Author: Our Reporter
By jacobEDI Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has re-emerged on the national stage with his familiar intensity, and in a recent interview on Arise Television, the former Governor of Kaduna State made assertions of such gravity that they transcend partisan banter. He alleged that the telephone of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was intercepted and that he listened to conversations purportedly discussing plans to arrest or abduct him upon his return to Nigeria. When pressed by the interviewer, Charles Aniagolu, on the illegality of such interception, he reportedly acknowledged the infraction but rationalised it on the premise that government actors “also…
About 100 US military personnel have arrived at a Airfield in Bauchi to provide training and technical support to the Nigeria’s Armed Forces, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced on Monday. The deployment follows a formal request from the Federal Government to the US, stemming from bilateral working group discussions. The move aims to enhance the nation’s capabilities in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and protecting vulnerable communities from extremist threats. The US personnel are described as technical specialists operating solely in advisory and training roles, with no combat functions. According to the Defense Headquarters, all activities will fall under the Federal…
The Department of State Services (DSS) has charged former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, with cybercrimes and breaching communications laws after he allegedly admitted to involvement in bugging the phone of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu. The three-count indictment, filed on Monday at the federal high court in Abuja under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, accuses El-Rufai of unlawfully intercepting Ribadu’s communications. The charges stem from statements the former Governor made on 13 February during a live TV interview in Abuja. The first count alleges that El-Rufai admitted he and unnamed associates intercepted NSA Ribadu’s phone calls, violating section 12(1)…
The Presidency has dismissed allegations by the former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) procured a highly toxic chemical from Poland, accusing him of stoking unrest to distract from his own corruption probe. In a letter dated 30 January and posted on his X account on Sunday, El-Rufai demanded “clarification and reassurance” from NSA Nuhu Ribadu over reports of a plan to import 10kg of thallium sulphate, a substance he described as “highly toxic and tightly controlled”. The former Kaduna State governor sought details on its purpose, supplier, storage, and health risk…
The Federal Government has issued an urgent warning to Nigerians against falling prey to scams promising lucrative jobs abroad that lead to frontline combat in foreign conflicts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Sunday expressed “grave concern” over a surge in cases where Nigerians are being lured with false offers of high-paying security roles, education opportunities or migration perks, only to be coerced into military service in war zones. Reports in some sections of the media detail how recruits—often young and vulnerable—are tricked into signing contracts in unfamiliar languages, then have their passports seized upon arrival. NewsQuest…
President Bola Tinubu has expressed his sympathies to traders in Kano, northern Nigeria, following a fierce fire that ripped through the city’s Singer Market over the weekend. The incident comes just weeks after a previous inferno devastated the same site. The blaze broke out on Saturday evening and burned into Sunday morning, inflicting heavy damage on the bustling food market and leaving traders facing yet more ruin. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu, who contacted Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for a full briefing, called the incident “tragic” and voiced alarm at its…
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pledged unapologetic support for candidates backing President Bola Tinubu’s agenda in next week’s Area Council elections. The Minister said he will do so, regardless of party affiliation. Speaking at the 60th birthday celebration for Senator Sandy Onor in Abuja, Wike declared: “We have the FCT Area Council election coming up on 21 February, and I have a duty to support any candidate that supports President Tinubu to win. “It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win.” The event doubled as…
The African Union has elected Burundi’s president Évariste Ndayishimiye as its chairperson for 2026, with the bloc pledging to make water security a cornerstone of its agenda as climate pressures and conflict threaten the continent’s future. The decision came at the 39th ordinary session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Ethiopia’s capital, under the theme: “Assuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063”. This is contained in a statement issued via the AU website on Sunday on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of…
In the quiet Utonkon community of Benue State, nine young faces lit up with smiles on Saturday after a harrowing midnight kidnap from their church prayer session turned into a tale of swift rescue and renewed hope. The children—six girls and three boys from Saint John Catholic Church in Ojije—had been praying peacefully when armed abductors struck. Their safe return, credited to a rapid operation by security forces and local vigilantes, prompted emotional scenes of hugs and tears among families who had feared the worst. A statement by the Technical Adviser to the Benue State Governor Solomon Iorpev said Governor…
Presidential aides have called for an urgent investigation into former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai after he appeared to admit on national television to intercepting communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA). The revelation, made during a live broadcast, has ignited demands for a full probe from the highest levels of the government. President Bola Tinubu’s aides argue that El-Rufai’s confession of action raises grave questions about potential breaches of national security protocols and illegal surveillance capabilities, at a time of heightened political jockeying ahead of the 2027 elections. El Rufai, speaking during the interview said he listened to the…