Category Nigeria News

Gunmen abducted a consultant neurosurgeon, Dr. Tochukwu Mbanugo, who works at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State.

The incident was confirmed and condemned by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, who described it as deeply troubling and unacceptable.

The government expressed deep concern about the incident in a statement signed by Dr. Iziaq Salako, the minister of state for health and social welfare.

After undergoing a number of complex neurosurgical procedures, NAUTH reports that the doctor had been attacked in Omatha Junction, Uruagu, Nnewi.

READ ALSO: FG Announces Health Worker Recruitment With $11.9 billion for Doctors’ Welfare.

Before the kidnapping, the ministry revealed that he had performed numerous crucial tasks, including removing a challenging brain tumor, which had saved numerous lives.

The abduction of Dr. Tochukwu Mbanugo has caused the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to be deeply concerned.

His abduction occurred when he should have been at his safest, the statement read, “Returning home from serving humanity,” the statement read.

The abductors later contacted some of Dr. Mbanugo’s colleagues via his phone, according to the Ministry.

The State Vigilante Group, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, the Department of State Services, and the Anambra State Police Command have all received information about the incident.

According to the ministry, NAUTH management is working with security forces, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and other interested parties to ensure his safe return.

Dr. Salako referred to the incident as a significant threat to Nigeria’s already constrained health system.

With a population of over 220 million, Nigeria has fewer than 150 neurosurgeons practicing there.

He claimed that Nigeria has about one neurosurgeon for every 1.9 million citizens, compared to the WHO’s recommendation of one per 100,000 people.

He argued that an attack on a medical professional “a direct assault on the nation’s health security and collective wellbeing.”

The Ministry criticized healthcare workers as “national assets working under enormous pressure to save lives,” and referred to them as “national assets working under immense pressure to save lives.”

They must be respected and protected, Salako remarked. They shouldn’t be attacked or hunted.

He demanded that Dr. Mbanugo’s search for him and all security personnel increase and secure his immediate, unconditional release.

A two-day bilateral working trip between the Netherlands and the United States, led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, aims to improve cooperation on trade facilitation, port efficiency, and border management.

A number of high-level technical meetings, institutional briefings, and strategic meetings with Dutch authorities and Customs experts were part of the visit, which took place between October 29 and October 2025.

The Nigerian delegation was met by senior Dutch Customs Administration officials at Laan op Zuid, Dutch Customs Headquarters in Rotterdam, where the mission started.

The delegation also got a presentation from Ed Tulp’s National Tariff Classification Team (TLT), which dealt with tariff and origin rules in the Dutch system.

A detailed discussion on risk management, moderated by Dennis van der Wolk of the Customs National Tactical Centre (DLTC), which highlighted the Netherlands’ model for risk profiling, cargo monitoring, and tactical decision-making in customs operations.

After that, the NCS team met with the Netherlands Customs’ Head of International Affairs, where discussions focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination, capacity-building exchange programs, and digital trade processes.

READ MORE: TotalEnergies hosts a HSE Forum for 62 Contractors.

CGC Adeniyi praised the Dutch Customs’ structured approach to classification and risk management during the sessions, noting that “the presentations have been particularly insightful in showing how systematic collaboration and data-driven analysis can improve compliance and trade facilitation across borders.”

He added that the Nigeria Customs Service “mains committed to adopting international best practices that strike a balance between facilitation and enforcement, ensuring that legitimate trade flourishes while protecting revenue and security interests.”

After leaving Schiphol Airport, the delegation moved on to Schiphol Cargo, where Schiphol Cargo’s detailed presentation on cargo classification and clearance procedures at one of Europe’s busiest air cargo centers. In handling large-volume air cargo, the session gave attendees a firsthand understanding of how the Netherlands uses automated processing, pre-arrival processing, and coordinated border control.

As Customs and the Netherlands Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation for Trade Facilitation and Compliance Management, Diplomacy Prevails.

A delegation from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, has traveled to the Netherlands for a two-day bilateral… twitter.com/QKDHhZGV1z

The state’s FIFA mini-stadium project was allegedly mishandled and poorly executed, according to the Kebbi Football Association.

INCLUDE   Shehu Dikko, the director of the Kebbi Mini-Stadium Project, claims that no FIFA funds were misused.

Contrary to what some people had been saying on social media, the project was fully completed over two years ago and had since been put to use, according to Alhaji Abubakar Chika-Ladan, the chairman of the Kebbi Football Association.

There have been numerous allegations that the National Football Federation (NFF) misappropriated funds or that the project was not carried out properly.

He said, “We are here to let everyone know that the mini-stadium has been operational since then.”

The facility, according to Chika-Ladan, has hosted a number of local and national football competitions, including Kebbi United Football Club’s home ground, which it also hosted last year.

In addition, Kamfara United has moved to Kebbi to use the facility.

