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Kano headmaster, others arrested for selling school furniture

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The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested the education secretary, school headmaster, and three others over the alleged dismantling and illegal sale of school furniture and metals at a primary school in the Kumbotso Local Government Area.

The suspects, who were arrested on Saturday, were caught in the act on the school premises.

The Senior Special Reporter to the Kano State Governor on Anti-Corruption, Mallam Sani Umar Sani, who confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on Sunday, said some residents, who were conducting physical exercise early on Saturday, observed some movements and noise at the Gaidar Makada Special Primary School, Kumbotso Local Government Area.

On a closer examination, he said they discovered that the school furniture had been dismantled and the metals assembled and carted away.

“One of the residents, who is a neighbour of the school, said that early on Saturday, he saw a man with some young boys heading towards the classrooms of the school but were accosted by the security guard and after a little explanation was allowed into the classrooms”, Sani disclosed to newsmen.

“Thereafter, the resident said there was heavy noise from the classrooms, which informed his decision to take a closer look, only to discover that they were not only dismantling the school furniture but also assembling the metals.

“He subsequently informed the School Based Management Committee Chairman, Mallam AbdulGafar Sanusi Garba, who said he was not aware of the action, while the Parent Teachers Association Chairman, Mallam Alkassim Muhammad, was also well notified.

According to them, they were not in the picture as the school headmaster had sacked them before the expiration of their tenure.

They said the local government education secretary was notified of their unilateral removal by the headmaster, as they were appointed by the community.

“The education secretary, when we contacted him, promised to look into the issue but we never heard anything from him.

“With the development we observed this morning, we asked them why they were dismantling the school benches and other furniture, they said the items would be sold to people who are ready to buy them on the instruction of the school authority.

“We promptly videoed the items and notified the state anti-corruption agency.’’

A source close to the commission, who declined his name on print, said among those arrested included one of the merchants, who bought metals and iron rods from the furniture.

Furthermore, According to Metro learnt that the dismantled furniture, valued at over N2m was sold by the suspects for N250,000.

Also, it was gathered that the anti-graft agency had launched an investigation into the unfolding development, as those arrested were already in its custody.

Also, a credible source at the commission informed our correspondent that this might be the reason for the dismantling of the furniture in most of the primary schools in the state for the metals and irons to be illegally sold.

The source further hinted that the agency was already working on the development of software that would take an inventory of equipment in schools across the state and notify it if any of them are tempered.

Gunmen kidnap three, kill husband in Ekiti

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Gunmen on Saturday abducted three travellers in Emure, Ekiti State, According to Metro gathered on Sunday.

The attackers also killed Taiwo Oluwole, the husband of one of the captives.

According to security sources, who pleaded anonymity, the incident occurred around 5:30 PM near Oyimo River, along Emure-Supare Road in Emure.

Some pupils of Apostolic Faith Children School were kidnapped at the same spot in January.

Mrs Atinuke, wife of a retiree, Albert Adanikin, was also kidnapped on July 13 this year in the same area.

Sources told According to Metro that Oluwole and his wife were returning to Akure after attending a family event in Emure when their vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was ambushed.

Oluwole was hit by the bullet, and his wife, along with two other occupants of the car, was subsequently kidnapped.

One source reported, “Taiwo Oluwole was killed, while his wife and two others were taken into captivity inside the bush. He was shot while the vehicle was in motion and died instantly. His corpse has been deposited at the Emure Ekiti General Hospital.”

A resident of Emure who identified himself as Akin confirmed the incident, stating that the kidnappers had not yet contacted the family of the victim as of the time of filing this report.

He said, “The late Taiwo was returning to Akure after attending a family event in the town. He was driving his Toyota Camry when they came under heavy gunfire from the bush, killing him instantly.

“The kidnappers then took the family through the forest in the Eporo area of the town. We have not been able to speak to them, and the kidnappers have not contacted the family yet.”

The Chairman of Emure Local Government, Tosin Adedayo, confirmed the incident and stated that a joint security team had been pursuing the kidnappers since the report was made.

Adedayo said, “I am aware and have been actively involved in the rescue mission to free our people. Soldiers, policemen, and others who went after the kidnappers have not returned since yesterday. We are confident that our people will be freed.”

Emure shares a border with Supare, a community in Ondo State.

The Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of filing this report.

Police nab two for drug trafficking in A’Ibom

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Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested two suspects, Feziechukwu Okolie and Udeme Daniel, for alleged drug trafficking.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

John, who noted that the suspects were arrested during a raid of their residence in the Ring Road-3 area of the state on Saturday, said ammunition of various kinds was recovered from the suspects.

