By Isa Abdul

The construction of an alleged mortuary close to public school and residential buildings has been protested against by the residents of Agbeji Community in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The protesters who carried placards on Tuesday cite health and environmental concerns, even as the landowner insists he has the right to develop the property.

One of the protesters, who spoke on camera said they are not against someone’s business but their worry is the location of the mortuary near residential buildings and a public school.

But the landowner who identified himself as Alh. Rilwan Okobomude, disagrees, insisting the property is his and that he has the right to develop it, while pledging to comply with relevant regulations.

In an interview with News Central, monitored in Abuja, the land owner talked about building the mortuary for the hospital.

But it is not clear why he’s building a mortuary before the hospital.

By Felix Umande

The Benue State Government has decried the arbitrary erection of billboards across the state by individuals, groups and political parties without approval, warning that all unauthorised structures will be pulled down after a two-week grace period.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, by the Benue State Signage and Advertisement Agency, the Benue State Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, and the Urban Development Board, the government said the billboards were erected without permit, without clearance and without payment of prescribed fees.

The agencies said the practice breaches the law, deprives the state of legitimate revenue, endangers public safety and undermines orderly urban development.

The statement, signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Chief Solomon Iorpev, however, said government was prepared to assume that many offenders acted out of ignorance rather than deliberate defiance.

Consequently, owners and operators of unauthorised billboards have been given two weeks, beginning Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to regularise their structures.

Within the window, they are required to approach the Benue State Signage and Advertisement Agency to begin the permit process, obtain clearance from the Urban Development Board, and pay all required fees.

The government warned that enforcement will commence on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, with no further notice.

“Enforcement teams are expected to begin the removal of every billboard that has not been regularised from the set date. Billboards taken down will be at the owners’ cost. Anyone who ignores this window should expect no sympathy and no exception, regardless of status, affiliation or political party,” the statement said.

It described the grace period as a sign of government’s goodwill and preference for compliance over confrontation, urging all concerned to use the window.

For further clarification, the government advised the public to contact 09034345007.

–Tells Editors: “remain primary filter against information disorder.”

By Son Tertsea, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set in motion a financial monitoring mechanism, in conjunction with anti-graft and financial intelligence agencies, to fish out those embarking on illegal campaign spending.

This was one of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan’s, disclosures on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote at a strategic workshop with media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.

INEC chairman also disclosed that the number of registered voters has risen to more than 103 million.

In addition, INEC said, it has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as part of measures to strengthen the technological infrastructure for the 2027 elections.

Its target, according to the body, was to commence voting simultaneously across all polling units nationwide during the 2027 elections.

INEC’s collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), he said, was to monitor campaign financing and identify suspicious expenditure with s view to preventing money from undermining the credibility of the elections.

In Amupitan’s view, the teams will track illegal campaign spending, strengthen surveillance around polling units to detect attempts to influence voters through financial inducements.

He warned political actors that violators of the Electoral Act would attract arrest and prosecution, adding that elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket.

The chairman disclosed that the three-phase National Register of Voters had produced 10,772,421 new voters, with 2,611,266 in the first phase, 4,121,835 in the second phase and 3,867,997 in the third phase, respectively. But the fugure is subject to final verification, completing eight of the 14 major statutory activities contained in its timetable for the 2027 elections.

The electoral umpire added that the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup was complete, and the preliminary register was displayed for claims and objections. In his words:

“In line with Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2026, the first phase of the CVR commenced on August 25, 2025 and ended on December 10, 2025, registering 2,611,266 voters; Phase II commenced on January 5, 2026, and ended on April 17, 2026, registering 4,121 ,835 voters; and Phase Ill commenced on May 11, 2026 and ended on July 26, 2026, registering 3,867,997 voters. The total new registration stands at 10,772,421, subject to the ABIS verification being concluded.”

Amupitan revealed that the commission had drawn lessons from recent off-cycle elections and would improve its logistics, personnel and technology ahead of the 2027 polls.

The commission further warned political parties, candidates and campaign managers against violence, intimidation and hate speech and other vices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The commission, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), he said, had activated an early-warning framework to monitor political violence, thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric.

Amupitan called editors, the “bridge in an era of information chaos”, to work with INEC to build a public space of verified information, civic responsibility and institutional trust. In his words:

“When newsrooms prioritise factual accuracy over sensational headlines, when reports contextualise field logistics rather than default to inflammatory speculation, and when information is verified before publication, you perform a sacred public service. You act as the primary filter protecting our democracy against information disorder.”

In his submission at the event, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Eze Anaba, canvassed for a credible and transparent electoral process that would give voters, rather than the courts, the outcome of elections.

He said: “Elections were not merely about casting ballots but about building citizens’ confidence that their votes would count and that institutions responsible for conducting elections would act fairly and professionally.”

To Akingbulu, verification was a two-way process, arguing that newsrooms could not properly verify information that institutions failed to disclose.

Warning against deepfakes, fabricated campaign materials and other forms of manipulated content, saying such developments could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

The Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPI), Lanre Arogundade, stressed the importance of timely and transparent communication from INEC.