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Fate of 416 Boko Haram captives uncertain as 72-hour deadline expires

Mustapha USMAN
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Fate of 416 Boko Haram captives uncertain as 72-hour deadline expires

ANXIETY has deepened over the fate of 416 civilians abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State after the 72-hour ultimatum issued by the insurgents for the payment of ransom expired without any news of the captives’ release. 

In the reported footage, the insurgents, dressed in military camouflage and speaking in Hausa, warned that the abducted women and children would be moved to places where they might never be found again.

They also openly challenged the Nigerian government to attempt a forceful rescue, insisting they were prepared for confrontation and would not back down.

The group described the message as its “first and final warning,” stressing that once the deadline elapsed, the captives would be separated and taken to various locations.

“We are Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidwatu Wal-Jihad under Imam Abu. Today, 19th April 2026, we are issuing a new message to the Borno South Youths Alliance and to the Nigerian government, which we do not recognise as our government. This is our first and final message. We are giving you 72 hours. 

“If our demands are not met, we will move these victims, including women and children, to different locations. All of them. You have made your decision, and we have made ours. We instruct you, in the name of Allah, not to exceed the given time,” the sect said.

The group’s spokesperson added that “And take a look at them before we do so, because you may never see them again. If the government believes it can rescue them by force, you are free to try. We depend on Allah.”

As of Thursday, April 23, however, there was no official statement from the Federal Government, Borno State Government, military authorities, or security agencies confirming whether the negotiations had succeeded or the victims had been rescued.

This silence has heightened fears among residents and families of the abductees that the insurgents might have carried out their threat.

Group demands N5bn ransom

Although the terrorists did not state their exact demands in the video, reports indicated that the President of the Borno South Youths Alliance (BOSYA), Samaila Kaigama, confirmed that the insurgents demanded ₦5 billion for the victims’ release.

BOSYA has reportedly been engaging with the media and acting as an intermediary between the terrorist group and the families of the affected victims.

Kaigama said the demand was communicated through a video sent by the terrorists and described as a “final warning” during ongoing mediation efforts.

According to him, BOSYA had been involved in efforts to establish contact and facilitate discussions between the insurgents and relevant authorities in a bid to secure the safe release of the abducted women and children.

He said the alliance considered the matter a humanitarian emergency and urged urgent intervention from both government and weall-meaning Nigerians.

Kaigama also appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, and prominent philanthropists such as Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu to intervene before it became too late.

How the victims were abducted

The mass abduction followed a deadly Boko Haram attack on Ngoshe community on March 4, when suspected fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) invaded the area after first overrunning a military base.

Reports indicated that the insurgents attacked the military formation in the early hours, burnt operational vehicles, destroyed military equipment, and dispersed security personnel before moving into the community and launching attacks on civilians.

Several residents were reportedly killed during the assault, while hundreds of women and children were abducted and taken away toward the Mandara Mountains.

The attack forced hundreds of residents to flee to neighbouring Pulka town, where many displaced persons reportedly slept on roadsides and in school buildings for fear of further attacks.

The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Kenneth, had confirmed that civilians were killed and many others were missing.

Senate urges FG to act

The Senate on April 22 called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the captives’ release.

The lawmakers’ position was prompted by a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Curb Attacks on Military Formations by Boko Haram Insurgents,” sponsored by a senator representing Borno North, Tahir Monguno, and co-sponsored by two other senators in the state, Ali Ndume and Kaka Lawan.

In its resolutions, the Senate condemned the continued Boko Haram attacks on military formations and local communities in parts of the nation.

BudgIT slams Tinubu’s fresh $516m loan, says poor loans worse than wasted revenues

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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BudgIT slams Tinubu’s fresh $516m loan, says poor loans worse than wasted revenues

THE Chief Executive Officer of BudgIT,  Seun Onigbinde, has warned that poorly taken loans are more dangerous than wasting public revenues.

Speaking on Friday’s edition of Channels Television Morning Brief, Onigbinde criticised the processes surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s fresh $516 million loan request, arguing that weak scrutiny by the National Assembly risked mortgaging the country’s future revenues.

The ICIR reported on Thursday, April 23, that Tinubu sought the Senate approval for the loan to support the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway project.

