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Jos-East Commended for Sustaining Peace Amid Plateau Crisis

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Council Chairman Highlights Threats of Kidnapping, Poor Roads as Fact-Finding Committee Visits the LGA

While much of Plateau State grapples with recurring violence, Jos-East Local Government Area stands out as a beacon of relative peace — a fact that drew commendation from the Plateau State Fact-Finding Committee during its recent assessment visit.

The committee, led by retired Major General Nicholas Rogers, was received at the council secretariat on Monday by Chairman Hon. Markus Usaini Nyam and later at the palace of His Royal Highness, Agwom Izere Rev. Dr. Isaac Azi Wakili. The visit featured closed-door engagements with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women groups, and heads of security agencies.

Major General Rogers (Rtd) praised the LGA’s calm environment, noting that the absence of recent violent attacks sets Jos-East apart. “This is one of the few LGAs where peace still holds. It’s not by accident. We commend your efforts, but we also know that sustaining peace requires constant vigilance,” he said.

Despite the commendation, local leaders did not shy away from highlighting the cracks that could threaten this fragile stability. Chairman Nyam noted that while Jos-East has been spared the kind of violence seen in other areas, the council continues to struggle with kidnappings, poor access roads, and weak telecommunications infrastructure — all of which hamper effective security response.

“Our top security concern is kidnapping, especially along our porous borders with Bauchi and neighboring LGAs like Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Jos North,” he said. “Just four months ago, a reverend father was abducted in Magama Juju, and another incident almost occurred last week. What helps is our strong community vigilance, including partnerships with groups like No-Bail, a non-conventional outfit based in Bauchi that collaborates with our local hunters.”

Hon. Nyam appealed to the state government to urgently address road infrastructure and communication gaps, emphasizing that timely reporting and mobility are crucial in preventing crime. “With better roads and mobile networks, we can respond faster and secure our communities better,” he added.

The fact-finding committee, constituted by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, is investigating the root causes of Plateau’s violent conflicts since 2001 and is expected to recommend sustainable peacebuilding solutions. Rogers assured that the committee would reflect the infrastructural needs of Jos-East in its final report, especially the road network which he acknowledged as a potential hindrance to security operations and development.

The Agwom Izere, Rev. Dr. Isaac Wakili, lauded the state government for setting up the committee and expressed confidence in its leadership. “You’ve gone round and listened. We believe your report will reflect the truth and guide the state toward lasting peace,” he said.

The committee, comprising seasoned security experts, journalists, legal practitioners, and civil society leaders, continues its tour of Plateau’s LGAs as it prepares to submit its final findings to the government.

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Ondo Police Foil Two Kidnap Attempts in Owo, Rescue Victims and Family Members

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BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—The Ondo State Police Command under the proactive leadership of CP Felix Ohagwu psc, mnips, mspsp has successfully foiled two separate kidnap attempts in Owo Local Government Area of the State, rescuing all victims involved and forcing the fleeing criminals to abandon their mission following swift and coordinated security operations.

The incidents, which occurred within a few hours of each other on Sunday, 21st June, 2026, underscore the Command’s proactive operational readiness and the effectiveness of ongoing efforts aimed at combating kidnapping and other violent crimes across the State.

The first incident occurred at about 7:05 p.m. when the Police received a distress call indicating that a six-man armed kidnapping gang had stormed the residence of Pastor Taiwo Taiwo, Chairman of Ojana New Area, Owo, with the intention of abducting him. Acting promptly on the information, the Divisional Police Officer, B Division, Owo, mobilized and led a patrol team to the scene.

Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the armed assailants, leading to an exchange of gunfire. The superior tactical response and determination of the Police operatives forced the criminals to retreat into the surrounding bush, abandoning their plan. The intended victim and his family members were successfully rescued unharmed and subsequently relocated to a safer location for enhanced security and protection.

In a related development later that same night, at about 11:10 p.m., another armed gang attacked one Daniel Ologun, a 39-year-old resident of Gbegun Community along Alhaja Camp, off Housing Estate, Owo. During the attack, the victim sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg while the assailants forcefully took his wife, Mrs. Taibat Ologun, aged 34 years, and their two young children, aged four and two years respectively, into the bush.

Upon receiving information about the incident, the Police immediately launched a rescue operation. The rapid deployment of operatives and sustained pressure mounted on the fleeing kidnappers disrupted their movement and compelled them to abandon the Mr Daniel Ologun. In a coordinated search-and-rescue effort involving the Police and personnel of the Nigerian Army, Mrs. Ologun and her two children were later successfully rescued unhurt from the assailants who escaped with gunshot injurieat about 1:50 a.m.

