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Int’l Holocaust Day: Israel Calls for Education to Ward Off Another Reoccurrence
Int’l Holocaust Day: Israel Calls for Education to Ward Off Another Reoccurrence
By: Michael Mike
The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman has underscored the need for adequate investment in education to address the dangers of hate speech and hatred, and to ward off any reoccurrence of Holocaust.
Freeman, who is also the Permanent Representative of Israel to ECOWAS, while speaking at a commemoration of International Holocaust Day in Abuja on Friday, said the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 was the same as the Holocaust, both a child of anti-Semitic hate.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 that established the Holocaust and UN Outreach Programme, also designated January 27, as annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust.
Freeman said: “79 years ago, millions of Jews were murdered. Holocaust began with words, hate speech, singing out and dehumanising of Jewish people; which many people looked the other way.
“After the world stood by as millions of people were murdered, we suddenly declared `Never Again’ Holocaust denial took 30-years before it became widespread phenomenon today.
“Education is critical if we have to reverse the trend: when it happened 6-million Jews were murdered, when we talk about the number, we talk about population of cities.
“Yet, it still remains an unimaginable number, the only way to understand the dangers of Holocaust are from expression by individuals.”
He noted that the hatred that gave birth to Holocaust over 75 years ago was still much around today, insisting that education is the only cure.
UN Resident Coordinator who was represented by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, reading the message of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said there is need for a collective efforts to end all forms of Holocaust.
He said: “Today, we pause to mourn the six million Jewish children, women, and men systematically murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.
“We recognised the horrific resonance this day of commemoration finds in our own times, the antisemitic hate that fuelled the Holocaust.
“We did not start with the Nazis, nor did it end with their defeat.’’
According to him, today, we are witnessing hate spreading at alarming speed online, it has moved from margins to the mainstream.
He added that we must remember that disdain for diversity is danger to everyone, as no society is immune to intolerance and bigotry against one group is bigotry against all.
The British High Commissioner, Dr Richard Montgomery, represented by Cynthia Rowe, Development Director, FCDO, of British High Commission in Nigeria said: “UK government is committed to creating education and research about the Holocaust.
“We are building new Holocaust-memorial in London expected to be completed in 2027; UK will take on the precedence on International Day in remembrance of the victims of Holocaust in March, 2024.
The “theme of our precedence is in plain sight drawing attention that Holocaust did not happen in dark corner”.
The mission envoy explained that such would highlight suicidal practice, which allowed mass murder to have taken place on large scale.
“It is our collective responsibility to remember the horrors of the Holocaust and renew our vows that `Never again,” the envoy said.
Int’l Holocaust Day: Israel Calls for Education to Ward Off Another Reoccurrence
News
FACT CHECK: Viral Video Mocking Nigerian Troops Is Misleading, Dangerous Propaganda — Not Reality
FACT CHECK: Viral Video Mocking Nigerian Troops Is Misleading, Dangerous Propaganda — Not Reality
By Zagazola Makama
A viral video circulating on social media, in which a content creator identified as “Za Baba” mockingly portrays a supposed soldier captured by bandits, has been confirmed as FALSE, misleading, and dangerously irresponsible.
In the video, the individual uses derogatory language to depict Nigerian soldiers as weak, while glorifying bandits as “warriors.” He further dramatizes a fake scenario of a captured soldier, tied with ropes, taunts and mock sympathy, in what appears to be a staged and scripted performance designed purely for attention and virality.
There is no evidence that the video reflects any real incident. Field checks show no record of such an occurrence. The content creator had also used similar costume to act as bandit in his other videos while another individual acted as a soldier.
The clip is therefore nothing more than fabricated content packaged designed to provoke emotions, mislead the public, and undermine confidence in security forces.
What makes this even more troubling is not just the falsehood but the intent. In a country battling insurgency and banditry, portraying terrorists as heroes while ridiculing national troops is not “content creation” it is reckless amplification of enemy narratives.
The Nigerian military operates in some of the most hostile environments imaginable, confronting heavily armed groups daily. These are men and women who risk and often lose their lives to keep communities safe. Reducing that sacrifice to cheap mockery for clicks is not satire, it is disgraceful.
The individual behind the video was reckless. There is a difference between freedom of expression and irresponsible messaging that emboldens criminals and demoralises those on the frontlines.
Content creators must understand that influence comes with responsibility especially in matters of national security.
Equally concerning is how quickly some bloggers and social media users amplified the clip without verification, using it to attack the military. This reflects a growing trend where falsehood spreads faster than truth, especially when it feeds outrage.
The public is strongly advised to treat such viral content with caution. Not everything seen online is real and in many cases like this, it is deliberately crafted to distort reality.
Nigeria’s security challenges are real. But so too are the sacrifices of those confronting them. Mocking that effort while romanticising terrorists is not just wrong, it is dangerous.
FACT CHECK: Viral Video Mocking Nigerian Troops Is Misleading, Dangerous Propaganda — Not Reality
Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Nigerian Army have neutralised two suspected terrorists during a fighting patrol in Zamfara State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted by troops of 1 Brigade Quick Reaction Force (QRF) from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bagega in the early hours of May 4.
The troops, while on patrol, advanced through Maikwanuga village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area, extending operations to Aljumma, Gidan Dawa, Magami Didi, and Tungar Magaji villages in Maradun Local Government Area.
During the operation, the troops made contact with suspected terrorists at Tungar Magaji village, where a firefight ensued.
“In the course of the engagement, two terrorists were neutralised, while others fled with possible gunshot wounds,” the source said.
Items recovered from the scene include one AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and a motorcycle.
The troops are currently exploiting the general area to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent further threats in the region.
Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara
Army opens 2026 RSM Convention in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
The 2026 Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSM) Convention has been declared open in Kaduna, with senior military officials and stakeholders in attendance.
The event, hosted by 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, was inaugurated on May 4 at the JN Garba Hall, Ribadu Cantonment, by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), represented by the Commandant of the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAIPKLC), Maj.-Gen. D.G. Allu.
In attendance were the Chief of Army Administration, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, commanders of affiliated formations within the division’s area of responsibility, resource persons, and representatives of other security agencies, among other invited guests.
The theme of the convention is “Empowering RSMs to Drive Combat Readiness and Professional Excellence.”
The convention is expected to provide a platform for professional development, experience sharing, and strengthening leadership capacity among Regimental Sergeant Majors in the Nigerian Army.
Army opens 2026 RSM Convention in Kaduna
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