December 1, 20255

Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Nigeria’s defence minister has resigned his appointment, citing health grounds, according to statement signed and issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, on Information and Strategy.

The resignation was contained in a letter dated December 1,2025, sent to President Bola Tinubu.

President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.

Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.

His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course.

By Our Senior Correspondent

The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) on Monday announced the establishment of a landmark Regional Security Trust Fund to be financed with a monthly contribution of N1 billion from each of the 19 northern states, as part of sweeping measures to confront worsening insecurity across the region.

The decision was contained in a communiqué read by the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, after a joint meeting of the Northern Governors and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.

Governor Yahaya, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, said the governors had reached a critical point where bold, collective action had become unavoidable. “At this pivotal juncture in our history, we recognise that only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us. We are determined to confront these challenges with firmness and clarity,” he said.

He announced that the new Security Trust Fund would be jointly financed by state and local governments, with deductions made at source under a framework to be finalised. The fund, he said, would serve as a coordinated regional strategy to support security operations, improve intelligence, and equip frontline personnel battling insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes.

The governors and traditional rulers also expressed deep concern over recent killings and mass abductions in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano States, as well as Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe. They extended heartfelt condolences to affected families and state governments.

Governor Yahaya further commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as the Federal Government’s “unrelenting efforts” to secure the release of abducted schoolchildren and confront insurgency nationwide. “We renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to the enclaves of insurgents,” he said.

1. In another major resolution, the Forum reaffirmed its full support for the establishment of state police, urging lawmakers from the region at both state and federal levels to fast-track the necessary constitutional processes.

The communiqué also highlighted the growing menace of illegal mining, which the Forum identified as a significant driver of insecurity. To address this, the governors resolved to strongly recommend that President Tinubu direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to suspend mining activities for six months to allow for a comprehensive audit, with all existing mining licences subject to revalidation during the period.

The meeting, which was attended by governors of all 19 northern states and chairmen of the region’s traditional councils, ended with an agreement to reconvene at a later date to review progress on the resolutions.

By Prof. Usman Yusuf

Saturday 29 November 2025

I have seen, lived and benefited from a Nigeria led by patriotic and selfless leaders that cared deeply for the country and its citizens; they managed the country’s diversity and resources with the fear of God.

A few days ago, my friend and I were reminiscing about our good old days in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria from 1976 to 1982. We remembered coming from all four corners of this beautiful land, from the edges of the Sahara in the north to the creeks of the Niger Delta in the south. Ours was a beautiful mosaic of humanity. Our parents sent us to ABU Zaria to mix with and learn from each other, an experience that has enriched our lives immeasurably.

Fast forward to today’s Nigeria, where there is mayhem and mistrust all across the land. Today, we are told we are enemies because we look, dress, eat, talk, and worship differently. But we that have lived through a better Nigeria know differently, for we are a true testament to a very long history of tolerance among people in this land.

That is why I am deeply pained and saddened by all the toxicity created by the conspiracy of genocide of Christians in northern Nigeria.

Now is the time to dispense with all political correctness in order to set the record straight for posterity. We, Nigerian Muslims cannot be blackmailed, intimidated, demonized, defined by or put on the defensive by the insensitive and irresponsible false narrative of genocide of Christians in Nigeria that is propagated by enemies of Islam, Muslims and our dear country, Nigeria.

The goal of these bigoted, ungodly and unpatriotic merchants of falsehoods who are doing the bidding of their Islamophobic foreign masters is to break up Nigeria by instigating a religious war between Muslims and Christians in northern Nigeria.

Since English is not my first language, I looked up the universal definition of genocide by the United Nations. The definition reinforces my belief that there is a lot more to these clumsy lies than meets the eye. It is a word that is recklessly and mischievously used to smear Nigerian Muslims for ulterior motives.

Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic killing or persecution of a large number of people from a particular national, ethnic, racial, or religious group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

The five acts defined as genocide are killing members, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, imposing measures to prevent births, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

The systematic campaign of calumny against Islam and northern Nigerian Muslims in particular is not new. I witnessed it first hand at an international forum where I first heard and saw the extent of these lies and hatred when I represented His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the 2nd Annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, DC, on June 28-30, 2022.

