Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have apprehended Shariff Umar, also recognized as Yusuf, who is believed to be the primary organizer of a suicide bombing network linked to a series of recent attacks and foiled plots in the North-East.

The Army disclosed this in a statement on Friday after intelligence-led cordon-and-search operations conducted at the Kalmari area of Maiduguri on New Year’s Day.

However, according to the statement as reported by Zagazola, the operation led to the arrest of 14 suspects linked to suicide bombing activities, with subsequent investigations uncovering the structure, roles and operational linkages of the terror cell.
It said a suspected suicide bomber currently in custody, Ibrahim Muhammad, identified Shariff Umar as the ringleader who recruited, prepared and dispatched suicide bombers to assigned targets.

“Consistent and corroborated statements revealed that Shariff Umar coordinated logistics and the delivery of improvised explosive device (IED) components for suicide attacks,” the statement partly read.
The Army said investigations further established that Umar directly coordinated the suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque on Christmas Eve, in which his accomplice, identified as Adamu, detonated a suicide vest and died in the process.
He was additionally associated with the thwarted suicide bombing attempt in Damaturu, having reportedly delivered IED parts to the intended attacker in Maiduguri, the statement stated.

The Army disclosed that additional intelligence pointed to the involvement of Umar’s spouse, Yagana Modu, while his stepdaughter, Amina, corroborated having seen the alleged bomber at their home prior to the incident

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Several petroleum products depot owners and marketers in Nigeria have increased their ex-depot petrol price over the alleged planned shutdown of Dangote Refinery’s petrol unit for maintenance and upgrades.

The latest ex-depot price hike is linked to the reported planned turnaround maintenance at the Dangote Refinery.

Speaking on the plan, Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Dangote Industries, explained, as reported by Platts (S&P Global): “In most departments, our production levels have gone beyond 100 percent. We just need to remove constraints to raise overall output.”
Meanwhile, retail fuel prices stood between N739 and N910 per liter across major filling stations in Nigeria as of Saturday afternoon.

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Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers;‎‎1. Rivers State Executive Council has approved a N1.8 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year. The approval was made at the State Executive Council meeting held on Friday evening. The newly sworn-in Special Adviser to Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Economic Matters and Social Development, Prof. Peter Medee, said the budget was designed to enable the state to complete and advance key projects in critical sectors.

2. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that there would be no second chance for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of failing to provide effective leadership. Wike said any leader who is unable to maintain a working relationship with local government chairmen, members of the state House of Assembly, and other critical stakeholders lacks the capacity to govern effectively.
3. Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The governor was formally received into the APC on Friday in Jos, where the state chairman of the party, Mr. Rufus Bature, presented him with his membership card.

4. The driver of the ill-fated Lexus SUV in the boxing champion Anthony Joshua accident case has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, on Friday. The driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, aged 46, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate O. M. Somefun on four count charges, including reckless driving and lack of a valid national driver’s licence.
5. A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance, Yakubu Adamu and three others, who are facing charges bordering on terrorism financing. Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500 million and two sureties in like sum.

6. The immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will remain in prison custody till Wednesday when his request for bail will be considered by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Nwite fixed the date for ruling after Counsels in the matter argued for and against the bail application.
7. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has dismissed reports circulating in some quarters claiming that it has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, describing the information as false and misleading. The dismissal effectively rubbishes INEC’s initial projections detailed in a document entitled “Election Management in Nigeria, 2015-2025”.
8. The Nigerian Air Force on Friday said it has successfully coordinated response and recovery actions after one of its unmanned aerial vehicles experienced a loss of link during a routine mission under Operation FASAN YAMMA. The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

9. The Naira on Friday, opened the year 2026 positively, appreciating against the U.S. dollar at the official market trading at N1,430.84. According to data released on the official website of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Naira gained N4.90. This represents a 0.34 per cent gain when compared to Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, when it traded at N1,435.75 to a dollar.
10. A Kano State High Court, on Friday, issued an interim order, suspending Hashimu Suleiman-Dungurawa, as the State chairman of the New Nigerian People’s Party, pending determination of the suit. Suleiman-Dungurawa is from the Gargari ward, in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area area of Kano State. Justice Zuwaira Yusuf issued the interim order, following a motion exparte by one Mr Shuaibu Hassan and nine other applicants, all members of Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise security and citizens’ welfare in 2026, stressing the need for people-centred governance.

This is contained in the party’s New Year message on Thursday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ini Ememobong.
Ememobong conveyed the PDP’s goodwill and solidarity with Nigerians amid persistent insecurity and economic hardship confronting the nation.

He advised the Federal Government to recommit to its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property across the country.
“This new year must not be another chapter of broken promises, but a turning point marked by decisive and people-centred governance.

