*Governor Monday Okpebholo aide Pikolo Marks Valentine day with Gratitude to God, the Streets, and Leadership*

Edo-born showbiz cultural advocate Pikolo has marked this year’s valentine day celebration with a heartfelt message of gratitude, reflecting on his journey, his roots, and the role of leadership in shaping opportunities for young people in the state.

In a statement released to commemorate the season of love , Pikolo began by giving thanks to God, describing his life as a testament to divine grace and mercy.

“First and foremost, I lift my heart in deep gratitude to God Almighty, the Creator of all human life,” he said.

“None of us chose the day we came into this world yet we know there is a supreme and supernatural power that made it all possible. Every step I stand on today is evidence of His mercy, His direction, and His unfailing love.”

The showbiz cultural advocate, known for his strong connection to grassroots communities and youth-driven cultural expression, also paid tribute to the streets that shaped him. He described them as his “training ground” and the foundation of his resilience and determination.

“The streets shaped my courage, built my endurance, and taught me how to rise after every fall,” he noted.

“I will never disconnect myself from the streets because they are part of my story and my becoming.”

Beyond personal reflection, Pikolo used the occasion to commend the Executive Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, for what he described as bringing governance closer to the grassroots.

According to him, the governor’s leadership has created meaningful opportunities for young people across Edo State, particularly in the areas of youth empowerment, cultural development, and local enterprise growth.

“His vision for youth prosperity is visible and alive,” Pikolo stated.

“Today, businesses are being built here at home in Edo State. Our young people are gaining opportunities, confidence, and direction. Resources meant for the people are now working for the people.”

He added that the renewed connection between leadership and the streets has restored hope among youths who once felt overlooked, emphasizing that economic and cultural growth within the state is increasingly benefiting local communities.

Closing his valentine message, Pikolo reaffirmed his commitment to using his influence to uplift others and promote grassroots culture.

“With all my heart, I remain grateful to God, to purposeful leadership, and to the streets that made me who I am,” he said. “My commitment is firm: I will use every influence and every platform I have to support the streets, uplift the youth, and contribute to a future where more lives are transformed.”

As he celebrates valentine, his message stands as both a personal reflection and a public pledge, one rooted in gratitude, resilience, cultural pride, and a continued dedication to community growth.

Boko Haram’s Chilling Parade of 176 Abducted Civilians in Kwara: Nigeria’s Insecurity Crisis Deepens

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG 

“Fresh Footage From Kaiama LGA Signals Expanding Insurgent Footprint in North-Central Nigeria.”

In a grim escalation of Nigeria’s protracted security crisis, suspected Boko Haram terrorists have released a disturbing video showing dozens of abducted women, children and at least one nursing mother, reportedly in captivity after an attack on a rural community in Kwara State. The footage (obtained and circulated by several credible Nigerian outlets including Starnews NG) shows captives lined up in a wooded area, visibly distressed and answering questions posed by their captors about where they were seized. The militants claim the captives were taken from Woro community in the Kaiama Local Government Area and insist they are holding 176 people, far more than initial official reports acknowledged.

The video, which emerged on 14 February 2026, paints a harrowing tableau. Women in worn and dirty clothing stand in rows alongside children; some minors are seen without trousers, underscoring the neglect and harsh conditions of their detention. In the clip, a man believed to be a member of the militant group challenges the Nigerian government, accusing it of “lying” about the scale of the abduction. According to him, officials had initially suggested that only 20–30 people were taken during the February 4 attack and a figure the militants emphatically reject, insisting instead that 176 individuals remain in their custody.

The attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku villages between 3–4 February 2026 was one of the deadliest episodes in the region’s recent history. Local sources and conflict trackers report that at least 162 residents were killed during the assault, which involved mass shootings, arson and kidnappings. Homes and the traditional ruler’s palace were burnt. Several prominent community figures (including two wives of the Emir of Woro, the community’s Chief Imam, school leaders and students) were reportedly killed in the onslaught. The Emir himself, Alhaji Saliu Bio Umar, remains missing, sparking fears he may have been abducted or killed.

The group behind the attack and the video identifies itself in line with Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, the formal name of Boko Haram, a terror network that has waged an insurgency against the Nigerian state for over a decade. The assault in Kwara, which lies in the North-Central region far from the group’s traditional strongholds in the Northeast, reflects the shifting geography of insurgent violence and a trend experts have been warning about for years.

