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Elder statesman and convener of the Igbochukwu Organisation, Dr Chike Obidigbo, has expressed regret that Nigeria’s former head of state, retired General Yakubu Gowon, intentionally omitted the fundamental truths regarding the genocide against the Igbos during the Nigeria versus Biafra war from 1967 to 1970.

He stated that at the age of 90, the former Head of State should have taken a cue from former military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida by addressing all the webs of deceit or uncertainty surrounding the events that led to his conflict with Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, shortly after the Aburi Accord was established.

He emphasised that he and other Nigerian elders, including Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo, Theophilus Danjuma, and President Bola Tinubu, should have recognised by now that it is imperative to stop misleading the younger generation, particularly as they approach the end of their lives.

Obidigbo, who mentioned that he took time to reflect on the significant historical lessons presented in Gowon’s ‘My Life of Duty & Allegiance’ before making his remarks, observed that the entire biography resembled a command narrative designed to reflect a personal stance on the contentious issues that contributed to Nigeria’s troubled framework.

“I can assert without hesitation that Jack failed to include the essential facts and truths concerning the most significant historical challenge that has affected Nigeria’s political economy. It is possible that, accustomed to the command and control dynamics of the military, which remains his domain, the former Head of State prioritised loyalty to the institution over the nation.

“One aspect that I believe Gowon should have expanded upon is the reality that Biafra and the attempted secession by the Eastern Region was not originally Ojukwu’s concept. The former Head of State is aware that Ojukwu was a casualty of unforeseen circumstances and the unintended repercussions of the pogrom in Northern Nigeria that led to the conflict,” he remarked.

According to Obidigbo, “I know this to be true. In April 1967, Ojukwu received visitors in August, which included the then British Deputy High Commissioner to the Eastern region, Mr. Roland Walter Parker, the Managing Director of Shell BP Development Company, Mr. Stanley Gray, Mr. Frederick Stephens, the chairman of Shell International, who was visiting Port Harcourt at that time, and a representative of Sir David Hunt, the then British High Commissioner to Nigeria.

“The purpose of these visitors’ assignment to Enugu was to persuade Ojukwu to withdraw the Eastern region from Nigeria, and to discuss the future of petroleum exploitation in a new nation anticipated to emerge from the then Eastern region. They believed that Gowon had received British support to abandon the terms and conditions for peaceful association as agreed upon in the Aburi Accord in Ghana.”

Furthermore, Obidigbo stated that Ojukwu revealed he informed the visitors that, given the itinerant nature of his people, Nigeria provided them with the necessary space to conduct their affairs. He also expressed that, since the country was in its formative stages of unity, such a secession might not serve the best interests of the new nation, Nigeria.

Additionally, Ojukwu conveyed to his visitors that he lacked the resources and adequate materials to wage a full-scale war against Nigeria, which was collaborating with Britain and other Western allies. He concluded that any discussions regarding the fate of oil at that time were not only premature but also decisions that he could not make alone.

The elder statesman noted that it was at this point that the British agents assured Ojukwu of their complete support, both locally and internationally, which included funding, weapon supplies, and the immediate release of the accumulated royalties that Shell was withholding from Ojukwu.

Biafra: At 90 you’re expected to tell the truth – Obidigbo slams Gowon over autobiography

NWFL Super Six Play-off debutants Abia Angels upset Rivers Angels at the Adokie Amesiemaka Stadium in Port-Harcourt to grab their first win of the competition.

Winner David’s header which found the back of the net in the 26th minute proved decisive in the encounter as the Abia ladies stun the former champions.

The coach Mario Eshalomi tutored Abia Angels held Bayelsa Queens to a 1-1 draw in their opening fixture and now lead the play-off table with four points from two matches thereby announcing themselves as genuine title contenders.

Elsewhere, Christopher Danjuma’s Nasarawa Amazons rallied to beat defending champions Bayelsa Queens 2-1 in their second fixture for the day.