She narrated further, “Operatives of the command made the recovery when they raided the residence of the suspects on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at Ring Road-3 in Uyo.

“One of the suspects, Feziechukwu Kizito Okolie, ‘M’, hails from Abia-Omuma in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State while the other, Udeme Francis Daniel, ‘M’, is from Iwor Etor in Etinan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

“Items recovered from the suspects are; one Nitro Air rifle affixed with a detachable telescope, one SID Sauer American pistol, one Powerline Japanese pistol and one Phantom American pistol.”

She listed other exhibits as, “a black bag containing two pistol magazines with ten rounds of live 9MM ammunition, one black pistol casing, two pairs of leather gloves and three wraps of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa.”

While noting that the suspects had been subjected to a detailed investigation, John noted that the command was committed to ridding the state of crime.

“The suspects are currently in the command’s custody undergoing a detailed investigation.

“The command assures the general public of its commitment to rid the state of crimes and criminality for public safety and security and encourages members of the Akwa Ibom public to share credible intelligence with the police towards the fight against crimes and criminality in the state,” she concluded.

According to Metro reported on August 27 that six suspected cultists and drug dealers were nabbed when operatives of the command raided a criminal hideout at the Afaha Offiong community in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of the state.

The PPRO had disclosed that two bags of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, substances suspected to be cocaine and some cocktail concoctions were recovered during the raid.

She listed the names of the suspected drug dealers to include: Kufre Godwin Okon, Uko Monday Edet, Cyril Michael, Gabriel Effiong, Joseph Effiong Okon, Udofia Emmanuel Udofia.

Otti’s wife laments as husband gouges out spouse’s eyes in Abia

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The First Lady of Abia State, Mrs Priscilla Otti, has said she is deeply saddened by the case of a man who, early Sunday morning, in Umuahia, gouged out his wife’s eyes allegedly for ritual purposes.

According to Metro learnt that the man, Lawrence Uzor, an aluminium worker from Umuchieze in Bende Local Government Area but living at Adiele Estate in Umueze Ibeku in Umuahia North had, at about 1 am, used a knife to remove her wife’s eyes as she was asleep.

According to the couple’s landlady, Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, who was also admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, whose husband is working and living elsewhere and who was also inflicted with injuries at the hand and mouth by the man, told our correspondent that, “About 10 pm on Saturday, I heard the man shouting ‘Odogwu, Odogwu (mighty, mighty)’. I was worried as I had not heard the man and his wife, Amarachi Lawrence, praying like that.

“I started praying for them. After that, I couldn’t sleep until about 12 am and was restless. At about 1 am, the wife, who is a teacher with one of the foremost private schools in Umuahia and aged 38 years, started shouting, ‘Mummy, I have been killed’. I opened my door, came out, peeped through their bedroom window and saw the man pressed down on the wife with a knife in his hands.

“I started pushing on people’s gates and calling out to the Umueze people, but nobody came out or responded. After all attempts to call neighbours to come and nobody answered me, I went to their parlour door and started knocking. Suddenly, he opened the door while holding the knife and tried giving me cuts on the head but I defended my head with my hand. He cut me on the hand and further slashed the knife at my face which incidentally cut me at the mouth. Some of my upper teeth came out.

“I ran into my house and locked the door, while he ran outside, locked our gate and went to a neighbour’s house to tell them that he had killed his wife and his landlord’s wife. While inside my room, I called my mother and my daughter, who then called a church neighbour and the community vigilance team who rushed to the neighbour’s house and apprehended him.”

Speaking at the Federal Medical Centre, where the victims are being treated, Mrs Otti said she was deeply saddened by the case just a few days after signing the compact agreement with the UNFPA on gender-based violence, stating, “This is a terrible case of violence, attempted murder and violence”, adding that she would take immediate action to ensure Mrs Lawrence was well and protected.

Mrs Otti further assured the state that she would ensure further GBV response front desk and team took proper actions and commended the Umueze Ibeku community over their response and support to the issue. The Abia First Lady also donated cash for the treatment and upkeep of the victims.

Earlier in his response, the Medical Director of the FMC, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, who was represented by the Director, Medical Services, Mrs Aisha Onyemaobi, explained to Mrs Otti that reports indicated that the main victim, Mrs. Lawrence, (38 years old) was deeply asleep when the husband woke her up and started cutting her, adding, “There was an attempt to gouge out her eyes and she had genital mutilation”, while the suspect is in custody.

Onyemaobi further disclosed that good progress in her recovery was expected.

