The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has cautioned Journalists in the country to maintain ethical standards in their practice.

The advice came after it secured the release from detention, of Ibraheem Hamza Mohammed, a reporter with a Lagos-based online newspaper, First News.
The journalist was released yesterday, May 10, after a Nasarawa High Court, sitting in Doma, granted him bail. He spent 10 days in jail.
He will remain on bail till 13 May when the police are expected to withdraw the charges against him and discontinue the trial.
The IPI, Nigeria, led by its President, Musikilu Mojeed, stressed the need for journalists to always uphold the ethics of their profession, desist from publishing false news and continue to observe a high degree of standard in their practice.
Musikilu had led a delegation that visited Lafia, Capital of Nasarawa State on 6 May, to meet with top officials of the State government, including Governor Sule, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Labaran Magaji as well as the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ibrahim Addra.
The delegation also visited and conferred with the affected journalist, Mohammed, in prison.
The State Command of the Nigeria Police had arrested Mohammed on May 1, after he was accused of falsely publishing that N40 million was stolen from Governor Abdullahi Sule’s bedroom. The article was published on 22 February 2024.
The police charged him with violation of the Cybercrime Act and secured an order for his remand at the Medium Security Custodian Centre in Lafia.
Meanwhile, the management of First News has apologised to Governor Sule over the story, saying that it has since found “that the said story lacked any form of truth in it and that the reporter merely concocted the story in his bid to pursue a personal vendetta against the governor.
“While tendering an unreserved apology to the Nasarawa State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Abdullahi Sule, we wish to assure him that such will not repeat itself ever again,” the newspaper added.

No fewer than 52 passengers escaped air crash on board a Nigeria aircraft belonging to XEJET Airlines skidded off the runway and landed in the grass at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The Airbus, with registration 5N-BZZ, departed Abuja and landed in Lagos at 11.29 am today, May 11.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau confirmed the incident, saying that the aircraft belonging to XEJET Airlines skidded off the runway of the domestic wing of the airport.
Following this development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has shut the 18 Left runway of the airport.

A lecturer in the Department of English and Literary Studies at the Federal University Lokoja was allegedly caught engaging in sexual move with his 300-level female student.
The lecturer, whose name was given as Theodore Shey, was said to have been under the university’s radar for some time.
Source in the know said that luck ran out for him when the girl’s parents set up a trap and caught him in the act.
It was learnt that messages sent by the lecturer to the girl were intercepted and reported to both the parents and the university authorities.
Theodore was said to have pressurized the girl to the point of failing her in the previous examination, and that the girl’s parents set him up by asking their daughter to agree to his move.
The randy lecturer, who was marched to the University campus with only boxer covering his groins, from his house, where he asked the girl to meet him for the act, has since been handed over to the Department of State Security (DSS).
Source: Middle Belt Monitor.

Bandits unleashed a wave of violence on farming communities in Zamfara State, claiming the lives of at least 30 farmers and an Islamic cleric.
The attacks were said to have occurred in Gidangoga village, Maradun Local Government Area (LGA), and Bilbis village, Tsafe LGA.
According to sources, the bandits first struck in Maradun LGA, attacking Gidangoga village, where farmers were preparing their lands for the wet season.
A renowned Islamic cleric, Mallam Makwashi Maradun Mai Jan Baki
was brutally killed while working on his farm.
He was known for reciting the Quran during Ramadan Tafsir at Maradun First Jumuat Mosque. .
His two children remain missing after the attack.
The bandits also attacked Bilbis village in Tsafe LGA, leaving 20 civilians dead.
Sources reported that the farmers were attacked while clearing their fields
It was also gathered that a district head, Alhaji Murtala Ruwan Bado, of Garbadu in Talata Marafa Emirate, narrowly escaped a bandit attack in the evening along Mayananchi road.
The affected have called on communities authorities to take swift action to ensure justice and protect their lives.
Source: PRNigeria

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has disclaimed a man who claimed, in a viral video, to be his son.
Ooni of Ife, who reacted in a statement by his spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said that Oba Ogunwusi, being a responsible father and custodian of tradition knew and acknowledged all his children and would stop at nothing to take full responsibility for them.
“Our attention has been drawn to an amateur video clip featuring a grown-up individual claiming to be a son of our father, Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll, the Ooni of Ife, virally trending across various online platforms.
“We categorically condemn and denounce this shameless act of impersonation in the strongest possible terms.
“It is imperative to clarify that the Ooni of Ife, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and stops at nothing to take full responsibility for them (both those who are in Nigeria and outside the country).

