News
Niger Republic Army Convoy Illegally Storms Nigeria, Shoots Sporadically
There was a recent incursion of Niger Republic military troops into Nigerian territory, renewing calls for closer diplomatic and security cooperation between Nigeria and Niger amid rising insecurity in the Sahel.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that a convoy of four Niger military gun trucks and a Toyota Jeep, led by CPT Salifou Mono, crossed into Mazanya Village, Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State on Saturday at about 2:00 p.m., firing sporadically upon entry. The convoy was heavily armed, causing panic among residents.
However, a joint Nigerian security Forces, including the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA, police, DSS, and Civilian Joint Task Force, quickly traced the intruders and escorted them back to the Danmasani Border. The Nigerien commander later apologised for the unauthorized entry and pledged that such actions would not recur.
Zagazola said “The illegal incursion pointed to the fragility of the Nigeria–Niger border corridor amid rising jihadist activity in the wider Sahel region. Although the Nigerian government has recently appointed ambassadors to strengthen diplomatic engagements with neighbouring countries, experts believe much more is required particularly in synchronising military operations along shared borders.
“The active counter-terrorism operations on both sides, Nigeria’s Operation Farautar Bauchiya and Operation Fansan Yanma in the North-West, and Niger’s ongoing campaigns against ISGS, JNIM and other Al-Qaeda-linked networks, there is an urgent need for more structured and harmonised joint operations.
“Lack of coordination between the two countries’ forces could lead to civilian casualties, operational misunderstandings or unintended confrontations, as seen in the Mazanya incident.
“Clearer communication lines, shared intelligence, and harmonised border operations are critical as Lakuwa Al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates, Boko Haram and ISWAP attempt to exploit poorly governed spaces stretching from southern Libya through Niger into the North-West region of Nigeria.
The two nations must urgently establish protocols for cross-border hot pursuit, joint patrols, and real-time information sharing to prevent mistaken incursions and strengthen the fight against terrorism.”
News
Wike Gives Condition to Resign From Tinubu’s Cabinet, Video Surfaces
Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has publicly dared critics to disprove road construction claims tied to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, staking his resignation on the figures he presented at a commissioning ceremony in Abuja on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Speaking during the inauguration of the reconstructed Arab/Gbazango road in Kubwa, Wike said 221 kilometres of roads have been completed out of 317 kilometres awarded across satellite towns in the FCT since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023
The minister directed his remarks at those he described as detractors of the administration’s urban renewal programme.
Wike said: “The people of the satellite towns have felt the impact of governance. It has never happened in the history of the administration of this country. “If there is anybody who has a contrary view, let him come out and challenge us that all these you are saying is not correct, I will resign as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.”
The event was tagged “Day 28” of a running series of FCT project commissionings, reflecting what the minister characterised as an accelerated delivery of infrastructure across the capital territory.
Legit reports that the Arab/Gbazango Road in Kubwa was among the projects cited as evidence of Tinubu’s administration’s ‘commitment to completing long-neglected routes in residential communities surrounding Abuja’s city centre’.
Wike’s remarks come amid ongoing debate between government officials and opposition figures over the pace and scale of federal infrastructure delivery.
While the minister presented the kilometre figures as evidence of tangible progress, critics have continued to question the scope and quality of projects executed under the current FCT administration
Watch Wike’s video below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6MjoWICVfrgvYOI845/694
News
BREAKING: Mystery Deepens as Fresh Details Emerge in Mary Habila’s Death at Tinubu Minister’s House
The Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice has recommended that a post-mortem examination be conducted to determine the cause of death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who was found dead at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
The recommendation was contained in a legal advice dated July 15, 2026, and addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ebonyi State Police Command.Radio
According to the document, reportedly obtained by SaharaReporters, the advice followed a police investigation into Habila’s death at the minister’s residence on June 27.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated that the evidence contained in the police case file was insufficient to establish the cause of her death.
The legal advice noted that Habila was found alone and unresponsive in her apartment, adding that investigators were unable to determine what led to her death based on the available evidence.
According to the DPP, there was nothing in the investigation to suggest that Habila had any known illness or underlying health condition before her sudden death.
“There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team,” the document stated.
The ministry argued that, in the absence of any known medical condition, a scientific examination was necessary to establish the actual cause of death.
“From the foregoing, therefore, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death?” the DPP queried.
It maintained that a post-mortem examination remained the most appropriate means of providing investigators with a clear direction.
“This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the legal advice added.
The Ministry of Justice further stated that the police could either honour the family’s reported wish to proceed with burial without an autopsy or exercise their statutory powers to order the examination.
“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination,” the DPP stated.
The recommendation comes amid growing public interest and conflicting reports over the release of Habila’s body for burial.
