THE International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said about 24,000 people were missing in Nigeria.
The organisation stated this on Saturday, August 30, in Yola, Adamawa State, at an event commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared.
Addressing participants at the event, the Family Links Officer at the ICRC, Benson Lee, said children and teenagers made up the majority with 59 per cent of the missing persons.
The ICRC said more worrying was that 67 per cent of the disappearances occurred in Borno State, a region battling insurgency and insecurity.
The group said in 2024 alone, families worldwide reported over 94,000 new cases of missing persons to its global Family Links Network.
The group said this brought the total number of registered missing persons globally to an estimated 284,400.
“Though we believe the actual figure is significantly higher,” Lee stated.
He said these disappearances not only caused emotional tragedies but also compounded economic hardship and social displacement for families.
“Many families face psychological distress, legal and administrative nightmares, and the loss of breadwinners. The suffering is multilayered,” Lee said.
At the event, the Chairman of the Family Association of Missing Persons, Luka Wada, lauded the ICRC for its commitment to reconnecting families.
He estimated that around 80 per cent of missing person cases were directly linked to armed conflict.
He appealed to the government and humanitarian organisations to do more for families left behind.
Also speaking at the event, Chairperson of the Adamawa Peace Commission, Jamila Suleiman offered words of comfort. “As difficult as it is, we must place our hope in God. The commission is doing all it can to prevent future violence that could cause more people to go missing,” she assured.
Cases of missing persons have been rampant in Nigeria. The ICIR reported in 2023 that over 23,000 persons disappeared in the country under various circumstances, including insurgency and kidnapping, in less than a decade.
The Federal Government said the figure represented half of those missing in Africa within the same period.
The former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, states this while speaking at an event to mark the International Day of the Disappeared at the National Human Rights Commission on August 30, 2023.
She noted that a more efficient mechanism was needed to improve the reporting and forensically trace cases of missing persons in the country.
THE International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub, has condemned the attack on a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Daniel Ojukwu, by officers of the Ikeja Police Command in Lagos State.
It frowned at the attack in a statement on Saturday, August 30, by its press freedom officer, Melody Akinjiyan.
The IPC stated that Ojukwu was performing his duty on Friday, August 29, when he was physically and mentally assaulted by police officers.
It alleged that Ojukwu’s glasses were shattered, his wristwatch ripped off, his phone damaged, and that he suffered bodily injuries during the attack.
According to the Centre, information collated by the IPC-SPJ Hub describes the inhumane treatment of Ojukwu by the police officers.
It said Ojukwu was at the police station to meet with the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) to obtain details of policemen who had extorted money from detainees.
“When he approached the Squad 1 office to ask to see the accused officers, three policemen pounced on him, seized his phone and began going through it,” IPC stated.
The Executive Director of the IPC, Lanre Arogundade said, “This incessant action or excessive use of force against Daniel Ojukwu is very dangerous to our democracy and a major threat to press freedom. Such acts of brutality also violate the fundamental human rights of the journalist.
“We urge the men of the Nigerian Police Force to be mindful of events around the world and not continually create an environment where journalists will be afraid to work and discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.”
The Centre urged the police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, to fulfil his promise of looking into the footage of the CCTV and get to the root of the incident.
The IPC called on the Police to take adequate and swift measures to bring the officers who attacked the journalist to book while putting in place machinery to compensate Ojukwu for the inhumane treatment.
“We also call on the Nigeria Police Force to step up the training of its officers to be more respectful and courteous while discharging their duties. They should be reminded constantly that the primary responsibility of the Police is the protection of citizens, including journalists and every other civilian,” IPC added.
In a related development, the Centre called for better understanding of the role of journalists during emergencies to avoid the kind of incident that occurred between the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railways Corporation, Kayode Opeifa and an editor with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ladi Bala, following the disruption of rail services between Abuja and Kaduna due to the train derailment.
It said Bala explained how she was verbally abused and threatened by Opeifa.
“Emergency situations would always occur and public officials must always be willing to accommodate journalists’ thirst for credible information at such moments.
“In such circumstance the public interest dictates that those in authority and security agencies should cooperate with journalists, patiently explain any security concerns and generally refrain from comments or gestures that may be interpreted as threats,” Arogundade added.
