News
Obi Replies Critics, Says “I Have What It Takes To Unite Nigeria”
Obi Replies Critics, Says “I Have What It Takes To Unite Nigeria”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, has dismissed suggestions that his emergence as president would deepen Nigeria’s divisions, insisting that his track record proves he can unite the country.
Eereporter.com
Obi made the remarks during an appearance on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, where he responded to comments by former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who questioned his capacity to foster national unity.
He said his years of engagement across the country demonstrated a commitment to national cohesion rather than division.
“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” he said.
He argued that his record of humanitarian interventions and visits to different parts of the country spoke louder than political accusations.
Recalling the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency, Obi said he travelled to Borno State to sympathise with Sheriff after the former governor lost his brother to the violence.
“At the onset of this Boko Haram issue… his own brother was killed. I travelled to Borno State to console him. When people didn’t want to go there, I went to Borno State.”
Obi also recounted returning to Borno after severe flooding, where he donated ₦50 million, met with the state governor and the Shehu of Borno, and visited internally displaced persons camps.
He said similar humanitarian efforts had taken him to several northern states, including Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto.
“I’ve been to the most troubled parts of the North… I’ve been to Benue up to four times, visiting the various affected communities… I’ve spent Christmas and New Year in IDP camps,” he said.
According to Obi, he has also funded borehole projects in several northern communities and supported educational and healthcare institutions, including agricultural initiatives at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.
“I’ve built boreholes in Gombe, in Kaduna, in every part of the North. When the University of Sokoto Agricultural Faculty said all they need is a borehole for their farm, I did it,” Obi said.
The former governor added that he had travelled extensively across the country, particularly by road, to understand the needs of Nigerians better.
“There’s no politician today in Nigeria… that has been able to travel places that I have been by road… because I want the country to be together, and I understand the people,” he said.
He said, “A Peter Obi presidency will commence the healing and the unity that is required to stabilise and build a better Nigeria.”
He urged Nigerians not to allow historical grievances to define the country’s future.
“We have a history, but we must not be trapped in it. It must not deprive us of tomorrow, he said.
Obi said his vision was for a Nigeria where citizens are judged by their character and contributions rather than ethnicity or religion.
“I want the child of Nigeria to be able to grow up in Nigeria, go to school, and live his life without thinking about his tribe, without thinking about yesterday, without thinking about his religion, but as a Nigerian, proud of it, Obi said.
Responding to allegations that he once made divisive comments about northern Nigerians, Obi dismissed the claims outright.
He said, “That’s a lie. It never happened.”
He pointed to his relationship with northern Nigerians, noting that several of his close associates were from the region.
“My ADC was from Kano, and he’s a Muslim”, he said.
Obi also disclosed that during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, all the cooks attached to him were northerners and that he sponsored Muslims in the state to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Peter Obi
“As governor, I was paying for Muslims living in Anambra to go to Hajj,” he said.
He added that he currently supports Almajiri schools in Kano and Bauchi, as well as a School of Nursing in Bauchi.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said public discourse should focus on solving Nigeria’s pressing challenges rather than attacking political opponents.
“Instead of us discussing the problems of the country, people come before you to discuss Peter Obi,” he said.
He maintained that issues such as poverty, insecurity, education and healthcare deserved greater attention.
Reaffirming his commitment to national unity, Obi said every part of the country would be carried along under his leadership.
He said, “I will never divide Nigeria. I will unite Nigeria. I will show love to every part of Nigeria and make sure things are done differently, because I’m going to involve everybody.”
Eereporter.com
NAF Activates Immediate Search and Rescue Following Aircraft Accident in Ondo Community
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on 5 October 2026.
Eereporter.com
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search and Rescue operations, in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, are currently ongoing.
The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course.
Helicopters crash
Ehimen Ejodame
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force
5 October 2026
Eereporter.com
News
Suspected Terrorists Kills Bus Driver, Abduct 18 Sokoto Health College Students Travelling to Oyo
Suspected Terrorists Kills Bus Driver, Abduct 18 Sokoto Health College Students Travelling to Oyo
Suspected terrorists have abducted about 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto State, who were travelling to their home towns in Oyo State, SaharaReporters has learnt. The incident reportedly occurred within the past 48 hours along the route to Oyo State, with the driver of the bus allegedly killed at the scene.
Eereporter.com
A youth leader from Oke-Ogun, who confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters during an exclusive interview, said the victims were not students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), as earlier reported.
According to him, the students were travelling in a chartered bus from Gamji College of Health Technology in Sokoto to Oke-Ogun, particularly Igboho in Oyo State.
“Sadly, the unfortunate incident is being confirmed by me because I’m from Oke-Ogun too, and our people have confirmed that it truly happened in the past 48 hours.
“But it wasn’t a bus conveying UDUS students. It was a bus taking students from Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, to Oke-Ogun, Igboho to be precise.
“The driver was killed and all the students were kidnapped. They have reached the Mokwa side,” the youth leader said. Other sources familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the number of abducted students could be as many as 18.
The sources said the students were travelling in a chartered bus arranged by their school to convey them to their respective home towns in Oyo State. They were reportedly all taken away by the assailants after the driver was killed.
The reported movement of the abducted students towards the Mokwa axis has raised concerns among residents and relatives of the victims, as the area has previously witnessed attacks and abductions along major roads.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen reportedly attacked their two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
Isiah Akpan, the Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, said the abductors had demanded N50 million for each victim, putting the total ransom at N950 million.
Reacting in a post on X, human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, said the incident reinforced his longstanding position that the NYSC had “outlived its usefulness in its present form.”
Terrorists Attack
“You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service,” he wrote.
Sowore called for the immediate suspension of the scheme and its eventual abolition, proposing that corps members should, in the interim, be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
Eereporter.com
Many Feared Dead as Helicopter Crashes in Ondo Community
Many persons are feared dead after a helicopter crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Eereporter.com
The incident, which occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026, threw the coastal community into panic, with residents scampering for safety.
Details surrounding the crash remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
It was yet unclear how many persons were aboard the helicopter, while the condition of possible survivors could not be immediately ascertained.
Sources in the community told SaharaReporters that efforts were underway to access the crash site and determine the extent of casualties and circumstances that led to the crash.
“Yes, it’s true. A helicopter just crashed now at Igbokoda, Ondo state,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
Ondo State Police Command spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh told SaharaReporters he was unaware of the incident but would make inquiries.
Helicopters crash
Igbokoda is a riverine community and commercial hub of Ilaje, one of the oil-rich areas of Ondo State, where helicopters are frequently used for oil and gas logistics operations.
Nigeria has recorded a series of helicopter crashes in recent years, many involving oil workers and military aircraft, raising fresh concerns over aviation safety and regulatory compliance.
Eereporter.com
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