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Operation SAFE HAVEN Champions Peace Through Sports in Sanga LGA

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Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH) has reiterated its commitment to fostering peaceful coexistence and strengthening civil-military relations through non-kinetic means, with a particular focus on sports as a tool for unity. This was evident on Saturday, May 31, 2025, during the grand finale of the Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN Peace and Unity Football Competition, held in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The football tournament, which kicked off on April 26, featured 12 teams from the four chiefdoms within Sanga LGA and culminated in a gripping final match between Wasa Ward and Arak Ward. Wasa Ward clinched a narrow 1-0 victory to emerge champions of the competition.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division and Commander of Operation SAFE HAVEN, Major General E.F. Oyinlola, underscored the significance of the event as part of OPSH’s broader peacebuilding mission across Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.

“This competition reflects our unwavering commitment to strengthening civil-military relations through constructive engagement,” Maj. Gen. Oyinlola said. “Sport is a powerful tool for promoting peace, understanding, and collaboration. It transcends societal divisions and fosters unity.”

He urged participants and residents to adopt the values of sportsmanship — teamwork, respect, and discipline — in their daily lives to help maintain peace and stability in their communities.

“Peace is priceless,” he added. “And it is within our collective power to achieve it.”

The GOC also commissioned a newly established military outpost in Angwan Nungu, a strategic border community between Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa States. The outpost is expected to help address cross-border security challenges and enhance rapid response efforts in the area.

Major Mohammed Galadima, Sector Commander of FOB Sanga, emphasized the outpost’s strategic importance and praised the football tournament for bringing together youth from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.

“Sport builds bridges,” he said. “It unites people, fosters healing, and promotes understanding across communities.”

Also speaking at the event, Executive Chairman of Sanga LGA, Hon. Usman Yakubu Anto, described the competition as a powerful initiative that engaged the youth constructively and strengthened communal ties.

He commended the improved security situation in the area, attributing it to collaborative efforts between the local authorities and security agencies, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining synergy with all security stakeholders.

“We have experienced a significant drop in crime,” Hon. Anto noted. “The presence of OPSH and the proactive engagement with the community have made a real difference.”

During the award ceremony, Wasa Ward, the tournament winners, received a cash prize of ₦200,000, while the second and third-place teams also received medals and cash rewards.

The event drew the participation of traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and representatives of various security agencies, all of whom praised Operation SAFE HAVEN for using community-centered initiatives to sustain peace in the region.

This marks another milestone in OPSH’s ongoing non-kinetic campaign to strengthen civil-military relations and build resilient, united communities across its Joint Operations Area.

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Google adds Nano Banana-powered image generation to Gemini’s Personal Intelligence

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Google on Thursday announced that Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature will get Nano Banana-powered image generation to create images with personalized context.

That means its AI images can be created using Gemini’s understanding of your likes and interests, without those having to be explicitly noted in the prompt.

This works because Gemini already has context of your data through Google account connections, such as Gmail and Google Photos. So, instead of typing “Generate an image of my dream home, my interests are tennis and music,” you can now just say, “Design my dream home.” 

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What’s more, the Nano Banana-powered connection can also use the labels in your Google Photos, so that it understands names and words that describe a group, like “Family”. For instance, you can create an image by saying, “Generate an image of my family and me doing our favorite activity.”

The company said the “sources” button will show how Gemini derived the context for image generation.

Image Credits:Google

Google said that just like other connections, Gemini might get the context wrong, and you can provide feedback. Plus, you can also provide reference photos for image generation by clicking the “+” icon.

The image generation feature will be available to Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. within the coming days. Google plans to bring the feature to Gemini in Chrome desktop and to other users soon.

Google first launched Personal Intelligence earlier this year and made it available to all U.S. users in March. Earlier this week, the company expanded the feature to more users in countries like India and Japan.

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JUST IN: FG Graduates 744 Repentant Terrorists After Rehabilitation Programme

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No fewer than 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism on Thursday graduated from the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme under Operation Safe Corridor.

A breakdown of the graduates shows that two are from Abia State, 10 from Adamawa State, one from Akwa Ibom State, two from Anambra State, 12 from Bauchi State, 597 from Borno State, three from Ebonyi State, one from Enugu State, 15 from Kano State, three from Katsina State, one from Kebbi State, five from Kogi State, four from Nasarawa State, two from Niger State, two from Plateau State, two from Sokoto State, and 58 from Yobe State.

The participants also include foreign nationals: one from Burkina Faso, one from Cameroon, two from Chad, and four from the Niger Republic.

In terms of religion, 733 of the graduates are Muslims, while 11 are Christians.

Speaking at the ceremony in Gombe, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said the initiative is not a reward for violence but a strategic tool to counter extremism.

Represented by the Director of Special Operations Forces at Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Kabiru Tanimu, he said the programme addresses the human dimension of insurgency and supports long-term peacebuilding.

He added that while military operations remain necessary to neutralise threats, sustainable peace depends on rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

Oluyede stressed that Operation Safe Corridor is not an amnesty programme, but a structured intervention aimed at reducing violence, weakening extremist recruitment, and promoting stability.

He urged the graduates to embrace a new path, warning against a return to violence, and encouraged them to contribute positively to society.

According to him, successful reintegration requires support from state governments, communities, families, and institutions.

Earlier, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali, said the programme was designed as a strategic response to insurgency, combining security operations with rehabilitation efforts.

He explained that participants underwent psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, civic education, and behavioural transformation.

Ali noted that many beneficiaries were victims of coercion and forced recruitment, adding that the programme gives them an opportunity to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society as responsible citizens.

He emphasised that reintegration is a shared responsibility requiring community acceptance and institutional support.

The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Yahaya, represented by his aide, urged the graduates to embrace the opportunity for a fresh start and become productive members of society.

He said the programme reflects the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to peacebuilding, de-radicalisation, and reintegration efforts.

The graduation highlights Nigeria’s continued shift towards combining military operations with non-kinetic strategies in addressing insurgency, particularly in the North-East, as part of broader efforts to reduce recidivism and promote long-term stability.

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