Category Nigeria News

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio said Saturday that Rwanda had clearly violated a peace agreement signed with US President Donald Trump.

READ ALSO: Rwanda Accuses DRC, Burundi Of ‘Violations’ Days After Peace Deal

He also vowed unspecified “action” in response, after Rwandan-backed forces advanced in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Rwanda’s actions in eastern DRC are a clear violation of the Washington Accords signed by President Trump, and the United States will take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept,” Rubio wrote on X.

The capture of Uvira, along the border with Burundi, has raised fears of the conflict breaking out into a regional war.

Part of an offensive launched at the beginning of December in South Kivu province, the armed group’s takeover follows its capture earlier this year of Goma and Bukavu, other major cities in the DRC’s mineral-rich east.

Trump had frequently touted the DRC conflict as one of several wars he helped end since returning to the White House.

On Friday, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz accused Rwanda of “leading the region toward more instability and toward war”.

“The Rwandan defence forces have provided material, logistics and training support to M23 as well as fighting alongside M23 in DRC with roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops,” not including possible reinforcements during the latest offensive, Waltz told the UN Security Council.

The Rwandan firepower has included surface-to-air missiles, drones, and artillery, he added.

Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of territory, displacing tens of thousands and leading to a spiraling humanitarian crisis.

Earlier this month, UN experts said Rwanda’s army and the M23 had carried out summary executions and forced mass displacements of people in the region.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Saturday, declared its full operational readiness for timely and effective response to emergencies during the Yuletide season and beyond.

A statement by the Agency declared the emergency response lines when its Director General, Zubaida Umar, led staff on a fitness exercise in Abuja.

The exercise, which featured a route walk of about five kilometres, was aimed at promoting physical fitness, teamwork, and preparedness among staff in line with the Agency’s mandate as a frontline emergency coordination agency.

Speaking at the end of the exercise, Umar expressed satisfaction with the fitness level, discipline, and operational preparedness of NEMA personnel, noting that physical readiness is critical to effective emergency response, especially during periods of heightened human and vehicular activities.

She assured Nigerians that NEMA has activated its preparedness mechanisms nationwide and is working in close coordination with relevant stakeholders, including security agencies, emergency responders, and other critical agencies, to ensure rapid response to any emergency situation during the festive period.

The Director General urged members of the public to remain safety-conscious throughout the celebrations, advising motorists to avoid speeding, adhere to traffic regulations, and exercise caution on the roads and waterways, at public gatherings, and in residential areas.

She reaffirmed NEMA’s commitment to the protection of lives and property, emphasising that the Agency remains on standby across its zonal, territorial, and state operations offices to facilitate timely response to emergencies that may arise during the Yuletide season and in the days ahead.

Also speaking, the Director of Search and Rescue at NEMA, Air Commodore Bature Usman, explained that the fitness exercise is a routine activity designed to keep personnel physically and mentally prepared for emergency response operations at all times.

Troops of the 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army, under Operation ZAFIN WUTA, have conducted a successful security operation in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State to protect farmers and flush out bandits.

The operation, aimed at ensuring a peaceful harvest season and safe yuletide for residents, follows concerns raised by Chanchanji locals about potential attacks during the harvest period.

The Commander of 6 Brigade, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, had earlier visited Chanchanji, assuring farmers of adequate protection. He emphasized, “The Nigerian Army will not allow criminal elements to disrupt farming activities or threaten the livelihoods of law-abiding citizens, particularly during this critical harvest period.”

On Friday, troops arrived in Chanchanji Town and, in collaboration with local hunters and vigilante groups, provided security for farmers traveling to Demevaa Village, about 19 kilometers away.

READ ALSO: Troops Repel ISWAP Attack, Neutralise VBIEDs, Recover Weapons, Logistics In Borno

Simultaneously, troops conducted clearance operations across several villages, including Sabe, Iyongaem, and Tse-Tseve, successfully clearing the areas of bandits and restoring public confidence.

Acting on credible intelligence, troops also advanced into the Zambana Forest, a suspected bandit hideout. The area was thoroughly combed and cleared, significantly disrupting the bandits’ operations.

Brigadier General Uwa reassured the people of Takum and Taraba State that 6 Brigade remains fully deployed and committed to securing lives, property, and farmlands throughout the harvest season and beyond.

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, as he marks his 58th birthday on December 13.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu praised Wike for a life distinguished by purpose, courage, and dedicated public service.

Describing Wike as “an audacious top performer who defies obstacles and delivers results,” the President highlighted the minister’s significant contributions to the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory, particularly through his aggressive infrastructure renewal agenda.

Tinubu specifically acknowledged Wike’s recent intervention in breaking a 14-year deadlock in the construction of the Apo–Karshi Road.

READ ALSO: No Regret Supporting President Tinubu Since 2022 — Wike

The President commended Wike’s resilience, “can-do attitude,” and commitment to excellence, thanking him for his consistency in delivering impactful projects and reforms.

“Nyesom Wike has been one of the shining stars in the cabinet — an exceptional performer, developing infrastructure in the Federal Capital like never before and proving that his ‘Mr. Project’ moniker extends beyond his home state of Rivers,” Tinubu said.

“I commend him for being one of the champions of our Renewed Hope Agenda, even though he belongs to another party, and wish him continued strength and fulfillment as he marks another year in his life journey.”

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) said it is overhauling its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training for corps members through standardisation of the curriculum for deeper impact.

