News
Minors Receive 100k, Phones from Kaduna Governor, Say they were starved
•Police deny maltreatment as released protesters narrate three-month ordeal behind bars
After being granted reprieve by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, several minors, aged between 14 and 17, who were arrested during August’s #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests against hardship in the country, have shared their harrowing experiences while in custody.
On Friday, 76 suspects, including 32 minors – who were arrested during the protest – were arraigned by the Inspector-General of Police on 10 counts bordering on treason, intent to destabilise Nigeria and inciting to mutiny by calling on the military to take over the government from President Tinubu, among others.
Four of the minors, who looked visibly malnourished, collapsed during court proceedings before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.
It sparked outcry across the country, with civil society groups and rights activists blaming the police and the government over their treatment of the minors from Kano and Kaduna states.
Following the uproar, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during an emergency briefing on Monday, told State House correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja that President Tinubu had directed the immediate release of all the minors.
Consequently, the Abuja High Court in Abuja struck out the charges brought against the protesters by the police.
Idris said the President also “directed that all the law enforcement agents involved in the arrest and the legal processes will be investigated, and if there are any infractions found to have been committed by any official of Government, be him a law enforcement agency, or whoever that person may be appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken against him or her.”
On Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima, before handing over the minors to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and his Kaduna counterpart, Uba Sani, argued that President Tinubu’s decision, made on humanitarian grounds despite evidence of wrongdoing, was an opportunity for personal reform.
The minors returned to Kano and Kaduna on Tuesday night with tales of woes, describing their experiences while in custody as “hellish.”
Minors narrate ordeal
Those from from Kano have been kept at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where they are being checked and treated by a team of medical personnel. They are expected to remain in the hospital for five days, before they would be reunited with their families.
Some of them, who spoke to The PUNCH at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital where they were taken on their return to Kano on Tuesday night, said they were denied food by the government officials for several days.
“We saw hell; we suffered a lot,” one of the minors, Umar Ali, 15, said. “We sometimes stayed for three days without food. And even when we were given food, it was always not enough.”
Ali denied involvement in the protest saying he was arrested on his way to the market at Kwana Hudu in Ungoggo Local Government Area of the state, where he usually does menial jobs to sustain himself.
He added that they were kept in the dark while under custody, which he said affected some of them when they went for trial.
“We hardly saw sunlight in the place where we were kept, hence the reason why some of us could not see very well when we were brought to the court,” he said.
Another minor, Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, who was transferred from Kano to Abuja a day after his arrest, said he and others were kept in the same place with hardened criminals.
“I was among those that were kept in the same place with hardened criminals and we sometimes spent a number of days without food.
“The food was nothing to write home about, they were inadequate and tasteless. They served us beans in the morning, rice at lunch time and Gabza for dinner. Gabza is normally prepared for inmates due to their large number. So, we had to eat Gabza so as to keep body and soul moving,” Musa added.
Also narrating his ordeal, a 13-year-old boy, who said he was arrested at Gadon Kaya in Gwale Local Government Area, said he was accused of flying the Russian flag, which he denied doing.
“I was arrested on the August 15 and moved to Abuja the following day. We were kept at Abattoir SARS in Abuja. We were kept with hardened criminals for the number of days we were there,” he said.
Protesters given N100,000
The 39 detained protesters from Kaduna State on Wednesday reunited with their families.
The children were given N100,000 and A18s model Itel android phones each by the Kaduna State Government.
The brief ceremony was held at the Children Home along Kauru road in the metropolis, with Governor Uba Sani promising to rehabilitate and empower the released #EndBadGovernance protesters from the state.
This, the governor said, provided they turned a new leaf and become responsible and law abiding members of the society.
Speaking to journalists after the protesters were released, the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Dr Abdulkadir Muazu Meyere, who spoke on behalf of Governor Sani, disclosed that the governor had directed him to collect the credentials of those who had completed their tertiary education.
The Executive Secretary of the Igbo Oriental Think Tank, Dr. Kenneth Anozie, has highlighted the vision of Dr. Chukwuma Anyichuks Odii for Ebonyi State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement titled “Anyichuks Odii 2027: I Have a Dream for Ebonyi State,” Anozie compared Odii’s vision for Ebonyi with the transformational ideals associated with American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
According to the political analyst, Odii believes that Ebonyi State possesses enormous potential capable of benefiting the wider population rather than serving the interests of a few.
Anozie said Odii’s proposed agenda includes a restructuring of government to ensure equitable representation and development across the different zones of Ebonyi State.
He also listed improved infrastructure as a key component of Odii’s vision, particularly roads and other projects that would facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, stimulate industrial development and create employment opportunities for youths.
The analyst further said Odii plans to make the civil service more responsive to the needs of residents, establish major healthcare centres across the state’s local government areas to help reduce child mortality, and provide extensive ICT training for young people.
Anozie said the ICT initiative could position Ebonyi as a hub for technology talent, with trained professionals able to compete for opportunities locally and internationally.
“Anyichuks has a dream. Ndi Ebonyi need to cue in to that dream for the benefits of all,” Anozie said.
He urged Ebonyi residents to pay attention to the proposed agenda and participate actively in determining the direction of the state ahead of the 2027 election.
Dr. Kenneth Anozie is the Executive Secretary of the Igbo Oriental Think Tank and a political analyst.
…Governor trounces APC’s Oyebamiji with 66,252
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Governor Ademola Adeleke, of the Accord Party, the winner of the 2026 governorship election.
Announcing the final results, INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, the Vice- Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti declared Adeleke winner and returned him elected.
