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INEC Trains Staff on ICT

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi, commenced three-day training on Information Communication Technology (ICT) for its staff in the state.

Prof. Godswill Obioma, the State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who declared the workshop open, said that the initiative was to train and equip the staff with basic knowledge of computer and application of ICT.

According to him, the training is part of strategies being put in place to ensure credible, free, fair and efficient conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He said that the ICT training was the 5th batch in the series, slated to enhance the capacity of the staff of the commission.

He said that 300 staff of the commission at its headquarters in Abakaliki would first undergo the training before it would be stepped down to the staff at the various local government areas.

“Election is a process and the training we are organising for our staff is to equip and enhance their skills and capacity for efficient and effective election management.

“This is the 5th batch in a series of training, lined up for the staff of the commission in the build up to the 2019 general elections.

“We are concentrating on equipping the staff with knowledge of computer in this 5th batch and we identified and isolated those staff without any knowledge about computer and ICT.

“We are going to train them on basic computer application for three days, and we are starting with 35 of them and each set will be trained for three days until we train all our 300 staff.

“We expect that the over 300 staff stationed at the headquarters will undergo the training programme before we move down to the local government areas to train our staff there.

“Voting and issues about election have become electronic-based, hence the need for the commission to build capacity of its staff to cope with the new trend,” Obioma said.

He said that the commission had improved on its card-reader machines, saying that the use of the machine and electronic voting in 2019 would be hitch-free and more efficient.

“The application of the electronic voting and the use of card-readers have been discovered to reduce election fraud and other irregularities associated with manual voting.

“We have improved on our systems; the Federal Government is going to change and strengthen the card-readers, and the card-reader which was introduced in 2015 general elections has depressed considerably the issues of malpractices in elections,” he added.

Obioma urged the trainees to pay attention, adding that the commission was depending on them to deliver on its mandate of conducting credible, free, fair and acceptable polls in 2019.


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EFCC Seals Anti-Corruption Alliance with Anambra Security Chiefs, Traditional Rulers

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In a strategic drive to bolster inter-agency and institutional synergy against economic and financial crimes, the Anambra Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched courtesy visits and awareness campaigns targeting key law enforcement agencies, judicial bodies, and traditional institutions in Anambra State.

EFCC Seals Anti-Corruption Alliance with Anambra Security Chiefs, Traditional Rulers

On March 5, 2026, Acting Zonal Director ACE I Ofen-Imu Atiba Sunday led a delegation to: State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), C. Anukposi; State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akachia Godwin; State Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Umerah Timothy Nwanegbo; State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Bridget Asekhauno; State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Onubogu Charles Orakwue; and His Majesty, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, Eze Iweka III (Eze Ogalagidi), Eze Obosi and Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Council, along with his cabinet.

The Acting Zonal Director stressed that combating corruption demands sustained cooperation among institutions and community leaders to boost intelligence gathering, prevention strategies, and enforcement. “Collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including community leaders, are essential to safeguarding Nigeria’s economic stability and future,” he declared.

Highlighting crime trends in the Directorate’s jurisdiction—covering Anambra and Imo States—Sunday noted that public sector corruption, land and property fraud, tax fraud, advance fee fraud, cybercrime, bank fraud, and open market abuses dominate.

Responses were uniformly positive. DSS State Director Anukposi pledged robust support, underscoring intelligence sharing and joint operations to counter threats to national security and economic stability.

NSCDC Commandant Godwin lauded the EFCC’s proactive stance, citing ongoing collaboration on illegal bunkering, vandalism of public assets, and oil theft.

NIS Comptroller Nwanegbo affirmed readiness to partner on border control, migration monitoring, and intelligence against transnational financial crimes.

FRSC Sector Commander Asekhauno hailed the EFCC’s push for accountability, urging use of the Corps’ database and sustained rule-of-law partnerships for national development.

NDLEA Commandant Orakwue committed to tackling criminal networks linking drug trafficking, money laundering, and economic crimes.

At the Eze Obosi’s palace, the monarch welcomed the EFCC’s outreach, decried corruption’s toll on communities, and vowed Traditional Council backing to instill ethics and integrity. He promised to rally other leaders for grassroots anti-corruption sensitization.


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NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a Public Health advisory on the spread of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM).

NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis

It said that the caution is particularly for states within the African Meningitis belt.

In a statement by the Corporate Communications Division of NCDC urged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures.

The statement said: “As Nigeria continues through the peak dry season months, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) alerts the public to the ongoing risk of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM), particularly in states within the African meningitis belt.

“Cerebrospinal meningitis occurs more frequently between December and April, when dry, dusty conditions, overcrowding, and poor ventilation increase the risk of transmission.

“The NCDC urges all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures. Surveillance and response activities remain ongoing nationwide, and laboratory testing is being conducted at the state level while national laboratory capacity is being strengthened.

It explained that Cerebrospinal meningitis is a serious infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

According to NCDC the affliction is most commonly caused by bacteria, particularly Neisseria meningitidis.

“Bacterial meningitis can progress rapidly and may be fatal within hours if untreated.

“However, early diagnosis and prompt antibiotic treatment significantly improve survival and reduce complications. CSM spreads through respiratory droplets during close contact, especially in overcrowded or poorly ventilated environments.”

It said that symptoms to watch out for include sudden high fever, severe headache, and neck stiffness.

It said other symptoms may include: nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion or altered consciousness and seizures.

For In infants and young children, NCDC said the symptoms could bulging soft spot on the head.

The Centre said that early recognition and treatment can save lives.


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Report finds the Number of Trojan Banker Attacks on Smartphones Increased by 56% in 2025

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According to a Kaspersky report “Mobile malware evolution,” the number of Trojan banker attacks on Android smartphones increased by 56% in 2025 compared to the previous year*.

This type of malware is designed to steal user credentials for online banking, e-payment services and credit card systems. Cybercriminals commonly distribute Trojan bankers through messaging apps, as well as through malicious webpages.

The number of new Trojan banker installation packages for Android (unique APK files) also increased sharply, reaching 255,090 packages – a 271% increase over 2024. This may indicate that these tools generate substantial profit for cybercriminals.

Kaspersky experts believe threat actors will continue both to expand delivery channels and develop new Trojan variants trying to evade detection by security solutions. Among all detected Trojan bankers, the leading families were Mamont and Creduz.

“Although Trojan bankers for smartphones are the fastest-growing type of malware, we also observed another important trend: preinstalled backdoors such as Triada and Keenadu appeared more frequently compared to previous years. People purchase completely new, but infected, Android devices and may be unaware of the threat.

Once integrated into the firmware fully functional preinstalled backdoors provide attackers with unlimited control over the victims’ smartphones and tablets. As a result, all information on infected devices can be compromised.

It’s quite difficult to remove such malware. If the device is infected, we recommend users check for firmware updates. After the update, run a scan of the device with a security solution again to make sure newly installed firmware is not infected,” comments Anton Kivva, malware analyst team lead at Kaspersky.

 


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