Nigerian authorities have urged citizens not to target South African nationals or businesses following renewed xenophobic attacks on immigrants. Officials say security has been strengthened around key locations to prevent a repeat of the retaliatory attacks seen during previous outbreaks of xenophobic unrest.
Friday, June 12, 2026
Video - Nigeria warns against reprisals over xenophobic attacks in South Africa
Nigerian authorities have urged citizens not to target South African nationals or businesses following renewed xenophobic attacks on immigrants. Officials say security has been strengthened around key locations to prevent a repeat of the retaliatory attacks seen during previous outbreaks of xenophobic unrest.
“Criticize Me, But Never Stop Believing in Nigeria,” Tinubu Tells Citizens
President Bola Tinubu has urged the media and civil society organisations not to stop believing in Nigeria even when they criticise his government.
Mr Tinubu spoke in a televised broadcast to mark this year’s Democracy Day on Friday.
Addressing key democratic institutions, Mr Tinubu described the National Assembly, the judiciary, the press and civil society groups as the “guardrails” of the republic.
“To our National Assembly, Judiciary, the Press, and Civil Society: you are the guardrails of our republic. Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in Nigeria,” the president said.
The president noted that Nigeria had sustained 27 years of uninterrupted civilian rule since 1999, describing it as the country’s longest period of democratic governance.
“Our democracy is not perfect, but it is ours, and we must continue to defend and strengthen it,” he said.
Mr Tinubu spoke in a televised broadcast to mark this year’s Democracy Day on Friday.
Addressing key democratic institutions, Mr Tinubu described the National Assembly, the judiciary, the press and civil society groups as the “guardrails” of the republic.
“To our National Assembly, Judiciary, the Press, and Civil Society: you are the guardrails of our republic. Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in Nigeria,” the president said.
The president noted that Nigeria had sustained 27 years of uninterrupted civilian rule since 1999, describing it as the country’s longest period of democratic governance.
“Our democracy is not perfect, but it is ours, and we must continue to defend and strengthen it,” he said.
Elections, Security
Mr Tinubu also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful and credible governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
According to him, democracy is weakened when citizens lose confidence in the electoral process.
The president also addressed Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that the mood of the day was “dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno.”
He said the administration had declared a security emergency, approved recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel, and committed N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 budget — the largest allocation yet.
Speaking on the economy, the president defended recent reforms as a “necessity,” citing improved federation revenues, higher domestic refining capacity, and growth in non-oil exports.
He said the next phase would focus on making democracy felt in the quality of life through job creation, lower inflation, and expanded opportunities for youth.
He also honoured the heroes of the ‘June 12’ struggle, including M.K.O. Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, and announced national awards for democracy activists and “soldier-democrats” who suffered persecution.
“Let us renew our covenant: That the labours of our heroes’ past shall never be in vain, and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this land,” Mr Tinubu said.
Mr Tinubu also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful and credible governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
According to him, democracy is weakened when citizens lose confidence in the electoral process.
The president also addressed Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that the mood of the day was “dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno.”
He said the administration had declared a security emergency, approved recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel, and committed N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 budget — the largest allocation yet.
Speaking on the economy, the president defended recent reforms as a “necessity,” citing improved federation revenues, higher domestic refining capacity, and growth in non-oil exports.
He said the next phase would focus on making democracy felt in the quality of life through job creation, lower inflation, and expanded opportunities for youth.
He also honoured the heroes of the ‘June 12’ struggle, including M.K.O. Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, and announced national awards for democracy activists and “soldier-democrats” who suffered persecution.
“Let us renew our covenant: That the labours of our heroes’ past shall never be in vain, and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this land,” Mr Tinubu said.
Nigeria orders arrest of former state oil chief over $154 billion audit probe amid failed refinery repairs
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts issued the order on June 10 after nine hearings into 19 audit queries involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, or NNPC, covering 2017 to 2023.
The investigation has intensified scrutiny of Africa’s biggest oil producer, where billions of dollars have been spent on state-owned refineries that have yet to achieve reliable production.
“Anywhere Mele Kyari is, the former group GCEO should be arrested and brought before the committee immediately,” committee chairman Ibrahim Dankwambo said after lawmakers approved the motion.
The ₦210 trillion under review, equivalent to about $154 billion, does not necessarily represent missing funds.
NNPC told lawmakers that ₦103 trillion ($75.6 billion) reflected accrued expenses, while ₦107 trillion ($78.5 billion) was listed as receivables.
However, lawmakers rejected the explanation and demanded supporting documents and testimony from former company executives.
Appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, Kyari led NNPC first as group managing director and later as group chief executive following the company’s restructuring. He remained in the role until 2025.
‘Not only when it catches the rabbit’
Adams Oshiomhole, a former state governor who now serves in the Senate, backed the arrest motion and said Kyari must personally account for decisions taken during his tenure.
“Some people believe they are bigger than Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said. “The law must be effective when it catches the lion, not only when it catches the rabbit.”