Ogunwole announced that the Accord candidate secured 511,067 while his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, recorded 444,815 votes.
Adeleke trounced his major opponent with 66,252 votes amid wild jubilation by party supporters and other residents.
Details later…
The Osun State Governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has won 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas in Saturday’s governorship election, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji, secured victory in 11 LGAs.Download Offline Maps
The results are being collated and announced, with the Independent National Electoral Commission expected to make the official declaration after the completion of the process.
Adeleke recorded notable victories across several parts of the state, including Ede South, Ede North, Osogbo, Ife Central, Ife East, Ife North, Ilesa West, Odo Otin, Egbedore and Iwo.
Oyebamiji, however, won key LGAs including Ilesa East, Boripe, Irepodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Isokan, Ola-Oluwa, Ife South and Olorunda.
The results announced so far show a closely contested election between the two major candidates, with the other candidates recording significantly lower figures in most of the LGAs.Download Interactive Maps
In Boluwaduro, Adeleke polled 7,118 votes against Oyebamiji’s 7,050. In Ede South, Adeleke secured 26,188 votes while the APC candidate scored 6,219.
Adeleke also won Ife North with 13,879 votes to Oyebamiji’s 9,613; Ilesa West with 16,196 against 12,756; Ifedayo with 7,427 against 6,836; and Ife Central with 21,171 against 15,913.
In Osogbo, Adeleke recorded 36,480 votes while Oyebamiji polled 30,474. He also won Oriade with 21,343 votes to 14,863 and Odo Otin with 18,003 votes against 15,435.
Other LGAs won by Adeleke included Ife East, where he scored 27,201 votes against Oyebamiji’s 18,600; Ifelodun, 21,107 against 18,396; Iwo, 27,085 against 19,660; Ede North, 35,427 against 10,283; Ila, 16,211 against 12,934; Ayedire, 11,073 against 9,910; Egbedore, 19,278 against 11,194; and Ayedaade, 16,681 against 15,719.Design Campaign Signs
Oyebamiji secured victories in Ilesa East with 16,208 votes against Adeleke’s 12,280; Boripe with 19,963 against 12,448; Irepodun with 15,713 against 14,504; and Obokun with 16,120 against 12,023.
He also won Atakumosa West, polling 10,037 votes to Adeleke’s 7,479; Irewole, 29,972 against 10,934; Atakumosa East, 9,936 against 7,872; Isokan, 14,063 against 13,765; Ola-Oluwa, 10,782 against 10,063; Ife South, 14,678 against 13,507; and Olorunda, 24,671 against 23,514.
The outcome places Adeleke ahead in the overall LGA tally, although the final result remains subject to the completion of the official collation and declaration by INEC.
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As of about 4:30pm on Saturday, INEC had uploaded 903 of the 3,763 expected polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV), representing about 24 per cent of the results expected across the state.
The emerging figures show Adeleke’s party making an early statement, particularly in Osogbo, where results from two polling units reviewed showed the Accord Party ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At Ward 4, Unit 39, Osogbo Local Government Area, Accord secured 65 votes, while the APC polled 43. The ADC recorded two votes, while ZLP, AA and AAC each scored one vote.
Another result from Ward 4, Unit 13, also in Osogbo, further tilted in favour of the Accord Party, which scored 134 votes against 75 votes for the APC. The ADC polled four votes, while ADP, AAC and APGA recorded one vote each.
The figures have placed Adeleke ahead in the early results emerging from the available uploads, although the lead cannot yet be treated as an indication of the final statewide outcome.
The race remains open, with thousands of polling-unit results still to be uploaded, verified and collated through the official INEC process.
The emerging results are nevertheless significant because they provide the first concrete picture of how the three leading contenders — Adeleke of the Accord Party, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam — are performing in areas where results have been made available.
The early advantage for Adeleke comes after a tense election day marked by complaints over delays in the electronic transmission of results, alleged incidents of intimidation and vote-buying, as well as isolated reports of violence.
Adeleke had earlier expressed confidence in victory after casting his vote, while Oyebamiji also declared that he expected to win the contest. Salaam, meanwhile, raised concerns over the alleged non-recognition of some ADC agents and later reported an attack at his polling unit in Ejigbo.
Attention has now shifted from voting to the results battle, with parties and supporters closely monitoring the IReV portal and the official collation centres.
Following the conclusion of voting, presiding officers have commenced the sorting and counting of ballots at polling units, with results beginning to emerge from different parts of the state in Saturday’s governorship election.
Three major candidates in the Osun governorship election had expressed confidence in emerging victorious as the polls entered the sorting and collation stage, with each candidate and their supporters optimistic about securing the mandate of the electorate.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, on Saturday, expressed confidence in emerging victorious in the ongoing governorship election after casting his vote at Sagba Abogunde Ward 2, Unit 9, in Ede North Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Osun State, Najeem Salaam, raised concerns over the alleged non-recognition of his party agents in several areas across the state during Saturday’s election.
Meanwhile, as at 4.30pm, a check by our correspondent to the IReV portal indicated that 903 out of 3,763 units have been uploaded
Results announced so far:
1. Ward 4, Unit 39, Osogbo Local Government Area
ZLP — 1
AA — 1
AAC — 1
ADC — 2
APC — 43
Accord Party — 65
Presiding Officer: Oyeranmi Deborah
2. Ward 4, Unit 13, Osogbo Local Government Area
Accord Party — 134
APC — 75
ADC — 4
ADP — 1
AAC — 1
APGA — 1
Presiding Officer: Mabel Olowolayemo
3. From Ede North, 007/02/07/29
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