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The Kwara State Police Command has stepped up operations across the state to tackle banditry and other violent crimes, while also convening a high level security meeting with other agencies to strengthen coordination.

The development was disclosed in a statement shared on April 9 2026, on the official page of the Command.

According to the statement, the renewed operations are part of intelligence-led strategies aimed at disrupting criminal networks and preventing security threats across the three senatorial districts.

The Command said suspected criminal hideouts and supply routes have been identified, with tactical teams deployed to deny criminal elements freedom of movement, especially in vulnerable areas and along state borders.

It added that stop-and-search operations, covert surveillance, and enhanced patrols are ongoing to curb the influx of bandits from neighbouring states.

“The Command has intensified intelligence-led and proactive security operations across the State to prevent and combat banditry and other violent crimes,” the statement read.

The police further noted that collaboration with other security agencies, including local vigilante groups and hunters, has been strengthened through joint operations and intelligence sharing.

In a related development, the Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi, also held a strategic security meeting in Ilorin with heads of security agencies in the state.

The meeting, held at the Command Headquarters focused on improving inter-agency coordination and reinforcing ongoing operations in line with directives from the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

Security chiefs at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to tackling criminal activities and maintaining peace across the state.

“The meeting focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination and reinforcing ongoing operations to safeguard lives and property,” the statement added.

The police reassured residents of the Command’s commitment to ensuring safety, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and provide useful information to security agencies.

Kwara police intensify crackdown on banditry, hold high-level security meeting in Ilorin

The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, arraigned one Abdullahi Aminu before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri over an alleged fraud involving N4.3 million.

A statement issued by EFCC said the defendant was brought before the court on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation involving the sum of N4,305,000.00 (Four Million, Three Hundred and Five Thousand Naira).

The charge reads: “That you, Abdullahi Aminu sometimes in 2025 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly convert to your own use the aggregate sum of N4,305,000.00 (Four Million, Three Hundred and Five Thousand Naira), monies belonging to Jibrin Abdulrahman purportedly as payment for the supply of rice, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 296 and punishable under Section 297 of the Borno State Penal Code Law and Other Matters Connected Therewith Law, 2023.”

The defendant, however, pleaded “not guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel A.D. Abdulmalik asked the court for a trial date and also urged that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility.

Justice Kumaliya thereafter adjourned the case until April 21, 2026, for commencement of trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional facility.

According to EFCC, the suspect was arrested after he allegedly diverted the sum of N4,305,000.00 meant for the supply of rice for personal use.

EFCC drags suspect to court over alleged N4.3m rice deal fraud in Maiduguri

President Donald J. Trump has escalated his rhetorical pressure on Iran, declaring that the Islamic Republic has virtually no leverage left in the ongoing conflict other than temporary disruption of global oil flows through international waterways.

In a fresh Truth Social post circulating widely on Thursday, Trump wrote: “The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”

The statement appears to reference Iran’s closure or threats to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which a significant portion of the world’s oil passes.

The waterway has been a central flashpoint amid recent U.S.-Iran tensions, fragile ceasefire talks, and demands for its immediate reopening to international shipping.

This latest comment comes amid a series of strong messages from the president in recent days. Earlier posts included blunt deadlines for Iran to reopen the strait, with warnings of severe consequences for non-compliance.

A two-week ceasefire was announced earlier this week following intense diplomatic efforts, though Trump has continued to stress that the U.S. holds the upper hand.

Analysts see the “no cards” framing as classic Trump negotiating style, projecting maximum U.S. strength while signaling that dialogue remains the path forward for Tehran.

The post underscores Trump’s view that Iran’s actions amount to temporary economic blackmail rather than sustainable power.

The statement has drawn attention online and in media, with some viewing it as a de-escalatory nudge toward talks even as military posturing continues in the region.

Iran has not yet issued an official response to today’s specific remark.

This development occurs against the backdrop of broader U.S. efforts to secure energy routes and prevent any resurgence of Iranian nuclear ambitions or regional disruption.

Trump To Iran: ‘You Have No Cards Left — Just Negotiate’ is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Nigerian and other international students in Canada will no longer need a separate co-op work permit for internships, co-ops, and practicums under a new rule that took effect on April 1, 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said a valid study permit is now enough for work placements that are part of a student’s course, as long as they make up 50% or less of the program. Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit.

Students who already applied for a co-op work permit can withdraw their applications, and IRCC may also cancel some of them since the permit is no longer required.

The change is the first step in wider immigration reforms being reviewed by the government. Other proposals include allowing students and graduates to work while waiting for study permit extensions or Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) decisions, and removing study permit rules for some foreign apprentices. These ideas are still under consultation.