The ICIRreported on Friday, August 29, that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, condemned the harassment, intimidation, and verbal abuse of Bala, a transport reporter with NTA, by the NRC boss, and demanded a public apology.
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, boasted on Saturday, August 30, that the state of emergency declared in Rivers State would expire on September 18.
Wike said he was optimistic thatwith the conduct of the Rivers State Local Government elections, the end of emergency rule in the coastal state was imminent.
He spoke on Saturday in Rumepirikom, Ward 9, Unit 007, Obio/Akpo Local Government Area of the state after voting in the local government elections.
He told journalists after casting his vote that with the elections conducted, the coast was clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, since both the local and state governments had elected representatives in place.
“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire, and that would mean that the state governor and state assembly will come back to their job, and we will have a government at the grassroots level,” Wike stated.
Wike, the immediate past governor of the state, commended the conduct of the elections and described it as peaceful.
He expressed delight that people identified with the elections and noted that there had been no reports of violence or ballot box snatching, adding that electoral materials were available, and voters were casting their ballots, which he said showed that the elections were peaceful.
“Of course, we are concerned [about low turnout], but people are trooping out. Before the elections close, you will see the number of persons [increased]. So, we are very happy that, at the end of the day, these elections have been conducted very peacefully and successfully,” he said.
The ICIR reported that there was a heavy presence of security across the state, as residents trooped out to participate in theelections across the state.
The polls are being conducted in all 23 council areas, covering 319 wards and 6,866 polling units.
The polls are taking place under emergency rule, with Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, serving as sole administrator of the state following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, a professor, in March.
Fubara was suspended amid a political crisis between him and his predecessor, Wike.
The election is coming six months after the Supreme Court voided the October 2024 polls earlier conducted by RSIEC under Fubara’s leadership.
Analysts say today’s elections carry significant political weight, as the results could influence the state’s direction ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
THE United Kingdom (UK) said it had removed more than 100 occupations from being filled by foreign workers as part of its drive to cut net migration.
Its Home Office disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, August 30.
The new policy shift is aimed at opening up opportunities for British workers while reshaping its visa system.
“Cutting net migration means getting the fundamentals right.
“More than 100 occupations are no longer eligible for overseas recruitment – opening up more jobs for British workers. A fairer, skills-focused system is now taking shape,” the Home Office stated.
It, however, did not list the 100 occupations restricted from foreign workers.
The ICIR reports that the development is one of the latest decisions by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office on July 5, 2024, following Labour’s landslide victory, replacing Rishi Sunak.
Critics, however, warned that the policy could worsen labour shortages in sectors such as health and social care.
The ICIRreported recently that approximately 52,000 Nigerians migrated to the UK in 2024, placing the country among the leading sources of non-EU+ migration to the UK during the year.
It noted that work and study-related immigration was the primary reason Nigerians move to the UK.
THERE is currently heavy presence of security across Rivers State, as residents trooped out to participate in the local government elections held today, Saturday, August 30, across the state.
The polls are being conducted in all 23 council areas, covering 319 wards and 6,866 polling units.
Security agencies had earlier staged a show of force in Port Harcourt, the state capital, and other big cities on Friday, August 29.
The convoy was led on Friday by the Nigeria Police Force. It included personnel of the Army, Navy, Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, and other sister agencies, aimed at reassuring residents of safety.
Commenting on security for the poll, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, said there were adequate measures in place to secure lives and property before, during, and after the elections.
“Our deployment of personnel and logistics will ensure a free, safe, and credible process,” he stated.
On his part, the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Michael Odey, assured voters of the timely distribution of election materials, including in riverine areas, while urging residents to conduct themselves peacefully.
A restriction of movement order between midnight and 6 a.m. was announced on Friday to prevent disruptions.
The polls are taking place under emergency rule, with Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, serving as sole administrator of the state following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, a professor, in March.
Fubara was suspended amid a political crisis between him and his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The election is coming six months after the Supreme Court voided the October 2024 polls earlier conducted by RSIEC under Fubara’s leadership.
Analysts say today’s elections carry significant political weight, as the results could influence the state’s direction ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
As of press time, voting was ongoing in several polling stations, with security operatives maintaining visibility in identified flashpoints.
In the last LG election that was cancelled by the Supreme Court, tension intensified when the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) said it would not provide security for local council elections held on October 5, 2024.
