The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, on Friday vowed to intensify efforts to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges through enhanced coordination and unified operations among the Armed Forces.
Speaking at his assumption of office at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Musa said, “Our goal is to overwhelm the enemy through jointness and seamless coordination.”
He added that a rigorous review of all theatre commands and inter-service operations would begin immediately to close gaps between policy and execution, stressing that the nation’s security required collective ownership and responsibility.
Musa, who served as Chief of Defence Staff before his appointment by President Bola Tinubu, also pledged to prioritise the welfare and morale of troops.
“Welfare is not administrative; it is strategic. Morale is a force multiplier. Our personnel must receive their kits on time. Their operational allowances must be paid promptly.
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“Accommodation, medical care, and support for injured personnel and families of the fallen must be priorities,” he said.
The minister stressed that those risking their lives for Nigeria deserve utmost respect and that the ministry would ensure seamless support for troops and their families.
Musa concluded by urging all stakeholders to work together to address both kinetic and non-kinetic challenges, including governance, justice, equity, and fairness.
“The shedding of innocent blood must end. Our children deserve to return to school. Farmers must return to their farms. Many of these issues require a comprehensive, balanced approach,” he said,
He reiterated his commitment to lead with fairness, integrity, and accountability. (Vanguard)
Netflix has agreed to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery for $72bn (£54bn) in a major Hollywood deal.
The streaming giant emerged as the successful bidder for Warner Bros ahead of rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance after a drawn-out battle.
Warner Bros owns franchises including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, and the streaming service HBO Max.
The takeover is set to create a new giant in the entertainment industry, but the deal will still have to be approved by competition authorities.
Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said the streamer was “highly confident” it would receive the regulatory approval it needs and it was running “full speed” towards this.
He said that by combining the library of Warner Bros shows and movies with the streaming platform’s series such as Stranger Things, “we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling”.
“Warner Bros have defined the last century of entertainment, and together we can define the next one,” he said.
Asked whether HBO should remain a separate streaming service, co-chief executive Greg Peters said Netflix believed the HBO brand was important for consumers, but added: “We think it’s quite early to get into the specifics of how we’re going to tailor this offering for consumers.”
Netflix estimates it will find $2bn to $3bn in savings, mostly through eliminating overlaps in the support and technology areas of the businesses.
Films made by Warner Bros will continue to be launched in cinemas, it said, and Warner Bros television studio will continue to be able to produce for third parties. Netflix will keep producing content exclusively for its own platform.
Labelling it a “big day” for the companies, Mr Sarandos acknowledged the acquisition may have surprised some shareholders but it was a “rare opportunity” to set Netflix up for success “for decades to come”.
David Zaslav, president and chief executive of Warner Bros, added the agreement would combine “two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world”.
“By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come,” he said.
The cash and stock deal is worth $27.75 per Warner Bros share, with a total enterprise value – which includes the company’s debts and the value of its shares – of about $82.7bn. The equity value, or cash price, is $72bn.
The boards of directors from each company unanimously approved the deal. (BBC)
Nigeria has placed Guinea-Bissau’s opposition presidential candidate, Mr. Fernando Costa, under its protection following reports that his life is under threat.
Mr. Costa, the main challenger to President Umaro Embalo in the November 23 election, faced danger after soldiers seized power, halted the vote count, and imposed a nationwide curfew before the official results could be announced.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved Mr. Costa’s protection inside the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau. The decision was formalized in a letter dated November 30, signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, and addressed to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Omar Alieu Touray.
According to the letter, Nigeria’s action is a proactive measure to safeguard democracy and ensure the safety of political actors in Guinea-Bissau. It also urged ECOWAS to direct its Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to provide additional security for Mr. Costa while he remains at the embassy.
The letter states in part:
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has graciously approved the provision of protection and security within the premises of the Nigerian Embassy in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau for Mr. Fernando Dia Da Costa. This decision is a proactive measure to ensure the safety of Mr. Da Costa in response to imminent threats to his life. It underscores our firm commitment to safeguarding the democratic aspirations and the sovereign will of the people of Guinea-Bissau.”