Her father, Baba Habila, reportedly visited a morgue in Ebonyi State to receive her remains ahead of a planned burial in Nok, Kaduna State, but declined to comment to journalists.
The family was also reported to have indicated that it did not intend to request an autopsy.
However, Habila’s body had reportedly not been released as investigators continued to consider the Ministry of Justice’s recommendation.
According to reports, Habila arrived at Umahi’s residence on June 26 alongside another woman identified as Anita Baski and was found unresponsive the following morning.
The case was initially reported at the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters before it was transferred to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
Minister of Works David Umahi later confirmed that Habila died at his residence, describing her as a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to the Federal Ministry of Works.
Umahi also disclosed that he had encouraged the family to consent to an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters, citing unnamed police sources, reported that investigators were examining aspects of Habila’s employment history and her relationship with the university and the Federal Ministry of Works.
News
Tension as Wike, Tinubu’s Allies Clash Over Top Agency’s Appointment
A crisis is reportedly brewing in the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) over a leadership position.
According to a report by Daily Trust, a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dakorinama Alabo George, remains in office as the Executive Secretary, despite his replacement by the Presidency with a former House of Representatives member, Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas.
Naija News reports that the development comes amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the ‘phantom’ Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, of which Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi paraded himself as its Director-General.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed all political appointees under his administration who intend to contest elective offices in the forthcoming 2027 general elections to resign their appointments on or before March 31, 2026.
George allegedly resigned to contest in the governorship primaries in Rivers alongside Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Kingsley Chinda and Tonye Cole.
The Presidency, in a statement dated June 26 by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced Namnas as the new head of the agency.
It was observed that although the website lists “Executive Secretary” as the head of the agency, the Presidency uses “Director General” in its statement.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas as the new Director General of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA). Dr Namdas replaces Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, who resigned to contest for an elective post in his home state.
“A former member of the House of Representatives representing Ganye/Jada/Mayo Belwa/Toungo federal constituency of Adamawa State, Namdas was the spokesperson of the 8th House of Representatives, and an aspirant in the just-concluded governorship primary election in Adamawa State. As a seasoned journalist and public relations practitioner, he also served as Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Boni Haruna of Adamawa State,” the statement published on the State House website read in part.
“All appointments are effective immediately,” it added.
Daily Trust gathered that George, who served as the Commissioner of Works in Rivers under the Wike and Fubara administrations, has refused to vacate the office after the presidential directive and public announcement of his replacement.
Sources said that although he had officially resigned to vie for the APC governorship ticket in Rivers, he did not hand over to anyone and discreetly retained control of the office’s property.
In a report sighted by the publication, George is on the list of 80 screened aspirants with the status ‘cleared,’ ‘not cleared,’ or ‘withdrawn.’ His name appears at number 65 on the list as “Dr George Alabo”, and he was cleared.
However, he withdrew from the contest at the last minute to pave the way for Chida, Wike’s anointed candidate, who consequently emerged as the APC governorship flag bearer in Rivers.
A source said that when George failed to secure the APC governorship ticket, he returned to his office at the agency.
“He is being backed by some government officials, including the FCT Minister. Dr George was Wike’s commissioner of works in Rivers State when the latter was governor. It was also Wike who nominated him for the BCDA position in 2024,” the source said
Another source alleged that George’s backers are working with some other powerful officials in the Presidency to ensure he remains in office without the President’s knowledge.
“Our correspondent gathered that some of his supporters had posted reports on Facebook claiming that President Tinubu had reappointed him to the role.
“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in his wisdom, has reversed the erroneous replacement of Dr Dax George-Kelly as the Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency, BCDA,” one of the posts read.
In a now-deleted WhatsApp response, George directed the aforementioned publication to the Presidency for clarification on his status at the agency, insisting he had never resigned.
“The Presidency, through the office of the SGF, will be in a better place to answer you pls. But just so you know, at no time did I resign. I never contested cos [because] I withdrew from the race before the primaries. Thanks, and have a good day.
“An error was made, and it was quickly corrected. That’s the much I can tell you,” he wrote, before deleting the text hours later.
He did not respond to subsequent inquiries.
Meanwhile, Onanuga maintained that Dr George has been replaced with Namnas as the head of the agency. The presidential spokesperson also faulted George’s claim that he had been reappointed.
“Not true. Namdas stays,” he wrote in a terse response to the publication.
Despite his replacement by the Presidency, George continues to parade himself as the head of the BCDA, holding official meetings weeks after he had been replaced. His profile, with the name ‘Dr George D. A Kelly,’ on the website of the agency – https://bcda.gov.ng/ still reads as the serving executive secretary.
Among his recent official engagements was a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, last Thursday, during which he appealed for timely budget releases to the agency. Pictures of the meeting were posted on Facebook.
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