Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, has resigned from office with immediate effect, citing health reasons.
The defense minister resigned on December 1, 2025, addressed to Tinubu who has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation while he is expected to inform the Senate of a nominee to fill the vacant ministerial position later this week.
Abubakar, 63, previously served as Governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023 before being appointed Defence Minister on August 21, 2023. His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency.
Former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, says President Bola Tinubu should drop any plan to seek re-election in 2027 and instead support a younger and more capable candidate from within his party.
Baba-Ahmed, who resigned as special adviser on political affairs to the Vice-president in April, said this while speaking on Channels TV on Sunday night, November 30.
He said the President has not shown the drive required to fix the country, despite his long-established reputation for political strategy.
“I’m sorry, but I have to say this again. When I left his administration, one of the things I told many people was, ‘l wish President Tinubu would not run again in 2027.
First, he said his ambition was to be president, and he has now achieved that. He said, ’emi lokan’, and he had his turn. But I don’t think he has run the country well.
The Tinubu we used to know, the Tinubu with all this brilliant intelligence for scheming, hasn’t shown that same hunger to fix things.
He should find a replacement within his party, a younger person, a healthier person, a more focused person, and make him his candidate.
He can, if he can run this government, get all these people out of the PDP to come and join him; he has amongst every power that he needs, but he’s not running the country.
Let’s go back to this Trump thing — I didn’t see a president who should respond to an emergency or a challenge in this manner, with the manner and spirit that he should. I didn’t see it. And it’s not just on this issue.
The truth is that Nigeria has deteriorated so badly that we cannot continue to run thinas as if thev’re normal.”he said.
Ndigbo should forget the delusional Biafra narrative and focus on economic development and innovation. The Biafra conversation is a setback and a distraction. Look at the destruction of property, lives, and the economy caused by the hysteria around Biafra since the advent of IPOB in 2015. Owerri, which thrives on the hospitality sector, has been severely ruined by this Biafra hysteria.
Every decade, a charlatan rises to swindle our people using the word Biafra. Biafra is not an Igbo identity. it belongs to history, and it should remain there. Nnamdi Kanu and Ekpa, who have led to the destruction of lives and properties in the Southeast, hold second passports and are citizens of other countries. They have no single investment in Alaigbo, not even a ‘face me I face you boys quarters’. Do not destroy your future because of such people.
The Southeast is over 90% informal economy, an economy that cannot retain talent, cannot employ graduates, and can barely pay the minimum wage of 70,000. The Biafra we should be talking about is an economic Biafra. We need to make our region economically attractive. Most of the smart and ambitious lads I grew up with and met in university have all left the Southeast for Port Harcourt, Lagos, or Abuja.
There is no major flour mill, no palm oil refinery despite being a tropical rainforest naturally rich in palm fruits, no large biscuit factory, no major animal feed mill, and no significant detergent factory.
In 1999, Nnewi had about 56 companies; out of that number, only 6 or 7 are still operational today.
Former Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige’s convoy was yesterday attacked on the Nkpor – Nnobi Road, Idemili North Local Government Area.
The former governor was not in the convoy as the time the attack occurred but a policeman in the pilot car was shot and his gun and uniform taken away by the suspected assailants who were dressed in police and army uniforms.
Unfortunately, a lady who was recording the shooting was fatally shot by the gunmen. A shop owner who raced to find out what was happening was also shot, but he only lost a lot of blood and will be operated upon soon to remove the bullets. He is expected to make full recovery. The pilot car was riddled with bullets.
No policeman was killed and the escort leader who was shot has been operated upon and is expected to make full recovery. The shop owner was lucky as the bullets didn’t lodge in his spine.
I just got of the phone with His Excellency and he confirmed the development, promising to do all he can to ensure that those injured receive adequate treatment. He also commiserated with the family of the unfortunate lady who was killed while videoing the scene.
The police in Anambra State is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Recall that some kidnapped students of Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, were released on Tuesday, Nov. 25, with the government claiming that no ransom was paid before their release.
However, in a new video that surfaced online, bandits are seen claiming that the government had negotiated with them before the girls were freed.
