Remi Tinubu Donates Cars Amid Oyo Kidnappings + Oshiomhole Blasts Senate Over Insecurity |Ojy Okpe

Well, good morning viewers from across the globe.Today is Thursday, June 4th.U .S.Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, pledges active counter -terrorism cooperation with Nigerian security forces, directly targeting rising violence against Christian communities.Protests erupt in Abeokuta as residents shut down streets in solidarity with the 40 students and teachers still held in captive in Oyo State.

and Afrobeats superstar, Davido, is confirmed to perform at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, California.Let's dive right in.I'm Ogie Okpe, and this is What's Trending.Now, before we dive deeper, let's see what you're talking about.Right now, we've been tracking your conversations on X, Facebook, our YouTube live feed, and of course, Leke Leke, the number one social media platform, and three stories are dominating your timelines this morning.At number one, shocking scenes from Ibadan.

The sister of former Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu abducted, along with her 12 -year -old twin sons, with the moment of the kidnapping caught on camera.At number two, we have First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Olure Mitinvu, at the center of a social media storm after launching the Tinubu Touchbearers political mobilization group, even as schoolchildren kidnapped in Oyo State remain in captivity, with Nigerians online asking one question, can there be celebration without rescue?And at number three, NollywoodEmeka Ike is demanding full public apology from FCT minister Weeke's aide, Larry Olainka, after he posted screenshots of the actor's private INEC voter data online.We have all that coming to you now.This is where you come in.

Join the conversation.Use the hashtag, what's trending with Ojiokwe.Comment on our live feed and Of course, leke leke, tell me, which of these stories matters most to you?Because for the next hour, we're going into everything that has Nigeria and the rest of the world buzzing.But first, a powerful moment on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, as Senator Adam Sochomole delivered a scathing challenge to his colleagues during a plenary debate on insecurity across the country.Let's take a look.

We were shocked about the kidnapping that took place in Kebi and it was reported.And the governor of Kebi state cried aloud that military personnel that were in that particular school were ordered to be withdrawn.And about 40 minutes later, the Kingdom Pass came and cut away about 200, I can't remember exactly the number of children.This Senate, under your leadership, we pass a resolution that the military high command should disclose the name of that officer.Actions that have been taken against him to satisfy us that that action was not willful, or that people who are entrusted to protect us, that some of them have not become...of our problem.

Mr. President, I have always tried to be present in every day that this unit sits.As I speak, I am not aware that we have gotten a response to that simple inquiry.If the armed forces is not accountable, if we do not carry out due audit and oversight, or resources that we have all been blackmailed to appropriate to protect Nigeria.We come here lamenting that this is now taking over the country.I think we need to do more than that.We need to carry out security audit.

money appropriated, who got what, how was it used?And as he insists, that this Senate is entitled to have a reply to the question we unanimously ask, who withdraw those people for the children to be catered away?

Now, Oshomale has called for a full audit of defense spending, warning that without accountability, resolutions mean nothing.But not a single senator seconded his motion.His motion was dropped.Nigeria is bearing kidnap victims, watching teachers plead from activity.And yet, when one senator asked where the defense billions are going, The chamber goes silent.Good morning, Dr. Abati.

Good morning.

Good morning.Good morning, our favorite Nigerian.Yes, Dr. Abati, you disappeared yesterday.I hope it wasn't Owambe.You know, I always say that.But, you know, I mean, just to just lighten up this morning, because, of course, the nation is mourning.

And you can hear from Adam Sosomeli, his powerful condemnationbasically, of, you know, the defense spending, the billions that have been, you know, spent on military equipment, and they're not being accounted for.He also touched on the very sensitive nature of our military.You know, in Kebi, we had that situation where, you know, the military was redrawn, and still we don't have accountability.Who did that?Who made the call?

Your thoughts.

Well, I think, you know, Those are legitimate questions that have been posed by Senator Adams with Sean Muller.First, I think on this table, when we were discussing the incident in Kirby, we also said that, I mean, why would anybody withdraw, you know, the troops when there was a very clear danger and there was an alert and there was concern within the community and that who made that call?And that person should be known.It's all part of the process of accountability.And so when a senator stands up and he says, this Senate, when it passes a resolution, that resolution, you know, we should get the feedback on it.The only caveat is that the resolution does not have the force of law.