A statement by the body said the Director General (DG) of the Scheme, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this in his address at the 2025 second SAED stakeholders’ summit held in Abuja.

His summit was themed ‘Empowering a Generation: Building Competence for the Future Workplace and Enterprise Through Impactful Partnerships.’

Nafiu, who said the Scheme had embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation of the SAED programme as a pathway to combating youth unemployment, said the new curriculum included skills like artificial intelligence and mobile application development, amongst others.

READ ALSO: Court Orders EFCC To Apologise To Dubai-Based Businessman, Awards Damages

He further disclosed that Corps Members were being mainstreamed into the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, as well as global remote work opportunities through initiatives like Outsource to Nigeria, NYSC jobs.ng, and the SAED SME toolkit.

Describing the SAED programme as a pillar of youth empowerment in Nigeria, he said more than 3.18 million Corps Members had completed entrepreneurship and workplace readiness training since 2012, with over 30,000 businesses formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

“They are employing others and contributing to the Gross Domestic Product while demonstrating that our youths are capable change agents,” he added.

The DG stressed the need to focus more on competence, mastery of the SAED skills, and digital fluency by Corps Members so as to make them highly competitive in the rapidly changing world.

He described the ₦2 billion MSME loan fund for Corps Entrepreneurs, which was recently launched in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI), as a landmark achievement in the entrepreneurship development drive.

Nafiu hailed the founding fathers of the NYSC for their foresight in anticipating and laying the foundation for entrepreneurial training, as captured in one of the objectives of the scheme.

“The unemployment rate as at 1973 was put at 1.9%, but today it is about 6.9%. Nigeria has many young people who lack employability skills.

“We thank our partners and stakeholders in the SAED programme for collaborating with the NYSC to mitigate the scourge of youth unemployment in Nigeria.

“We must be committed to empowering a generation whose innovation and enterprise will shape the country’s future into prosperity.

“Equipping our young people is not just a programme, it is a national assignment, and NYSC is fully committed to it”, he said.

He urged participants at the meeting to renew strategies for equipping Corps Members with the necessary skills, creativity, and confidence to live in the contemporary world.

Earlier in his remarks, the Director of SAED, Kehinde Aremu-Cole, expressed gratitude to the stakeholders at the summit for driving transformation across multiple sectors such as technology and digital skills, creative industries, entrepreneurship development, financial empowerment, and agricultural revitalisation.

Aremu-Cole described as laudable all the training, grants, and mentorship sessions they had delivered previously, noting that they were shaping Nigeria’s future through the Corps Members.

He called on them to create special-purpose funding pathways that would turn desire and skills into productive enterprises.

“Together, we are not just running a programme: we are building a generation.

The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tender a public apology to Dubai-based businessman, Alhaji Rabiu Tijjani, for unlawfully declaring him wanted.

The court also awarded ₦5 million in damages against the Commission.

Delivering judgment, Justice H. Buhari held that the EFCC acted “outside the ambit of the law” when it published Tijjani’s photograph and details on its official website without first securing a valid court order authorising such a declaration.

“The action of the first respondent in declaring the applicant wanted without following due process is unlawful, unconstitutional, and a violation of his fundamental rights,” the judge ruled in the certified true copy of the judgment released on Thursday. “A mere arrest warrant issued by a Magistrate’s Court does not empower the EFCC to publicly brand a citizen as wanted.”

Case Background

Tijjani, a Kano-born gold merchant based in Dubai, filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the EFCC and businessman Mr. Ifeanyi Ezeokoli. The matter arose from a disputed multimillion-dollar gold transaction dating back to 2022.

According to court filings, both parties had reconciled an initial overpayment of ₦26 million.

However, a later audit allegedly uncovered an additional discrepancy of over $2 million in Tijjani’s favour.

He subsequently reported the matter to the Department of State Services (DSS), where both sides submitted documents and engaged independent auditors during an ongoing investigation.

While the DSS inquiry was still active, Ezeokoli petitioned the EFCC. Tijjani said the Commission contacted him only once via WhatsApp, after which he sent a representative. “At no time after that single communication was I invited again,” he told the court. “Yet the EFCC proceeded to publish me as a wanted person, damaging my reputation internationally.”

Court Faults EFCC’s Actions

Justice Buhari emphasised that although the EFCC has statutory authority to declare suspects wanted, such powers must be exercised strictly in accordance with the law.

“The Commission cannot unilaterally declare a person wanted over a commercial dispute, especially when another security agency is already seized of the matter,” the judge stated. He further warned that investigative agencies must not be used “as tools for the settlement of purely civil or commercial disagreements.”

Citing multiple appellate decisions, the court reaffirmed that law-enforcement bodies must not be deployed to enforce debt recovery or exert pressure in business disputes.

READ ALSO: Kano Govt Proscribes ‘Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi’ Group

Reliefs Granted

The court granted several declarations and orders in Tijjani’s favour, including:

* That the EFCC’s publication was unconstitutional and a violation of his rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.

* That the publication must be immediately removed from the Commission’s website.

* That the EFCC must issue a public apology to Tijjani.

* That the Commission must pay ₦5 million in damages.

Although the applicant initially sought ₦1.5 billion and other extensive reliefs, the court granted only a portion of his requests.

Speaking through his counsel after the judgment, Tijjani described the ruling as “a victory for justice and a reminder that agencies must not misuse their powers.” He added, “My name and reputation were dragged unfairly. Today, the court has corrected that wrong.”