In the video shared on X by @AM_Saleeem, one of the armed bandits is heard questioning the schoolgirls about military aircraft that flew over the forest during their captivity.
He asks how many jets passed above them, and the girls respond, “uncountable.”
The kidnapper then boasts that the authorities could not rescue the students by force and had to negotiate. The abductors also asked the girls about their condition in captivity.
“Did we leave you hungry?” one bandit asked.
“No,” the girls replied.
“Were you assaulted in any way?” he asked again.
“No,” they answered.
Another kidnapper told them, “We will take you back home safe to your parents, we are doing this based on peace deals.”
He also mocked the government again, stating, “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed.”
The footage appeared shortly after Kebbi State governor, Nasir Idris and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, announced that all abducted students had been freed.
The girls, who were kidnapped after armed men stormed their school and k!lled the vice-principal, were later seen smiling inside a bus as officials prepared to transport them
to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
Authorities have said the students will be handed over to their parents today, Nov. 26.
As I observed the proceedings, initially Nnamdi Kanu was doing very well in the case. When he applied to summon 23 or 28 witnesses including Gen. Theophilus Danjuma to testify in support of his defence, the Judge granted it and signed the Subpoena (witness Summons).
Suddenly, Nnamdi Kanu turned around and said he would not file a defence because there was no valid charge against him. The reason he gave was that the Terrorism Law of 2013 had been repealed. Who advised him not to file a defence and call his witnesses?
In criminal proceedings, what an accused person needs to do to win the case is to create a little doubt against the Prosecution.
There are two elements of a crime that must be proved before a Judge can give judgement. They are described as “Actus Reus and Mens Rea”.
If Nnamdi Kanu had brought General Danjuma as his witness to confirm that he, Gen. Danjuma, gave the advice that every community should defend itself because the Nigerian Government had failed to defend the citizens, it would have helped Nnamdi Kanu’s case.
Nnamdi Kanu would have said that he created the ESN based on the advice of General Danjuma with the intent of defending his community. Once the intent is proved to be genuine, the pendulum and scale of justice will swing a little to his side. The law is that any little doubt should be resolved in favour of the accused person to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Unfortunately, Nnamdi Kanu did not produce this evidence that would have saved him. The worst thing in law is that any person who says that he has a witness or evidence to provide but fails to provide it, the law says that the evidence witheld is against the person who failed to produce it.
Which lawyer advised Nnamdi Kanu that there is no valid law upon which he was charged? Is he truly a lawyer? I am surprised. Barr. Dr. Emeka Emekesiri, Chairman of MOBIN
Yesterday, Thursday November, 20, 2025, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja found our son and a citizen of the state, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism-related offences and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Without doubt, this development has broken a lot of our people and created an atmosphere of shock and sorrow in Abia and beyond.
It would be recalled that in September 2017 when soldiers invaded the family home of Mazi Kanu, leading to destruction of property and loss of lives, I immediately and strongly condemned that avoidable act and appealed that dialogue should henceforth be explored as the best approach to resolving the IPOB issue.
Eight days after that military onslaught at Afaraukwu Umuahia, specifically on September 25, 2017, I wrote a piece on my Thisday Column captioned ” Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly With a Sledge Hammer”. I condemned that invasion and the killings that followed once again, and offered extensively well-thought-out views and suggestions I felt could help de-escalate tension and unite the nation if the then federal government was willing to pay attention to those views.
This is because I recognise that leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint and tolerance rather than force and violence.
I still strongly believe that the poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today, hence we cannot allow it to linger and create a bigger monstrous situation for us.
While the trial that led to this conviction lasted, I personally engaged the authorities at the highest level, starting from December 22, 2023, on alternative resolution strategy. I must state that some agreements were made which were dependent on quick dispensation of the matter at the federal high court. Unfortunately, the matter dragged until this time. I am confident that judgement having been delivered, the alternative resolution will now kick in. It is instructive that this strategy was explained to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when I visited him while he was in the DSS Custody earlier in the year.
While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated and will continue to work on the already
agreed strategy until his freedom is secured. I’m also happy to collaborate with other well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely want this problem resolved, to push for his freedom through the same diplomacy and dialogue with the federal government, which though did not create the problem, but can courageously and compassionately solve it and take the credit.