“The interests of Nigerians, not partisan considerations or political survival, must guide every action of government.
“Those entrusted with power are not rulers, but servants of the people, whose mandate must be exercised with humility and accountability,” he said.
Ememobong urged the judiciary, electoral body, security agencies and democratic institutions to resist pressure, inducement and fear in carrying out their duties.

He warned that democracy could not endure where “arbitrariness replaces justice and impunity thrives unchecked.”
Ememobong reaffirmed the PDP’s solidarity with Nigerians in the struggle for an egalitarian society founded on fairness, equity and accountable governance.
“We will continue to speak truth to power and stand with the people until governance reflects their will, welfare and aspirations. Happy New Year to Nigerians,” he said.

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Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:‎‎1. Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress. Obi, who is also a former Governor of Anambra State, urged Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”

2. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Wednesday commended President Bola Tinubu for keeping to promises he made to the people of Rivers State while campaigning before the 2023 presidential election. Wike compared Tinubu to Rivers State Governor, Similalaye Fubara whom he said has not kept to agreement made to his people.
3. A former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Moruf Musa, has been abducted by gunmen and taken to an undisclosed location. Musa was reportedly kidnapped on Tuesday evening at about 7pm from his residence in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State.

4. Nigeria will face Mozambique in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, organisers have confirmed. This confirmation followed the conclusion of match day three on Wednesday night. The knockout fixture is scheduled to take place in Fez, setting up a decisive clash as the Super Eagles continue their push for continental glory at #AFCON2025.
5. The Delta State Police Command has recovered firearms and illicit drugs during a festive-period clampdown on criminal activities across parts of the state. The operation also led to the arrest of a robbery suspect and the recovery of guns and ammunition in the Ughelli North Local Government Area.

6. Brutish-Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has been discharged from Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos. Joshua, who survived an accident that led to the loss of the lives of two of his lives, was involved in the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
7. The National Working Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party on Wednesday nullified the purported suspension of its Kano State chairman, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, describing the action as illegal, undemocratic and of no effect. In a statement issued from the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the NNPP said the move violated the provisions of the party’s constitution.
8. The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress as a “liberation” for the party, declaring that it regrets fielding him as its flagbearer in the last general election. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated this in a statement issued hours after Obi formally announced his defection in Enugu.

9. Senator Godiya Akwashiki (SDP/Nasarawa North) has died at the age of 52, following a protracted illness. A family source, who confirmed the incident to NAN on condition of anonymity on Thursday in Nassarawa Eggon, said that Akwashiki died in an Indian hospital on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
10. The Police Command in Ondo State says gunmen have attacked the Ipele community in the Owo Local Government Area of the state State and set a Police Station on fire. DSP Jimoh Kazeem, the command’s Sokesperson, who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Wednesday night in Akure, said personnel and officers had been deployed to the community.

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has told the Federal Government why the new tax law cannot take effect.

Addressing newsmen at his Ilawe-Ekiti hometown on Wednesday, Falana said until the controversies surrounding the legitimacy of their provisions, occasioned by allegations of insertion, are addressed, the new tax laws cannot take effect
According to him, the federal government should have used the last few days of 2025 to address the issue and make clean copies of the new tax laws available before January 1, 2026.

“If that was not done, the government would put itself in trouble by deciding to implement the laws. There are interest groups ready to challenge the legitimacy of the laws,” he said.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said there is no going back on the January 1, 2026 implementation of the tax laws.

The senior lawyer, however, stated that the laws could not take effect until the controversies surrounding their legitimacy were resolved.

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Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has alleged that the Federal Government is using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against him because he refused to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Mohammed said this on Wednesday in Bauchi during the signing of the 2026 appropriation bill into law.
The governor decried that one of his commissioners is currently being detained by the EFCC.

“As a governor, someone who is the head of the opposition, my commissioner has been kept and will not be released by the EFCC.
“Even when I have immunity as a governor, my name was stupendously mentioned in a motion in a court of law in Nigeria. Me, Bala Mohammed,” he said.

He said that the APC-led federal government thinks it can use the courts and institutions of government, like the EFCC, to persecute and prosecute Nigerians who are not within their own party.
According to him, no amount of harassment would force him to join the APC.

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A pan-Igbo socio-cultural advocacy and humanitarian organization, Ndi-Igbo Worldwide Union, NIWU, has said the Nigerian Government turned Kenya into a human hunting ground with the arrest and rendition of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

NIWU, in a statement signed by its chairman, Ben Nwankwo, and secretary, Chief Charlse Edemuzo, and made available to journalists on Wednesday, announced that the formation of the group was informed by the need to address pertinent issues concerning the Igbo people worldwide, “amidst the silence and inactivity of those vested with the responsibility”.
The group listed the conviction and sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu as an example of the injustice and marginalization suffered by the Igbo in the Nigerian state.