I was shocked to hear supposed men of Christian faith from Nigeria lying and demonising Islam, Muslims, Fulanis and Kanuris before a gathering of 1,200 participants from all over the world.
I shared my experience at the summit in an article published in the 4 July 2022 edition of the Daily Trust Newspaper titled: Message From Washington DC.

Christians in the north will do well to resist the temptation of getting sucked into this “genocide” dummy sold to them by mischievous, hateful interlopers with a secessionist agenda whose kinsmen have for generations been living and benefiting from the generosity and hospitality of Muslims in the region. To do anything differently will amount to playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette.

To dwell on discussing these falsehoods is to dignify them and distract Nigerians from the real issue, which is the abysmal failures of the government, whose primary responsibility it is to protect all citizens.

Muslims in the north have been and continue to be the biggest victims of terrorists and terrorism in Nigeria. Still, they are being blamed, demonized and profiled for the government’s failure to protect all.

We, Muslims in the north, are burying our dead every day all across the region in prayerful and dignified silence. We do not use the names or images of our loved ones killed in violent attacks for propaganda or to attract donations from international donors, nor do we publicise the names of victims or their sufferings in the media for global attention or sympathy.

History is full of recorded incidents of genocidal attacks and mass killings of Muslims all across Nigeria. Dr Aliyu U. Tilde recently chronicled these massacres over a period of 36 years (1981-2017) in a paper published on 20 November 2025 titled “Genocide Nomenclature in Nigeria”.

In the paper, he highlighted the bias in reporting such incidents by Nigeria’s Christian-dominated media that paints a false portrait of Christians being wiped out everywhere; Muslims are never victims; Christians never kill; and Muslims kill for religion but Christians for “land” and “in clashes.”

He showed that when the victims are Christian, the media identifies them as Christians, even if the conflict has nothing to do with religion, with screaming headlines that read: “Fulani kill Christians, Christian communities attacked, genocide of Christians”.

But when the victims are Muslim, their religious identity is deliberately omitted. They are instead referred to by neutral names such as villagers, civilians, locals, people, or Nigerians.

A recent example of such reporting bias is the 25 Kebbi state school girls abducted by bandits from their dormitories on 17 November 2025; they were referred to in media reports simply as “school children”, not “Muslim school children”.

Dr Tilde went on to illustrate that if the attackers are Muslim, they are eagerly reported as Islamists, jihadists, Fulani Muslim terrorists.

But if the perpetrators are Christian, they are reported as unknown gunmen, youths, tribal militias, attackers or mob. Their Christian identity is deliberately hidden.

Lest we forget, on 3 December 2023, at least 88 Muslim worshippers, including women and children, were killed while celebrating the holy day of Maulud by a drone strike carried out by the Nigerian Army in Tudun Biri village, Kaduna State. The Military admitted the killing was an avoidable mistake, but no one has been held to account for this tragedy. Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

Also, on 18 December 2022, a strike by the Nigerian Air Force killed 64 innocent Muslim civilians in Mutumji village in Zamfara state.
Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

Again, on 24 January 2023, a military air strike killed more than 40 Muslim herders in the Doma region of Nasarawa state. Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

24 January 2017 was the deadliest mistaken air strike when the Nigerian Air Force struck an IDP camp in Rann village in north-east Nigeria, resulting in the death of 115 innocent civilians. Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

Between 2017 and December 2024, no fewer than 528 civilians, overwhelmingly Muslims, have been killed in accidental airstrikes by the Nigerian military in northern Nigeria. Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

The Nigerian military has consistently failed to independently and thoroughly investigate any of these incidents. The Nigerian authorities have persistently failed to hold the military to account for any of these tragic air strikes that have cost the lives of many innocent civilians. Yet, Nigerian Muslims did not go into the world screaming genocide.

