Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Kogi State

  • Troops Neutralize Eight Terrorists in Borno and Kogi Operations

    Troops Neutralize Eight Terrorists in Borno and Kogi Operations

    According to The Punch, the Nigerian Army has successfully neutralized eight terrorists during coordinated raids in Borno and Kogi states. In Borno, troops ambushed a Boko Haram supply route, killing five insurgents, while a separate operation in Kogi led to the death of three kidnappers who had been terrorizing travelers along the Lokoja-Abuja highway. Three civilians were also rescued during these operations.

    Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the raids were based on actionable intelligence from local communities. He noted that a significant cache of weapons, including AK-47 rifles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), was recovered from the scenes. The military has vowed to maintain the ‘offensive momentum’ as the dry season provides better mobility for ground troops.

    Validation of these victories was reported by Channels TV and Daily Post. Channels TV noted that ‘air support played a crucial role in the Borno operation,’ while Daily Post quoted a resident: ‘We feel a bit safer seeing the soldiers actively patrolling the highway again.’

    Echotitbits take: Neutralizing eight terrorists is a tactical win, but the geographical spread—from Borno to Kogi—shows that the insurgency and banditry remain decentralized. The rescue of three civilians is the real highlight here, as it boosts public confidence in military ‘intelligence-led’ operations.
    Source: Zagazola – https://zagazola.org/index.php/breaking-news/troops-kill-8-boko-haram-terrorists-including-2-commanders-in-borno-clash January 5, 2026

    Photo Credit: Zagazola

  • Kogi signs two revenue bills to align state collections with Nigeria’s new tax reform direction

    Kogi signs two revenue bills to align state collections with Nigeria’s new tax reform direction

    2026-01-02 09:00:00
    Figures cited by Punch show Kogi State has signed into law two revenue-related bills intended to strengthen tax administration and align with the Federal Government’s broader tax reform agenda.

    The measures include a state internal revenue service establishment framework and a harmonised approach to collecting taxes and levies, presented as a way to boost transparency and reduce leakages.

    Officials argue that clearer rules can improve compliance and expand the revenue base beyond a narrow set of collection points, if the rollout avoids harassment and multiple taxation traps.

    Validation: The Guardian reported Kogi “signed into law two key revenue bills” aligned with the federal reform direction. PM News echoed the expected impact, quoting a government statement that the move is “expected to boost state revenue, enhance transparency, and promote economic growth.”

    Echotitbits take: Tax reform succeeds or fails in execution. Watch for whether Kogi digitises collections, curbs informal levies at local levels and sets a credible appeals process—business confidence depends on predictability, not just new laws.

    Source: The Punch — 2026-01-02 (https://punchng.com/kogi-gov-signs-tax-reform-laws/)
    The Punch 2026-01-02

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • Kogi Set to Tap into LAWMA”s Strategies to Establish Robust Waste Management System

    Kogi Set to Tap into LAWMA”s Strategies to Establish Robust Waste Management System

    Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has pledged technical support to Kogi State in its efforts to establish a robust waste management system.

    LAWMA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ibrahim Odumboni, gave this indication while receiving Kogi State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Victor Adewale Omofaiye, and his team, who were on a fact-finding visit to the agency and its waste management facilities in Lagos.

    Odumboni expressed LAWMA’s readiness to support the efforts of Kogi State to set up a proper waste management structure for the good of Kogi environment, its people and visitors alike.

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    The LAWMA chief noted that the visit offered the visitors from Kogi State an opportunity to witness the waste management processes and innovative ideas being adopted by the agency to tackle day-to-day challenges of waste management in Lagos State.

    He informed the visiting team that the agency would soon launch an educational initiative called “LAWMA Academy” with the sole purpose of imparting waste management knowledge to the younger generation.

    Odumboni advised the delegation to explore the idea of setting up recycling clubs and similar programmes in schools to lay a solid foundation for waste management in Kogi State.

