Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has refuted claims that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, is plotting to Islamise Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, the council described the allegation as “baseless, unfounded, and malicious.”

“The attention of the NSCIA has been drawn to a piece of mischievous information being circulated on social media, falsely ascribing to the Sultan a statement linked to the now-popular propaganda of Islamising Nigeria. This spurious information is not only false but entirely fabricated. The Sultan, who was purported to have made the statement, has been out of the country for the last two weeks,” the statement read.

The NSCIA stressed that the Sultan leads a diverse Muslim community across Nigeria and dismissed the notion that he could have made such remarks.

“While the council would ordinarily not respond to such a malicious act, it sees the need to educate the public to prevent misinformation from misleading undiscerning minds,” it added.

The council urged Nigerians to disregard the publication and verify information before sharing it.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday met with the nation’s service chiefs, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

Also in attendance were the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, later joined the meeting, which was held in the president’s office. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and his deputy, Ben Kalu, were also present.

While the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed as of press time, it is believed to be related to the country’s security situation.

The Nigerian Senate has established an ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged annexation of the country’s mangrove islands and maritime territories by Cameroon. The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations within two months.

In its resolutions, the Senate urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate steps to secure Nigeria’s territorial waters, including the protection of over 2,560 oil wells located within the disputed mangrove islands in Akwa Ibom State. Senate leaders also committed to engaging directly with President Tinubu to explore diplomatic solutions to the issue.

During plenary on Tuesday, lawmakers emphasized the need for urgent action to prevent further escalation, describing the situation as a “provocation by the Republic of Cameroon.”

The motion, sponsored by Senator Aniekan Bassey under Orders 41 and 51, raised concerns over the economic and territorial implications of Cameroon’s alleged encroachment. Senator Bassey noted that the affected islands in Efiat, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, were not part of the territories ceded to Cameroon under the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of October 2002.

He further alleged that Cameroonian security forces, known as the Gendarmes, had imposed foreign laws on Nigerians residing in 16 ancestral villages within the disputed area, calling the development a “monumental national embarrassment.”

Lawmakers argued that the reported annexation violates multiple international agreements and called for a review of the ICJ judgment. They also urged the federal government to escalate the matter to the United Nations Convention.

A fire outbreak has destroyed properties worth millions of naira at the Wurukum rice mill market near the River Benue bridge in Makurdi.

The fire, which started in the early hours of Monday, was quickly contained by firefighters, preventing it from spreading to other shops. However, several shops were affected, with processed and unprocessed rice, milling machines, and other goods completely destroyed.

One of the victims, Mercy Hanmaikyur, said she lost about N10 million in the fire. “I opened this shop last December after investing about N10 million. I had three machines—a de-stoning machine, a rice polishing machine—and many bags of processed and unprocessed rice. Everything was burnt,” she said.

Another victim, Iorwa Jeremiah, also lamented his loss. “I got a call in the early hours of today. By the time I arrived, I saw other shop owners with firefighters who were trying to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done,” he said.

Chairman of the Wurukum rice mill market, Terva Igyar, confirmed that a few shops were burnt, along with a motorcycle, about six milling machines, and several bags of rice.

He added that he had spoken with officials of Makurdi Local Government and other stakeholders, who promised to visit the market to assess the damage before estimating the total loss.

The traders ruled out electricity as the cause of the fire, stating that their shops were not connected to any power supply.

Victims of the incident have appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia for assistance to help them recover from their losses.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote has revealed that the Dangote Cement Plant in Itori, Ogun State, was demolished twice under former Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration, causing significant setbacks to the project.

Speaking after a meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun, Dangote stated that the repeated demolitions disrupted progress and deterred investment in the state. However, he credited Governor Abiodun’s intervention and pro-business policies for restoring investor confidence, enabling the revival of the cement plant.

The Itori Cement Plant, now back on track, is set to become Dangote Cement’s fourth greenfield project in Nigeria. It is expected to boost local production, generate employment, and further solidify Ogun State’s position as a leading industrial hub.

A newly surfaced CCTV footage has confirmed the violent attack by uniformed military officers at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IE) headquarters in Alausa, Lagos.

The video captures armed officers storming the premises, kicking down doors, and forcefully entering offices. Some officers, fully kitted in military gear and wielding whips, were seen barging in without permission. A female employee was captured on camera fleeing toward the stairs.

