Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs across the country. Tinubu issued the directive on Sunday during a security meeting held at the State House with the inspector-general of police, the chiefs of army and air staff, and the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS). A statement on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, said Tinubu ordered that the personnel be redeployed to core policing duties in communities. Under the new arrangement, VIPs who require security protection will now be expected to request armed personnel…

President Bola Tinubu is currently holding a closed-door meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Some of those in attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyode; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Aneke; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General EAP Undiendeye, and the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu. Also in attendance are the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, as well as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi. Although the details of…

Thirty-eight worshippers of Christ Apostolic Church(CAC) Oke Isegun in Eruku town in Ekiti local government area of Kwara who were recently abducted in an attack by suspected bandits have finally regained their freedom.  A statement issued in Ilorin on Sunday by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye stated that, “the governor is excited to announce the freedom of 38 persons who were recently abducted in an attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA, Kwara Kwara”. The Governor said that, this is wholly due to the hands-on approach of President Bola Tinubu, who…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P) recently launched the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), an engineering competition aimed at addressing at inspiring engineering students to develop innovative projects that will solve societal problems. The project is championed by Enactus Nigeria and has the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) as key partner. Explaining the concept, Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, Michael Ajayi, stated that the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad will inspire final-year, and postgraduate engineering students to envision and build a self-reliant Nigeria…

Fifty of the more than 300 children abducted by bandits from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, have escaped their captors. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, adding that they escaped between Friday and Saturday. “We have received some good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” said Daniel Atori, the media aide to CAN Chairman in Niger State, Most. Rev. Bulus Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese. “The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with…

Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago has ordered the immediate closure of all schools across the state following the abduction of students and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. Bago announced the directive on Saturday, during a press briefing after an expanded security meeting in Minna, describing the attack as both “unfortunate and avoidable.” “This incident could have been avoided; however, it is not a time for a blame game,” the governor said. “Our mission today is to see how we can rescue these children and all those kidnapped alongside.” He called…

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has met with President Bola Tinubu to brief him on the country’s security situation following recent abductions and attacks, especially in the northern region of the country.  Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the meeting in a post on Saturday, noting that Ajayi met with the President at the Presidential Villa on Friday night. Photos released showed the DSS Chief in the President’s office. Although no further details of the briefing’s outcome were provided, officials said it focused on the current security situation. “The…

The total number of victims abducted by suspected terrorists from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in the Agwarra local government area of Niger state is now 315 from the 227 earlier reported. Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, gave the update after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out. A breakdown of newly released data showed that 303 students and 12 teachers were affected. Yohanna said, “After we left the school at Papiri, we decided to…

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has called on the Federal Government to prosecute those found guilty of violence against Christians in Nigeria. She also called for the tightening of security apparatus in Nigerian Christian communities across the country. In a statement on Friday, Meloni condemned attacks on Christians, saying that religious freedom was the right of every human being. “We strongly condemn the renewed violence against Christian communities in Nigeria today. Religious freedom is an inalienable right: we call on the Nigerian government to strengthen the protection of Christian communities and all religious communities and prosecute those responsible for this…

The United States, US, Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Washington, D.C., following threats by former US President Donald Trump regarding Nigeria’s security situation. “Yesterday, I met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor and his team to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country,” Hegseth wrote on his official X account on Friday, sharing photos of the meeting. “Under @POTUS leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” he added. Trump had earlier warned that he might instruct the Department of War to deploy troops into…