By Our Correspondent

In abid to rid the country of insurgents in the Northeast, the troops of the Northeast Operation Hadin Kai of the Nigerian military have arrested 29 Boko Haram logistic suppliers, rescued 86 kidnaped victims and foiled ambush attacked by the insurgents in Bormo.

The theater Command, in a statement issued on Monday, by its Spokesman, Lt Col. Sani Uba said ” Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Joint Task Force North East, have recorded another major success in the ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in Borno State. “.

Lt Col.Uba said ” Troops of 135 Special Forces Battalion, under Sector 2 OPHK on 9 November 2025, encountered Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists at Dutsen e Kura after discovering that terrorist were abducting civilians and vehicles along the Buratai–Kamuya Road.”.

” The troops thwarted the attack, pursued the terrorists towards Mangari, and overpowered them in a follow-up encounter near a camp, forcing the insurgents to flee in disarray. A search of the area led to the discovery of 11 makeshift terrorists’ structures and the rescue of 86 kidnapped victims comprising men, women, and children.”, the statement said.

According the statement, ” items recovered include one AK-47 rifle, five magazines with 73 rounds, four PKT ammunition belts, five civilian vehicles, five motorcycles, eight bicycles, and two logistics tricycles. The terrorists’ camp was destroyed in situ after clearance operations”.

Similarly troops deployed to Forward Operation Base Mangada In an operation, arrested 29 terrorist logistics suppliers with several litres of fuel, foods and nonl food items.main to supply to the Boko Haram insurgents.

The statement saud . *items recovered include two pickup vans and a tricycle loaded with Premium Motor Spirit, about 1,000 litres of petrol in jerricans, four gallons of engine oil, two new gun truck tyres, huge cache of medical consumables, and large quantities of foodstuffs and provisions..

The statement further stated that all operations were conducted successfully with no casualty on the part of the troops.and that the Military High Command commended the gallantry and professionalism of the troops while charging Operation HADIN KAI to sustain operations to deny terrorists freedom of action across the North East theatre.

By Our Correspondent

Bayelsa state government has concluded plan to develop its medical university to attain global acclaim in terms of scholarship, research excellence and production of quality human resources to address manpower shortage and healthcare delivery needs in the country.

A statement issued by the senior special assistant on media to the deputy governor, mr Doubara Atasi, at the weekend, quoted senator Ewhrudjakpo, as saying that the present administration was irrevocably committed to the vision for the institution as enunciated by the former governor and founder of the university, senator Seriake Dickson.

While commending the former governor and now senator representing Bayelsa west senatorial district at the national assembly, senator dickson, for his foresight in establishing the institution despite stiff opposition, the deputy governor expressed delight over the achievements the BMU has recorded in its few year’s of existence.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo also applauded the pioneer vice chancellor of the BMU, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu and his successor, Prof. Dimie Ogoina, for their commitment and efforts that have brought the university to where it is today.

He noted that considering its standards and the progress being made by the university, BMU would soon export Bayelsa to the world and attract the world to the state through academic excellence and record breaking research findings.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo however stressed the need for the management team, staff, students and all critical stakeholders to work harder towards actualizing the vision and rationale behind the establishment of the specialized institution.

His words,having thanked God, my next thanks go to senator Henry Seriake Dickson for his painstaking efforts that led to the establishment of this very important institution, I’m commending him because I know the opposition he faced back then.

“He proved himself as a visionary leader when he held sway as governor of the state, and we have started seeing the benefits of his fore sightedness,you know he was seeing his visions in the daytime and not at night.

“I say this with all sense of humility and duty, because if I leave here without commending senator Dickson, then I would have failed in my duty as a responsible and forthright human being. I feel honoured and privileged to venerate his contributions to the success story of this medical university.

“I am also happy for the immediate past vice chancellor, professor Ebitimitula Etebu, who was able to give us a tip of the iceberg from the memory lane. We must commend Professor Etebu for the solid foundation he laid for BMU as a pioneer VC.

“But today, we have a vice chancellor who is now planting good seeds, and we believe that these seeds will grow and enable us to export this university to the world, and bring the world to this university.

“I can assure you that the government of his excellency, senator Douye Diri is fully ready and committed to working with you at all times,because we believe, working together, we are going to have a peaceful, dynamic, very elaborate and outstanding university that will be a global brand.

“But to achieve this all of us, including students, the academia staff, senate and council, must all have our hands in glove to support this agenda of ASPIRE that has been introduced by the present VC.”

In his remarks the vice chancellor of the BMU, professor Dimie Ogoina explained the components of the ASPIRE Agenda that serves as his guide in running the university which includes academic excellence sustainability, partnership engagement, Innovation and technology, research excellence, as well as empowerment and welfare.

