National News
FG is duty bound to protect lives of military and civilians from armed attacks

FG is duty bound to protect lives of military and civilians from armed attacks
By: Michael Mike
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said the federal government is duty bound to protect the lives of both the military personnel and other citizens under its jurisdiction from attacks by armed groups.
The Chairperson Governing Council of the Commission, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman said who this in Abuja on Wednesday at a Colloquium on Human Rights in Counter Insurgency Operation in Nigeria.
She said the protection of lives of military personnel and other citizens is imperative given the increased insurgency and counter-insurgency operations in some parts of the country.
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Speaking during her opening statement at the colloquium organized by the NHRC in partnership with Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), with the support of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Chairperson regretted that both the military and other citizens have been known to suffer constant human rights violations in some part of the country.
She noted that these violations, include the right to life, the right to freedom of movement, torture, extra judicial executions, inhuman and degrading treatments, and others.
She however said despite the all these challenges all hope is not lost given the commitment of the leadership of the Commission to partner with relevant bodies to deliver on its statutory mandate of promoting and protecting, and enforcing human rights in Nigeria.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu said the colloquium is coming at a time when insurgency, banditry, and separatist agitations continue to unleash violence on Nigeria.
Ojukwu therefore commended Centre for Democracy and Development (CDC) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) for the partnership in organising the colloquium which is an opportunity for stakeholders to brainstorm on how best to mainstream human rights principles in counter-insurgency operations in the country.
According to Ojukwu, the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East has led to the loss of over 350,000 lives and the displacement of more than 2 million people from across the region and other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
The Executive Secretary stated that the Commission under its power in Section 5 (j) of the Act to receive and investigate complaints concerning violations of human rights has continued to receive reports of human rights violations by our Armed Forces on civilians, and these complaints are being handled in line with the mandate of the Commission.
These human rights violations, the NHRC’s Chief Executive Officer noted, include prolonged detention, bombardments, revenge attacks, and extra-judicial killings among others.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Military always has the interest of the civilian populations in its counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria and would not embark on any operation that would result in civilian casualties.
The Chief of Defense Staff, who was represented at the event by Rear Admiral Adeseye Ayobanjo (of Defense Civil-Military Relations), said that in a bid to integrate human rights in the operations of the military, efforts are usually made by the authorities in the military to collaborate with the necessary partners like the NHRC and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to continuously train military personnel on human rights principles that are applicable during operations.
He said in doing this apart from training Commissioned Officers as was done in the past in counter-insurgency operations, non-commissioned Officers now participate in the various human rights training targeted at integrating human rights in military operations.
He further stated that the military will not fail in its responsibility to fight the Boko Haram insurgents and ISWAP, which he noted are characterized by the destruction of lives and properties of citizens.
He, however, stated that human rights violations have drastically reduced despite the threat of insurgency in the country since 2009.
Other participants including members of the CSOs, development partners, regional and international human rights networks, etc were all united in their concerns that the Military has no option but to protect the rights of the civilian populations in its operations, by abiding by the Rules of Engagement and Code of Conduct for military personnel
FG is duty bound to protect lives of military and civilians from armed attacks
National News
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
By: Michael Mike
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.
The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.
In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.
“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.
“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.
The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.
Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.
Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
National News
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
By: Michael Mike
The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.
A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.
“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”
According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.
The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.
Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
National News
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp
By: Michael Mike
Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.
Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.
Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.
“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.
“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”
Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.
“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”
She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
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