The Nigerian House of Representatives Committees on Police Affairs and Pension have respectively assured protesting retired police officers that their demands and agitations have been addressed.

The Atlantic Bell reports that the retired police personnel had in the last six weeks staged protest at the National Assembly front gate over the non-remittance of their contributory pensions and gratuities.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Rep. Makki Yalleman, said that the demands of the retired police officers were encapsulated and addressed in a bill entitled HB979.

Yalleman, who expressed optimism that the provision of the bill would address the plethora of demands made by the police retirees, urged them to go home happily.

He described the 10th House of Representatives as a listening one, expressing the willingness of the lawmakers to alleviate the plights of all Nigerians.

“We have been interacting with the retired police officers, and we have looked into their complaints and packaged them in a bill,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Pensions, Rep. Hussein Jalo, expressed the commitment of the House to addressing the agitations.

Jalo said that the committee had been working in synergy with the Inspector General of Police and Director General, Pensions Board to address the complaints.

He explained that the bill entitled “A Bill for An Act to Establish Nigeria Police Pension Board (HB979) had been moved to the Senate for harmonisation and onward forwarding to the President for assent.

Jalo said: “My plea to them is to leave the gate and go back to their homes.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

A statement signed and made available to The Atlantic Bell on Thursday by Mr Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy), stated that in response to the request by the governor of Kwara State, President Tinubu has ordered the deployment of more security men to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers.

President Tinubu was scheduled to leave Abuja on Wednesday to attend the 20th G20 Summit of leaders in South Africa and thereafter proceed to Luanda to attend the 7th AU-EU Summit.

Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.

He now awaits reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi on his behalf, as well as reports from the police and the Department of State Services regarding the attack in Kwara.

President Tinubu reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls, abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe.

On Tuesday night, Tinubu had directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State on Wednesday over the abduction of 25 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, and the killing of the school’s Vice-Principal.

The President, who had been briefed by the military authorities “expressed sadness over the abduction of the schoolgirls, despite intelligence warnings of a possible strike by the bandits.

The Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State was thrown into panic in the early hours of Monday after armed bandits attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area and killed the Vice Principal and abducted at least 25 students.

The vice principal, Hassan Makuku, who reportedly attempted to shield students from the attackers, was killed in the attack, the Kebbi State Police Command confirmed.

The police also confirmed that 25 students were abducted from the school.

While assuring the guardians of the kidnapped schoolgirls that the government will ensure their quick release, Tinubu also commiserated with the military over the incident.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, on Tuesday said that the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has effectively solved the protracted challenge of identity theft in Nigeria’s elections.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Dayo Oketola, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The statement quoted Amupitan as making the declaration while speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Amupitan, who was represented by INEC National Commissioner, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, stated that the era of multiple voting and identity fraud was over.

He said that the BVAS signposted a milestone in the nation’s democratic history, having become a ‘foolproof mechanism’ for verification.

“The BVAS device has become our frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only the rightful, eligible voter can be accredited at the polling unit.

“With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system,” Amupitan said.

Amupitan, who backed his assertion with BVAS data from the recently concluded Anambra Governorship election, noted that the 6,879 BVAS devices configured and deployed for the polls recorded a highly commendable performance.

The 2004 University of Iowa Fulbright visiting scholar added that over 99 per cent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on election day.

“These outcomes confirm that the deployment of BVAS and IReV is no longer experimental but an entrenched part of Nigeria’s electoral architecture.

“The figure announced at the polling units is the same figure visible to the public. Technology has safeguarded the vote,” he said.

The INEC boss reminded the audience that previous technologies, while innovative, lacked the ‘teeth’ of the law, leaving the commission vulnerable to technicalities in election tribunals.

He, however, said the situation shifted with the Electoral Act 2022.

He said that Section 47(2) of the Act is the watershed provision that has transformed digital devices from mere administrative guidelines into “statutorily protected pillars” of the electoral system.

“This legislative foundation ensures that our digital tools have both operational and legal legitimacy.

“It has strengthened public trust and enabled the Commission to innovate with confidence,” Amupitan explained.

He noted while voter impersonation and multiple voting had been largely tackled with BVAS, connectivity remained a logistical headache.