Nasarawa Amazons now have six points from two games, while Bayelsa Queens have recorded one point from same number of matches.

Edo Queens bounced back from their opening day defeat to Nasarawa Amazons to thrash FC Robo Queens 4-1 and ease some pressure off coach Moses Aduku.

It was Robo Queens’ second defeat of the play-off competition following last Saturday’s 3-2 loss to former champions Rivers Angels.

Matches will continue in the NWFL playoff on Wednesday.

Abia Angels Stun Rivers, Claim First Women’s Super Six Victory is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Yobe State Police Command said its operatives have arrested three suspects in possession of dangerous weapons during a raid on criminal hideouts in Damaturu.

The command, in a statement issued on Monday by its public relations officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, indicated that the raid on criminal hideouts followed directives from the Commissioner of Police, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, to police operatives in the state.

“During the operation, three suspects, all residents of Moduri Ward, were apprehended in possession of dangerous weapons and suspected charms believed to be used for protection during criminal activities or violent confrontations with rival groups.

“The suspects arrested are Yusuf Garba, 19; Dauda Kolo, 22; and Rabiu Hamza, 20. Exhibits recovered include four knives measuring approximately 20 inches each and four heavy sticks as well as one machete,” the command added.

It said investigations have commenced to ascertain the motive behind the possession of the deadly weapons, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate currently at large.

“The command remains committed to safeguarding lives and property, while intensifying efforts to address youth hooliganism, drug and substance abuse, and other related violent crimes across the state,” the statement said.

Police arrest three suspects with dangerous weapons in Yobe

Several passengers are feared dead after a train operating on the Warri–Itakpe corridor derailed on Monday.

The exact number of casualties has yet to be officially confirmed, as rescue and assessment efforts continue at the scene of the incident.

Confirming the development, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) disclosed that emergency personnel and relevant agencies have been mobilised to assist affected passengers and manage the situation.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) confirms that an incident involving the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) occurred today.

“Emergency response teams and relevant authorities are currently at the scene attending to the situation and providing necessary assistance,” the statement signed by the corporation’s managing director and chief executive officer, Kayode Opeifa, partly read.

“The corporation is closely monitoring developments, and a detailed statement will be issued as soon as more information becomes available,” it added.

Authorities are expected to release additional information as investigations and rescue operations progress.

Several feared dead as Warri–Itakpe train derails

The death of a senior officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Lumi Elisha Gwamis, has thrown residents of Boi District in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State into mourning.

DAILY POST reports that Gwamis, 44, was the eldest son of a former executive chairman of Bogoro LGA, Hon. Elisha Tula Gwamis.

Reports circulating within the community alleged that the deceased had been battling depression and anxiety before his death, with some residents suggesting he died by suicide.

Speaking during a condolence visit on Monday, the deceased’s father, Hon. Elisha Tula Gwamis, described the incident as shocking and painful.

“My son, Lumi, was healthy and hearty. None of us was aware of what he was about to do. It was later that we heard the bad news. It is very unfortunate, and all of us are full of sorrow,” he said.

Residents and sympathisers across Bogoro LGA have continued to express grief over the incident, describing the officer’s death as unfortunate.

The deceased is scheduled to be buried on Wednesday, June 10, following a funeral service in Boi, Bogoro LGA.

He is survived by his father, Hon. Elisha Tula Gwamis; his mother, Mrs Saratu Elisha Gwamis; and several siblings.

However, the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone D, Bauchi, has dismissed reports suggesting that the officer died by suicide.

The public relations officer of the unit, Umar Abdullahi, while speaking with DAILY POST, said the service had not received any information indicating that the deceased took his own life.

“What the father of the deceased told us was that he was sick. He came to the office accompanied by his father to document, having been newly posted to the unit from Tin Can Island Port. He took annual leave, which he was entitled to, and left with his father,” Abdullahi said.

“Then the father called us and told us that the officer had died. So, we cannot say that he killed himself since the father didn’t tell us that. We cannot work with rumours or what people are saying; we work based on what the father told us.