Professor John Campbell, a respected scholar on Nigerian security issues and former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, has repeatedly underscored the adaptive nature of Boko Haram’s tactics. “When insurgent groups feel pressure in their traditional areas, they disperse into new spaces where governance and security infrastructure are weaker,” Campbell has observed, stressing that evolving insurgent movements exploit ungoverned terrain to sustain violence.

The Kwara State Government, through its spokesperson, has acknowledged the disturbing video and said it is working with security agencies and community leaders to verify identities and secure the release of those abducted. Officials have emphasised the need for calm and urged the public to avoid rumours, noting that “some persons initially reported missing have since reunited with their families.”

Nonetheless, the dramatic discrepancy between government figures and the claims made in the insurgents’ video has deepened public outrage and heightened distrust in official accounts. Civil society organisations, including the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), have called for a state of emergency in Kwara, arguing that the federal and state governments must go beyond statements and mount tangible operations to rescue captives and dismantle terror cells. “The primary constitutional duty of government is the protection of lives and property,” HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said in a statement, warning that persistent insecurity and mass abductions raise “serious concerns about governance and accountability.”

For families of the missing and abducted, the absence of clarity (and the haunting images from the video) have compounded their anguish. In many Nigerian communities, extremist violence has become a relentless cycle of fear, loss and displacement. Analysts say that the Kwara incident underscores some harsh realities: the porous nature of rural areas, the limitations of current security deployments and the ease with which extremist factions can spread propaganda and sow confusion.

Dr. Aisha Ahmad, an expert on terrorism and counterinsurgency, recently reflected on the broader implications: “Terrorist narratives thrive where trust in institutions erodes. Governments must not only act decisively on the ground but also communicate transparently, or risk ceding the information battlefield to violent non‑state actors.”

As Nigeria grapples with the fallout of the latest onslaught in Kwara, the world watches a nation at a crossroads; where the fight against insurgency is not merely a military endeavour, but a test of governance, resilience and the capacity to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

Lt General Waidi Shaibu; an Epitome of Selflessness, Altruistic and Unalloyed leadership.

By Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi.

” This initiative is also central to my “Soldier First Concept”, which seek to deliberately prioritize the welfare and living condition of our officers and soldiers. It is worth reiterating that my Soldier First Concept is premised on the understanding that operational success is directly linked to the level of care and support provided to those entrusted with the defense of our beloved nation. The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks Phase Two, therefore, stands as a practical expression of my command philosophy”. Lt General Waidi Shaibu during the flagging off of the Phase Two of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks Construction Project in Abuja.

At the inception of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, one thing was clear to all, here was an enigma and a master strategist coming to tackle a most difficult and daunting job, after our economy, the task of winning the remnant of the war against terrorism and violent crimes in the Country.

Before the Tinubu administration came into the office, the previous administration for the most part have been able to contain the issue of insecurity to their best of abilities, but politics and ethnicity mixed with religion have also been a clog in the wheel of decisively dealing with this cankerworms.

Although the reins of governance fell into Tinubu’s way through a landslide victory at the 2023 elections, the task of fighting the last batch of terror has now be given to a certain General Waidi Shaibu by his appointment as the 25th Chief of Army Staff, (COAS, Nigerian Army) in October 2025 and by extension the man upon whom the biggest responsibility yet, in recent times fell upon not only to win a most unconventional warfare against terror and violent crimes, but to organize the Nigerian Army, in organization, motivation and infrastructure, more than in the fronts fighting terror. Therefore the tasks were legion.

Changing The Military With Servant Leadership Style.

Exactly four months after, the very unassuming gentleman and a General, Shaibu can be said to have equally achieved in legionary and legendary proportions by bringing his uniqueness into changing the Nigerian Army with his purposeful servant-leader military style of leadership in which the high morale of the soldiers was brought back and trust restored between the rank and file and the commanding officers.

Today, there is no organized terror attacks of the kind we used to see, only isolated soft-target attacks and ambushes as the capacity of Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits and other enablers of violent crimes have practically been decimated and reduced to nothingness.

How Was General Shaibu Able To Do This?