He requested for the approval despite the current oil windfall for the Nigerian government, occasioned by the United States war in Iran and huge revenue accruing to the government’s coffers from the petrol subsidy removal.

The Federal Government had put the 2026 budget benchmark for crude at $64.85 per barrel, but Brent currently sells for $102.2 per barrel, according to data from oilprice.com.

Reacting to the development, the BudgIT CEO said on the TV programme, “No matter what interest rate, no matter the moratorium, at one point in time, you would have to pay back, and you will have to pay back with future revenue. So, you know, a poorly taken loan is so much more dangerous than wasting public revenues because you are literally averaging revenues that would come in the future at the end of the day.”

Tinubu had said the proposed facility sourced through a syndicated arrangement, led by Deutsche Bank, would finance Sections I, Phase IA and IB of the project, covering roughly 120 kilometres.

He explained that the request complied with Sections 16 and 21 of the Debt Management Office (DMO) Act governing public borrowing.

The loan request came barely 48 hours after the sack of the former Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, who, sources said, was not in support of frequent borrowings of the Tinubu administration.

Speaking further on Channels TV, Onigbinde stressed that borrowing decisions should undergo rigorous legislative and procedural checks before approval, warning that current practices fell short of expected standards.

“Before we even look at the propriety of the loan request…It’s unfortunate, I mean, to take a loan when procurement processes are not effective. And the National Assembly, there’s supposed to be the guardrail and the backstop to all of this. It’s also not standing up to its responsibility,” he added.

Onigbinde questioned the prioritisation of so-called “legacy projects,” citing ongoing infrastructure gaps across the country. He pointed to several incomplete road networks, arguing that the government should focus on finishing existing projects before embarking on new, capital-intensive ones funded by debt.

The BudgIT CEO also raised red flags over procurement practices tied to major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal and the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, noting that the absence of transparent and competitive bidding processes undermined accountability and value for money.

He further criticised the legislature for failing to act as a safeguard against executive excesses, stressing that the constitutional role of the National Assembly is to serve as a guardrail in approving borrowing plans.

“The executive can propose anything…The framers of the constitution that said that the National Assembly should approve this funding, they were wise in their own ways because they understood that the executive could even choose to be exuberant, but the National Assembly should act as the buffer on all of these issues,” he added, warning that weak oversight could deepen Nigeria’s fiscal vulnerabilities.

Onigbinde remarks come amid growing public debate over Nigeria’s debt sustainability and the transparency of large-scale infrastructure financing, as the government continues to pursue ambitious development projects funded through external borrowing.

Last month, the president requested that the National Assembly approve a N9 trillion increase to the 2026 budget, alongside fresh external borrowing totaling $6 billion to support government spending, infrastructure, and debt obligations.

  

2026 Global Fact-Checking Awards seek entries

Blessing OTOIBHI
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2026 Global Fact-Checking Awards seek entries

THE International Fact-Checking Network at the Poynter Institute is accepting entries for its 2026 Global Fact-Checking Awards.

These awards celebrate outstanding achievements in fact-checking journalism and are open to all signatories of the IFCN Code of Principles.

Entries must be submitted between April 21 and May 6, 2026. Each organisation may submit one entry total, in one category only.

A submission may consist of either a single piece of content or a series of up to five related pieces, such as articles or multimedia items.

Judges will consider each submission as one entry. All content must have been published between April 20, 2025, and April 21, 2026.

All signatories to the IFCN Code of Principles are eligible to enter. In the Collaboration category, joint entries may include non-signatories, but at least one participating organisation must be an IFCN signatory.

Winners will be announced during the GlobalFact 2026 conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, in June.

An independent expert panel of judges will review eligible submissions and select the winners. IFCN staff will conduct initial eligibility screenings.

Entries are welcome in any language. Please provide translations if submitting in other languages.

Deadline is Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Interested applicants can apply here.

 

Tinubu seeks Senate approval for $516m Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway loan despite oil windfall

Harrison EDEH  and  Mustapha USMAN
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Tinubu seeks Senate approval for $516m Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway loan despite oil windfall

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a fresh external borrowing of $516.3 million to support the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway project.

The fresh loan request was despite the oil windfall for the Nigerian government, with a budget benchmark of $64.85 per barrel, and Brent currently selling for $102.2 per barrel, according to data from oilprice.com.

