Category Nigeria News

Despite the rumored rescue of some of her coworkers, Walter Emeribe, the husband of Mrs. Chinwe of the Federal Ministry of Defence, claims he has not heard from her.

Emeribe claimed in an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday that he took her to a park in Festac, Lagos, and stayed there until the bus left for Abuja on November 9, 2025.

Also read: Pastor’s wife and kidnapped as gunmen attack a church in Kogi.

He claimed he had not spoken to his wife in about two months and that he had last spoken to her when the 14-seater bus traveled to Akure, Ondo State.

“I called again around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. She emitted no information to me. It would ring each time I called, but there was no response. I continued until midnight, then. I called every second until midnight, but I didn’t go to sleep.

I called, “So it’s getting to 6 a. m. on Monday,” I said. I became somewhat afraid because I didn’t hear anything. “Emeribe stated, “I became jittery.

He added that after being unable to reach her for several hours, he became agitated, and that the bus company informed him that she and other bus passengers had been abducted in Kabba.

According to what we heard in the news, they were abducted when they arrived in Kabba on the Lokoja Highway. And my wife hasn’t gotten a word from us since then. She is speaking nowhere near me. No one called me, and I have not seen her.

Emeribe said when questioned about the release of some of the victims, “I heard it on the news that two television stations mentioned that they had been released,” and that the six Ministry of Defence directors who were en route to Abuja for a promotion exam had been abducted and had now reunited with their families.

“I was not happy when I had this,” I thought. I had a bad feeling. Why did the association of senior civil servants of the Ministry of Defense release this information, I asked.

“And their president, Mr. Mohammed Shehu, by name, made this statement. So that was not what I wanted. Where is my wife and Mrs. Juliana Onwuzurike’s other woman, if they have released them?

“Six of the people I knew were already released, and that’s when I started to inquire about their release, and where are my wife and the other family as well?”

“So we are told at the end that four people were released, and these four people are nowhere to be seen … and why our wives were not included in those who were released,” we are told.

Government Appeal

Emeribe then requested that the ministry inform him of where his wife was hiding.

Because my wife was assigned to an official assignment, the Ministry of Defense has not yet released these four men, and they have all been released, I am actually asking them to tell me where she is.

So I want them to inform me of my wife’s location. They should tell me whether she is alive or dead. Otherwise, he said, “I don’t know what to do.”

So they should search for my wife whether she is alive or dead, as I said. They haven’t taken any proactive steps in the past.

“So all I want from them is for them to come out and find a way to see my wife wherever she is, along with Mrs. Juliana Onwuzurike, the two of them who are nowhere to be seen. They ought to reach out to the transportation company that transported these women to Abuja, he continued.

On their way to Abuja for a promotional exam to the directorate cadre, Mrs. Chinwe and five other Federal Ministry of Defense staff members were abducted in Kabba, Kogi State.

At Kofar Sauri Community in Katsina, a devastating midnight fire claimed the lives of five family members and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

Before neighbors could intervene, the home was completely consumed by the fire that broke out just before 3 o’clock on Monday, leaving the neighborhood in shock and mourning.

Muhammad Habibu, 35, his wife Fatima Muhammad, and their three children Khadija, female, Abubakar, male, and Aliyu, male, were all burnt to death beyond recognition.

Up until his death, Muhammad Habibu, the husband, worked for the Katsina State Water Board as a temporary employee.

KWARA: 38 Abducted Eruku Worshippers Return Home

Residents claim that the fire was started by a high voltage when the area’s electricity was restored, despite the fact that no one has yet identified the exact cause.

When the victim’s family was utterly asleep, the fire reportedly started in the living room and quickly spread to the entire victim’s home.

One of the victims’ neighbors, Magaji Bala, complained that residents frequently go days without electricity until the community’s high voltage causes havoc whenever it is restored.

“Some regions of the Katsina metropolis have experienced such cases.” A similar incident recently was on the verge of occurring. He urged residents to be cautious with this, he said.

