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The United States military is ramping up the provision of equipment and intelligence support to Nigeria as part of a wider effort to collaborate with African forces in combating Islamic State-linked militants, according to Lt. Gen. John Brennan, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Africa Command. Brennan disclosed this in an interview with the newsmen on the sidelines of a US–Nigeria security meeting held in Abuja last week. According to Brennan, Washington has adopted a more forceful approach in targeting IS-linked groups across the continent. “Under the Trump administration, we’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and are working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS,”  he said. “From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we’re trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need.” He added that the U.S. was focusing on enabling partners by providing equipment and operational capabilities with fewer restrictions. “It’s been ...

  In  a decisive action aimed at tackling what the Anambra State Government has labeled as economic sabotage, Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has ordered the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market. It was gathered that the closure is for one week. And also t he closure of the market was in response to the traders’ continued compliance with the illegal Monday sit-at-home directive. The directive, announced on Monday, follows weeks of warnings by the state government to traders, market leaders, and residents to disengage from the sit-at-home order, which officials say has no lawful backing and has continued to cripple economic activities across the state. While the shutdown is for one week, the government is warning that if the market fails to fully reopen by next Monday, the closure will be extended to one month, a move that could have far-reaching economic consequences for traders and supply chains across the South-East and beyond. “This is no longer about fear or complianc...

  Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has cautioned visitors against publicly sharing or broadcasting their conversations with him. Kanu also stressed that he doesn’t collect money before receiving anybody at the Sokoto Correctional Centre. The IPOB leader, who is serving a life sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, disclosed this through his lawyer, Nnemeka Ejiofor. In a video, Ejiofor said:  “From now henceforth, anybody who comes to see Nnamdi Kanu is forbidden from making public broadcast or discuss as to the outcome of their meeting. “If he has a message, it will be sent to whoever is readily affected but for the purposes of making public statement, he has restricted it to his lawyers only or Emma Powerful. “He has also stated that nobody has ever paid money to see him from his inquiries and visiting him is not a money making venture for anybody. “Whoever wants to visit him should follow the established protocol of the Sokoto Correctio...

  Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources and former President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Diezani Alison-Madueke, is set to appear in a London court on Monday as her long-awaited corruption trial officially begins. The opening phase of the trial will begin this week with preliminary proceedings, including technical issues and jury selection, marking the first courtroom step in a case that has spanned nearly a decade.  Alison-Madueke was physically present in court last week as the process got underway, ahead of the full trial expected to hear extensive evidence. The 65-year-old former minister, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing six counts of bribery connected to her time in office. She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Alison-Madueke holds a unique place in Nigeria’s political history, having been the country’s first female pet...

Nigerian businessman and socialite, Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, has disclosed that his most important mission at this stage of his life is winning souls for Christ Jesus. The billionaire businessman made the remark in a Facebook post on Sunday amid the backlash trailing his alliance with the All Progressives Congress (APC), group. Recall that an APC group called City Boy Movement, a group campaigning for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, recently appointed the hotelier as its South-East Coordinator. The appointment, however, attracted criticism from social media users, who blasted Obi Cubana for aligning with the APC administration, which according to them, plunged the country into untold hardship. However, in his Facebook post on Sunday, Obi Cubana said “the MOST important assignment now is winning souls for Christ”. “Our week is way too blessed and full of fruitfulness, amen! Awesome time in God’s presence as always”,  the post added. Recall that Founder of ...

The Oyo State Police Command on Sunday announced that it intercepted items suspected to be explosive devices in Saki, located in the Oke Ogun area of the state. The Command made the disclosure in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade. According to the Command, the driver of the truck used in transporting the devices has been arrested. Ayanlade in the statement said the materials were intercepted during a stop and search operation in Saki. The explosive devices and the truck are currently in police custody, he added. The Oyo Police spokesman said,  “Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Command intercepted a truck conveying materials suspected to be explosive devices during a stop-and-search operation in Saki, Oyo State. “The truck and the suspected materials were promptly secured and are currently in police custody. “Upon receiving a briefing on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Femi Haruna, immediately o...