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  ANWASE MARKET RAZED AS SUSPECTED HERDSMEN STRIKE KWANDE AGAIN  6th February, 2026       Suspected armed herdsmen have reportedly set Anwasẹ Market in Mbaikyor, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, on fire, triggering panic among residents. Eyewitnesses say the attackers invaded the market and razed shops, destroying goods and sources of livelihood. At the time of the incident, no security operatives were said to be present, leaving traders and locals to flee for safety. The attack is the latest in a string of security challenges facing Turan communities in Kwande, where residents have raised concerns over repeated assaults by armed groups. The affected area is located close to Jato-Aka, the local government headquarters. Residents are calling on security agencies to urgently intervene to prevent further attacks and protect lives and property. Efforts to obtain official confirmation from security authorities were ongoing as of press time.

 CANCER TREATMENT: FG LAUNCHES POLICY DOCUMENTS; UNVEILS ONCOLOGY CENTRES  As part of renewed efforts to strengthen cancer prevention and treatment in the country, the federal government has launched key policy documents to guide national response to the disease. The minister of state for health and social welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, unveiled the documents aimed at accelerating access to quality cancer care in Nigeria.    The newly launched documents include the nigeria nuclear medicine strategic plan and the national cancer control plan (2026–2030), which are expected to serve as roadmaps for improving early detection, diagnosis, treatment and research. The director general of national institute for cancer research and treatment said the new  centres and policy frameworks aside representing a major step toward lowering the disease burden will improve survival outcomes for patients nationwide Bassey Ita Ikpang reports that, the minister also formally dec...

 Zaria LG Education Advisory Committee Reconciles Stakeholders, Restores Weekend School Activities The Zaria Local Government Advisory Committee on Education has successfully reconciled key stakeholders following a dispute over weekend programmes at Baba Ahmed LGEA Primary School, leading to the restoration of normal activities. The reconciliation meeting, held on Monday at the Zaria Local Government Council Chamber, brought together representatives of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) of Baba Ahmed LGEA Primary School, the Muslim Special Training Centre (MPD), and Hidayatus Subyan Tahfeezul Qur’an. The meeting was convened on the directive of the Executive Chairman of Zaria Local Government, Engr. Jamil Ahmad Muhammad, after the SBMC issued a notice announcing the temporary suspension of weekend programmes conducted within the school premises. Following a thorough review of the matter and consultations with relevant parties, the Chairman approved the immediate lifting o...

 Karamai Community Appeals For Government Intervention After Years Of Displacement Residents of Karamai community in Maro Ward, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have called on the government to urgently intervene and help them return to their ancestral homes following years of displacement caused by bandit attacks. According to community leaders, Karamai has been deserted since 2022 after repeated attacks by armed bandits forced residents to flee for safety.  Since then, many community members have been living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) across different locations, including Maraban Kajuru, Crossing, Kachia, Kateri, Kasuwan Magani, and Maraban Rido. Speaking on behalf of the community, Mr. Zaki Augustine, the community leader of Karamai, said the prolonged displacement has caused severe hardship for residents, many of whom have lost their homes, livelihoods, and access to farmlands. “Our people have been scattered for over two years now. Life has been ve...

 Kaduna Monarch Seeks First Class Status For Koro Chiefdom The Koro Chiefdom in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State has marked 25 years of traditional leadership with a colourful Silver Jubilee celebration and Koro Day 2026 held in Kubacha, the chiefdom’s headquarters. The event, themed “Koro Tradition, Culture and Progress: 25 Years of Koro Chiefdom’s Journey So Far,” drew government officials, traditional rulers, security agencies, community leaders and cultural performers from across the state. The celebration featured vibrant cultural displays, including traditional dances, masquerades and attire that reflected the history and identity of the Koro people. Representing Governor Uba Sani, the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, commended the state government’s commitment to peace, inclusiveness and equitable development. She noted that people-focused policies had created an enabling environment for communities to preserve their culture and use it as a driver of ...