I’ll like to use this opportunity to appeal to our people to remain calm and refrain from utterances and actions capable of stoking fear, violence and insecurity and may negatively affect the the outcome of the engagements we are already having. I have no doubt that with the assurances I have received from the Federal Government, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom.
May I also caution politicians who have positioned themselves to play petty and dirty politics with the travails of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to jettison the idea, and rather work with us to secure his freedom.
Finally, I want to assure our people of my unwavering resolve and commitment to genuinely solving this problem with wisdom, high level dialogue and diplomacy, with a view to ensuring that genuine peace returns to the South East.
Alex Otti, OFR
Governor Abia State
November 21, 2025.
Kanu’s Conviction: At a Time Like This.
The news of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction should compel every well-meaning Nigerian to pause and reflect. This is coming at a time when our beloved nation is facing severe economic hardship, insecurity, and the consequences of poor governance.
Rather than reducing tension, this unfortunate development may well only aggravate it.
I have always maintained that Mazi Kanu should never have been arrested. His arrest, detention, and now conviction represent a failure of leadership and a misunderstanding of the issues at stake.
For years, I have consistently argued that dialogue, constructive engagement, and inclusive governance offer the path to lasting peace. Coercion becomes necessary only when reason has been exhausted. In this case, I submit that the reason was not only not exhausted, but was probably not explored at all, or not fully explored.
The concerns Kanu raised were not unheard of. The issues for which he demanded solutions were not insoluble. It only required wisdom, empathy, and a willingness to listen. In any functional society, such grievances are met with dialogue and reforms aimed at strengthening unity.
The government’s approach has only deepened mistrust and created an avoidable distraction at a time when citizens are overwhelmed by harsh economic realities and insecurity. While some may insist that “the law has taken its course,” leadership often demands more than a strict, mechanical application of the law. Nations around the world resort to political solutions, negotiated settlements, and even amnesty when legal processes alone cannot serve the broader interest of peace and stability. Nigeria is not an exception.
The handling of Kanu’s case mirrors the government as a man trapped in a hole but who, instead of looking for a way out, keeps digging deeper. It worsens not only the government’s predicament but also the nation’s collective condition.
If we truly desire a new Nigeria – a united, peaceful, and progressive one, our leaders must choose healing over hostility, reconciliation over retaliation, and dialogue over division. Only by addressing grievances with justice, fairness, and compassion can we move towards a future where every Nigerian feels heard, valued, and safe.
My ultimate call at this time, without prejudice to how anyone feels about the decision of the court, is for us to be optimistic for peace and reconciliation which will come in the end. I am also saying, thereby, that the Presidency, the Council of State and credible statesmen who love this country and who are interested in cohesion and inclusivity, should rise to the occasion, for a lasting solution.
US President, Donald Trump escalated his criticism of Nigeria on Friday night, November 21, publicly branding the country “a disgrace” as he renewed accusations that the government is failing to protect Christians from extremist violence.
Speaking on a conservative radio program, Trump repeated his threat to take potential military action against Islamist militants in Nigeria if the government does not take
“do more” to stop attacks on Christian communities.
“Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace,” Trump said. “They’re killing people by the thousands. It’s a genocide, and I’m really angry about it. And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidies to Nigeria. We’re going to end up stopping.”
For years, ordinary Nigerians have been burying loved ones, while powerful voices in Abuja and the northern states have been busy massaging the egos of killers and sympathizing with them.
Let me refresh your memories.
In 2013, Muhammadu Buhari said that “the military offensive against Boko Haram is anti-North,” attacking Jonathan’s state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Many families who lost loved ones in the North have never forgotten those words. The terrorists even went on to elect him as their spokesman. This same man went on to become a president of Nigeria.
In Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai openly admitted that his government traced violent Fulani herdsmen outside Nigeria and paid them to stop killing people in Southern Kaduna, saying as a Fulani governor he had “no problem paying compensations” to them. This was a governor proudly saying that there was nothing wrong in paying bandits compensations.
