Headlines
Gov/HoA Polls: Maintain Political Neutrality, Army Chief Charges Soldiers, Releases Emergency Phone Numbers
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has directed formation and unit commanders of the Nigerian Army to ensure that troops remain professional and apolitical during the forthcoming Gubernatorial and House of Assembly Elections across the nation.
The Army Chief handed down the charge while addressing formation and unit commanders across the country, prelude to the rescheduled 18 March 2023 polls. Gen Yahaya, who commended the troops for their overall performance in the provision of security during the last polls admonished them to shun all forms of inducement, enticement or cajoling that could compromise the security of the polls, adding that a secure and safe atmosphere must be provided for the citizenry to exercise their civic responsibility of chosing their leaders. Gen Yahaya charged the troops to adhere strictly to the guidelines in the Code of Conduct for Operation Safe Conduct, as any contravention will attract dire consequences.
He urged the commanders to intensify efforts at providing security support for the elections and be ready to respond promptly to any emergency situation while prioritizing the protection of key national infrastructure.
The COAS equally reminded his commanders of the oath of allegiance they swore to defend the sovereignty of Nigeria and maintained that the Nigerian Army must be seen by all to stand in defence of Nigeria’s democracy.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has updated its list of hotlines for monitoring and reporting of emergencies and acts capable of disrupting the coming elections. It could be recalled that the NA had earlier released a set of contacts during the Presidential election held in Febuary 2023 as part of measures to support the Police in establishing a conducive environment for the successful conduct of free,fair and peaceful elections.
Members of the general public are please enjoined to call the phone numbers below in their various states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja to report any security breach during the elections.
1. ABIA STATE – 09029568595
07067880707
2. ADAMAWA – 08022750987
3. AKWA IBOM STATE – 09070077175
08163256562
4. ANAMBRA STATE – 08030881453
5. BAUCHI STATE – 08128063675
6. BAYELSA STATE – 08107855752
08143247308
7. BENUE STATE – 08080754339
8. BORNO STATE – 09099616160
08086987079
9. CROSS RIVER – 08037084192
10. DELTA STATE – 09044400064
08144464947
11. EBONYI STATE – 08158274048
12. EDO STATE – 09066325953
13. EKITI STATE – 08037851448
14. ENUGU STATE – 09032102212
08023097458
15. GOMBE STATE – 07063908779
08082557782
16. IMO STATE – 08069587883
08164120381
17. JIGAWA STATE – 07017791414
08100144363
18. KADUNA STATE – 07031544227
08028580978
08035242633
19. KANO STATE – 08038432656
20. KASTINA STATE – 08108854061
09012998054
21. KEBBI STATE – 09130213661
22. KOGI STATE – 08033217964
23. KWARA STATE – 09060001270
24. LAGOS STATE – 07034769430
09127604098
25. NASARAWA STATE – 09051009404
26. NIGER STATE – 07031346425
27. OGUN STATE – 09116589494
08032466245
28. ONDO STATE – 08036130535
29. OSUN STATE – 09019683922
30. OYO STATE – 07047703000
31. PLATEAU STATE – 08037116395
07031260622
32. RIVERS STATE – 08064274222
33. SOKOTO STATE – 07069084570
07052693532
08136913284
34. TARABA STATE – 08136728969
08060902363
35. YOBE STATE – 08061397656
36. ZAMFARA STATE – 08140075541
37. FCT – 09114913164
08186690471
08079153860
08164304255
09159793968
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, the immediate past sole administrator of Rivers State and a former Chief of Naval Staff, as a non-career ambassador.
Tinubu also nominated Ita Enang, a former senator; Chioma Ohakim, former First Lady of Imo State; and Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Minister of Interior and ex-Chief of Army Staff, as non-career ambassadors.
The United States Department of State on Wednesday announced that it is outlining new measures to address violence against Christians in Nigeria and other countries.
The policy, according to a statement released by the department, targets radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other actors responsible for killings and attacks on religious communities.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and attacks on Christians carried out by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups in Nigeria and beyond,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
According to the statement, a new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows the State Department to restrict visas for individuals who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” and, when appropriate, extend those “restrictions to their immediate family members.”
The briefing, led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, included members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as religious freedom experts.
Participants included Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved Nigeria’s delegation to the new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, formed to implement security agreements from high-level talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The move follows growing concerns over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria, prompting increased US scrutiny and warnings about the protection of vulnerable faith communities.
On November 20, the US House Subcommittee on Africa opened a public hearing to review Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, placing the country under heightened scrutiny for alleged religious-freedom violations.
Lawmakers examined the potential consequences of the designation, which could pave the way for sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution.
The Punch
United States of America lawmakers have sharply contradicted the Nigerian government’s position on the ongoing massacres in the country, describing the violence as “escalating,” “targeted,” and overwhelmingly directed at Christians during a rare joint congressional briefing on Tuesday.
The closed-door session – convened by House Appropriations, Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, as part of a Trump-ordered investigation – examined recent killings and what Congress calls Abuja’s “deeply inadequate” response.
President Trump has asked lawmakers, led by Reps. Riley Moore and Tom Cole, to compile a report on persecution of Nigerian Christians and has even floated the possibility of U.S. military action against Islamist groups responsible for the attacks.
At the briefing, Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, warned that “religious freedom [is] under siege” in Nigeria, citing mass abductions of schoolchildren and assaults in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.” She said abuses were “rampant” and “violent,” claiming Christians are targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared with Muslims.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s recent move to reassign 100,000 police officers from VIP protection, Hartzler said the country is entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” She urged targeted sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes and tighter conditions on U.S. aid, insisting Abuja must retake villages seized from Christian communities so displaced widows and children can return home.
The strongest rebuke came from Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations, who dismissed Abuja’s narrative that the killings are not religiously motivated. He called the idea that extremists attack Muslims and Christians equally a “myth,” stressing the groups operate “for one reason and one reason only: religion.” Higher Muslim casualty figures, he argued, reflect geography, not equal targeting.
Obadare described Boko Haram as fundamentally anti-democratic and accused the Nigerian military of being “too corrupt and incompetent” to defeat jihadist networks without external pressure. He urged Washington to push Nigeria to disband armed religious militias, confront security-sector corruption and respond swiftly to early warnings.
Sean Nelson of ADF International called Nigeria “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” claiming more Christians are killed there than in all other countries combined and at a rate “five times” higher than Muslims when adjusted for population. He said extremists also kill Muslims who reject violent ideologies, undermining Abuja’s argument that the crisis is driven mainly by crime or communal disputes.
He pressed for tighter oversight on U.S. aid, recommending that some assistance be routed through faith-based groups to avoid corruption. Without “transparency and outside pressure,” he said, “nothing changes.”
Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration’s reversal of Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in 2021, saying the decision had “clearly deadly consequences.” Lawmakers from the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees signaled further oversight actions as they prepare the Trump-directed report.
Hartzler pointed to recent comments by Nigeria’s Speaker of the House acknowledging a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence,” calling it a rare moment of candor. She also welcomed the redeployment of police officers as “a promising start after years of neglect.”
But she stressed that these gestures are far from sufficient, insisting the Nigerian government must demonstrate a real commitment to “quell injustice,” act swiftly on early warnings, and embrace transparency.
The Nigerian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to source.