IRCC said the goal is to reduce paperwork and make the system easier by removing the need for multiple permits for one study program. It also hopes to reduce delays and confusion when students move between study and work status.

If fully approved, the reforms could make it easier for international students to work during and after their studies, and reduce gaps when permits expire. However, no timeline has been set for the remaining changes.

The government has already introduced other updates in its immigration plan, including fee increases for permanent residence, citizenship, and other services.

At the same time, Canada is seeing fewer international students and foreign workers. New arrivals dropped sharply in 2026 compared to the previous year, continuing a broader downward trend.

The federal government says it plans to further reduce temporary migration levels in the coming years as part of its immigration strategy.

Vanguard News

The post Nigerian, other foreign students can now work with study permit in Canada appeared first on Vanguard News.

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has warned that the recent directive by the United States to evacuate its embassy staff from Nigeria over rising insecurity signals fading international confidence in the country’s security system and leadership.

According to him, the move throws Nigeria’s worsening security crisis into sharp global focus, raising fresh concerns about its impact on investor confidence, diplomatic relations, and an already fragile economy.

In a statement on Friday, Obi said the situation should be treated as a national emergency, stressing that the consequences go beyond security to Nigeria’s standing in the eyes of the world.

“The recent directive by the United States to evacuate its embassy staff from Nigeria over rising insecurity is deeply troubling and ought to be treated as a national emergency, particularly for a country already struggling to attract investment.

“Nigeria currently ranks fourth on the Global Terrorism Index, yet the security situation continues to deteriorate. Lives are being lost, and communities remain under constant threat.

“There is a glaring absence of effective governance; instead, we are witnessing actions that undermine democratic processes, as though politics has taken precedence over the safety and welfare of citizens.

“The U.S. directive is a stark signal of declining confidence in our national security architecture.

“More troubling still are reports of the loss of yet another Army Brigadier General to terrorists in Borno earlier today.

“A nation where citizens cannot live, work, worship, or travel safely cannot make progress or inspire investor confidence.

“The primary responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property. In this regard, we as leaders have consistently fallen short. This failure continues to place immense strain on our armed forces, who bear the burden and make the ultimate sacrifices.

“Regrettably, as the nation deteriorates, we as leaders appear preoccupied, like Nero, with political pursuits, forgetting that without security, there is no nation to govern and no future to contest,” Obi said.

The post US evacuation signals fading confidence in Nigeria — Peter Obi appeared first on Vanguard News.

US politics already feels like a contact sport, but one of Washington’s most bitter political feuds may literally be headed to the mat after former president Joe Biden’s son challenged the two eldest Trump brothers to a cage fight.

After years of verbal sparring, Hunter Biden said in a video posted online Thursday he would be “100 percent in” for a bout against President Donald Trump’s sons Don Jr and Eric, potentially turning the long-running grudge between the families into a pay‑per‑view spectacle.

Channel 5, run by left-wing social media influencer Andrew Callaghan, posted a video to its Instagram Thursday featuring the younger Biden explaining that he would be appearing in several venues on the media company’s upcoming US tour.

“I think he’s trying to organize a cage match, me versus Eric and Don Jr. I told him I’d do it — 100 percent in, if he can pull it off,” Biden said.

Details of the proposed showdown remain hazy, including whether the elder Trump brothers would fight together or separately, and where such an event might take place.

There has so far been no public response from Don Jr or Eric — who, at 48 and 42 respectively, have an age advantage over their 56-year-old putative opponent.

The rivalry between the current White House occupant and his predecessor — sharpened when Biden beat Trump in the 2020 election — has been marked by unusually personal attacks and escalating rhetoric.

Trump has repeatedly derided his Democratic foe with nicknames such as “Sleepy Joe” and accused his administration — without evidence — of fixing the 2020 election and “weaponizing” federal agencies against Republicans.

Biden, for his part, has cast Trump as a threat to democratic norms and once said he would have wanted to “beat the hell” out of the billionaire Republican over his crude comments about women if they’d been at high school together.

Any clash of the younger generation would echo a long history of personal feuds in US politics — from the 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton to the much-hyped but never-realized 2023 cage match between tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

With mixed martial arts enjoying a surge in popularity — and even an Ultimate Fighting Championship event planned for the White House grounds later this year — the line between politics and spectacle in Washington appears blurrier than ever.

Callaghan suggested the cage match may have been floated partly in jest, according to USA TODAY, but said he would be “more than happy” to arrange the contest if all sides were willing to step into the octagon.

Vanguard News

The post Biden’s son, Hunter set to take on Trump’s sons in cage fight appeared first on Vanguard News.

Three Chelsea players will miss Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City.

The Blues will face the Cityzens in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior confirmed that the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill and Reece James will not feature against Pep Guardiola’s side as they are still recovering from injury.