The victim’s sister, Ijeoma Okpokiri and her cousin, Chioma Okpokiri, both from Emede Ibeku, pleaded with the Inspector General of Police and the government at all levels, particularly the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to look into the matter and to also help their sister to recover.

Passengers lament as Lagos drivers, louts raise fares

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Passengers travelling into Ogun State from various parts of Lagos State were stranded on Sunday as levy collectors, commonly known as Agberos (louts), hiked transport fares at the Berger Bus Stop.

A According to Metro correspondent who monitored activities at the bus shed on Sunday observed that the agberos were informing incoming drivers from Lagos, who parked to pick up passengers heading to Arepo, Magboro, Ibafo, and Mowe in Ogun State, of the new fare prices.

Passengers, including worshippers and children returning from church, were seen stranded, pleading with drivers to reduce the transport fares.

Our correspondent observed that drivers charged commuters travelling to Mowe a flat fare of up to N1000, regardless of whether passengers intended to alight at any of the stops along the route.

The previous fare prices from the bus stop to the mentioned areas were N300, N400, and N500. However, when our correspondent arrived at the park around 3:00 pm on Sunday, drivers charged up to N1000 for the same journey.

A passenger named Adewale, heading to Arepo, had refused to board a bus charging N700 to Mowe, but was left in shock when the fare was further raised to N1000.

However, he lamented that after the vehicle departed, subsequent buses were instructed by the agberos to start charging N1000 for the trip.

“I was here when they charged N700 for any stop on the way to Mowe and Ibafo. I didn’t board because I thought the agberos would instruct the drivers to lower the price once more buses arrived.

“But unfortunately, as more buses arrived, the agberos kept telling the drivers to raise the fare. I’m shocked. This is pure wickedness,” Adewale lamented.

Joshua, a worshipper, who returned from church, informed our correspondent that the agberos were the main cause of the fare hike and urged authorities to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He said, “These individuals were dictating the fares to the drivers to increase their earnings. As the fares go up, they collect more from the drivers, leaving the passengers to bear the burden.”

A lady, who chose not to reveal her name, lamented the hours she had spent at the park because she couldn’t afford the increased fare.

“I didn’t budget for this when I left home this morning. I’ve been here for hours, and the drivers keep increasing the fares,” she lamented.

When our correspondent discussed the sudden fare hike at the bus stop, a driver who identified himself as Kazeem said he had filled his bus tank with fuel purchased from the black market.

“There’s no fuel available; the queues are too long. The fuel I’m using now was bought at black market prices. Do you expect us to charge the same rates?” Kazeem queried.

Wanted ex-beauty queen surrenders to NDLEA for drug offence

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said a former beauty queen, Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, has turned herself in at its Lagos command.

The agency accused the ex-beauty queen, who was the Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture in 2015/2016, of hiding after she was declared wanted eight months ago.

A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, noted that Aderinoye was declared wanted after she escaped when operatives raided her apartment in Lekki on January 24, 2024.

Babafemi stated that 606 grammes of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drugs packing plastics, a black RAV 4 SUV marked, Lagos KSF 872 GQ, and her picture frame, among others, were recovered from her apartment.

Babafemi said, “Wanted ex-beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas, also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, has surrendered to the Lagos command of the agency after about eight months in hiding.

“She was declared wanted by the agency in January after she escaped from her Lekki, Lagos residence when the NDLEA operatives raided her apartment at the Oral Estate, Lekki, on Wednesday, January 24, following credible intelligence that she dealt in illicit substances.

“The suspect was the Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture 2015/2016 and the founder of Queen Christmas Foundation. Recovered from her home during the search witnessed by the estate officials included 606 grammes of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drugs packing plastics, a black RAV 4 SUV marked Lagos KSF 872 GQ, and her picture frame among others.

“The suspect, who claimed she had been hiding in Akure, Ondo State since January when she escaped arrest in Lekki Lagos however, surrendered to the agency on Wednesday, August 28.“

Babafemi said operatives of the agency intercepted a total of 31,124, 600 pills of tramadol 225mg and bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N17, 932, 200, 000.00 in street value at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State and Tin Can seaport in Lagos.

“The seizures were made following intelligence processed by the agency on the movement of the shipments from their port of origin in India, leading to a demand for a 100 per cent joint examination of the watch-listed containers with the Nigerian Customs Service and other sister security agencies, “ he added.

According to him, the breakdown of the seizures showed that 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from two containers at Tincan port in Lagos on August 29 and 30, 2024.

“Each of the two containers had 175,000 bottles of the opioid.

