of the time of filing this report, our correspondent could not independently confirm whether Gbenga Hashim’s name had been uploaded to the INEC portal because of the pending court proceedings.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has fixed the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, at $0.779 per litre as it officially transitioned to a dollar-denominated pricing system for refined petroleum products.

The new pricing template, which took effect on Monday, July 13, 2026, also pegs Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) at $1.087 per litre and aviation fuel at $0.942 per litre, while coastal deliveries of petrol have been priced at $1,044.62 per metric tonne.

The move effectively ends naira payments for petrol, diesel and aviation fuel purchased from the refinery, marking a significant shift from the naira-based transactions introduced under the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude policy, which commenced on October 1, 2024.

In a notice to petroleum marketers and customers, the refinery said all previously issued naira-denominated Proforma Invoices (PFIs) and Deal Recaps for both gantry and coastal transactions had become invalid.

The notice, signed by the refinery’s Group Commercial Operations, stated: “Following our email of July 9, 2026, regarding the transition from naira to United States dollars (USD), please note that all issued naira coastal and gantry PFIs/Deal Recaps are now invalid, and no payments should be made against them.

“The applicable USD prices for each product, effective today, July 13, 2026, are provided below.”

Under the revised pricing template, petrol sold through the gantry will cost $0.779 per litre, diesel $1.087 per litre, aviation fuel $0.942 per litre, while coastal PMS supplies will sell for $1,044.62 per metric tonne.

The refinery, however, clarified that the transition does not affect Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) transactions.

“Also note that this transition to USD does not apply to LPG transactions,” the notice added.

Industry sources said the change was necessitated by an increasing mismatch between the currency used to purchase crude oil and the currency in which refined products were being sold.

According to one source familiar with the development, Dangote Refinery now receives a significant portion of its crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under dollar-denominated supply arrangements, while a large volume of refined products has continued to be sold domestically in naira.

The source said the imbalance had heightened the refinery’s exposure to foreign exchange risks.

Another industry official explained that the refinery had received fewer crude cargoes under the naira-for-crude arrangement in recent months, making it commercially necessary to align product sales with the currency used for crude procurement.

“Dangote Refinery is receiving fewer naira-denominated crude cargoes from NNPCL than dollar-denominated cargoes, while a larger volume of its petroleum products has been sold in naira.

The resulting currency mismatch, combined with volatility in international crude oil prices and continued exchange-rate uncertainty, made it necessary to migrate product sales to dollars,” the source said.

The development is expected to have far-reaching implications for petroleum marketers, many of whom source products directly from the refinery for nationwide distribution.

It also raises fresh questions about the future of the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude initiative, which was introduced to strengthen domestic refining, reduce pressure on foreign exchange demand and help stabilise fuel prices.

Although the refinery has fixed a dollar benchmark for product sales, the retail pump price of petrol across the country will continue to depend on several factors, including the prevailing naira-dollar exchange rate, international crude oil prices, transportation and logistics costs, regulatory charges and marketers’ margins.

With Dangote Refinery now accounting for a substantial share of Nigeria’s refined petroleum supply, industry stakeholders are expected to closely monitor how the new pricing regime influences fuel prices and competition in the deregulated downstream petroleum market.

The factional leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by National Chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe, on Wednesday, dismissed claims that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, insisting that the party has already concluded its internal processes and nominated Chris Uba as its flag bearer.

The party stated that Atiku “is not, and has never been,” the presidential candidate of the ADC for the 2027 elections.

In a statement by its National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, the party said it was issuing the clarification in the public interest and to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.

It also disowned a group allegedly operating under the leadership of David Mark, describing it as a self-styled faction that is not recognised by the party.

According to the statement, the group does not constitute any legitimate organ of the ADC and therefore lacks the constitutional and legal authority, including recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct congresses, primaries or make binding decisions on behalf of the party.

He said: “The legitimate National Leadership of the ADC is fully cognizant of sustained overtures and coordinated efforts by certain coalition elements to compel the Party into political alliances with other platforms.

“The Party categorically states that the African Democratic Congress is not in any form of alliance, merger, or coalition with any other political party. The ADC remains an autonomous, ideologically grounded, and self-reliant political party committed to contesting all elections on its own merit, structure, and manifesto.

“In strict compliance with the provisions of the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026 as guided by INEC, the Party has lawfully concluded its internal processes and has duly nominated its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

“The African Democratic Congress presents Professor Chris Uba as its duly recognized flag bearer. The Party is of the firm conviction that Professor Uba possesses the requisite competence, capacity, character, and national appeal to provide transformational leadership for Nigeria at this critical period in our history.

“The Leadership of the African Democratic Congress hereby issues a formal and final warning to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to desist, with immediate effect, from holding himself out or parading himself as the presidential candidate of the ADC.

“The ADC was founded on the principles of national renewal, inclusive governance, and credible alternative leadership. The Party is not, and will not be, a rental platform or a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for political opportunists, displaced individuals, or coalition actors seeking to leverage our structure for personal ambition.”

He warned that it would pursue all available legal and constitutional remedies to protect its identity and structure against what it described as unauthorised appropriation or misrepresentation.

The ADC also dismissed recent allegations of a plot to prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general elections, describing such claims as baseless and unsupported by credible evidence.

The party reaffirmed its confidence in INEC and the country’s constitutional and electoral framework, saying it would not be distracted by narratives intended to create panic or public confusion.

He added, “The African Democratic Congress will not be reduced to an instrument of chaos. We will not permit any individual or group to exploit our platform to spread misinformation, incite civil disturbances, or destabilize the polity to advance selfish political objectives.

“The ADC is fully prepared and strategically positioned for the 2027 general elections. The Party will present competent, qualified, and credible candidates for all elective positions at the Presidential, Senatorial, House of Representatives, Gubernatorial, State Assembly, and Local Government levels.

“We therefore urge all bonafide members, stakeholders, teeming supporters, INEC, security agencies, and the general public to remain calm, resolute, and steadfast. All persons are advised to be guided strictly by this official position and to disregard any statements, announcements, or actions emanating from unauthorized persons or factions.”

A Federal High Court in Lokoja has cancelled an earlier judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.

The decision was delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Isah Dashen on Friday.

The information about the court’s decision was shared on Friday through a social media post on X by Lere Olayinka, who serves as the media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

This fresh ruling in Lokoja comes at a time when established opposition parties are facing deep internal challenges.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Accord Party are currently are among those affected.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered the electoral commission to deregister the ADC, the Accord Party, and three other political associations. This directive followed a lawsuit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that these parties failed to meet the required constitutional thresholds.

Under Nigerian law, parties must secure at least 25 percent of the votes in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level to maintain their registration. The court ruled that these parties performed poorly and failed to meet these benchmarks during the 2023 elections and subsequent by-elections.

Dtruthspeaker:
You have it wrongly.
This is the same thing as there is no repentance in the grave. Repentance is for the living for when you die, e don cast for who never repent. That is all the Ecclesiastes is saying