The attack, which occurred on March 6, was carried out by personnel from the Sam Ethan Air Force Base in Ikeja following the disconnection of their facility from the power grid over unpaid electricity bills amounting to millions of naira.

An IE staff member, speaking anonymously, recounted the incident: “Military officers from the Air Force Base came to our office and assaulted our staff because power supply to their base was disconnected. They seized employees’ phones and locked some inside. They also blocked the road, preventing access to the office.”

The assault extended beyond the Alausa headquarters to an Ikeja Electric office on Ago Palace Way, Okota, Isolo, where employees were forced to kneel and physically assaulted.

Reports indicate that the Air Force Base had agreed to pay ₦60 million monthly for a daily electricity supply of 10 to 12 hours. However, outstanding debts led to the disconnection.

The Nigerian military has yet to release an official statement on the incident, while Ikeja Electric has also not issued a formal response to the footage.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered Oba Otudeko, chairman of Honeywell Group, to appear before it over an alleged ₦30 billion loan fraud.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke issued the order on Monday, following Otudeko’s failure to appear in court for over a month.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 13-count charge against Otudeko and three others in January 2024. However, he failed to appear in court in February.

The Abia State Police Command has killed six suspected kidnappers and rescued four abducted individuals unhurt in Osokwa, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area.

According to the command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, the operation followed a report of the victims’ abduction while traveling in a Toyota RAV4 along New Umuahia Road, Obingwa, on March 9, 2025.

Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives traced the kidnappers’ hideout to a three-bedroom bungalow in Osokwa on March 14. Upon arrival, the officers encountered heavy gunfire from the suspects but overpowered them, neutralizing six members of the gang and rescuing the victims unharmed.

The rescued individuals were taken to the police hospital for medical evaluation. Security operatives also recovered two AK-47 rifles, six magazines, and 34 rounds of live ammunition from the scene.

Efforts are underway to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang who escaped with gunshot wounds.

The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, Danladi Isa, urged residents to report anyone with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station. He also reassured the public of the command’s commitment to combating crime and bringing perpetrators to justice.

The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has approved a move allowing President Donald Trump to impose strict sanctions on Nigeria in response to the widespread killing of Christians in the country.

The decision followed a congressional hearing on Wednesday, during which lawmakers condemned the Nigerian government for failing to protect Christian communities from escalating violence.

The subcommittee referenced a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which stated that Nigerians account for 90 percent of all Christians killed worldwide each year. According to the report, between October 2019 and September 2023, 55,910 people were killed, while 21,000 others were abducted by terrorist groups in the region.

During the hearing, Committee Chairman Chris Smith highlighted the severity of the crisis, citing testimony from Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria. Smith described the attacks by militant Fulani herdsmen as acts of terrorism and accused Nigerian authorities of granting them impunity.

“Militant Fulani herdsmen are terrorists. They steal and vandalize, they kill and boast about it, they kidnap and rape, and they enjoy total impunity from elected officials. None of them have been arrested or brought to justice,” Smith said.

The subcommittee’s report labeled the violence as “religious cleansing” and called for accountability. Lawmakers also criticized the Nigerian government for failing to uphold constitutional protections for religious freedom and accused it of using blasphemy laws to target Christian minorities.

“The Nigerian government has made little progress in addressing the persecution of Christians, even though religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental human right in its Constitution,” the report stated.

Smith also blamed the administration of former President Joe Biden for removing Nigeria from the U.S. Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, a designation originally placed during Trump’s first term. He noted that despite four consecutive years of recommendations from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2021-2024), the Biden administration did not reinstate Nigeria’s CPC status.

“Under President Biden, Nigeria was removed from the CPC list, despite overwhelming evidence that religious persecution had worsened,” Smith said.

He urged President Trump to take immediate action, including reinstating Nigeria’s CPC status and engaging directly with President Bola Tinubu to ensure better protection for Christian communities.

“I fully expect President Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and take additional steps to support the persecuted church,” he added.

Smith also called on the Trump administration and the U.S. Senate to be prepared to impose sanctions on Nigeria if the violence persists.

“This hearing should serve as a catalyst for action—not just within Congress but also within the Executive Branch,” he said.

“The new president has a responsibility to act, and I believe he will. If necessary, sanctions must be imposed. When they have been used in the past, they have brought change. Where there are no consequences, the killing fields remain.”