Nigeria’s intervention reflects its commitment to protecting democratic processes and supporting political stability in the West African region. (Vanguard)
The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of five students of Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwu, Port Harcourt, by suspected cultists in Emohua Local Government Area.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the incident occurred on 2 December 2025, at around 2:30 am, when a group of about five suspected cultists attacked an isolated area in Rumuche/Rumuohia Community, Emohua, and abducted the students.
Iringe-Koko noted that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, visited the scene of the incident along with other service commanders for an on-the-spot assessment.
She noted that the CP has mandated the Area Commander, alongside all tactical units and the Joint Taskforce, to intensify efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
“The CP has assured that all suspects involved will be brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law. The Police investigation team is working to identify the perpetrators and track down their hideouts.
The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, assuring the public that everything is being done to ensure the safe release of the abducted students,” SP Iringe-Koko stated.
The Police are urging members of the public to remain calm and continue to support the Police with credible information that will aid ongoing investigations.
The abduction has sent panic among students of Rivers State University, who are now living in fear.
However, early Tuesday morning, students of Rivers State University led a procession to protest the alleged abduction of four students.
The students were seen carrying placards and presenting their complaints to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who quietly listened to them.
They urged the school management to relocate the students on the Emohua campus to the main campus and to expedite measures to secure the release of their course mates.
Addressing the VC, the SOSAN Social Science Student Association of Nigeria representative at the Student Representative Council (SRC), RSU, Mariam Odungweru, said: “Sir, this morning four people were abducted and the guard at the hostel was killed and their automatic rifles carted away.
“Sir, other issues have been happening and I see what you are doing, the efforts you have made to meet the council chairman and other stakeholders, but Sir, my students are pained, they are hungry, they are stressed. This particular issue is holding them; they want to come back to this campus. I was not there during the incident, but it is gory to me. Please, Sir, we need your help.”
In response, the Vice-Chancellor assured that the school management’s priority is to secure students, saying the upcoming convocation slated for the weekend, where the school visitor, being the governor, is coming, will be used as an ample opportunity to let him know the issues confronting the school.
He said: “We are having our convocation on Friday and Saturday and we are very sure that this issue will be raised, discussed, and hopefully addressed. We are expecting the visitor, and I can tell you that there is no way the visitor will see all these things that are happening and not consider your pains. So I want to advise you right now: our priority should be how we can secure these students.
That should be our priority. Let us not dissipate our energy; let us put our energy together. If you have information, share it. Those who can pull out from lectures can do so because there will be no lectures.
“We are going to concentrate efforts in ensuring that we get our students who were kidnapped safely back.” (Guardian)
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the 2026-2028 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), outlining Nigeria’s economic outlook, revenue targets, and spending priorities for the next three years.
Briefing journalists after the FEC meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said oil price was pegged at $64 per barrel, while the exchange rate assumption for the budget year is ₦1,512/$.
He said while the council set an oil production benchmark of 2.06 million barrels per day for 2026, the fiscal planning is based on a cautious 1.8 million bpd.
Bagudu stated the exchange rate projection reflects the fact that 2026 precedes a general election year, adding that all the assumptions were drawn from detailed macroeconomic and fiscal analyses by the budget office and its partner agencies.
According to the minister, inflation is projected to average 18 percent in 2026.
Bagudu said based on the assumptions, the total revenue accruing to the federation in 2026 was estimated at N50.74 trillion, to be shared among the three tiers of government.
“From this projection, the federal government is expected to receive ₦22.6 trillion, states ₦16.3 trillion, and local governments ₦11.85 trillion,” he said.
“When revenues from all federal sources are consolidated, including ₦4.98 trillion from government-owned enterprises, total Federal Government revenue for 2026 is projected at ₦34.33 trillion —representing a ₦6.55 trillion or 16 percent decline compared to the 2025 budget estimate.”
The minister said statutory transfers are expected to amount to roughly ₦3 trillion, while debt servicing was projected at ₦10.91 trillion.
He said non-debt recurrent spending — covering personnel costs and overheads — was put at ₦15.27 trillion, while the fiscal deficit for 2026 is estimated at N20.1 trillion, representing 3.61 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
The MTEF also projected that nominal GDP will reach over ₦690 trillion in 2026 and climb to N890.6 trillion by 2028, with the GDP growth rate projected at 4.6 percent in 2026.
