Trump recalls US envoys as Ambassador Richard Mills exits Nigeria

 

Richard Mills has formally ended his tenure as United States ambassador to Nigeria following a sweeping recall of American envoys ordered by President Donald Trump, a move that has affected more than two dozen countries worldwide, with Africa bearing the brunt.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the US Mission in Nigeria confirmed that Mills’ final day in office was Friday, marking an abrupt end to an assignment that began less than a year ago.

Mills was confirmed by the US Senate in May 2024, a timeline that fell well short of the typical three to four years most ambassadors spend at their posts.

The recall forms part of a broader diplomatic shake-up announced in December, as the Trump administration moved to reorganise several foreign missions.

State Department officials said affected ambassadors would retain their foreign service status and could be reassigned to roles in Washington if they chose to continue serving.

Mills’ departure comes at a delicate moment in US-Nigeria relations, which have faced strain in recent months over visa disputes and persistent security concerns.

This has unfolded even as both governments have publicly expressed interest in strengthening cooperation across trade, security, and governance initiatives.

Until a new ambassador is appointed, the US Mission said Keith Heffern, the current deputy chief of mission, will serve as chargé d’affaires in Abuja.

For Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation, the transition underscores the uncertainty facing diplomatic ties during a period of policy recalibration in Washington, with observers watching closely to see how the interim leadership shapes the next phase of US-Nigeria engagement.

By Segun Adeyemi, Business Insider Africa

Related story: U.S. suspends visa processing for Nigeria, 74 others

Nigerian police confirm gunmen abducted villagers, after initial denials

Police in Nigeria’s Kaduna State said that armed bandits abducted dozens of villagers over the weekend, after initially dismissing the incident.

In a statement late on Tuesday, Nigeria’s national police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, said an “abduction” had indeed occurred on Sunday, and that the police had launched security operations “with a clear focus on locating and safely rescuing the victims and restoring calm to the area”.

Hundeyin said the earlier denials by officers and other officials were “intended to prevent unnecessary panic while facts were being confirmed”. The police statement did not say how many people were abducted.

In an interview with The Associated Press news agency, Kaduna State lawmaker Usman Danlami Stingo put the number of missing people at 168.

The head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the northern part of the country, Reverend John Hayab, told the Reuters news agency by phone on Monday that at least 172 worshippers were kidnapped, and that nine later escaped, leaving 163 still missing.

Sunday’s raid is the latest in a wave of mass kidnappings targeting both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

Gangs, known in Nigeria as “bandits”, frequently carry out mass kidnappings for ransom, and loot villages, mainly in the northern and central parts of Africa’s most populous country.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Kurmin Wali village in Kaduna State, said dozens of gunmen stormed the village on Sunday as people gathered to pray in three churches and abducted a quarter of the village’s residents.

“Two days after the attack, the community received a demand,” Idris said.

“The bandits want the return of 10 missing motorcycles they hid in the bush. For now, that is the condition for the release of the captives. But Kurmin Wali residents say they don’t know where the bikes are, and they have been robbed to a point where many can hardly afford to feed themselves,” he said.

In November, armed gangs seized more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in the country’s Niger State, with 50 escaping and the rest being released in two batches weeks later.

Roughly evenly split between a mostly Christian south and Muslim-majority north, Nigeria is home to myriad conflicts, which experts say kill both Christians and Muslims, often without distinction.

But United States President Donald Trump has latched onto the security situation in Nigeria, focusing on the killing of Christians and putting Abuja under diplomatic pressure.

In late December, the US launched strikes on what it and the Nigerian government said were armed groups in northwestern Sokoto State.

Nigeria said it approved the strikes.

By Ted Regencia, Al Jazeera

Related story: Nigeria police deny reports of mass church abductions in north

Nigerian troops free 62 hostages, kill two militants in northwest operations

MADUGURI, Nigeria, Jan 21 - Nigerian troops have rescued 62 hostages and killed two militants in separate operations across Kebbi and Zamfara states as part of an ongoing offensive against armed groups in the northwest, the army said on Wednesday.

The northwest has been hit by a surge in mass kidnappings carried out by armed gangs operating from forest hideouts. These groups have attacked villages, schools and places of worship, including the January 18 abduction of more than 160 worshippers from two churches in Kaduna.

Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba said troops stormed a known bandit hideout in Zamfara after receiving reports that captives were being held there.

The army said all 62 hostages were rescued and are in safe custody, with efforts underway to reunite them with their families.

In a separate operation, troops ambushed Lakurawa militants near the border between Kebbi’s Augie district and neighbouring Sokoto after receiving intelligence on the group’s movements, Osoba said.

Nigeria has come under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the country of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants operating in the northwest.

U.S. forces launched strikes against Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day. The Nigerian government denies any systematic persecution of Christians, saying it is targeting Islamist fighters and other armed groups that attack both Christian and Muslim civilians.

The army added that the operations form part of broader efforts to dismantle armed networks responsible for widespread kidnappings and insecurity across the region.

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Global oil price uncertainty cast shadow over Nigeria’s fiscal outlook

Nigeria has projected an oil price of about $64 per barrel and production of 1.84 million barrels per day. Analysts say those targets may be hard to reach. However, officials are more concerned about volatile global prices, which could come under pressure from a potential supply glut, particularly as the United States eases restrictions on Venezuelan oil sales.

CGTN Africa

NARD Warns Nigeria Could Lose More Doctors In Next Decade After Exit Of 15,000 Doctors

The National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, has warned that Nigeria’s health sector is approaching a critical breaking point, revealing that more than 15,000 doctors have left the country since 2014, with 4,700 exiting in 2024 alone.

Speaking on Monday at the opening of a five day training on effective policy-making and strategic leadership for NARD leaders at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Suleiman said the trend, if unchecked, could see Nigeria lose another 15,000 doctors within the next decade.

“Facts don’t lie. Figures don’t lie. In 2024, 4,700 doctors left the shores of Nigeria. Every year we produce 2,000 to 3,000 doctors, yet we lost far more than we produced. If this continues, Nigeria cannot survive it,” he argued.

Suleiman painted a stark picture of the country’s doctor to patient ratio, noting that Nigeria currently has fewer than 30,000 doctors serving an estimated 240 million people, a ratio of roughly one doctor to over 10,000 citizens.

“This is not sustainable,” he warned. “In 10 to 15 years, Nigerians will walk into hospitals and find no doctors to attend to them,” he said.

He added that the association’s recent engagements with the federal government were driven by the urgency of preventing a total collapse of the health system. “These decisions are not easy. They are tough. But we take them because we know what lies ahead if nothing changes,” he stressed.

Suleiman emphasised that NARD is not presenting new demands to the government, but simply asking for the implementation of previously agreed policies that require no additional financial burden.

“These are agreements that won’t cost the government a penny,” he said. “Issues like membership certificates, employment processes, workload management, and local training policies — these are measures that strengthen the system, not just resident doctors,” he explained.

He expressed optimism that the renewed commitment between NARD and the government could avert future strikes. “If the understanding we have now is sustained, I don’t foresee any strike in the near future.”

Earlier, the Director General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, commended NARD for prioritising leadership development and policy literacy, describing their presence at the institute as a sign of foresight.

He said the training would equip young medical leaders with the tools needed to engage constructively with policymakers and address the complex challenges facing Nigeria’s health sector.

By Yemi Kosoko, Arise

Related story: Doctors are leaving Nigeria in droves

Nigeria suffering from medical brain drain