Author: Mohammad Adamu

Weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict that toppled Muammar Gaddafi have found their way into the hands of extremist groups in Nigeria, the United Nations has revealed. The UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, made the disclosure on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York, where member states gathered to address the global spread of illicit firearms. Nakamitsu said arms diverted during and after the Libyan conflict had since surfaced across the wider Sahel region — including Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria — and were later recovered in the possession of extremist groups. “The end of…

Six students of Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, are being held captive after suspected bandits stormed their off-campus residence on the outskirts of the Low-Cost area of Kaura Namoda town, Zamfara State. Seven students were initially abducted, but one managed to escape. Three male and three female students remain in the hands of the kidnappers, according to a fellow student, Ibrahim Ahmad. The Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Hon. Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the incident, saying security agencies had launched operations to secure the victims’ release. “Security operatives are currently carrying out rescue operations to ensure the safe return…

The United States has proposed new tariffs targeting 60 countries it accuses of failing to combat the trade of goods produced through forced labour, in the Trump administration’s latest push to rebuild its tariff agenda after a series of legal reversals. The US Trade Representative announced the proposed duties on Tuesday, with rates ranging from 10 to 12.5 per cent. The measures will be subject to a public comment period before any final decision is taken. Of the 60 targeted economies, 54 were found to have failed to establish or effectively enforce a ban on importing forced-labour goods. That group…

Teachers across Nigeria staged mass protests on Tuesday, demanding urgent government action to protect schools following a wave of abductions that has claimed the lives of two educators and left dozens of students still in captivity. The demonstrations, coordinated by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), swept through at least 15 states — including Borno, Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, and the Federal Capital Territory — marking one of the most widespread teacher-led protests in recent memory. The rallies were sparked by twin attacks in May that left more than 80 students and teachers kidnapped. On May 14, suspected Boko Haram…

FIFA has released the official squad lists for the 2026 World Cup, confirming player selections for all 48 participating nations ahead of the tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, which kicks off on June 11, 2026. A total of 1,248 players have been named across all nations, with 891 making their World Cup debut and 357 returning from previous tournaments. Africa will be represented by ten nations — Algeria, Cabo Verde, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia — each arriving with squads packed with talent from top clubs across the world.…

U.S. Reduces Visa Processing Centers in Africa to 20 The U.S. government has decided to consolidate its visa processing operations in Africa, reducing the number of diplomatic missions handling visa applications from nearly 50 to just 20 designated hubs. This significant change is part of President Trump’s ongoing efforts to tighten immigration controls and strengthen oversight of visa issuance. The new arrangement is expected to impose additional financial and logistical burdens on thousands of Africans seeking to travel to the United States. Many applicants from countries without designated visa-processing centers will now be required to travel to another African nation…

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has cautioned members of the public against carrying out reprisal attacks on South African nationals, businesses, and diplomatic interests in Nigeria, following the recent wave of xenophobic violence against Nigerians in South Africa. In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by police spokesman Anthony Placid, the NPF acknowledged public anger over the attacks but urged Nigerians to allow due process to take its course rather than respond with violence. “While concerns about attacks on Nigerians in South Africa are understandable, the public is strongly advised not to take the law into their own hands,”…

The United States and Iran exchanged military strikes over the weekend, deepening fears that a fragile ceasefire may be unravelling as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz have hit a wall.The US military said it carried out “self-defence strikes” on Iranian radar and drone control sites in southern Iran — its third such wave in just over a week — citing the downing of an American MQ-1 drone. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by targeting an air base it said was used to launch the attack, while Kuwait reported intercepting hostile missiles and drones in…

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency operatives have intercepted a cunning drug smuggling scheme in which high-potency narcotics were concealed inside water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos, as the agency simultaneously recorded arrests and seizures across Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states.The discovery was made on May 26, 2026, at a courier facility, where operatives recovered 3 kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA hidden inside the appliances. NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the find in a statement released on Sunday, describing it as part of a broader wave of coordinated enforcement operations across…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter, warning that the escalating wave of abductions, killings and mass displacement across Nigeria now threatens international peace and security. In an open letter dated May 30, 2026, and published on its official social media page, the rights group called on Guterres to bring Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation to the attention of the Security Council without delay. “Nigeria’s escalating insecurity and grave human rights violations are reflected in repeated abductions, killings, attacks on civilians, and mass displacement in Oyo,…