The non-oil GDP is also expected to grow from ₦550.7 trillion in 2026 to ₦871.3 trillion in 2028, while oil GDP is estimated to rise from ₦557.4 trillion to ₦893.5 trillion over the same period. (Channels)
The draw for the 2026 World Cup — the biggest edition of soccer’s global showpiece ever held — takes place in Washington on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump expected to feature prominently in proceedings.
The expanded 48-team tournament — up from the 32-nation field that competed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup – will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year.
Trump’s attendance at the Kennedy Center ceremony underscores his rapport with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who has made several visits to the White House and even joined Trump at international summits in the years since the joint North American bid was awarded the tournament in 2018.
Infantino’s close relationship with Trump is widely expected to see the U.S. leader be named as the first recipient of a new FIFA Peace Prize, which will be awarded at the draw
Trump has made the World Cup a centerpiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence next year.
But he has not hesitated to bring domestic politics into the event, threatening to move World Cup matches from Democratic-run cities if he deems conditions to be “unsafe”.
In a sign of the global tensions surrounding a World Cup which will have 11 of its 16 venues in the United States, Iran said it will boycott the draw because U.S. authorities refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation.
The president of the Iranian soccer federation, Mehdi Taj, said: “We have told the head of FIFA… that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell (Washington) to desist from this behavior.”
The pretenders to the title which a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina won for the third time in 2022 in Qatar will be drawn into 12 groups.
The top seeds are Argentina, the host nations USA, Mexico and Canada, record five-time winners Brazil, two-time champions France, four-time winners Germany as well as Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium.
The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 41 when the tournament kicks off, has said his sixth World Cup finals with Portugal will be his last and he would relish crowning his long career with a first global title for his country.
The enlarged cast list also means an opportunity for a handful of first-time qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Jordan and the tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao.
With six of the field still to be decided in playoffs, the favorites will want to avoid Italy, who won the World Cup as recently as 2006 but have not qualified since 2014.
Despite an error-strewn qualification campaign, the Italians can still reach the finals by winning two sudden-death games.
The opening match will be held at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which also hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals, before the tournament unfolds over nearly six weeks, culminating in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kickoff times on Saturday, a day after the draw.
Supporters’ groups have warned fans could face eye-watering sums for tickets for the most attractive games due to FIFA’s decision to use dynamic ticket pricing.
Prices on popular secondary market websites in the United States such as Stubhub and Seatgeek have already skyrocketed, with prices for the July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey starting at around $7,000. (JapanToday)
Arsenal edged out Brentford 2-0 to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as in-form Aston Villa beat Brighton 4-3 to climb up to third in the table.
The Gunners failed to hit top form at the Emirates Stadium but did enough to take another step towards a first league title in 22 years thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka.
Mikel Arteta took the chance to use his strength in depth as Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber were rested from the start as captain Martin Odegaard made his first start since early October.
Merino maintained his place up front despite Viktor Gyokeres’ return to fitness and rewarded Arteta with another vital goal.
The Spaniard was picked out perfectly by Ben White’s cross and powered in his 11th goal of the season for club and country.
Brentford boss Keith Andrews also heavily rotated, with top scorer Igor Thiago among those left on the bench.
But the Bees still posed the leaders problems and were only denied an equaliser through Kevin Schade’s header by a brilliant save from David Raya against his former club before half-time.
Saka was introduced on the hour mark and the England winger finally made the points safe in stoppage time as his strike had too much power for Caoimhin Kelleher.
Villa produced a stunning fightback against the Seagulls to continue their fine form with an eighth win in nine league games.
The visitors were their own worst enemies in a dreadful start. Jan Paul van Hecke bundled in from a corner after Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot failed to collect. Pau Torres then turned past Bizot into his own net from Jack Hinshelwood’s cross.
Ollie Watkins had scored just once in 19 previous appearances this season but turned the game around with a quickfire double before the break.
The England striker forced in Ian Maatsen’s low cross before latching onto Morgan Rogers’ brilliant through ball to slam past Bart Verbruggen.
Amadou Onana completed the comeback with a back-post header from Matty Cash’s corner before Donyell Malen made it 4-2.
