News February 25, 2026 BREAKING: Tinubu decorates Disu as acting IGP

 

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday decorated Tunji Disu with his new rank as Acting Inspector-General of Police at the State House, Abuja, during a ceremony held at about 4pm in the President’s office.

The event was attended by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; and the immediate past IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.

Disu’s appointment came 48 days before his scheduled retirement on April 13, 2026, when he would attain the mandatory retirement age of 60.

However, under the amended Police Act, which provides a four-year tenure for Inspectors-General of Police irrespective of age, he may remain in office until 2030.

While pinning the new insignia on his uniform, the President commended Egbetokun for his service to the nation.

The ceremony followed Egbetokun’s resignation letter submitted to the President on Tuesday, citing family matters that require his full attention.

News February 25, 2026 Explosion rocks Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara

 

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded early Wednesday along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State, triggering panic and disrupting traffic.

The blast occurred near Unguwar Mai Chida village and damaged a cement-laden trailer travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna. The impact created a crater on the road and severely damaged the front of the truck. Fortunately, the driver was rescued alive and no fatalities were recorded.

Local sources said the device was suspected to have been planted by terrorists and detonated as the vehicle passed through the area.

A resident, Samaila, explained that the explosion happened just hours after a joint team of police and military personnel cleared and reopened the Kucheri-Danjibga-Keta Road in Tsafe Local Government Area, which had been shut for over a month due to planted explosives. He noted that security operatives had earlier faced resistance during the clearance operation, leading to hours of gunfire exchange.

According to him, the device that struck the trailer may have been among those originally planned to target security forces.

Another eyewitness, Lawali, a commercial driver, said motorists helped rescue the injured driver, identified as Dauda Adamu, from the wreckage. He described the explosion as deafening, causing many road users to stop at a safe distance until security operatives arrived to cordon off and clear the highway.

Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said officers from the Explosive Ordnance Department had been deployed to the scene.

The incident comes days after a Nigerian Army Armoured Personnel Carrier reportedly struck a planted explosive along the Keta-Danjibga road in Tsafe Local Government Area.

News February 25, 2026 Catholic Bishops elect new president

 

News February 25, 2026 Judoka-Turned-Cop: Tinubu’s former ADC Tunji Disu steps in as acting IGP

“Law and order do not begin at the police station or the courthouse,” Tunji Disu wrote on X in 2025. “They begin at home, in the quiet corners where parents teach their children right from wrong. When this foundation cracks, society inherits the fallout.” The maxim almost sums up the policing approach of the man who, on Tuesday, was named the acting inspector-general of police (IGP).

Police is a mostly thankless career, especially in a country like Nigeria, where there is deep-seated mistrust for the men in black. But after 30 years on the job, after leading squads from Lagos to Rivers to Abuja, Disu’s record in the force attracts mostly praise and commendations from residents, stakeholders, and community leaders.

The affable 59-year-old brought a genial face to policing at every posting without losing discipline and order. As the commander of the Lagos Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Disu nicknamed his team “The Good Guys” to counter public misgivings against police. The friendliness extended only to upright citizens; criminals felt the opposite, as RRS was named “Best Anti-Crime Police Squad in West Africa” by Security Watch Africa (SWA).

He used a carrot-and-stick approach as the commissioner of police in Rivers — community engagements with traditional rulers and indigenes in the daylight and vicious attacks on cultists in the night. Under his command, Gift Okpara, a serial kidnapper, notorious cultist, and cop-killer, otherwise known as 2Baba, was terminated. He was awarded the “Best Commissioner of Police of the Year” at the 2024 Inspector General of Police (IGP) Recognition Awards.

Disu mastered how to handle the tightrope of love and discipline from his childhood as a son of two disciplinarians but doting parents.

News Politics February 25, 2026 2027: Tinubu intervenes in Akume, Alia rift, calls for unity in Benue

 

President Bola Tinubu has urged the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue to mend their differences for peace and development of the state.

Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal at the Progressive Governors Forum Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit 2026, held at the State House Conference Hall, on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the summit was, ‘Taking Renewed Hope to the Grassroots: One party, One message, One Mobilization Framework’.