What people claim is just a figment of their imagination is what they say.

He claimed that those who spread such rumors are hostile toward Nigerian progress and progress.

FIFA Handled the Project.

The FIFA appointed both the contractor and the consultant through an international competitive bidding process won by Nigerian firms, according to the FA chairman.

The project was valued at $1. The cost of construction, which included the playing field, a 250-seat pavilion, a medical facility, dressing rooms for teams A and B, officials, perimeter fencing, landscaping, and maintenance equipment was $8 million US (about 400 million at the time).

Mr. the National Sports Commission’s Chairman, He continued, “Shehu Dikko has already provided clarification on how the project was implemented.

In the same vein, Mr. Mansur Senchi, the president of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), warned those who were spreading false information about the project.

It is unacceptable for someone to write phony, unfounded stories in another region of the country. According to Senchi, “we will no longer tolerate it.”

Controversy

Following widespread criticism of its appearance and value, the Birnin Kebbi mini-stadium project, which was funded through FIFA’s Forward Programme, came under intense scrutiny.

FIFA’s use of the stadium’s image on its social media banner, which sparked outcry and inquiries into an investigation, led to the ensuing controversy.

However, Shehu Dikko, the NSC’s chairman, refuted claims that the $1 was allegedly squandered. $2 million is allocated to the state’s mini-stadium construction.

who appeared in an interview on Channels Television’s; Last Friday, Politics Today stated, “That is where people are getting it wrong. No one came in and collected the money. I’m not here to support the NFF; They are free to defend themselves.

Wahab Shittu, a senior advocate for Nigeria, has urged President Bola Tinubu to talk with the US over President Trump’s threat of a military takeover.

Trump had threatened to carry out attacks in Nigeria in response to alleged anti-Christian hostile acts, saying he had given the newly renamed Department of War instructions to “prepare for possible action.”

Trump threatened to immediately stop providing any assistance to the African nation “if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians.”

The senior lawyer reacted in a press conference by saying that Nigeria needs to start talks with the US.

He wants that President Tinubu personally lead the delegation, which includes all government officials, to stop what he claims will be the start of a US-Nigeri war.

Trump Threatens Military Action in Nigeria For “Killering Of Christians.”

Shittu requested that Tinubu hold additional official meetings in order to address what he termed existential threats to Nigeria and its citizens.

The senior lawyer also urged Nigerians to unite to support the government in all ways to overcome the problem.

In response to the most recent US threats of action against Nigeria, he urged the country’s president and the ruling elite to immediately speak with the US president in a diplomatic manner led by our president in collaboration with AU Heads of Governments to stop the US from starting a war against the country.

“We need to act quickly,” he said. Our president should postpone other official engagements in order to address the existential threats posed to Nigeria and her people. We must speak up, we must make peace requests to the US authorities, and we must move very quickly because the world is moving at a rapid rate and speed.

We must STRONGLY urge the AU and Commonwealth to support us in bringing our case before President Trump. To stop the US from attacking Nigeria, all relevant government officials must suspend their official duties and travel on diplomatic missions.

Following the resignation of the Youth Council and Community Development Committee (CDC) executives and the council’s unanimous appointment of new leaders, Chidi Lloyd, the tension in the Egbeda community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, is rising.

Without giving a reason for the former leadership’s dissolution, the chairman’s press secretary, Bright Jossy, announced the inauguration of the new executives in a statement on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

Residents of Egypt, which had enjoyed relative tranquility after years of security challenges, are now facing a fresh threat to stability as a result of what they claim is an imposition of leadership on the region.

On Friday, traditional leaders, men, women, and youths gathered at the neighborhood square to voice their disapproval of the development. They urged the council to send appointment letters to those who had been chosen and accepted by the electorate, insisting that only those who had been chosen and accepted by the electorate should be recognized.

Read more about Fubara’s pledge to support NDE to promote the creation of jobs in rivers.

Community leaders worry that the action will cause unrest similar to the one that took place nearby Rumuji, where a youth reportedly perished in a related dispute.

The action by the council chairman allegedly amounts to an “unprovoked attack on the community’s psyche, dignity, intelligence, and existence,” according to Francis Ebee, the Palace Secretary, who read the communiqué on behalf of the community’s Paramount Ruler, Eze Dida.

He argued that these community bodies should still be constituted by the traditional institution.

“Hon. The monarch referred to Chidi Lloyd’s brutal intervention in traditional government as “morally messy, politically unfavorable, culturally illicit, illegal, socially unacceptable, and provocative.”

He urged the president to intervene and call the council chairman in order to prevent a potential crisis by calling on Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of the Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, the inspector general of police, and the governor of the state to call the governor.

However, the traditional institution assured that Egbeda’s citizens would continue to support both the Federal and State governments in their efforts to bring about peace and development.