Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the alliance between Tokyo and Washington would collapse if Japan failed to act in the event of an attack on the U.S. military during a conflict in Taiwan.
Detailing the Japanese response to a hypothetical Taiwan crisis, Takaichi appeared to dial back on her remarks in November that suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily during a potential attack on the island.
That comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the democratic island as its own territory.
Ahead of a snap election in February, Takaichi was asked during a news program Monday about her remarks in November that suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily during a potential attack on Taiwan.
Takaichi pointed out that in the event of conflict, Japan and the United States might jointly conduct an evacuation operation to rescue Japanese and American nationals.
“If the U.S. military, acting jointly with Japan, comes under attack and Japan does nothing and runs home, the Japan-U.S. alliance will collapse,” she said on the TV Asahi program.
“If something serious happens there, we would have to go to rescue the Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan. In that situation, there may be cases where Japan and the U.S. take joint action,” the prime minister said.
She added: “We will respond strictly within the bounds of the law, making a comprehensive judgment based on the circumstances.”
In the wake of Takaichi’s comments in November, China has discouraged its nationals from traveling to Japan, citing deteriorating public security and criminal acts against Chinese nationals in the country.
Beijing is reportedly also choking off exports to Japan of rare-earth products crucial for making everything from electric cars to missiles. (JapanToday)
As Nigeria marked the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, governors across the country paid tribute to fallen heroes, commended serving and retired personnel, and called for strengthened support for the nation’s military.
In Zamfara State, Governor Dauda Lawal, represented by Secretary to the State Government Malam Abubakar Nakwada, assured security agencies of the state government’s unwavering cooperation in discharging their duties. Speaking at the ceremony held at the Domestic Trade Fair Centre in Gusau, Lawal pledged to improve logistics, welfare, and intelligence-driven strategies aimed at safeguarding lives and property.
Highlighting the sacrifices of security personnel in restoring peace to communities, he said, “Many brave sons and daughters have paid the ultimate price in the course of ensuring stability. Today, we salute their courage and reaffirm our collective resolve to build a safer and more prosperous Zamfara State.”
He further commended the fallen heroes of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and other security agencies, pledging continued government support for initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of their families.
In Bayelsa State, Governor Douye Diri urged corporate organisations and private individuals to support Nigeria’s armed forces through contributions and partnerships, citing the need to enhance conditions of service. The governor made the call during the remembrance ceremony at Peace Park, Yenagoa.
Paying tribute to serving, retired, and fallen soldiers, Diri stressed that “the Armed Forces are the bedrock of national security. Without them, the very fabric of our country would be torn apart.” He also highlighted his administration’s recent completion and handover of residential accommodation to the Nigerian Army 16 Brigade at Elebele and invited the Armed Forces to collaborate with the state on agricultural initiatives to boost food security and sustainable livelihoods.
The ceremony featured wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Governor Diri, the Speaker of the State Assembly, service commanders, representatives of widows, and traditional leaders.
In Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the state’s security architecture during the ceremony at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan. He emphasized the importance of security for economic growth and social stability, assuring that his government would continue to work closely with security agencies to protect lives and property.
Makinde also announced plans to implement a welfare scheme for the families of five forest guards recently killed at the Old Oyo National Park, describing them as heroes who died in service. He commended security personnel for their professionalism and dedication, assuring residents that their welfare and operational needs would remain a priority.
The Commandant-General and Chairman of the Nigerian Legion in Oyo State, Julius Alabi, lauded both federal and state governments for improving welfare for ex-servicemen and urged sustained support for families of fallen heroes to preserve their legacy.
Across all states, the remembrance events underscored the sacrifices of Nigeria’s armed forces and the continued responsibility of government, communities, and private citizens to support their welfare. The ceremonies combined solemn tributes with public reflection on the courage and dedication of men and women who risk their lives to ensure national security. (Vanguard)
An explosion has ripped through a mosque in northeastern Nigeria as worshippers gathered for their evening prayers, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more, police said.
The blast took place at about 6pm on Wednesday (17:00 GMT) in the city of Maiduguri in Borno State, witnesses told the media.
Police said five people died and 35 were injured in the attack, which it said is likely a suicide attack.
“Preliminary investigations further suggest that the incident may have been a suicide bombing, based on the recovery of fragments of a suspected suicide vest and witness statements recorded, while investigations are ongoing to establish the exact cause and circumstances,” Nahum Daso, spokesperson for Borno state police command, said in a statement.