The State Police command announced its withdrawal from the exercise in a statement posted on its Facebook page and shared on its X handle on Friday, October 4.
The state went ahead to conduct the poll, and the African People’s Party (APP) won 22 out of the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the election.
Fubara’s preferred candidates were victorious in the poll marred by controversies and security challenges.
THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Nigeria is among three countries with worsening cases of cholera outbreak, warning that one billion people globally are currently at risk.
“In July 2025, the African Region reported 20,053 new cholera cases across 14 countries, marking a seven per cent increase compared with June.
“In this period, the highest number of cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (8,308), South Sudan (6,740) and Nigeria (2,638),” WHO said.
It reported there were 577 cholera-related deaths, a 62 per cent increase compared with the previous month.
Nigeria was also among the three countries that topped the highest number of deaths.
The country reported 48 deaths, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo topped the list with 400, followed by South Sudan with 66.
In the African region, the WHO said from January 1 to July 27, 2025, 164,804 cholera cases were reported across 21 countries.
South Sudan reported the highest number of cases with 70,516, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, 42,760, and Angola, 27,666.
“In the same period, a total of 3,510 deaths were reported from 18 countries with the highest numbers recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1,212), South Sudan (1,173) and Angola (773),” the UN agency said.
It warned that globally, cholera outbreaks were worsening across 31 countries amid a surging fatality rate.
“Given the scale, severity, and interconnected nature of these outbreaks, the risk of further spread within and between countries is considered very high,” WHO explained in a post on Friday, August 29.
It attributed the deteriorating outlook to be “driven by conflict and poverty”, with rural and flood-affected areas especially vulnerable to the disease.
The ICIRreported in March how over 25 million people in Nigeria’s commercial cities face increasing overwhelming challenges of poor sanitation, heightening cholera outbreaks and compromising public health safety of residents.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from faeces, according to the WHO.
The agency reported further that between January 1 and August 17, 409,222 cholera cases and 4,738 deaths were recorded globally.
Cholera is gaining ground in several countries that had not reported substantial case numbers in years, like the Republic of Congo and Chad.
Also, there has been a global increase in cholera cases and their geographical spread since 2021.
THE National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has confirmed a fresh fatal boat mishap at the Jaranja River in the Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The latest accident was the third within a month in the state.
Area Manager of NIWA in the state, Bala Bello, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, August 29, in Sokoto that two people died, while nine injured victims were rescued in the latest tragedy.
Bello, who said the incident occurred Friday afternoon, attributed it to carelessness, overloading and safety rules violation.
He explained that a rescue team, comprising officials from NIWA, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency, and the Red Cross Society, had been mobilised to the scene.
He added that the team confirmed the casualty figures while search and rescue operations were ongoing to locate the missing persons.
Bello restated that NIWA had been engaging riverine communities on safety measures, guidelines, theuse of life jackets and other safety kits on water.
The NEMA’s Head of Rescue and Rehabilitation, Tukur Abubakar, who was also at the scene, confirmed that local divers had recovered one body while another, a female passenger, remained missing.
The latest tragedy comes barely a week after four people died in a boat mishap at Kojiyo village in Goronyo Local Government Area of the state.
In the accident, which occurred on August 17, 41 passengers were rescued and five declared missing.
The NEMA later disclosed that the death toll rose after the recovery of an additional body during its multi-agency operation, which also involved community divers.
Recall that another incident occurred at Faji Community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state on August 22.
Boat mishaps are frequent on Nigeria’s waterways, often caused by overcrowding and poorly maintained vessels, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and lakes overflow their banks.
In December 2024, the head of operations for NEMA in Kogi State, Justin Uwazuruonye, confirmed that 54 bodies were recovered from a boat accident involving about 200 traders in the state.
Uwazuruonye pointed out that the lack of a passenger manifest made it challenging to ascertain the exact number of people on board.
Similarly, in August 2024, at least 16 farmers lost their lives in Sokoto State after a wooden canoe conveying them across a river to their rice fields capsized.
Also on July 29, 2025, six young girls drowned in north-western Jigawa State when the boat transporting them home from farm work overturned midstream.
Just two days earlier, on July 27, another tragedy struck in central Niger State, where at least 13 people were killed in a separate boat accident.
