Month: February 2026

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have attacked a military camp in the Garaha District of Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, killing three soldiers and a fleeing civilian woman.

The insurgents also razed a primary school and other key infrastructure during the attack, which came amid a series of similar assaults in parts of the Hong LGA in recent months.

The latest attack, DAILY POST learnt, occurred in the late morning of Saturday, February 21, when the attackers rushed in, firing sporadically and catching the military personnel largely unaware.

‎A witness, Isaiah Yerima, said that though the targeted military men rose to the occasion and fought back gallantly, the invaders had the upper hand, and the entire military camp was burnt down.

‎Yerima said the attackers ambushed the soldiers from the rear via the Lar axis, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers, while a civilian woman was killed by a stray bullet as she tried to escape the shootings.

The military did not respond to inquiries, nor did the police make any comment on the attack.

However, both the Hong Local Government chairman, Usman Aliyu Wa’aganda, and the Hong paramount ruler, Tol Alheri Nyako, confirmed the attack.

Boko Haram attack on Adamawa military camp kills three soldiers, civilian woman

The increase in admission deposits for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) by the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), from N500,000 to N1 million, has sparked reactions among residents in Edo State.

DAILY POST reports that the increase represents a 100 per cent hike in the cost of accessing critical care services at the hospital.

The office of the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), disclosed this in an internal memorandum dated January 30, 2026. The memo approved an upward review of ward consumables and admission deposits across the hospital.

Other new admission deposit increments include: N150,000 for medical wards, N200,000 for private wards, N100,000 for day-case admissions, N150,000 for orthopaedic wards, N200,000 for neuro wards and N150,000 for obstetrics and gynaecology wards

Ward consumables were also reviewed upward to N20,000 per week for patients in the Labour and Emergency Complex, while ordinary wards will now attract N15,000 per week.

The memo said the review became necessary in view of prevailing funding realities and the need to promote efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance the maintenance and procurement of medical consumables.

It added that under the revised structure, ICU admission will now require a deposit of N1 million, while the Labour Ward Complex deposit has been fixed at N200,000. According to the memo, the adjustments are aimed at ensuring sustainable hospital operations and improving service delivery.

Meanwhile, the development has sparked reactions among residents, many of whom took to social media to criticise the teaching hospital authorities.

In their responses, residents decried what they described as an astronomical increase in hospital charges and the reported privatisation of laboratory services at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit.

Reacting, the Head of the Public Relations and Information Unit of the hospital, Osaretin Iyen, said the private laboratory service engaged at the A&E unit was introduced to complement the hospital’s existing diagnostic services.

Iyen explained that the laboratory is intended to function alongside UBTH’s laboratories to augment capacity and efficiency, not to replace or supplant the hospital’s core laboratory services.

He added that there are over ten functional laboratories across the hospital.

He further stated that the decision was taken strictly in the overriding interest of patient care and safety, particularly for critically ill patients whose survival depends on immediate and uninterrupted access to laboratory investigations.

“This is especially when there are challenges with the UBTH laboratory in the Accident and Emergency unit,” Iyen said.

Reactions trail UBTH’s increases of medical bills by 100 per cent

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alert over a suspected revalidated SMA Gold First Infant Milk Formula found on sale in Kaduna State.

The agency said the product, a 900g pack of SMA Gold infant formula, was reported after it allegedly caused stomach problems in a four-month-old baby who consumed it.

According to NAFDAC, a physical examination of the product showed clear signs of tampering. The manufacturing and expiry dates on the sticker placed on the tin did not match the original dates printed underneath.

“This confirms our suspicion that the product was revalidated and tampered with,” the agency said.

SMA Gold Infant Formula is a nutritionally complete, whey-dominant formula meant to closely match the nutritional content of breast milk. It is designed for babies from birth to six months.

NAFDAC explained that the safety of infant formula depends strictly on compliance with regulatory requirements. Any unauthorised change to expiry dates or shelf life, the agency warned, poses serious risks to public health.

The agency said altering date markings amounts to product adulteration and misleads consumers about the safety and quality of the product.

“False dating deceives caregivers and puts infants at risk,” NAFDAC said.

The agency noted that expired infant formula may contain harmful microorganisms or degraded nutrients. This is especially dangerous for babies, whose immune systems are still developing.

NAFDAC said the reported case of diarrhoea in the four-month-old infant could be linked to product deterioration. Such cases, it warned, may lead to serious health problems including dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition and secondary infections.

In severe situations, the agency added, contaminated infant formula could result in fatal outcomes.

NAFDAC urged healthcare professionals and members of the public to report any suspected sale of substandard or falsified regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Consumers were also advised to report any adverse reactions or side effects linked to the use of the affected product.

NAFDAC alerts public on tampered SMA Gold Infant Milk after baby falls sick in Kaduna