National News
Rep. Ahmed Ja Babawo’s Boko Haram remarks are reckless, demoralising, and dangerous

Rep. Ahmed Ja Babawo’s Boko Haram remarks are reckless, demoralising, and dangerous
By: Zagazola Makama
The recent outburst by Rep. Ahmed Ja Babawo, the Member representing Chibok, Damboa, and Gwoza Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, claiming that Boko Haram is more sophisticated than the Nigerian Army, is not only irresponsible, it is an affront to the gallantry, sacrifices, and resilience of our Armed Forces.
At a time when our soldiers are battling against the most brutal form of asymmetric warfare, it is appalling that a sitting lawmaker would mount the podium of national representation to glorify terrorists and diminish the credibility of Nigeria’s military. In any serious democracy, such inflammatory rhetoric would be met with public censure, if not outright disciplinary measures.
Let us be clear: what Rep. Babawo has done is not advocacy. It is sabotage. He claimed terrorism is “returning to 2014.” Really? In 2014, over 17 local government areas in Borno State were completely overrun. Gwoza, the very heart of his constituency, was declared a “caliphate” by Boko Haram. Tens of thousands were displaced, entire communities levelled, and humanitarian camps stretched to the brink. Those were the days of daily suicide bombings in Maiduguri by Abubakar Shekau, military bases overrun, and territory actually held by terrorists.
That is not today’s reality. Today, none of those librated LGAs are taken back by the terrorists. None. Even the last IDP camp in Maiduguri “Muna” is scheduled to be closed within weeks, According to Governor Babagana Zulum. So far, over two million displaced people have been voluntarily and safely resettled by the Borno State Government, with massive investments in housing, infrastructure, schools, and health centres.
The locations the lawmaker mentioned Sabon Gari, Izge, Wajiroko have not experienced any form of mass displacement. What occurred were isolated, hit-and-run attacks targeting military formations, not civilians. These were tactical ambushes, not territorial seizures. No ground was lost, no civilian communities were overrun, and certainly no LGAs have been displaced. Even the loggers he claimed were slaughtered by Boko Haram, went beyond the parameters set up by the Military in search for firewood which exposed them to attacks.
But to hear Rep. Babawo tell it, Nigeria is once again on the brink of collapse.
This is not just exaggeration; it is a lie. And it is a dangerous one. It insults the blood of our fallen heroes. It diminishes the sweat of our deployed troops. It undermines the faith of our citizens in the very institutions designed to protect them. Worst of all, it gives psychological oxygen to the terrorists we are fighting. It emboldens them. It tells them their tactics are working. Who benefits from such a narrative? Certainly not the Nigerian people. Certainly not the grieving mothers of soldiers who died holding the line. Certainly not the children who now attend schools rebuilt in liberated communities.
The fact is that our troops under Operation Hadin Kai are doing an excellent job in the exceedingly difficult terrain. While the war is far from over, the Armed Forces and the government are still maintaining the momentum. The achievement of the troops of Operation Hadin Kai are vividly illustrated by the neutralization of over 567 terrorists, among them include over 51 top commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP from February 2024 to date. These targeted assaults coupled with meticulous intelligence gathering resulted in the recovery of 492 assorted weapons, over 10,714 rounds of ammunition, and numerous high value items including general purpose machine guns, rifles, and various explosives.
The success of counter-terrorism activities extended beyond weapon captures. the military rescued over 2,225 civilians from terrorist enclaves. Additionally, more than 9,800 patrols, nearly 2,700 ambushes, and over 990 clearance and offensive operations were carried out, significantly weakening enemy strongholds and restoring safety to the civilian population. Also, through intensive interdiction NAF Air Component operations conducting 232 missions killing hundreds of the insurgents and destroying their logistics across 230 sorties, clocking more than 567 hours of flight time the air component remained a force multiplier in the fight.
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) played a crucial role; the Nigerian Air Force UAV command executed 760 ISR missions totaling 6,674 flight hours, providing real-time intelligence and enabling precision strikes. This synergy of air and ground operations facilitated the arrest of over 161 terrorists’ logisticians and the surrender of an astounding 200,000 fighters along with their families, which marked a paradigm shift in the theatre’s counter-insurgency efforts.
Other Key activities was the successful conduct of Operation Desert Sanity III, aimed at degrading insurgent networks, coupled with the ongoing efforts in community stabilization. The resettlement of over 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kukawa after successful stabilization operations exemplifies the tangible peace dividends.
Rather than standing on the floor of the National Assembly to push for better soldier welfare, increased military recruitment, or more funding for equipment and surveillance, Rep. Babawo has chosen the path of alarmism. When was the last time he sponsored a bill to improve military pensions? Or advocated for increased defence procurement? Or even visited the frontline to see the real work being done?
In truth, this lawmaker and others like him are not offering solutions. They are offering sensationalism. They prefer soundbites to statecraft. They peddle despair while brave men and women fight daily to bring hope.This trend must end.
National security should never be politicised. Insecurity should never be weaponised for relevance or clout. It is a disservice to the nation, and a betrayal of those who fight in our name.
What is required now is synergy between the military, National Assembly, the police, intelligence agencies, and local authorities. It is the failure of this synergy that has left the Nigerian Army overstretched, deployed to 36 states for duties that ought to be handled by other security agencies. It is not the fault of the military that they are made to respond to every internal threat, no matter how minor. That is a structural problem, not a tactical one.
The Nigerian Police Force must step up. They must be equipped, trained, and repositioned to handle internal security so the military can focus on their primary role. But instead, the military dislodges terrorists, only to be told to “hold the ground” indefinitely, while the civil institutions that should take over are nowhere to be found.
This model is unsustainable. To win this war, we must empower our military, reform our police, and harmonise our security architecture. Governors must also evolve innovative local solutions and ensure good governance that fosters peace.
What we do not need is a politician who sees headlines in the blood of his own people, who shouts fire where there is none, and who declares defeat while our troops continue to win. What happened in Izge was an example. Five terrorists were killed while weapons were recovered but the politicians chose to report that one captain was killed without mentioning the casualties of the terrorists.
The Nigerian Armed Forces are not the enemy. They are the backbone of peace. They are the custodians of our sovereignty. They are the reason Chibok, Damboa, Konduga, Bama, Gwoza and many other LGAs are still standing today. Therefore, to glorify Boko Haram’s “sophistication” over them is not patriotism it is treasonous talk wrapped in cowardice.
This is the time to rally behind our military not ridicule them. This is the time for facts, not fearmongering. And this is the time for lawmakers to act like leaders, not megaphones for terrorists.
The war is not over, but we are not in 2014. Anyone saying otherwise is either ignorant, complicit, or both.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region.
Rep. Ahmed Ja Babawo’s Boko Haram remarks are reckless, demoralising, and dangerous
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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