There are a number of significant difficulties for today’s military – the global war on terrorism, weapons system acquisitions and personnel drawdowns have been a hindrance with Nigeria denied access to sophisticated weapons in the past and some past administration, mismanaging and embezzling of funds meant for weapons procurement.

The focus of this article is on one strategic component of the exemplary leadership of General Waidi Shaibu, who in spite of some odds, and international support and morale of our troops was still able to shape the Nigerian Army significantly as to make it functional, professional and a worthy army, a pride to the noble profession of the military, recognized all over the world for bringing violent crimes to its knees. And in just such a short time too.

Effectiveness Of General Shaibu’s Leadership.

As earlier stated, Shaibu’s servant leadership has been the major turning point in making the huge difference, from the period of his appointment, to date.

The Army’s definition of leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.

Therefore an army leader is required to inspire and influence people to accomplish their goals.

General Shaibu simply put himself in the place of his soldiers, feeling their pain as his pain, knowing their needs as his needs — He wasn’t the boss who stayed to far from his troops, he lived among them.

Shaibu is a leader who motivates people both inside and outside the army to help them pursue their goals, focus on their thinking, and shape decisions for the better of the army.

General Waidi Shaibu took his unique leadership style to the world, appearing on the world stage in Liberia, when he reaffirmed Nigeria’s enduring leadership in regional peace and security, declaring that Liberia’s current stability was a direct result of Nigeria’s delibrate intervention , African solidarity and military sacrifices. In his speech at the Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, where he was the Special Guest of Honor at the event marking the 69th Armed Forces Day Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Here he was at the international stage strengthening not only the Nigerian Army but deepening Nigeria’s democracy by telling the whole world his resolve to exterminate terror as well as defend Nigeria’s democracy, a deep resolve to which he has played an exemplary role.

Such is the kind of servant leader that Shaibu is, his loyalty to Nigeria and to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, never in doubt. He’s a soldier’s soldier.

Loyalty As Shaibu’s Watchword.

In leadership loyalty, although a vital ingredient, can only be acquired by those who are innately and inherently loyal. In the army, loyalty is perhaps more than just a need, it is a pillar upon which the military structure rests.

But Shaibu to date, has left no one in doubt where his loyalty lies, to the country, and to the President and the Commander in Chief.

In all the six zones of our dear country, the Army under General Shaibu has stayed true to the indivisibility of the country. Our country is safer today because of the unique leadership style, loyal and selfless service provided by the Chief of Army Staff.

Shaibu’s philosophy seems to echo the very words of the great military strategist, Napoleon Bonaparte, “as long as there is the self-determination to do what is best for the nation, every other consideration is secondary”.

These are the type of characteristics he said the army under him aims to instill in each solider, and to all intents and purposes, General Waidi Shaibu has done all of these.

Lesson From Having A Leader Like General Shaibu.

Being an exemplary leader in the army requires having mental strength. There is a common misconception that people who are physically strong are the only ones who make great leaders. But again, we have seen in the ever smiling gentle General that his greatest strength lies in his mental faculty and capabilities.

We have also seen in the example of Shaibu, a good leader needs to be mentally strong and able to make firm and sound minded decisions.

Fighting terrorism is more of intelligence gathering and counter-espionage, more of a game of wits than bare braggadio, when the enemy you are fighting is not the conventional Army and may even be lurking in the market place, mosques, churches, where civilians reside. Perhaps, this is where Shaibu in four months have won.

Mahatma Gandhi was an exceptional leader in that he was able to satisfy the basic psychological needs of his followers. Ghandi, a small frail man whom was soft spoken and practiced resolute leadership style, is a prime example of dexterity in leadership. He was able to move thousands of people to action in India and at the same time inspired the entire globe with his non-violent methods.

General Shaibu, with his soft spoken, almost shy nature, has been able to gain the confidence of his men, that today, under his leadership, the Nigerian Army is the pride of our dear Nation.

Today, we salute this exemplary leader, consummate soldier and meritorious Chief of Army Staff who came when his country needed him most and has continued to serve humanity and has impacted positively on this generation. His name in the annals of history, we are very sure of worthy, most irreproachable place in which he will be remembered for his selfless services rendered to motherland, saving Nigeria from being consumed by violent crimes and from political destabilization. A certain General Waidi Shaibu has continued to stand firmly behind the country and behind his President.

Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi, an entrepreneur and an opinion moulder contributed this article from Ibadan, Oyo State.