SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and UK International Development, has intensified efforts to strengthen its internal anti-corruption framework through a workshop focused on corruption risk analysis, risk mapping and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Speaking at the closing ceremony of the workshop on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the exercise as an important step towards strengthening institutional growth, integrity and corruption risk management within the Service. Adeniyi stressed that the assessment was not intended to find fault or apportion blame, but to enable the Service to critically examine its processes, identify vulnerabilities and develop sustainable solutions. According to him, the assessment covered critical Customs operations, including regulatory and ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigerian Navy has disrupted three illegal refining sites in Rivers State as part of intensified operations against crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta. The sites were uncovered on Friday, August 21, by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH during an operation conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL in the Okolomade and Ogbogolo areas of the state. According to a statement signed by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation followed credible intelligence indicating the reactivation of illegal refining activities in the area. The Navy said its personnel discovered two cooking drums, two large ovens, 10 reservoirs and four storage facilities linked to the illegal refining operations. Two makeshift camps, believed to have provided shelter for operators of the illegal refineries, were also discovered. The operation further led to the recovery of approximately 91,000 lit...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) says its troops rescued dozens of kidnapped victims, neutralised terrorists and arrested suspected criminals in various operations across the country between August 14 and 20, 2026. The  Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja disclosed this in its latest operational update, detailing successes recorded across the North-East, North-West, North-Central, South-South and South-East theatres. 47 Terrorist Family Members Surrender in Borno In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai recorded several successes in operations against terrorists and kidnappers in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi states. Onoja  said troops and local security groups rescued three kidnapped victims during a clearance operation in Gwamnare Forest, Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State, on August 14. Five other victims reportedly escaped their captors and were reunited with their families, although two v...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja Members of the Nigeria Customs Service Management Team gathered at its Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, on 19 August 2026 to honour the retirement of DCG Tijanni Abe, the Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) in charge of Human Resource and Development, marking the close of 35 years of meritorious service to the nation. Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, led the tributes, describing DCG Abe as a man whose career was anchored in faith, calm, and unwavering integrity. He noted that DCG Abe was known throughout the Service for his habit of expressing gratitude. A quality, the CGC said, speaks volumes about the kind of man he is. "You are a man of integrity and integrity pays. May God increase you in wisdom and happiness, and may your years ahead be even more pleasurable. We are all very proud of you, and we wish you well," he said, adding that the bonds forged within the Service do not end at retirement. Senior officers who took...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Commander of the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr John Attah Onoja, has vowed to sustain efforts to dismantle illegal mining cartels and disrupt illicit financial flows allegedly linked to banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. Onoja made the commitment on Thursday in Abuja when members of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN), led by its President, Mr Odita Sunday, paid a courtesy visit to his office. He said the Mining Marshals would remain uncompromising in enforcing mining laws and restoring sanity to the mining sector, which he said had increasingly assumed security dimensions. According to him, illegal mining constitutes not only an economic and environmental threat but also a potential source of funding for criminal and terrorist groups. “It is not necessarily about picking up weapons and fighting bandits or kidnappers. We must ask: How do the people in those forests feed? How do...

Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Chief Executive Officer of Razor Media Group, Mr. Odita Sunday-Udemaguna, has reached the historic Great Wall of China as part of his participation in the Seminar on Fruit Processing and Comprehensive Utilization for Belt and Road Countries, held in Beijing from August 4 to 17, 2026. Mr. Odita was among participants drawn from nine countries—Jordan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica, Thailand and Bangladesh—who participated in the two-week seminar designed to deepen knowledge and cooperation in fruit processing and comprehensive utilisation. Speaking at the closing ceremony on behalf of the participants, Mr. Odita described the programme as a remarkable experience that brought together people from different countries and transformed them from strangers into colleagues, friends and partners. He expressed appreciation to the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries Corporation for ...