The Plateau State Government, in collaboration with the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), development partners, and key stakeholders, on Saturday marked the 2026 World Malaria Day with a renewed call for sustained action to eliminate malaria across the state and Nigeria.
The event, held at Crystal Hall, Crispan Suites in Jos, carried the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” alongside the slogan “Let’s Do It.” Activities commenced with a sensitization health walk from Air Force Roundabout to the venue, aimed at raising awareness on malaria prevention.
The commemoration attracted a wide range of participants, including healthcare workers, students of health institutions, SMEP officials, development partners, and representatives of the Plateau State Ministry of Health.
Representing the Deputy Governor, Ngo Josephine Piyo, Dr. Benjamin Garkuwa Sumi described the occasion as a moment to reflect on progress made and reinforce commitment to ending malaria, which remains a major public health concern in Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria accounts for nearly a quarter of global malaria cases and deaths, with an estimated nine to ten fatalities recorded every hour. Despite this, he highlighted significant progress, revealing that malaria prevalence in Plateau State dropped from 18.8% in 2021 to 2.8% in 2025.
Dr. Sumi attributed the achievement to coordinated efforts by the State Ministry of Health, SMEP, and development partners. He also pointed to key milestones, including over 100% coverage during the 2024 and 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention campaigns and a 96% success rate in the 2024 distribution of insecticide-treated nets. He added that malaria testing kits and treatment drugs are now available in over 400 health facilities across the state.
He urged residents to adopt preventive measures such as consistent use of treated mosquito nets, maintaining clean environments, early testing, and proper antenatal care.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, commended stakeholders for their contributions and stressed the importance of environmental sanitation in eliminating mosquito breeding sites. He expressed confidence that sustained efforts could lead to near-zero malaria prevalence in Plateau State.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager of SMEP, Nurse Kisito Ndak, described the celebration as both a milestone and a platform to assess progress and plan ahead. He credited the decline in malaria cases to interventions by partners, including the Malaria Consortium, alongside increased public awareness through media and community outreach.
In a keynote address, Dr. Elijah Otopka emphasized that malaria remains one of the deadliest mosquito-borne diseases globally, with Africa accounting for about 95% of deaths. He noted that Plateau State’s progress demonstrates the effectiveness of interventions such as treated nets, seasonal prevention, rapid testing, and improved treatment services.
He called for increased funding, stronger health systems, and continued collaboration, stressing that the tools and knowledge needed to eliminate malaria are already available.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Malaria Consortium, Dr. Mbwas Mashor highlighted that over one million children in Plateau benefit annually from preventive malaria treatment under the SMC programme. He urged sustained investment and data-driven strategies to prevent a resurgence.
Similarly, a representative of the World Health Organization, Muoghah Abere Favour, reaffirmed support for Plateau State and Nigeria, emphasizing prevention through treated nets, timely treatment, and improved environmental hygiene.
Stakeholders at the event agreed that while significant progress has been made, continued collaboration and public participation are essential to achieving a malaria-free Plateau State and Nigeria.
Kano Pillars and Sporting Lagos played out a 1-1 draw in an entertaining EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 7 encounter in Kano, with both sides settling for a point after a closely contested battle.
Sports247 reports that the result means the Mai Su Gida have now followed up their previous goalless draw against Enyimba with another stalemate, while Sporting Lagos also recorded their second consecutive draw after being held to a barren 0-0 draw by Ikorodu City in the Lagos Derby.
Kano Pillars started the encounter with the intention of making home advantage count, but Sporting Lagos remained organised and disciplined as both teams searched for an opening.
The breakthrough finally arrived deep into first-half stoppage time when Valentine Ugwu put Sporting Lagos ahead in the 45+2nd minute, giving the visitors a valuable lead heading into the interval.
Kano Pillars responded strongly after the restart and quickly found a way back into the contest.
The hosts were rewarded in the 48th minute when Abdullahi Musa drew Kano Pillars level, finishing off a move created by veteran midfielder Rabiu Ali, whose assist once again underlined his influence in the Pillars midfield.
With the score level at 1-1, both sides pushed for a decisive second goal, but neither could find the breakthrough during the remainder of the encounter.
Kano Pillars will take encouragement from their ability to recover from going behind, while Sporting Lagos will also be satisfied with securing a point away from home after surrendering their lead.
For the Mai Su Gida, the draw represents another opportunity gained but also another two points dropped from a winning position, as they continue their campaign in search of consistency.
Sporting Lagos, meanwhile, remain unbeaten across their recent fixtures but will be looking to convert their promising performances into maximum points as the season progresses.
The 1-1 result leaves both teams with plenty to build on, particularly in attack, as they prepare for their next assignments in the EuroMatch NPFL.
With the league campaign continuing to gather momentum, Kano Pillars and Sporting Lagos will now turn their attention to their upcoming fixtures, hoping to turn future draws into victories.
A federal judge ruled this week that a Tulsa, Oklahoma sheriff’s deputy violated a woman’s Fourth Amendment rights when using Flock Safety to search for her license plate without a warrant.
As reported by 404 Media, this ruling does not create a binding precedent, but it is one of the first times that a federal judge has ruled that a Flock search is unconstitutional.
In this case, Judge Sara Hill said the deputy should have obtained a warrant before searching the Flock database for the woman’s license plate, as he had “no apparent reason” for the search “other than the fact that [the woman’s vehicle] had a California license plate.”
The deputy then used the woman’s travel history in Flock as part of the justification for searching her car, where he allegedly discovered 91 pounds of meth. But Judge Hill wrote that all evidence obtained after the Flock search “must be suppressed as the fruit of a poisonous tree.”
Judge Hill also took broader aim at warrantless searches of the Flock database, writing that tracking people’s location — even when they’re in public places — becomes “constitutionally problematic when law enforcement can indiscriminately and passively catalog your whereabouts over an extended period of time and then use that information for any purpose whenever convenient.”
“This is a type of indiscriminate mass surveillance,” Hill wrote. “It is not targeted on a single individual, as in [Carpenter v. United States, a Supreme Court case focused on how government agencies access location data from cell phones]. It is a tool that collects information about all vehicles that pass by any network-connected camera at all times, and it serves up the information to law enforcement on demand.”
Hill joins a growing chorus of Flock critics from across the political spectrum. Numerous local and state governments, including Florida and Texas, have said they will stop using the technology. And on Friday, Senator Bernie Sanders — a Democrat from Vermont — introduced the Block Flock Act, which would bar federal agencies from using automated license plate readers such as Flock.