Personality in Focus
Miners Beware: Parks No Go Area
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By Frank Meke
It was like interpreting a war movie script. Across the country, well armed and technology backed intelligent criminal gangs have zeroed attention on invading Nigeria’s protected areas in search of minerals resources and willing to eliminate and destroy anything or persons at sight irrespective perceived resistance.
Nigerian National Parks, seventeen in number, holds in trust for generations unborn, critical, and unique flora and fauna resources, including several minerals resources, assets vital to national socioeconomic development and advancement in science, agriculture , fisheries, green tourism , hydrology, pharmacology and climate change.
The laboratory values of Nigeria’s conserved biosphere ecosystem are intrinsic and, over time, have become the destructive destination of illegal loggers, and now, illegal mining agents , armed to the teeth and ready to spill blood.
These earth rapers suspected to be special units of the gestapo and rampaging army of insurgents from Zamfara and Niger states operate in coordinated and clandestine militarism, ready to pull triggers at anyone or groups that may stop them from their illegal mining activities.
Recently, at the rich biosphere space of old OYO National Park, the criminals in connivance with strange cattle breeders also suspected as cross-border cow minders invaded the Park and when confronted by the Eagle eyed team of Park Rangers, resisted arrest and subsequently pulled out their hidden arsenal of sophisticated guns and wasted two gallant Rangers.
Unfortunately for the criminals, the two Rangers before being gunned down had called for reinforcement , which speedily ambushed their gateway from the scene of crime and arrested thirty-seven of them who were now guests of the Nigerian police. No doubt they have a date with the courts soon for murder and wilful and deliberate damage to earth resources under protection.
In Niger state, the Park Rangers at Kainji Lake National Park, in collaboration with the Nigerian military, have made life unbearable for the invading army of nature criminal elements , determined to exploit resources under protection to fund their insurgency and purchase ammunition.
In Cross River National Park, Park Rangers in swift response, proactively engaged heavily armed illegal Miners at ifumpa axis of the Akamkpa sector of the Park, neutralising their effort and arraigned them in court.
It was a red flag operation, a critical warning call-out signal by the National Park Service under Dr Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator General of the Federation, to all illegal loggers, miners , grazers and poachers of fauna and flora resources, that enough is enough, indicative of the grave consequences which awaits unwanted visitors to Nigeria’s protected green. environment
Justice Okokon Essisen, the presiding judge of the magistrate Court in Akamkpa, clamped the nature terrorists to six months imprisonment, though with an option of two hundred thousand naira each.
Justice okokon stated that the activities of the illegal miners in Park contravened section 31 (1) (p) on illegal mining and also on illegal entry as captured under section 30(1)[O] of the National Park Service laws.
The convicted miners languishing at the calabar facilities of Nigerian correctional service were unable to meet up their options of jail conditions as provided by section, 37(1) 37(2) [c] 37(1) (2) [b] respectively.
Lamenting the renewed interest by illegal mining agents in the Parks across the country, the Conservator General disclosed that all unit parks have been put on red alert to arrest, demobilise all strange and illegal visitors in the protected areas, adding that Park Rangers have paid the supreme price to ensure that the covers Nigerian green biospheres were no longer busstops for illegalities and market places for insurgents.
Consoling families of the two gallant Rangers who lost their lives in the not too recent old OYO debacle, in persons of late Deputy Conservator of Park, A. P Ayemboba and Chief Park Inspector, A. Adedokun, the CG, praised the commitment and patriotic dedication of Nigerian Park Rangers, adding that the late officers did not die in vain and would not be forgotten in the history of conservation management in Nigeria.
He warned that national parks management will do everything in its power and in accordance with the laws, to bring to justice any persons and groups that may want to turn Nigeria’s protected areas to endposts of illegal natural resources exploitation and destruction.
Nigeria, Dr Goni added, is troubled by enemies of its socioeconomic and political development in recent times, who have vowed to stop and kill security agencies from frustrating their rebellious activities, noting that NPS is ever determined to keep away nature criminals away protected areas ecosystem, particularly as the world is battling with effects of climate change hazards, driven by extremely misplaced aggression by illegal activities of mankind, particularly daring rouges prospecting and speculating on earth resources for selfish reasons.
Personality in Focus
Veteran Actor Olu Jacobs Dies at 84
Veteran Nigerian actor and elder statesman, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has died at the age of 84.
The actor’s death was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, on Instagram on Wednesday.
Olu Jacobs was one of Nigeria’s most respected actors and a towering figure in the country’s theatre, television and film industries.
For more than five decades, Jacobs built a career that took him from the stage in Britain to international films and, ultimately, to becoming one of the most recognisable faces of Nollywood.
Born on July 11, 1942, in Kano, Jacobs had his roots in the Egba Alake community of Abeokuta, Ogun State. He grew up in Kano, where he developed an early interest in acting through school drama, debating activities, and church programmes.
His passion for the performing arts was strengthened after he watched a performance by legendary Nigerian theatre practitioner Hubert Ogunde. The experience inspired him to pursue acting professionally.
Personality in Focus
Michael Dell Overtakes Jeff Bezos As World’s Third Wealthiest Billionaire
Michael Dell, on Tuesday, overtook Jeff Bezos in Forbes’ billionaire rankings, edging past the Amazon co-founder as shares of Dell Technologies reached an all-time high, extending a six-month rally.Dell’s estimated net worth rose $4.6 billion to reach $267.7 billion at market close Tuesday afternoon, making him the third-wealthiest person in the world for the first time ever.
Dell trails Alphabet co-founder Larry Page ($277.9 billion) and Tesla chief Elon Musk ($942 billion).