So, you know, a legislative body can say this is our resolution.But it's not as if that has the force of law, because it's not a piece of legislation.It's just an opinion of that body.But if it says, yes, we would like to have a feedback, yeah, does the National Assembly itself, does it have the mechanism for, you know, or the capacity for getting that requested feedback?But as Nigerians, we, too, would like to hear about that feedback.The most substantive issue that Senator Adam Sosomole raised has to do with the issue of defense spending.

And this is not the first time he's raising the point.Previously, he had said some army generals, either retired or serving, they were building universitiesstructures in their hometowns at a time when Nigeria was having very serious security challenges.And that he, as a representative of the people, would like to know how is the money being spent for defense.And you know that consistently, defense has always received the lion's share of Nigeria's annual budget.And I made the point earlier that yes, he's right.

He's part of the responsibility of the legislature.Section four of the 1999 constitution gives them oversight powers and authority to ask questions, to do appropriation, and also ask on behalf of we, the long suffering people of Nigeria, how our money is being spent.And that the armed forces of Nigeria cannot be placed above the laws of the land.Even the armed forces is unsustainable.to the people of Nigeria.And so if Senator Ishamole insists that we want to know how they are spending these resources that are being given, I think he's on the right lane.

And what is unfortunate is that I heard that that motion was shut down by the National Assembly.So, you know, we don't want the National Assembly to sleep on its responsibility.It should be awake to its responsibility and to ask questions.whether from a feed marshal in the Nigerian military or from whoever is in that military.They are accountable to the people.All right.

We're in a civilian dispensation.This is not a military dispensation.

Well said, Dr. Abati.Thank you.Olinogun State.Solidarity is on full display.Hundreds of young people, nursing mothers, teachers, traders and civil society advocates tripped out into the streets of Abeokuta marching through major roads carrying plaque.reading, they must be free.

They're not animals.Stop insecurity.Enough is enough.And bring back our children.The demonstration was a show of solidarity for the 47 students and teachers still in captivity following the Orele school abduction in Oyo State.Let's take a look.

protesters in Abelkota captured the national mood perfectly.And the Christian Association of Nigeria has also now designated Sunday, June 14th as Black Sunday to honor all those killed or affected by terrorism, kidnapping and violence across Nigeria.The streets are speaking and the nation is listening.Yesterday, we, you know, took videos from across the country from Bielsa to Lagos.Now we've seen in Ogun State, even yesterday, I believe also in Ogun State, there was that force, that show of force, I believe at the Secretariat and all of that.You know, Nigerians are out there and they are demanding answers.

Your thoughts?

And you will see by the number of people who came out to protest and the songs and the chants that they were singing that Nigerians have had enough.There have been appeals that have been made, there have been videos, there have been concerted efforts, yet it doesn't seem like the response from the government is commensurate to the scale of insecurity that Nigeria currently faces.at the moment.And so you would see that this was peaceful, by all intents and purposes, it was peaceful.But yesterday I said, Uji, that we don't want to get to a point where there's a breakdown of law and order as a result of the share despondency of the people and the feeling of hopelessness and the feeling of having no other option but to take on the street and to defend themselves in this regard.That's not what the government wants.

It's already a stain on the administration to have this scale of insecurity, the number of kidnapped people, and in particular children, who are still in captivity since the 15th of May.We do not want to be holding a one month remembrance of the date of their captivity.What does it take for them to find these criminals, to rescue the children, whatever it takes to show and demonstrate seriousness in tackling this issue?So this is Ogun State now.We don't want this to cascade across the country.We want to contain this across different quarters, Nigerian Union of Teachers, the NLC has threatened industrial strike action.

That is literally bringing the nation to its knees economically.That is compounded problems on top of what we are facing in insecurity.not get to that point.The people are well within their rights.They are frustrated.They are tired.

It doesn't seem like anything concrete is being done.But the government can contain this matter.But I'd like to just plead with the people on the final note.We don't want to compound the issues.We want to ensure that things remain peaceful.Let's not heat up the polity.

Let's ensure that Nigeria does not become ungovernable.Things are already happening.Let us ensure that we're able to Keep the protest peaceful, get your voices heard, and let the government respond to the voice of its people.