Condemning the development, NIWU demanded the IPOB leader’s immediate release, accusing the Nigerian government of violating the sovereignty of Kenya in the manner Kanu was arrested in the country.
According to NIWU, Nigeria committed an extraterritorial border crime in Kanu’s arrest and rendition.

The statement said, “Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) conviction is yet another example of abuse and violation of fundamental human rights by the Nigeria state. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s trial was without jurisdiction. His conviction was based on law unknown to man, hence the trending soundbite “Omotosho show me the law”.
“Ndi-Igbo Worldwide Union is using this opportunity to vehemently and equivocally condemn, in the strongest terms, the kidnapping, torture and extraordinarily renditioning of Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria.
“By this single crime, Nigeria has turned the sovereign state of Kenya, into a human hunting ground, with vague understanding of the gravity of the extraterritorial border crime. We condemn and reject Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction in its entirety, based on nothing other than justice and the rule of law.”

The pan-Igbo group lamented what it described as selective justice in Nigeria, noting that court rulings which favoured Kanu were ignored by the Federal Government.
The group pointed to the Abia State Federal High Court ruling of January 19, 2022, which found the Nigerian state guilty of the invasion of Kanu’s home in 2017, and an Abia State Federal High Court ruling on extraordinary renditioning of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria. It also cited an Enugu State High Court ruling which declared the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court Ruling of December 2023.
The group drew the attention of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to Kanu’s plight, noting that the association shares in the responsibility of guaranteeing and protecting the right of every citizen under the law.
However, NIWU warned that justice will catch up with Igbo elites who have “seized this troubling time of our people to seek for political relevance”.
“The land will not forget you. To our young men and women (our proud future generation), you have not disappointed us, rather your political elites and some elders in our midst have disappointed you. They have traded your future for their political gains. This will not continue – we assure. We encourage you to keep fighting for your rights under the law,” the group added.
NIWU, in the same vein, lamented the absence of federal presence in the South-East, noting that the government at the center has sidelined the region in major national development programs including railway lines, seaport, cargo airline services, national gas pipelines, among others.
The pan-Igbo group, in the same vein, accused the Nigerian government of intentionally looking away while Christians, mainly Igbos and other moderate religious groups, are being terrorized by Muslim jihadists across the country.
It further lamented that “Nigerian prisons are saturated with Igbo youths in their hundreds and thousands, based on unsubstantiated trumped-up charges as members of IPOB or ESN”.
According to the group, most of the Igbo youths languishing in jail without trial did not commit any crime.

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Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Plateau State Chapter, and the Coalition of Indigenous Youth Bodies of Plateau State, has called for an end to the ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference in Jos, Dachomo stated, “These unabated and sustained killings follow a historical pattern of violence dating back to pre-colonial-era marginalization, which has escalated dramatically in recent decades.”
He highlighted the proliferation of small arms, spread of extremist ideology, and creation of a traumatised displaced population as threats to regional stability in West Africa.

The conference presented urgent recommendations, including; “Immediate international intervention to protect vulnerable communities.
“Official recognition of the genocide by the Nigerian government and international community.

“Security reforms, such as decentralizing policing and community-based security; and justice and accountability through arrest and prosecution of perpetrators and return of occupied lands.”
Dachomo emphasised, “We seek no revenge. Only justice. Only dignity. Only the right to live in peace.”
He urged the global community to recognise the genocide, protect the innocent, and demand justice.

The conference called for constitutional reform, international tribunal, and deployment of an international civilian protection force to vulnerable Christian communities.
“We repeat that we do not seek revenge. We seek justice. We seek protection. We seek the right to exist, to worship, and to live in peace on the land of our ancestors,” Dachomo said.
The question posed to the world was, “Will you watch this genocide conclude, or will you act to stop it? The time for statements of concern is over. The time for action is now.”

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The ongoing offensive by the Nigerian Army against insurgents across the country has recorded another success with the killing of about 47 terrorists in different operations.

The Army Headquarters in a statement on its official Facebook page on Tuesday night, said the operations, which were carried out in the last 72 hours also led to the arrest of 19 criminal suspects and the rescue of over 30 kidnapped victims.
The statement added that a cache of arms, ammunition and other logistics were recovered following the coordinated land and air operations.

According to the Nigerian Army, troops conducted aggressive ground operations based on credible intelligence in the North West and North Central, leading to the killing of terrorists.
The operation was also extended to Zamfara, Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and South South.

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