He urged the committee to issue the warrant “not tomorrow, but today”.
“These are allegations involving trillions of naira at a time Nigerians are suffering, and the country is borrowing heavily,” Oshiomhole said.
Another lawmaker informed the committee that Kyari was receiving medical treatment in Germany and had promised to attend the hearing.
Kyari said he had notified lawmakers about his condition and was “deeply shocked” by the arrest order. Nonetheless, the committee maintained that his repeated absence had stalled the investigation.
Adams Oshiomhole, a former state governor who now serves in the Senate, backed the arrest motion and said Kyari must personally account for decisions taken during his tenure.
“Some people believe they are bigger than Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said. “The law must be effective when it catches the lion, not only when it catches the rabbit.”
He urged the committee to issue the warrant “not tomorrow, but today”.
“These are allegations involving trillions of naira at a time Nigerians are suffering, and the country is borrowing heavily,” Oshiomhole said.
Another lawmaker informed the committee that Kyari was receiving medical treatment in Germany and had promised to attend the hearing.
Kyari said he had notified lawmakers about his condition and was “deeply shocked” by the arrest order. Nonetheless, the committee maintained that his repeated absence had stalled the investigation.
Borrowing raises pressure for accountability
The audit dispute comes as Nigeria increases borrowing to finance government spending and infrastructure.
In October 2025, parliament approved a $2.85 billion foreign borrowing plan, including a proposed $500 million sovereign sukuk.
More recently, the government arranged access to as much as $5 billion through a derivatives agreement with First Abu Dhabi Bank.
The International Monetary Fund warned that such financing structures could be complex and opaque, creating additional fiscal risks.
Nigeria is also expected to spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing in 2026, close to half of projected government revenue.
The audit dispute comes as Nigeria increases borrowing to finance government spending and infrastructure.
In October 2025, parliament approved a $2.85 billion foreign borrowing plan, including a proposed $500 million sovereign sukuk.
More recently, the government arranged access to as much as $5 billion through a derivatives agreement with First Abu Dhabi Bank.
The International Monetary Fund warned that such financing structures could be complex and opaque, creating additional fiscal risks.
Nigeria is also expected to spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing in 2026, close to half of projected government revenue.
State refineries remain unreliable
Scrutiny of NNPC has also focused on Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
The facilities have a combined processing capacity of 445,000 barrels a day and were intended to reduce the country’s dependence on imported petrol, diesel and other refined products.
However, years of rehabilitation programmes and billions of dollars in spending have failed to restore sustained production.
The Port Harcourt refinery resumed limited operations in November 2024 after a rehabilitation programme valued at about $1.5 billion. NNPC shut it again in May 2025 for maintenance and a performance review.
The Warri refinery also restarted briefly before halting production, while the Kaduna plant has yet to return to commercial operations.
Nigeria’s parliament previously estimated that about $25 billion had been spent over a decade trying to repair the state-owned refineries.
Despite being one of Africa’s biggest crude oil producers, Nigeria has continued to depend on imported fuel and the privately owned Dangote refinery near Lagos.
Scrutiny of NNPC has also focused on Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
The facilities have a combined processing capacity of 445,000 barrels a day and were intended to reduce the country’s dependence on imported petrol, diesel and other refined products.
However, years of rehabilitation programmes and billions of dollars in spending have failed to restore sustained production.
The Port Harcourt refinery resumed limited operations in November 2024 after a rehabilitation programme valued at about $1.5 billion. NNPC shut it again in May 2025 for maintenance and a performance review.
The Warri refinery also restarted briefly before halting production, while the Kaduna plant has yet to return to commercial operations.
Nigeria’s parliament previously estimated that about $25 billion had been spent over a decade trying to repair the state-owned refineries.
Despite being one of Africa’s biggest crude oil producers, Nigeria has continued to depend on imported fuel and the privately owned Dangote refinery near Lagos.
Dangote alleged links to Malta blending plant
NNPC also faced public criticism from billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote during Kyari’s tenure.
In July 2024, Dangote alleged that some NNPC personnel, fuel traders and terminal operators had established a blending plant in Malta and were importing petroleum products into Nigeria.
“Some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta,” Dangote said during a visit by Nigerian lawmakers to his refinery.
Kyari denied owning or operating such a facility and said he was unaware of any NNPC employee with a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere.
He also challenged Dangote to identify the officials involved and called on security agencies to investigate any evidence of wrongdoing.
While the Senate has not established that Kyari stole or personally controlled the ₦210 trillion under review, the inquiry remains focused on disputed accounting entries, supporting documents and the management of public revenue during his tenure.
NNPC also faced public criticism from billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote during Kyari’s tenure.
In July 2024, Dangote alleged that some NNPC personnel, fuel traders and terminal operators had established a blending plant in Malta and were importing petroleum products into Nigeria.
“Some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta,” Dangote said during a visit by Nigerian lawmakers to his refinery.