Yes, very well said.Get your voices heard.Bring our children back home.Let's now take reactions trailing the abduction of a former minister of power.Bayo Adelabu's younger sister and her 12 -year -old twins seized by gunmen in Ibadan.At 7 .30 in the morning, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John Paul, aged 43, was on her way to drop her twin sons, Peter and Paul, at the school when the assailant struck.

Reports indicate the gunman drilled the family's vehicle from their residence before intercepting it and forcing the victims away at gunpoint.Videos showing the exact moment of the kidnapping have gone viral on social media.Let's take a look.

Those are kidnappers.They just kidnapped some people from this car.They just kidnapped some people from this car.They are moving towards...You go.

Now, I've been by the state police command, have recovered the victim's vehicle from the scene and deploying intensive operations to locate them.Or your APC has also condemned the abduction, urging Governor McIntyre to act decisively, noting that this latest attack comes amid unresolved kidnappings of over 40 schoolchildren and teachers, well, a former minister's family.a school run, now captivity or your state is crying out to them by.And I want to take a reaction on X before I come to you.you.And this is from MBJ.

They wrote, this is not bandits from the bush.This is organized, local and very deliberate.The fact that a former minister's family is not safe in Ibadan tells you everything about where we are.If your connection to Asoro cannot protect your sister and her 12 year old boys on a school run, Then what exactly is the government providing?Shane Mackinday needs to answer for oil.Tinubu needs to answer for Nigeria.

Both of them need to answer.

That's very well said.There's so many questions that need to be answered on different levels.But I mean, I don't want to go as far as, you know, affirming that this is targeted or whatever, while the investigation is ongoing.What we do know is that the police have launched a manhunt.And this has ruffled a lot of feathers because people are asking, well, how long did it take for us to launch a manhunt into the children that were abducted and that remain in captivity?So there are some concerns around, well, when it's an elite that is afflicted, it seems the response is a lot faster than when it's just a regular citizen.

Nevertheless, this now begins to depict what we've been saying this time and time again, which is that this is getting closer and closer to home, that at this point, nobody is safe.That's what we've been saying since this week started, that none of us here on this table, nobody's sitting anywhere in their bubble.is safe from this, because these people have become so emboldened and it seems that there's almost a sense of overwhelming for our security structures.That's why the points that are being made are very important.Can we audit the military and find out whether the finances are going where they're supposed to be going?If not, let's rejig it to ensure that the money is going where it's supposed

supposed to be going.We already know that the military is not even getting the full spending that they are supposed to of the allocated budget.They only got 26 percent in 2025.Beyond that, you look at the police.How effective are the police?We've been talking about state police.

They said they'll expedite state police.Oh, they'll expedite.We've heard repetitious statements about expediting the process of instituting state police and National Assembly, yet here we are.The National Assembly nevertheless continues to play into the role of what I call performative sympathy.You come every day, oh, we are so sorry, oh, so sorry, oh.They're not helpless.

They have the authority to do the necessary actions, take the necessary actions that can create some form of reprieve.The solutions are available.We discuss them all the time.Let's implement them now.And those who say state police won't work, well, let's try it because it doesn't seem like we have any other option now.Let's fast track it.

Let's try it and see if it won't make a difference.

Speaking about state police, Dr. Abate, I'd like for you to also comment on this Adela Bull story, but I'd like to take this so you can tie both of them together.Meanwhile, a trending video from Washington state is offering a rare moment of relief.A clip circulating widely on social media, gathering over 468 ,000 views, reportedly shows the arrest of suspected bandits led by local security operatives alongside two traditional chiefs in Obokun local government area of the state.Let's take a look.

I'm.

Well, the vigilante there, you know, they're claiming that these boys have ruined their farmlands.But, you know, there is no confirmation whether or not they are bandits.But, you know, This comes as Oshun State Governor Ademola Adeleke announced on Tuesday that he has mobilized security forces and hunters to protect communities, bringing together formal security commanders and grassroots paramilitary forces to work side by side.A bold move.And Oshun State is showing that communities don't have to wait for the federal government to act.Local action, local results.

Your thoughts, Dr. Abati?

OK, very quickly.Now, people, more and more people are now resorting to self -help.They are resorting to vigilante action simply because they do not think that the state agencies are doing enough to protect them.And that would have been the motivation for these local chiefs, hunters, leading the group, you know, to pursue information that they had some bandits within their neighborhood, in that Obukwu, local government area of Ocean Street.It's called Obokun.When you mention Obokun, there is a particular type of fish they call Obokun.

