South-East youths shun Nigerian Army recruitment

The Nigerian Army has lamented that while Kaduna State had recorded over 3,000 applications in its ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise, Enugu State was still struggling with just a hundred, noting that the story was not different with other South East states.

Leader of the 2025 Army Recruitment Enlightenment Team, Brigadier-General Chima Ekeator said n Enugu during an enlightenment town hall meeting with Local Government Council Chairmen, traditional rulers, Presidents-General of town unions, and other community and thought leaders at the weekend.

Ekeator raised alarm over the poor enlistment of South East youths into the military service and called for a change of attitude to reverse the trend.

He called on Enugu and South East youths to apply in their numbers in the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise to fill their quotas.

Ekeator said, “Our people are losing what rightly belongs to them. Each year, whenever a slot is being allocated to our people, we keep noticing that the number of applicants from our side is usually very poor.

“Take for example, Enugu State was given about 200 slots, but the people who made it were never up to 100 due to poor application. This has also become a recurring decimal in other states in the South East.

“Today’s statistics on the number of applicants show that Kaduna has about 3,000 applicants, while Enugu is still battling with about a hundred; and by the time we will be through with screening, you will not have enough to recruit from the state.”

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He refuted the allegation that people of South East origin were being killed in their numbers in the Army because they were the first to be sent to the battle fronts. He added that the region was also holding strategic positions in the Army presently.

“There are a lot of falsehoods out there stating that the Igbo are being killed because they are the first to be sent to the battlefield. These things are not true. After all, we that are here have risen high in the Army and we are telling you that they are lies. Today in the Nigerian Army, our brother is one of the top commanders in charge of equipment. His name is Chibueze Ogbuabor,” he said.

Speaking, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu, regretted that the problem had persisted despite the collective efforts to reverse the trend and called for a review of modes of advertising the opportunities and the need to provide more details about the benefits of serving in the Army.

“While seated here, I was just trying to conduct very quick research and it appears this same problem is happening worldwide and militaries across the world are deploying more cutting-edge strategies for recruitment because we are talking about the new generation that you communicate in a different way from the past,” he stated.

He reiterated Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to ensuring that the state filled its quota, describing the military as a noble and highly respected profession across the world.

On his part, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, pledged even stronger cooperation of the Local Government Council, but called on the military high command to equally address any concerns of the people to make the service more appealing to the youths.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator, Presidents-General of Enugu State Town Unions, Hon. Arinze Ogbodo; former Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu and the traditional ruler of Nomeh Unataeze, Lieutenant Colonel Israel Mbah (rtd.), called on the youths to enlist in the Army, but stressed the need for more enlightenment.

“I was a military man before. I survived every war. I did mine and today I am a traditional ruler. So, I believe that our young people should join the force,” Mbah stated.

South-East youths shun Nigerian Army recruitment

Kidnap kingpin arrested, many killed after shoot-out with police in Delta

In a major breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping, operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a notorious kidnap kingpin, Abubakar Usman, also known as Shehu. Four of his gang members were gunned down during a fierce exchange of gunfire with the police.

The dramatic arrest took place during a sting operation carried out on Thursday, aimed at dismantling the gang’s criminal operations in the region.

The development was confirmed in a statement released on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

According to the statement, the gang had been on the radar of security operatives for some time due to their involvement in multiple high-profile kidnapping cases and violent crimes across Delta State and beyond.

Adejobi said Usman was caught in Delta State and confessed to being the leader of a deadly kidnapping group.

“The Nigeria Police Force, in its quest to sustain the tempo of the fight against violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and banditry, has again recorded significant successes across the country.

“The police operatives attached to Delta State Command, on the 10th of April, 2025, in a sting operation on the activities of kidnappers within the state, arrested one Abubakar Usman ‘m’ AKA Shehu, who was identified as the leader of a deadly kidnapping gang.

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“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to multiple crimes, including the kidnapping of a medical doctor at Issele-uku, Delta State, the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of Mr Godwin Anuka at Ogwashi-Uku, and his subsequent murder, and also the kidnapping and murder of Ms Esther Ojoh at Ibusa,” he stated.

He added that Usman later led police officers to the gang’s hideout in a forest along the Asaba/Agbor Expressway.

There, the officers came under heavy gunfire from other gang members.

Adejobi added, “The suspect further led operatives to the gang’s hideout in a forest along Asaba/Agbor Expressway, where the operatives encountered the rest of the gang and came under heavy fire.

“In the ensuing gun duel, the operatives successfully neutralised four members of the gang and recovered three AK-47 rifles and 90 rounds of Live Ammunition.”

In a separate incident in Kano State on the same day, police arrested three suspects, Abdul Sadiq, 43; Ahmad Muazu, 22; and Aliyu Sharif, 40, at Dorayi Babba.

Acting on a tip-off, officers discovered 15 locally made revolver rifles, 102 live cartridges, and six used cartridges.

The police are now working to find the illegal factory producing the weapons and to arrest more suspects.

The police spokesman said, “Further investigation led to the recovery of 15 locally fabricated revolver rifles, 102 live cartridges, and 6 expended cartridges from the suspects. Investigations are being intensified to locate the factory where these illegal arms are being produced and arrest other culprits.”

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, praised the officers for their courage and commitment.

He said, “The Nigeria Police Force is committed to ending violent crimes and ensuring the safety of all Nigerians.”

Kidnap kingpin arrested, many killed after shoot-out with police in Delta

OAU student electrocuted while retrieving football from nearby compound

A Distant Learning Student (name withheld) in the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has been confirmed the dead after he was electrocuted while trying to retrieve a ball from a compound.

The deceased, according to the school’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, was playing a football match with his colleagues when the ball went into a compound.

However, the student, in the course of retrieving the ball,  got electrocuted after touching a live wire on his way out.

“It is unfortunate that we recorded an incident that was not too palatable yesterday where we lost a prominent youngster. One of our CDL students who was aspiring to come to the university after the completion of the programme.

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“Report had it that they were playing football in the evening and the ball fell into a compound that was fenced and unknown to the young boy, he jumped into the fence because he was the one that played the ball into the compound and it was a rule that anybody who played the ball into the compound will go to retrieve it.

“In compliance with the rule, the boy went in there and we were told that that was the first time the boy would play with them. So, he went in there, retrieved the ball, and threw it out to his colleagues, but when he wanted to come out, he climbed the fence but unknowingly put his hand in a life wire and got electrocuted.

“It was when his colleagues felt he should have come back to the pitch that they went to check and saw that he was there shivering. They rushed to him, one of them picked a stick and removed the life wire from his hand, and rushed him to the facility at the Center for Distance Learning in the university.

“They said he was brought in dead and they took him to another hospital where they said the boy was already dead. The Director of the CDL, Professor Femi Koya had already contacted the parents to relate the unfortunate incident to them. We are sincerely sorry for what happened, and we pray that God Almighty will grant the parents, the university, his friends, and colleagues the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.” Olanrewaju said.

OAU student electrocuted while retrieving football from nearby compound