Nigerians and indeed, the rest of the world, particularly the United States Government, need to know that Nigerian security services have been engaging the services of a Christian Militia from the Niger Delta to fight in Muslim northern region on the pretext of fighting terrorists. These Christian mercenaries are suspected to be largely responsible for the gruesome massacres of Muslim worshipers in mosques in the northwest that are blamed on bandits.

The use of Christian militia from the Niger Delta in the north by Nigeria’s security services was made public by their boastful leader at no less a place than at a press briefing in the Presidential Villa after meeting with President Tinubu early in his presidency. Residents of villages in Shinkafi LGA, Zamfara state, have recently confirmed the presence of these Christian mercenaries in their communities.

I would like Nigerians to imagine the uproar and protests that would have come from Christian organizations, southern media outlets and southern ethnic pressure groups if Nigeria’s security services had used repentant bandits, ISWAP or Boko Haram to fight Christian IPOB-ESN terrorists in the southeast during the tenure of Late President Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim.

At a time when Nigerian Muslims are being demonised and maligned all over the world by Nigerian Christian organisations and Churches as genocidally killing Christians, it is totally unacceptable that Nigeria’s security services are engaging a Christian Militia from the Niger Delta to fight and kill Muslims in the north.

I call on all Muslims, traditional rulers, Muslim Clerics and organisations, northern governors and members of the National Assembly to demand for the immediate withdrawal of these Christian Militia from all the northern states they are deployed to and for the federal government to institute a thorough investigation of who authorised their engagement and all their activities in the region.

Following some of the worst spates of mass abductions of students from schools across northern Nigeria, the
The federal and state governments have announced the immediate closure of all boarding schools across the region.

These panic measures are not only retrogressive and defeatist, but they also play into the hands of these terrorists. It has never happened in the 65-year history of Nigeria that schools in a whole region are closed on account of a terrorist threat. The optics is that of governments on the run rather than standing firm and addressing the serious security threats facing the region and the nation.

President Trump’s threat of coming to Nigeria to rescue his “cherished Christians” from persecution, “guns blazing in a short and swift operation”, is nothing but him pandering to his Christian Evangelical constituency.

The other reason for his threats is economic and geopolitical. Nigeria is becoming a potential theatre of proxy war between America and China over the much-coveted rare-earth mineral deposits, which Northern Nigeria is endowed with.

There is a striking similarity between the bogus claim of Christian genocide in northern Nigeria and Trump’s claim of genocide of whites in South Africa, where high crime rates affect predominantly blacks, but the American propaganda machine twists it into a narrative of white genocide while resisting the same label for Israel’s 2-year military actions in Palestine.

Terrorism has been a national tragedy in Nigeria for the past 16 years, in the case of Boko Haram, 12 years for banditry and 8 years for Lakurawa terrorists. To rewrite this tragic history and frame it as Christian genocide is not only mischievous and insensitive but ungodly because it deliberately ignores and minimises the continuing sufferings of the Muslim majority that account for the largest casualties.

The immediate result of Trump’s military threat has been a remarkable spike in terrorist attacks in schools and churches all across the north as if these terrorists are daring him to strike. The other more troubling effect is that it has widened the mistrust between Muslims and Christians in the region.

The Muslim North is eerily silent in a way reminiscent of the aftermath of the 1966 coup. People are angry and saying that Nigerian Christians went to America and lied to Trump about Muslims killing them, and he is coming to attack them. They are saying that they are not going to just sit and wait to be attacked.

We, concerned citizens on our part, have been doing a lot of outreach to traditional rulers, elders, clerics, our Christian compatriots and the media explaining and calming people down all across the region.

I shudder to think of what will happen if an American military misadventure in northern Nigeria results in the death of a single Muslim. Any such misguided military strike anywhere in the region by the American military will blow off the lid of a simmering volcano.

A pattern is emerging all across the north of a sophisticated plan by the bandits, ISWAP, Boko Haram and Lakurawa terrorists to set the region on fire and make it ungovernable and impossible for any credible election to hold in 2026 – 2027 as is being scheduled. The intensity, variety, spread and audacity of these attacks are frightening and instilling real terror in our people.