“Trevoh (Chalobah) is working really hard and is back on the pitch. Levi (Colwill) is training but still has some hurdles to overcome first, and Reece (James) has been running today.

“None of them will be ready for Man City, but they are working well,” Rosenior said.

Chelsea head to the Man City game after beating Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-final in their last fixture.

EPL: Three Chelsea players to miss Man City clash at Stamford Bridge

The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted a total of 386 terrorists, mainly Boko Haram members, put on trial by the federal government in the last four days.

The convicted terrorists were sentenced to various jail terms ranging from five years to life imprisonment based on the gravity of the charges against them and their open Court confessions.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who confirmed this on Friday said that a total of 508 defendants were arraigned before ten courts between Tuesday and Friday.

Briefing journalists at the conclusion of the mass trial, Fagbemi said that eight of the defendants were discharged while two were acquitted from the charges against them.

The Minister of Justice further explained that a batch of 112 suspects whose cases could not be attended to would be arraigned along with others in the next phase of the mass trial slated for between June 15 and 18, 2026.

He said that the mass trial and the imprisonment of the 386 terrorists will serve as a signal to criminals that Nigeria has no space for heinous crimes like terrorism.

The Justice Minister praised the ten judges of the Federal High Court for sacrificing their Easter holiday to sit as special courts and in response to the clarion call of the federal government to them.

Fagbemi also said that international organizations, especially Amnesty International, Nigerian Bar Association, National Human Rights Commission and other civil Societies witnessed the proceedings to ensure that due process of law and transparency took the lead in the trial of the terrorism.

He equally thanked the media for the coverage of the proceedings.

Federal High Court jails 386 terrorists in four days mass trial

Nigerian Breweries Plc says no casualties were recorded after a fire incident at an external warehouse facility in Aba, Abia State.

The company said the fire occurred on Thursday at a leased warehouse opposite its Aba brewery, adding that the facility was used for storing empty plastic crates.

In a corporate filing signed by its Company Secretary, Mr Uaboi Agbebaku, and released to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. on Friday, the company said the fire was promptly contained.

It said its emergency response team handled the situation with support from relevant government agencies.
Nigerian Breweries also acknowledged assistance from Oris Group and members of the host community in bringing the fire under control.

The company said the immediate impact of the incident was limited to empty crates stored in the facility.

It added that investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
The firm, however, assured that operations at its Aba brewery, including production, logistics and sales, were not affected.

“No injuries or fatalities were recorded.

“Operations at Aba Brewery, including production, logistics and sales, remain stable and unaffected.

“Nigerian Breweries Plc remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and operational excellence across its facilities,” it said

Fire Destroys Nigeria Brewery Warehouse In Abia is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has expressed deep worry over the killing of army personnel during an attack on the military base, Benisheikh, Borno State on Thursday, attack on a poultry farm in Ondo State, killings and abductions in Plateau, Kwara, Niger and Kaduna states, among others.

The organisation’s concern was contained in a press statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.

Reports indicated that that the Commanding Officer of Bnisheikh military base, Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, was killed on Thursday morning just as military bases in Pulka and Munguno, Plateau state was attacked.

In a similar vein, a poultry farm in Igushi Ala, Akure North Local Government Area, Ondo State was attacked with the poultry farmer and her daughter killed while three workers including the farmer’s sister were abducted by their attackers.

It would be recalled that a few weeks ago, some kidnappers attacked Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN in Ibadan the Oyo State capital and abducted five people who came from Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Attacks on Benue, Katsina and Plateaus are raising so much concern leading to President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Plateau last week.

Reviewing various acts of banditry and terrorism occurring in different parts of the country in recent times, Ajayi submitted that insecurity in Nigeria has increased due to a number of factors such as internal sabotage and complicity among security agencies, complicity between bandits and some locals in given communities, possible sponsorship by foreign interests who set their eyes on Nigeria’s mineral resources as well as possible complicity by political actors.

Ajayi urged the authorities concerned should beam a lot of searchlight on their internal mechanism including internal sabotage and complicity among security agencies, collusion between badits and some locals in given communities, foreign interests who set their eyes on Nigeria’s mineral resources as well as some possible unscruplous political actors.

He stated that drones and other sundry surveillance devices including CCTV will spot these bandits moving in such convoys.

“Thus, it is high time that greater self-examination is done and necessary steps taken if the war against insecurity in Nigeria is to be won”, he said.

Afenifere added that as part of the measures that can be taken even before state police takes off, suspected backers of bandits can be persuaded to encourage their protégés to submit their weapons as occurred during the administration of late President Ya Adua – while appropriate sanctions as prescribed by law can be then be invoked on them.

Afenifere worried over worsening insecurity, recommends ways to tackle problems