“He hasn’t worked with us here. He just reported and took annual leave. He was recently transferred to Bauchi. When he came and reported, before we posted him, his father told us that he was sick. The officer even said that when he returned, we would allocate an office for him to work. So, what I told you is the only information we have.”

The circumstances surrounding Gwamis’ death remain unclear at the time of filing this report.

Customs officer dies in Bauchi under unclear circumstances

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has advocated for a unified West African approach to combat criminal activities in the region.

He made this appeal on Monday while chairing the 11th Meeting of Heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus, NCBs, for West Africa in Abuja.

According to DAILY POST, the assembly convened NCB leaders from sixteen West African countries, along with senior officials from the INTERPOL General Secretariat and regional security organisations.

The IGP emphasised that human trafficking rings, arms traffickers, drug cartels, cyber criminals, money laundering operations, terrorist financiers, and violent extremist factions all share a common trait: they function without respect for national boundaries.

He stressed that the success of the region relies not on the efforts of any individual nation, but rather on the promptness and effectiveness of collaborations established among all sixteen member countries.

Regarding Nigeria’s contributions, IGP Disu highlighted tangible measures already in progress, which include the expansion of INTERPOL’s I-24/7 secure communication network to border control points and law enforcement agencies nationwide, ensuring that officers at land crossings have the same real-time access to vital intelligence as those at headquarters.

He reiterated Nigeria’s dedication to Project GEMINI — the systematic uploading and verification of INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database — and cited the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) as a testament to what can be achieved through purposeful regional data integration.

Looking forward, he pledged Nigeria’s commitment to three key priorities: guaranteeing universal access to INTERPOL’s essential databases across West African border infrastructure; establishing coordination mechanisms that facilitate joint actions within hours rather than weeks; and fostering trust and transparency among NCBs to enable effective information-sharing. He noted that without such trust, even the most advanced systems will be inadequate.

Insecurity: IGP Disu calls for united West African front against transnational crime

Oke Odo (Ile-Epo) Market, described as the second-largest food market in Lagos State, is located near Abule-Egba and attracts buyers from across the state due to the relatively low cost of food commodities compared to other markets.

However, beneath its bustling commercial activity lies a disturbing reality: every rainfall exposes the poor environmental condition of the market.

A visit by THE WHISTLER correspondent to the market revealed how quickly the grounds turn muddy during rainfall. Despite the difficult conditions, traders continued displaying both perishable and non-perishable food items for sale in the filthy environment.

While some traders make efforts to sweep portions of the market, a significant section still requires proper infrastructure such as better interlocking stones or concrete flooring to prevent persistent mud during rains.

“My brother, why did you come here with those fine shoes? Don’t you know people don’t wear good shoes to this market?” a trader remarked to our correspondent, expressing concern over his mud-soaked footwear.

In September 2023, the Lagos State Government sealed the market for noncompliance with environmental protection laws. The market was also shut down again by officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), alongside the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), about 10 months after an earlier closure over similar environmental infractions.

Announcing the closure on X at the time, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the action followed repeated complaints from members of the public.

According to him, the market had become “notorious for very poor sanitary conditions” and persistent failure to comply with waste management regulations.

“This action is taken to protect members of the public from food-borne and water-borne diseases like cholera, thypoid, dysentery,” Wahab said.

He urged members of the public to report any similar cases of poor sanitation in markets and business outlets across the state.

Speaking on the implications of poor market sanitation, a public health expert and Chief Executive Officer of EpidAlert, Dr Lawal Bakare, said market sanitation is primarily an environmental issue, although it has significant public health consequences.

He noted that environmental health officers at the local government level have important responsibilities in monitoring sanitation standards and enforcing existing regulations.

According to him, the poor condition of many markets reflects weaknesses in regulatory enforcement, adding that agencies responsible for environmental management, public health and market regulation must work together to improve conditions.

Bakare also noted that markets generate substantial revenue for governments through various levies and fees, making investment in cleaner and better-organised market environments a necessity rather than an option.

