A Divisional Police Officer in Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State, Muhammad Sani Kabir, has been killed while leading a security operation against suspected cattle rustlers.

The incident was confirmed by the Katsina State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, which said the officer died in the line of duty during a joint operation involving security operatives and community members.

The ministry also disclosed that three suspected rustlers were neutralised in the encounter.

Commissioner for Internal Security, Nasir Mu’azu, said the operation followed distress reports from local leaders about the presence of armed rustlers in Magaji town.

Security personnel were mobilised immediately, leading to a confrontation that stretched into the early hours of the morning, during which several stolen cattle were recovered.

According to the ministry, the DPO personally led a follow-up raid on the suspects’ location.

During the gun battle, his rifle reportedly malfunctioned, leaving him vulnerable before he was fatally shot by one of the attackers identified as their leader.

Three security operatives injured in the clash are currently receiving treatment at Katsina Teaching Hospital, while the late officer’s remains have been taken to Zaria in Kaduna State for burial.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda commended the bravery of security personnel and residents who supported the operation, reaffirming his administration’s resolve to tackle banditry and protect communities across the state.

Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has called on detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to embrace dialogue with the Federal Government as a pathway to resolving his legal and political challenges.

In a statement issued through his lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, Igboho commended Kanu for calling off the Monday sit-at-home order across the South-East, describing the decision as a crucial step toward restoring stability in the region.

He noted that ending the weekly shutdown, which had persisted for years, could help revive economic and social activities and reduce tensions.

Beyond the suspension of the protest, Igboho urged the IPOB leader to consider negotiation and mediation with the Federal Government, stressing that engagement could help break the impasse surrounding his detention and ongoing legal battles.

He expressed optimism that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be open to discussions aimed at achieving peace, mutual understanding and regional stability.

Igboho also criticised individuals and groups allegedly benefiting from unrest in the South-East, warning that continued violence and disruption would hinder economic recovery and development.

The intervention reflects growing calls for peaceful engagement over separatist tensions, particularly following IPOB’s decision in 2021 to introduce the sit-at-home protest after Kanu’s rendition to Nigeria and subsequent prosecution.

Kanu was later convicted on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment, a verdict his family has rejected and is contesting through legal channels.

The Nigerian Army has apprehended a suspect, Alhaji Tijjani Abdul Rauf, for allegedly posing as a retired Major General and misleading the public with false claims about his military background.

In a statement, the Army’s spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, said preliminary investigations confirmed that the suspect was never commissioned into the Army and had never attained the rank of General or served in any official capacity.

She added that the suspect also falsely claimed to have attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru and to have been awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic.

The claims, she said, were entirely fabricated.

According to the Army, Abdul Rauf allegedly used the false identity to intimidate members of the public and influence legal proceedings by presenting himself as a retired senior military officer.

Investigations further revealed that media reports and court documents had previously referred to him as a retired Major General.

In one instance, he was identified as such in a lawsuit filed against the Lagos State Government, where he reportedly sought damages running into billions of naira.

The Army emphasised that no retired officer bears the suspect’s name and reaffirmed that no individual with such identity has ever held the rank of Major General within the service.

Describing the act as a serious offence, the military said impersonation undermines public trust and damages the reputation of officers who have genuinely served the country.

It pledged continued collaboration with relevant authorities to ensure that impostors are prosecuted and the integrity of its ranks preserved.

Opinion of Dr. Justice Chidi,

True leadership is not only about loud speeches and grandstandings. It is sometimes about the little things that matter: those practical, everyday improvements that touch the pulse of the ordinary, common people.

In the arithmetic of the ordinary lives, destinies are transformed by quiet, thoughtful mercies of leadership. It is about the little things that ease the weight of our daily bread.

It is about the repaired road that saves a motorcyclist the cost of repairing his bruised head in the hospital. It is about the street lights that keep dwellers safe from attack as they walk home at night. It is about the less money spent on transport. These may not constitute headlines, but they are lifelines.

Consider the CNG buses now gliding between Enugu and Nsukka. Once, travelling between Enugu and Nsukka by road, especially on commercial vehicles, was characterised by cramped vehicles and complexion-changing heat. The fares tore the modest pockets of traders, civil servants, and students alike.

Today, commuters step into fully air-conditioned buses powered by compressed natural gas. Busses that are cleaner, safer, and clearly more affordable. With just the sum of N3,000, one could travel to Enugu from Nsukka, conduct his business, and travel back to Nsukka.

What appears to be a mere change of vehicle is, in truth, a recalibration of dignity. Mbah has introduced some level of dignity into our transport system.

Our journeys are no longer like ordeals; with Mbah’s CNG busses, they are like poetry in motion. This explains why even private car owners now leave their cars at home and join the CNG buses.

By reducing transportation costs through CNG-powered systems, the government has eased the silent burdens families carry. A mother travelling to see her child in Nsukka, a trader heading to Ogbete, a lecturer commuting for a morning class—all now experience relief that accumulates in subtle but meaningful ways.

The savings on transport become school fees, books bought, extra foodstuff, or reinvested capital. In governance, these increments of relief are the building blocks of prosperity. Like I already pointed out, they do not make headlines, but they are the real lifelines.

Equally transformative is the CNG bus service running between Enugu and Agbani, conveying students and teachers with order and comfort. Agbani, home to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), hums daily with academic pursuit.

By ensuring reliable, air-conditioned, and cost-effective transportation for both students and lecturers, the Mbah administration has bridged the gap between knowledge and access.

Education thrives not only in lecture halls but also in the certainty that one can arrive there safely, punctually, and without humiliation. These are the little things that matter.

Worthy of emphasis here is the renewed sense of dignity in our transportation system. Public transport in Enugu and many other cities in Nigeria has a long-standing relationship with chaos: pushing crowds, blaring horns, and vehicles gasping under mechanical fatigue.

The new CNG buses signal a cultural shift. In Enugu, order is replacing disorder and comfort displacing irritation.

Citizens no longer feel like cargo being ferried, but like valued stakeholders in a state that recognises their humanity. Dignity, though intangible, is one of the most powerful currencies of good governance. It is part of those minute realities that really matter.

Environmental consciousness is yet another silent triumph embedded in these buses. By embracing compressed natural gas, Enugu State is aligning economic pragmatism with ecological responsibility. Cleaner emissions mean cleaner air for our markets, campuses, and communities.

It is a subtle testament and declaration that development needs not come at the expense of the environment and healthy living.

In the final analysis, Governor Peter Mbah’s transportation reforms reveal a governing philosophy rooted in attentive details. The air-conditioned buses, the reduced fare, the smooth ride to Nsukka, the assured trip to Agbani are all little threads of governance, but woven together, they form a tapestry of progress.