Bandits have abducted the Chief Imam of the Janjala Central Mosque, Malam Bello Abdullahi , a Fulani leader in the community, Alhaji Shehu Bello, and a woman in the Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State. According to Daily Trust, within the last few days, bandits invaded several communities—including Iddo, Gidan-Makeri, Kohoto, and Janjala—abducting numerous residents and rustling cattle.  Following these incessant attacks, residents of Kohoto, a community neighboring Janjala, fled their homes on Saturday.  This followed a seven-day ultimatum issued by bandits for the community to raise N6 million for the release of the abducted wife and four children of a local vigilante. Confirming the latest incident via telephone on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, a community leader told our reporter that the bandits struck again on Tuesday around 9pm He said the gunmen whisked away the Chief Imam and the Fulani leader along with a woman. The source added that the bandits, who arrived...

 Valedictory Exco in Honour of Late Ken Kayama: Gov. Diri offers condolences to bereaved family Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State today joined other members of the State Executive Council to hold a valedictory session in honour of the former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state, late Hon. Ken Kayama. The valedictory session, which was held at the State Executive Council Chambers in Government House, Yenagoa, had in attendance current and former council members, during which tributes were paid in honour of the deceased. Gov. Diri used the session to offer his condolences and that of the state to the family of the late cabinet member. "Moments such as this remind us of the stark reality of life, that no matter our status or accomplishments, death is a necessary end. Now is the time for Ken Kayama, but first, we are called to honour his name, and that's what we are doing here today. We offer our condolences to the wife, children, siblings and the rest of the family ...

 OPERATION WHIRL STROKE INTENSIFIES INTELLIGENCE-DRIVEN OPERATIONS, NEUTRALIZE ARMED BANDIT AND ARREST CRIMINAL SUSPECTS Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS), have continued to sustain an enhanced operational tempo through intelligence-led aggressive fighting patrols, recording significant successes against criminal elements across parts of Benue and Nasarawa States. On 3 February 2026, troops of Sector 1, OPWS, acting on credible intelligence regarding the activities of armed herders in Ayamba Village, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, swiftly mobilised in conjunction with personnel of the Nigerian Police Force and operatives of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard to the location. Upon arrival at Ayamba Village, contact was made with the armed elements, leading to a brief engagement during which one armed bandit was neutralised. Troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle, three rounds of 7.62mm x 39 special ammunition, and two magazines from ...

 POLICE NAB 8 AS JOINT SECURITY FORCES INTENSIFY BUSH-COMBING IN KOGI  6th February, 2026  The Kogi State Police Command, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, local hunters and vigilante groups, has arrested eight suspects during sustained bush-combing operations across parts of the state. The Police said the coordinated operation is part of ongoing intelligence-led security measures aimed at denying criminal elements safe haven within Kogi State. According to the Command, security operatives extensively combed forested and remote areas identified as possible hideouts for criminals, deploying both ground patrols and aerial surveillance to monitor movements and track suspected bandit camps. Several criminal hideouts were reportedly uncovered and neutralised during the exercise, forcing suspected criminals to flee the affected areas and abandon their camps. Police sources disclosed that eight suspects were arrested at different locations and are currently in custody for...

 AU warns M23 drone strike on DR Congo airport may constitute 'terrorism' The African Union says that a drone attack this week by the M23 rebel group on a civilian airport in DR Congo may constitute an "act of terrorism". The M23 rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack last weekend on the airport in Kisangani in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also used by government forces. The African Union, in a Friday statement on X, said the "attack, directed against an airport infrastructure located in a major urban centre and gravely endangering civilian populations, constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law", AFP reported. The rebel group had previously not carried out strikes this far from territory under its control. Conflict escalation "This attack may amount to an act of terrorism," the AU added. The attack marked an escalation in the conflict in eastern DRC, where the M23 has seized swathes of territory ...

 NIGERIA POLICE FORCE SUCCESSFULLY REPATRIATE $23,000 TO INTERNATIONAL ROMANCE SCAM VICTIM The Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja has successfully repatriated the sum of Twenty-Three Thousand United States Dollars ($23,000) recovered from an international romance scammer to the victim in The Cayman Islands. The repatriation followed a request received from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service seeking assistance of the INTERPOL NCB Abuja to investigate a Nigerian national, Achufusi Obioma Ikenna, who defrauded a resident of the Cayman Islands through an online romance scam. Acting on the request, INTERPOL NCB Abuja conducted discreet, intelligence-led investigations which led to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the sum of $23,000. Following the completion of all necessary documentation and in collaboration with international partners, the recovered funds were formally handed over to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, through the ...

