Day: February 3, 2026

Army unveils Smart, Tech-driven strategy to crush asymmetric threats

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Nigerian Army has unveiled a dynamic, intelligence-driven and technology-enabled strategy to tackle evolving security challenges across the country, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, announced on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Speaking to participants of Course 34 at the National Defence College (NDC), Nigeria, during a strategic lecture titled “Combating Asymmetric Threats to National Security in Nigeria: The Nigerian Army in Perspective,” Lieutenant General Shaibu highlighted the shift from traditional state-centered conflicts to complex intra-state threats posed by terrorists, insurgents, bandits, cybercriminals and transnational crime networks.…

COAS orders world-class standards in Nigerian Army hospitality services

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has called for the adoption of world-class management standards across Nigerian Army hospitality enterprises, stressed that excellence in service delivery remains vital to sustainability and institutional credibility. He made this call on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the opening ceremony of the Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programmes (DSSP) Annual Army Officers’ Mess and Suites Stakeholders Conference 2025, held in Abuja. The conference, themed “Conforming to World-Class Management Standards for Sustainable Nigerian Army Hospitality Businesses,” brought together key…

COAS strengthens partnership with NAFRC to enhance Troops’ welfare, Post-Service empowerment

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Lagos, to improve personnel welfare and prepare troops for life after service. Shaibu gave the assurance on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, during a high-level meeting with the Commandant of NAFRC, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja. He emphasised the need to remove operational challenges hindering effective skills acquisition and post-service transition, stressed that welfare support must…

Troops destroy ISWAP detention facilities in Timbuktu Triangle, free over 70 captives

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have recorded a major operational breakthrough with the destruction of three notorious ISWAP terrorist detention facilities deep within the Timbuktu Triangle forest in Gujba Local Government Area. Confirming the development, the Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said the operation was carried out under Operation DESERT SANITY V after weeks of sustained offensive actions and intelligence-led manoeuvres that forced terrorist elements to abandon key strongholds. He noted that the development mark a significant advance…

Bespoke Holdings MD pledges support for NUJ FCT Ultra-Modern Congress Hall

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Managing Director of Bespoke Holdings Limited, Dr. Christian Olatunji, has pledged immediate material and technical support for the ongoing construction of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council’s ultra-modern Congress Hall. Dr. Olatunji made the commitment on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, during an on-site visit to the NUJ FCT Secretariat in Abuja, aimed at assessing the level of work and identifying areas requiring support. The visit was in furtherance of the growing partnership between the NUJ FCT Council and Bespoke Holdings Limited. He was received by the Council’s…

2026 FCT Polls: NUJ FCT Chairman urges media to uphold ethics, demands safety for Journalists

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, Comrade Grace Ike, has urged media practitioners to prioritise accuracy, professionalism, and fairness in the coverage of the 2026 FCT Area Council Elections. Speaking at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Forum for Media Executives, Producers, Reporters, and On-Air Personalities in Abuja on Tuesday, Ike stressed that elections are not decided only at polling units but also in the information space. According to her, the rapid spread of misinformation poses a serious threat to public trust,…

Niger Police arrests burglary, drug, and thuggery suspects, rescues 10 kidnap victims

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Niger State Police Command has recorded major breakthroughs in its fight against crime with the arrest of several suspects for house breaking, theft, thuggery, and drug-related offences, as well as the rescue of abducted victims across the state. In a statement issued on February 2, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed that on January 26, 2026, police operatives at ‘B’ Division, Suleja, arrested one Ahmed Jibril in connection with multiple cases of house breaking and theft. The arrest followed complaints from about 13 residents of…

Gen Oluyede At 100 Days: Steering a United Front Against Insecurity By Chuks Oyema

Emporium Reporters

As Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, marks his first 100 days in office, early signals from Defence Headquarters suggest a tenure defined by coordination, renewed momentum, and a deliberate push to weld the Armed Forces into a more cohesive and professional fighting force.   From the outset, Gen. Oluyede made synergy among the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force and other security agencies a central plank of his leadership. Defence watchers say this emphasis has translated into tighter joint planning, improved intelligence sharing and more integrated operations…

Illicit Drugs: Marwa urges nationwide backing for alternative development programme

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has called on all stakeholders to give strong nationwide support to Nigeria’s alternative development programme, aimed at curbing illicit cannabis cultivation and strengthening national security. Marwa made the appeal on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja, highlighted Africa’s first large-scale alternative development drug control initiative, recently piloted in three cannabis-producing communities in Ondo State. The pilot scheme, launched in Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo, is designed to replace illegal cannabis…

FG, Stakeholders push Translational Research to drive Africa’s health, economic growth

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with global and local partners, has intensified efforts to strengthen translational research across Africa, urging the continent to move from being a source of extracted data to a driver of scientific innovation, healthcare solutions and economic development. This call was made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, at the SPARK Translational Research Boot Camp and Conference 2026, held in Abuja on Monday. The conference was jointly organised by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development…