The Federal Government has alleged that an embattled mining company, Jupiter Ltd, is planning what it described as a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria during the planned state visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said the alleged move was aimed at discrediting ongoing reforms in the mining sector and misleading the international community about the circumstances surrounding the revocation of certain mineral licences.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, the ministry dismissed claims that Nigeria seized a British lithium project under armed guard, describing the allegation as false and misleading.

Tomori said the Federal Government had no legal or contractual relationship with any company known as Jupiter Lithium, stressing that Nigerian mining laws prohibit foreign companies from directly holding mineral titles.

“Earlier in the week, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, authored a response to what we described as a tissue of falsehoods sponsored by Jupiter Ltd in a publication titled ‘Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.’

“Our response, titled ‘In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,’ exposed the activities of one Steve Davis and Hamish MacDonald, whose enterprise in the mining sector eventually met the full weight of the law.”

According to the ministry, the controversy stemmed from the revocation of mineral titles belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian company linked to an Australian national, Steve Davis.

The government said the revocation followed the company’s failure to meet statutory financial obligations under Nigeria’s mining regulations.

Tomori stated that Basin Mining Ltd lost its mineral titles after failing to pay statutory annual service fees amounting to N2.494bn for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.

The unpaid fees covered mineral titles 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML and 40533ML, which were revoked after due notice was served on the company in line with existing regulations.

The ministry also dismissed claims that the titles were reassigned to a Chinese firm, describing the allegation as a fabrication intended to mislead the public and the international community.

It further alleged that Davis had interests in several mining companies operating in Nigeria, including Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd and Iron Ore Mining Ltd.

According to the government, such arrangements are often used by speculators to acquire mineral titles without undertaking actual mining operations.

The ministry said the practice had contributed to the problem of dormant mining licences and illegal mining activities in the country.

It noted that the Federal Government was determined to end such practices as part of ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the mining sector as a key driver of economic growth.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria cannot and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning reforms by the antics of any individual or company,” Tomori added.

“Our commitment to transforming the mining sector into a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is unwavering.”

The ministry urged Nigerians and international stakeholders to disregard what it described as attempts by “discredited individuals” to undermine the country’s reform agenda.

Nigeria has intensified efforts in recent years to develop its solid mineral resources, including lithium, gold, iron ore and rare earth elements, as part of a broader strategy to diversify the economy away from crude oil.

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu is scheduled to embark on a state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III, who will host the Nigerian leader at Windsor Castle.

Iran’s missile attack has injured over 140 residents, including Nigerians, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE’s air defence intercepted nine missiles and 33 drones amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Six fatalities were reported, with casualties among foreign nationals, including Nigerians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis.

Dubai, UAE – Amid the US/Israel-Iran war, Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Tehran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As reported on Sunday morning, March 15, by The Punch, the development raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.

The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed on Saturday, March 14, that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault, adding that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.

The ministry stated:

“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran.”

“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran.”

UAE’s authorities’ post can be viewed below via X:

الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية تتعامل مع 9 صواريخ باليستية و 33 طائرة مسيرة.

تعاملت الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية (14 مارس 2026) مع 9 صواريخ باليستية، و 33 طائرة مسيرة قادمة من إيران.

ومنذ بدء الاعتداءات الإيرانية السافرة تعاملت الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية مع 294 صاروخاً باليستياً، و… pic.twitter.com/UOVjVpjh7b

— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) March 14, 2026

According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.

Meanwhile, when contacted about the situation, Nigerian resident Yinka Sodiq in the UAE expressed hope for safety, saying he is closely monitoring regional tensions amid reports of increased military activity in the Gulf. He also expressed full confidence in the country’s security measures to safeguard both residents and visitors.

He told Legit.ng:

“Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), for now, I am safe. We are also keeping our heads. May Allah continue to protect us all.”

Another resident, Remi Susan, addressed occasional sounds heard in the skies, clarifying that they pose no threat but are part of a defensive system designed to protect the population and secure the UAE’s airspace, a reflection, she said, of the country’s advanced defence capabilities and preparedness.

Susan said:

“Yes, there has been a lot of noise in the sky, even from my house. I saw like some missile or drone or whatever. But they have been intercepted. I trust the government.”

Dailyvoice.ng reports that escalating hostilities in the Middle East have sent shockwaves through Nigeria, grounding pilgrimages, disrupting travel plans, rattling the oil market and prompting anxious calls from Nigerians abroad. Besides, some members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), the Iran-inspired Shiite organisation founded in the late 1970s by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, have been staging protests in solidarity with the Iranians in some parts of the country, such as Kano, Kaduna and Lagos.

The Iranians, under attack from the United States (US) and Israel because of a long-running disagreement over Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme, have been firing retaliatory missiles at Israel and other countries considered US allies in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, among others.

So far, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his family members and more than 700 citizens have died.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president, was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.

The reports said the attack targeted the Narmak neighborhood in eastern Tehran and that Ahmadinejad was killed along with several of his bodyguards.

Ahmadinejad, 69, served as Iran’s sixth president from 2005 to 2013, leading the country’s ninth and tenth administrations. His presidency was marked by confrontational rhetoric toward the West and escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.

Born in 1956 in the village of Aradan in Semnan Province, he moved to Tehran with his family as a child. Before becoming president, he served as governor of Ardabil Province and later as mayor of Tehran.

In 2013, after leaving office, he was appointed by Iran’s supreme leader to the Expediency Council, an advisory body that mediates disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council. He had continued to serve as a member in recent years.

His reported death comes a day after Iran’s supreme leader was killed in US-Israel airstrikes.