Business
IGP, Ibrahim Idris faces sack threat, as he leaves Benue without Buhari’s consent
The Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris has yet to relocate to Benue State, in an apparent affront to President Muhammadu Buhari’s order last month.
In a directive issued on January 9, Mr. Buhari asked Mr. Idris, whom he appointed in June 2016, to move to Benue State to restore order and forestall further attacks on villagers by suspected herdsmen.
The president also emphasised in his January 25 letter to the Senate that he had “instructed the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue State” and “redeploy forces to the most sensitive areas.”
The order followed the January 1 killings of over 70 villagers in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas of the state, a development that sparked nationwide outrage and calls for a new approach to the killings linked to farmer-herdsmen crisis across central Nigeria.
The president asked Mr. Idris to focus on the farmers-herders attacks in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna States. Each of these states has witnessed repeated attacks in recent weeks.
Mr. Idris initially obeyed the president’s order and arrived Makurdi, the state capital, on January 10, meeting with Governor Samuel Ortom on January 11.
But the Inspector-General spent only three days touring the state, including holding talks with Benue political and religious leaders and visiting camps of the internally displaced persons in Logo Local Government Area.
Subsequently, the IG left the state for Nasarawa, drawing criticism from Benue residents that he was disobeying the president’s order by abandoning Benue, which is the epicentre of the deadly violence.
But Mr. Idris’ stay in Nasarawa was also short-lived, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. The police chief departed the state after about four days and returned to Abuja, where he has remained ever since.
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm the reason behind the defiance of a presidential order by Mr. Idris, who recently faced a nationwide ridicule for describing the January 1 killing in Benue as “communal clashes.”
PREMIUM TIMES’ calls and text messages to the Inspector-General seeking comments about his refusal to relocate to Benue as directed by the president were neither acknowledged nor returned within the past one week.
Similarly, police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood ignored PREMIUM TIMES’ repeated requests for comments on the matter.
However, the state governor said he understood why it was difficult for the Inspector-General to stay in Benue.
Mr. Ortom said Nigeria’s security challenges are enormous and the Inspector-General is only one man who could not be expected to concentrate in one part of the country.
“But we have the deputy inspector-general in charge of operations on the ground here,” Mr. Ortom told PREMIUM TIMES in a January 24 interview in Makurdi.
Mr. Buhari issued a similar order to the Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai in 2015, asking the military chief to relocate to Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram onslaught.
Mr. Buratai has remained at the theatre of operations since then. He only visits the Army headquarters in Abuja when necessary, for meetings or administrative tasks, but “most of the time, he’s in Maiduguri,” a military chief told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday night, corroborating our independent findings.
But Mike Ejiofor, a security analyst, said there’s no rationale for the Inspector-General to remain in Benue or anywhere else in the crisis-ridden north-central.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable for him to remain there and leave all his administrative work at the headquarters,” said Mr. Ejiofor, a former director at the State Security Service.
Mr. Ejiofor said the DIG Operations that was kept in Benue is enough to coordinate the activities of police in the area, saying the relocation of military chiefs to Borno State had no significant impact on the overall success of military tactics against insurgents.
“I think we should be realistic,” he added.
Several local government areas in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States are still in crisis, with killings reported every now and then, PREMIUM TIMES found,
Thousands of residents are currently trapped in separate camps run by the government and private organisations in the three states.
More than 660 members of the police special forces are currently manning 10 units in Benue and Nasarawa, Mr. Idris said last month.
PREMIUM TIMES recently found that at least six villages were still being avoided by police special forces in Logo Local Government Area alone.
Security forces appear unable to withstand the firepower of the attackers lurking in the bushes around the villages.
Nigeria’s Inflation Drops to 15.10% as NBS Reports Deflationary Trend
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate declined to 15.10 per cent in January 2026, marking a significant drop from 27.61 per cent recorded in January 2025, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report also showed that month-on-month inflation recorded a deflationary trend of –2.88 per cent, representing a 3.42 percentage-point decrease compared to December 2025. Analysts say the development signals easing price pressures across key sectors of the economy.
Food inflation stood at 8.89 per cent year-on-year, down from 29.63 per cent in January 2025. On a month-on-month basis, food prices declined by 6.02 per cent, reflecting lower costs in several staple commodities.
The data suggests a sustained downward trajectory in inflation over the past 12 months, pointing to improving macroeconomic stability.
The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently attributed recent economic adjustments to ongoing fiscal and monetary reforms aimed at stabilising prices, boosting agricultural output, and strengthening domestic supply chains.
Economic analysts note that while the latest figures indicate progress, sustaining the downward trend will depend on continued policy discipline, exchange rate stability, and improvements in food production and distribution.
The January report provides one of the clearest indications yet that inflationary pressures, which surged in early 2025, may be moderating.