Centre-back Van Hecke curled in his second of the night to set up a tense finale, but Brighton succumbed to their first home defeat of the season.
Wolves suffered an eighth consecutive defeat as Igor Jesus’ header earned Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at Molineux that moved Sean Dyche’s men four points clear of the relegation zone.
Burnley also remain rooted in the bottom three after Daniel Munoz scored the only goal in a 1-0 win that lifted Crystal Palace up to sixth. (JapanToday)
Unknown assailants have kidnapped six Lagos-based real estate marketers during an inspection visit to Ogun State.
The Guardian learnt that the victims had gone to inspect their company’s land at Oyebola village in Obafemi-Owode Local Council of the state, before they were attacked.
Confirming the incident to newsmen, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, said the incident occurred on Friday. He said that the command launched an investigation immediately it was alerted about the incident.
Ogunlowo assured the public that all hands were on deck to ensure the rescue of the abductees.
“So, they brought some marketers from Lagos to see the land, so that they can have the requisite information to market the land.
“It was during their visit to this land that the six people were abducted. The command has been on it since, and we shall definitely ensure that these people regain their freedom,” he added. (Guardian)
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday donated N200 million to the Nigerian Legion, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the welfare of military personnel, injured officers, and the families of fallen heroes.
The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, contributed N100 million on behalf of the National Assembly, while the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, donated N20 million.
The donations were made at the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem Appeal launch held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. During the ceremony, President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Senate President, the Deputy Speaker, and service chiefs were decorated with the remembrance poppy by the Chairman of the National Council of the Nigerian Legion, Morenike Grace Henry.
President Tinubu urged government institutions, businesses, and public-spirited individuals to donate generously to the legion, which caters to retirees and widows of fallen military heroes.
“As a grateful nation, we must honour the fallen, support the wounded, and care for all who answered the call to serve,” the President said. “Armed Forces Remembrance Day, marked every 15th of January, is a reminder of the call to peace and the importance of unity.”
He commended the Armed Forces for their courage in securing communities, noting that tens of thousands of insurgents have surrendered, key terrorist leaders neutralised, and many captives freed. He also highlighted improved maritime security, including reductions in oil theft, piracy, and illegal fishing, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping and motivating the military.
President Tinubu added that his government has enhanced allowances, upgraded barracks, strengthened healthcare services, expanded the Defence Health Maintenance Services Limited, and modernised pensions verifications through BVN and NIN integration.
Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, described the emblem as a symbol of support for fallen heroes and their families, thanking the President for improving military welfare and resources.
“When we wear this emblem, we say to our veterans, Nigeria remembers you,” Oluyede said. “When we support the appeal fund, we affirm that Nigeria cares. When we stand together today, we declare that Nigeria will never abandon those who serve in her name.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Richard Pheelangwa, said the Remembrance Day honours the bravery and sacrifice of men and women who gave their lives defending the nation. He commended the President for enabling the reopening of schools, markets, and communities in formerly conflict-affected areas, noting that these restored moments are “victories that often go unsung but remain deeply felt across our nation.”
Armed Forces Remembrance Day is observed annually on January 15 to honour fallen soldiers and recognise living veterans. (Vanguard)
Six people have died, and others have been wounded in a road crash along the Lokoja–Okene road.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the accident involved a bus carrying passengers returning from the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities held on Wednesday at the Government House, Lokoja.
“The unfortunate accident, which occurred along the Lokoja–Okene road, claimed six precious lives,” Fanwo said in a statement.
“Thirteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at different health facilities across the state.”
Fanwo said the Kogi Government and people of the North-Central state are saddened by the incident and “mourn deeply with the families of the deceased and extend our heartfelt condolences to them”.
He said: “The loss of any Kogite is a loss to us all, and we stand in solidarity with the affected families and communities. This is indeed a dark day in our history”.
“His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, has directed that the State Government take full responsibility for the medical care of all injured persons until they fully recover,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the Kogi State Government has deployed personnel to the hospitals to ensure the victims receive the best possible treatment.
They are also to provide support to their families.
“Our hearts are with the families who lost their loved ones, as we consider this a state tragedy of devastating magnitude,” he said. (Channels)
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