By Michael Lim

As part of effort to reduce the huge backlog of gratuities, the Bauchi State government has completed the payment of gratuity arrears to retired state and local government civil servants who left service in 2012 and 2013.

Payments for the 2014 batch is billed to commence on Monday.

Governor Bala Mohammed has approved the first tranche of N10 billion for the payment of longstanding gratuity arrears owed retired civil servants in the state.

In a statement issued on Friday, the governor’s spokesperson, Mukhtar Gidado, said the Committee on the Verification and Payment of Gratuities had successfully completed payments to pensioners in the 2012 and 2013 batches.

He said the committee had informed pensioners in both the state and local government services that the payment exercise would continue on Monday with the commencement of payments to those who retired in 2014.

According to the statement, subsequent payments will be made in batches, covering eligible pensioners up to 2016.

Gidado said the payments would be conducted at two designated centres including the local government audit office and the State Audit Office.

The committee urged affected pensioners to remain calm and cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure a smooth, transparent and orderly exercise.

It also reaffirmed the commitment of the Bala Mohammed-led administration to clearing outstanding gratuity arrears owed to pensioners at both state and local government levels.

The statement added that the government would continue to take necessary measures to ensure that eligible retirees received their entitlements in a transparent and timely manner.

During the 2026 Pensioners’ Day celebration in Bauchi on Monday, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Bauchi State Council, Comrade Abdullahi Alhassan Misau, disclosed that N3 billion out of the N10 billion approved for the payment of gratuity arrears had been released.

Misau said the amount was meant to cover pensioners who retired between 2012 and 2013, while the files of those who retired between 2014 and 2016 had been screened for payment.

He commended the governor for approving the N10 billion for the exercise but appealed to him to intensify efforts to clear the outstanding gratuity arrears before the expiration of his tenure.

The NUP chairman also urged the state government to address cases involving pensioners whose names were omitted from previous payment schedules and those who were underpaid.

According to him, the affected pensioners had outstanding arrears ranging from two to 30 months.

Misau further disclosed that the governor had approved N2 million for monthly payments to pensioners, describing the gesture as evidence of the administration’s concern for their welfare.

He said the union remained grateful to the governor for the initiative and expressed hope that the government would address the outstanding demands of retired civil servants.

The NUP chairman also appealed to the state government to construct a permanent office for the union, disclosing that it had already acquired land for the project.

“We have been living in rented quarters for over 30 years,” he said.

Misau further commended the governor for implementing the N32,000 minimum pension, which he described as a significant step towards improving the welfare of retirees.

He said the move attracted the attention of the NUP national headquarters in Abuja and led to the governor being recognised by the union as a pensioner-friendly governor.

The state government had earlier announced the commencement of the disbursement of N10 billion as the first tranche of payments towards settling long-standing gratuity arrears owed to about 1,700 retired state and local government civil servants.

The exercise is aimed at reducing inherited gratuity liabilities and providing financial relief to retirees across the state’s 20 local government areas.

By Isa Abdul, Abuja

Wike has ordered the immediate enforcement of operations against unauthorised commercial activities and illegally erected structures along the corridor stretching from Gwagwalada to Asokoro, citing security concerns.

He said the administration had received reports that some individuals were establishing beer parlours, motor parks and other illegal commercial facilities. Giving the order to the Department of Development Control, he said:

“We have been told of some issues of security threats extending from certain areas of Gwagwalada to Asokoro, where some people are trying to open up beer parlour businesses, motor parks, and all of that.

“There are no such approvals, and we will not allow that.”

Wike directed the Department of Development Control to work with security agencies to remove illegal structures and stop unauthorised commercial operations in the affected areas.

He said the operation was intended to prevent potential security breaches and ensure compliance with the FCT’s development regulations.

By Son Tertsea

That question may never be fully answered as three British-Nigerian sisters who drowned off Brighton beach on May 13, 2026 are believed to have taken their own lives, a coroner in the United Kingdom, Penelope Schofield, has ruled.

According to Schofield, a senior coroner for West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Jane Adetoro, 36; Christina Walters, 32; and Rebecca Walters, 31, committed suicide at the beach.

In BBC’s report on Thursday, Schofield said at an inquest that the women encountered adverse sea conditions when they entered the water and could not swim.

The sisters had lived together in Greenford, London, before they chose to travel to Brighton and visited an area in Birmingham close to where their mother had drowned in 2010 on May 11.

They left their residence in London and arrived in Brighton together by taxi at 10:21pm BST on 12 May. They were last seen alive at 02:42am on 13 May.

Their father, Joseph Jacobsen, followed the proceedings of the inquest through a video link on Thursday, at Woodvale Coroner’s Court in Brighton.

In a distraught, emotional statement, Jacobsen said he watched his three daughters grow from little girls to beautiful, intelligent women:

“There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child. To lose all three of my precious daughters is heartbreaking.”

At the hearing, the coroner told the court:

“These three sisters lived very secluded lives; they were incredibly private. We don’t know why they took this course of action or indeed why they chose to do it in Brighton. It is not for the court to speculate and sadly these reasons may never be known.”

In a GoFundMe raised for the sisters in June, Jacobsen’s brother, Adesoji Adetoro, said, “The girls had so much life ahead of them, and their loss has left a pain and emptiness in our hearts that words cannot describe.”