President Donald Trump has said the US launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria.
The US leader described IS as ” terrorist scum”, accusing the group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.
Trump said the US military “executed numerous perfect strikes”, while the US Africa Command (Africom) later reported that Thursday’s attack was carried out in co-ordination with Nigeria in the Sokoto state.
The Federal Government has approved a 50 percent reduction in train fares nationwide to ease travel costs during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Kayode Opeifa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos.
Opeifa said the fare reduction took effect on Tuesday and has already recorded a high passenger turnout across major railway corridors.
“At major stations along the Lagos–Ibadan and Abuja–Kaduna routes, as well as key narrow-gauge corridors, passengers turned out in large numbers, with several departures operating at near full capacity as early bookings reflected strong public response to the 50 percent discount initiative,” he said.
He said the festive rail service will run from December 23 to January 4, 2026, during which passengers will enjoy a 50 percent discount on train fares nationwide.
“This is to ease the cost of festive travel during the yuletide period,” Opeifa said.
The NRC Managing Director said many passengers have commended the initiative, describing it as timely and economically relieving, particularly for families and group travellers seeking to reunite with loved ones.
He said the fare reduction aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as a people-focused intervention aimed at reducing transportation costs and promoting inclusive mobility.
Opeifa assured passengers of the corporation’s readiness to sustain safe, efficient and customer-focused services throughout the festive season.
He said both standard-gauge and narrow-gauge train services are fully operational nationwide.
“It will come with enhanced security, safety and customer service arrangements in place across stations and onboard trains to manage increased passenger traffic resulting from the 50 percent discount offer,” he said.
Opeifa advised passengers on standard-gauge routes to continue using NRC-approved online booking platforms, while those on narrow-gauge services should purchase tickets directly at designated railway stations.
He said the NRC remains committed to seamless festive operations and urged passengers to cooperate with railway officials and comply with travel guidelines to ensure smooth journeys during the yuletide period.
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the current power outage being experienced in parts of the country is temporary, saying electricity supply will be restored within the next 48 hours.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Power, Mr. Bayo Adelabu, in a statement shared on the verified X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, @NationalGridNG.
According to the minister, relevant agencies are already working to address the issues responsible for the disruption, stressing that the situation is under control.
Adelabu appealed to Nigerians for patience and understanding, noting that efforts are being intensified to ensure the stability of the national grid and prevent prolonged outages.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving power generation, transmission and distribution across the country, adding that updates would be provided as restoration work progresses.
The recent outage had sparked concerns among residents and businesses, many of whom rely heavily on electricity for daily activities.
Power supply, the minister assured, is expected to return fully within 48 hours.
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has restored electricity to 33 communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area, ending nearly nine years of power outage in the oil-producing area.
The power restoration project was carried out by the Abia State Government through the Abia State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, under the supervision of the Ministry of Power and Public Utilities. The project fulfills a commitment made by the governor to the affected communities in March 2025.
Speaking at the power switch-on ceremony held on Monday at Central Primary School, Obehie, Governor Otti recalled his earlier pledge to return electricity to the area. He also confirmed that Mr Promise Onwukwe, whose case he had promised to look into, had been reinstated.
The governor arrived at the event aboard the newly launched Abia Green Shuttle electric vehicle bus, accompanied by members of his cabinet.
Otti urged residents of Ukwa West to safeguard the electricity infrastructure and prevent vandalism, stressing that the protection of public assets was a collective responsibility.
“I believe that we have a responsibility to protect what is in our community. Nobody can do it better than you,” he said, adding that acts of vandalism are often carried out by individuals within the communities themselves.
The Federal Government has dismissed opposition by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the proposed death penalty for kidnappers and bandits, saying the punishment is consistent with Nigerian laws.
Minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, spoke on the issue on Monday at the Federal Government’s end-of-year press conference in Abuja.
Idris said the government would act strictly within the law and would not pursue any policy that contradicts Nigeria’s legal framework.
His words: “The Nigerian government will not do anything that is not consistent with the laws of the nation.
“If there is a need to adapt or to modify these laws, we have the national assembly to consult and to take them so that we can have a response, but for now it is important to say that Nigeria as a sovereign country has its laws and is being governed by these laws, and all the operators, including the security agencies, are acting within the ambit, within the parameters of those laws.”
