Isapa, a quiet agrarian community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, has been thrown into grief and disbelief after armed bandits stormed the village on Monday evening, kidnapping eleven residents — including a pregnant woman — in what locals describe as “the most terrifying night in years.” What began as the distant sound of cattle bells quickly escalated into a full-blown assault. Residents say between 20 and 30 armed men moved through the community with a large herd of cattle, shooting wildly and forcing families to flee into nearby bushes. An elderly woman was reportedly hit by a…
Author: National Update
Nigeria on Monday signaled a decisive break from its long-standing reactive approach to insecurity as Senate President Godswill Akpabio launched the Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025–2030, describing it as a transformational blueprint designed to “rewire” the country’s security architecture for the future. Developed by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, the new strategy marks a shift toward an intelligence-driven, technology-enabled and prevention-focused model — one that prioritizes coordination, early detection, and long-term resilience over the traditional dependence on military force. Akpabio said the unveiling represented “a renewed national commitment” to building a…
Nigeria’s Constitution amendment process moved into its most critical phase yet on Monday, as the National Assembly and the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures forged a united front on the priority areas of the long-awaited reforms. At a joint session in Abuja, Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Constitution Review Committee, Senator Jibrin I. Barau, announced that the exercise had transitioned into its “final sprint,” with lawmakers now shifting from lengthy debates to final decision-making on proposed alterations to the 1999 Constitution. Monday’s gathering broke sharply from earlier sessions marked by clause-by-clause scrutiny and political disagreements. Instead,…
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar, has called for a more integrated intelligence framework to counter emerging security threats, emphasizing innovation and inter-agency collaboration as key to safeguarding the nation. Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) Annual Conference in Abuja, Minister Abubakar urged security agencies to adopt a “Seamless Intelligence–Operations Integration Framework” to address terrorism, banditry, cybercrime, and other contemporary challenges. The conference, held at the Armed Forces Officers’ Mess in Asokoro under the theme “Multi-Source Intelligence and Innovation in a Changing National Security Ecosystem,” brought together Defence Attachés, intelligence experts, senior military officers, and…
The Federal Government says Nigeria’s investment climate is strengthening significantly on the back of ongoing macroeconomic reforms and renewed global confidence, following high-level engagements at the G20 Investment Dialogue in Johannesburg. Director and Information and Public Relations, Muhammed Manga in a statement quoted the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, to have told international investors and South African business leaders that Nigeria’s reform agenda is beginning to deliver measurable results. Edun highlighted improved macroeconomic indicators, noting that GDP growth accelerated to 4.23% in Q2 2025, inflation has started a downward trend, and external reserves…
Former PDP council Chairmen in Jigawa State are calling on former Jigawa Governor HE Sule Lamido to identify a viable political platform after the PDP reportedly blocked his bid for the party’s national chairmanship. In a statement signed by Hon. Ali Idris Diginsa, Hon. Isa Zakari Bosuwa and others on Monday, the group criticized the party’s leadership for denying Lamido the chance to contest, describing the move as a disregard for his decades of political service. They labeled the PDP as fractured, plagued by mistrust, and no longer an effective national platform. The former chairmen emphasized their loyalty to Lamido…
By Ehichioya Ezomon Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal complained in a viral video on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, that he knew the locations of the bandits terrorising his state, but that the power to direct security agencies to eliminate them resides elsewhere, and not in him as the Chief Security Officer of the state. “I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is located in Zamfara State, I know it. With my phone, I can show you their locations today. But we cannot act because we don’t have the power. If I had control over the security agencies, I assure…
Fresh twists emerged on Monday at the resumed trial of former Minister of Power, Dr. Olu Agunloye, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) star witness, Mr. Umar Babangida, admitted under cross-examination that he concluded a key contractual letter was forged without comparing it to any authentic version or conducting any forensic analysis. Babangida, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and a Chief Investigation Officer who has served in the EFCC for over a decade, appeared as Prosecution Witness 3 (PW3) before the Federal High Court in Abuja for the continuation of his cross-examination in the long-running Mambilla power project…
By: Lamara Garba Azare President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria over alleged “Christian killings” has sent tremors far beyond diplomatic corridors, revealing a dangerous double standard in global morality. While Washington threatens to brandish the sword in Nigeria, it remains silent or worse, actively complicit over Israeli attacks that have claimed thousands of Palestinian lives, including Christians. Indeed, this selective outrage by the US is not just hypocrisy; it is a mirror reflecting the perilous dance of power, where might masquerades as right, and morality bends to political expedience. Therefore, Trump’s words, bolstered by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs…
***Establish Military Tribunals With Death Penalty for Terrorists Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take sweeping and unprecedented measures to arrest Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, including a nationwide state of emergency, the suspension of constitutional immunity for governors, and the establishment of military tribunals empowered to impose the death penalty on terrorists. In a detailed statement on Tuesday, Akinyemi — an Oxford-trained scholar and respected voice in national security discourse — warned that Nigeria has reached a dangerous “tipping point” where conventional responses are no longer sufficient. According to him, terrorists,…