Daily Digest Online

ABUJA, Nigeria  — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has praised Nigeria's quick response to the recent coup attempt in the neighboring Benin Republic while simultaneously using that action to highlight the government's perceived failures in addressing domestic insecurity. In a statement released on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party commended the Federal Government for "acting promptly to defend constitutional order" in Benin. However, it immediately pivoted to a pointed critique of the administration's handling of internal security crises. Abdullahi questioned the inconsistency in the government's decisiveness, asking, "If Nigeria could respond decisively to threats abroad, why has it failed to protect citizens from banditry and terrorism at home?" He argued that the ability to act swiftly abroad "highlights the slow and haphazard response to domestic insecurity ...

ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigeria Police Force has announced significant progress in implementing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive to withdraw police personnel from VIP escort and guard duties, stating that a recent enforcement operation found full compliance. In a statement issued on Saturday, December 6, 2025, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed a "high level of compliance" with the presidential order, which aims to redeploy officers to core policing responsibilities to enhance public safety. The assessment followed a special monitoring exercise conducted by a team from Force Headquarters in Lagos. Officers monitored key locations, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, between 10:00 a.m. and the close of operations. "The team reported that... no police officer was found violating the directive by providing unauthorised escort services to VIPs,...

Nigeria's war against terrorism and banditry is being waged on two fronts: one against insurgents in the forests, and a more insidious one within the corridors of power, where personal loyalty and political patronage too often supersede competence, accountability, and the national interest. The recent, very public defense of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, by former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, is not an isolated incident of political rhetoric. It is a symptom of a chronic national ailment—the prioritization of elite self-preservation over collective survival.  In a country where villages are sacked weekly, kidnappings are a thriving industry, and citizens live in perpetual anxiety, the spectacle of a powerful figure defending a controversial appointee on the sole grounds of a 15-year friendship is more than an insult; it is a diagnosis of a profound governance failure. The Architecture of Distrust At the heart of this ...

Newly confirmed Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (rtd) has declared a firm stance against negotiating with armed criminal groups, stating that such deals compromise national security and only allow insurgents time to rearm, according to his testimony during the Senate screening process. In a decisive policy declaration, newly confirmed Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (rtd) has ruled out any negotiation with bandits or terrorists, framing such engagements as a critical security error. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate on Wednesday, the former Chief of Defence Staff asserted that past negotiations have consistently failed, serving only as a tactical pause for armed groups to regroup and strengthen. "If you negotiate with them, they will never abide by it. It’s just a moment for them to buy time, acquire more arms, and return to strike," Musa stated, as reported by Leadership newspaper. He emphasized that his...

As U.S. visa bans and sharp criticism from Washington ripple through Abuja, Nigeria’s Senate insists on rigorous scrutiny for top security nominees. The ornate chamber of Nigeria’s Senate was humming with the usual procedural murmur on Tuesday—until the debate over confirming a new Minister of Defence turned into a pointed lesson on geopolitical timing. Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, following a tradition often extended to former service chiefs, suggested that the nominee, former Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, should simply “bow and go”—a parliamentary shorthand for bypassing rigorous questioning and granting immediate confirmation. But Senate President Godswill Akpabio swiftly gaveled the easy pass into oblivion. In a sharp, impromptu rebuke that quieted the room, Akpabio framed the moment in stark, contemporary terms. “This is not the time for politics of ‘bow and go’,” he declared, his voice carrying a mix of frustration and urgency...

Multiple sources report that President Bola Tinubu has presented fleets of luxury vehicles to state political coordinators for the 2027 election campaign through a new group, the 'Renewed Hope Ambassadors,' even as Nigeria faces escalating nationwide insecurity. Amid a severe national security crisis marked by kidnappings and violent attacks, President Bola Tinubu has reportedly distributed fleets of new vehicles to state coordinators for his 2027 re-election campaign, according to multiple sources. The sources indicate that each state coordinator for the newly formed "Renewed Hope Ambassadors" received a set of vehicles on Monday, including a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Toyota Hilux, and a Hummer bus. The group is being spearheaded and coordinated by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who was recently appointed by President Tinubu as the "Renewed Hope Ambassador" and Director-General for party mobilization. Alongside the vehicl...