Eyewitnesses claimed that neighbors’ attempts to extinguish the flames failed, decrying the late arrival of Katsina State Fire Service officials.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihir-raji’un, a relative of the victims, was said by a man who was nearby, “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall all return.”

“I didn’t realize it was normal until around 3:30 a.m. when I realized something was wrong.

Around 3:00 a.m., I sensed something, but I wasn’t sure until I received a call around 4:00 a.m. informing me that my brother and his entire family had died in the fire. May Aljannah Firdausi accept their souls.

According to Kasim, “my younger brother from the same father was the head of the household.”

Contrary to what eyewitnesses claimed, the Katsina State Fire Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Rabe Kurmiyal, confirmed when contacted that the fire was finally put out by fire fighters.

Residents urged the authorities to stop these tragedies from happening frequently, which quickly kill people and wreck property.

Hajiya Binta Dangani, the executive secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), thanked the victims’ families, friends, and neighbors for their understanding of the incident and prayed for their entry into Jannatul Firdausi and their pardon.

Dangani, who arrived on the scene moments after the incident, prayed that such tragedies would end.

She urged residents to always turn off electrical appliances before going to bed and use the utmost care when handling fire, as well, as assurance that the government would continue to help the victims’ families.

President Buhari’s policy communication adviser Daniel Bwala has defended his previous demand that Goodluck Jonathan step down in wake of the Chibok schoolgirl abduction.

The Chibok girls’ abduction was Nigeria’s first significant mass school abduction, and it sparked outcry worldwide.

At the time, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and a prominent opposition figure, had demanded his resignation and had criticized Jonathan for securing every region of the nation.

Many people have re-read his earlier comments about Jonathan because insecurity and school kidnappings are now a problem in Tinubu’s administration.

However, Bwala defended Tinubu in a statement on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, arguing that the call was appropriate given the circumstances at the time.

INCLUDE   Bwala Insists because Tinubu’s government won’t tolerate negotiations with terrorists.

They had no idea of the solution in Jonathan’s day. What made that statement? They denied the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, according to Bwala.

It was a legitimate request from President Tinubu, then Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to demand Jonathan’s resignation. ”

According to Bwala, terrorists used their position of control to occupy some local governments and collect taxes, while under Tinubu, they frequently attack and then flee without establishing control.

The Tinubu-led Federal Government does not want to engage in dialogue with terrorist organizations, according to the presidential adviser.

According to Bwala, any administration can face difficult, sometimes unconventional, choices because of the complexity of Nigeria’s security issues.

There was a time when the federal government was negotiating with terrorists, and former Kaduna governor said both states and the federal government could face negotiations, he said.

Because you have to do everything you can to save people when they are in danger, and you are the only one who can save them, you must do it at that time.

However, President Tinubu brought this zero tolerance on negotiation because it disintegrated into the terrorism financing. You see, you are unconsciously funding terrorism.

Instead of using the ransom money to purchase additional weapons, elements who sponsor them also use the money to pay for additional weapons.

The Senate says it will screen former chief of staff General Christopher Musa on Wednesday as the new minister of defense as part of its strategic plan to address the country’s security issues.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate, made this known in a statement released by his dna on Tuesday, underscoring the importance of the exercise to maintain international order and stability.

Also read: Mohammed Badaru, Minister of Defense, leaves.

Mohammed Badaru, a former minister of defense, decided to step down from his position as a result of Musa’s nomination. Badaru cited health issues as the reason for his decision.

In consequence, President Bola Tinubu chose the former defense chief to replace Senator Godswill Akpabio as Badaru’s replacement via a letter sent to Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate’s president, on Tuesday.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president’s and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has requested that the Senate screen his nominee for defence minister, according to Bamidele.

On Wednesday, he added, the Senate floor will read the letter.

According to him, “it will immediately begin the screening of the nominee in accordance with Section 147 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

“We must not hold off on making such a request, especially at this time when our fatherland is at stake.” The senator continued, “We are treating the request as a matter that directly touches the fundamental interests of our country so that the federal government can continue its campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists, and other forces that threaten our country,” the senator continued.

