General News
INEC: AI manipulation Real Threat to 2027 Elections,
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
The misuse of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading manipulated content is “no longer a distant, theoretical risk” to the 2027 general elections, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned.
The commission said the growing accessibility of generative AI had made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect fabricated audio, videos and images, raising concerns about the potential impact on voters and electoral credibility.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, on Monday.
Also, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, raised the concern on Monday in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers drawn from across the states.
Haruna said the threat extended beyond fabricated content, noting that AI could also be deployed to produce highly targeted messages designed to feed conflicting narratives to different groups of voters.
“Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images,” he said.
He added that the development made it imperative for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated as interconnected aspects of election management.
Haruna recalled that the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), recently said electoral credibility no longer depended only on ballot papers, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines and result sheets, but also on the information environment in which voters formed their judgments.
According to him, Amupitan had called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”
Haruna said the workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” was designed to equip INEC’s public affairs officers with the skills required to respond to the emerging information challenges.
Describing PAOs as “the frontline communicators of INEC in the states,” he said, “the credibility of INEC’s communication, in many respects, begins with the work you do.”
The national commissioner said the officers would receive training in verification, escalation and clear, consistent messaging, adding that the skills would be tested in real time as the 2027 elections approach.
In her welcome remarks, Eta-Messi said the officers had a major responsibility in shaping public perception of the commission.
“It is through you that Nigerians form much of their impression of who we are, what we stand for, and how reliable our information is,” she said.
Eta-Messi said INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and was regularly confronted with attempts to misrepresent its work and undermine public confidence.
She disclosed that the workshop was not a one-off engagement, saying further capacity-building interventions were at an advanced stage of planning with support from development partners.
The director described the training as “the beginning of sustained engagement” to ensure that the officers were adequately prepared for their responsibilities.
Presenting the objectives of the workshop, the Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the programme was designed to strengthen the practical communication skills required by PAOs in their day-to-day duties as the 2027 elections draw closer.
He said the training would clarify escalation lines between PAOs, heads of department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Ifogah added that the programme would strengthen consistency in press statements, talking points and social media communication, while building the officers’ capacity to monitor the information ecosystem and respond to misinformation and disinformation.
He said the workshop would also introduce participants to “the responsible use of artificial intelligence in communication work, including its practical applications, its limitations, and the safeguards required around confidentiality and verification.”
In his view, Ifogah said participants were expected to leave the workshop with “a shared appreciation of the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of every Public Affairs Officer of this Commission,” particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
General News
Arrested Ugandan Woman Came With Bible: On Way Back, Hid 87 Cocaine Wraps in Her Private Part
By Seyi Balogun, Lagos
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, operative have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine from Nigeria to Uganda.
Nansubuga was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 3, while preparing to board a flight to Uganda.
The NDLEA said 87 wraps of cocaine were recovered from her pelvic region, strapped beneath two layers of underwear.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, , on Sunday, the suspect arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State.
Babafemi said the other members of her delegation had returned to Uganda after the prayer session, but Nansubuga remained in Nigeria to allegedly collect the cocaine on behalf of a friend identified as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
He said the suspect was intercepted during a joint passenger screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the airport.
“She came to Nigeria with members of her church for spiritual renewal at a prayer session in Lagos. But when it was time to go home, 34-year-old Ugandan, Ms Farida Nansubuga, chose a different path. While the rest of her delegation flew back to Uganda, she stayed behind, not to pray some more, but to pick up a consignment of cocaine, which she hid in her private part in a bid to smuggle it into her country.
“Her plan, however, came crashing down at the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, when operatives of the NDLEA intercepted her at the screening point of Terminal 2 during a joint passenger screening exercise with aviation security personnel. She was due to board a Ugandan airline flight to her home country,” the statement partly read.
Preliminary investigation, according to him, reportedly disclosed that a contact in Nigeria arranged a vehicle to convey her to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure, where an unidentified man handed her the drugs.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that she was instructed to conceal the cocaine beneath her clothing to evade airport security screening.
He said, “During preliminary interview, the suspect said she arrived in Nigeria on 29th October 2026 with members of her church for a prayer session at The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos. She claimed that after the prayer session, the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda while she stayed back to collect the illicit consignment on behalf of a friend, simply identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda.”