Amupitan acknowledged that while the Commission’s steady deployment of technology had boosted credibility, it was by no means a cure-all.

He pointed to the nation’s uneven telecommunications landscape as a stubborn obstacle.

“With 176,846 polling units tucked into swamps, perched on mountains, and hidden in far-flung communities, achieving real-time upload of Polling Unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal remains one of the toughest battles for transparency on Election Day.

“A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” he said.

The chairman said that INEC will continue to engage the NCC and network providers to find ways of addressing the challenge, while actively exploring alternative technologies to bridge the gaps.

In spite of these technology challenge, Amupitan sent a strong signal to the political class that there was no U-turn in deploying technology for elections in the country.

He firmly rejected suggestions of returning to manual procedures, describing the old model of manual accreditation as “vulnerable to human interference.”

“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse,” the INEC Chairman insisted.

He outlined a future where the Commission would not only stick with the current tech but actively upgrade it to more seamless solutions.

The INEC chairman reiterated that ‘ghost voter’ practice common to Nigerian elections had become a thing of the past and the Commission had no intention of looking back.

“Our mission is simple. To ensure that every eligible voter is accurately verified, every vote is properly counted, and every result is transparently shared.

“Technology has helped us secure these foundations of democracy,” Amupitan added.

Speaker of House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, has inaugurated an ad hoc committee to identify, resuscitate and activate all abandoned Federal Government’s landed assets for the benefit of citizens.

Speaking at the inauguration of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Abandoned Federal Government Landed Property in Nigeria on Tuesday, Tajudeen said that the committee was very important, as they were over 11,000 abandoned government assets across the country.

He said that the committee had the mandate to investigate the authenticity of all abandoned projects, review the defunct presidential committee report on abandoned assets and make far-reaching recommendations.

“I have no doubt in my mind that with the array of members and based on their training and integrity, there will be fairness and balance in your report.

“I urge you to do a thorough job, get relevant information to identify these landed property and make your recommendations,” he said.

Tajudeen urged all relevant agencies of government to support the committee by making available all necessary information required to do the job.

In his remarks, Chairman of the committee, Rep. Daniel Amos (LP-Kaduna), said that the mandate of the committee was not merely administrative but a solemn responsibility to the Nigerian people whose resources and heritage the assets represent.

Amos said that across the country, countless number of public properties and projects lie unutilised, under-valued or abandoned.

The lawmaker stated that assets were silent reminders of lost opportunities; opportunities for housing, revenue and national development.

“It is our duty, as representatives of the people, to reverse this trend and ensure that every public asset delivers real value to citizens,” he said.

According to him, the committee’s mandate include: identification and verification of all abandoned federal government landed properties and establishment of a centralised and reliable national database to ensure accurate documentation and institutional memory.

He said that the committee would also evaluate the financial, economic and developmental implications arsing from their abandonment and determine agencies that hold custodial or administrative responsibility for the assets.

Part of the mandate, he said, was to do an in-depth examination of the administrative, budgetary, regulatory and operational deficiencies that had impeded proper utilisation and formulation of clear and actionable strategies for the recovery, rehabilitation or productive deployment of all identified assets.

The lawmaker said that the committee was also tasked with the development of sustainable, forward-looking policy recommendations to address systemic weaknesses and prevent future occurrences.

“This committee pledges to discharge this mandate with the utmost diligence, transparency and fidelity to the public trust, ensuring that every aspect of the responsibility entrusted to us is executed with precision and integrity.

“We further commit to delivering outcomes that reflect the highest standards of legislative oversight, timely, evidence-driven and firmly anchored in the national interest.

“The work before us is not just technical, it is moral. Every abandoned property represents deferred development, lost revenue and a diminishing of public trust.

“By undertaking this assignment with diligence, fairness and integrity, we reaffirm the commitment of the House of Representatives to prudent management of national resources.

“This committee will operate with openness, professionalism and unwavering dedication to the people of Nigeria,” he said.

Amos sought for the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure a credible and impactful process.

“Together, let us turn these dormant assets into engines of growth, sources of revenue and symbols of renewed national stewardship,” he said.