At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, the NDLEA operatives equally intercepted a total of 447 cartons of tramadol 225mg containing 29 840,000 pills of the opioid as well as 380,000 bottles of codeine syrup from three containers on Thursday, August 29. The tramadol shipments came under different brand names such as Royal Tapetadol, Carisoprodol 225mg and Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg,” the statement added.

The following day, Babafemi said another set of three containers watch-listed by the NDLEA were subjected to a joint examination.

He added that at the end of the exercise, a total of 3,030 cartons of codeine syrup containing 554,600 bottles of the opioid were recovered from them.

“This brings the total bottles of codeine seized at Onne, Rivers and Tin Can in Lagos to 1,284,600 bottles worth N8,992,200,000.00 in street value while the combined seizure of tramadol stood at 29, 840,000 pills valued at N8,940,000,000.00”, he added.

Similarly, he noted that the NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, on August 27, arrested a suspect, Eze Emekan Don, while attempting to board a Cronos Airline flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, with 1,490 pills of tramadol concealed and packaged as cosmetics of different brands inside his luggage.

Also in Lagos, Babafemi said no fewer than 1,122 kilograms of cannabis were seized from a suspect, Mustapha Ibrahim, when he was arrested on August 26 along Orchid Road, Ajah, Lagos, adding, “…816kg of the same psychoactive substance belonging to a suspect at large was recovered from the same location the same day.”

In Niger State, he said the NDLEA operatives on August 26 arrested a suspect, Friday Gabriel, along the Minna-Suleja Road while conveying 1,900 capsules of tramadol, 300 bottles of codeine syrup and 600 packets of exol-5 tablets.

“Similarly, operatives in Bauchi State on Saturday, August 31, arrested two suspects: Garba Muhammed, 35, and Usman Yakubu Shehu, 31, along the Bauchi-Gombe Road while transporting 308 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4kg, concealed in a false compartment of a J5 bus marked Edo State URM 38 ZY,” he stated.

Siblings nabbed for gang-raping teenage girl in Rivers

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Two brothers in their early 20s have abducted and raped a 14-year-old girl in Erima community in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State, on Saturday.

According to Metro gathered that the girl was walking along a lonely path in the community to her uncle’s house when one of the hoodlums identified as ‘Honest’, in connivance with his other sibling, Mr Okwukwe, swooped on her.

A community source who pleaded anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the media on the issue, said several hours later, the girl’s mother, wondering why her daughter had not returned, immediately went to her elder brother’s house where the girl was going to only to find out that she did not even get there.

Worried by the development, the source said the woman raised the alarm and started crying around the community and ran into a vigilante leading to the arrest of one of the suspects.

“It was then that the vigilant people started searching for the girl and saw that the brothers, after kidnapping her, took her to a house near a bush and took turns to rape her,” he said.

Speaking to our correspondent on Sunday, the Second in Command of the vigilantes known as the ONELGA Security Planning and Advisory Committee in Egi community, Onuigba Chinonye, said he was on a patrol with his men when they saw the distraught woman.

Chinonye explained, “I was on a patrol with some of my boys on Sunday morning when we met one woman crying that her 14-year-old daughter had been missing since Saturday.

“I asked the woman which area, and she told us where she was staying and where the girl was going before. So, we started investigating and through some good neighbours too, we found out where the girl was.

“When we went into the place, we saw two brothers, senior and junior, raping the little girl in an isolated compound near a bush.”

Continuing, the vigilante official said, “In the process of trying to arrest them, the senior one proved stubborn and tried to fight us.

“As my boys were dragging him, his junior brother ran away. So, we apprehended the elder and handed him over to the Egi Police Division Headquarters in Obite, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA.

Chinonye advised youths in the community to shun criminal behaviours and embrace meaningful ventures to be useful.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, saying an investigation was ongoing.

Iringe-Koko stated, “He (suspect) is in our custody and will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

“The Commissioner of Police has ordered the Divisional Police Officer to ensure the arrest of the fleeing suspect for him to face the law.”

APC wins 21 chairmanships, 225 ward councillors seats in Kebbi

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The Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday, declared the All Progressives Congress as the winner of Saturday’s local council polls in the state.

The Chairman of the commission, Aliyu Muhammad-Mera, who announced this in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, said the party won all the 21 Chairmanship seats and 225 Ward Councillors.

Muhammad-Mera said that 17 political parties participated in the polls, including, APC, NNPP, LP, AAC, Boot party, AP, and SDP among others.

He announced that the commission had ratified and adopted the chairmanship results for the LGs as announced by the various councils’ Returning Officers and the Councillorship results as announced at the electoral wards.