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    While addressing the team, LAWMA Chief Technical Officer, Olohunwa Tijani, listed generation, collection and disposal as the key components of the waste management process in any geographical location, noting that proper management of those components is essential to having an effective waste management system.

    He added that in order to achieve their goal of a cleaner and healthier state, the waste management system should be purpose-driven and devoid of political interference.

    LAWMA Assistant General Manager, Waste Management Development, Essien Nsuabia, spoke on waste minimisation techniques, highlighting the importance of studying human activities in a particular geographical location for the formation of effective waste management plans and policies.

    Earlier, Omofaiye had thanked the agency for a warm reception, noting that the purpose of their visit was to tap into LAWMA’s vast experience, which has made it a global brand.

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    Omafaiye submitted that the environment is a gift from God, which required collective preservation, attesting that the level of achievement attained by Lagos State in environmental sustainability did not just happen overnight, hence the delegation’s visit to discover the secrets.

    The team, in the course of their visit, embarked on a tour of some of the agency’s facilities such as the Engineering Department, where LAWMA engineers fabricate double dino bins for waste containerisation, Olusosun Dumpsite and others, for a first-hand assessment.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Supreme Court Affirms Yahaya Bello as Kogi State Governor

    Supreme Court Affirms Yahaya Bello as Kogi State Governor

    The victory of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state has been affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

    Bello, shortly after the ruling, was seen in a viral video expressing gratitude to God for granting him victory at the Supreme Court.

    A seven-man panel led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, in a unanimous judgment, affirmed Bello’s election and dismissed the appeal of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Musa Wada, challenging the governor’s victory.

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    In the lead judgment prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro but read on his behalf by another member of the panel, Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, the apex court affirmed the earlier July 4 judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja and the May 23 majority verdict of the election petition tribunal, which had both upheld Bello’s victory at the poll.

    The apex court resolved all the five issues raised for determination in the appeal against PDP and its governorship candidate in the disputed poll that jointly filed the appeal.

    The court resolved all the five issues in favour of Bello, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and declared the appellants’ appeal as lacking in merit.

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    “Having resolved all the five issues against the appellants, it is abundantly clear that the appeal is devoid of any scintilla of merit and it is accordingly dismissed,” the court ruled.

    Other members of the panel are: Justices Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and Amina Augie.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Osinbajo Chopper Crash: AIB indicts Caverton Helicopter for crash in Kogi

    Osinbajo Chopper Crash: AIB indicts Caverton Helicopter for crash in Kogi

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Tuesday released its final report on the cause of a near fatal crash of a helicopter conveying Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in Kabba, Kogi State, over a year ago.

    According to the report released by AIB Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Engineer Akin Olateru, the Bureau blamed the crew members for what it described as a misjudgment of distance, inappropriate landing techniques and non-adherence to the landing process.

    Olateru in the report, did not spare the helicopter operator as Caverton Helicopters was indicted for its failure to conduct a risk assessment of the landing preparedness.

    According to a statement issued after the incident in 2019, Caverton Helicopters had blamed “unusual weather conditions” for the crash landing of an Agusta Westland 139 chopper with registration number 5N-CML carrying Osinbajo alongside 11 others including the crew members.

    The Vice President was scheduled to flag off the distribution of traders’ money to market women in Kogi State.

    File Photo: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo went ahead with his activities in Kabba, Kogi State despite the crash of his chattered chopper, 2019.

    The commissioner said the helicopter crew had initially sighted the football field before losing visual contact with the ground and the external surrounding.

    The report stated that at 1:43 p.m, the helicopter experienced a hard landing on the right main landing gear and rolled over and the occupants were evacuated without injuries.

    However, the Commissioner said 11 days after the crash, the bureau issued two interim safety recommendations to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Caverton.

    The other three reports were two incidents involving Ilorin Aviation College at the Ilorin International Airport and Aero Contractor Port Harcourt- Lagos flight which experienced smoke on board.

    Tobiloba Kolawole