Kyari denied owning or operating such a facility and said he was unaware of any NNPC employee with a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere.
He also challenged Dangote to identify the officials involved and called on security agencies to investigate any evidence of wrongdoing.
While the Senate has not established that Kyari stole or personally controlled the ₦210 trillion under review, the inquiry remains focused on disputed accounting entries, supporting documents and the management of public revenue during his tenure.
By Olamilekan Okebiorun, Business Insider Africa
Nigerian man unable to claim Italian lottery win gains residency permit
“I’ve been praying for this moment ever since I arrived in Italy,” said Imagbe Ehizomwengie, 36. “It’s a huge relief. You might think it’s incredible, but receiving the permit means more to me than winning the money. I want to work and contribute to society.”
Ehizomwengie bought the €5 Gratta e Vinci – Italy’s official instant scratchcard lottery – last October with money scraped together from selling handkerchiefs and begging outside a supermarket in Turin.
He cried tears of joy and relief when he discovered he had hit the jackpot, only for the win to be overshadowed by his bureaucratic quagmire.
Speaking to the Guardian, Ehizomwengie said he had arrived in Italy in 2016 after a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean from Libya, where he had been held captive for two years and was only released after a ransom was paid.
His request for a “special protection” permit – which until being restricted by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government in 2023 granted residency to asylum seekers who did not qualify as refugees but faced serious risks to their life if sent home – was rejected.
Unable to work, Ehizomwengie got by as a street seller, occasionally chancing his luck with scratchcards in the hope of reversing his fortunes.
“When I lived in Nigeria, I was always praying for opportunities, but they never came,” he said. “But you also need to take risks in life, and I kept believing that one day I might even become a millionaire.”
He added: “I stopped buying the scratchcards for years but on the day I won … I truly believe God was watching over me.”
But then began his quest to claim his winnings. Without a residency permit, Ehizomwengie could not open a bank account to receive the money. In turn, without the money he could not demonstrate the financial independence needed to support his renewed appeal for a residency permit.
Scrambling for a solution, after being taken advantage of by a Nigerian friend to whom he had entrusted the money, the friend agreed to transfer about half of the post-tax winnings to Ehizomwengie’s cousin’s account. The funds were then used to buy Mama Africa, a shop selling food produce from Africa in the seaside town of Falconara in the Marche region of Italy.
In the meantime, Ehizomwengie’s lawyer, Andrea Palazzeschi, pursued his case through a court in Ancona, which this week ordered that a residence permit be issued, taking into consideration Ehizomwengie’s competent Italian, his work at Mama Africa and, pertinently, his new financial independence.
Palazzeschi said: “But it’s important to stress that Imagbe didn’t get the residence permit because he won the money, he got it because he proved to be a good candidate.”
Gratta e Vinci scratchcards are hugely popular in Italy. In 2019, an unemployed fisher in Puglia found a winning €100,000 scratchcard in a rubbish bin and was able to cash it in, while in 2022 a young man in northern Italy won €500,000 and fainted on the spot due to the shock.
Needless to say, Ehizomwengie has attracted much attention in Falconara, where he said he would organise a party to which everyone will be invited. “But only to celebrate receiving my permit,” he said. “I want to work and intend to keep my feet firmly on the ground. I just want to live a normal life.”
President Tinubu says 13,000 Terrorists Neutralized in past year
Nigeria has killed more than 13,000 "terrorists" in the past year, President Bola Tinubu said Friday, adding that the death toll from the country's jihadist insurgency is down 81 percent since he took power in 2023.
"Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year," Tinubu said, without specifying if he meant in 2025 or in the previous 12 months.
He also said that over "124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor".
Africa's most populous country is fighting a long-running jihadist insurgency across its northern regions, complicated by inroads made by militants from the Sahel, and non-ideological "bandit" gangs.
The insurgency, which has spawned multiple armed groups, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since it began in 2009 with an uprising by the jihadist group Boko Haram.
The crisis has also been compounded by violent farmer-herder clashes in parts of the northeast and central regions, while secessionist agitation rumbles on in the southeast, and rampant kidnappings for ransom plague the country's northwest and central regions.
The unrest is inching closer to the relatively safer southwest, where more than 40 students and teachers were seized from their schools in the state of Oyo in May.
"Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year," Tinubu said, without specifying if he meant in 2025 or in the previous 12 months.
He also said that over "124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor".
Africa's most populous country is fighting a long-running jihadist insurgency across its northern regions, complicated by inroads made by militants from the Sahel, and non-ideological "bandit" gangs.
The insurgency, which has spawned multiple armed groups, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since it began in 2009 with an uprising by the jihadist group Boko Haram.
The crisis has also been compounded by violent farmer-herder clashes in parts of the northeast and central regions, while secessionist agitation rumbles on in the southeast, and rampant kidnappings for ransom plague the country's northwest and central regions.
The unrest is inching closer to the relatively safer southwest, where more than 40 students and teachers were seized from their schools in the state of Oyo in May.
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