Tension hangs thick in the air of Enugu State following the shocking and brutal murder of a beloved Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya.

The tragic incident unfolded on Friday evening along the dimly lit Eha-Alumona–Eha-Ndiagu Road, nestled in the Nsukka Local Government Area. Click link to continue reading

Fr. Eya, who served as the parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church in Eha-Ndiagu, was known for his dedicated service to the community and was held in high regard by his congregation.

Eyewitness accounts and initial reports painted a grim picture, suggesting that armed kidnappers were responsible for the attack, targeting the cleric during his journey home.

Social media quickly buzzed with alarming posts, claiming that gunmen had opened fire on Fr. Eya’s vehicle, resulting in his instant death while some passengers traveling with him were abducted. However, as the story evolved, local sources revealed a more unsettling narrative—one that hints at premeditated murder rather than an opportunistic kidnapping.

According to insiders from the community who spoke to journalists on Saturday morning, it appears that the priest was deliberately targeted. He was reportedly driving alone when the assailants, who were observed riding motorbikes, ambushed him near the ongoing construction site of a Type C hospital, a location that has now become a chilling backdrop to this somber event.

“They shot and deflated his tyres, forcing the vehicle to stop. They then approached and shot him multiple times at close range. This does not look like a kidnapping situation,” the source stated.

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The late priest hailed from Ugbaike, in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the tragic development, the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Fr. Cajetan Iyidobi, issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the loss.

“Shocked to the marrow, it is with crushing pain and sorrow, yet with total submission to the will of the Almighty God and firm hope in the resurrection of the dead, that I inform you of the tragic death of yet another brother of ours, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya.

“He was shot dead yesterday, 19 September 2025, along the Eha-Alumona–Eha-Ndiagu Road. Let us remain ardent in prayer that God sees us through this period of devastating anguish. May his soul rest in peace. Amen,” the statement reads.

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has killed more than 25 terrorists in a coordinated night air operation at Bula in Yobe and Banki axis of Borno.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on Saturday in Abuja.

Ejodame said the operations were conducted on Sept. 18 following intelligence from ground troops.

He said a force package of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets and strike aircraft tracked terrorist movements and identified multiple groups north of Banki.

He said real-time updates were relayed to ground forces and base operations, enabling synchronised action.

“The strike aircraft engaged the terrorists in three successive precision strikes on their movement routes and assembly areas, effectively neutralising more than 25 fighters.

“Post-strike surveillance confirmed ground forces remained in defensive positions, with no further threats observed,” he said.

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Ejodame said the operation underscored NAF’s decisive support to ground troops, denial of terrorist freedom of action, and unwavering commitment to securing Nigeria’s North-East.

The Federal High Court in Abuja will today (Monday) hear an application by the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, seeking an order for his transfer from the custody of the Department of State Services to the National Hospital, Abuja, for urgent medical care.

The motion, filed by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) on September 3, followed what his lawyers described as a “worrisome decline” in his health while in detention.

Vacation judge, Justice Musa Liman, had earlier granted leave for the application to be heard during the court’s annual vacation period, citing its urgency.

“I believe that the right to health is as important as the right to life. And so I agree that this matter can be heard by the vacation court,” Justice Liman ruled, fixing September 15 for hearing and directing Kanu’s counsel, Uchenna Njoku (SAN), to serve processes on the DSS.

In his supporting affidavit, Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu, deposed that the IPOB leader had recently complained of persistent weakness and body pains.

He said doctors invited to examine him discovered worrying health complications.

According to him, a team of doctors led by Emeritus Prof. Austin A.C. Agaji conducted tests in August and, on September 1, informed the family that Kanu was suffering from kidney and liver-related issues, dangerously low potassium levels, and a swelling under his armpit requiring urgent medical investigation.

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Agabi told the court that medical reports recommended Kanu’s immediate transfer to the National Hospital as an interim measure.

“The applicant’s health is seriously deteriorating considering the nature of his confinement, thereby making it more pressing to bring this application before a vacation judge,” Agabi argued.

“The examination revealed issues with his pancreas and liver, as well as an emerging lump underneath his armpit and dangerously low levels of potassium. The doctors have recommended that he be moved to the National Hospital to forestall further decline.”

Agabi further claimed that a letter by the doctors to the DSS Director-General advising Kanu’s transfer had gone unanswered.

Kanu is currently standing trial before Justice James Omotosho of the same court on terrorism-related charges.

His lawyers noted that a pending bail application filed on May 19 could not be heard before the commencement of the court’s vacation, leaving him in continued detention.

They argued that granting the transfer request would not prejudice the DSS.

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“The grant of the application would not occasion any injustice to the DSS,” Agabi maintained. “The court is imbued with jurisdiction to hear and grant the prayers sought in the application.”

The application, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, lists 11 grounds why the request should be granted, with Kanu’s legal team insisting that his right to health and life were at stake.

The court is expected to rule on the application after hearing arguments from both sides today.

