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Tinubu reinforces Kano security as gov plans drone deployment

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Kano State Government has intensified coordinated security operations across vulnerable communities amid renewed efforts to curb banditry and restore peace, with President Bola Tinubu ordering the deployment of a specialised security team to the state.

As part of intensified measures, Governor Abba Yusuf announced plans to acquire drones and additional logistics to strengthen surveillance and rapid-response operations in border communities vulnerable to attacks.

The development was contained in separate statements issued on Tuesday and Wednesday and signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin-Tofa.

According to the statements, the governor disclosed that he had visited the President to brief him on the escalating security situation affecting parts of Kano, particularly the Kano–Katsina border corridor.

Yusuf said, “I briefed President Bola Tinubu on the escalating security situation in our state, and he immediately understood the severity of the threat and ordered the deployment of a specialised security team to Kano to reinforce ongoing operations.”

The governor explained that arrangements were underway to enhance mobility, strengthen logistics and provide additional operational support required by security agencies to confront bandit activities.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that every community in the state enjoyed full government protection.

Speaking during the assessment tour of the Joint Task Force bases in Tsanyawa and Shanono local government areas, the governor announced plans to acquire drones and additional logistics to strengthen surveillance and rapid-response operations in border communities vulnerable to attacks.

The visit followed months of growing insecurity along the Kano–Katsina border, where repeated incursions by armed groups have led to abductions, killings and heightened fear among residents.

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The governor appealed to residents to support security operatives with actionable intelligence, describing community-based intelligence as one of the most reliable tools for identifying threats and preventing attacks.

Yusuf charged the JTF to intensify efforts toward securing the release of kidnapped residents from Tsanyawa and Shanono.

“We are aware that they have been attacking innocent communities, especially here in Tsanyawa and Shanono local government areas. Many innocent lives were taken away, and many innocent people were also sent to the bush.

“I assured you that by God’s grace, those who were kidnapped will be brought back to their families,” he said.

He further assured security personnel of welfare and operational support, emphasising that the administration remained committed to restoring stability.

“This type of insecurity in Kano State is something new; it is something alien that has just been observed in the state, and the government is doing its best to address the situation with the cooperation of security agencies,” he added.

On Tuesday, the governor paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Zahra Allalai, the woman killed during the bandits’ attack on Kamaye village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area. Describing her death as “a painful loss to her family, community, and to the entire state,” he prayed for Allah to grant her eternal rest.

After the visit, the governor met troops at Forward Operating Bases across Shanono and Tsanyawa, where the Commander of 3 Brigade, Brig Gen A.M. Tukur, briefed him on recent encounters, including the November 1 ambush that claimed the lives of two soldiers and a vigilante and resulted in the destruction of two military gun trucks.

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Brig Gen Tukur noted that although the armed groups had shifted deeper into border communities, troops remained fully committed to protecting residents and clearing the area of criminal elements.

The governor described the situation as alarming, stating that the infiltration by armed groups was “widening day by day.”

He added that after briefing President Tinubu, the President directed the Chief of Army Staff to send reinforcements with additional personnel and equipment.

“We will support you in whichever way necessary to neutralise this cancer,” the governor assured the troops.

Addressing residents of Tsanyawa, Yusuf pledged that the government would not relent until all abducted victims were safely reunited with their families.

“These security challenges are new to Kano. But by Allah’s grace, we will do whatever it takes to defeat the bandits,” he said.

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Senate names new minority whip as two more senators defect to APC

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The Senate on Wednesday appointed Senator Tony Nwoye as the new Minority Whip, following a fresh wave of defections that has further boosted the numerical strength of the All Progressives Congress in the upper chamber.

Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial District, was unanimously selected by the Senate minority caucus to fill the vacancy created by the exit of his predecessor.

His emergence comes on the heels of the defection of former Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on Wednesday, one of several high-profile crossovers that altered the balance within the opposition ranks.

In a letter read on the floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu said his decision was driven by the need to align with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and President Bola Tinubu.

He also described the APC as the most stable political platform in the country.

Nwoye was elected into the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party before defecting to the African Democratic Congress in late 2025, positioning him within the opposition bloc prior to his new leadership role.

The reshuffle in minority leadership came amid a broader pattern of defections that has steadily eroded the strength of opposition parties in the Senate since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

In a related development, Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro, representing Gombe South, also announced his defection from the PDP to the APC, citing internal crises within the opposition party.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, formally announced his defection from the Social Democratic Party to the APC.

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Wadada, who has also been endorsed as the APC consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections, said he had previously aligned with the ruling party but completed the formal procedures of his defection on Wednesday.

Reacting to the developments, Senator Adams Oshiomhole commended the lawmakers, describing their defections as voluntary and consistent with constitutional provisions.

He said the increasing movement of legislators into the APC reflects growing confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu.

With the latest defections, the APC’s strength in the Senate has risen to 91 lawmakers—further consolidating its dominance and tightening its grip on legislative proceedings as political realignments gather pace ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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Lagos clarifies sanitation modalities, warns defaulters ahead of April 25

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The Lagos State Government has provided further details on the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, set to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with movement restrictions and enforcement measures in place.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said, “The exercise will hold every last Saturday of the month between the hours of 6:30 am and 8:30 am.

During this period, there will be controlled movement across the state to allow residents to carry out thorough cleaning of their homes, surroundings and drainage frontages.”

He stated that enforcement teams comprising officials of the ministry, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline, Lagos Waste Management Authority, and local government sanitation inspectors would “conduct physical inspections during and after the sanitation window to ensure compliance,” warning that “defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.”

Wahab also stated, “LAWMA intervention trucks will go around to cart away bagged wastes generated during the exercise,” noting that “there will be rewards for the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area, and the cleanest street as part of efforts to encourage healthy competition and community participation.”

He urged residents to cooperate with the initiative, saying, “We urge all residents to take ownership of this exercise and join hands with the government in building a cleaner, safer and more sustainable Lagos.”

The clarification follows the symbolic flag-off of the exercise along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on March 14, ahead of its full implementation later this month.

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The state government had earlier announced in March that the sanitation exercise would resume nearly a decade after it was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the programme.

While some residents have welcomed the move, saying it could curb indiscriminate waste disposal and reduce flooding, others have raised concerns about enforcement, warning that movement restrictions could be abused and calling for sustained public education on proper waste management.

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Court remands suspected coup plotters in DSS custody

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the remand of six defendants in the custody of the Department of State Services after they were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism.

At the sitting, which commenced at about 1:46pm, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), informed the court that the charge was ready and sought leave to have it read to the defendants.

Proceedings were briefly stalled after the third defendant informed the court that his counsel was indisposed, while counsel to the sixth defendant said his client understood only Arabic and Hausa, prompting the court to stand down the matter to secure an interpreter.

When the court reconvened at about 2:18 pm, all six defendants took their pleas and denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to the 13 counts.

Following the arraignment, the prosecution applied for their remand in DSS custody and urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing of the case, a request that was not opposed by most defence counsel, although the first defendant’s lawyer indicated an intention to file a bail application.

Ruling, the trial judge ordered an accelerated hearing, directed that the defendants be remanded in DSS custody with access to their lawyers, and adjourned the matter till April 27, 2026, for commencement of trial.

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