The loan request was coming barely 48 hours after the sack of the former Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, who, sources said, was not in support of frequent borrowings of the Tinubu administration.

In a letter transmitted to the Senate, the president said the proposed facility sourced through a syndicated arrangement, led by Deutsche Bank, would finance Sections I, Phase IA and IB of the project, covering roughly 120 kilometres.

He explained that the request complied with Sections 16 and 21 of the Debt Management Office (DMO) Act governing public borrowing.

Tinubu described the highway as a cornerstone of his administration’s promise to establish a major North–South transport corridor.

The full project spans about 1,000 kilometres of dual carriageway, linking Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.

According to the president, the road is expected to significantly enhance connectivity across the country, improve safety, cut travel time and logistics costs, and boost trade and food supply chains by easing movement between production hubs, markets and seaports.

He added that the design also made room for future infrastructure expansion, including utility corridors and integration with other transport systems.

The financing plan includes a partial risk guarantee from the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit- an arm of the Islamic Development Bank, alongside federal government counterpart funding estimated at N265.5 billion. Additional provisions have been made for land acquisition, compensation and ancillary infrastructure.

Details of the loan also showed a nine-year repayment period, including a grace window of up to three years, with interest pegged at CME – Secure Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 5.3 per cent.

Tinubu noted that the Federal Executive Council had already endorsed the financing arrangement and urged lawmakers to incorporate it into the country’s borrowing plan.

Following its presentation, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the request to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, directing the panel to report back within one week.

The frequent loan request has raised several questions about Tinubu’s appetite for borrowing.

Last month, the president requested that the National Assembly approve a N9 trillion increase to the 2026 budget, alongside fresh external borrowing totaling $6 billion to support government spending, infrastructure, and debt obligations.

The president’s request has also raised questions regarding the benefits of subsidy removal and the current oil windfall from proceeds driven by the US-Iran conflict.

Will Nigeria’s power supply get worse or better after Adelabu’s exit?

Harrison EDEH
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Will Nigeria’s power supply get worse or better after Adelabu’s exit?

NIGERIA’S Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Wednesday, April 22, announced his exit from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

In a resignation letter he addressed to Tinubu, the former minister informed that his resignation would take effect from April 30 to allow for a smooth transition and proper handover of responsibilities.

Adelabu’s resignation had been described in many quarters as long overdue, with Nigeria’s power sector struggling under his watch without functional policy direction.

This resulted in arguably the worst epileptic electricity supply nationwide since the country’s power supply was privatised in 2013.

With the struggles of power privatisation, the Tinubu administration signed the Electricity Act 2023, which assigned regulatory and investment responsibilities to state authorities, in partnership with the federal and private sector.

When Adelabu, an accountant, took over as Minister of Power in August 2023, he walked into a disorganised sector. Like most of his predecessors, he failed to provide policy direction that would stimulate the sector and enable it to bolster Nigeria’s industrialisation.

His era in office saw the Presidency move from grid power and migrate to solar-powered electricity, which many analysts and other Nigerians said was a testament that the grid electricity was irredeemable.

The Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generating Companies (APGC), Joy Ogaji, who spoke on the development with The ICIR in an exclusive interview noted that the migration was viewed by the government as a cost-saving measure to curb excessive billing, adding, however, that “the implication for on-grid power is severe, as it represents a sovereign vote of no confidence in the national grid.”

Under Adelabu’s watch, many thermal generating plants were idle, gas was scarce because of massive debts to generation companies, and the grid collapse became a routine.

Despite high hopes and expectations from re-organising the sector, Adelabu’s era not only failed Nigerians but deepened the mistrust and confusion in the sector.

While unbundling the sector through the Electricity Act 2023 offered a pathway for Adelabu to enforce policy direction for states to take regulatory and investment responsibility, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is leaving a sector that lacks proper direction, with many investors confused about the specific investment path to take.

Poor management of the perennial problem

Nigeria’s electricity crisis follows the same cycle year after year. From idle thermal plants that are not optimally functioning to gas shortages that affect on-grid power, and to liquidity in the sector.

Adelabu’s principal – Tinubu – had pitched his re-election on the condition that he addressed the power crisis during his first tenure.