Daso said police were conducting a sweep of the area in Maiduguri’s Gamboru market in search of secondary devices.
Mosque leader Malam Abuna Yusuf earlier told the AFP news agency that at least eight people had died in the attack, while a militia leader, Babakura Kolo, put the figure at seven.
Another witness, Musa Yusha’u, told AFP that he saw “many victims being taken away for medical treatment”.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known, but it occurred in a city that has been at the heart of an armed rebellion waged by Boko Haram and ISIL’s (ISIS) offshoot in the region, the Islamic State West Africa Province, for nearly two decades.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the use of suicide bombers has been heavily attributed to Boko Haram.
The conflict in northeast Nigeria has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced about two million from their homes since 2009, according to the United Nations.
Though the violence has waned since its peak about a decade ago, it has spilt into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Concerns are also growing about a resurgence of violence in parts of the northeast, where armed groups remain capable of mounting deadly attacks despite years of sustained military operations.
Maiduguri itself – once the scene of nightly gun battles and bombings – has been calm in recent years, with the last major attack recorded in 2021. (AlJazeera)
The United States says that it has carried out an air strike against ISIL (ISIS) fighters in northwest Nigeria that residents say caused buildings to shake and the sky to glow red.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday evening.
Trump, who has previously threatened greater US intervention in Nigeria over dubious claims that a “genocide” of Christians is taking place there, said ISIL fighters had been “viciously” killing and targeting Christians at levels unseen for “centuries”.
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump said.
The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM), which is responsible for operations in Africa, said in a post on X that the air strike was carried out “at the request of Nigerian authorities” and had killed “multiple ISIS terrorists”.
Residents of Jabo have said that the strikes caused alarm and that their village has never experienced an attack by ISIL.
“As it approached our area, the heat became intense,” Abubakar Sani, who lives just a few houses from the scene of the explosion, told the news service Associated Press.
“Our rooms began to shake, and then fire broke out,” he said. “The Nigerian government should take appropriate measures to protect us as citizens. We have never experienced anything like this before.”
Another resident, 40-year-old farmer Sanusi Madabo, said that the attacks made the night sky glow red and appear “almost like daytime”.
“Grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on social media, warning also of “more to come”, without providing details.
In a statement, AFRICOM said the strike occurred in “Soboto state,” an apparent reference to Nigeria’s Sokoto State.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yussuf Tuggar confirmed on Friday that the strike had been carried out in coordination with the country’s authorities, but said it was not aimed at targeting members of any particular religious community.
“Nigeria is a multi-religious country, and we’re working with partners like the US to fight terrorism and protect lives and property,” Tuggar told Nigeria’s Channels Television.
The US military action comes weeks after Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following claims of Christian persecution in the country.
Nigeria’s government had dismissed Trump’s assertions, saying armed groups target both Muslim and Christian communities in the country, and US claims that Christians face persecution do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts by Nigerian authorities to safeguard religious freedom.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement shortly after Trump announced the US strike, confirming early on Friday that Nigerian authorities were “engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism”. (AlJazeera)
The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to let Donald Trump send National Guard troops to the Chicago area as the Republican president expands the use of the military for domestic purposes in a growing number of Democratic-led jurisdictions, a policy critics call an effort to punish adversaries and stifle dissent.
The justices denied the Justice Department’s request to lift a judge’s order that has blocked the deployment of hundreds of National Guard personnel in a legal challenge brought by Illinois state officials and local leaders. The department had asked to allow the deployment while the litigation plays out.
The National Guard serves as state-based militia forces that answer to state governors except when called into federal service by the president.
Trump ordered troops to Chicago, the third-largest U.S. city, and to Portland, Oregon, following his earlier deployments to Los Angeles, Memphis and Washington, DC.
The case has been characterized by starkly different portrayals of the protests against Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement in and around Chicago.
Trump and his allies have described Democratic-led cities as lawless, crime-ravaged and plagued with vast, violent protests. His administration has said troops are needed to protect federal property and personnel.
Democratic mayors and governors, along with other Trump critics, have said these claims are a false account of the situation and a pretext for sending troops, accusing Trump of abusing his power.
Federal judges have expressed skepticism over the administration’s dire view of protests that local law enforcement officials have called limited in size, largely peaceful and manageable by their own forces – far from the “war zone” conditions described by Trump.