Bamidele added that the National Assembly and the Presidency must work together to ensure peace, stability, and good governance because the President has declared a state of emergency for national security.

He believes that the defense minister nominee’s screening is one of the ways to demonstrate a synergy that is only done in the name of the nation.

Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, was the President’s replacement as the Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until 2025.

A few hours before Badaru’s resignation, the former CDS, who was spotted at the Presidential Villa on Monday, December 1, had a private meeting with the president at the State House.

In 2019, he was appointed Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region. He was first commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1991 as a Second Lieutenant.

Christopher Gwabin Musa has been chosen as the new Defense Minister, according to President Bola Tinubu.

In a letter that President Tinubu sent to Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate, his nomination was contained.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Special Adviser to the President for Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made Musa’s nomination known.

President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the ministry of defense and advance Nigeria’s security architecture in the letter.

His appointment came shortly after Mohammed Badaru Abubakar resigned as Nigeria’s defense minister.

Also read: Mohammed Badaru, minister of defense, leaves.

Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, was the President’s replacement as the Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until 2025.

A few hours before Badaru’s resignation, the former CDS, who was spotted at the Presidential Villa on Monday, December 1, had a private meeting with the president at the State House.

General Musa, who was born in Sokoto in 1967, attended Zaria College of Advanced Studies while completing his secondary and primary education there. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduating in 1991 and continued to study at the Nigerian Defence Academy that year.

In 1991, Musa received a second lieutenant rank in the Nigerian Army, and he has since had a distinguished career. His positions include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division, Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion, Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans, and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, Headquarters Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

He was Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Center and Corps, Commander of Sector 3, Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region in 2019.

The Nigerian government is accused by US lawmakers of not doing enough to combat the country’s growing insecurity and murders. &nbsp,

The lawmakers addressed the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria during a joint congressional briefing of the US House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

Following President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern and his threat of military action, the lawmakers took turns speaking at the event.

The Nigerian government is required to protect its citizens under the terms of the Constitution, but the perpetrators of this persecutors operate completely impunity, according to Congressman Chris Smith.

The US will demand accountability for the killings, according to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee.

We cannot allow this to happen because the Nigerian government is trying to run out the clock. He remarked that we must act quickly and decisively to save more lives.

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Rep. Brian Mast backed President Donald Trump’s choice to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern, echoing previous sentiments.

He claimed that the US “must demand that the Nigerian government disarm these militias, return displaced families to their homes, and prosecute the perpetrators.”

Riley Moore, the s Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and a leading advocate for religious liberty, rebuffed his claim that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria.

The Congressman claimed that “the world will no longer ignore the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”

The briefing included not just lawmakers. Vicky Hartzler, the head of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, claimed that Nigerian authorities don’t do much to stop attacks despite early warnings.

Hartzler urged Nigeria to increase its role in the fight against insecurity while also urging that resources be invested in early warning systems to reduce community violence.

Local villagers “too often” learn about an imminent attack and offer their support only to hear their pleas for help when they are put to death. Worse yet, there are instances of law enforcement intervening in an attack but receiving no assistance. This is unacceptable.

Ebenezer Obadare, a Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, claimed Boko Haram, one of the root causes of Nigeria’s insecurity.

He claimed that Trump’s action has put more pressure on the Nigerian government, citing among other things calls for the creation of a national security emergency and the recruitment of more security personnel.

Washington must continue to exert pressure. First, work with the Nigerian military to stop Boko Haram, according to Obadiahi. The policy goal should be twofold.

Second, the United States should press President Tinubu to: (1) repeal Sharia law in the twelve northern states where it has been implemented since 2000; and (2) dissolve the various Hisbah organizations that seek to impose Islamic law on all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation.

A US Congressional hearing on the escalating violence in Nigeria and Trump’s declaration of the country as a CPC took place on November 20.

In 2020, Trump first designated Nigeria as a CPC, but his successor, President Joe Biden, removed it.

However, the US president designated Nigeria as a CPC on October 31 for violations of religious freedom.