Improving market infrastructure, he said, would not only protect public health but also enhance economic activity.

He further stressed that consumers have a role to play, arguing that purchasing decisions can influence the behaviour of traders.

“Consumers should stop encouraging those things,” he told THE WHISTLER.

“You can control the behaviour of the seller by making sure that you don’t buy.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 866 million people—nearly 1 in 9 globally—fall ill each year after consuming contaminated food, while about 1.52 million die annually as a result.

The economic burden is also significant, with around US$310bn lost every year in productivity and medical costs linked to unsafe food worldwide. Children under five are particularly vulnerable, accounting for 29 per cent of the global health burden of foodborne diseases, with approximately 143,000 deaths recorded in 2021 alone.

Beyond health impacts, WHO says foodborne diseases slow socioeconomic development by placing pressure on healthcare systems and undermining national economies, tourism, and international trade.

How Rain Exposes Environmental Decay At Lagos’ Market is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

My first encounter with Aristides the Just, the great Greek politician and statesman, was in 1987 through the late Dr. Tai Solarin, who shared the timeless legend of his ostracism.

As the story goes, during a high-stakes vote to banish a leader from Athens, an illiterate citizen, unaware of who he was speaking to, approached Aristides and asked him to write the name “Aristides” on his pottery shard (ostrakon). When a startled Aristides asked what harm this man had ever done to him, the peasant replied, “None at all. I don’t even know him, but I am just sick and tired of hearing everyone call him ‘The Just.’” Rather than arguing or abusing his power, Aristides calmly wrote his own name on the shard, submitting to the flawed will of the populace.

Today, Senator Lola Ashiru faces a remarkably similar political battlefield as he fights to safeguard his legislative legacy in the Red Chamber. Despite a long, documented list of enduring developmental projects and strategic infrastructure facilitated across all seven local government areas of the Kwara South Senatorial District, a faction of influential detractors is doing everything possible to paint the Senator black and obliterate his record of achievements. To these characters, effective governance is not measured by sustainable growth, but by transactional politics. To them, if a lawmaker is not doling out short-term cash handouts at regular intervals, such a person has “failed” in office. Long-term projects that structuralize development, touch lives, and endure for generations carry no appeal for this group.

The core of the grievance against Senator Ashiru stems from a refusal to play the game of ephemeral politics. While some demand immediate, fleeting cash distributions, the Senator has focused on legacy projects that stay rooted in the soil of Kwara South long after election cycles end. From critical structural interventions to community-focused infrastructure across the local governments, these are the foundations upon which economic independence is built. To trade long-term structural empowerment for short-term handouts is to swallow poison and expect health. It is simply a case of Concrete Infrastructure versus Stomach Infrastructure.

Much like the easily swayed Athenians of old, these influential actors have successfully weaponized misinformation, brainwashing a segment of the populace into accepting packaged falsehoods as absolute truth.

We owe a profound duty to God, our people, and posterity to break our silence. We must expose the reality of the alternative candidates being packaged by these characters, individuals often pushed forward not for the collective advancement of Kwara South, but to satisfy the deep pockets of a few political gatekeepers. Replacing a ranking, performing senator with a placeholder candidate is a step backward we cannot afford.

In the National Assembly, hierarchy matters. As Deputy Senate Leader, Ashiru’s legislative influence brings far more value to Kwara South than a newcomer could yield.
His position as a ranking senator and the Deputy Senate Leader grants Kwara South a level of leverage, committee influence, and budgetary negotiation power that a newcomer simply cannot replicate. To willingly displace a high-ranking legislator is to voluntarily relegate the entire senatorial district to the back political benches in Abuja.

The alternative being packaged by these influential gatekeepers is not an upgrade; it is a regression. The candidates being pushed forward are designed to be malleable, serving the financial appetites of their sponsors rather than the developmental needs of the populace. We are witnessing an attempt to replace a statesman with a placeholder, and the ultimate victims will be the ordinary citizens whose futures are being bargained away.

