SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited quarry in Abuja, saying the facility remains a crime scene in an ongoing criminal case before the Federal High Court. The agency’s position followed a recent petition by Stone Rockers to President Bola Tinubu and other senior government officials over the 13-month shutdown of its quarry operations. The company had alleged that its operations were unlawfully shut down without a valid court order, prompting renewed public attention to the dispute. However, the Commander of the Mining Marshals dismissed the allegation, explaining that the quarry was not sealed as an administrative sanction but because it constitutes the locus criminis, or scene of the alleged crime, in a criminal prosecution currently before the court. According to the Commander, Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited and its director, Mr Kolawole Olaiya, are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/CR/338/...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja   The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its operational and leadership capacity with the graduation of 50 officers from the three-month Junior Course 25 at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja. The officers graduated at a ceremony held on Friday, August 28, 2026, marking another milestone in the Service’s efforts to develop competent and accountable leaders for modern Customs administration. Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, charged the graduates to uphold integrity, sound judgment and the national interest in the discharge of their duties. Adeniyi stressed that leadership in contemporary Customs administration goes beyond revenue generation, noting that officers must demonstrate competence, fairness, courage and accountability in responding to increasingly complex operational challenges. “Leadership is not defined solely by th...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over an attempted unauthorised access to its official X (formerly Twitter) account, saying it has activated measures to secure the platform and prevent further compromise. The Army said the incident occurred at about 5pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026, and is being treated as a cybersecurity breach. In a statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Army said immediate technical and protective measures had been put in place to secure the account, restore exclusive administrative control and protect the integrity of information shared on the platform. The Army consequently advised members of the public, media organisations and other stakeholders to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content that may be posted on the affected X account. “Such content does not represent the official position of the Nigerian Army,” the statement warned....

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been thrown into mourning following the death of its General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja, who passed away in the early hours of Saturday, August 22, 2026, after a protracted illness. Ugboaja’s death was formally announced by the NLC leadership following a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) in Enugu, where labour leaders expressed deep sorrow over the loss of a man they described as a formidable voice for Nigerian workers and the oppressed. In a communique signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and titled “A Dark Cloud Over the Labour Movement: We Announce the Tragic Passing Unto Glory of Our General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja,” the Congress said the news of his death came from his family and left the NEC devastated. “It is therefore with the deepest sorrow and a heavy sense of loss that we, the leaders of Nigerian workers, officially inform the nation and the gl...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Cross River State Police Command has arrested four additional suspects in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged vandalism and theft of facilities belonging to Akamkpa Quarry Limited (Sterling Global). The latest arrests followed the arrest of other suspects and the recovery of exhibits announced by the Command on August 27, 2026. In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Cross River State Command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, the Command said the latest arrests were made on August 28, 2026, at Obung Community in Akamkpa Local Government Area. According to the statement, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Sector 2, Akamkpa/Ugep, responded to a distress call from the Village Head of Obung Community, HRH Ntufam Elijah Clement Effiong, who reported that another group of suspected members of the syndicate was being pursued by youths in the community. Th...

CGC Adeniyi  By Aviashima Toom, Abuja At Nigeria’s borders, a quiet but consequential transformation has been taking place. For years, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was largely perceived through the narrow prism of revenue collection, cargo inspection and anti-smuggling operations. But under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Service is increasingly being repositioned as a strategic instrument for facilitating legitimate trade, supporting domestic production, strengthening compliance and creating greater value for the Nigerian economy. The numbers tell part of the story. Since Adeniyi assumed leadership of the Service in June 2023, Customs revenue has risen significantly. Between June 2023 and May 2024, the Service reported ₦4.49 trillion, representing a 74 per cent increase over the ₦2.58 trillion collected during the corresponding period of the previous year. The momentum continued in 2024, when the NCS generated ₦6.1...