Kanu has been in the DSS detension since 2021 after his recapture in Kenya and repatriation to Nigeria.

According to Nairametrics, the Federal Government has announced plans to expand the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) to reach 50 million primary school pupils by 2026.

National Programme Manager, Dr. Aderemi Adebowale, of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the expansion would cover all primary school levels, from Primary 1 to Primary 6, while gradually including out-of-school children.

She noted that the programme is designed to provide daily nutritious meals to children across Nigeria, ensuring access to balanced nutrition as part of the government’s broader.

“We are working to include early years – primary 1 to 3, primary 4 to 6 – in the school feeding programme, and also out-of-school children, which we are handling step by step to integrate.

“So, by the year 2026, we are looking at feeding close to 50 million pupils in primary school in Nigeria,” she stated.

Adebowale explained that the cost per child is projected to range between N500 and N1,000 per meal, which she said is sufficient to provide a nutritious and appealing plate.

She added that the agency would control costs by coordinating with small-holder farmers, aggregators, supply chain partners, and other stakeholders to agree on reasonable prices and ensure efficient service delivery.

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The expansion builds on the Alternate Education and Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Project, launched on May 27, 2025, which aimed to reach 20 million out-of-school and underserved children across Nigeria.

The programme is part of the wider National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) and is implemented in partnership with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education and the National Identity Management Commission, focusing on providing meals, improving school participation, and supporting access to education for children in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

The Nigerian government allocated N100 billion in the 2025 budget for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP). The funding was intended to continue the initiative, providing meals to public primary school students across the country.

The programme also seeks to improve education and health outcomes for children while supporting local agriculture through partnerships with small-holder farmers and supply chain stakeholders.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecast three consecutive days of thunderstorms and rainfall across several parts of the country from Monday to Wednesday, as reported by Nairametrics.

The forecast was contained in NiMet’s weather outlook report released on Sunday in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

NiMet said northern states, including Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Kebbi, Adamawa, and Taraba, would witness isolated thunderstorms with moderate rains on Monday morning.

It added that flash floods were likely in Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe due to heavy downpours later in the day.

“The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecast thunderstorms and rainfall across the country from Monday to Wednesday.

“NiMet’s weather outlook, released on Sunday in Abuja, predicted isolated thunderstorms with moderate rains on Monday morning over Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Kebbi, Adamawa, and Taraba states.

“In the afternoon and evening, isolated thunderstorms with moderate rains are expected across the northern region. Flash floods are likely in Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe states,” the NAN report read in part.

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The agency projected that the central region would experience cloudy skies with sunshine intervals on Monday morning, followed by thunderstorms and moderate rains in Niger, Kogi, Kwara, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Benue.

For the southern region, NiMet predicted cloudy conditions in the morning and moderate rains later in the day across states such as Ekiti, Ondo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.

On Tuesday, the forecast indicated cloudy skies with sunshine intervals in the north, followed by thunderstorms and moderate rainfall over Borno, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina, and Zamfara.

In the central region, cloudy conditions would give way to thunderstorms and rains over Kogi, Niger, Kwara, Benue, and the FCT, while southern states, including Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Delta, were expected to see light to moderate rainfall throughout the day.

By Wednesday, NiMet projected cloudy skies with sunshine intervals in the morning over Sokoto and Zamfara, with slim chances of rain, but noted that isolated thunderstorms with moderate rains would affect other northern states in the afternoon and evening.

The central region is also expected to record light morning rains followed by thunderstorms later in the day, while moderate rains are forecast across the south.

NiMet advised motorists to avoid driving in heavy rain, farmers to suspend fertiliser or pesticide application before rainfall, and residents to secure loose objects, disconnect electrical appliances, and avoid tall trees during storms.

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The agency also urged airline operators to obtain airport-specific weather updates for safe flight planning and encouraged the public to follow daily forecasts via its website.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has indicted an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol, as reported by The PUNCH.

The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

This was contained in a preliminary report signed by Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, and made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

It will be recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, on a Sunday morning of 13th July, had a runway excursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

The aircraft veered off the runway without any damage.

A runway excursion is when an aircraft veers off the side of or overruns the end of the runway during takeoff or landing.

Excursions are most often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, and potholes on runways, among others. But with the discovery, pilots’ intoxication has been added to the list of causes.

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According to the NSIB report, the pilots who were flying an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft were involved in a serious incident while carrying 103 passengers.

The NSIB said, “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”

According to the report, the domestic flight, which took off from Lagos, experienced an unstabilised final approach before landing long on Runway 21.

The NSIB revealed that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold, well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, and eventually came to a stop at 209 metres into the clearway.
While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised immediate safety concerns.

The preliminary reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as “India hemp.”

The bureau noted that these toxicology results are being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation incident investigations.
Following the development, the NSIB said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to the airline.

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The statement further reads, “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.

“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.

“Toxicological test was conducted on the flight crew at Rivers state hospital management, department of medical laboratory, Port Harcourt, on 13th July 2025, and they tested positive for some substances. Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”