It is worrisome that, at terrifying times like these, when citizens look to their leaders for reassurance and words of comfort, the leaders themselves seem to be hiding in their bunkers, with no solutions to the tragedy engulfing the country.

I respectfully call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please step up and show some leadership by addressing the nation and calm the nerves of citizens that all will be well. Now is no time for politicking or issuing sterile press statements by media handlers.

May God Almighty Heal Our Wounds And Bring Peace To Our Land.

Usman Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.

By our Special Correspondent

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation, expanding the ongoing overhaul of Nigeria’s diplomatic corps. The latest list arrives just days after he forwarded an initial batch of three nominees.

In two separate letters addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu requested “expeditious consideration and confirmation” of 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadors.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga the submissions reflect a deliberate mix of seasoned diplomats, former public office holders, academics, and political figures.

Four women are included among the career nominees, while six women made the non-career list.

Notable non-career nominees include former INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Lagos deputy governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Abia governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; and former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Others are former presidential aide Reno Omokri, ex-Speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly Tasiu Musa Maigari, Plateau politician Yakubu N. Gambo, and academic-turned-politician, Professor Nora Ladi Daduut.

Also on the list are former Oyo First Lady, Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim from Ondo State, and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu.

The career nominees include Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Maimuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun), Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), and serving diplomats Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

Onanuga noted that the nominees, once cleared by the Senate, will be assigned to strategic global missions where Nigeria seeks to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and security partnerships. “The ambassadors-designate will be posted to key countries including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to multilateral missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union,” he said.

President Tinubu had earlier nominated three envoys,
Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun),
who are expected to be posted to the United Kingdom, the United States, or France once confirmed.

According to Onanuga, the President will announce additional nominees in the coming days as part of efforts to recalibrate Nigeria’s foreign service.

By Bello Shehu Tamaje

The Sokoto State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of three key members of the notorious “Sai Malam” cult group, whose activities have been a growing source of fear across several parts of the state.

In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, the Command said the operation led by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit under Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Musa, psc was executed on Friday, November 28, 2025, following credible intelligence.

According to the police spokesman, the principal suspect, Usman Shu’aibu ‘M’, and two accomplices were arrested and have already made confessional statements detailing the cult’s recruitment methods and criminal undertakings.

DSP Rufai disclosed that investigations revealed the suspects were initiated into the clandestine group through a private WhatsApp platform known as “Red Chamber”, which was specifically created to lure unsuspecting youths into criminality.

Activities linked to the group include witchcraft practices, pursuit of demonic powers, acts of homosexuality, organized thuggery, and other morally depraved conduct.

The police spokesman warned that the discovery of an online recruitment channel underscores a new and dangerous strategy employed by criminal gangs to infiltrate and corrupt young people through digital platforms.

He urged parents and guardians to intensify supervision of their children’s online activities, maintain open communication on the dangers of unauthorized social media groups, watch for sudden behavioral changes, and promptly report suspicious interactions to security agencies.

DSP Rufai said the arrests were in direct response to persistent complaints from residents distressed by the rising influence of the “Sai Malam” group.

He quoted CP Musa as assuring the public that their concerns had been taken seriously.

We want to assure the good people of Sokoto that we have been listening. The arrest of these suspects shows clearly that their calls for action have been answered.

“A key cell of this notorious group has been dismantled, and we remain fully committed to safeguarding every citizen,” he stated.

The Command further noted that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the cult, calling on the public to continue providing timely and actionable intelligence.

DSP Rufai reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through proactive, intelligence-driven policing and sustained community collaboration.

From our Senior Correspondent

28, November 2025

The Chairman of Rabah Local Government Area, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Rabah, has dismissed reports claiming that several people were killed during a late night attack on Tofa Village, describing the account published by Sahara Reporters as false and misleading.

This was contained in a press release issued by the council.

