SECURITY: 50,000 New Police Constables Officially Handed Over For Training
The single biggest security story of the day happened quietly, inside a conference room in Abuja. The Police Service Commission formally handed over 50,000 newly recruited Police Constables to the Nigeria Police Force this week, marking the conclusion of a recruitment drive that began nearly eight months ago. Retired Justice Paul Galumje, presiding on behalf of the PSC Chairman, thanked President Tinubu for backing the exercise and formally passed the recruits — along with a complete digital list of names — over to police authorities for training at designated Police Colleges nationwide.
The scale of it is worth pausing on. President Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency on November 26, 2025, and ordered the 50,000-officer recruitment as a direct response to worsening insecurity across the country. The application portal opened December 15, 2025, closed February 8, 2026 after a two-week extension, and the exercise wrapped roughly seven months later — one of the largest single police recruitment drives in Nigeria's history. DIG Isyaku Mohammed, who heads Force Training and Development and received the recruits on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, praised the process as transparent, though he noted training will only begin nationwide once funding for the exercise is released — a detail worth watching in the weeks ahead.
In a related but separate development, a security expert raised fresh alarm today over reports that bandits have effectively taken over an abandoned community in Sokoto State, occupying public buildings and using the location as an operational base — a reminder that recruitment numbers alone won't fix Nigeria's security gaps without matching action on the ground.
WEATHER ALERT: NiMet Warns 27 States Face High Flash-Flood Risk
If you live in any of the states listed below, tonight's a good night to actually check your gutters. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency issued a fresh advisory this week warning that 27 states remain at high risk of flash flooding, as weeks of persistent rainfall have left soils across the country too saturated to absorb any more water.
States on alert, by region: North & North-Central: Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kwara, Kogi South-West, South-East & South-South: Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Delta, Edo, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa
NiMet says the risk includes flooded and submerged roads, temporary power and telecom disruptions, waterlogged farmland, and a heightened risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid once floodwater contaminates drinking sources. The agency's advice is simple but worth repeating tonight: clear blocked drains around your home, never drive or walk through flooded roads, move vehicles to higher ground, and keep an emergency kit — water, torch, medication, phone charger, key documents in a waterproof bag — ready in case a downpour turns serious overnight.
LABOUR & ECONOMY: NLC and TUC Return To The Table Demanding ₦500,000 Minimum Wage
The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress resumed negotiations with the Federal Government today, with labour representatives pushing for a new minimum wage of at least ₦500,000 — a figure that, if agreed, would represent a dramatic jump from the current ₦70,000 national minimum. The talks are still at an early stage, and no timeline for resolution has been announced, but the reopening of the conversation signals that cost-of-living pressure remains front and centre for organised labour even as the government points to easing inflation and a stabilising naira as signs of recovery.
On a related economic note, the naira continued to hold steady on the official market today, trading in the familiar ₦1,36x range against the dollar, while the Central Bank continues to point to a 17-year high in foreign reserves as evidence its tightening policy is working. Whether that translates into wage negotiations moving faster is the question labour and government now have to work out.
POLITICS: Osun Election Heat Intensifies With Eight Days To Go
With Osun's governorship election now just over a week away, the political temperature is rising fast. Following President Tinubu's intervention earlier this week to have the EFCC vacate its freeze on Osun's government accounts, the campaign trail has turned sharper. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma responded publicly to Afrobeats star Davido's appeal for a peaceful Osun election by assuring that Governor Adeleke would be "ready to dance" — a lighthearted jab referencing Adeleke's popular nickname, "Dancing Governor" — while on the other side, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo used a campaign stop to mock Adeleke's tenure directly, telling Osun voters to "collect [the] money" being offered by rival camps but "vote APC" regardless, a comment already generating strong reactions online.
Separately, the ICPC released a report today clearing the Presidency of wrongdoing in the ongoing "fake agency" scandal, while recommending prosecution for the agency's embattled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi. In a related case, ICPC investigators say they have uncovered two additional fake agencies linked to one Matthew Adeyemi, with prosecution of the individual identified as the fake DG also recommended.
METRO & CRIME: Anambra Baby-Selling Arrest, Lagos Goes Cashless On Danfo Buses
Two very different stories from the metro desk tonight. In Anambra State, a mother and her accomplice have been arrested by the state's Special Anti-Touting Squad Agency after allegedly selling her own baby for ₦2.9 million — a case that has shocked residents and is now with police for further investigation. In Ondo State, police in Akure arrested a 33-year-old woman, Adejoke Ayomide, accused of defrauding more than 90 prospective travellers of ₦42.3 million with fake promises of Europe travel visas — another reminder to verify any travel agent's credentials before sending money for a "guaranteed" visa.
On a more forward-looking note, Lagos State has signed a deal to move public bus (danfo) fare payments to a fully digital system, phasing out cash-only fares on the state's commercial buses — a shift transport authorities say is aimed at cutting fare disputes, improving driver accountability and speeding up boarding times across the state's notoriously busy routes.
ONE MORE THING: A Nigerian Author Just Lost A $2 Million Book Deal Over AI Allegations
Away from politics and security, one story rippling through Nigeria's literary and creative circles tonight: a Nigerian author has reportedly lost a $2 million international book deal after allegations surfaced that AI tools were used to write the manuscript. Details on the publisher and specific allegations are still emerging, but it's already sparking a wider conversation among Nigerian writers, publishers and content creators about disclosure, authenticity and where the line sits as AI writing tools become more common in the industry — a conversation NaijaToday will be watching closely.
That's tonight's round-up. Stay safe if you're in one of the flood-alert states, and check back tomorrow as the Osun election countdown, the minimum wage talks, and the ICPC prosecutions all continue to develop.