“As all of Ooni’s children are well known to the palace and the people of Ile-Ife, the eldest child of the Ooni is Princess Adeola Ogunwusi, a Masters degree holder working and residing in Canada, followed by Princess Adewamiwa Ogunwusi, who recently relocated to further her education in Dublin, Ireland, from where she had come three years ago for her secondary school education in her home country, Nigeria.
“Princess Adesewa is doing very well, Prince Tadenikawo Ogunwusi is widely known to be with his mother, hale and hearty while the newborn twins, Prince Adebisi Kehinde and Princess Taiwo Adeayo, are being planned to formally make their historic entry into the palace in a couple of days, in accordance with the customs and traditions of the Ife palace.
“His marauding impersonation tactics to exploit the revered status of the Ooni of Ife for fraudulent personal gains is not only sacrilegious but also criminal.
“Impersonation of any member of the royal family is a sacrilege against the sanctity of the palace and the heritage it represents.
“While the palace leaves no stone unturned to go after this criminal using all possible means to scapegoat him, with a view to making him face the law for necessary deterrence, we hereby urge the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security to thoroughly investigate this matter and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.”
Olafare said anyone with useful information about the whereabouts of the man should reach out to the palace or the police.
The man in the video had said: “Oba Enitan Ogunwusi is my father.
“He hid me with my mother with a clear instruction that I must not reveal myself.”
He said that though he is not living in penury, Oba Ogunwusi is living in affluence with his other siblings.
“Anytime I desire to come to the palace, he (Ooni) would stop me saying it was not yet time.
“Now is the time.
“My mum might not talk, but I will say the truth.
“Though I’m not suffering, there is a house, cars are there, there is money, but I’m no longer interested in them.
“I want to be known as the son of the king, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.”
Source: The Eagle Online.

A Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, has accused the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello of showing no atom of regard and respect for the court.
“The defendant (Yahaya Bello) clearly has shown no atom of regard and respect for the court, and he’s taking this court for granted. He cannot sit in the comfort of his home and dictate what he wants the court to do.”
Justice Emeka Nwite, presiding judge in the N80.2 Billion fraud case against Yahaya Bello, held that since the former governor has continued to disobey court orders, he would not be allowed to file any application or be heard.
In a ruling today, May 10 during which he declined the application by Yahaya Bello to vacate the order which directed security agencies to arrest and produce him before the court to answer to the 19-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the judge insisted that Yahaya Bello must come to court and answer to the fraud allegations

Justice Nwite said that the application filed by the EFCC that no application be heard without the defendant being in court, was meritorious.
He stressed that an order of court subsists and is binding until set aside by a superior court on appeal.
Yahaya Bello, along with Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu, is facing a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering, totalling N80,246,470,089.88k.

Nextier, a research organisation, has released its first quarter 2024 Nigeria Violent Conflicts Report, showing a staggering 5,319 casualties, 3,110 kidnap victims and 1,500 incidents of violent conflict between January 2023 and March 2024.
Presenting the report today, May 9, in Abuja, a Partner at Nextier, Dr. Ndubuisi Nwokolo, lamented the devastating impact of conflicts on Nigeria’s economy, education and humanitarian crises.

“Nigeria’s ongoing violent conflicts have inflicted severe wounds on the nation’s economy, impacting livelihoods, food production, infrastructure, and overall development.”
He said that prolonged insecurity has eroded trust in government institutions, leading to the emergence of ethnic militias and non-state armed groups.

“When the state fails to protect citizens, it risks losing legitimacy. As a consequence, ethnic militias and other non-state armed groups have emerged, operating in various regions.”
The report called for collaborative efforts from state and federal institutions to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity while fostering socioeconomic development and enhancing security measures.
Senior Policy Research Analyst, Kenn Maduagwu, said that despite a decline in Boko Haram’s insurgency, terrorism remains a significant concern in Nigeria, with ISWAP and other groups posing ongoing threats.
“While fatalities have decreased in 2023, the overall toll remains significant. The conflict has resulted in widespread displacement of people, which can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and push families deeper into poverty.”
The report identifies Gunmen Attacks, Banditry, Farmer-Herder Conflict and Kidnapping as high-risk conflicts, while Civil Unrest, Maritime Piracy, Armed Robbery, Secessionism and Communal Clashes are classified as low-risk conflicts.
To mitigate the conflicts, the report recommends strategic investments in education, job creation, and poverty reduction initiatives, particularly in high-risk regions.
“The importance of proactive partnerships between law enforcement agencies and communities cannot be overstated. Enhanced intelligence gathering and apprehension efforts, along with a focus on strengthening existing operations such as Operation Puff Adder, are deemed essential in combating armed groups and banditry,” said Senior Consultant Nextier, Ndidi Anyanwu.
The report also emphasises the need for conflict resolution mechanisms to facilitate dialogue between historically tense communities, particularly between herders and farmers.
“Addressing land disputes and resource allocation issues, alongside investigating funding sources and networks supporting gunmen, are identified as pivotal steps towards sustainable peace,” the report stated.
Addressing the multifaceted nature of kidnapping in Nigeria, Nextier advocates broad-based combative and non-combative approaches tailored to the unique manifestations across states and regions. “Criminal gangs and terrorist groups will continue to use ransom kidnap as a means to finance their operations. The current ongoing agitation and government response might persist without significant changes, potentially leading to prolonged tension and instability.”
The report stressed the importance of analysing and addressing historical injustices, economic inequalities, political marginalisation, and lack of trust in government institutions.
“Highlighting shared values, history and cultural diversity through education and community engagement is deemed essential for fostering national unity and resilience,” the report stated.
The report highlightsled the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to address the complex security challenges facing Nigeria.