General
UN Declares Famine in Parts of South Sudan
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
War and a collapsing economy have left some 100,000 people facing starvation in parts of South Sudan where famine was declared today, three UN agencies warned. A further 1 million people are classified as being on the brink of famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) also warned that urgent action is needed to prevent more people from dying of hunger.
If sustained and adequate assistance is delivered urgently, the hunger situation can be improved in the coming months and further suffering mitigated.
The total number of food insecure people is expected to rise to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July if nothing is done to curb the severity and spread of the food crisis.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update released today by the government, the three agencies and other humanitarian partners, 4.9 million people – more than 40 percent of South Sudan’s population – are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance.
Unimpeded humanitarian access to everyone facing famine, or at risk of famine, is urgently needed to reverse the escalating catastrophe, the UN agencies urged. Further spread of famine can only be prevented if humanitarian assistance is scaled up and reaches the most vulnerable.
Famine is currently affecting parts of Unity State in the northern-central part of the country. A formal famine declaration means people have already started dying of hunger. The situation is the worst hunger catastrophe since fighting erupted more than three years ago.
“Famine has become a tragic reality in parts of South Sudan and our worst fears have been realised. Many families have exhausted every means they have to survive,” said FAO Representative in South Sudan Serge Tissot. “The people are predominantly farmers and war has disrupted agriculture. They’ve lost their livestock, even their farming tools. For months there has been a total reliance on whatever plants they can find and fish they can catch.”
Malnutrition is a major public health emergency, exacerbated by the widespread fighting, displacement, poor access to health services and low coverage of sanitation facilities. The IPC report estimates that 14 of the 23 assessed counties have global acute malnutrition (GAM) at or above the emergency threshold of 15 percent, with some areas as high as 42 percent.
“More than one million children are currently estimated to be acutely malnourished across South Sudan; over a quarter of a million children are already severely malnourished. If we do not reach these children with urgent aid many of them will die,” said Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative a.i in South Sudan. “We urge all parties to allow humanitarian organizations unrestricted access to the affected populations, so we can assist the most vulnerable and prevent yet another humanitarian catastrophe.”
“This famine is man-made. WFP and the entire humanitarian community have been trying with all our might to avoid this catastrophe, mounting a humanitarian response of a scale that quite frankly would have seemed impossible three years ago. But we have also warned that there is only so much that humanitarian assistance can achieve in the absence of meaningful peace and security, both for relief workers and the crisis-affected people they serve,” said WFP Country Director Joyce Luma. “We will continue doing everything we possibly can to hold off and reverse the spread of famine.”
Across the country, three years of conflict have severely undermined crop production and rural livelihoods. The upsurge in violence since July 2016 has further devastated food production, including in previously stable areas. Soaring inflation – up to 800 percent year-on-year – and market failure have also hit areas that traditionally rely on markets to meet food needs. Urban populations are also struggling to cope with massive price rises on basic food items.
FAO, UNICEF and WFP, with other partners, have conducted massive relief operations since the conflict began, and intensified those efforts throughout 2016 to mitigate the worst effects of the humanitarian crisis. In Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, among others, the IPC assessment team found that humanitarian relief had lessened the risk of famine there.
FAO has provided emergency livelihood kits to more than 2.3 million people to help them fish or plant vegetables. FAO has also vaccinated more than 6 million livestock such as goats and sheep to prevent further loss.
WFP continues to scale up its support in South Sudan as humanitarian needs increase, and plans to provide food and nutrition assistance to 4.1 million people through the hunger season in South Sudan this year. This includes lifesaving emergency food, cash and nutrition assistance for people displaced and affected by conflict, as well as community-based recovery or resilience programs and school meals.
In 2016, WFP reached a record 4 million people in South Sudan with food assistance — including cash assistance amounting to US$13.8 million, and more than 265,000 metric tons of food and nutrition supplies. It is the largest number of people assisted by WFP in South Sudan since independence, despite problems resulting from the challenging context.
UNICEF aims to treat 207,000 children for severe acute malnutrition in 2017. Working with over 40 partners and in close collaboration with WFP, UNICEF is supporting 620 outpatient therapeutic programme sites and about 50 inpatient therapeutic sites across the country to provide children with urgently needed treatment. Through a rapid response mechanism carried out jointly with WFP, UNICEF continues to reach communities in the most remote locations. These rapid response missions treat thousands of children for malnutrition as well as provide them with immunization services, safe water and sanitation which also prevents recurring malnutrition.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The pastor in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ at Agonvi Sea Beach in the Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry, Lagos State, Mr Afolabi Hodonu, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The 45-year-old cleric was apprehended on Thursday, April 2, 2026, alongside his 35-year-old wife, Mrs Success Hodonu, with blocks of skunk weighing about 11kg.
A statement issued on Sunday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the couple were stopped at the Gbaji checkpoint, and a search of their Honda Pilot SUV led to the recovery of the drugs concealed in hidden parts of their vehicle.
Their arrest followed the apprehension of a fake security agent, Mr Sunday Samuel, 35, at the same checkpoint on Monday, March 30, while conveying 24.5kg of skunk from the Seme border to Lagos.
The statement further disclosed that NDLEA operatives also successfully dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate in high stakes intelligence led operations that lasted three weeks during which cocaine consignments concealed in tins of palm kernel extract heading to the United Kingdom were intercepted and the warehouse where the shipments are packaged raided, while all three layers of the group were unravelled, leading to the arrest of the kingpin.
The breakthrough began on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, when NDLEA officers of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine at the export shed of the airport. The illicit substance was meticulously hidden inside tins of palm kernel extract intended for shipment to the UK.
Two suspects handling the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were promptly arrested.