Currently, Nigeria’s power generation plants can generate 13,625 megawatts (MW), but in early 2026, the grid dispatched only 4,901MW. That means 64 per cent of capacity sat idle.

Several times, Generating Companies (GENCOs) threatened to declare force majeure because of liquidity problems and debts owed to them, which ran into trillions.

The sector experienced liquidity problems, with the country relying so much on $750 million interventions from the World Bank and other developmental institutions to fund key projects like transmission expansion and even metering.

As Adelabu leaves the sector, investors are struggling to recover their funds from gas companies that are still being owned trillions of naira.

Despite band classification for power supply to homes and industrial clusters, homes went from 24-hour promises to having less than six hours of supply daily.

Grid collapse under Adelabu

Grid collapse was frequent under Adelabu. For instance, the national grid collapsed 10 times in 2024. It fell 16 times in 2025, with three collapses in a single week in October.

February 2026 delivered the year’s first total blackout when every DisCo went to 0MW. Even the plants the government owns run at just 20 per cent capacity.

Tasks for the new minister

Nigeria doesn’t just struggle to generate power. The recurrent grid collapse is a symptom of a bigger problem and a pointer to an uncoordinated system.

Gas suppliers cut off the plants because GenCos haven’t paid them. GenCos can’t pay because Distribution Companies (DisCos) don’t collect enough revenue. DisCos fail to collect because customers get nearly four hours of light a day and refuse to pay for darkness, and the cycle continues.

The grid keeps collapsing because it was built 50 years ago, and it is overloaded daily. Meanwhile, the debts pile higher as seen with the back and forth between the Presidency and the gas generation companies.

Every power minister since 1999 has promised 6,000MW, 10,000MW, or 15,000MW. None of them delivered. They couldn’t because the sector demands three fixes at once: cash, gas, and governance. If one is solved without the others, the system falls apart again.

Analysts said that with the Electricity Act 2023, the new minister should not recycle old promises. He has to set a clear policy direction that does one thing first: give investors confidence.

“Investors need to know they will recover their money if they fund a gas pipeline, a new plant, or a mini grid. Without that confidence, the turbines stay silent, and the grid stays dark,” a public affairs analyst, Kingsley Obiakor, said.

SSS arraigns El-Rufai over alleged interception of NSA Ribadu’s phone calls

Mustapha USMAN
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SSS arraigns El-Rufai over alleged interception of NSA Ribadu’s phone calls

THE State Security Services (SSS) has arraigned former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he unlawfully accessed the telephone conversations of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

According to reports, El-rufai is facing an amended five-count charge brought by the SSS, which accuses him of offences bordering on unlawful interception of communications and breaches of national security laws.

The charges were amended from three-count charge to five counts by the prosecutor at the resumed hearing on Thursday, April 23.

The presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, consequently struck out the earlier charge and proceeded with the amended version.

El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all five counts.

The SSS counsel, Oluwole Aladeloye, subsequently asked the court to fix a date for trial.

However, defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, objected, arguing that he needed time to properly confer with his client, whom he said had been in the custody of multiple security agencies.

Iyamu also told the court that a bail application had been filed on February 17, along with a further affidavit recently submitted to support it.

But the presiding judge noted that the affidavit was not in her court file. She criticised what she described as procedural lapses, saying counsel ought to have ensured proper filing rather than “engaging in Nollywood theatrics” involving camera operators in court.

The judge subsequently stood down the matter to allow issues surrounding the missing affidavit to be resolved.

Earlier bail rejection and stalled arraignment

The latest proceedings followed earlier developments in the case. The Federal Government had on February 16, 2026, filed a three count charges against the accused.

The charges bordered on alleged unlawful interception of Ribadu’s phone.

On February 25, the Federal High Court in Abuja declined to hear El-Rufai’s bail application, ruling that it was premature since he had not yet been properly arraigned.

In that ruling, Abdulmalik held that bail could only be considered after formal arraignment. He consequently adjourned the matter to April 23.

The court session was stalled at the time because the SSS was unable to produce El-Rufai, who was said to be in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Backstory

The charges followed El-Rufai’s public claim that he knew about his attempted arrest through tapping of Ribadu’s phone, stressing that the NSA ordered his arrest upon arrival in Nigeria.