Trump has relied on a law that lets a president deploy state National Guard troops to suppress a rebellion, repel an invasion or if he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
Illinois and Chicago sued after the administration federalized 300 Illinois National Guard troops and also ordered Texas National Guard troops into the state, calling the actions unlawful. Officials have since announced the administration was sending home hundreds of National Guard troops who were dispatched to Portland from California, and to Chicago from Texas.
Chicago-based U.S. District Judge April Perry temporarily blocked the move on October 9, finding that the claims of violence during protests at an immigration facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Illinois, where a small group of demonstrators had gathered daily for weeks, were unreliable.
Perry, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, found that there was no evidence of rebellion or that the law was not being enforced, faulting officials for “equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting or doing violence.”
A National Guard deployment would “only add fuel to the fire,” Perry said.
A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to lift Perry’s order blocking the deployment, concluding that “the facts do not justify the president’s actions in Illinois.” Two of the three judges were appointed by Republican presidents, including one by Trump.
The Justice Department told the Supreme Court that the assessment by local officials of the protests was “implausibly rosy,” and that federal agents “have been forced to operate under the constant threat of mob violence.”
Lawyers for Illinois and Chicago told the justices that the local protests have “never hindered the continued operation” of the Broadview facility, and that state and local authorities have responded to every request for assistance and contained any sporadic disruption.
Officials from Portland and Oregon are pursuing a separate legal challenge to Trump’s planned deployment to that city. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, permanently blocked that deployment in a November 7 ruling. The administration has appealed that ruling.
The Supreme Court in October asked the administration as well as Illinois and Chicago to provide written arguments over how to interpret the words “regular forces” in the law at issue in the case.
In an October 10 written ruling, Perry said that historical sources indicate that “regular forces” means only members regularly enlisted in the military, including the Army and Navy, as opposed to the National Guard.
Trump’s administration “made no attempt to rely on the regular forces before resorting to federalization of the National Guard,” Perry said, adding that there are other limits on the use of the military for domestic law enforcement purposes.
The administration repeatedly has sought the Supreme Court’s intervention to allow implementation of Trump policies impeded by lower courts. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has sided with the administration in almost every case that it has been called upon to review since Trump returned to the presidency in January. (JapanToday)
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)
President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency in response to escalating insecurity across the country, directing the military and police to immediately recruit additional personnel.
Under the new directive, the Nigeria Police Force is to recruit 20,000 additional officers, raising the total approved recruitment figure to 50,000. The president also authorised the temporary use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training depots, complementing the ongoing upgrade of police training facilities nationwide.
Tinubu further ordered that officers withdrawn from VIP security duties undergo accelerated retraining before deployment to security-challenged areas.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has also been instructed to deploy all trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits operating from forested areas. The agency is to recruit additional personnel to strengthen security across these locations.
The President commended security agencies for their coordinated efforts that led to the rescue of 24 abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers in Kwara State.
He urged them to sustain momentum in rescuing the remaining abducted students of a catholic school in Niger State and other citizens still in captivity.
Tinubu warned that there must be “no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence,” promising full federal support to ensure operational success.
Tinubu called on the National Assembly to commence legislative reviews enabling states that seek to establish state police to do so.
On education and religious gatherings, the President advised states to reconsider operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas and urged mosques and churches in vulnerable locations to prioritise security and work with law enforcement.
Addressing herder farmer conflicts, Tinubu emphasised that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development aims to end recurring clashes.
He urged herder associations to embrace ranching, discontinue open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons, noting that the federal and state governments will collaborate to implement lasting solutions.
The President expressed condolences to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara states. He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
He urged Nigerians to remain resilient, avoid fear and despair, and stand united to defend the nation’s freedom and values, assuring that his administration remains committed to national unity and peaceful coexistence. (RadioNigeria)
Former military Generals have expressed outrage over Tuesday’s clash between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer identified as A. Yerima, over alleged land grabbing.
The veterans, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Wednesday, asserted that such confrontations undermine the chain of command and institutional respect.
In the wake of the outrage that trailed the incident, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, said the ministry is investigating the matter. He assured that the Armed Forces would protect personnel carrying out lawful duties.
Speaking at a press briefing to commence activities for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Defence College, Abuja, the defence minister lauded Yerima for his composure during his face-off with the FCT minister.