 FMINO PRESS RELEASE TINUBU’S ECONOMIC REFORMS ARE STEADYING NIGERIA, RESTORING TRUST – INFORMATION MINISTER The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms are stabilising Nigeria’s economy, restoring confidence, and putting the country on a sustainable growth path after years of uncertainty. The Minister spoke during a virtual interview on ICAN On Air, a live programme of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), streamed on Thursday. According to Idris, the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange rate were deliberate decisions taken early in the administration to fix deep structural problems that threatened the country’s economic survival. “You cannot build an economy where the foundation itself is extremely faulty. As of May 2023, about 26 out of 36 states could not pay salaries, and about 97 per cent of our income was going into debt servici...

 FG mourns Rubaya Mine Collapse In DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has extended Nigeria's heartfelt condolences to the Government and citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, over the deadly collapse of the Rubaya Coltan Mine in eastern part of the DRC, that claimed over 200 lives and left many others injured, leaving entire communities in mourning. In a statement from the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kimiebi Ebienfa, Yusuf Tuggar commended local authorities and emergency responders for their efforts to rescue victims and provide medical care. The Minister expressed Nigeria's solidarity and readiness in support for humanitarian efforts, stating that the thoughts and prayers of the Government and people of Nigeria are with the people of the  Congo at this difficult time. The statement recalled that reports indicated the mine collapse, triggered by heavy rainfall, has highlighted the extreme dangers faced by vulnerable communities in minera...

 Federal Government Donates  Livestock Vaccines To Abia State In line with the renewed hope agenda of the federal government, the Abia State Government says it has also  received a consignment of livestock vaccines from the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, aimed at strengthening animal health services and boosting livestock productivity. The vaccines were donated under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) through the National Project Coordinator, Dr. Sanusi Abubakar, Kingsley Onuoha reports that Abia is among other seven participating states that took delivery of the vaccines. While presenting the vaccines to the state director of Ministry for Veterinary Services, the Animal Husbandry Assistant, live stock productivity lukman Alhassan who represented the national project coordinator says the nationwide vaccination exercise forms part of the L-PRES transboundary animal disease vaccinations program, designed to prevent and control liv...

 Kagame denies accusations of Rwanda's interest in DR Congo's minerals Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said the country's tensions with the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not motivated by the exploitation of Congolese resources or a desire to seize territory. In remarks at the opening of the annual national dialogue in the capital, Kigali, on Thursday, Kagame said: "The problem that Rwanda has with the Congo is mainly about the FDLR presence there, security threats, as well as the genocidal ideology." The president was referring to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group active in eastern Congo whose elements are blamed for the genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in 1994. “It is not about minerals; that one is aside for sure...If we were really in the Congo for minerals, Rwanda would be a hundred times richer than it is today.” Defiant stance In response to threats of international sanctions over the Congo conflict, Ka...

 African Union condemns Nigeria terror attack that killed at least 170 The African Union (AU) expressed condolences Thursday and condemned a terror attack in Nigeria, which killed at least 170 victims. AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called the attack a "heinous and barbaric act," a severe violation of human rights and an "unacceptable" attack on peace and security, according to a statement Wednesday. Youssouf extended condolences to the victims' families and expressed “full solidarity” with the Nigerian government and Kwara State authorities. The AU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen peace, security and stability across the country. Bodies recovered The Kwara State government confirmed 75 victims were buried in a mass grave on Wednesday, but local lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed told Anadolu on Thursday that 170 bodies were recovered, with the death toll expected to rise. “Information at my disposal indicated that the cas...

 Republic of Congo's President Nguesso confirms bid to extend 40 years at helm Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso said Thursday he would run for a new term in elections in March, seeking to extend his more than four decades in power at age 82. "I will stand as a candidate in the presidential election," the central African country's leader said in a statement issued by his staff. It said he had made the announcement before a crowd of several thousand people in the southern district of Ignie, TRT Afrika reported. By law Nguesso is not barred from contesting in the election. Constitutional reforms passed in 2015 scrapped the original age limit of 70 for presidential candidates and introduced three five-year terms. Nguesso led Republic of Congo, which is also known as Congo-Brazzaville, under a one-party system from 1979 to 1992, before Pascal Lissouba defeated him in a first democratic contest. He ousted the latter in 1997 after a civil war and has ru...