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UK-Based Techpreneur, Popoola, Makes Case for Siting of Proposed Federal College of Education in Gbongan
Popoola spoke in the light of the Federal Government’s decision to establish six new federal colleges of education in each of the six geo-political areas in the country to compliment the 22 already existing ones. This the government said is intended to increase the number of quality teachers in the country.
According to the public relations officer of National Commission for Colleges of Education, Mr Ameh Isaac, the newly approved institutions would be situated in Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Osun, Sokoto, and Edo states, where there were no presence of Federal Colleges of Education.
During a press conference in Gbongan City Hall on January 15, 2020, the paramount ruler of Gbongan kingdom,
By Eric Elezuo
Much as the month, November, has so far harbored uncertainty and uncanny happenings in Nigeria, the last one week has proved to be a period of untold occurrences that have prevented laughter and cheers among citizens, but sent chill, terror and blatant display of evil rooted in man’s inhumanity to man across borders.
In just one week, a lot has happened to reduce the country to a den of criminals, and justifiably bear the tag ‘disgrace’ as labeled by the United States President Donald Trump. In one week, civilians and men in uniform have been slaughtered, school children have been abducted from their schools, worshippers have been sacked, killed and taken from the place of worship, and not forgetting supposed freedom fighters have been found guilty by a court of law, and sentenced to life in jail. It has been a week of sorrow, tears and blood as afrobeat king, Fela Anikulakpo Kuti of blessed memory, would rightly say.
The resurgence of the terrorism activities is in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of targeted killings against Christians in the country. Much as attacks in Nigeria have affected both Christians and Muslims, the Christians have cried out loudly, claiming a genocide against the religion by Muslim iridentists, especially in Benue and Plateau states.
This is also even as a delegate led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was visiting the United States, where they met Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth among others.
To begin the week of inanities, what started like a mere rumour finally ended up as a real story confirming the killing of a senior military officer, Brigadier-General Musa Uba of the 25 Task Force Brigade, with four of his soldiers after an ambush by the Boko Haram terrorists. The general, who led a convoy, was returning from a patrol near Wajiroko village in northeastern Borno, when it came under sustained gunfire, according to the Nigerian Army. Uba was captured alive after what appeared to be an act of betrayed by insiders. He was murdered, and the video released in the media space.
The killing of Uba brought to five the number of senior military officers, who have fallen of the almost 16 years battle with insurgents in the North.
Recall that Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, the Command of the 272 Task Force Battalion, specializing in the operation of war tanks, was killed in November 2016 in the heat of battle. He was noted for daredevil bravery, which helped in the recapture of Baga from the terrorists. Ali’s death ce just one year after his promotion from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.
Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Sakaba, who commanded 157 Task Force Battalion, Metele, was the next. He was killed November 2018. His wife however, alleged that he was killed by fellow soldiers, who accused him of not joining them in corrupt practices. The army denied the allegation.
There was also the killing in September 2020 by Boko Haram terrorists through ambush of Colonel Dahiru Chiroma Bako near Wajiroko town
Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkusu was killed in November 2021. He was the first general before Uba, to fall to the bullets of the insurgents.
The killings of these senior officers have one recurring decimal; they were all killed in November except for Colonel Chiroma.
A day after, bandits attacked Fegin Baza village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing three persons and abducting at least, 64 others.
The day following, bandits also launched a fresh assault on Tsohuwar Tasha village in the Ruwan Doruwa Ward of Maru Local Government, abducting 14 people, including 11 women and three children. This is not including reported skirmishes in past weeks communities in Zurmi, Shinkafi, Maradun, Tsafe and Bungudu LGAs of Zamfara, leading to displacement and the imposition of levies and ransoms by armed groups.
A day later, in the early hours of a Monday, armed men stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, abducting 25 female students, the principal, killing the vice principal and injuring the security guard.
The Kebbi Police Command, in a statement, confirmed the incident, noting that police tactical units deployed within the school engaged the attackers but the gunmen escaped with the abducted students.
The police said additional tactical teams, in collaboration with the military and vigilantes, have been deployed to comb suspected bandit routes and nearby forests in a bid to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators.
“On November 17, 2025, at about 0400hrs, a gang of armed bandits with sophisticated weapons stormed the school, shooting sporadically.
“The police tactical units engaged them in a gun duel, but the bandits had already scaled the fence and abducted 25 students. One Hassan Makuku was shot dead, while Ali Shehu sustained an injury to his right hand, “ the statement partly read.
But the governor of the state however lamented that the military withdrew from the scene 44 minutes before the attack, raising concerns that someone prearranged the abduction of the students, creating more more room for suspicion of complicity of the security agencies.
As usual, the Federal Government has expressed deep concern over the abduction of the female students from Government Girls Secondary School, vowing to ensure their safe return.