To unravel the sender and the arrowhead of the drug syndicate, a well-coordinated sting operation was carried out on Thursday, April 2, leading to the arrest of Ezemuwo Joel, who operates under a fake identity as Ajayi.
His arrest provided the link to the syndicate’s head, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was flushed out of a hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.
He was thereafter taken to his warehouse at 11, Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, where NDLEA operatives recovered 886 tins of palm kernel extract prepared for drug concealment; industrial tools, including a sealing machine, tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis sativa and a pack of hand gloves. Arinze has since confessed to personally draining the oil from the tins to conceal the cocaine.
In a separate operation in Borno state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, April 1, intercepted a female drug supplier to bandit groups operating between the North East and Chad, 28-year-old Aisha Adamu. She was arrested along the Gamboru Ngala road in possession of 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Namtari road, Yola South, on Monday, March 30, intercepted a trailer marked RUW 947 XA transporting 48,000 pills of tramadol. The truck driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, was arrested while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the recipient, Idris Adamu.
While 60-year-old Idiatu Oladejo was arrested with 15kg of skunk in Isale Osun, Osogbo, Osun state, on Wednesday, April 1, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, raided the Itaogbolu forest, Akure, Ondo State, where they recovered 351 kilograms of skunk and its seeds. No fewer than 28,600 capsules of tramadol were seized from a 66-year-old Aminu Usman Gembu when he was arrested at Aliade, Benue state, on Wednesday, April 1.
In Edo State, a suspect, Roland Owie, 37, was arrested on Monday, March 30, following the raid of his warehouse at Egbanke community, Orhionmwon LGA, where 1,378 kilograms of skunk were recovered.
A notorious drug dealer, 40-year-old Ayantola Omodunmomi (a.k.a Iya Elle) was on Wednesday, April 1, arrested at Eleta area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Her arrest follows intelligence and surveillance on how she uses her 11-year-old daughter, Anjola, to deliver illicit drugs to her customers. At the time of her arrest, a 45.6kg skunk was recovered from her warehouse.
By Abba Dukawa
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya, reaffirmed his commitment to purposeful leadership, declaring he is not given to making empty promises to the electorate.
The politician, who intends to represent the Ajingi, Gaya, and Albasu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly in the 2027 general elections, stressed that his record of performance over two consecutive terms stands as clear evidence of his capacity and credibility, noting that his tenure has consistently delivered beyond expectations.
According to him, governance should be measured by tangible results rather than rhetoric, and his track record reflects a sustained dedication to the welfare and development of his constituency.
Speaking on Sunday while receiving various support groups at his residence in Kano, Mr Gaya reiterated his resolve to consolidate on past achievements and continue championing policies that will advance the collective interests of his people.
He urged them to return to their respective wards, villages, and towns to enlighten the electorate on the visible developmental strides recorded across the constituency over the past three years under his leadership, emphasising the need for voters to clearly distinguish these achievements from previous representations.
Mr Gaya further stated that there is no retreat in his resolve to contest the seat, stressing that the election is not about personal ambition, but about the collective well-being and continued progress of the people across the three local government areas.
He also urged them to take note that the Electoral Act 2026 outlines two methods through which political parties can nominate candidates, adding that these methods are direct primaries and consensus. Direct primaries involve all registered party members voting to choose their candidates, while the consensus method requires aspirants to voluntarily agree on a single flag bearer.
Speaking on behalf of various support groups, Mr Ismaila Ado, who has benefited from a monthly allowance as a volunteer teacher in one of the schools constructed during his tenure, stated that in addition to the allowance, the politician also facilitated his permanent appointment in the Kano State Ministry of Education.
Also speaking, an elder of the APC in Gaya Local Government Area, Mr Iliyasu Muhammad Gamoji, noted that prior to 2015, the communities of Ajingi, Gaya, and Albasu suffered from years of neglect and slow development.
He explained that when Mr Gaya represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, he did so with a strong commitment and a clear sense of responsibility.
He added that, over time, the lawmaker’s efforts brought tangible progress that positively impacted many lives, noting that roads were constructed, schools were improved, and the communities began to receive renewed attention and meaningful government support during his tenure.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The sum of N3.3 trillion has been approved by President Bola Tinubu to finally clear the outstanding debts in the power sector.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the “long-standing debts accumulated between February 2015 and March 2025.”
It was stated that the payment plan for the debts under the Presidential Power Sector Financial Reforms Programme should restore reliable electricity to the country.
“Following verification, N3.3 trillion has been agreed as a full and final settlement, ensuring a fair and transparent resolution,” a part of the statement noted.
“Implementation has begun, with 15 power plants signing settlement agreements totalling N2.3 trillion. The federal government has already raised N501 billion to fund these payments. Out of the amount, N223 billion has been disbursed, with further payments underway,” it added.
The statement said, “With payments reaching the power value chain, generation will be more stable. With power plants supported, electricity reliability will improve.”
“This programme is not just about settling legacy debts. It is about restoring confidence across the power sector — ensuring gas suppliers are paid, power plants can keep running, and the system begins to work more reliably,” the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms Olu Arowolo-Verheijen, was quoted as saying in the statement.
“It is part of a broader set of reforms already underway — including better metering and service-based tariffs that link what you pay to the quality of electricity you receive.
“The government is also prioritising power supply to businesses, industries, and small enterprises — because reliable electricity is critical to creating jobs, supporting livelihoods, and growing the economy.
“The goal is simple: more reliable power for homes, stronger support for businesses, and a system that works better for all Nigerians,” she added.
President Tinubu has commended all stakeholders who supported efforts to resolve the legacy issues in the power sector. He has also confirmed that the next phase (Series II) will begin this quarter.
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