The injured victim was promptly taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, where he is currently receiving medical attention and responding positively to treatment.
Meanwhile, joint security teams comprising Police operatives and military personnel have intensified bush-combing operations in the affected areas and adjoining forests with a view to apprehending the fleeing suspects and dismantling any criminal hideouts within the axis. Efforts are ongoing to track down all members of the criminal gangs involved in the attacks and bring them to justice.

CP Felix Ohagwu, psc, mnips, mspsp, has directed that the rescued victims be immediately debriefed to obtain additional information that may assist ongoing investigations and intelligence-gathering efforts aimed at identifying and apprehending the fleeing suspects. Afterwhich all rescued victims be reunited with their families while ensuring that necessary security measures are put in place for their continued safety and well-being.

The CP commends the bravery and swift response of the operatives involved in both operations, as well as the support of the Nigerian Army and members of the public who provided timely information that aided the successful rescue missions.

The post Ondo Police Foil Two Kidnap Attempts in Owo, Rescue Victims and Family Members appeared first on Business Today NG.

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The running list: major tech layoffs in 2026 where employers cited AI

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Oracle disclosed Monday that it has reduced its workforce by 21,000 employees over the past 12 months, a decline of 13%, which means more cuts than was previously known, including jobs eliminated because of AI. “The adoption and deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce,” the company said in an annual financial regulatory filing.

The revelation puts new numbers to what feels to many in the tech industry like an epidemic: companies reporting record revenues while simultaneously culling their workforces, pointing to AI as both the engine of growth and the reason for the cuts. Tech layoffs hit their highest single month in years in May, and AI was the most-cited reason, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

We recently wrote about why that rationale is something companies may want to rethink, not least because for many of these companies, the headcount they’re now cutting was hired during the pandemic hiring surge, raising questions about what’s really going on. Below, a running look — in reverse chronological order — at the bigger tech companies that have announced significant layoffs this year with AI as a stated factor.


GitLab — June 3, 2026. In one of the most recent cuts on this list, GitLab laid off roughly 350 workers, about 14% of its staff, to fund AI infrastructure investment and handle surging traffic from AI workflows. CEO Bill Staples said agentic workloads are “pushing competitors to the brink” and that the company had begun a “generational rebuild” of its core infrastructure to support what he called 100x growth requirements. GitLab is exiting 22 countries, flattening management layers, and partnering with an unspecified AI lab to rebuild its platform for agent-scale workloads. The company reported first-quarter revenue of $264 million, up 23% year-over-year, and expects to incur $30 to $35 million in restructuring costs.

Google — ongoing through May. Alphabet’s Google has quietly cut employees across its Cloud division, including its Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant-linked cybersecurity staff, even as Cloud revenue grew 63% to exceed $20 billion for the first time and its backlog nearly doubled to over $460 billion. Over the past year, Google has cut more than a third of the managers overseeing small teams — 35% fewer managers with fewer direct reports. Unlike most companies on this list, Google has never announced a single overall number — the cuts have come through a rolling performance review process, a voluntary buyout program, and structural reorganizations, with outside estimates putting the 2026 total at between 1,500 and 3,000+ engineers.

Intuit — May 20, 2026. Intuit announced plans to eliminate roughly 3,000 jobs — about 17% of its total workforce — in a restructuring centered on reducing complexity and reallocating resources toward AI. CEO Sasan Goodarzi reportedly told staff the company is reducing complexity and simplifying the structure, so it can deliver better products.

Meta — May 20-21, 2026. Meta laid off about 8,000 employees, roughly 10% of its workforce, while moving about 7,000 employees into new AI-focused roles (that they reportedly hate). Zuckerberg told staff the cuts were necessary because “success isn’t a given” in AI.

Cisco — May 14, 2026. Cisco announced it’s cutting nearly 4,000 jobs, about 5% of its workforce, despite reporting better-than-expected profit and revenue. CFO Mark Patterson said: “This was really not a savings-driven restructure… this is more [about] realigning … resources around silicon, optics, security and AI.”

Cloudflare — May 7-8, 2026. Cloudflare cut about 20% of its workforce (1,100 people), reporting quarterly revenue of $639.8 million, up 34% year-over-year and the highest single quarter in company history. CEO Matthew Prince wrote that “the vast majority of those we laid off last week were measurers” — middle management, finance, legal, internal auditing, and revenue recognition.