Speaking on Arise TV on February 13, the former governor alleged that security operatives attempted to detain him at the airport at the instance of anti-corruption authorities, describing the move as an abduction attempt.

“Nuhu made the call and made the order that I must be in custody,” he said.

When asked how he became aware of the alleged directive, El-Rufai added: “The government thinks that they’re the only ones that listen to calls… Someone tapped his phone.”

He acknowledged that tapping phone calls without court authorisation was illegal but argued that state agencies routinely monitor communications without judicial approval.

Rights abuses: Sowore’s arrests, Raye case, Plateau killings, others highlight latest Amnesty International report

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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Rights abuses: Sowore’s arrests, Raye case, Plateau killings, others highlight latest Amnesty International report
AMNESTY International Nigeria, on Wednesday, April 22, released its State of the World’s Human Rights Report on Nigeria.
A detailed report, comprising incidents of human rights violations across 144 countries, had been released a day earlier by the parent organisation, Amnesty International.
The global report noted that the world was on the brink of a perilous new era, driven by powerful states’ corporations and anti-rights movements’ assaults on multilateralism, international law and human rights.
It warned that states, international bodies, and civil society must reject the politics of appeasement.
“We are confronting the most challenging moment of our age. Humanity is under attack from transnational anti-rights movements and predatory governments determined to assert their dominance through unlawful wars and brazen economic blackmail,” Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard said.
Addressing stakeholders and other participants at the presentation of the report in Abuja, Amnesty International Nigeria Country Director, Isa Sanusi, detailed how state actors hound, arrest, detain and prosecute citizens for expressing their views on government policies and related matters.
He also decried the shrinking space for civil actors and dissenting voices in several countries, especially Nigeria. Sanusi expressed dismay at the level at which non-state actors, especially terrorists and other criminals, abduct for ransom and kill innocent people.
He condemned how countries with superior military power, including the United States, Russia, and Israel, attack others, kill thousands, displace millions and destroy infrastructure.
He warned: “If we go into a world of free-for-all, we are going back to the free 1940s, where any country that is powerful can do whatever, it likes. I hope we will not go back to that.”
“This year’s report particularly paid closer attention to key issues, and one of them is predatory behaviour that is escalating across the world. The example of predatory behaviours includes Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which has continued despite a ceasefire in October 2025. While at the same time, Israel has been continuing to expand settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“The United States has committed over 150 extrajudicial executions by bombing boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The US and Israel agreed on an unlawful use of force against Iran in violation of the UN Charter. Iran has targeted civilian infrastructure in the Gulf and in Israel. Israel has scaled up its attacks on Lebanon, as we know what is going on in Lebanon, the daily bombings, and this has endangered millions and millions of lives,” he stated.
He accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity with its war in Ukraine. Besides, he said the Taliban’s “predatory policies” against Afghan women intensified in 2025, with further bans on education, listening to music, with other ‘barbaric’ measures enacted or implemented.
Speaking on abuses on the African continent, he said Sudan-supported forces seized control of al-Pasha in the northern part of Darfur, where women, children, and civilian infrastructure were destroyed by ISIS. This was followed by massive killings, rape, and other sexual violence, he noted further.
“Rwandan armed forces and the Rwandan-backed armed group captured the cities of Goma and Okavo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and lawfully killed civilians and subjected detainees to torture and ill-treatment in inhuman conditions. Another very devastating blow to the rules-based world that we know is that the Trump administration of the United States sanctioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) staff.”
Amnesty International highlighted instances of human rights abuses in Nigeria, including non-state actors abducting citizens for ransom and killing those whose families could not raise funds for their freedom. Between January and the first three weeks of April 2026, over 1,000 Nigerians had been kidnapped by insurgents and bandits, Sanusi said.
The organisation accused the police and military of helping the government shrink civil space by tracking and arresting dissenting voices, while killing innocent citizens in the course of fighting terrorists. For instance, it detailed instances when agents of the Nigerian government arrested journalists, activists and others, charged and arbitrarily detained them.
“Security and law enforcement agents used excessive force to disperse peaceful protesters, killing several people and arbitrarily arresting others. Authorities failed to protect girls from abductions and people from killings by gunmen. Military air strike unlawfully targeted civilians. Armed group Boko Haram continued to kill civilians,” it noted.
Some of the cases of human rights abuses  in Nigeria, as documented by Amnesty International, include the arrest and detention of activist Omoyele Sowore for calling the former inspector-general of police, Kayode Egbetokun ‘illegal IGP”, the extension of service year for a youth corps member, Ushie Uguamaye, known as Raye, after she voiced concerns over rising cost of living in Nigeria; the arrest, detention and arraignment of activist chinedu Agu on criminal defamation charges over his opinion articles criticising Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma.
The list includes the arrest of Kano-based journalists, Buhari Abba and Ismail Auwal, over a report deemed critical of the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya. “They were detained for several hours before being released, and there was no record of an ongoing trial.”
Similarly, the human rights institution posited that the authorities failed to fulfil their obligations to prevent attacks on individuals and communities, to safeguard their rights to life and physical integrity, and to ensure justice by investigating and prosecuting those responsible for the violence.
It recalled the killing of 16 hunters heading for Kano from Rivers in Edo State, coordinated attacks on Plateau, Zamfara, Benue, Borno, Katsina, Kwara, Kaduna communities, among others.
Human rights abuses, according to Amnesty International, include the forced evictions by state governments, namely Lagos and Kano, following the demolition of residents’ homes.