Professor Ogoina, who expressed gratitude to the state government for its unrelented support to the institution so far, also listed some achievements under his watch, such as securing a research grant of £1.2 million from welcome trust, and the establishment of Nigeria’s first university-based Virtual Reality(VR) /Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mixed Reality Studio.

According to Professor Ogoina, in 2026, the university would develop a five year strategic development plan which would outline the medium and long-term goals of the institution, to transform it into a national centre of excellence.

He added that the visitor to the university governor Douye Diri, had given his nod for the BMU to have its own teaching hospital, to be complemented by AI robotic teacher to adequately cater to the pedagogical needs of its students.

Speaking earlier the chairman of the occasion, Prof. Tomori Oyewale, applauded successive governments in the state, particularly that of Dickson and Diri, for not abandoning the dream of the pioneer civilian administration of late chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Goodwill messages were also delivered by the university’s pro chancellor and chairman of council, professor Tarilah Tebepah; and the pioneer Vice chancellor of the BMU, professor Ebitimitula Etebu.

The highpoint of the ceremony was the unveiling and commissioning of the BMU advances in medicine and health sciences journal, and five digital apps of the university by the deputy governor, senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.

By Our Correspondent

The Rector of All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha, Anambra State, Rev Fr Pascal Chigozie Okonkwo, weekend, disclosed that the incessant excellent performance of the seminary school in academics and other fields of study was not by magic nor fraud but rather through hard-work.

Making this disclosure during the feast of All Saints, the patron of the seminary, celebrated within the premises, the Rector paid glowing tribute to the Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Rev Valerian Maduka Okeke, for his unwavering vision of excellence in the institution.

Fr Okonkwo described Archbishop Okeke, the Proprietor of the Seminary, as a champion of holistic development, noting that the Prelate has contributed immensely, physically, academically and spiritually to the growth of the school.

“In adherence to the vision of our Archbishop, we have continued to promote the culture of excellence in our Seminary, excellence in academics, excellence in character formation, excellence in sports and in music,” he stated.

He urged guests to rejoice with the institution over its academic strides, announcing that in the last WAEC examination, all 60 registered candidates recorded 100 per cent success.

According to him, the Seminary also took first position among the nine minor seminaries within the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province. Out of 54 candidates who sat for the exam, 21 secured A1, 28 obtained B2, while the remaining five scored B3 — with no credit, no pass and no failure recorded.

He stated that the results were neither “magic nor fraud,” but a product of hard work and discipline, adding that the institution maintains zero tolerance for examination malpractice at all levels.

Fr Okonkwo, however, highlighted some pressing challenges confronting the institution and appealed for support in acquiring Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, including 50 laptops costing ₦300,000 each.

The celebration was preceded by the Holy Eucharist, Presided over by the Episcopal Vicar of Onitsha Region, Very Rev Fr Johnbosco Okafor, on behay of the Archbishop and flanked by the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Very Rev Fr Dr Prudentius Emeka Aroh, and several other priests.

In his sermon during the Mass, Fr Aroh said the Feast of All Saints bears three significant meanings that include, “the celebration of the trophy of God’s mercy and grace over human weakness, the celebration with the Church triumphant, and the celebration with the Church militant.”

He recalled the fall of Adam, saying that instead of seeking forgiveness, Adam resorted to blaming God for giving him a wife, which led to God’s displeasure and the consequent fall of man.

He added that God later realised humanity could not save itself and therefore sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile mankind with Himself.

Speaking to journalists, Fr Okonkwo reaffirmed that the Feast of All Saints holds deep meaning for Christians, describing the saints as “those who lived on earth, and through God’s grace triumphed by living holy lives and are now in heaven.”

He noted that the celebration serves as inspiration for seminarians striving for the priesthood, encouraging them to live holy and exemplary lives.

Responding to the Archbishop’s commendation, he said: “In all things, we give glory to God. We make ourselves available as instruments through which God does His work. The staff I work with, ranging from teachers and formators to non-tutorial workers, are wonderful. We have cooperation; we work together to achieve something.”

He also expressed appreciation to priests, religious, friends of the Seminary, parents, former rectors and government functionaries for their support.

In their separate remarks, the former President of the All Hallows Seminary Old Boys Association, Professor Fidelis Okafor, and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Barrister Sly Ezeokenwa, urged the students to obey the institution’s rules and remain focused on their studies.

Dignitaries present at the event included Hungarian neurosurgeon, Dr Reka Foda; Hungarian priest, Rev Fr Robert Kurnyek; and many others.