So I said, it's too early to get hungry because that's a special delicacy.We're being serious now.You know, they went in there and they arrested these two, you know, herdsmen.Well, you know, they may say they are defending themselves, but if you look at the politics of Nigeria, some other people will say these are, you know, entrepreneurs, katoriaras, herding their kato.And that's until we solve the problem of grazing, of kato ranching in this country, some of these, you know, herdsmen, you really cannot stop them from earning a living.Even if some of them, you graze openly on the streets of the federal capital territory and other capitals, and they will say that they have as much right as any other Nigerian to run their business.

But I think the good thing is that, well, there was somebody there saying, don't beat them.Let us report them to the police.And they actually reported, they took them to the police.And I think that, you know, the people of that community, these hunters, they behaved decently.Yes.They did not, you know, take the law into their hands.

Very good example.They did not, you know, engage in jungle justice, which may would have resulted in reprisals.Yes.And I think that, you know, if people just say, OK, these people are suspicious, you report them to the police and let the police do their job.That should be a proper conduct.But I think However, you know, the federal government, President Tinugu, has deployed more forest guards.

I think 10 ,000, you know, is it to your state?Maybe other places should also have forest guards, you know, to protect the environment.And so the other issue that you raised about former Minister Adelabu's sister.The simple thing would be to say, oh, it's because it's in politics.No, but that's not the way to analyze this issue like that.You know, it's not good to jump to conclusions.

That's why we call for an investigation to find out.find out exactly what happened.This is also an indication that nobody is safe, whether you are the relation of a former minister or you are an army general, as happened in the case of General Rabbi Abubakar, who was going to a wedding event in Katsina State, and he was abducted along with his wife.Up to now, we have not had any report that he has been found.This whole country called Nigeria cannot become a Bermuda Triangle.

No, it can't.

From the north to the south, where people will just be disappearing.If they don't disappear, they are abducted.In broad daylight.It's over 20 days since the children were abducted in Olire, local government, and in Askera Uba, local government in Bonusti.Up to now, nobody has found them.And so, you know, It's just, again, another wake -up call for government.

Absolutely.And we hope that these persons will be found.All right.Look at the people on the streets of Abeokuta.They were singing, What does that mean?It means that, you know, you've caused a big tragedy.

Yeah.You know, children cannot go to school.Teachers cannot be in school.

I cannot even imagine what those children are going through.Who is feeding them?What about the woman with her baby strapped to her back?It's raining.They're in the forest.What is happening to our children?

This is so heartbreaking, really, really, really heartbreaking.I hope that, you know, this is solved sooner than later.I'd like to highlight some security wins before we jump on to other subjects.In a major development from Mabuja, Justice Emeka Nwete of the Federal High Court sentenced four people to death by hanging for their role in the deadly 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Ndoste.which killed 40 people and injured hundreds more.In the verdict, Justice Nwete convicted the four defendants on nine counts, citing crimes including membership of the terrorist group Al -Shabaab, kidnapping, hostage -taking, and killing over 40 people.

churchgoers.The convicts were among five accused people who had been on trial in charges filed by the Department of State Services.This is kudos also to the DSS.Kudos.Well, meanwhile, U .S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that America is currently in active counterterrorism efforts with the Nigerian government.Rubio made this comment on Tuesday while testifying during a hearing.on the State Department's fiscal year 2027 budget request.

Let's take a look.

All right, great development.And in a significant development from Abuja, the chief of air staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kevin Aneke, has issued a stark warning declaring that allegations of civilian casualties in the fight against insurgents, whether verified or not, carry far reaching consequences for mission legitimacy, public confidence and the reputation of the Nigerian Air Force.Speaking at the NAF's maiden seminar on civilian harm mitigation and response, the air chief stressed that modern military success is no longer measured solely by battlefield achievements, but equally by the ability

As an institution, we recognize that maintaining trust and confidence of our citizens is very essential to achieving lasting operational success.Accordingly, the Nigerian Air Force has continued to take deliberate steps towards institutionalizing civilian harm mitigation and response mechanisms, especially at the tactical and operational level.

