metro
Bandits to Zamfara villages: Pay N24m tax or be attacked
Nine communities in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State were asked by bandits to pay a compulsory tax of the sum of N24 million or be attacked.
The communities would pay from N500,000 to N5m, according to the bandits.
Journalists were told that the communities have started mobilizing to pay the bandits, even as locals said letters to that effect have since reached the affected communities through kidnap victims who regained freedom.
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A source said the communities were Yangalma, Tungar Gebe, Wawan Iccen Ibrahim, Wawan Iccen Salihu, Galle, Nannarki, Ruwan Kura, Gangara and Gaude.
“The bandits have ten days ago, stayed in Gando forest and launched attacks on 7 communities in Bukkuyum and Anka Local Government Areas.”
“They killed dozens and rustled over 1,900 cows.”
“Some of the community leaders who received letters from the bandits reported the matter to the authorities,” according to a local.
metro
UN seeks $160m for food crisis in northeast Nigeria
UN seeks $160m for food crisis in northeast Nigeria
The UN on Monday said it needed roughly $160 million for Nigeria’s conflict-battered northeast, where the situation is at its worst in five years, according to the local head of the body’s humanitarian arm.
The region has been plagued by a 15-year jihadist insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million. The fighting has also ruined livelihoods and hindered access to agricultural land and markets.
The funds are needed to provide nutritional and health supplies to two million people, including 600,000 children in the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, officials said.
The request comes as cuts by the United States have hampered the humanitarian response in the region.
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Speaking to reporters, officials from the World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization and children’s fund UNICEF warned that the already precarious humanitarian situation could be worsened by a disease outbreak or natural disaster such as flooding, which the region would not be prepared for.
“This is urgent,” said Trond Jensen, who heads the Nigeria office of the UN’s humanitarian response arm, UNOCHA. “We need the support now, not next week, not next month.”
“I cannot say how desperate the situation is,” he added. “It’s the worst that I’ve seen in five years.”
Jensen said cuts by the United States, notably to its main foreign development arm USAID, have had a critical impact on the capacity to provide critical services to people in the region.
“If these children don’t get access to those treatment services they will die,” said Nemat Hajeebhoy, nutrition chief at UNICEF Nigeria.
UN seeks $160m for food crisis in northeast Nigeria
metro
Davido, Cubana Chief Priest, others call for VeryDarkMan’s release
Davido, Cubana Chief Priest, others call for VeryDarkMan’s release
Afrobeat superstar Davido, celebrity bar man, Cubana Chief Priest and other Nigerians have condemned the arrest of social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The celebrities and fans of VDM said his arrest was carried out like an “abduction”, which left many Nigerians worried, and therefore demand his release.
VDM was reportedly arrested on Friday at a bank branch in the Wuse area of Abuja by a combined team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives.
According to media reports, EFCC has secured a court order to remand him pending the conclusion of an investigation into alleged cybercrime offences.
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However, his arrest has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with the hashtag #FreeVDM, trending across different platforms.
According to the celebrities and fans, it is impossible to distinguish between legitimate arrest and unlawful abduction of the embattled socialite.
In a post on X, Davido extolled VDM’s positive impact on the lives of common Nigerians and urged relevant authorities to release him.
He wrote, “Outside all the noise it’s good to see that the good one does actually impacts lives and Pple actually appreciate!
“The support I’m seeing for VDM everywhere is encouraging… makes one want to do more for the masses FREE MY GUY.”
Cubana Chief Priest, in a post on his Instagram page, pleaded with the police to free the social media influencer right away, stressing that he should not be unfairly detained.
Davido, Cubana Chief Priest, others call for VeryDarkMan’s release
metro
Five kids die in abandoned vehicle in Nasarawa
Five kids die in abandoned vehicle in Nasarawa
The Nasarawa Police Command has launched an investigation into the death of five children found inside an abandoned, unserviceable vehicle in the Agyaragu community, Obi local government area.
Nasarawa Police spokesman Ramham Nansel in a statement explained: “On May 4, 2025, at about 1730hrs, one Mr. Ozimna Ogbor, a resident of Agyaragu, reported at the Agyaragu Divisional Headquarters that five children—Kamsi Onah (male, 8 years), Somer Onah (male, 6 years), Unice Udouchi (female, 10 years), Nmasoma Nnaji (female, 10 years), and Chioma Nnaji (female, 8 years)—were discovered unresponsive inside a disused vehicle parked in the compound of one Mr. Abu Agyeme, also a resident of Agyaragu”.
“Acting swiftly on the report, the Commissioner of Police, CP Shetima Jauro Mohammed, directed the Divisional Police Officer and his team to immediately proceed to the scene.
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“Upon arrival, the officers found the victims locked inside the abandoned vehicle. The children were promptly evacuated to Aro Hospital, Agyaragu, where a medical doctor regrettably confirmed all five children dead due to suspected suffocation.
“This heartbreaking incident is a painful reminder of a similar tragedy that occurred in August 2019, when two children lost their lives in an abandoned vehicle in Keffi.
“The Commissioner of Police has ordered a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. He expressed deep sorrow over the loss and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
“He also used the opportunity to caution parents, guardians, and vehicle owners to be vigilant and ensure that children do not gain access to parked or abandoned vehicles without supervision.
“Due to severe heat burns on the deceased bodies, the remains were released to their parents based on request for burial.”
Five kids die in abandoned vehicle in Nasarawa
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