FAROUK Adamu is a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former minority leader of the House of Representatives from Jigawa State. In this exclusive interview with The ICIR, Adamu speaks on the pains of fuel subsidy removal by the President Bola Tinubu government, as well as other national issues. Excerpts:
ICIR: As a renowned politician in the country and one of the founding members of the ruling party, the APC, what’s your assessment of this government in the last two years?
Adamu: Well, it has been challenging, but with a lot of progress. No matter what anybody says, if you remember back in the days when we were campaigning in 2023, all the major presidential candidates promised to remove oil subsidy. So, probably our biggest crime to the Nigerian public is the removal of the subsidy, which any of the candidates would have done anyway.
So, I think that’s really the beginning of the major challenge of this government within the last two years. I think as a government, we should be commended for that, but at the same time, we should also be knocked for that.
We should be knocked in such a way for back in the days when Jonathan was in government, myself, late President Muhammadu Buhari; all of us were on the streets all over the country demonstrating against the increase of oil prices that time, and we did everything to make sure Jonathan chicken out.
When Buhari came, I think the prices of petroleum products went up about three times, and then Tinubu removed the subsidy. But Buhari also would have done that. There are two things that Buhari did. He was to remove the fuel subsidy, but for the elections that were going to come he was advised not to do that, because it was going to bring chaos.
Farouk Adamu, a chieftain of the APC during an exclusive interview with The ICIR
So really, that was the beginning of our problem as a government, but unfortunately, also for Nigerians, nobody is remembering that there is a state and local government that should provide answers to their allocations. Everybody tends to look at the federal government.
But there are also certain things that when you’re in opposition or when you’re not in government, you don’t know. So there are certain things we did when Jonathan was in government. Sadly, it was due to ignorance of all of us.
ICIR: Have there been any attempts to assess the reforms of the president, mostly on fuel subsidy removal and its impact on the people with N70,000 minimum wage hardly able to buy a bag of rice?
Adamu: All the intentions are good, and the president is not an island. So, in most of these decisions, the president is just the executor. There are economists, there are people who do this arithmetic, who say what happens if this happens. So, the president is just the head who, if convinced, will go ahead and do it.
So, yes, we never expected the hardship to be this much. The president is not an economist; he is a politician. You know, they keep telling us that, it will be better. And we believe so. And no government will intentionally hurt its people. That is the beauty of democracy. All the things we are doing now, if Nigerians feel we are not doing the right things, through civility, democracy, we could be challenged. And we could even be removed.
ICIR: The federal government is asking Nigerians to tighten their belts, but we see at the federal level what some people regard as profligacy. For instance, the FG recently splashed money on football players. In a country that is borrowing people are questioning, if the government is serious about the austerity measures while asking us to tighten our belts.
Adamu: Well, first of all, we are paying the loans we are taking. About the money splashed on the players and their officials, you see, we are at the lowest level in this country.
The only thing that unites us is sports. So, the government, in the wisdom of our leaders, says, Look, let’s do something that unites this country because sports unites the country.
Here we are with one of the former Nigerian ladies in London, Kemi Badenock. I mean, look at how she portrays this country. Look at the composition of the Falcons team, comprising Okonkwo, Ajibade, and others, who believe in this country, who are flying the flag of this country. So, I don’t think any amount is too much to unite this country. But this thing is subjective.
ICIR: The UN agency on food, drugs announced that it was withdrawing aid and welfare packages to IDPs and so on. You are from the north, where there is such a massive problem with the IDPs and we can’t take care of them. Does that not call for priority on the government?
Adamu: No, whether we can’t take care of them, I don’t think so. But unfortunately, there are pilferages here and there. The government is trying its best. You know, these IDPs spring up like daily; I mean, you can’t envisage. So, sometimes you could probably get overwhelmed. I guess the government is overwhelmed. But still, back to whether it’s a waste, honestly, I believe it was done in good faith. It was done to unite this country. But it’s subject to debate as well.
ICIR: We can also see the sharp contrast with how people struggle to even buy basic things like food. If you go to the market, you see the price fluctuations and the pains. Is there a possibility that we can see a review of this, looking at two years later?
Adamu: Nothing is cast in stone. Certainly, there will be a review. I believe the government is taking notes. Recently, the government decided to import rice which was banned in this country at one time.