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate declined to 15.10 per cent in January 2026, marking a significant drop from 27.61 per cent recorded in January 2025, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report also showed that month-on-month inflation recorded a deflationary trend of –2.88 per cent, representing a 3.42 percentage-point decrease compared to December 2025. Analysts say the development signals easing price pressures across key sectors of the economy.
Food inflation stood at 8.89 per cent year-on-year, down from 29.63 per cent in January 2025. On a month-on-month basis, food prices declined by 6.02 per cent, reflecting lower costs in several staple commodities.
The data suggests a sustained downward trajectory in inflation over the past 12 months, pointing to improving macroeconomic stability.
The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently attributed recent economic adjustments to ongoing fiscal and monetary reforms aimed at stabilising prices, boosting agricultural output, and strengthening domestic supply chains.
Economic analysts note that while the latest figures indicate progress, sustaining the downward trend will depend on continued policy discipline, exchange rate stability, and improvements in food production and distribution.
The January report provides one of the clearest indications yet that inflationary pressures, which surged in early 2025, may be moderating.
Alpha Morgan to Host 19th Economic Review Webinar
In an economy shaped by constant shifts, the edge often belongs to those with the right information.
On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Alpha Morgan Bank will host the 19th edition of its Economic Review Webinar, a high-level thought leadership session designed to equip businesses, investors, and individuals with timely financial and economic insight.
The session, which will hold live on Zoom at 10:00am WAT and will feature economist Bismarck Rewane, who will examine the key signals influencing Nigeria’s economic direction in 2026, including policy trends, market movements, and global developments shaping the local landscape.
With a consistent track record of delivering clarity in uncertain times, the Alpha Morgan Economic Review continues to provide practical context for decision-making in a dynamic environment.
Registration for the 19th Alpha Morgan Economic Review is free and can be completed via https://bit.ly/registeramerseries19
It is a bi-monthly platform that is open to the public and is held virtually.
Visit www.alphamorganbank to know more.
GTBank Launches Quick Airtime Loan at 2.95%
Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd (GTBank), the flagship banking franchise of GTCO Plc, Africa’s leading financial services group, today announced the launch of Quick Airtime Loan, an innovative digital solution that gives customers instant access to airtime when they run out of call credit and have limited funds in their bank accounts, ensuring customers can stay connected when it matters most.
In today’s always-on world, running out of airtime is more than a minor inconvenience. It can mean missed opportunities, disrupted plans, and lost connections, often at the very moment when funds are tight, and options are limited. Quick Airtime Loan was created to solve this problem, offering customers instant access to airtime on credit, directly from their bank. With Quick Airtime Loan, eligible GTBank customers can access from ₦100 and up to ₦10,000 by dialing *737*90#. Available across all major mobile networks in Nigeria, the service will soon expand to include data loans, further strengthening its proposition as a reliable on-demand platform.
For years, the airtime credit market has been dominated by Telcos, where charges for this service are at 15%. GTBank is now changing the narrative by offering a customer-centric, bank-led digital alternative priced at 2.95%. Built on transparency, convenience and affordability, Quick Airtime Loan has the potential to broaden access to airtime, deliver meaningful cost savings for millions of Nigerians, and redefine how financial services show up in everyday life, not just in banking moments.
Commenting on the product launch, Miriam Olusanya, Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd, said: “Quick Airtime Loan reflects GTBank’s continued focus on delivering digital solutions that are relevant, accessible, and built around real customer needs. The solution underscores the power of a connected financial ecosystem, combining GTBank’s digital reach and lending expertise with the capabilities of HabariPay to deliver a smooth, end-to-end experience. By leveraging unique strengths across the Group, we are able to accelerate innovation, strengthen execution, and deliver a more integrated customer experience across all our service channels.”
Importantly, Quick Airtime Loan highlights GTCO’s evolution as a fully diversified financial services group. Leveraging HabariPay’s Squad, the solution reinforces the Group’s ecosystem proposition by bringing together banking, payment technology, and digital channels to deliver intuitive, one-stop experiences for customers.
With this new product launch, Guaranty Trust Bank is extending its legacy of pioneering digital-first solutions that have redefined customer access to financial services across the industry, building on the proven strength of its widely adopted QuickCredit offering and the convenience of the Bank’s iconic *737# USSD Banking platform.
About Guaranty Trust Bank
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) is the flagship banking franchise of GTCO Plc, a leading financial services group with a strong presence across Africa and the United Kingdom. The Bank is widely recognized for its leadership in digital banking, customer experience, and innovative financial solutions that deliver value to individuals, businesses, and communities.
About HabariPay
HabariPay is the payments fintech subsidiary of GTCO Plc, focused on enabling fast, secure, and accessible digital payments for individuals and businesses. By integrating payments and digital technology, HabariPay supports innovative services that make everyday financial interactions simpler and more seamless.
Enquiries:
GTCO
Group Corporate Communication
[email protected]
+234-1-2715227
www.gtcoplc.com
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