By Nick Ibe, Abuja

The body of a boy recovered and rushed to a hospital, was confirmed dead following his bid to retrieve a shoe inside a canal.

The 14-year-old boy (identity undisclosed) met his sad fate in a canal located behind Millennium Park in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday, highlighting the police force’s achievements.

Iniedu noted that the incident occurred on Saturday during rainfall. The statement said:

“Police received a report that a 14-year-old boy drowned in a canal behind Millennium Park while attempting to retrieve his shoe during rainfall.

“His body was recovered and rushed to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead.”

Iniedu said the father of the deceased boy declined an autopsy, even as the police had commenced an investigation into the incident. He added:

“The father declined an autopsy and requested the release of the corpse for burial, which was granted. CID Abuja is investigating.”

–Warns against taking Christians for granted

By Isa Abdul

The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Enenche, has challenged the Federal Government to conduct a credible population census that would also capture Nigerians’ religious affiliations.

The request was made by pastor Enenche during his sermon on Sunday at the church’s headquarters in Abuja.

The request was in reaction to the recent remarks credited to Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, who claimed that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria.

According to Enenche, the only way to settle the argument is through a credible census where Nigerians can freely identify their religion.

“If you think you are superior, why didn’t you people allow for the census all these while?”

He also warned against taking Christians and the church for granted, insisting that Christians have a significant presence across the country.

His comments have once again stirred the debate over Nigeria’s religious population and the need for an accurate national census.

What do you think? Should religion be included in Nigeria’s next population census to finally settle the debate?

By Michael Lim
 
A suspect, Haruna Yusuf,  intercepted with multiple undeclared foreign currencies, ,   $73,000( Seventy Three thousand United States Dollars)  £15,957 ( Fifteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Seven Pound Sterling) & 827,800 Saudi Riyal  intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service,  NCS,   at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport,  MAKIA. Kano Zonal office is being investigated by the Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
 
The investigation followed  the handover  of the suspect and the undeclared currencies by the Acting Customs Area Comptroller of the Kano/Jigawa Command,  Deputy Comptroller U. U.  Adamu at the Customs Area Command in Kano.

The intercepted currencies, which exceeded the legally permitted threshold, were discovered during routine primary and secondary screenings of arriving passengers between August 8 and August 12, 2026.
 
The Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC,  Kano Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Friday S. Ebelo, received the suspect and the recovered funds on behalf of the Commission.

According to Adamu,  the Customs made two separate interceptions.
 On August 8,  2026,  “at approximately 14:20 hours, officers conducting passenger screening at the baggage seat of MAKIA intercepted an unaccompanied Saudi Air luggage  containing 827,800 Saudi Riyals and $53,300. The currencies were found concealed inside a footwear.” Adamu stated.

Similarly, on  August 12, 2026 “at approximately 13:50 hours, officers of the Nigerian Custom Service also flagged a luggage belonging to one Mr. Haruna Yusuf, who arrived at MAKIA on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET941.

During secondary screening using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, $20,000 USD and £15,957  were found concealed inside sportswear shoes”, he said.
Adamu thereafter formally handed over the suspect, Mr. Haruna Yusuf, alongside all recovered exhibits to Ebelo for further investigation and prosecution.   He noted that the handover was in accordance with Section 4(f) of the NCS Act 2023, which empowers the Service to collaborate with other border regulatory agencies.
Adamu further explained that,  “these interceptions demonstrate the readiness and vigilance of our officers in detecting cross-border movement of undeclared foreign currencies above the allowed threshold.  The Command will continue to deploy technology, professional expertise, and intelligence-driven measures, including inter-agency collaboration to strengthen border controls and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s financial systems.”
 
Receiving the suspect and exhibits on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, Ebelo expressed profound gratitude to the Customs Service for its  professionalism and cooperation with EFCC officers recently deployed to the airport.

“We must sustain this vigilance at all our entry points to counter the illegal movement of currency. The failure to declare large sums of currency and its equivalent is a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” he said.
He  urged the public to comply with the law, emphasizing that declaring currency attracts no penalty, only the source of undeclared funds may raise legal concerns.

“Once more, we call on the general public: as much as we are Nigerians and we encourage trade in and out of the country, people must adhere to the laws of the land. You must declare the currency you are carrying. If you declare it, nobody will seize your currency,” he said.

Ebelo reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to  thorough investigations and prosecution, stating that the Commission would continue to follow the law diligently.

Both Ebelo and Adamu applauded the longstanding synergy between the EFCC and NCS which has been critical to combating financial crimes and illegal cash movement across Nigeria’s borders.