Now, this is a timely and welcome development, especially as communities across Nigeria continue to bear the brunt of military operations against insurgents and terrorists.Now, Air Marshal Aneke also acknowledged that incidents of civilian harm confirmed or alleged demand urgent attention and accountability, and called for stronger target verification, improved operational discipline, and rigorous post -action reviews.Now, the NAF is setting a new standard, and Nigeria will be watching.I thought I should highlight all of those.You know, it's important for people to see that, you know, as much as there is insecurity, the security agencies are making efforts to make sure whether it's the NAF reducing on civilian casualties or even the United States continuing on their efforts with Nigeria.Now to a trending story.

The first lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is at the center of a social media storm after launching A new APC mobilization group as the nation's kidnap crisis continues to deepen.On Wednesday, the First Lady inaugurated the Tinubu Touch Bearers, a woman -led grassroots political mobilization group at the presidential villa in Abuja, where she pledged to personally donate vehicles to APC women leaders in fivestates where the party does not control the governorship.Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Oshun, and Oyo declaring that the vehicles are theirs to keep.Let's take a look.

I have news for the states where we don't have the presence of APC, but we have members of APC.So to all our women leaders, the women leaders for Abia State, APC women leaders, APC women leaders for Anambra State, APC women leaders for Bauchi State, APC leaders for Oshu State, APC leaders for Oyo State, your vehicles will be ready before the end of the week.So I urge women to be treated the vehicles are your personal vehicles giving it to the party and you hold on please you register the vehicles in your name please let me you register all these vehicles in your name you have money to do that which we won't talk about but register these vehicles in your name and our beloved state governors the APC governors by your women leaders vehicle.We are not politics like before.We are politicians and people should see the value.on us.

So this is a blessed party and we want our women to be empowered.

has not been lost online.Now, Oyo State, where 40 students and teachers remain in captivity, is one of the states receiving a vehicle donation.The First Lady declared, our party has shown the rest of the country that there can be democracy without bitterness.But Nigerians online are asking a different question entirely.Can there be celebration without rescue?Let me take Abiola's tweet on X. He wrote, This is highly insensitive, especially when we're dealing with a national crisis involving the security of Nigerian lives and property.

Decency and sensitivity demand that all forms of political grandstanding be set aside at this stage, at least until the safe release of all captives.Another ex -user wrote, in a period when many Nigerians are worried about the cost of living and insecurity, Political gifts will inevitably attract scrutiny.The real question voters will ask is whether government performance, not campaign incentives, will determine the next election.Ayo, over to you.

OK, gosh, there are so many things on my mind.There's a fire on the mountain.Run, run, run.The nation is in crisis.A number of people are having conversations about that.But the actions of the First Lady, whom a number of people respect and have praised a number of times, would be seen as being grossly on lack of touch with the realities on ground.

And unfortunately, this is a criticism that has trailedher response to ongoing situations in the country.Just yesterday, Oji, you played the video where they were singing the song, Na Mama Bi Diso.Motherhood and Mama, that term Mama, is not just a title that's given or bestowed on you, it is earned.And it is based on your actions and how you rally people around.A mother will not be a mother.

distributing cars and having meetings like this when her children are in the forest.And so these women who are women leaders in the various states will go home in their nice flashy cars.And by the way, she said they have enough money to register their cars.And you know what?So it means they even have additional money that's been given to them when her children are in the forest.She doesn't know whether they've eaten, She doesn't know whether rain has beaten them.

She doesn't know whether they have, of course, they don't have proper shelter.She doesn't even know if they are alive.And here are we, just politicking and politicking.The challenge of politicking, Oji, is that it makes you sometimes forget governance.She was not elected by the Nigerian people, but if she can receive the praise as the mother of the nation, and I'm happy this, unfortunately, today, I say that she has not acted in the way that the mother of the nation would act.Beyond that, on the other side of things is that, I understand her perhaps meaning, meaning that women cannot just play the backseat.

They must be rewarded as well for their efforts when it comes to mobilization, grassroots mobilization, as you were saying, the old order of things.So she often says she champions the causes of women.However, good gesture, very wrong timing.And then maybe we should begin to probe as well, all this largesse, where's the money coming from?

All right.All right.

Did you say well -wished?

Yes, she has a foundation that people donate.Against gifts.Okay.Well, all right.Like Ayoha said, it appeared to be wrong timing.But we're going to continue.

this conversation.But first, what do you think about our stories?Join the conversation.Use the hashtag, what's trending with Ojiokwe.We're reading your comments.We'll go on a short break now.

