This article was first published in December 2020. In light of recent U.S. airstrikes targeting terrorist groups linked to transnational extremist networks and the renewed focus on international counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria, I find this write-up highly relevant to current developments. God willing, next week we will continue the Trending Events Amidst Governor Buni’s Yobe Achievements series, which began last week. March 2020 was a sad one for Chad. There was an attack on its Bohoma army base by Boko Haram terrorists. They killed more than 92 Chadian soldiers in what army officials called the insurgents’ deadliest-ever attack on the nation’s forces.…
Author: Editor
Time and again, we have harped on Nigeria’s past glory—when agriculture made the country economically viable through the use of hoes, cutlasses, and later oxen-driven ploughs, alongside livestock rearing and fishing in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, before the commercialization of petroleum. Those days are gone. We must realistically reappraise our current circumstances as a nation endowed with a large population, vast arable land, abundant groundwater, and a fairly substantial volume of seasonal and annual rainfall. By deploying sound science and technology, adopting veritable agricultural production methodologies, and ensuring security alongside critical infrastructure—such as access to credit, energy, transportation,…
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Nigerian military authorities have formally validated the success of the Christmas Day counter-terrorism operation in Sokoto State, confirming that the midnight strikes delivered “precision hits” that neutralised multiple foreign-linked terrorists, sparing innocent civilians and livestock. The operation, conducted in the early hours of December 25, 2025, targeted the Lakurawa group, a Sahel-based terror cell described by U.S. officials as ISIS-linked fighters, which had established enclaves across border communities in Sokoto and Kebbi States. AFRICOM, in a statement, said the strikes were carried out under directives from the U.S. President and Secretary of Defense,…
Yuletide—encompassing Christmas and the surrounding period, with its festivities—is viewed by many as a season of warmth, love, and peace, with Christmas itself marking the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Yuletide is characterised by merriment, travel, recreation, charity and gatherings, among others, which promote social integration, peace and love. Yearly, many families buy foodstuffs and other commodities some months or weeks before Yuletide due to increases in the prices of such items, which often characterise the season. Increases in services, including transportation, also characterise the Yuletide season every year. ALSO READ Yuletide: Bishop Kukah urges Nigerians to choose…
A new terrorism study has confirmed the presence of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Sokoto State, signalling a significant expansion of the group’s operations beyond Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad Basin. The study, conducted by James Barnett and Umar Musa and published by the Combating Terrorism Centre, found that Lakurawa militants operating in Sokoto are linked to the Islamic State’s Sahel Province (ISSP), which maintains operational ties with ISWAP. The findings attracted heightened attention following United States airstrikes early Friday on ISIS-linked targets in Sokoto, a location far removed from ISWAP’s traditional strongholds. ALSO READ Sokoto…
Nigeria’s health sector in 2025 recorded notable progress in infrastructure, emergency care, insurance expansion, and service utilisation, yet persistent strikes by doctors, nurses, and allied health workers exposed unresolved labour tensions threatening reforms. Under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the Federal Government commissioned oncology centres, expanded emergency services, improved immunisation coverage, and cleared several legacy arrears owed to health workers, signaling significant investment in healthcare reform. In spite of these gains, waves of strikes disrupted federal hospital services, left patients stranded, and highlighted deep-rooted tensions between authorities and health sector unions, exposing the fragile nature of reforms even with investment…
An international team of scientists has identified a gene with the potential to improve global food security by helping cereal crops better withstand some of the unpredictable challenges posed by climate change. The discovery, centered on barley genetics, offers new avenues to breed more resilient crops, reducing losses and stabilizing food supplies as weather patterns become increasingly erratic. Published in the prestigious journal Science on Nov. 6, the study focused on the genetic mechanisms that regulate seed dormancy — a plant’s internal “timer” that determines when a seed breaks its dormant state and begins to grow. The researchers zeroed in on a gene known…
Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has questioned the Federal Government’s silence following confirmation by the United States of the presence of Islamic State (ISIS) elements in Nigeria’s Northwest. Odinkalu raised the concern after the U.S. announced airstrikes on ISIS targets in the region, reportedly carried out in cooperation with Nigerian security agencies. He noted that for years, the Federal Government had described armed groups in the Northwest as bandits, not terrorists, and said the recent development suggests a significant shift in the official narrative. According to him, Nigeria’s involvement in…
All Nigerians who respect national dignity, constitutionalism, and sovereignty should be extremely concerned about this development. Even when described as a “joint operation,” reports of a US military strike in northwest Nigeria raise significant normative and political concerns regarding the boundaries of outside intervention in Nigeria’s security matters. The normalisation of foreign military intervention under the pretence of counterterrorism collaboration, which reproduces subtle but enduring forms of neocolonial power over African governments, is a problematic tendency reflected in such operations. The terminology allegedly used by the US President Donald Trump to describe the operation as a reaction to terrorists “targeting Christians” is…
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that American forces carried out strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Nigeria, citing attacks on Christians as the reason for the action. In a post on his Truth Social platform late Thursday, Trump said the United States launched what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike” against IS elements operating in northwest Nigeria, accusing the group of targeting and killing civilians, particularly Christians. The Pentagon later released a video appearing to show a missile launch from a U.S. warship. No official details were provided on casualties or the extent of damage from…