The Nigerian leader emphasised the need for the SGF to reach out to Governor Alia to build Benue together,  saying,” Benue deserves peace,  Benue deserves development.

“I want to use this special forum to make appeal to the SGF and Governor Alia to mend fences and move the state forward.

” What binds us together as I always said superceeds whatever divides us. The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa, and Nigeria will make or mar that transition.

” Nigeria is greater than all of us. As Martin Luther King Jr. rightly said, we either learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

” And we are not a nation of fools. We are a nation of very intelligent, very smart people that knows their onions, ” Tinubu said.

The president said his administration had shifted focus from stabilisation in 2025 to acceleration in 2026, with the N58.18 trillion 2026  budget anchoring the new phase.

He said that the summit calls for reflection on the administration’s reforms, the sacrifices made, and the responsibilities to translate vision into measurable impact for Nigerians.

“As we advance into 2026, our focus shifts from stabilisation to acceleration. The N58.18 trn budget shall anchor this new phase.

”  A record capital expenditure, the largest allocation to national security in the history of our country and prudent revenue projections, we are scaling growth while strengthening resilience,” he said.

Tinubu said that the administration’s landmark tax reforms were “introduced to protect the vulnerable, encourage enterprise and entrench transparency in public finance.”

He cited the recent executive order affecting remittances to the federation account designed to safeguard federation revenues, eliminate duplicative structures, curb waste and ensure better management of natioal resources.

“Today, we are seeing clear signs that our reforms have began to yield results. Inflationary pressures are moderating, fuel prices are easing, our currency is strong and stable,” he stated.

He, however, observed that no reform can succeed without public understanding and participation, just as he identified the communication gap as “the strategic importance of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors.

” This platform shall serve as the avenue for civic engagement. Ambassadors must explain why tough decisions had to be made and how they lead to jobs, security, enterprise, opportunities and a more stable future.

“They must counter misinformation with facts, replace rumour with evidence and ensure that Nigerians from across the country have access to the truth.

” They must also serve as the channel for feedback, bringing community concerns and lived experiences back to government.”

Tinubu tasked the Renewed Hope Ambassadors on wider outreach, saying they must “move beyond conference centres to the wards, markets, and campuses, across the country.

“This mission is about presence, truth and trust. Elections are not conducted on social media platforms, they conducted by Nigerians who will vote.

” This summit affirms our commitment to a shared future of promise and peace for all Nigerians. Together we will continue translating reforms into opportunities, policy into impact and sacrifice into renewed hope,” he added

Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman, Progressive Governors’ Forum, reaffirmed the forum’s unwavering support of for the reform direction of President Tinubu’s administration.

” We understand that transformation requires patience. We understand that restructuring requires courage. We understand that stability requires discipline.

” Your administration has chosen long-term national interest over short-term applause. History will record that.

” We, at the subnational level, stand as partners, not spectators. We stand ready to align policy, mobilisation, and communication with your national direction,”he added

Uzodimma, who is the Director-General of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said the summit was all about ambitions and institutional continuity, adding that the Nigerian people deserve stability and reform that works.

He added, ” They deserve a party that speaks with clarity. They deserve leadership that thinks beyond the next election cycle.

” As Progressive Governors, we recommit ourselves to strengthening national cohesion, supporting federal reforms, ably led by President Bola Tinubu, deepening subnational productivity, and institutionalising message discipline. “

The National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the party believed in the reform and mission of President Tinubu, insisting that good governance without communication was invisible.

He said, “Communication without structure is noise. And politics without grassroots mobilisation is an organised defeat.

” We are here to ensure that governance translates into gratitude and gratitude translates into loyalty and that loyalty translates into victory in 2027. “

The national chairman added that the APC is not a coalition of convenience, but  a movement of progress that survive on discipline.

He says, ” Let this summit mark the beginning of a disciplined, data-driven, grassroots-powered movement that secures not just governance, but generational dominance.”  (NAN)

News February 25, 2026 Ebonyi records lowest applications in 50,000 police constable recruitment

 

Ebonyi State has recorded the lowest number of applications 1,667 in the ongoing recruitment of 50,000 police constables, according to the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Other states with low application figures include Anambra State with 1,739, Bayelsa State with 2,430, and Lagos State with 2,448.