When we come back, what's trending will continue.Stay with us.Welcome back to What's Trending.We've been reading your comments during the break, and you have a lot to say about our stories.We're going to dive into some of those reactions in a bit, but first, let's get into other stories.Now, in a new press conference, the Nollywood actor and House of Representatives aspirant Emeka Ike is calling on Larry Olayinka, a senior aide to F .

C .T.Minister Yesomu Ike, to immediately retract and issue a public apology to him after Olayinka posted screen grabs of Ike's private information from an internal INEC database on X. Ike made these comments in a video that surfaced on Wednesday.

Let's take a look.I demand Mr. Leroy Lainga to immediately retract the publication from his ex -handle and issue a public apology to my humble self, my party, NDC, and Nigerians in general within 72 hours of the statement.

Dr. Abati, this video comes as Olayinka was reportedly grilled by police over this data leak on Tuesday at the police headquarters in Abuja, with INEC also announcing they kicked off an investigation into allegations of unauthorized access to the continuous voter registrationDatabase.It's good to see that INEC has responded.And obviously, I think that, you know, Emeka Ike is even cutting Larry Olainka some slack.Remember, you know, a lot of users on social media asked him to sue for, you know, his breach of privacy.Your thoughts?

Okay, I think it's good that INEC acted promptly and followed up with a statement.And the pith of their statement was simply that this is not like some kind of general breach at their end, that what must have happened was that maybe one of their staff who had access to that database, that backend, compromised access to it.And I've seen another report indicating that that particular person, staff of INEC, has been apprehended by the Department of State Security, DSS.The investigation is ongoing.And the police also have questioned Lirio Laiinka, to shed more light on how he gained access and he entered the room that he was not supposed to enter, you know, and then compromise the data of INEC.I think that must be considered a very serious offense indeed.

So that the authorities have woken up and they are pursuing it is in order.What we request in addition is that Just as they've started by giving us information about the process of investigation and arrest, we must also, at the end of the day, know what the outcome is and whatever consequential action that they are going to take.Because it is the integrity of INEC that is at stake.It is the data, the safety of data in the possession of INEC that is at stake.And INEC, in protecting its integrity,must seek to be as transparent and accountable as possible, while it says it's supporting the investigating agencies, namely the DSS and also the police, in getting to the root of this matter.

And this should be done expeditiously, because we're already in the political season, and this must have caused anxiety within the political community.Now, as for Emeka Ike, you know, having the press conference, well, he is the victim, in quotes, in this particular instance, because it is his personal privacy that has been breached.Well, he has asked for a public apology within 72 hours.Where will he get that apology?If he doesn't get an apology, he has threatened that his lawyers are already investigating and advising him.And as, you know, the person who is involved, he has a right to defend his own integrity too and defend his privacy, you know, being released without his concurrence and without the concurrence of the electoral umpire.

So we wait 72 hours whether there will be other developments or not.Final point, that statement read by Emeka Eke, I saw another video where I followed the full length of it.There is a subject verb agreement issue in that statement.When anybody wants to do a press statement and read a document, give it to somebody to edit for you and make sure that it is proper English, particularly now that some people in other parts of the world are insinuating about the quality of English that Nigerians speak.Simple editorial work.

Simple editorial.

Very simple.Yes, yes.I'd like to say the INAC official is still in detention, in police detention.He says that he reached out to Larry.this is according to investigation, via Facebook Messenger and then shared the information via WhatsApp.And Larry Olainkek is claiming that he didn't know that it was confidential.

So we'll see where it goes.

All right.We'll see what happens.We will.Well, here in Lagos, mixed reactions have chilled new videos which show the mass arrests of 45 beggars, including both adults and minors during enforcement operations in Oshodi, Agege and CMS.The announcement came in a video shared by the Commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokumbo Wahab, on his X -page on Wednesday, which starts by showing a small young girl being dragged into the back of a black van.Let's take a look.