The minister said the national counterterrorism doctrine unveiled this year is anchored on four pillars — unified command, intelligence, community stability and counterinsurgency.
He said under the doctrine, any armed group involved in kidnapping, attacks on farmers or terrorising communities would be treated as a terrorist organisation.
“Let me be clear about what this means: that henceforth, any armed group that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, or terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist organisation. The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over,” Idris said.
Addressing concerns about human rights violations, Idris said he could not reconcile human rights arguments with acts of terrorism and mass violence.
“I don’t know how human rights will stop you first when somebody comes into a room and randomly starts shooting at people,” he said.
He added that Nigeria must defend itself while observing globally accepted rules of engagement.
“Nigeria has to defend itself as a country, observing the highest standards of procedure. All our armed forces are trained, they collaborate with international partners and they are following strict protocols of engagement with terrorists or whoever they are engaging with,” the minister said.
He said where there are specific complaints about the conduct of security agencies, such issues should be raised and addressed through appropriate channels.
The minister also spoke on Nigeria’s relations with the United States, saying the recent diplomatic disagreement had been resolved through what he described as firm and respectful engagement.
He added that the N5.41 trillion allocation to defence and security — the largest in Nigeria’s history — is aimed at protecting lives and property through modern equipment for the armed forces, a new national intelligence architecture and a secure digital border surveillance system.
The Federal Government has introduced compulsory pre-employment drug testing for all applicants seeking jobs in the public service.
In a statement issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, the government said the policy is part of broader efforts to curb the rising rate of drug abuse and its impact on national security and productivity.
The statement directed permanent secretaries and heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as extra-ministerial departments and parastatals, to include drug screening as part of their recruitment processes.
According to the directive, MDAs are to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in conducting the tests, in line with approved standards.
The government said the policy was informed by growing concerns over substance abuse, particularly among young Nigerians.
It warned that the trend poses a threat to public health, socio-economic development, workplace efficiency and national security.
It added that the directive underscores the administration’s commitment to safeguarding the public service from drug-related challenges and aligns with existing anti-drug initiatives, including recent policies mandating drug testing in universities and other sectors.
The Federal Government has formally classified kidnappers and violent armed groups as terrorists.
The declaration was made on Monday by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, during the Federal Government’s end-of-year press briefing in Abuja.
With the new designation, acts such as mass kidnappings and coordinated assaults in farming communities will no longer be treated as conventional criminal offences but addressed within the framework of counterterrorism operations.
Idris said any individual or group involved in abducting citizens, attacking farmers, or instilling fear in communities would now fall under the terrorist classification and face the full weight of the law.
According to the minister, the decision puts an end to what he described as vague labels previously used to describe violent actors, stressing that anyone who terrorises Nigerians will be treated as a terrorist without exception.
He added that the policy shift would improve intelligence gathering, enhance collaboration among security agencies, and enable quicker, more coordinated responses to security threats across the country.
The Presidency has denied claims that the newly enacted tax reform laws were altered, insisting that reports of inconsistencies are based on fake or unofficial documents.
The controversy began after a lawmaker, Abdulsamad Dasuki, alleged that the gazette tax laws released to the public did not reflect the versions approved by the National Assembly, a development he said undermined his constitutional role.
The allegations sparked calls from prominent figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer Peter Obi, and several civil society groups, urging the Federal Government to suspend enforcement of the laws pending clarification.
Addressing the issue on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, rejected the claims, stating that the materials circulating online were not the official copies.
According to Oyedele, comparisons being made between the purported gazetted laws and the bills passed by lawmakers are premature, as the final harmonised versions certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly have not been released to the public.
He stressed that the authority to confirm the exact content of the bills forwarded to the President rests solely with the National Assembly.
The Federal Government has declared Thursday, December 25, and Friday, December 26, 2025, as public holidays to mark Christmas and Boxing Day.
Additionally, Thursday, January 1, 2026, has been declared a public holiday for the New Year celebration.
The announcement was made in a statement on Monday by Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
In the statement, the minister urged Nigerians to reflect on the values of love, peace, humility, and sacrifice associated with the birth of Jesus Christ.
He also called on citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity, to use the festive season to pray for peace, improved security, and national progress.
Tunji-Ojo further advised Nigerians to remain law-abiding and security-conscious during the celebrations, while wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) amid corruption allegations levelled against him by the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
More to follow…