She reportedly said that although no definite payment was agreed upon, she expected to receive at least $1,000 after successfully delivering the consignment in Uganda.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the incident as a reminder of how drug cartels exploit religious activities and travel to recruit couriers.
Marwa, while commending officers involved in the arrest, urged personnel across the agency’s commands to sustain efforts to tackle drug trafficking and abuse.
“The case of the Ugandan woman is a sad reminder that drug cartels will stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers for their deadly trade. I urge officers across all commands to sustain the tempo of their supply and demand reduction efforts, ” he said.
The arrest was among several drug seizures and arrests recorded by the agency across the country.
Babafemi said a similar operation at the Lagos airport, operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at N900m.
The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, was allegedly declared as Paracetamol tablets.
“In another interception at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday, 6th November uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilograms with a street value of N900 million, in a consignment from India declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg. The consignment, made up of eleven cartons packed in two wooden structures, arrived at the import shed of the airport on Tuesday 3rd November aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad, India,” he said.
He further said the agency also intercepted 32 parcels of Loud weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed in two wooden sofas in a cargo shipment from Houston, United States.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in female headwear in a shipment destined for the United Kingdom.
The agency also recovered 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes from two cartons being shipped to the UK.
Earlier, the agency had intercepted a large consignment of illicit drugs cleverly concealed in imported furniture, specifically sofas, and women’s headgear.
After cutting through the outer packaging and internal foam and padding, operatives recovered multiple sealed packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the furniture.
By Vincent Tyosuugh
An investigation has been launched into the alleged fraud surrounding the award of over N100 billion contracts for the construction of technical colleges in Benue State, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The investigation is allegedly coming on the heels of petitions from more than 60 contractors to the EFCC claiming to have been defrauded by some government officials.
The investigation led to the interrogation of four senior state government officials, the former Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, now Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Solid Minerals, Rev. Frederick Ikyaan.
Other key government officials questioned by the EFCC Makurdi Zonal Directorate are the incumbent Commissioner for Education, Mrs Margaret Adamu; Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Timothy Ornguga; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs Helen Nambativ.
The complaining contractors allegedly mobilised personal funds to commence construction of some technical colleges across the state, after being assured that the projects had government approval.
But an anonymous EFCC source, according to Daily Trust said the contracts, valued at over N100 billion, were allegedly awarded last year without the approval of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The source claimed that one Lawrence Kyaku, who reportedly presented himself as a Senior Special Assistant to the governor, persuaded the contractors to commence work, claiming that he had the administration’s approval.
He further said that Kyaku collected huge sums of money from some contractors under the guise of facilitating the projects, including over N100 million from one contractor and N50 million from another.
“The man had been claiming he is the SSA to the Governor and was deceiving the contractors to go ahead. He also deceived the commissioner that he had the governor’s backing to do the work.”
The source added that the contractors began raising concerns when they encountered difficulties securing payment for work already executed, prompting them to petition the anti-graft agency.
He further disclosed that the EFCC was investigating a letter allegedly signed by the Attorney-General, Prof. Ornguga, directing contractors to pay one percent of their contract sums into a designated bank account as vetting fees.
According to the source, the letter and the account details reinforced the contractors’ belief that the projects were genuine government contracts, encouraging them to invest their resources.
“This one percent may look to you as a small amount, but when it involves a huge amount, it is huge,” the source said.
The commission is also examining the respective roles of the former commissioner, the incumbent commissioner, the permanent secretary and other officials in the alleged contract awards, including whether established government procedures were followed or not.
The source added that EFCC had deployed investigators to unravel the nature of the transactions, determine the amounts collected from the contractors and ascertain whether any government approvals existed for the projects.
He added that the investigation was ongoing and that the commission was yet to establish the full picture of the alleged financial transactions.
By Felix Umande
The vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has warned that the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the party’s leadership could trigger unrest if not properly managed.
Amaechi gave the warning in an interview on Mainland 98.3 FM on Saturday, saying:
“It could cause a civil war if not properly managed. When we heard the news, we quickly met, myself and the presidential candidate and the chairman of the party, and we said: ‘please, lower the tempo’.”
Last Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, nullified the National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark, in a ruling that also invalidated the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The judgment also nullified the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, and ordered INEC not to recognise decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting of July 27, 2025.
The suit was filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Gombe, who challenged how Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Amaechi said the ADC leadership has appealed the ruling and urged supporters to remain calm and disciplined while the legal process unfolds.
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