You know, majority of those apprehended, they all appear to be, have been, you know, adults, but we also saw some young children, which really broke my heart.And, you know, I reached out to the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokumbwa,Wahab, and he released a statement on X, clarifying that all underage children that were picked up were profiled and handed over to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, where they are set to be placed in shelters provided by the state government.But it raises questions as to how the state plans to deal with beggars in a more humane way.And you know, like I said, it broke my heart to see the young children, the children being pushed into the black van, like apprehended that like they were criminals.Just to note that these children don't even know what they are doing.

Most of these children are used by adults.They have no business with this, you know, issue that is at hand.

Audrey, like you rightly said, if we do not deal with the root cause, we're going to just be cutting off the head, but the root will continue to germinate and bring forth more beggars.In Lagos, it's a city of excellence.We lead, others follow, as we often say.But we've had this menace of street beggars for so long.And what are some of the root causes?Number one is poverty.

Number two is lack of access to jobs in certain areas.Number three is that it's just people enticed to a life of criminality because some people use begging as a guide.to perpetuate criminality.We've heard of people who break into cars, who steal pickpockets, or people who are just criminals in that sense and go on the street as beggars.What we should be looking at is that how do we ensure that young people, which make up majority of the beggars, are engaged meaningfully.Because if not, our prisons would just be full and we don't even have capacity currently in the correctional services to house these people.

So what is the plan?I know Lagos State is big on skills acquisition, trying to do things for young people, but we need to have a sustainable plan to ensure that beggars are not incentivized to go on the streets.Having done all that,then you can now arrest those who still want to go on the streets.Many of them, if meaningfully engaged, would not be on the streets.The other part of it's for the children.

There's a law in legal states around if children are found on the streets to promote or to reduce out -of -school children.To what extent has this been implemented?And let's see how that can work.So children have no place in our correctional services.They should not be manhandled.They are still children at the end of the day.

And we'd like to see the rehabilitation process of these children that have been put in these homes, as the commissioner has said at this point.Shall we now take our good news report?Well, congratulations are in order for Sir Idris Elba, with the award -winning actor getting officially knighted on Tuesday by King Charles in an extravagant ceremony at Windsor Castle.Now, the announcement came as the royal family's Instagram account posted pictures from the event.captioned, congratulations to everyone who received honors at today's investiture ceremonies hosted by the King at Windsor Castle.Knighthood recognizes individuals that have made outstanding achievements to society, with Elba receiving this honor for his youth -focused organization, the Elba Hope Foundation.

Created in 2022, it partners with institutions to tackle unemployment, education gaps, and food insecurity.Since beginning the Elba Hope Foundation, Elba and his wife, Sabrina, have raised over $1 .75 billion to fight poverty as well as $6 billion for death relief in Somalia.Congratulations to Elba on this remarkable achievement.Speaking with Time Magazine about his work in philanthropy, Elba said his foundation not just fights the underdog, but helps to give a voice to the underdog, the underseller.and the unheard.How proud are you of this?

Young man, I mean, we were supposed to take this yesterday.I mean, when are we getting our night?

I'm putting everybody.

I don't bow to the crown.Sorry, I don't bow to the column.

Okay, that's another topic.

Remember Proverbs 22 verse 29.Seize thou a man who is diligent in his business.He shall stand before kings and not before women.This is reward for diligence.And as you are all very diligent, your turn will come.

All right, we'll take our story under entertainment.And It's our song of the day as well, with Afrobeats superstar Davido now confirmed as one of the performers for FIFA's highly anticipated World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, California.Davido will perform alongside Major Lazer at the Crypto .com Arena in a show that's set to thrill international crowds ahead of the big game.Super proud of that video.Nigeria is not at the World Cup but we are representing.

And Arise News is going to be at the World Cup just so you all know.We are representing.From Burner Boy to Rema to...Heaps don't lie.Well alright, I'd like before we end Earlier on the show, we told you we'd read some of your comments.Let's take a look at this reaction from Issa on the National Assembly story.

And this is from Leke Leke.And Issa wrote, the National Assembly is our biggest problem.If that arm of government can sit up and take its responsibilities seriously, I believe Nigeria's problems will reduce by half.Ha!Well, thank you, Issa, and thank you to all our viewers.We're going to keep this conversation going.

So don't forget, send your comments using the hashtag, What's Trending with OG.On that note, I'd love to thank you all for your great analysis on What's Trending.And I'll see you guys tomorrow, I guess.

Well, that's all I have for you guys on What's Trending today.

I'll see you all tomorrow.