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Fintiri re-unites 14 abducted children with parents

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Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Wednesday reunited 14 abducted children who were trafficked to the state.

Fintiri, who warned parents against sending children below the age of 10 on errands and going to school alone, said that the government would no longer tolerate such careless acts.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Kaletapwa Farauta, at the official handing over ceremony in her office, said that the children had undergone several medical tests and treatment before they were handed over to their parents.

Farauta stated, “I welcome you to a mixed feeling of sadness and joy. It is sad that today, Adamawa State is on the map of an unfortunate monster which has been ravaging the nation.

“The monster of child trafficking. This is an infamous story we hear happening far away from the state. Unfortunately, it has caught up with us.

“In July, 2025, we got an intelligence report of cases of missing children, most of them minors.”

She said that the government swung into action, with the cooperation of security operatives, the Police, the DSS and the NSCDC.

“We launched a combined manhunt on the menace. Our combined effort paid off with the arrest of the heinous human trafficking ring leader, a middle-aged woman of Ibo extraction identified as Ngozi Abdulwahab.

“This notorious trafficker has perfected the art of trafficking minors aged 4-9 years from various communities in Adamawa State to the southeastern region of Nigeria, where she sold the victims for paltry sums ranging from ₦800,000 to ₦1.7m per child.

“She operated from a small provision shop which she owned at Jambutu ward, Yola-North LGA, where she used snacks and gifts to lure unsuspecting children,” she added.

Farauta stated that the monstrous crime is not only traumatic to the victims and their parents, but a sad and strange reality to the state.

She vowed that the perpetrator would not go unpunished, pointing out that the government must not rest until the suspects come face to face with the full weight of the law.

“We have ordered the immediate prosecution of the suspects under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 (Federal Law), Adamawa State Child Protection Law (2008), Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021 and the Penal Code of Adamawa State.

“The message of His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to the human traffickers and those who aid them in this heinous act is clear: Adamawa State is the wrong place to come to. We shall flush them out and dismantle their networks, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“Our citizens are our most cherished assets and under no condition should anybody convert them into commodities of trade.”

Each of the parents of the abducted children got ₦100,000 and food and non-food items to cushion the effect of the reunion and set up a small enterprise to cater to the household.

“To parents across the state, I call on you to take parenting more seriously.

“Children are sacred blessings from God. We must treat them with the deserved responsibility,” she said.

She urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious signs to the appropriate authority for immediate action.

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Lagos: Tears, chaos as bulldozers storm Oworonshoki at midnight, demolish more buildings

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Residents of the Ojulari community in Oworonshoki, Lagos, have raised fresh alarm after demolition teams reportedly returned late Saturday night to pull down more houses in the area.

It was gathered that the operation continued into the early hours of Sunday despite widespread protests and resistance.

Eyewitnesses told reporters on Sunday morning that at least two bulldozers were deployed for the exercise, accompanied by a large number of police officers.

According to residents, over 50 armed policemen fired teargas through the night to disperse those attempting to resist the demolition. They claimed the operation had not ceased as of early Sunday.

“We didn’t sleep at all. They came back in the night after we stopped them in the morning. Even now, Sunday morning, the demolition is still ongoing,” one resident, Olanrewaju Segun said.

“More than 50 police officers were shooting teargas at people protesting as they pulled down our homes. Many don’t know where to go. This is a grave injustice.”

Earlier on Saturday, residents had successfully blocked an initial attempt to demolish homes in the Udi Araba area, a densely populated section overlooking the Lagos Lagoon.

“They started demolishing without marking any building. We quickly mobilised and stopped them, and that was how they left in the morning. But we didn’t know they would return at midnight,” another resident said.

Some residents have accused the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of supporting the demolition to reclaim waterfront lands allegedly meant for private development.

However, the monarch has denied any involvement, stating that he too had previously suffered losses from a similar government-led exercise.

“I was also a victim when I unknowingly built on land that had been acquired by the government. I have no hand in any demolition,” he said.

The Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, also condemned the ongoing exercise, insisting it was not sanctioned by any government authority.

“If this were a government-approved operation, it wouldn’t happen at midnight or 3 a.m. People with genuine property documents are losing their homes in this lawless exercise,” he said.

As of Sunday morning, residents said the demolitions were still ongoing, leaving scores of families homeless and in shock over what they described as “a coordinated night assault” on their community.

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‘Lagos Govt Property Demolition Was Not Authorized By Any Court’ – Falana

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has stated that no court authorised the Lagos State government’s demolition exercise.

It was recalls that Justice Adegboyega Balogun of the Lagos State High Court issued an interim order stopping further demolition of properties in parts of Oworonsoki, after complaints by affected residents who denied receiving any compensation.

Justice Balogun granted a restraining order against the respondents and their agents or contractors, prohibiting further demolitions or the creation of third-party interests over properties located on Ojileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Street within the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Area (CDA).

In a statement on Sunday, Falana alleged that the Lagos State Government demolished no fewer than 100 properties in Oworonsoki despite a court restraining order.

According to Falana, he demolition exercise carried out in the dead of the night has led many families to be displaced.

The statement read, “In flagrant breach and contempt of the subsisting court order and upon the service of the court order on them, the defendants mobilised over 50 armed policemen and thugs who fired teargas throughout the night to disperse those protesting the demolition and proceeded to commence a fresh demolition.

“The demolition, which was carried out in the dead of the night, has led to the destruction of not less than 100 properties, with many families displaced. The action of the demolition squad was not authorised by any court.

“The action of the demolished squad is a sad reminder of the aggravated contempt committed by the Lagos State Government, 39 years ago, in the celebrated case of The Military Governor of Lagos State & Ors. v. Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu & Anor. (1986) 2 NWLR (PT 18) 621, where the Supreme Court set a precedent against disregard for due process and the rule of law.

Notwithstanding that the country was then under a military junta, the Supreme Court deprecated the action of the Lagos State Government in defying a court order and resorting to self-help.”

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Resident Doctors To Begin Indefinite Strike November 1

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The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike from November 1, 2025.

It was reports that the decision followed a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) on Saturday.

In a statement on Sunday, NARD President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, said the action became inevitable after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.

The association is demanding a 200 percent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and removal of bottlenecks hindering the replacement of exiting doctors.

“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement partly read.

Suleiman explained that the National Officers Committee (NOC) has been mandated to ensure full compliance across all centres.

He added that centre presidents and general secretaries have been directed to convene emergency congress meetings to brief members on the resolutions.

The NARD president also accused some actors within and outside government of plotting against doctors.

He said, “We are aware of evil and exploitative plans against resident doctors, and the union will collectively resist such moves.”

Suleiman urged resident doctors to use the next few days to properly hand over patients, engage community and religious leaders, and sensitise the public ahead of the strike.

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