Now, they lifted the ban, and the price is coming down. It’s like a palliative done by the government to make sure things are coming down. But some are not coming down. But then, it’s part of the review that the government decided to lift the ban on the importation of rice.
But then, you spoke about the float of the Naira. Back in the days, somebody close to the government could just go to the central bank and collect dollars to go and exchange them at the black market rate. Now, this government said, Look, no more favours.
ICIR: Considering the growing opposition coalition against the present administration, do you think the position of the APC is being threatened ahead of the 2017 general election?
Adamu: You see, we respect them, we don’t ignore them; they are all respectable Nigerians. You can’t ignore Peter Obi, Atiku El-Rufai, or Amaechi, all of them, but the question is, all these people I mentioned were part of our gang in 2013, when we came together to bring down Jonathan. All of them. So, what is it about? Which means we, the elite of this country, are simply very selfish. Once you don’t get what you want, you just leave.
Faruk Adamu Aliyu
ICIR: There are concerns about President Tinubu’s poster across the country when we had barely two years into this administration. Are you not worried that this is rather too early?
Adamu: I totally agree. Honestly, it’s a digression, and it’s not good for the polity, but then the president honestly has no hand in all these processes you see. These are busybodies, people who are trying to show they are around the government.
But I call on INEC now to try to demonstrate that they are independent. Let them wield the big stick against the APC and all other parties. But then we, as a government, do you expect us to just sit down and wait and allow these people to just be all over the place, and while we keep quiet? Yes, but we are trying to do both, doing governance and politics as well. When they stop, we stop. If they don’t, we continue. They are doing only one thing, just opposition, but we are combining both governance and politics.
ICIR: It appears we are already tilting towards a one-party system. Everybody is joining the APC…?
Adamu: No, we don’t want one party at all. Nobody is being coerced to join. And we don’t go out of our way to ask people to come. Listen to what those joining the APC are saying. I remember the governor of Akwa Ibom, he said he wanted to join mainstream politics. He doesn’t want to be in opposition.
Governor Sheriff also said the same thing. So, they want to join the ruling party; they are doing it on their own. And some governors will not join. We are not asking everybody to join the APC. In fact, we don’t want everybody to join APC. But in this democracy, can you tell somebody, don’t come? No. We want the numbers. One of your colleagues said that we don’t have the numbers.
ICIR: Do you think there is a conspiracy being plotted to destabilise the ADC?
Adamu: There is nothing like a conspiracy. But there is sand being put in their Garri. What I’m saying is politics. Now, we keep looking at loopholes in their association or the party.
And we hit at that. Let them also look at loopholes in our party and do that. Look, this is politics.
Whether you say it in the open or you don’t I am now telling one of the APC stakeholders that we will keep putting sand inside their Garri. Simple.
ICIR: Are you worried about these concerns that have been expressed about the likelihood of a different VP being selected instead of Shettima ahead of the 2027 election, and how true are those concerns?
Adamu: You see, you are just asking questions and answering yourselves. When I told you we are putting sand inside their garri, they are also putting sand inside our garri because this is also part of it. Look, what is it about the vice president and the president? The president had never, ever, shown or said anything against his vice. And politicians will always be politicians.
When the president nominated Shettima, he did not consult anyone. The last I knew, he consulted Buhari. He went to Daura.
ICIR: There are now concerns about more appointments from the South than there have been from the North. What is your take?
Adamu: You see, that is Nigeria for you. If you can remember, when Buhari was in government, there were ten ministers from the north-west part of this country. Not a single minister of state.
From the north-west, where Buhari came from, some people will still agitate, and there will always be complaints. So, I think Nigerians should just concentrate on who delivers.
ICIR: Looking at late President Buhari’s legacy of large fellowship from the north, do you think after his demise, the APC might have lost fellowship from the north?
Adamu: You see, those 12 million votes or whatever votes, they are living beings. They are human beings and nurtured under the tutelage of Buhari.
So, it’s an opportunity. Now, who will harness that opportunity? Those who are in APC will continue to be in APC. So, those votes are there..
ICIR: Aren’t the political parties thinking of coming up with a new breed of politicians, more of younger people, with new ideas, and so on, instead of gerontocrats?
Adamu: The younger ones also need to show themselves up. Because in politics if you just wait for the older ones to give you, we will not give you. You come and fight for it.