Adelabu resigns as power minister

Mustapha USMAN
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Adelabu resigns as power minister

THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has resigned from the Federal Executive Council to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

According to Punch Newspaper, the minister in a resignation letter dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, said his exit would take effect from April 30 to allow for a smooth transition and proper handover of responsibilities.

The minister stated that he was stepping down with gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the administration.

He thanked Tinubu for the confidence reposed in him, describing his appointment as an opportunity to contribute to reforms in one of Nigeria’s most critical sectors.

Adelabu said his decision was informed by his desire to focus fully on his governorship ambition in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general election.

According to him, the ambition dates back to 2016 during his time as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), noting that he had earlier resigned from the apex bank in 2018 to pursue the same political goal.

He added that the provisions of the amended Electoral Act 2026, which bar political office holders from contesting elections while still in office, made his resignation necessary.

Background

Although it came late, Adelabu’s resignation followed President Tinubu’s directive mandating all political appointees seeking elective office in 2027 to resign on or before March 31.

The directive applied to ministers, ministers of state, special advisers, senior aides, and heads of federal agencies planning to participate in party primaries or contest elective positions.

The government said the decision was in line with Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which fixed party primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026.

According to the statement signed by the Head of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) Dewan Goshit, the directive was aimed at ensuring compliance with electoral laws, promoting transparency in governance, and creating a level playing field for all aspirants.

Following the directive, several ministers resigned from Tinubu’s cabinet.

Among them were the former Minister of Transportation, Saidu Ahmed Alkali, who is expected to contest the Gombe State governorship election, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who is reportedly preparing for the Bauchi governorship race.

The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, also stepped down to pursue a senatorial bid in Kebbi State.

Adelabu had remained in office despite public expectations that he would also resign, especially after a viral video in October 2025 in which he openly declared his ambition to govern Oyo State.

In the video, he referenced his previous governorship contests against Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019 and 2023 and expressed confidence that 2027 would be different.

Power Sector Challenges

Adelabu’s governorship ambition came amid growing criticism of his performance as Minister of Power since his appointment in August 2023, particularly over persistent power shortages across the country.

Despite Nigeria’s installed electricity generation capacity of over 13,000 megawatts, actual supply has remained significantly lower, with available power often below 5,000 megawatts.

The sector has also witnessed repeated national grid collapses, plunging many parts of the country into prolonged blackouts and worsening economic hardship for households and businesses.

Although the Federal Government introduced tariff reforms under his leadership to reduce subsidy burdens, many Nigerians complained that rising electricity costs did not translate into improved power supply.

Tinubu’s ambassador-designate dies in Türkiye

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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Tinubu’s ambassador-designate dies in Türkiye

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s ambassador’s designate to Algeria, Mohammed Lele, is dead.

Lele passed away in the early hours of April 19, 2026, in Ankara, Türkiye.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, who revealed this in a statement, said the late diplomat served as Director of the Middle East and Gulf Division until his death after a prolonged illness.

