General
7 Children Rescued From Lagos Orphanage Home Fire
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Seven children have been rescued from a domestic fire that occurred at an orphanage home in the Aguda area of Lagos State on Sunday afternoon.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it swiftly arrived at the one-storey building housing some motherless babies after it received an emergency call through the toll-free number 112 at about 2.43 pm.
According to reports, the inferno started from an air conditioning unit in the house as a result of a power surge at the property precisely located at 7, Wole Madariola Street, off Enitan Kusimo Street, Aguda, Lagos.
A statement from the Office of the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA quoted the Director-General of the agency, Mr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, as saying, “A one-storey building housing an orphanage/motherless babies home was engulfed by fire which reportedly started from an air conditioning unit in the house as a result of power surge which was said to have quickly spread out.
“A total of seven boys with ages ranging between one and seven years were quickly evacuated from the Home and safely relocated to the compound opposite the Home.
“[The} management team of the home informed LRT of plans to relocate the children to the house of the owner of the home temporarily to ensure their welfare was sustained.
“The fire which had initially spread to the storage room of the home has been extinguished with dampening down concluded.
“Post Disaster Assessment revealed that the whole of the first floor was salvaged, while the fire was contained in the store room, and the rest of the ground floor was also salvaged.
“The children were formally handed over to the Deputy Director, Mr Balogun and Mrs Rasheedat Sadik, both of the Child Protection Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, who then formally handed the seven children over to the Red Cross,” the statement.
The statement signed by LASEMA spokesman, Mr Nosa Okunbor, further said, “No injuries or casualties were recorded in the near-fatal incident, saying that the Operation was successfully concluded in record time.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has regained control of its official X account, @DHQNigeria, after the platform was compromised in an unauthorised cyberattack.
The development comes a few days after the military authorities alerted the public that the account had been compromised and warned Nigerians to disregard suspicious or misleading posts published from the handle.
The account was reportedly taken over on Saturday, with unauthorised cryptocurrency-related content appearing on the platform.
The incident prompted concerns because the account is an official channel used by the Nigerian military to communicate information on security operations and other defence matters.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said the incident was being treated as a cybersecurity matter and that technical measures had been activated to secure the account.
“The Defence Headquarters wishes to inform members of the public, the media and all stakeholders that it has detected an attempted unauthorised compromise of its official X (formerly Twitter) account,” Mr Uba said.
He urged members of the public to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised or misleading content that might have been posted from the account during the period of the breach.
The DHQ also directed Nigerians to rely on its verified accounts on other platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and its WhatsApp Channel, while efforts were made to restore control of the X account.
The military has now confirmed its return to the platform.
In a brief post on the recovered account, the DHQ wrote: “WE’RE BACK.”
“Thank you for your patience and continued support,” the military authority added.
The recovery effectively restores one of the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s major channels for communicating directly with the public.
The DHQ has not disclosed details of those behind the cyberattack or how the unauthorised access was obtained.
Authorities had earlier said the incident was under investigation as a cybersecurity matter.
The incident has also highlighted the growing cybersecurity risks facing official government and security institutions, particularly social media accounts with large audiences and the capacity to influence public perception during sensitive security operations.
General
Edo Assembly Gets New Speaker as Blessing Agbebaku Quits
By Dipo Olowookere A new Speaker has emerged for the Edo State House of Assembly, and he is Mr Osamwonyi Atu, representing Orhionmwon East constituency. His assumption of office followed the resignation of Mr Blessing Agbebaku, representing Owan West Constituency, on Monday. The leadership change in the legislative arm of government in Edo State was […]
By Dipo Olowookere
A new Speaker has emerged for the Edo State House of Assembly, and he is Mr Yekini Oisayemoje, representing Akoko Edo Constituency II.
His assumption of office followed the resignation of Mr Blessing Agbebaku, representing Owan West Constituency, on Monday.
The leadership change in the legislative arm of government in Edo State was not what was seen coming too soon.
This development, according to observers, could further restructure the political dynamics within the state’s tier of government.
According to reports, Mr Agbebaku decided to step down from the exalted position because he suspects he could be impeached as Speaker, and to avert denting his political image, he quickly resigned.
The lawmaker was elected as the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly in June 2023 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but in 2025, he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party of the Governor of Edo State, Mr Monday Okpebholo.
There have been speculations that he may still be loyal to the immediate past governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki. This may have prompted rumours of his purported impeachment.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has unveiled plans to accelerate Nigeria’s journey to sugar self-sufficiency, with a target of producing about two million metric tonnes of sugar locally under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) 2.0.
NSDC Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kamar Bakrin, disclosed this when he received members of the Abuja Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) at the Council’s headquarters in Abuja.
Mr Bakrin described NSMP 2.0 as an “acceleration mandate” designed to compress Nigeria’s timeline to sugar self-sufficiency and reduce the country’s dependence on imported sugar.
Nigeria currently consumes about 1.8 million metric tonnes of sugar annually, while approximately $1 billion is spent on sugar imports each year.
The NSDC said increasing local production would help retain this value within the Nigerian economy while creating jobs, supporting rural development, saving foreign exchange and driving industrialisation.
Mr Bakrin said the council’s ambition goes beyond sugar production, noting that sugarcane can also support the production of ethanol, animal feed and electricity, thereby creating a broader bio-industrial ecosystem.
He identified governance and implementation as major challenges facing the sector, saying Nigeria has adequate policies but has struggled with effective execution.
The council is also strengthening the Backwards Integration Programme (BIP), noting that companies seeking import quotas must demonstrate genuine commitment to the integration programme, while major refiners are required to submit audited production commitments linked to their quotas.
He said the organisation plans to use satellite imagery and physical inspections to verify activities at project sites and enforce compliance.