Absolutely, yes. So if you want, come and take it from the older ones. But as a party, yes. We are also expecting to see who takes over from Tinubu when he leaves in 2031.
ICIR: So related to this issue, recently, Rufai’s son, Bashir El-Rufai, said, for this country to get better, the older people need to need to die…?
Adamu: Well, it’s subjective, because, you see, in 1999, Bukola Saraki, how old was he? Donald Duke too; I mean, all of them. So, when you talk about that, Nigeria has given opportunities to the younger ones.
It’s not the first time. So, whether we die or whatever, unfortunately for him, including his father, then all of us will die together. And I’m sure he will not wish his father dead.
ICIR: Many people are worried about the repression of the media and the use of the Cybercrime Act and dissenting voices. How do you look at that in terms of our democracy and freedom of expression and speech?
Adamu: That’s one of the things I was telling you, that when you’re in government, there are certain things you know that you didn’t know while you were out of office. Some of the noise you journalists make about that we came out, nobody harassed us, is not true. We were tear-gassed with Buhari when we were coming out.
So, the then government tear-gassed us. That time, we were hounded and so on. I was detained in a police station several times. I was a member of the House of Representatives. And I was driven from my village in Jigawa to another town, on an allegation that we were planning a coup against the government, and so on. As a government, there are certain things you see, you do, and then when you’re out of it, some you regret, and then some you do out of necessity of the office. So, honestly, nobody is being hounded, but of course, the security agencies, you don’t expect the president to call the IG, do this demonstration, and go and tackle them
ICIR: What are your political ambitions ahead of 2027? Are you eyeing any political office?
FARUK: I honestly want to become a kingmaker. I’m the APC leader in my state now, and my governor is doing his first term. I contested primaries with him in 2023 and lost. So we rally around him, behind him, to win, and Tinubu, so we’ll continue with the governor and the president. I have no political ambition.
ICIR: With rising insecurity affecting food security, what are your concern?
Adamu: It’s really worrisome. You see, when Jonathan was around, part of the thing that even brought down his government was this insecurity. And when Buhari came, some local governments were not under the state control. I mean, the government succeeded in doing a lot in the Northeast. Unfortunately, it moved to the Northwest. When Jonathan was around, there was nothing like banditry in the Northwest. But I think there was a tactical mistake where some of the terrorists from the Northeast, you know, see, moved to the Northwest.
So now, it is a thing of the past, but whether we are not there yet. There’s so much the government could do, but there’s also so much people would do.
Insecurity is not government business alone. You know the ward head should inform the DSS at the local level, any new faces, but they don’t.
ICIR: Are you positive that the North will support and back President Tinubu in 2027?
Adamu: I am 100 per cent. Look, you know when you say North, some people are agitated. Some people are angry Northerners. But are northerners the only hungry or angry ones? People are angry everywhere. Are you telling me everybody in the Southwest supports Tinubu? Not everybody supported Tinubu, but then there are a lot of us who believe in our party, whether it’s Tinubu or not; we’ll do everything possible. I don’t even want us to look at it from north and south. For me, it’s about my country and my party. My country is Nigeria, my party is APC, and my president is Tinubu. So those who believe in this will continue.
ICIR: What are your thoughts about non-performing ministers and a possible cabinet reshuffle in this government?
Adamu: I’ll borrow a word from the president of Uganda. I can’t remember; they had over 100 ministers. He was asked why this large company. He said, Well, there is a minister from every tribe. He said, If that is what will bring peace to this country, so be it. I will do that. So, in this country, too, there are a lot of interests. It’s part of the reasons why the President expanded his cabinet to take care of such interests, which you cannot ignore.
ICIR: Regarding the continued closure of the land border that’s affecting modern communities like Kano even Jigawa states, which rely heavily on informal trade between Chad and Cameroon, what are the economic implications of this closure to the north?
Adamu: No, I don’t think the borders are closed anymore, but the borders were closed by Buhari because of the ‘eat what you grow’ policy. And you remember that time there was a boom in rice production in this country. I am a farmer. I’m a large-scale farmer; one of the largest in this country, in my family, you know, and when you leave those borders porous, nobody will buy your product, because the cost of production here is higher than the cost of production in other countries.