“The Ministry extends its heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, friends, associates and the government and people of Bauchi State, and prays for the peaceful repose of his soul, the strength for his loved ones during this difficult time, and the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss”, the statement read.

The ministry added that the deceased was buried today according to Islamic rites in Kano, Kano State.

Born in 1976 in Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Lere studied Economics at Bayero University, Kano, and joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in 2001.

Throughout his career, he served in several Nigerian missions, including Berlin-Germany, Lomé-Togo, and Riyadh-Saudi Arabia. 

The ICIR reported in March that following the Nigerian Senate’s confirmation of their nominations, only 10 out of over 60 ambassadors and envoys deployed by Tinubu were accepted weeks after their deployment.

The countries that accepted the officials at the time the report was published were the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Ireland, Qatar, the Republic of Benin, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

India and several other countries were quietly reluctant to accept some of the envoys, a diplomatic hurdle tied to the short period remaining for Tinubu’s first four-year term.

The president withdrew all envoys and ambassadors appointed by his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari shortly after assuming office in May 2023.

It took him over two years to appoint their replacements.

He is eligible to run for another four years, which is his final.

Court remands six alleged coup plotters in SSS custody, fixes April 27 for trial

Mustapha USMAN
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Court remands six alleged coup plotters in SSS custody, fixes April 27 for trial

THE Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, April 22, ordered the remand of six men in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS) after they were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism, treason, and an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.

The defendants include Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-General; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, retired Navy Captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, Police Inspector; Presidential Villa electrician, Zekeri Umoru; Bukar Kashim Goni, and Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Abdulkadir Sani.

Also listed in the charge, but said to be at large, is former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

At Wednesday’s sitting before Joyce Abdulmalik, proceedings briefly stalled after the third defendant informed the court that his counsel was indisposed, while counsel to the sixth defendant said his client only understood Arabic and Hausa, prompting the judge to stand the matter down to secure an interpreter.

When the court reconvened, all six defendants took their pleas and denied all 13 counts, pleading not guilty.

Following the arraignment, the prosecution applied for their remand in the custody of State Security Services (SSS) and urged the court to grant accelerated hearing of the matter.

While most defence counsel did not oppose the application, counsel to the first defendant indicated plans to file a bail application.

In his ruling, the presiding judge ordered an accelerated hearing and directed that the defendants be remanded in SSS custody and be given access to their lawyers.

The judge subsequently adjourned the matter to April 27, 2026, for commencement of trial and hearing of bail applications.

Only Abdulkadir Sani, who had earlier been ordered released unconditionally by a court, appeared in court on his own, while the remaining five defendants were reportedly produced by SSS operatives.

Backstory

The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, had on Monday, April 20, filed the 13-count charge before the court, accusing the suspects of conspiracy to commit treason, terrorism financing, failure to disclose intelligence on a planned coup, and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

According to the charge signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, a senior advocate, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

The prosecution also alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji., a colonel, and others but failed to alert authorities or take reasonable steps to prevent it.

The charge also accused Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru of attending meetings linked to the alleged plot in a bid to advance a political ideology capable of destabilising Nigeria’s constitutional structure.

The defendants were further accused of knowingly rendering support for acts of terrorism and suppressing intelligence that could have helped prevent the alleged acts.

Financial records cited in the charge also alleged that Bukar Kashim Goni retained N50 million linked to terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.

Zekeri Umoru was accused of receiving N10 million in cash outside the banking system and retaining an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Ahmed Ibrahim, an inspector, was accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same offence.

The ICIR reports that the coup allegations first gained public attention after the Federal Government cancelled the October 1, 2025 Independence Day parade, triggering widespread speculation of an attempted coup.

Although the Defence Headquarters initially dismissed the reports, it later confirmed in January 2026 that there had indeed been an attempt to overthrow the president.

The Director of Defence Information Samaila Uba, had said investigations showed some military personnel were involved and that those implicated had been detained for further investigation and military trial.

On March 6, families of detained military officers accused of involvement in the alleged plot publicly appealed to Tinubu to allow open court trials instead of prolonged detention and what they described as “trial by media.”

The protest, joined by activist Omoyele Sowore and relatives of the detained officers, demanded transparency, access to the suspects, and adherence to constitutional rights.

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