SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun efforts to neutralise rampant fake news and online scams that damage the Service's image by integrating new-age digital data-tracking intelligence tools. The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this on Friday, 30 October 2026, at the just concluded Neccipr Roundtable '26 Edition held in Lagos, with the Theme: Algorithm Influence & Public Relations. Maiwada explained that as a communicator, it is important to ensure the general public understands and accepts why officers carry out their duties. "The role of AI cannot be over emphasized especially within our operations. Over the years AI has been deployed in our core operational duties as well as strategic communication. AI has also been deployed to aid risk management, which involves assessment ...

..…Highlights B’Odogwu, Data-Driven Operations, Artificial Intelligence In Modernisation Drive By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has showcased its ongoing digital transformation journey at the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Smart Customs Project Global Event 2026, held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, from 29 to 30 October 2026. The Service was represented by Assistant Comptroller (AC) Omolara Adedeji, who presented Nigeria's experience and progress towards building a technology-driven Customs administration. The global event brought together Customs administrations, technology experts and international stakeholders to examine the application of disruptive technologies in strengthening Customs operations, improving border management and facilitating legitimate international trade. The opening ceremony featured remarks by the Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Mr Ricardo Treviño Chapa. Ms Xueyan Guo, Director General of the Inte...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  Hundreds of supporters in Garun Gabas Ward, Malam Madori Local Government Area of Jigawa State, have declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s anticipated 2027 re-election bid, chanting “Tinubu Must Stay” during the inauguration of a grassroots campaign office. The mobilisation exercise was led by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and National Coordinator of the Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), popularly known as the Tinubu Must Stay Movement. The event attracted All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders, community leaders, women, youths and supporters, alongside members of opposition parties who announced their defection to the APC. Speaking at the inauguration, Abdullahi said the movement was expanding its grassroots structures to sensitise Nigerians on the policies and progra...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigerian Navy Marines, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army's 403 Amphibious Brigade, have neutralised 34 Boko Haram terrorists in separate offensive operations around the Lake Chad region of Borno State. The operations, conducted under Operation HADIN KAI, were carried out on October 28 and 30, 2026, as part of sustained efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and disrupt their activities in the North-East. In a statement on Saturday, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the October 28 operation initially recorded eight terrorists killed, but a subsequent Battle Damage Assessment revised the casualty figure to 28. He disclosed that another offensive operation was conducted on October 30 against an identified Boko Haram enclave at Dumba in the Lake Chad area. According to him, the operation followed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions which enabled the military to identify and monito...

By Aviashima Toom For decades, the Niger Delta has remained central to Nigeria's economic survival, supplying a significant portion of the crude oil that sustains the nation's economy. Yet, beneath the wealth generated from its natural resources lies a troubling contradiction: communities sitting on oil reserves often bear the greatest environmental and economic consequences of petroleum exploration. In Uzere Kingdom, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, this contradiction has once again become painfully evident following an oil well blowout that has raised serious concerns about environmental degradation, public health, livelihood security and corporate accountability. The incident, involving Well 14 in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 30, operated by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, reportedly began on June 26, 2026. What should have been an emergency requiring swift technical intervention has developed into a prolonged environmental concern, drawi...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigerian Navy has recorded fresh operational successes in Kogi and Rivers states, rescuing 13 kidnapped victims and arresting six suspected drug peddlers in separate operations. The Navy disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, on Wednesday. In Kogi State, 13 kidnapped victims were rescued along the Itobe–Anyigba Highway in Ofu Local Government Area on August 10, 2026. The rescue followed a coordinated search operation involving personnel of the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and local vigilantes after a reported kidnapping incident along the highway. According to the Navy, the victims were handed over to relevant security authorities for screening and necessary assistance. The joint security team, however, encountered resistance from suspected kidnappers during the operation. The encounter resulted in the death of one vigilante personnel, while a police offic...