The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed condolences to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) over the aircraft crash in Ondo State that claimed the lives of several NAF personnel and others.

The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), conveyed the agency’s sympathies in a letter of condolence addressed to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.

In a statement made available to thecolumn.ng  by the
Director, Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi
in Abuja on Wednesday (today) Marwa extended the agency’s condolences to the NAF leadership, officers and personnel, as well as the families of those who lost their lives in the crash.

He described the incident as devastating, saying the news was received with profound grief.

The NDLEA boss commended the Nigerian Air Force for what he described as its consistent patriotism, gallantry and commitment to the defence and security of the country.

According to him, the loss of personnel who dedicated their lives to national service was a painful blow to the Air Force, the country and the wider national security community.

“In this moment of deep sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families of the fallen heroes, as well as the entire NAF family,” Marwa said.

He prayed that God would comfort the bereaved families, strengthen the Nigerian Air Force and grant the deceased eternal rest.

Marwa also assured the Air Force of the solidarity and support of the officers, men and women of the NDLEA during the period of mourning.

More than 1000 Islamic clerics have asked President Bola Tinubu not to contest in 2027.

The clerics, in a communique after a meeting in Kano, said the poor state of the economy and insecurity have made life hard for Nigerians.

The meeting was tagged ‘An Assessment of the State of the Nation under President Tinubu and the 2027 General Elections’.

This is coming after two Islamic groups – JIBWIS and the Qadiriyya Sufi sect – endorsed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for 2027. The groups endorsed Tinubu when Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Director General of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Campaign Council, visited them.

But the clerics, under the aegis of Ko Da Naka… For the Struggle to Promote Good Governance and Community Development and AFAQ Educational Foundation, said they are not happy with how Tinubu is running the country.

According to them, removal of fuel subsidy, the floating of the naira, increase in electricity tariff and tax reforms have worsened hardship for ordinary Nigerians.

“It is unfortunate that the government has continued to insist on pursuing these policies, which are increasing hardship among the people, rather than reviewing and correcting them. The government prioritised the growth of its revenue at a time when the rising cost of living and unemployment are threatening the lives and well-being of citizens.

“Consequently, participants at the conference unanimously agreed that it would be inappropriate to re-elect this government in the forthcoming 2027 general elections if it does not change its harmful economic policies,” parts of the communique read.

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 37-year-old woman, Deborah Ayeni, to 14 years in prison for stealing a newborn baby, after she failed to appear in court during her trial.

Justice Lekan Olatawura, who delivered the judgment yesterday, also declared Ayeni a fugitive and ordered security agencies to apprehend her.

The court further sentenced her father and another surety to six months’ imprisonment each for failing to produce her in court as required under the bail conditions.

Justice Olatawura directed the court registrar to forward copies of the judgment and a letter declaring Ayeni a fugitive to the Comptroller-General of Customs, the Nigeria Police and the media to facilitate her arrest.

He ordered that Ayeni’s 14-year sentence should begin from the day she is apprehended.

The judge had earlier revoked the bail granted to Ayeni after she repeatedly failed to appear in court to answer to the charge against her.

Ayeni was first arraigned on September 1, 2025, on a one-count charge of child stealing. She pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecution, led by Ibironke Odetola, Ayeni committed the offence on August 4, 2025, in Ado-Ekiti, when she allegedly stole a newborn baby belonging to Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata.

Odetola told the court that Ayeni was arrested and detained at the Correctional Centre in Ado-Ekiti before being granted bail in the sum of N2 million, with two sureties required to enter recognisance in the same amount.

The prosecutor said the prosecution called four witnesses during the trial, but Ayeni disappeared while the third witness was being called.

She said Ayeni had told her counsel, Stephen Ademuagun, that she had been kidnapped along the road, after which she stopped appearing in court.

Odetola said Ayeni’s father, who was one of her sureties, appeared in court once and told the judge that his daughter was at home when he was asked about her whereabouts.

The prosecutor said investigations revealed that Ayeni had allegedly lost a pregnancy around May 2025 and, fearing that the development could affect her marriage, told her husband, who lives abroad, that she was pregnant and due to give birth.

According to her, Ayeni invited her husband to Nigeria for the purported delivery and used clothes wrapped around her stomach to make him believe she was pregnant.

“She thereafter went to a hospital in the Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti and stole the baby from the complainants,” Odetola told the court.

She said Ayeni later handed the baby to a midwife for care after telling her husband that she had buried the placenta.

The midwife, according to the prosecutor, became suspicious of Ayeni’s conduct and alerted the police, leading to her arrest.

Odetola said the stolen child was subsequently rescued alive by the police.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 292 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.