Nigeria rules out ceasefire with Islamists, vows sustained military offensive

Nigeria's military on Thursday ruled out any ceasefire with ​Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic ‌State West Africa Province, adding it would press ahead with operations against insurgent and ​other armed groups.

Attacks by Boko Haram ​and ISWAP on military positions in ⁠northeastern Nigeria have surged in recent weeks ​despite years of military operations aimed at ​containing the 17-year-old insurgency in the region.

Speaking at an intelligence briefing in the capital Abuja, ​military spokesperson Major-General Samaila Uba said ​recent gains, including insurgents killed, suspects arrested and hostages ‌rescued, ⁠showed security forces were sustaining pressure on armed groups.

"I want to make it clear that there is nothing like ​a ceasefire ... ​considering the ⁠successes recorded across our operations, it is clear that we ​are not relenting," Uba said.

He ​also ⁠said Nigeria is in talks with neighbouring Sahel states that left the West ⁠African ​bloc ECOWAS on security ​and diplomatic cooperation.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

Nigerian court voids candidacy of opposition ADC's Atiku for 2027 election

A Nigerian court on Thursday voided the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of ​the African Democratic Congress for January's election, dealing a blow ‌to one of the main opposition challengers.

Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC national deputy chairman, had asked the court to nullify the process that produced the ​party's leadership, arguing that its officials were not elected through a ​national convention.

The judge set aside all processes that led to ⁠the emergence of the party executive as well as Atiku's nomination ​as the party's presidential candidate.

The ADC rejected the ruling, describing it as ​a politically motivated attempt to weaken the opposition following a large campaign rally in the northwestern city of Sokoto, and said it would launch a challenge at ​the Court of Appeal.

"We have seen this script before. When they are ​scared that the opposition is gathering steam, they use their judges in the courts ‌to ⁠influence legally indefensible judgments," ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said in a statement.

The ruling comes days after President Bola Tinubu formally launched his own re-election campaign in the northern city of Kaduna, where he sought to persuade ​voters that painful economic ​reforms were ⁠beginning to yield results despite a persistent cost-of-living crisis.

Nigeria has seen an incumbent president lose only once, in ​2015, when Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to the late ​Muhammadu Buhari ⁠following an opposition merger.

Atiku, vice president between 1999 and 2007, was the runner-up in the last election and had won the ticket to represent ⁠the ADC ​in May in what was going to ​have been his seventh presidential bid.

He and Peter Obi, who came third last time, had ​been seen as the main opposition challengers.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

Video - Nigeria faces rising heat threat as El Niño raises health fears

Nigeria could record an estimated 31,400 additional heat-related deaths between September 2026 and February 2027, as concerns grow over an intense El Niño. With millions lacking reliable electricity and affordable cooling, vulnerable households and businesses face mounting risks from extreme temperatures.

CGTN Africa

14 Nigerian-Americans secure victories in US midterm elections

Nigerians in Diaspora Commission chairperson Abike Dabiri-Erewa identified 14 Nigerian-Americans among the winners of the State elections.

Their victories span Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Connecticut, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, with the successful candidates emerging at different levels of government.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa congratulated the politicians in a post on X on Wednesday.

“Hearty congratulations to Nigerian Americans who won elections in the US. Wishing all of them great success,” Ms Dabiri-Erewa wrote.

Among those listed are Segun Adeyina and Gabe Okoye, who secured seats in the Georgia House of Representatives for Districts 110 and 102, respectively.

Others include Solomon Adesanya and Phil Olaleye, representing Georgia’s 43rd and 59th districts.

In Maryland, Will Jawando was listed as the winner of the Montgomery County executive position, while Esther Agbaje secured a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 59B.

Ukeme Awakessien-Jeter was listed as the winner in Ohio’s House District 7, while Junior Ezeonu secured Texas House District 101.

The list also includes Olaleye Onikuyide, who won Connecticut House District 19, and Justin Onwenu, who secured Michigan State Senate District 1.

Janelle Anyanonu emerged victorious in New Mexico’s House District 19, while Carol Kazeem won Pennsylvania House District 159.

The other candidates are Odus Evbagharu, who secured Texas House District 135, and Oye Owolewa, who won an at-large seat on the Washington Council.

By Beloved John, Premium Times

London court rejects ex-Nigeria governor's appeal in corruption case

 

A London court on Tuesday rejected a former Nigerian oil state governor's bid to reduce a $136.05 million asset confiscation order imposed on ​him after he was convicted in a corruption case.

James Ibori, ‌who enjoys occasional access to President Bola Tinubu and remains influential in oil-producing Delta State, served more than four years in jail in Britain after his 2012 conviction.

He ​had pleaded guilty to laundering tens of millions of dollars in ​stolen public funds through British banks and properties during his ⁠time as governor of Delta from 1999 to 2007.

In 2023, a lower ​London criminal court ordered that £101.5 million ($136.05 million) of his assets should be ​confiscated. It was one of the largest confiscation orders imposed on an individual in British legal history.

Ibori appealed, seeking to have it reduced by some £4.3 million, but on Tuesday ​the Court of Appeal rejected his lawyer’s arguments.

The appeal has been holding ​up the confiscation. It should now go ahead, unless Ibori seeks to appeal to ‌the ⁠Supreme Court.

He told Reuters he was speaking to his lawyers to decide his next steps. He also said it had been a very long time since his troubles started. “Give me a break,” he added.

In his heyday as ​governor, Ibori was a ​household name in ⁠Nigeria and a powerful figure, given Delta’s importance to the national economy.

After a joint investigation into his financial ​affairs by Nigerian and British anti-corruption police, he left ​Nigeria for ⁠Dubai, and was extradited from there to Britain in 2011.

After his guilty plea in 2012, he received a 13-year prison sentence. Taking into account both pre- ⁠and ​post-trial detention, he served about half of it.

He ​was released in late 2016 and returned to Nigeria in early 2017.

Reuters

Related story: Former Delta state governor James Ibori pleads guilty to money laundering