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FG Approves ₦2bn Support Package for Plateau Attack Victims
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday approved ₦2 billion in relief support for victims of the March 29 attack in Angwa Rukuban, Jos, while also urging Plateau State leaders to commit to lasting peace and address the root causes of recurring violence in the state.
This was disclosed in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, during an interactive meeting with a 32-man delegation from Plateau State, in fulfilment of the President’s earlier promise to engage stakeholders following the violence in Jos North Local Government Area.
At the end of the meeting, Plateau leaders pledged renewed commitment to peace, acknowledging the need to work together to end long-standing conflicts in the state.
At the interactive session, which lasted about three hours, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mohammed Dorro, announced that President Tinubu had approved the ₦2 billion relief package for victims of the Angwa Rukuban attack.
According to Onanuga, the President directed stakeholders, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, to return home with open minds and prioritise peacebuilding by reviewing past government White Papers on security crises and implementing workable recommendations.
“As leaders, you must go back home, summon a leadership meeting among yourselves, take the gazette, review the previous recommendations and agree to implement the White Paper,” the President said.
He urged them to identify unresolved issues and present practical solutions for federal consideration.
President Tinubu also called for tolerance among residents, stressing that peace must be prioritised over ethnic, religious, or political divisions.
“Let us first of all accept one resolution – tolerance for every inhabitant… If people are being recruited to provoke anger, conflict and killings, it is you, the leaders, that should first of all examine yourselves,” he said.
He emphasised that Plateau State, known historically for peaceful coexistence, must reclaim that identity through deliberate leadership action.
“No protocols, no hinderances, we are here to speak our minds and find a permanent solution to a recurring conflict and chaos. Everybody here is seeking peace. How do we chart our path to that peace?” he added.
The President also warned against allowing divisive elements to destabilise communities, urging leaders to promote justice, fairness, and inclusion while ensuring all residents feel a sense of belonging.
He further instructed the state government to identify and expose individuals responsible for instigating violence so they can face the law.
In response, Governor Mutfwang thanked the President for his sustained support and commitment to peace in Plateau State.
He noted that the meeting marked the first time all former governors of the state had gathered in one room, describing it as a sign of renewed unity and collective resolve.
“Our coming here today shows that there is a renewed spirit on the plateau; that we want to be together,” the governor said.
He pledged that leaders would build on the momentum to strengthen unity and address poverty by transforming conflict into development opportunities.
“We are determined more than ever to close all our gaps, ensure that we rise above all the divides of religion and ethnicity, and build a state we can all be proud of,” he said.
“Having gathered this momentum, we want to assure you, by God’s grace, that we will build on it to tell a better story in the years to come.”
He also assured the President of the state’s support in national development efforts.
In his remarks, the Gbong Gwon Jos, HRM Da Jacob Gyang Buba, praised President Tinubu for his leadership and peace initiatives in Plateau State.
He called for increased security presence, including troop deployment and CCTV installations, and renewed support for the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
He also commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her humanitarian visits and relief support to victims of previous attacks.
Members of the delegation, including youth representatives, stressed the importance of sincerity among leaders in sustaining peace efforts, warning that lasting peace would not be possible without genuine commitment.
The delegation included former governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, serving and former public office holders, and representatives of youth groups, all of whom pledged to support the peace process in Plateau State.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has announced Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe as the party’s flag bearer for the Federal Capital Territory senatorial election ahead of the 2027 general polls.
Kingibe secured a landslide victory in the party’s primary election, polling 17,535 votes to defeat her sole challenger, Mubarak Tijjani, who garnered 806 votes.
Declaring the results at the ADC secretariat in Abuja, the chairman and returning officer for the senatorial and House of Representatives primaries, Abubakar Adamu, confirmed Kingibe as the winner of the exercise.
The primary election also produced candidates for the two House of Representatives seats in the FCT.
In the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency, Bala Iyah emerged victorious with 4,937 votes, defeating Yahaya Fatima Goya, who polled 2,015 votes, while Ma’aji Johnson Bello secured 1,546 votes. Ismaila Ishak Ozigi received 105 votes.
For the Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje Federal Constituency, Alhassan Salihu clinched the party’s ticket with 9,016 votes, defeating Khalid A. Haruna, who polled 2,955 votes.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission monitored the conduct of the primaries.
Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure victory in the 2027 presidential election, stating that no opposition candidate, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, can prevent the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from retaining power.
Namadi made the remarks after casting his vote during the APC presidential primary election held at his polling unit in Kafin Hausa Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
The governor reiterated his commitment to delivering more than one million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the next general election, saying the target was realistic given the widespread support the APC enjoys across Jigawa State.
He noted that the large turnout witnessed during the primary election demonstrated the confidence party members and residents have in both President Tinubu and the APC-led administration.
According to Namadi, the peaceful and transparent conduct of the exercise also reflected the President’s respect for democratic values and internal party democracy.
The governor further stated that the outcome of the APC primary election signalled what to expect in the 2027 polls, predicting an overwhelming victory for the ruling party nationwide.
Namadi described Jigawa as one of the APC’s strongest support bases, pointing out that the state ranks among those with the highest number of registered voters in the country.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman for allegedly attempting to smuggle a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria.
The suspect, described as Ting Hung Kiong who naturalised in Malaysia, was arrested on Sunday, May 17, 2026, upon arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, from Thailand via Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
This was contained in a statement made available to the column.ng on (today) Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall intercepted her after she was found to have two large travel boxes containing 31.0 kilograms of the illicit substance.
“During an interview, the 63-year-old suspect who claims she works as a caregiver in Malaysia stated that her daughter sponsored her trip from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria.
“She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand, before she was handed the illicit consignment at the Thailand airport to deliver in Nigeria,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA also announced the interception of another major drug shipment at the Lagos airport import shed.
“Following close monitoring of the consignment by NDLEA operatives since its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, the 29 large cartons containing One Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten (1,825,710) tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, worth Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand Naira (N2,190,852,000) were eventually handed over to the NDLEA by the Customs Service on Friday 22nd May 2026,” it said.
In another operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, NDLEA operatives on May 20 arrested a suspect, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, during inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa.
The suspect, according to the agency, excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine while under observation.
Babafemi added that “at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide was on Wednesday 21st May arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja via Addis Ababa to Milan Malpensa, Italy.
“A search conducted on his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg; Tramadol 200mg and Tapentadol 250mg. The opioids were concealed using foil paper and hidden inside a carton, in a suitcase, obviously to evade detection.
“In yet another operation at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) concealed in bicycle luggage carrier heading to Netherlands; 66 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in soap container going to the United States and 18 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed in body cream container heading to the United Kingdom,” the agency said.
In Edo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area, where 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg and 9kg of cannabis seeds were recovered.
The agency also said a 30-year-old suspect, Isah Sani, was arrested with 196,000 pills of Exol-5 along the Zaria–Kano road in Kano State on May 20, while operatives at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, recovered 59kg of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo on May 19.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives on May 23 raided a warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk, arresting a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, in connection with the seizure.
The agency also disclosed continued nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres and communities across several states.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers involved in the operations and charged them to sustain the agency’s drug supply reduction and sensitisation efforts.
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