News
Akpabio Aide Rejects Report, Says Letter Aims to Damage Senate President
Dr Jibril Lawal Tafida, a Special Adviser to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has washed his hands off a damaging document against his principal, which was purportedly written by him.
The document, in the form of a letter addressed to the Office of the President, The Presidency, Aso Villa Abuja, dated November 22, 2025, chronicled alleged corruption in the National Assembly and the story of his abandonment by the Senate President when he lost his mother.
The document is making the rounds on social media.
In a four-paragraph notice dated 22nd November, 2025 entitled: “DISCLAIMER ON A FABRICATED DOCUMENT CIRCULATING IN MY NAME”, Dr Jibril Tafida stated that he did not write, author, endorse or authorise the said document in any form.
Tafida said that the unsigned letter was a deliberate attempt to weaponise his name in order to malign the leadership of the Senate and create disaffection where none existed.
He urged the public, media organisations, political actors, and digital distributors, and online publishers to disregard, delete, retract, and desist from circulating it.
The disclaimer reads in extenso: “My attention has been drawn to a lengthy text currently circulating in the media and online platforms, attributed to me and purporting to contain allegations against the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON. I state unequivocally and without ambiguity that I did not write, author, endorse, or authorize the said document in any form.
“The content, tone, structure, and allegations contained therein have the clear intention of sowing discord, smearing reputations, and exploiting my name for political mischief – a cursory glance at the letter will immediately reveal the falsehood as the Senate President is not a member of the Tenders Board of the National Assembly, and therefore has nothing to do with contracts or contract awards in the Senate or NASS.
How then can he be accused of corruption in contract awards or contract padding? For further clarity, my short stay here shows that the entire premises of the National Assembly are owned and managed in its entirety by the FCDA through its contractor, Laralex Nigeria Ltd. I reject in its entirety and distance myself completely from the publication.
“I continue to hold the President of the Senate in high esteem, both personally and professionally. Our working relationship has been cordial, respectful, and grounded in cooperation and mutual trust. At no time have I expressed or harboured the sentiments contained in the said document.
“This is a deliberate attempt to weaponise my name in order to malign the leadership of the Senate and create disaffection where none exists. I urge the public, media organisations, political actors, and digital distributors to disregard, delete, retract, and desist from circulating it.
“I reaffirm my loyalty to the Office of the President of the Senate and the Senate as a whole. I remain committed to supporting the work of the National Assembly in the interest of national stability, unity, and democratic progress.”
News
Nigeria to Send Troops for Peacekeeping in the Republic of Benin
In the letter, the appeal follows an urgent request from the Government of the Republic of Benin for exceptional and immediate air support from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate seeking its approval to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin for the purpose of peacekeeping in the aftermath of a coup.
The request is conveyed in a letter read during the plenary by the Senate President , Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.
President Tinubu cited Section 5, Subsection 5, Part 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), following consultations with the National Defence Council.
In the letter, the appeal follows an urgent request from the Government of the Republic of Benin for exceptional and immediate air support from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
President Tinubu explains that Benin is currently facing an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power, leading to the disruption and destabilization of its democratic institutions.
He notes that the situation requires swift external intervention.
He emphasizes that, given the close ties of brotherhood between both nations and the principles of collective security under ECOWAS, Nigeria has a duty to provide the necessary support..
News
Burkina Faso grounds Nigerian military aircraft over airspace violations
The military aircraft had two (2) crew members and nine (9) passengers on board, all military personnel.
The Government of Burkina Faso said a Nigerian Air Force aircraft carrying 11 soldiers was forced to land in the country on Monday after reportedly violating its airspace.
The development was reported by the Agence d’Information du Burkina, the state-run news agency, which published a statement from the Confederation of Sahel States.
The statement, translated from French, read, “The Confederation of Sahel States informs the public that a C130 aircraft belonging to the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to land today, December 8, 2025, in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency while operating in Burkinabe airspace.
The military aircraft had two (2) crew members and nine (9) passengers on board, all military personnel.
”The statement added that an investigation by Burkinabe authorities “highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device.”
The AES condemned the incident as a violation of sovereignty, saying it “condemns with the utmost firmness this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member States.”
The body warned that “air and anti-aircraft defences of the Confederate space put on maximum alert…were authorised to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the Confederate space.”
News
Obasanjo shares four pillars to end insurgency in Nigeria
Obasanjo emphasised that the civil war lasted for 30 months. Although we thought it would last for six months. But this fight against insurgents and criminals has lasted for almost 15 years.
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo says that Nigerian government needs a combination of training, equipment, intelligence, and technology to end insurgency.
Obasanjo, during an appearance on the ‘Toyin Falola Interviews’ conversation, which was live-streamed on social media, noted that the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria has lasted longer than the country’s civil war that took place between 1967 and 1970.
Obasanjo emphasised that the civil war lasted for 30 months. Although we thought it would last for six months. But this fight against insurgents and criminals has lasted for almost 15 years.
”There is nothing wrong with Nigerian military personnel receiving training in countries that have solved the insurgency challenge,”he added.
Citing his experience with the Niger Delta militancy, he said that he will not rule out the tendency of security personnel colluding with insurgents.
His words: “There are four important items and I hope that those who are in charge — military, executive, and legislature — know what they are doing.
First, there is training. There are different types of training.
The military is trained for conventional war.“If the people you are dealing with are fleeting targets or living among your people, you will need different types of training to deal with them.
“Among the countries that have done that fairly successfully is Colombia. Should we invite them to train our people? There is no shame in that. It is a specialised type of training.“
There is the equipment. The equipment to fight that type of warfare. It differs from equipment for conventional warfare.
The other one is intelligence. You need absolute intelligence. Can others trust us with the intelligence that they have?“The fourth one is technology. These four have to come together and do other things internally.
“Then you ask the military to be the one buying equipment. It is not done. The whole thing is an industry. It is an industry,” he said.
Nigeria to Send Troops for Peacekeeping in the Republic of Benin
Burkina Faso grounds Nigerian military aircraft over airspace violations
Obasanjo shares four pillars to end insurgency in Nigeria
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