In an old sermon, Isa Pantami, who later became Minister of Communications, described Boko Haram fighters as “our Muslim brothers” and complained that they were being killed “like pigs” instead of being pampered like Niger Delta militants. For saying this and openly sympathizing with these terrorists, he was placed in charge of a strategic position as the minister of communication.
Most of you don’t know how powerful the ministry of communications, Innovation, and digital economy is. Let me try to summarize its power in either aiding or impeding the fight against terrorism.
This ministry oversees the entire digital backbone of and structure of the country.
That includes:
-NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission)
-NITDA
-Galaxy Backbone
-National Identity database (NIN)
-Cybersecurity policy and digital surveillance systems
-Telecom regulation through MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile
-Internet monitoring, interception frameworks, SIM registration systems
All of these tools matter directly to national security.
This entire power sits under the Ministry’s regulatory supervision.
If the ministry is strong, coordinated and loyal to national security, terrorists lose their anonymity.
If the ministry is weak, compromised, or misaligned, terrorists operate freely.
This is why countries treat digital and communication ministries as security ministries, not just “internet ministries.”
The ministry leads Nigeria’s entire cybersecurity ecosystem, including:
-National Cybersecurity Policy
-Inter-agency cyber response teams
-Protection of critical digital infrastructure
-Collaboration with security agencies on intelligence
Of course, we know that terrorists now use:
-Encrypted platforms
-Digital fundraising
-Social media networks
-Online propaganda
-Cross-border WhatsApp coordination
The ministry is crucial in shutting these down or letting terrorists do as they please.
To avoid making this post too long, I won’t be able to tell you other importance of this ministry, but you can Subscribe to KaaTruths You/Tube channel and watch a documentary when I discussed this.
Now, let us continue.
In 2021, Lai Mohammed went on live TV and said that if granting amnesty to a warlord would make others surrender, he would “take that decision” and threw his weight behind governors who offered amnesty instead of confrontation to bandits. Lai Mohammed was the minister of Information under President Buhari.
Former Zamfara governor Ahmad Sani Yerima went to see President Tinubu in 2023 and came out publicly urging him to consider amnesty for bandits, arguing that they “deserve amnesty and not death” and should be negotiated with like Niger Delta militants. For him, these terrorists and bandits should not be killed.
Zamfara’s then governor, Bello Matawalle, even told Nigerians that “not all bandits are criminals”, insisting that some picked up guns because vigilantes wronged them, while his government pushed amnesty and cash deals with these same gangs. 
Former Katsina governor Aminu Masari launched an amnesty programme and promoted dialogue with bandits in Buhari’s home state, before later admitting the whole arrangement failed and that he regretted trusting them at all. 
And here’s the big one. Our current Vice President, Kashim Shettima, once said in 2011 that “the Boko Haram people are human beings who deserve fair hearing” and called them “our brothers”, calling for dialogue instead of a hard crackdown. Please, read that again gently. And how many of you still remembered whose house Kabiru Sokoto the Boko Haram prominent leader who bombed Nyanya was caught after escaping from police custody?
Ali Modu Sheriff, on the other hand, is surrounded by thick smoke andd reports linking his time as Borno governor to the rise of Boko Haram, yet he loudly denies everything but said something that most people have really not paid attention to. He said, “it’s not me, it’s Shettima who created Boko Haram.”
Dave Umahi who’s now a minister. At an event in Abakaliki in May 2021, where he presented vehicles to security agencies during his time as governor said:
“Bandits are our children, we should empower them.”
I hope you are still following.
Outside formal politics, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi built a full ministry of sympathy around bandits, insisting they are “not criminals”, demanding amnesty and rehabilitation, and scolding the media for calling them what they are. 
While thousands of villagers, farmers, churchgoers and travellers were being slaughtered, kidnapped and raped, you had powerful men debating the “feelings” of bandits and proposing salaries and amnesty for them.
Let this sink in: there are more powerful voices fighting to launder the image of bandits than there are voices fighting for the widows and orphans they left behind.
One day, Nigeria will have to ask herself: who really created this monster and who kept feeding it with soft words, cash settlements and political protection?
And the most chilling question would probably be: “Can we confidently separate our government from those we are asking the government to protect us from?”
-KAA
Host of KaaTruths Podcast
#EndInsecurity
#kaa_truthshn
