Day: July 12, 2026

Of Banditry and a Shared Sovereignty (2), by Hassan Gimba

Emporium Reporters

The Arbiter This piece was first published in May 2022. It remains as pertinent today as it was then, given the worsening insecurity currently facing the country. Sovereignty, this eleven-lettered word, is a political concept. The concept defines dominant power. Or the supreme authority. Wikipedia says “it is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct or territory. That it entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states.” Sovereignty, as a concept in political theory, has a clear-cut definition. The state or quality of being sovereign…

Oyo High Court Set to Deliver Judgment in Landmark Hijab Case Tuesday

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Oyo State High Court sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, will on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, deliver judgment in a landmark suit challenging the restriction on the use of the Islamic hijab by Muslim schoolgirls in some government-owned schools in the state. The case, scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at Court 17, is widely regarded as a significant legal test of the constitutional rights of Muslim students, particularly on issues relating to freedom of religion, equality before the law and religious accommodation in public educational institutions. The suit, marked No. 47/2026, was…

Troops Intercept Truckload of Illicit Drugs on Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road, Hand Suspect to NDLEA

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Troops of the Nigeria military’s 65 Battalion have intercepted a truck conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs along the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road, leading to the arrest of the driver and the recovery of the suspected narcotics. The operation, carried out on July 9, 2026, followed actionable intelligence from a credible source, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya. The statement said the intelligence-led operation resulted in the successful interception of the vehicle, while preliminary investigations…

Nigeria Military Repels ISWAP Attack in Borno, Uncovers Foreign Terror Links

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Troops of the Nigeria military under Operation HADIN KAI have successfully repelled an attempted infiltration by suspected ISWAP terrorists into Cross Kauwa, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, killing several insurgents and recovering intelligence materials linking the group to foreign terrorist facilitators. The military said the failed attack occurred at about 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026, when the terrorists attempted to take advantage of the cover of darkness to breach the troops’ location. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters…

NDLEA Nabs South African Woman Using 3-Year-Old Son as Cover to Smuggle Heroin, Seizes N10.3bn Cannabis at Lagos Port

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria while allegedly using her three-year-old son as a cover to evade security screening. The agency also announced the seizure of 4,143.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.3 billion, at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, alongside the arrest of an Okada rider who excreted 100 wraps of methamphetamine…

Drug Abuse: Marwa Seeks Traditional Rulers’ Support to Protect Girl-Child, Hails Daughter’s Advocacy Through Book

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has called for stronger collaboration with traditional institutions to protect the girl-child from systemic vulnerabilities that fuel drug abuse, exploitation and other social vices. Marwa made the appeal on Saturday in Kaduna during the public presentation of In The Shadow of the Neem Tree, a book authored by his daughter, Barrister Mariam Marwa-Abdu, stressed that safeguarding girls is critical to securing families and the nation’s future. According to him, protecting vulnerable members of…

“Fear Not, I Will Help You”: Rev. Azeez Urges Christians to Trust God’s Unfailing Help

Emporium Reporters

By Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon     Worshippers at the Foursquare Gospel Church, Wuse District Headquarters, Abuja, were on Sunday urged to cultivate steadfast faith in God and remain confident in His help amid life’s uncertainties.   The service began with a vibrant praise and worship session led by the church choir, creating an atmosphere of reverence and spiritual expectation before the sermon.   Preaching on the topic, “The Reality of God’s Unfailing Help,” Rev. Adebayo Azeez anchored his message on Isaiah 41:10–15, where God repeatedly assures His people: “Fear not,…

Hijrah 1448: Waqf Key to Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development, Says Prof. Badamasuiy

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Professor Juwairiya Badamasuiy has described waqf (Islamic endowment) as one of Islam’s most effective institutions for promoting socio-economic development, poverty alleviation and sustainable community empowerment, urged Muslims, governments and development practitioners to revive and strengthen the institution to address contemporary developmental challenges. The Islamic scholar made the call while delivering the 1448AH Hijrah Lecture organised by the El-Birru Muslim Association of Nigeria (EMAN), Abuja Zone, on Saturday at the Conference Hall of the Anwar-ul-Huda League of Nigeria Mosque, Area 1, Garki, Abuja. The event, themed “Waqf Analysis Towards Ummah Economic…

NIMC, NIPOST Partner to Link National Identity Database with Digital Postcode System

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have entered into a strategic partnership to integrate Nigeria’s National Identity Database with the country’s digital postcode system, a move aimed at strengthening digital governance, improving public service delivery and promoting economic inclusion. The partnership was announced on Friday at a joint press conference in Abuja, where both agencies said the initiative would create a unified framework linking the National Identification Number (NIN) with verified address data to enable government institutions, businesses and service providers to identify and…

Oriire 44 and our double standard By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

Friday’s announcement of the release of the Oriire captives sent Nigerians into a state of collective rejoicing. It beautifully confirmed the universality-of-griefs thesis: that whether in Nchatancha in Enugu, Kaura Namoda in Zamfara, or Ilu-Abo in Ondo State, our shared humanity possesses a single colour. Yet, in the midst of this euphoria, let’s reflect on a pertinent ancient fable from the kingdom of animals —a huge forest — where animals once wrestled with deception. Long ago, Ìjàpá, the Tortoise, the famed trickster lord of the animal world, grew deeply jealous…