LAGOS State Government said it recorded 8,692 cases of domestic and sexual violence between August 2024 and July 2025.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, a senior advocate, disclosed this on Friday, August 29.
Speaking at an event at Alausa, Ikeja, the state capital, to mark Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness month, commemorated yearly every September, Pedro said domestic violence accounted for 3,685 cases, making it the most reported issue during the period.
The commissioner, who was represented by the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Hameed Oyenuga, also noted that the youngest survivor in the year under review was 18 months old, while the oldest was 79 years old, which he said highlighted the fact that abuse cut across age groups.
He, however, stressed that the state government’s goal was to achieve a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual and gender-based violence.
Pedro stated that the state secured over 140 convictions and issued six restraining orders within the period.
According to him, the breakdown of the figures shows 243 cases of defilement, 244 cases of child abuse and physical assault, 99 cases of rape, 48 cases of sexual harassment, and 25 cases of sexual assault by penetration.
He added that there were 726 family-related disputes, 41 cases of cyber harassment, and 32 cases of threats to life.
The commissioner explained further that 3,090 children exposed to domestic violence received counselling, with their ages ranging from 18 months to 79 years.
He noted that 146 survivors received free legal representation. All survivors of sexual assault accessed free medical care, and 30 people were accommodated by the government.
Pedro said the state government offered rehabilitation services to victims, noting that 1,487 survivors and 249 offenders received therapy, while 13 people with disabilities were given specialised assistance.
On a local government basis, Pedro said Alimosho, Eti-Osa, Ikorodu, Kosofe, and Oshodi-Isolo recorded the highest number of adult-related cases, while Ikorodu, Kosofe, Badagry, Alimosho, and Oshodi-Isolo topped the list for child-related cases.
In 2023, The ICIR reported that the Lagos State Government launched a programme to address underlying causes of domestic violence.
Since its launch, the programme has supported sexual and domestic violence victims. It has also enabled the government to obtain more information on domestic and sexual violence in the state, while offended are apprehended and made to face the law.
THE International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) on Friday, August 29, trained Student Ambassadors and Project Support Lecturers from Bingham University on empowering female students to confront sexual harassment in Nigerian universities.
The training is supported by development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), through its NGO Support Initiative (NSI)
In his welcome remarks, the Executive Director of ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, expressed gratitude to Bingham University for embracing the initiative, noting that some institutions had subtly turned it down.
The ICIR Senior Programmes Officer, Chukwudi Iwuoha, said the training aimed at building a safe, accountable campus environment for students through individual empowerment and systemic transformation.
“We are training 10 ambassadors per university, and today we have trained 10 ambassadors. The trained student ambassadors are expected to raise awareness, educate peers, support victims, and promote reporting of sexual harassment.
“They will advocate for policy reforms, collaborate with project support lecturers, and maintain professionalism while engaging. They will serve as trusted leaders driving cultural and institutional change on their campuses,” Iwuoha said.
The consultant and project mentor of dRPC, Nkiru Duru, said the project was dRPC’s little way to help fight against sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.
He said over the years, the menace of sexual harassment had eaten deep into the society.
“I am very impressed with the students. You know, I can see the zeal they already have, the student ambassadors. And I’m happy they have that zeal and they are open to learning. And the lecturers, who are supporting their projects, are also willing to help to guide the students more,” she said.
While urging the student ambassadors to use the skills and knowledge they acquired from the training to empower their colleagues from other universities (since it’s not possible for the project to reach all the universities in Nigeria), Duru said people should know that sexual harrassment was no more business as usual.
The ICIR Editor, Victoria Bamas, who was the trainer and facilitator, expressed delight that the students’ ambassadors already had an understanding of sexual harassment and the willingness to take their ambassadorial role more seriously.
“Now that they have this better knowledge, they are more likely to create their awareness, because they now understand boundaries. They are now more likely to help their school and their classmates create safe spaces,” Bamas said.
One of the student ambassadors, Miranda Hassan Danjuma, expressed enthusiasm with creating a safe and welcoming space for fellow students, adding that the training was rewarding and filled with valuable learning opportunities.
“I feel like it’s a safe place where my voice can be heard and something can actually be done about it. And, moving forward to letting them have more knowledge about this in order to create impact in society, not just in the university but allaround Nigeria and the world at large,” she said.