Shares of Dell Technologies rose 1.9% to close at an all-time high of $533.88 on Tuesday, and traded as high as $538.47 earlier in the day.
Bezos’ estimated net worth dropped $1.4 billion to $265.2 billion as Amazon shares fell 0.6%.
Dell’s net worth has more than doubled since last year as his company has benefited from booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware.
327%. That is how much Dell’s stock has rocketed since the start of the year, when shares were priced around the $128 mark. Michael Dell holds a roughly 40% stake in his company and has much of his fortune wrapped up in his private investment firm DFO Management, which invests in hotels and liquid corporate credit. Dell’s net worth has soared alongside his company’s earnings, allowing him to surpass Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in recent months.
Dell Technologies is a week removed from its second-quarter earnings report in which it logged $47 billion in revenue, a 58% jump year-over-year, and adjusted earnings per share of $7.04, a threefold increase from the same period last year. The company’s AI server business logged a record $60.9 billion in orders and accounted for $16.4 billion in revenue. The growth, and what chief financial officer David Kennedy called “AI momentum,” resulted in Dell Technologies raising its full-year revenue guidance $25 billion to an anticipated $192 billion.
Personality in Focus
NAOSNP President, Oki Samson Bags Police-Youth Advocate Award
The Lagos State Police Command under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani, on Thursday, honoured the President of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), Mayor Oki Olatunji Samson, as a Police-Youth Advocate for his contribution to youth engagement and advocacy, responsible security journalism and community safety.
The recognition came during the Command’s commemoration of International Youth Day 2026, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” held at the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) Secretariat, Oduduwa Street, Lagos.
The event also featured the launch of the National Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery and a Police-Youth Dialogue designed to build stronger partnerships between law enforcement and young Nigerians. The initiative, in line with the vision of Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, placed youth participation, responsible citizenship and peacebuilding at the centre of contemporary security discourse.
In his address at the event, the NAOSNP President, a respected security journalist, stressed that youth advocacy must move beyond rhetoric to deliberate investment in the values, opportunities and relationships that enable young people to become agents of stability. He argued that the youth should not be viewed simply as potential victims or perpetrators of insecurity, but as indispensable stakeholders in preventing it. According to him, the digital space has become an extension of society and therefore requires the same standards of responsibility expected in the physical world.
The NAOSNP President urged young Nigerians to recognise the power of their voices, particularly on social media, and deploy that influence constructively. “Your phone is powerful. Your social media account is powerful. Your voice is powerful. Please use that power to build, not destroy.” He further challenged young people to resist political manipulation, stressing that no temporary political reward could justify sacrificing one’s future.
“Do not allow anyone to use your future to settle their present disagreement.”
He advocated a culture in which political differences could be expressed without becoming personal hostility, urging youths to verify information before sharing it and to understand that digital actions can have real-world consequences.
The intervention resonated strongly with the message of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, who warned young people against allowing politicians to exploit them for electoral violence as the country approaches another election cycle. Fatai said youths must look beyond immediate gratification and recognise the importance of preserving their future.
“Tomorrow is there for us. We should not think of today. We should always think of tomorrow. That tomorrow is more important than what we are today.”
The CP also delivered a particularly strong message against the recruitment of young Nigerians into political thuggery, noting that political actors rarely expose their own children to the dangers of electoral violence. “None of these politicians will use any of their children for electioneering, thuggery, violence or what have you.”
He urged youths to reject attempts to use them for ballot-box snatching, intimidation, destruction of property and other forms of electoral violence, while stressing that political participation remained a legitimate right when exercised responsibly.
The Commissioner equally identified the digital environment as an emerging frontier of security, urging young Nigerians to think carefully before posting, sharing or reacting to provocative content. His message was clear: political participation must never become political violence, whether offline or online.
In his goodwill message, Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ayokunle Owolabi, described the campaign as timely and commended the Police for strengthening engagement with young Nigerians. Owolabi noted that the energy, creativity and resilience of young people remained indispensable to Nigeria’s peace, security and development. He emphasised that national security could no longer be regarded as the exclusive responsibility of security agencies, but required a whole-of-society approach in which young Nigerians become active partners. He particularly warned against the misuse of digital platforms and physical spaces for violence, intimidation, misinformation and destructive engagement, while calling for stronger trust and communication between young people and security institutions.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), SP Olivia Amarachi Ugochukwu, urged young people to become the change they desire in their communities.
“Policing is everybody’s business. If you see something, say something.”
She also charged the media to ensure that only verified information was disseminated, noting that responsible information management was essential to preventing fear, confusion and conflict.
The well attended event attracted representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, NDLEA, FRSC and NSCDC, alongside NYSC, POCACOV, PCRC, NYCN, NANS, NURTW, RTEAN, CRAN, NAOSNP, POWA and youths from Police Barracks across Lagos. The programme featured an extensive Police-Youth Dialogue on security, political participation, social media, cultism, thuggery and emerging threats.
The recognition of Mayor Oki Samson as Police-Youth Advocate therefore represented more than an individual honour. It underscored the growing importance of credible voices capable of connecting young people, the media and security institutions around a shared commitment to peace.
In a society where insecurity can be amplified by a rumour, a provocative post or a manipulated young mind, youth advocacy has become a frontline security intervention. The future of Nigeria cannot be secured merely by policing the streets; it must also be secured by winning the minds, trust and participation of its young people.
The challenge before advocates such as Mayor Oki Samson and institutions such as the Police is to ensure that the message does not end with an award or a commemorative event. It must travel into schools, communities, newsrooms, transport parks and digital spaces—until peace becomes not merely a campaign slogan, but a conscious choice made by a generation whose future is ultimately at stake.






