Headlines
Northern Group Calls for Sack of Incompetent Service Chiefs
A Civil Society Organisation, Northern Advocacy for Peace, has called for the immediate resignation of the Service Chief or be sacked by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The group said the recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train, Kaduna Airport as well as the wanton killings and destruction of property in many parts of the country have shown that the service chiefs are “incompetent and should leave or be made to leave”.
In a statement on Wednesday by the leader of the group, Khalifa Shuaibu, the group said the President must be decisive in his actions as terrorists are shutting down the country.
“NAP commiserates with families who lost loved ones in the attack. We wonder what has gone wrong with the intelligence in the country that bandits operated freely for over three hours, shooting and subjecting the passengers through horrible torture and kidnapping others without any resistance from the Nigerian security forces.
“Two days ago, bandits attacked the Kaduna International Airport and killed a security guard of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. They prevented a Lagos-bound plane from embarking on the journey. Kaduna particularly has all security formations located in the state”
“It is clear that those in charge of the security agencies are incompetent and should leave or be made to leave. Nigerians are continually been vulnerable to terrorist attacks in their homes. With these attacks, Nigerians cannot even travel either by road, rail, or air at the moment. Severally, terrorists have killed kidnapped or burnt travellers in their cars. Terrorists are shutting down this country.
“It is disheartening that these enemies of the people are getting emboldened by the day. The bandits are becoming more daring and brazen. These blood-curdling enemies of the country have no regard for human life. They have no place in a civilized society and must be defeated.
“This attack and several others reported and not reported leave us with no option but to call for the immediate resignation of the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Army Staff as well as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.
“In the event, the aforementioned security chiefs refuse to resign, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack them with immediate effect”.
He also called for complete disbandment and a thorough investigation of the heads of intelligence agencies in the country for lack of diligence in their duties.
Shuaibu said, “We are aware that, President Buhari has bought enough modern and sophisticated weapons and other military hardware which if properly deployed will boost the fight against terrorism. The lack of coordination by the CDS and the intelligence setup accounts for this failure, leading to the death of many Nigerians. These attacks are preventable.
“The military has not justified the billions of Naira put into the security sector through the welfare of personnel and military hardware. Let the current security chiefs resign or be sacked for the safety of Nigerians. This is the immediate response to the failure of the military in tackling the security challenges in the country”.
The Punch
British Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation, bringing an abrupt end to a premiership that began with Labour’s landslide general election victory in July 2024.
Starmer made the announcement in a statement outside 10 Downing Street, where he reflected on his time in office and defended his record in government.
“Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first,” Starmer said as he confirmed he would step down as both prime minister and leader of the governing Labour Party.
The resignation marks a dramatic political development in the United Kingdom, coming barely two years after Starmer led Labour back to power following more than a decade in opposition.
His departure is expected to trigger a swift leadership transition within the party at a time of heightened political uncertainty.
Addressing supporters gathered outside Downing Street, Starmer described entering No. 10 in 2024 as “the proudest moment” of his life, saying he entered politics with the goal of improving the lives of millions of people.
The outgoing prime minister also highlighted what he considered some of his key achievements, including rebuilding the Labour Party after years of internal divisions and restoring public confidence in the party’s economic and national security credentials.
Starmer said he inherited a Labour Party that was “politically, financially and morally bankrupt” and faced repeated predictions that it was finished as a political force.
He argued that his leadership helped transform the party, including efforts to tackle anti-Semitism and reposition Labour as a credible alternative government.
His resignation has immediately intensified speculation over his successor. Attention has turned to Andy Burnham, who recently won the Makerfield by-election and is due to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament.
Political observers and Labour insiders believe Burnham could emerge as the overwhelming favourite to take over the party leadership. Some party members are already discussing the possibility of a “coronation” process in which Burnham becomes the sole candidate, avoiding a prolonged leadership contest.
If that scenario unfolds, Labour could have a new leader and prime minister in place by September, around the time of the party’s annual conference.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