General Motors — May 12, 2026. GM eliminated 500 to 600 jobs, largely in IT roles in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan, saying it was reevaluating its workforce needs amid uncertain market conditions. A person familiar with the cuts told CNBC that AI played a role in the decision but that it wasn’t the only reason. GM’s statement said it was “transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future.” Despite the cuts, the company still had roughly 80 open IT positions, including roles in AI, motorsports, and autonomous vehicles.

Coinbase — May 5, 2026. The crypto exchange said it was cutting about 700 employees, or 14% of its staff, as part of a restructuring aimed at addressing market volatility and increasing AI efficiency. The company flattened its organizational structure to five layers below the CEO and COO, and said it would experiment with “one-person teams” combining engineering, design, and product roles. CEO Brian Armstrong wrote that AI had changed the pace of work dramatically — “engineers use AI to ship in days what used to take a team weeks” — and that the company needed to “leverage AI across every facet of our jobs.”

PayPal — May 5, 2026. PayPal announced plans to cut around 20% of its workforce over the next two to three years — north of 4,500 jobs — as part of a turnaround strategy centered on AI adoption and organizational simplification. CEO Enrique Lores told investors the company would “aggressively adopt AI” in its development processes and formed a new “AI transformation and simplification” team reporting directly to him, tasked with redesigning the company’s processes “function by function.” Lores framed the cuts as removing organizational layers, and said AI would extend well beyond coding into customer service, support operations, and risk management.

Microsoft — April-May 2026. Microsoft offered buyouts structured as voluntary separations, without disclosing how many employees these would impact. CFO Amy Hood said total headcount declined year-over-year in fiscal Q3, and is expected to keep declining as the company focuses on “building high-performing teams that operate with pace and agility” amid rising AI investment.

Snap — April 16, 2026. Snap cut roughly 16% of its global workforce — about 1,000 full-time employees — and closed more than 300 open roles, with CEO Evan Spiegel citing AI advancements as a key driver. “Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” Spiegel wrote in a memo filed with the SEC. The company said it had already seen small squads using AI tools to drive progress across Snapchat+, ad platform performance, and infrastructure efficiency.

IBM — rolling through 2026. Between Q4 2025 cuts and April 2026 Red Hat engineering reductions, estimates range from 3,000 to 9,000 U.S. positions eliminated, bringing IBM’s cumulative total since September 2024 above 15,000. Bloomberg reported IBM plans to triple its U.S. entry-level hiring for AI and hybrid-cloud roles, even as roughly 200 HR positions were replaced by AI agents. An IBM spokesperson described the Q4 2025 round as a routine rebalancing affecting “a low single-digit percentage” of its global workforce.

Atlassian — March 11, 2026. Atlassian cut about 1,600 jobs (10% of its workforce) to “rebalance” toward AI and enterprise sales, even as shares rose nearly 2% on the news. CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said: “Our approach is not ‘AI replaces people.’ But it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn’t change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does.”

Dell — Jan 30 (though disclosed in March 2026). Dell’s total workforce fell about 10% in fiscal 2026 — roughly 11,000 jobs — to about 97,000 employees from 108,000 a year earlier, with $569 million spent on severance. The cuts came as Dell projected its AI-optimized server revenue could double in fiscal 2027.

Oracle — March 5-31, 2026. As noted above, Oracle began telling employees it would be cutting thousands of jobs via terminal emails. The cuts came even as Oracle posted $3.7 billion in quarterly net income, up 27% year-over-year, with remaining performance obligations up 325% to $553 billion — savings redirected toward AI data centers. The cuts that would later total 21,000 over 12 months, as Oracle disclosed in its June 22 annual filing.

Block — February 26-27, 2026. Jack Dorsey’s Block cut 4,000 jobs — nearly half its workforce, down to under 6,000 from over 10,000. Dorsey wrote on X: “We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company.” He added: “I think most companies are late. Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes.”

Salesforce — February 10, 2026. Salesforce laid off fewer than 1,000 employees across marketing, product management, data analytics, and its Agentforce AI unit. The company told Fortune, “Because of the benefits and efficiencies of Agentforce, we’ve seen the number of support cases we handle decline and we no longer need to actively backfill support engineer roles.” This followed an earlier cut of about 4,000 customer-support roles, shrinking that team from roughly 9,000 to 5,000, with CEO Marc Benioff saying the company needed “less heads” because AI agents handle the work.

Amazon — January 28, 2026. Amazon cut 16,000 corporate jobs, following 14,000 cuts in October 2025 — about 9% of its corporate workforce in three months. The company said it was part of “strengthen[ing] our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.” CEO Andy Jassy had said in June 2025 that, “As we roll out more generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today… in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.”

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