Headlines
Tinubu Reads Riot Act to Borno Suicide Bombers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has condemned last weekend’s suicide bomb attacks in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State and warned that purveyors of wanton violence in the country will certainly face justice.
Tinubu described the incident, which resulted in the loss of several lives, as cowardly. He stated that it was an isolated episode, and the government was already taking necessary steps to secure citizens.
Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, also condemned the act and expressed condolences to the victims, government and people of Borno.
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said it was sad that suicide bombing was to resurfacing in the North-east.
Director-General of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Barkindo Saibu, gave a vivid account of how the teenage female suicide bombers detonated explosives that killed 18 children, pregnant women, men and others on Saturday in Gwoza.
Gwoza is the birthplace of Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force, yesterday, said the Air Component of the Joint Taskforce, Operation Delta Safe, intercepted fleeing speed boats with stolen oil in the Niger Delta, and killed some terrorists at Kuchi-Kapana community in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.
In a release by his media adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu described the Borno attacks as desperate acts of terror, a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists, and a mark of the success achieved in degrading the terrorists’ capacity to launch offensives.
He declared that perpetrators of wanton violence will have a certain encounter with justice, adding, “These cowardly attacks are only but an isolated episode.” He said his government will “not allow the country to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood.”
He emphasised that his administration was applying necessary measures to secure citizens, stressing that efforts would be redoubled to ensure that those who trouble the country, dispatching precious lives, and disrupting law and order are completely removed.
Tinubu condoled with the victims of the attacks, the families of the deceased, as well as the government and people of Borno State.
But Boko Haram conducted yet another bombing at Monguno, in the northern part of Borno State, on Sunday.
Meanwhile, two female suicide bombers were, reportedly, arrested in Borno State in connection with the detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza. A local government official, who confirmed this to Channels Television, said 30 of the female suicide bombers were sent into Gwoza to detonate the IEDs at different locations.
But only four suicide bombers exploded so far, the source said.
The source added that one of the female bombers that came from Pulka Axis was being interrogated by the military at a checkpoint when she panicked and detonated the IED, killing herself, a soldier, and a civilian JTF member.
Headlines
‘Hands off’: Millions of People Join Protests Against Trump and Elon Musk Across All US States
Millions of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement over “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.
According to CNN, over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said.
“Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.”
“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”
Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.
Organizers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”
Commissioner of Police, CP Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Force Intelligence Department (FID) Abuja, has extended an invitation to the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, for an “investigative meeting with regards to an incident that occurred during the Sallah celebration within your domain”.
The said incident is in connection with the violence that broke out during the recent Eid-el-Fitr procession in Kano, which resulted in the death of a local vigilante member.
The incident happened as the Emir’s entourage moved from the Eid prayer ground to the palace in a traditional procession. The clash, which marred the otherwise peaceful celebration, led to the tragic loss of life of a vigilante member, Surajo Rabiu, and left one other injured.
The invitation was conveyed in an official letter dated April 4, 2025, and signed by Commissioner of Police, CP Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Force Intelligence Department (FID) Abuja.
The letter reads: “I have the directives of the Inspector General of Police, through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), to invite you for an investigative meeting with regards to an incident that occurred during the Sallah celebration within your domain.”
The Emir has been requested to appear before the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja, opposite the Police Headquarters, Area 11, by 10:00am on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
This development comes amid heightened tensions in Kano State following the earlier decision by the State Police Command to ban the annual Durbar festival due to security concerns. The ban, announced days before the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, was intended to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order during the festive period.
However, despite the suspension of the Durbar, a motorcade procession of Emir Sanusi II still took place on the third day of the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
The Kano State Police Commissioner, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, had also inaugurated an eight-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to investigate the violence.
As at the time of this report, there has been no official response from the Emir Sanusi II’s palace regarding the Police invitation.
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has resigned his appointment.
Reports say the former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) tendered his resignation about two weeks ago.
Further reports quoting presidency sources did not, however, provide details of the reasons for his decision, but only stated that it was on personal grounds.
Baba-Ahmed was appointed in September 2023 as Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Over the past 17 months, he had represented the presidency at several public fora, including a recent national conference themed: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity”, which held from January 28 and 29, 2025 in Abuja.