Two days after the Kebbi incident, at least 16 vigilante members were killed and 42 residents kidnapped in seperate attacks by bandits in the Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Speaking for the federal government, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, condemned the attack on the school, describing it as “reprehensible” and decried the killing of school officials who were carrying out their duties.
He added, “Our security and intelligence agencies have been issued clear directives to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that the perpetrators face justice.
“The Federal Government will not relent until this objective is achieved.
“We assure Nigerians that strengthening internal security remains a top priority. The Federal Government is recalibrating the nation’s military, policing, and intelligence capabilities to more effectively prevent these attacks and respond with greater speed and precision whenever threats arise.”
As if Nigerians have not had a enough, Gunmen kidnapped 38 worshippers of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, during a live service. The terrorists demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (roughly $69,000) per worshipper, according to information from a church official, reported by Reuters.
Reports say that about five persons were also shot dead, while several of the worshippers were injured in the tragic incident. The kidnappers are contacting the individuals’ families to demand ransom.
It was also reported during the week that suspected Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) members attacked a Police formation in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, killing one officer and setting operation vans on fire among other atrocities.
Also within the period under review, suspected members of Boko Haram insurgents killed eight people during an attack in Warabe, a village in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and abducted three. It was reported that the victims were members of the Civilian Task Force. In the same vein, 15 persons were abducted, including 4 nursing mothers and babies, and two killed in Sabon Birni, Sokoto state by same Islamist terrorists., who in another development killed four rice farmers in an attack in Edu, Kwara State.
To cap up the week of blood and tears, and just four days of the Kebbi school attack, heavily armed terrorists invaded the Saint Mary’s Private School, in Papiri, Niger State, a Catholic institution comprising nursery, primary and secondary sections, and abducted a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted. Earlier reports say 52 pupils were taken. The number was updated to 215 before finally arriving at 315.
The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the school on Friday.
He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18, according to a report by CNN.
CNN also reported that no group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions just as authorities have deployed tactical squads alongside local hunters to rescue the children.
The Niger State government had blamed the school for the attack, saying that an advisory was issued for the closure of schools, which the school disobeyed.
But Yohanna dismissed the claim as false, noting that “We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful.”
Meanwhile, the Niger State government has now shut down all schools as a measure to forestall other kidnappings.
According to Gov Umar Bago while addressing the media during a meeting with security stakeholders, the decision was in a bid to protect lives and property.
“It is the decision of stakeholders today to close all schools in Niger state. All schools are closed till further notice. So we have declared Christmas holiday for all schools in Niger State,” the governor said.
In the meantime, report says about 50 of the abducted Catholic students have escaped, and returned home safely.
This is contained in a statement on Sunday by the state Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the Proprietor of the school and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, and issued by his Media Aide, Daniel Atori in Minna.
President Bola Tinubu has also promised to decisively dealt with insurgents, and bring peace to the north, and the nation at large.
In another development, Justice James Omotosho sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who he labeled an ‘international terrorist’ to live in jail.
The nation awaits the response of the Nigerian government to the myriad of security challenges, plaguing the country, the designation of the country as CPC and the threat of Trump to invade the country with ‘guns blazing’.
It would also be taken into consideration that the US Congress, who accused Tinubu of ‘sitting back’ and doing nothing, has unanimously voted to grant Trump powers to attend to the Nigerian challenge anyhow he deem fit.
Headlines
Nnamdi Kanu: Alleged Order to Bomb US, Uk Embassies, Omotosho’s ‘Manufactured Lie’ – Group
A coalition of rights activists has faulted the verdict delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court in the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice Omotosho had on Thursday convicted Kanu on terrorism charges brought against him by the Nigerian government and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
However, a coalition of rights activists, comprising the American Veterans of Igbo Descent, Ambassadors for Self Determination, and the Rising Sun Foundation, in a joint statement on Thursday evening pointed out what they described as a major flaw in the judgment.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho described Kanu as an international terrorist, stating that he ordered attacks on the United States and United Kingdom embassies in Nigeria.
Reacting to the judgment, the activists coalition said the allegation that Kanu ordered attacks on the US and UK embassies was never raised in the charges filed against him, and was also not brought up throughout the proceedings of the trial.
Wondering how the judge arrived at the allegation, the activists described the claim as a manufactured lie that collapsed the judgment against Kanu.
Parts of the statement titled ‘Justice Omotosho’s fictional “bomb plot” against US and UK missions’ read, “We address you today on one central, shocking point in the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — the claim that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu planned to bomb the British and United States missions in Nigeria.
“We state openly and without fear of contradiction: This allegation was never charged, never testified to, never tendered in evidence, and never mentioned by any witness in the entire trial. It is a pure invention of the judge, inserted into the judgment to demonise Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before the world and to drive a wedge between him and the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom.”