Speaking on the incident, which occurred around midnight on Wednesday, the Chairman said the armed men, suspected to have come from Alikiru in the Sububu Forest area of Zamfara State passed through Dankare and Dalijan before storming Tofa, where they fired sporadically to frighten and disperse  residents.

He disclosed that a joint team of security operatives, including the Army, Police, Community Guard Corps, and Vigilante groups, swiftly responded and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle. According to him, no life was lost in the confrontation. However, two villagers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. One has already been discharged, while the second is still receiving care due to the seriousness of the injury. The council, he said, is fully covering their medical expenses.

The Chairman also clarified that two women earlier reported missing were later confirmed to have been abducted by the fleeing attackers. He added that the bandits were forced to abandon livestock they had rustled following the heavy resistance from security personnel.

Alhaji Yusuf Rabah criticized Sahara Reporters for publishing what he called an exaggerated and inaccurate account of the incident, insisting that the facts on the ground do not support claims of mass casualties or large-scale abductions.

He commended the prompt response of the military, police, community guards, and vigilante groups in repelling the attackers, noting that their coordinated effort prevented what could have been a more devastating assault.

The Chairman reassured residents of the council’s continued commitment to boosting security across Rabah LGA and appealed to communities to cooperate with authorities by reporting suspicious activities, especially information relating to informants within their midst. He further urged the public to avoid politicizing security matters because of their sensitivity.

Alhaji Yusuf also expressed appreciation to Governor Ahmed Aliyu for the support and special attention given to banditry affected areas in the state.

November 27, 2025

The Kebbi State Government has finally handed over the freed Government Girls Secondary School Maga Students in a colourful ceremony at the kebbi state Government House, confirming that, none of them was sexually abused while in captivity.

Dr Halima Bande, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, stated this during the formal handing over of the girls to their parents at Government House, Birnin Kebbi.

She said: “Today, we are in a happy mood, as we handover these freed girls to their parents”.

“We give all glory to our Creator, who made it possible for our leaders to actualise the rescue of these girls”.

“About eight days ago we were thrown into trauma, because these girls were nowhere to be found.

“Our leader, the Executive Governor of Kebbi State and the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria joined forces, which culminated in the rescue of these girls.

“Our greatest joy is that the medical report has shown that all of the girls are confirmed to be safe and free from any form of sexual abuse.”

She appreciated all other stakeholders including parents, religious leaders, traditional institutions and all other individuals who contributed to the success of the rescue mission.

During the handing over the 24 schoolgirls to their parents, Gov. Nasir Idris thanked God Almighty for the successful and unharmed rescue of the girls.

“I am the most happiest person because these girls were safely rescued unharmed.

“This is a happy day that we have long awaiting, especially with what happened to our children at Maga school,” he said.

The governor recalled that Mr President had directed the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Minister of State Defense and all security chiefs to coordinate efforts toward the successfully rescue of the abducted children.

“These directive has no doubt yielded a positive result. We are here today celebrating an all encompassing success, we are very grateful to Mr President,” he said.

The Governor advised the freed girls not to be discouraged in their pursuit of western education, but to strive to become knowledgeable.

The governor advised the people to do everything possible to ensure that the state remains peaceful noting that no development can be achieved in an atmosphere of rancor, acrimony or breach of peace

Idris described the harmonious relationship between the three former governors of the state and the present administration as a sign of progress and togetherness

He noted that such unity is rare in many states of the federation, saying, “you can see all the three former governors of Kebbi state and the present governor sitting together to achieve a common goal.”

The governor assured that security arrangements had been made to escort the rescued schoolgirls and their parents back to their towns and villages.

Responding on behalf of the parents, Malam Ibrahim Haruna-Maga supported by two other parents, Malam Iliyasu Birnin-Tudu and Malam Umaru Garba, expressed appreciation to both the federal and state governments, as well as security agencies for making the rescue possible.

“We pray Almighty Allah will reward all those who contributed to the success of the rescue mission.

“Governor Idris has shown that he is a father to all of us, we are happy. To Mr President, we are very grateful for his efforts,only God Almighty will reward all of you”, he said.