At the top of the list, Adamawa State recorded the highest number of applications at 38,989. It was followed by Benue State with 34,511, Kaduna State with 30,397, and Borno State with 24,009.

Speaking at the PSC headquarters in Abuja, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Taiwo Lakanu, who chairs the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, disclosed that a total of 616,873 applications were received before the recruitment portal closed on February 8, 2026. The eight-week exercise began on December 15, 2025.

Lakanu expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the recruitment of 50,000 additional personnel into the Nigeria Police Force, describing it as a bold step toward strengthening internal security.

He also commended the collaboration between the PSC, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the Federal Character Commission, noting that inter-agency cooperation was vital to the success of the exercise.

A breakdown of the applications shows that 348,974 candidates applied for General Duty positions, while 85,630 applied as specialists. Of the total applications, 434,604 candidates qualified for further screening, 121,596 were disqualified, and 60,673 submissions were invalid.

In terms of gender distribution, 442,592 applicants were male, while 114,640 were female.

Lakanu acknowledged the disparity in participation across states, explaining that the commission extended the application deadline by two weeks to allow states with low turnout to improve sensitisation and mobilisation efforts. He said the intervention yielded positive results and maintained that the overall distribution aligns with the Federal Character principle.

With the application phase concluded, physical screening and verification of credentials will commence on March 9, 2026, across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Successful candidates will proceed to computer-based examinations, medical checks, and comprehensive drug integrity tests in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Lakanu stressed that individuals with drug-related issues or questionable character would not be admitted into the force. Successful applicants will undergo training at designated police colleges before deployment for active service.

News February 25, 2026 Police corporal, bus conductor sentenced to death for kidnapping

 

A Police Corporal, Mbazigwe Chinedu Friday, and a bus conductor, Isaac Eddy Ndeesor, have been sentenced to death by hanging for the kidnapping of Elder Akara Johnson Mendie, Vice Principal of Community Secondary School, Nkek, in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo convicted the duo on charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and unlawful possession of firearms.

The court heard that on July 5, 2015, at about 3:30 p.m., four armed men in a Toyota Camry blocked Mendie’s vehicle along Urua Akpan Udosen/Ikot Unah Road in Ukanafun as he was returning from church with his wife and family. The gunmen abducted him and fled with his wife’s handbag, which contained important documents and personal items.

Mendie told the court he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location, where his captors demanded a ransom of N50 million and threatened to kill him. His family eventually paid N200,000 through his younger sister on July 10, 2015, after which he was released in Bori, Rivers State. He later reported the incident at the Bori Police Station and was assisted back to his community.

In his confessional statement, Friday, 41, attached to Mopol 57 in Ukana, Essien Udim LGA, admitted his involvement. He said he was contacted by a man identified as Felix, who introduced another accomplice known as “Different Man.” According to him, they claimed an unnamed “honourable” wanted the victim abducted over allegations that he had killed a friend.

Friday admitted using his Toyota Camry to block the victim’s vehicle, enabling his accomplices to force the victim into the car. When the vehicle developed a fault, he switched to another car and continued the operation, transporting the victim to a bush in Ogoni, Rivers State. He stated that the firearm used was not an official police weapon.

A search of his residence led to the recovery of a locally made revolver pistol, live ammunition, an empty AK-47 magazine, Indian hemp, CCTV equipment, multiple phones, ATM cards, SIM packs, and car accessories.

Ndeesor also confessed, admitting they trailed the victim from his residence and that he stole and used the victim’s phone, which ultimately led to his arrest after it was tracked.

Delivering judgment, Justice Nsemeke Daniel criticised the prolonged trial, noting that a case filed in 2016 was only concluded in 2026. He dismissed claims by the first defendant that he was framed, describing them as inconsistent.

The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced both men to five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, seven years for unlawful possession of firearms, and death by hanging for kidnapping, stating, “You shall be hanged by the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy on you.”