Stressing that “no witness ever spoke of any bombing plot,” the statement added, “Throughout the proceedings before Justice Omotosho: No charge alleged any plan to bomb US or UK embassies. No prosecution witness testified about any such plot. No document, exhibit, audio, video, or intelligence report was tendered to support such a claim. The defence had no opportunity to cross-examine any witness on this issue, because it never arose in court. Yet, in his judgment, Justice Omotosho casually wrote in this wild story of a supposed plan to bomb the British and American missions. This is not a mistake. It is a fabrication.
“In any criminal justice system worthy of the name, a judge cannot convict an accused person on the basis of stories invented in chambers and not proven in court.”
The activists insisted that the official transcripts of the trial will prove the ‘fabrication.’
The activists added that, to remove any doubt, they have resolved to release to the world the full certified transcripts of everything that transpired in Justice Omotosho’s court.
“Those transcripts will show clearly that no prosecutor, no witness, and no document ever mentioned any threat to US or UK missions. The only people who testified against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu were hired storytellers, and even they did not tell this particular story. The so-called ‘bomb plot’ exists only in the judgment, not in the evidence,” the statement added.
The activists called on the media, members of the diplomatic community, and human rights organisations to read the record themselves “and see how far a Federal High Court judge was prepared to go to justify a conviction without evidence.”
Further faulting the judge’s assertion, the activists noted that the alleged directive to attack the US and UK embassies makes no sense considering Kanu’s pro-US and UK record.
The statement said, “This invented ‘bomb plot’ is not only unsupported, it is absurd on its face. In 2017, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu organised the first and only Trump Solidarity Rally in Igweocha (Port Harcourt), where thousands peacefully marched in open support of the then-US President. In 2020, he personally attended a Trump campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, openly identifying with the American democratic process. These are not the actions of a man plotting to bomb US or UK missions. They are the actions of a man who, rightly or wrongly, sees the United States and the West as allies in the struggle for justice and self-determination.
“For a Nigerian judge to twist this history into a phantom ‘terror plot’ is not only dishonest; it is dangerous. It sends a message to the world that Nigerian courts are willing to weaponise lies against political defendants.”
The statement declared that the judge’s “fabrication” has destroyed the entire judgment.
“Under the Nigerian Constitution and basic common sense, a person can only be convicted on evidence given in court. The offence must be clearly written in a valid law, and the accused must have a fair chance to challenge any allegation. By importing a serious accusation that was never charged, was never proved, and was never put to the accused, Justice Omotosho violated Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s right to fair hearing; turned himself from an impartial judge into a prosecution witness and propagandist; built his judgment on facts that do not exist in the record.
“Once a judge bases a criminal conviction on fabricated, extraneous material, the entire judgment is poisoned. It is legally unsafe, morally bankrupt, and constitutionally void. This single act of fabrication is enough, on its own, to nullify the judgment, justify its reversal on appeal, and trigger serious disciplinary action by the National Judicial Council (NJC),” the statement added.
Stating what the alleged fabrication means for the judiciary, the activists noted that when a judge in a criminal trial descends into the arena of fabrication and lies, the judiciary itself is in trouble.
“This is no longer about one man, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It is about whether any Nigerian can trust that our courts will decide cases on evidence, not on scripts; judges will respect the record, not rewrite it, and the bench will not be used as a tool to destroy political opponents.
“Justice Omotosho’s conduct sends the worst possible signal, both domestically and internationally. It tells the world that Nigeria’s courts can be used to manufacture ‘terrorists’ on paper while ignoring the actual evidence.”
Vowing that they will not allow the matter to pass quietly, the American Veterans of Igbo Descent, Ambassadors for Self Determination, and the Rising Sun Foundation outlined their next steps.
The next steps include “immediate publication of the full transcripts of proceedings before Justice Omotosho, for Nigerians and the international community to read before they falsify it,” and filing of appropriate appeals challenging the judgment on the ground that it is based on fabricated facts not supported by evidence.
They also plan to petition the National Judicial Council and relevant bodies, “asking them to investigate how such a grave falsehood found its way into a Federal High Court judgment,” and direct engagement with US and UK authorities, providing them with the record of proceedings to show that this alleged ‘bomb plot’ exists only in Justice Omotosho’s imagination.
The activists stressed that “the attempt to paint Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a man who planned to bomb US and UK missions is a fallacy from the pit of propaganda, not from a court of law.”
“It is a stain on the judgment. It is a stain on the court. And unless it is decisively rejected, it will remain a stain on the Nigerian judiciary. We are determined to expose this fabrication in a way Justice Omotosho never imagined possible, with documents, with transcripts, and with the cold, hard truth,” the statement added.
DailyPost
By Eric Elezuo
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to life imprisonment, having been found guilty and convicted of all the seven count charges of terrorism brought against him by the Federal Government.
Delivering his judgment, the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, said the offences for which Kanu was found guilty carry a death sentence, but out of magnanimity, and in carrying out the example of Jesus Christ in showing mercy, he has decided to commute it to life imprisonment.
