News
Touray Commends Nigeria’s Role in Thwarting Benin Military Takeover
Touray Commends Nigeria’s Role in Thwarting Benin Military Takeover
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday applauded Nigeria’s role in quashing the attempted coup in Benin Republic.
Speaking at the opening of the 55th Ordinary session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ministerial level in Abuja, the President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray decried that with recent insecurity in the subregion, it won’t be out of place to say that the region is in a state of emergency.
Touray, while extolling the contribution of Nigeria in truncated the overthrow of democratic governance in Benin Republic, asked that Nigeria should be given a standing ovation by the gathering.
Touray noted the swift intervention of Nigeria’s military within a short period to stand off the coupists, insisting that this should be the standard in the region if democracy must be protected.
The ECOWAS Commission President said it won’t be out of place to say that the region is in a state of emergency with the current political situation, terrorism and banditry.
He noted that: “Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community.
“Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency. For that, the sessions of the mediation and security council should be organized more regularly beyond the two ordinary sessions for the next one year. “We must confront these threats with the attention they deserve.
“We must pool our resources to confront the threats of terrorism and banditry, which operate without respect for territorial boundaries.”
He therefore called for constant meetings of the mediation and security council beyond the two ordinary sessions for the next one year, calling for an urgent need to confront these threats with the attention they deserve.
Touray said the region must pool its resources to confront the threats of terrorism and banditry, which operate without respect for territorial boundaries, while lamenting the scaring humanitarian figure as a fall out of insecurity within the sub-region.
He noted that the recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa as of October 2025, is approximately 7.6 million individuals forcibly displayed and an additional 1,094,742 refugees and asylum seekers.
The ECOWAS President said the different risk levels across the region demands immediate and concerted action.
He listed the risk factors to include the persistence of military interventions (Guinea-Bissau and Republic of Benin just days ago) and non-compliance with transition norms in Guinea, as we face a military leader turning into a civilian leader).
He also highlighted other causes of humanitarian challenge to include growing erosion of electoral inclusivity across multiple states; Expanding influence of Terrorists and Armed Groups and criminal networks threatening regional stability.
Touray pointed out the need for constant monitoring of political situations within member states.
He said: “This Council needs to constantly monitor the political and security situation in our Community, to provide guidance and to enable regional action.”
Touray Commends Nigeria’s Role in Thwarting Benin Military Takeover
News
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
By Aisha Gambo
The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).
The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.
She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.
According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.
“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.
Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.
She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.
According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.
She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.
Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.
She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.
The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.
She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.
Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.
She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
News
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
By: Zagazola Makama
Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.
According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.
Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.
Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.
The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Health
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
By: Zagazola Makama
A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.
According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.
The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.
The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.
The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
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