President Tinubu Complains Of Blackout At Plateau Airport During Condolence Visit

Blackout at Plateau airport. Amnesty International berated Mr Tinubu for failing to protect lives.

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, lamented the blackout at Plateau airport during a condolence visit to the state over the Palm Sunday attack that left at least 30 people dead.

“Please be seated,” Mr Tinubu said. “You have no light at the airport, and I have to fly back within the next 10 minutes.”

The president, who limited his visit to just the airport, met with the families of Anguwan Rukuba attack victims and other political stakeholders in the state.

“To the victims, there’s nothing I can give you, whether money in billion, but promise you this experience will not repeat itself,” Mr Tinubu said.

Against the backdrop of the attack on Anguwan Rukuba, People Gazette reported that at least 119 people have been k1lled in various coordinated attacks in Plateau State.

Frequent attacks and the surging death toll have sparked reactions and public outrage from within and outside Nigeria, with many berating Mr Tinubu’s government for failing in its core responsibility of protecting life and property.

Citing the Palm Sunday attack and others recorded in Plateau State in recent times, Amnesty International berated Mr Tinubu for “failing to protect lives.”

Electricity

“With the death toll from the Palm Sunday attack in central Nigeria surpassing 30 people, the Nigerian authorities must investigate the inexcusable security lapses that enabled the horrific attack by gunmen on motorbikes on Anguwan Rukuba community of Jos North LGA of Plateau State.

“The area, nature of the attack and timing show how increasingly vulnerable people are to being k1lled anywhere and anytime. More dead bodies are still being found and conveyed to the morgue. Plateau State is increasingly becoming unsafe,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday.

National Police Day 2026: Akwa Ibom Police Presents Cheque Of ₦53.7m To 34 Families Of Deceased Officers

The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, fsi, today, in a solemn event as part of the ongoing Police Week Celebration, presented a total sum of Fifty-Three Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty-Four Naira, Ninety-Four Kobo (₦53,755,844.94) to thirty-four (34) families of police personnel who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty. The presentation was made on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police.

In his address, CP Azare described the occasion as a solemn yet significant moment that reminds the Force of the sacrifices made by brave officers who stood in the gap for society. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the welfare of the families left behind.

CP Azare stated that the gallant officers served the nation with courage, loyalty, and selflessness. He noted that they wore the uniform with pride and stood firm in the face of danger so that others could live in peace, adding that their sacrifices will never be forgotten and their legacies will forever remain etched in the annals of the Nigeria Police Force.

Addressing the bereaved families, the Commissioner of Police acknowledged their pain and loss, assuring them that they are not alone.

“The cheques being presented today are not mere financial instruments. They represent our collective gratitude, our recognition of sacrifice, and our commitment to the families of our fallen heroes. While no amount can truly replace the lives lost, this gesture underscores the resolve of the Force leadership to ensure that the sacrifices of our officers are not in vain,” he stated.

The Commissioner of Police also commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, for his unwavering commitment to personnel welfare, noting that the IGP’s leadership has brought renewed focus on timely payment of benefits, improved welfare packages, and enhanced support systems within the Force.

CP Azare charged serving officers and men to let the moment serve as a reminder that policing is a noble profession that demands courage, discipline, and, at times, the ultimate sacrifice. He urged them to honour their fallen colleagues through renewed dedication to duty, professionalism, and service to humanity.

The Commissioner concluded with prayers for the peaceful repose of the souls of the departed officers and for divine strength for their families to bear the loss.

Police

One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Michael Michael Urua, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed profound appreciation to the Nigeria Police Force for not forgetting its heroes and for standing with them during their time of grief.

DSP Timfon John, LLB, ANIPR
Police Public Relations Officer
For: Commissioner of Police
Akwa Ibom State Command
2nd April, 2026

Restructuring: Femi Falana Advises FG To Give Oil Blocs To States, LGs, Not Individuals

Femi Falana advises FG. Mr Falana alleged that individuals have become dangerously rich, not because they are hardworking.

Legal luminary Femi Falana has urged the federal government to give oil bloc licenses to state governments rather than individuals, so they can better perform their responsibilities, including the payment of salaries to civil servants.

Speaking during the 5th Comrade Yinka Odumakin Memorial Lecture on Thursday in Ikeja, Lagos State, on the topic, “Can Nigeria’s Democracy Work Without Restructuring?”, Mr Falana alleged that individuals have become dangerously rich not because they are hardworking.

Mr Falana said, “You take oil resources from the Niger Delta, and you give licenses of oil blocs. You don’t know they give oil blocs to themselves? The owners of oil blocs are the richest people in Nigeria. There’s a lady in Lagos, they say she’s the richest lady in Africa, why? She has an oil bloc, not that she’s more hardworking than your mother, no.

“There is a general, a pensioner, he’s the richest pensioner in Africa, he has an oil bloc. In fact, in his own case, they don’t invest in oil bloc, they just take it offshore, and sell the licenses to the Chinese or Europeans, then he’ll come home, a multi-billionaire.”

Femi Falana

Alleging that state governments do not want to control their resources but privatise them, Mr Falana recalled that, “when state governments could not pay salaries, I asked the FG, why are you giving oil blocs to individuals? Give them to states and local governments. Today, more and more people are becoming dangerously rich at the expense of all of us.”

According to Mr Falana, those who have oil blocs are now being given licenses to mine solid minerals, adding that many communities are now being degraded by those who are mining mineral resources.