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Police Did Not Rescue Us, We Paid Ransom For Our Freedom – Kwara APC Chieftains.

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Alhaji-Ishola-Fulani-Balogun

Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara State, Ishola Balogun-Fulani has faulted the claim by the Nigeria Police that he was rescued from the kidnapers’ den.

Balogun, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Friday, alongside the party’s Secretary, Chief Sunday Bode Adekanye, said ransom was paid before they were released.

Balogun-Fulani told newsmen at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, after a visit of appreciation to the monarch, that the gunmen demanded N40 million and N30 million from him and his secretary, respectively.

He also said they trekked for about 10 hours from 7:30am to 4:00pm in the forest without food or water.

Balogun-Fulani said “we had nothing as food or water while we were in our abductors den. They said they were Fulanis and that they had no other business than armed robbery and kidnapping.

“They spoke Fulani and Pidgin English fluently. They said we must find money for them and demanded N40 million and N30 million from me and the secretary and that if we failed to do that, they were going to waste us.

“We had to call our people; we don’t know what they did but I think they must have paid a certain amount before we were allowed to go (on Saturday) by 6:30pm.

“They tried to enquire whether I am a Fulani man too to which I said yes but they said this is not a family matter but strictly business.

“We were not tortured and nothing was done to us but we trekked from one hideout to another,” said.

“We warned our people not to bring any security men, either police or the army because they warned us and threatened to kill us if we do; they said they were not afraid of police or army and that they have their own weapon too.

“The Police IG tried, he sent a helicopter to come looking for us but it was difficult to locate us because it was inside a very thick forest. Same with the Commissioners of Police in Kogi and Kwara state who also sent in people, yet we were unable to be located. It was when we came out that we saw about 100 policemen waiting for us. The place is around Osara and Okene”, he recalled.

Also speaking, the secretary of the party, Chief Olabode Adekanye, who also narrated how the incident happened, added that another man from Ondo State was kidnapped with them by the Fulani gunmen.

Adekanye said “We first thought they were SARS because they wore no uniform. But immediate we got closer, we saw some of them, about four in number, crawling on the road.

“Then, we immediately made U-turn but were ambushed by four men from the rear; they fired and we stopped.

“They were asking for money and then told us to be running inside the bush with gun pointed to my head.

“After a while, they relaxed and communicated in their language before they ordered us to proceed again.

“Later, they cooked rice with ordinary oil and offered it to us inside one dirty black pot, if we cared. Then we asked for water thinking we could get pure water but they just went somewhere and fetched water from a mud pond with, earth color. That was what they drank and ate and they smoked and constantly took cocaine. It was later in the evening that they now asked us to identify ourselves.”

 

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS Christopher Musa As Defence Minister

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President Bola Tinubu has nominated a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, announcing Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who resigned from the position on Monday due to health reasons.

In his letter to the Senate, the President expressed confidence in Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.

The nomination was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The statement added, “General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

“General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

“In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.

“In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.”

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BIG STORY

FG Offers 50 Oil Blocks, Targets $10bn Investments In 2025 Licensing Round

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The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has officially launched the 50-oil-block 2025 licensing round portal, with a view to attracting fresh investments worth $10 billion.

The round is also expected to add approximately two billion barrels to the national oil reserves over the next decade.

The Commission Chief Executive, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, said at a press conference on Monday, that 50 oil and gas blocks are on offer across onshore, swamp/shallow water, frontier basins, and deepwater terrain.

The breakdown of the blocks includes 15 onshore blocks, 19 shallow-water blocks, 15 frontier assets, and 1 deepwater block.

Engineer Komolafe noted that when fully developed, these blocks can deliver an estimated 400,000 barrels per day.

The NUPRC outlined the key objectives of the 2025 Licensing Round, which include boosting Nigeria’s reserves, increasing production capacity, expanding gas utilisation, and creating thousands of jobs across the value chain.

Other key objectives of the Round were listed as enhancing indigenous participation and reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to transparency in line with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) principles.

 

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BIG STORY

Ogun CP Confirms Abduction Of Six Real Estate Workers In Obafemi-Owode

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The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of six people by gunmen in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, revealed that the victims, six marketers of a Lagos-based real estate firm, were kidnapped at Oyebola village.

Ogunlowo, however, said officers and men of the command had activated a manhunt to rescue the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The police commissioner, while confirming the unfortunate incident on Sunday, said that according to a report from one of the workers, the victims were whisked away during their visit to the area.

“So, they brought some marketers from Lagos to come and see the land so that they can have the requisite information to market the land for the members of the public who are interested,” Ogunlowo said.

“It was during their visit to this land that the six people were abducted.

“It happened on Friday, and the command had been on it since, and we shall definitely ensure that these people regain their freedom,” he added.

 

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