Athens realized too late the value of the man they had cast out, eventually recalling Aristides when crisis loomed and true leadership was required. Kwara South does not need to suffer the consequences of a self-inflicted political exile to realize the value of what it currently possesses. ​It is time for the electorate to look past the repackaged falsehoods, reject the politics of immediate gratification, and defend the tangible progress achieved under Senator Ashiru’s stewardship. Let us choose the enduring legacy of development over the fleeting illusions of propaganda.

itafagemini@gmail.com
08 June 2026.

Senator Ashiru: The Modern Aristides Of Kwara State is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Nigeria’s trade surplus rose to N7.549 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 from N34.78 trillion total merchandise in the period.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this in its Foreign Trade in Goods statistics released on Monday.

The data showed that total exports stood at N21.169 trillion and imports were N13.619 trillion, while recording a trade balance of N7.5 trillion in Q1 2026.

The export trade data reflects a 2.77 percent increase compared with N20,598.48 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2025 and an 11.63 percent increase compared with Q4 2025.

Meanwhile, the value of total imports decreased by 18.17 percent from the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025 (N16,644.42 billion) and a 21.05 percent decrease compared to the value recorded in Q4 2025 (N17,250.93 billion).

“Total exports in Q1 2026 were valued at N21,169.27 billion, reflecting a 2.77 percent increase compared with N20,598.48 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2025, and an 11.63 percent increase compared with N18,963.41 billion in Q4 2025.

“The value of total imports stood at N13,619.33 billion in the first quarter of 2026, representing an 18.17 percent decrease from the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025 (N16,644.42 billion) and a 21.05 percent decrease compared to the value recorded in Q4 2025 (N17,250.93 billion),” NBS stated.

During this period, the top five exported products are crude oil (52.92 percent), natural gas, urea, other petroleum gases, and kerosene jet fuel. While imported products are crude oil, gas oil, durum wheat, machines, and used vehicles.

Nigeria’s trade surplus rises to N7.5tn as imports crash in Q1 2026

 

A married woman identified as Oluchi has been found in a hotel in Delta State after allegedly staging her own abduction and demanding millions of naira in ransom from her family.

The incident came to light after police investigations into a reported kidnapping in Edo State led detectives to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State, where the woman was reportedly discovered with a male companion.

Family members had earlier reported to the police that Oluchi was abducted around the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

Following the report, relatives launched efforts to secure her release, while appeals for financial assistance were made to raise a ransom allegedly demanded by her captors. The initial demand was said to be N50 million before it was later reduced to N20 million.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, police tracked the phone number of the man allegedly linked to the case and traced it to the hotel where both individuals were found.

“The police located the suspect in a hotel in Ubiaroko and found the woman there with him. 

Her husband was contacted and informed after they were taken to the station,” the source said.

The source added that the woman allegedly pleaded with her husband not to disclose the circumstances surrounding her disappearance to their children.

Reacting to the development, her daughter, Anita, who resides in Canada, expressed shock and disappointment in a video circulated online.

She said the family had believed the kidnapping claim and had only sought public support to secure her mother’s release.

“My mum has been released. We have now been informed that this was not a genuine kidnapping. I only did what any daughter would do to save her mother. The family is devastated and in shock,” she said.

Anita disclosed that no ransom was paid and that donations already received would be refunded.

She added that the family involved the police from the onset and only later learned that her mother was allegedly involved in orchestrating the incident.

The Harmony Ladies Club, a social group to which Anita belongs, also expressed disappointment over the development.

In a statement, the group said members had provided emotional, logistical and financial support after learning of the alleged abduction, only to discover through investigations that the incident had allegedly been staged.

“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we learned the kidnapping was allegedly orchestrated by Mrs. Oluchi herself,” the statement said.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, CSP Eno Ikoedem, said four suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.

“I can confirm the incident and also let you know that four people have been arrested in connection with it,” she said.

Police said investigation is still ongoing