“At the ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty,’’ he noted. “We are looking into this issue and assure that any officer performing his duties lawfully will be highly protected. We will not allow anything to happen to him so long as he is doing his job, and he is doing it very well.”
The stand-off between Wike and the officer followed a row over the ownership of a piece of land being guarded by some armed military officers led by Yerima, on the instruction of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.).
Wike had alleged that the ex-CNS illegally took over the land. A video obtained by The PUNCH showed the visibly enraged minister confronting the officer.
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, asked Wike to publicly apologise to President Bola Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the military officer involved in the clash.
Buratai, who served as Chief of Army Staff between 2015 and 2021, said Wike’s conduct was inappropriate and amounted to disrespect for the military.
Buratai, in a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday night, said, “The events of November 11, 2025, involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, demand an immediate and serious response.
“His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct; it represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure. It deliberately undermines the chain of command, disrespects the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and grievously wounds the morale of every individual who serves under the Nigerian flag. Such actions erode the very foundation of discipline upon which our national security apparatus stands.”
Brig Gen Peter Aro (retd.) said the clash highlights the importance of respecting proper channels in a democracy.
He said, “The clash between Minister Wike and the young naval officer goes beyond personalities: it reflects how power should and should not be exercised in a democracy. The officer, by every account, was acting under lawful orders from his superior, the former Chief of Naval Staff; his duty was to obey the chain of command, not to improvise under political pressure.’’
While acknowledging the minister’s right to raise questions about the title of the disputed land, Aro faulted the process adopted by the former Rivers state governor.
“The minister, on the other hand, had every right to raise questions about land or its use, but only through lawful channels such as writing to the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, or approaching the courts. A public confrontation that diminishes institutional respect exposes the government’s internal disarray before the world.”
He added, “If this episode is not publicly condemned, it sends a dangerous message to the men and women who risk their lives daily for Nigeria’s sovereignty. The military must remain disciplined, but civilian leaders must also model restraint and humility.”
Retired Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi described the incident as unacceptable.
“I did not expect a minister to behave like that toward a commissioned officer. The military is not just any organisation; it is under the command of the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Any confrontation with a military officer is, by extension, a confrontation with the Commander-in-Chief and should not be tolerated,” he said.
But the Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, defended Wike’s actions, describing the incident as the outcome of a land scam that misled a former naval chief.
The aide also faulted the retired CNS’s response, alleging that he attempted to use military influence to assert ownership over the land.
“That is why I want to say that the Chief of Naval Staff was scammed. He has realised that he was scammed. Instead of coming out to seek help, he resorted to using military might.
“After selling land allocated to you for park and recreation, for people to build a house, who should the Chief of Naval Staff go and hold? The person who’s claiming or the government? “He chose not to hold the person or company who scammed him.”
Olayinka further clarified that the land in question lies within the Mabushi area, designated for public and corporate buildings, not private residences.
He added that Gambo had no valid title or approved building plan for the land.
“Again, that particular portion has now been designated for, you know, if you know Abuja very well, you know how Mabushi is.
“That is where you have the Ministry of Works environment. That portion of the land, that pathway is for public buildings and corporate buildings, not residential, meaning that you cannot build a residential house there.
“As of today, Vice Admiral Gambo does not have a document, a title document, showing that he owns the land. He does not own the land,” he added.
The aide further explained that “assuming but not conceding that he has title documents and he owns the land, before you begin development of a land, there are processes you must pass through.
“One of such processes is to have a building plan, a building plan showing what you want to put on the land. And you take your building plan to the development control.
“The question Nigerians should ask Vice Admiral Gambo is, did he take his building plan on that land to the development control? And did development control approve the building plan?”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional law expert, Prof. Sebastine Hon, faulted Yerima’s confrontation with the minister, insisting his action was a “breach of the law.”
Reacting to the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hon condemned the officer’s decision to obstruct Wike’s access to the disputed plot of land, saying the act could not be justified under any lawful military order.
“Brushing sentiments aside, I hereby condemn in totality the actions of the Naval Officer, A.M. Yerima, who obstructed the FCT Minister from gaining access to that parcel of land, under the guise of ‘obeying superior orders.’
“The duty of a junior officer to obey the orders of his superiors, even though strongly upheld in military and paramilitary circles, has its own limitations recognised by no other authority but the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he wrote.
