Tinubu’s Age Controversy: Omokri Challenges Allegation With 1996 Photo

Former presidential aide and Ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has challenged allegations concerning the age of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging Nigerians to critically examine a photograph purportedly taken in London in 1996 showing Tinubu alongside journalist and publisher Dele Momodu.

Omokri, in a statement, said the photograph had not been altered and was taken 30 years ago, asking Nigerians to assess whether Tinubu, as depicted in the picture, appeared to be 60 years old at the time.

He argued that if the allegation that Tinubu is currently 90 years old were correct, the President would have been 60 when the photograph was taken in 1996.

“Does His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, look like a sixty-year-old in this photo?” Omokri asked.

He further challenged Nigerians to examine the image and determine whether the man identified as Tinubu even appeared to be 50 at the time.

Omokri also referenced the late Fuji musician, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, in his argument. He noted that Barrister, who was born on February 9, 1948, reportedly referred to Tinubu as his “Aburo”, a Yoruba expression meaning younger brother, in one of his songs.

According to Omokri, Tinubu and Momodu were both seen dancing to the song, adding that Barrister, if he were alive today, would have been 78 years old.

The ambassador-designate also appealed to Momodu, whom he described as a former friend and beneficiary of Tinubu’s goodwill during the period of military rule under the late General Sani Abacha.

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Omokri said Momodu had previously acknowledged that Tinubu supported him while he was in exile from the Abacha regime.

He maintained that although Momodu was entitled to support any political candidate of his choice, he should not remain silent while allegations were being made about the President’s age and health.

“Mr Momodu is free to support whichever candidate he chooses. But will it be morally acceptable for Dele Momodu to watch idly by as a man who was once his benefactor, and who he once referred to as his friend, is being accused of being a nonagenarian suffering from ill health?” he asked.

Omokri urged politicians and their supporters to focus the 2027 political debate on issues affecting Nigerians rather than what he described as attempts to “age-shame” political opponents.

He called for a higher standard of political discourse, saying the forthcoming election should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to debate ideas and solutions to the country’s economic, security and governance challenges.

“Perhaps we can raise the bar for this election by raising issues germane to the Nigerian people and brainstorming ideas to resolve the challenges plaguing our polity,” he said.

Omokri added that attaching ages to political figures without credible evidence would only diminish the quality of political debate in the country.

“To age-shame people with ages that are not even theirs is to reduce the discussion about who governs Nigeria to an unbecoming level,” he said.

The statement was signed by Omokri in his capacity as Ambassador-designate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Tinubu’s Age Controversy: Omokri Challenges Allegation With 1996 Photo

Kogi Abduction: Full Passenger Manifest Emerges as Police Rescue 11 NYSC Members

The passenger manifest from one of the buses attacked by gunmen along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State has emerged, revealing the identities of the National Youth Service Corps members and other travellers abducted during the Wednesday incident. The document, obtained by THE WHISTLER on Thursday, contains the names and telephone numbers of passengers aboard the vehicle when armed hoodlums intercepted the bus and abducted several occupants. Those listed on the manifest include Ayodele David, Eke Onyinye, Johnson Samuel, Okuagba Chiemelie, Ani Odinaka, Obisesan Opeyemi, Mwoba Chinedu, Yusuf Mariam, Ruth Abiola, Nnaegbura Favour, Rita Arogbonlo, Sunday Sandra, Alimi Kasim, Egbo Innocent, Ngwu Charles and Eze Chidima.

The victims were members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II of the National Youth Service Corps, returning from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their mandatory orientation programme. The attack occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction in Ofu Local Government Area, when armed hoodlums emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. The two vehicles involved were identified as a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus. According to a police officer, Adeji Joshua, who contacted some families, the driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus sustained serious injuries during the attack and had to be rushed to hospital. Information provided by the injured driver suggested that the attackers spoke Fulfulde, Hausa and English, though their identities and affiliations remained unclear. Police officer Joshua explained that two buses were involved in the incident. The occupants of the second vehicle were largely allowed to leave because several passengers were travelling with babies, though four people from that vehicle were reportedly taken. For the Peace Mass bus, he stated: “From the explanation of the driver, who was badly injured, fifteen passengers were kidnapped even though 16 people were listed on the manifest. For the last corps member, the driver told her the bus was full and said he could not add one more passenger, so he had to transfer her to another vehicle.” A relative of one of the abducted corps members, Ayodele David, told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism that families were alerted to the incident after police officer Joshua contacted them using information obtained from the passenger manifest. “According to a police officer who contacted us later that night, the incident occurred around Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis. The officer said he obtained our next-of-kin contact from the passengers’ manifest left behind,” the relative said.

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The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that 11 victims, including the drivers of both buses, have been rescued following a coordinated joint security operation. The command’s spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint security team to the scene after receiving a distress call. “Preliminary debriefing indicates that most of the rescued victims are NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja,” Afusat stated. The rescued victims were debriefed and, after necessary procedures, were allowed to continue their journey. However, the police acknowledged that some victims remained in captivity as security operatives continued searching the surrounding forest. “The joint security operation remains ongoing in the surrounding forest with the primary objectives of rescuing the remaining victims, apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice,” the command said. The command assured residents and other road users that all available operational and intelligence resources were being deployed to secure the area and facilitate the recovery of the remaining victims.

A viral video showed a woman identifying herself as the sister of one of the abducted corps members making an emotional appeal for government help. She stated that her sister had travelled to Bayelsa State for the mandatory three-week NYSC orientation programme and was returning to Abuja when the vehicle she was travelling in came under attack. “I am begging Nigerians… Nothing should happen to them. Nothing should happen to my sister,” she said. The woman disclosed that her family had recently lost their mother and pleaded for help in securing her sister’s safe return.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the abduction, demanding the immediate rescue and safe return of all corps members. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said it was “shocked and angry” that young Nigerians serving their country could still be kidnapped while travelling on Nigerian highways. “How many more corps members must be kidnapped before the government wakes up?” the organisation asked. HURIWA called for an urgent review of the NYSC scheme, particularly the movement of corps members through areas known to pose serious security risks. The organisation questioned why corps members travelling from high-risk areas could not be provided with safer transportation arrangements, including air transport where necessary. “The government cannot keep posting young Nigerians to dangerous areas and then leave them to face armed kidnappers on the highways,” HURIWA said, describing the situation as unacceptable.

In a related development, the Kogi State Police Command reported another armed attack along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway, particularly around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area, on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The incident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire at motorists. A blue Toyota Corolla, registration number GWA 636 CH, was subsequently found abandoned along the highway with the driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken by the assailants. The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, has directed sustained operational efforts towards securing the affected corridor and ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The abduction is the latest in a series of kidnapping incidents reported along Kogi State’s highways in recent weeks. On August 9, security agencies reported the abduction of commuters along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ofu LGA, with the Nigerian Army subsequently rescuing 16 victims. One local hunter was killed during that operation, while a police officer sustained injuries. The recurring attacks have heightened concerns about the safety of Nigerians travelling on the country’s highways, particularly in areas where criminal gangs exploit vast forests and poorly secured stretches of road to carry out attacks. The emergence of the passenger manifest is expected to assist investigators in establishing the identities and number of people who were aboard the affected vehicle. The police said security agencies were continuing efforts to locate and rescue any remaining victims while working to apprehend those responsible for the attack.

Kogi Abduction: Full Passenger Manifest Emerges as Police Rescue 11 NYSC Members

11 NYSC Members Rescued, Others Remain in Captivity as Gunmen Attack Travellers on Kogi Highway