Muhammad-Mera expressed joy that the exercise was peaceful and hitch-free and commended the security agencies and all other stakeholders for their invaluable support.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that PDP had since boycotted the elections, insinuating that the KESIEC Chairman and his Commissioners were card-carrying members of APC.

The PDP alleged that the commission’s leadership would not in any way be fair to opposition parties.

(NAN)

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Kwara sanitation offenders charged to courts

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In a bid to continually enforce sanitation laws in Kwara State, the state Environmental Sanitation Task Force has convicted and fined several sanitation offenders in the state for violating the law.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Nafisat Buge, disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists after the environmental sanitation exercise observed across the state over the weekend, according to a statement on Sunday by the Press Secretary of the State Ministry of Environment, Kamaldeen Aliagan.

The commissioner, who led the task force, affirmed that “the exercise was successful because there has been an improvement in the level of compliance,” noting that the residents of the state should adhere strictly to environmental laws.

Buge addressing the soldiers involved in the taskforce.

Buge further disclosed that “the offenders were apprehended and charged in 17 mobile courts strategically positioned across the metropolis.”

“The positive aspect is that none of the offenders can feign ignorance of today’s sanitation exercise, as sufficient sensitisation was carried out by the ministry through radio, newspapers, and online platforms. It is clear that they willfully flouted the laws and are thus made to face the full wrath of the law, serving as a deterrent to others.”

Speaking about the extension of time, Buge emphasised that “it is in line with the state Environmental Sanitation Law of Section 29 (2) CAP E4 of 2006, which stipulates that the hours of sanitation are from 7 am to 10 am.”

She further stated that the “move is necessary to ensure the total eradication of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and to prevent the outbreak of diseases, adding that the sanitation exercise must be taken seriously and by the laws governing our state.”

Commending members of the Guild of Yoruba Media Practitioners for their community service at the Gaa Akanbi area in Ilorin, the state capital, Buge lauded their efforts and tasked them with raising more awareness about the need for a better and healthier living environment.

She, therefore, appealed to the public to continue to cooperate with the state government and its agencies in their efforts to ensure a clean, safe, and healthier state.

Kogi PDP elects new executives

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In a significant move ahead of the 2027 elections, the Peoples Democratic Party in Kogi State has elected new leaders during its congress held at Kefas Hall in Lokoja, the state capital, on Saturday.

1,943 delegates from the state’s 21 local government areas participated in the congress, which marked the end of the Caretaker Committee led by Senator Danjuma Lah.

According to a statement by the party’s congress Head of Media, Austin Okai, released on Sunday, Enemona Anyebe emerged as the new chairman, marking a strategic shift to the Kogi East Senatorial District.

The newly elected officials are set to manage the party’s affairs for the next four years.

The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Istifanus Gyang, declared the elections fair and transparent, noting that most candidates were elected unopposed.

Gyang highlighted the importance of the congress, asserting that true power lies with the people and reaffirming the PDP’s status as the largest political party in Africa and a foundational entity for other parties.

He urged the new leadership to uphold the party’s principles and maintain accountability.

The statement read, “The newly elected officials are set to manage the party’s activities for the next four years, with key positions filled as follows: Chairman, Enemona Anyebe; Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Karaku; State Secretary, Sunday Olufemi Ibrahim; Organizing Secretary, Abdulkadir Ibrahim; Legal Adviser, Senibj Segun; Financial Secretary, Paul Ukwenya; Publicity Secretary, Umoru Tijani Aruwa; Treasurer, Audu Siyaka Uhanaye; and Auditor, Jude Sule.

“Others elected include Women Leader, Mrs. Esther Soje; Youth Leader, Yunusa Adazake; State Vice Chairmen, Igagwu Haruna (East), Anthony Akuvada (Central), Ibrahim Taiwo (West); Assistant Legal Adviser, Samson Audu; Assistant Financial Secretary, Emmanuel Daku; Assistant Treasurer, Mr. Salawu Fortune Omuya; and Assistant Youth Leader, Adebisi John.

“Others elected were Tolushi Michael Segun (Assistant Organizing Secretary), Ajiboye Bolaji (Assistant Publicity Secretary), Olu Olusoji (Assistant State Secretary), Ajibulu Osward (Assistant Auditor), Comfort Oloni, Isah Husseini, AbdulRahman Faruq Musa, Mashud Hadiya, and Ben Ugaje as ex-officio members.”

The congress was attended by several prominent figures, including former national and state assembly members, representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission and other party stakeholders.