Hon cited Supreme Court rulings in Onunze v. State (2023) 8 NWLR (Pt. 1885) 61 and Nigeria Air Force v. James (2002) 18 NWLR (Pt. 798) 295, which, according to him, clearly established that military officers are not bound to obey illegal or manifestly unjust orders.
“The illegality in that order stems primarily from the fact that no service law of the military permits a serving military officer to mount guard at the private construction site of his boss, especially under suspicious circumstances like this,” he stated.
He added that if security concerns existed, “the retired Naval Officer ought, under the circumstances, to have engaged the civil police.”
Hon further stressed that Wike exercises the powers of the President over land administration in Abuja, pursuant to sections 297(2) and other provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). (Punch)
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Monday stormed Plot 1946 in Gaduwa District, Abuja, following reports that soldiers had taken over the disputed parcel of land allegedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (retd).
Speaking during the unscheduled visit, Wike expressed anger that government officials from the FCT Department of Development Control were chased away from the site by armed soldiers while attempting to enforce a stop-work order earlier issued by his office.
The soldiers had blocked entry into the plot with a truck and physically prevented the minister who had tried to make his way in.
Wike said the incident was brought to his attention after the FCT authorities discovered that the developers had no valid documents or legal approval for the property.
“You are aware that the land departments and Development Control have been mandated to monitor illegal developments and land grabbing in the FCT.
“When this matter was brought to my attention, I directed that nothing should take place on that plot since there were no legal documents or urban regional approvals. Unfortunately, I was informed that soldiers chased our officials away”, he said.
Wike said he was surprised to learn that the soldiers allegedly acting on the instructions of the former Naval Chief had taken over the property.
“I don’t understand how someone who once occupied such a high office cannot come to the FCT Minister to explain his situation but instead uses soldiers to intimidate people. I am not one of those who will succumb to blackmail or intimidation”, he added.
According to him, when development control officials asked for the necessary land documents and building approvals, none were produced.
“How can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country? What about those who do not have the military or security forces to protect them?” Wike queried.
The Minister condemned any attempt to use security operatives to frustrate legitimate government enforcement actions, stressing that such behaviour would not be tolerated under his watch.
He disclosed that he had already spoken with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that the matter would be resolved amicably.
“We are not here for confrontation or to cause chaos, but I will not allow illegality to thrive. The same way we enforce the law in other parts of Abuja is the same way we will do here. No one, not even a former Chief of Naval Staff, is above the law,” Wike declared.
The FCT Administration had in recent months intensified efforts to curb land racketeering and illegal developments across the territory, with several high-profile properties already demolished for noncompliance with planning regulations. (Vanguard)
US President Donald Trump has ordered the military to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians.
Trump did not say which killings he was referring to, but claims of a genocide against Nigeria’s Christians have been circulating in recent weeks and months in some right-wing US circles.
Groups monitoring violence say there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, which is roughly evenly divided between followers of the two religions.
An advisor to Nigeria’s president told the BBC that any military action against the jihadist groups should be carried out together.
Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome US help in tackling the Islamist insurgents but noted that it was a “sovereign” country.
He also said the jihadists were not targeting members of a particular religion and that they had killed people from all faiths, or none.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has insisted there is religious tolerance in the country and said the security challenges were affecting people “across faiths and regions”.
Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action”.
He warned that he might send the military into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government intervened, and said that all aid to what he called “the now disgraced country” would be cut.
Trump added: “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth replied to the post by writing: “Yes sir.
“The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Trump’s threat has triggered alarm across Nigeria. Many on social media are urging the government to step up its fight against Islamist groups to avert a situation where foreign troops are sent into the country.
But Mr Bwala, who said he was a Christian pastor, told the BBC’s Newshour programme that Trump had a “unique way of communicating” and that Nigeria was not taking his words literally.
“We know the heart and intent of Trump is to help us fight insecurity,” he said, adding that he hoped Trump would meet Tinubu in the coming days to discuss the issue.
Trump earlier announced that he had declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” because of the “existential threat” posed to its Christian population. He said “thousands” had been killed, without providing any evidence.
This is a designation used by the US State Department that provides for sanctions against countries “engaged in severe violations of religious freedom”.
Following this announcement, Tinubu said his government was committed to working with the US and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” the Nigerian leader said in a statement.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have wrought havoc in north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands of people – however most of these have been Muslims, according to Acled, a group which analyses political violence around the world. (BBC)
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