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Army Conducts Exam For 286 Captains For Promotion To Major

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2023

No fewer than 286 officers of the Nigerian Army are taking part in the 2023 Captain to Major practical examination to test the proficiency of officers for higher responsibilities.

Addressing candidates and officers in Abeokuta on Sunday, the Commander Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Kevin Aligbe said officers would be assessed accordingly during the examination.

Aligbe added that the candidates would be assessed in the areas of mental and physical fitness, communication, and logical reasoning, among others.

He urged them to approach the examination with all sincerity of purpose, saying that cheating and other examination malpractices would not be allowed.

He said that the examination remained necessary, especially in the face of the current security challenges facing the country.

He explained that the current global security challenges, especially terrorism and insurgency, had continued to be of great concern to relevant authorities, and no stone would be left unturned to combat the challenge frontally.

He noted that the examination would be based on the global challenge of terrorism and insurgency, effective communication, logical reasoning, and map reading, among others.

Aligbe added that to be qualified and promoted from the current rank of Captain to Major, officers must score 50 per cent in all subjects and 60 per cent overall aggregate.

“This practical promotion examination from Captain to Major for these 286 officers across the country and beyond is to evaluate their proficiency for higher responsibilities, manpower development, especially in counter-terrorism and insurgency,” he said.

Earlier, the General Officer Commanding, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen Muhammed Usman, explained that the relevance of the examination towards building capacity for junior leadership to achieve national security objectives could not be over-emphasised.

He noted that the examination was meant to broaden the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of various aspects of military operations with an emphasis on Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations.

“We are all aware that this examination aims to evaluate the proficiency of this category of officers and develop their junior leadership capabilities for higher responsibilities in the Nigerian Army.

“I would like to state that your performance in the examination is a key determinant of progress in your career and it is important you all put in seriousness and determination to excel,” he said.

NAN

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Tinubu Orders Defence Minister To Relocate To Kebbi State Over Abduction Of 25 School Girls

Published

3 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State over the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday.

Matawalle, who was formerly governor of Zamfara State, was asked to remain in the state to monitor security efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.

Gunmen abducted 24 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State, around 4am on Monday.

Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birni-Kebbi on Friday, gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.

On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021.

President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

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Nigeria Now Deadliest Place On Earth To Be Christian – Nigerian Bishop Laments

Published

4 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Benue State, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, says Nigeria has become the deadliest place on earth to be a Christian.

Bishop Anagbe made this statement on Thursday while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC

Speaking before the US Congress, the Bishop said that the controversy escalated after President Trump designated Nigeria on the CPC list on 31 October 2025.

He alleged systematic persecution of Christians in the country, saying “Attacks by Fulani militants and Boko Haram have intensified, targeting Christian communities with impunity.

“More believers are killed there annually than in the rest of the world combined, yet perpetrators face little accountability.

“Violence is spreading, displacing millions and destroying farmland, creating a humanitarian crisis worsened by food insecurity. Without urgent intervention, Christianity risks being wiped out in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.

“Nigeria, already designated a Country of Particular Concern, must now be met with decisive action,” he said.

News

Christian Genocide: Back Nigeria CPC Redesignation With Action, Nigerian Bishop Begs Trump

Published

4 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, in Benue State, Wilfred Anagbe, has appealed to President Donald Trump of the United States to match its renewed designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, with concrete action.

Bishop Anagbe made this call on Thursday, while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC

He said, “On behalf of millions of Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora, we want to thank President Donald Trump for his bold leadership in designating Nigeria as a CPC. I commend you and this subcommittee for ongoing efforts on this matter.

“It is a vital step, but must be backed by serious action. One, use the Magnitsky Act for targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials and others tolerating or condoning Islamic violence in the country.”

The cleric also called on lawmakers to tie security and humanitarian aid to measurable improvements.

“Expand humanitarian support for IDPs. The IDPs must return to their ancestral homes, and this requires security guarantees from the Nigerian Government,” he said.

Bishop Anagbe told lawmakers that many Christian victims in Benue remain traumatised, adding that one priest he knows cannot walk after surviving a terrorist attack.

‘Deborah Samuel’s murderers remain free’ – US defends designation of Nigeria as CPC
He accused the federal government of downplaying casualty figures and abandoning survivors of repeated assaults.”

Anagbe also argued that President Donald Trump’s earlier CPC designation “aimed to stabilise Nigeria” but “worsened the safety of Christians.”