Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, has commended the KU8+ Consortium for pioneering an initiative worthy of emulation by other universities in Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 3rd KU8+ Consortium International Conference at Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Ribadu noted that as Nigerian universities are facing growing challenges, such as limited financing and rapid technological changes, institutions need to rethink and expand their core values to meet current realities and societal expectations.

The NUC Executive Secretary, who was represented by former acting Vice-Chancellor of the University to Ibadan, Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, commended the KU8+ for fostering local partnerships through resource pooling and shared expertise, stressing that such collaborations could produce graduates capable of transforming the nation’s economic landscape.

The NUC, he said, looked forward to learning from the outcomes of the consortium’s partnerships.

In her goodwill message, the Kwara State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening tertiary institutions through strategic investments and policy reform.

“The KU8+ Consortium is proof that collaboration breeds excellence. Kwara State Government, under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, continues to invest in education in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, she said.

The Chairman of the occasion and Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, OON, described the consortium’s emergence as proof of Kwara State’s growing role as a hub for human capital development.

In his opening address, the Chief Host and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole, SAN, emphasised that no university can thrive in isolation.

He added that national development depends on constructive collaboration in teaching, research, innovation, and community engagement, which he said is one of the motivating factors for the KU8+ Consortium.

The host of the 3rd KU8+ International Conference and Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Alade Jimoh, emphasised that innovation and sustainability remain central to the KU8+ Consortium’s mission, stressing that the conference theme aligns with KU8+’s vision to collaborate, innovate, and develop society.

The conference, which had the theme “Innovation and Sustainability of Higher Education in a Changing World,” had lead papers presented by Professor Olutayo C. Adesina, a Professor of History at the University of Ibadan, who is also a British Academy Global Professor of History at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Chrisland University, Abeokuta.

Professor Adesina’s paper titled “Mainstreaming the ‘Think and Do’ Initiative into Nigeria’s Higher Education in the 21st Century: Creating Structural Opportunities and Adding Value” challenged the KU8+ Consortium to focus more on being relevant on the local level before aspiring to regional level.

Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola, on her part, emphasised the importance of higher education institutions focusing on producing graduates with the abilities to solve societal challenges.

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Residents of Chatta village in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State have been thrown into mourning following the sudden and mysterious death of a family of four in their home.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the deceased have been identified as Yakubu Samanja, his wife Esther Yakubu, and their two children, Amos Yakubu, and Maryamu Yakubu,

A relative of the family, Ibrahim Samanja, said that he made the shocking discovery when he visited the house early Tuesday morning and found the entire compound unusually silent.

“I came around 7 a.m. and knocked several times, but no one answered. I became worried and eventually had to force the door open. That was when I saw their lifeless bodies lying inside the room,” he said.

Following the discovery, police authorities and medical personnel visited the scene and confirmed all four family members dead.

The bodies were later evacuated to the General Hospital in Marama, where they were deposited at the morgue for preservation and autopsy.

People of the community described the incident as deeply troubling and said the family had shown no signs of illness or distress prior to their sudden death.

Preliminary checks at the scene revealed no visible signs of violence, but residents suspect the possibility of poisoning or carbon monoxide inhalation from a generator.

An investigation has commenced to determine the exact cause of death.

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Four police officers of the Kwara State Police Command alleged to have extorted the sum of N200,000 from a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa are now in detention.

It was reliably gathered that they are being detained at the ‘A’ Police Division, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

They were arrested and detained as investigation ordered by the State Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, into their alleged professional misconduct has commenced.

It would be recalled that the State
Police Command had this week, commenced investigation into the alleged extortion of the student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Taiwo Kayode, by some officers of the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, in a chat with our correspondent, confirmed the arrest of the four officers, saying “the officers had been arrested, while investigation has commenced in full swing”.

He condemned the misconduct of the officers and assured that “they will not go unpunished.”

The officers of the Anti-Cultism Unit in the state police command, allegedly arrested, detained and extorted N200,000 from Taiwo after refusing to unlock his phone.

Taiwo was reportedly stopped at Erin-Ile town while heading to Osogbo in Osun State.

He was taken to Ijagbo police division and was later moved to the state Criminal Investigation Department, CID, in Ilorin where police officers allegedly forced him to unlock his phone and transfer the N200,000 to an account named Lucy Akor.

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