News
Insecurity: US Approves $1bn Attack Helicopters, Others For Nigeria, Buhari Meets Service Chiefs

The United States State Department has cleared the sale of 12 AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria worth nearly $1bn, apparently after US lawmakers lifted objections over human rights concerns.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday announced the sale of the helicopters and related defence systems to the Nigerian military.
The package includes $25m for human rights-related training, according to YahooNews.
The sale includes the Bell-made Cobras; 28 General Electric-made T700-401C engines; 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems used to convert unguided missiles into precision-guided missiles; and night vision, targeting and navigation systems.
The case highlights the Biden administration’s attempts to balance human rights concerns in the arms sale process.
Foreign Policy had reported in July that the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed the sale amid concerns Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was drifting toward authoritarianism. The country is facing multiple security challenges, including terrorism.
“Nigeria requires a fundamental rethink of the framework of our overall engagement,” committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the diplomat’s testimony before the panel last year.
Menendez also tweeted that “the Nigerian government must get serious about security” after the militant group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 300 schoolboys in December 2020. The Nigerian government also ran afoul of the New Jersey Democrat in 2019 after arresting one of his constituents, Nigerian-American journalist Omoyele Sowore.
READ ALSO: Insecurity: Why Northern Elders Are Angry With Buhari – Femi Adesina
According to the announcement, $25m in the package will be dedicated to “institutional and technical assistance” to Nigeria’s military to continue its Air-to-Ground Integration program, which concerns targeting processes that are consistent with international humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict.
“The proposed sale will better equip Nigeria to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability and build interoperability with the U.S. and other Western partners,” the announcement read.
“This sale will be a major contribution to US and Nigerian security goals,” it added
The development appears to open a new chapter in US-Nigeria relations.
The United States had last May said there was no plan to relocate its Africa Command from its current base in Germany to Nigeria or any other part of Africa despite the worsening state of insecurity in the region.
The US gave the response barely two weeks after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), appealed to the US government to consider relocating AFRICOM to Africa to assist Nigeria and other adjoining countries to combat worsening terrorism, banditry and other security crises.
The President made the plea in a virtual meeting with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on April 27, 2021
Germany-based Africa Command (AFRICOM) is the US military headquarters that oversees its operations in Africa.
Buhari’s request followed a series of recent military casualties in Nigeria’s decade-long fight against Boko Haram terrorists, fresh expansion of the insurgents’ bases to Niger and Nasarawa States, and heavy waves of abductions and killings by bandits in the North.
Buhari had said, “In this connection, and considering the growing security challenges in West and Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region and the Sahel, weighing heavily on Africa, it underscores the need for the United States to consider relocating AFRICOM headquarters from Stuttgart, Germany to Africa and near the Theatre of Operation.”
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However, the US government later ruled out any plan to relocate AFRICOM from its current base in Germany to Nigeria or any part of Africa.
According to the United States Department of Defence’ Pentagon, previous studies have shown that the cost of relocating AFRICOM from Germany to Africa is very huge.
Meanwhile, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will on Tuesday meet the service chiefs over the rising spate of insecurity in the country.
The Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, disclosed this on Thursday, while briefing journalists after the Council of State meeting in Abuja.
According to the governor, the proposed meeting is sequel to the recommendations by the council over the security challenge in the country.
But the Peoples Democratic Party described the All Progressives Congress as a failure over its inability to tackle the insecurity rocking the nation, stressing that Nigerians are waiting eagerly for 2023 to vote them out of power.
The party accused the government of always passing the buck, describing it as incompetent.
Recall that the House of Representatives had also condemned the rising insecurity in the country, especially the recent killings in Benue, Taraba and Plateau states.
The lawmakers, who stated this at the plenary on Wednesday, demanded the removal of the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.) and the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.).
The legislators also alleged that security agents were aiding bandits and other criminals, adding that huge security funds were not being justified.
The Northern Elders’ Forum had also on Tuesday called for the resignation of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for the killings as well as the attack on a train in Kaduna State last month.
The Presidency, however, ruled out the resignation of the President, blaming past administrations for the insecurity in the country.
The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba in his reaction on Thursday, knocked the Federal Government for lacking a solution to the killings, kidnapping and violence in parts of the country.
READ ALSO: Insecurity: Reps Knock Buhari, Demand NSA, Defence Minister’s Removal
According to him, Nigerians were tired of excuses and apologies from the Buhari regime for its inability to contain the bloody attacks on the citizens.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Insecurity: ‘I Won’t Resign, Saboteurs After My Govt,’ Buhari Replies Northern Elders
He said, “This government would be coming every day to apologise to Nigerians to say ‘we’re sorry for what we’ve done.’ But this is a government that is arrogant in failure. They’ve failed and they are still arrogant about it. They should bury their head in shame.
“So, because insecurity predates the APC government, does it mean because they are incompetent and rudderless and completely clueless about the issues, we should accept it? I mean, these are lame excuses, which we’re used to.
“But Nigerians know better now. Nigerians are wiser, no lies, no stunts that are being dished out by the APC government can avail it any attention from the Nigerian people.”
Speaking in the same vein, some Northern groups, including the Middle Belt Forum, the Christian Association of Nigeria in 19 Northern States and Abuja, advised the Federal Government to stop blaming past administrations for the rising insecurity in the country.
The organisations, in different interviews with The PUNCH, said the Buhari regime had failed in all areas.
The National President of the MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu, lashed out at the Presidency for kicking against the call for Buhari’s resignation.
Pogu said, “Usually, people who seek power do so by promising to solve identified social ills and make life better for the people which they seek to govern. Buhari did so while campaigning in 2015 but can he point to any campaign promise he has fulfilled that has made the life of Nigerians better after seven years as president
“But before this government led by Buhari leaves, it is time that the record be put straight: They don’t deserve to be in government; they have failed and they should be responsible for their failure.”
The Vice President of CAN in the 19 Northern States and Abuja and Chairman of CAN in Kaduna state, Rev. Joseph Hayab, noted that the Presidency was back to its blame game.
He said, “If the President’s spokesmen had been quick to respond to bandits and terrorists the way they are always in a haste to reply to citizens that are complaining because of the painful experience the country is going through, we may have defeated the bandits and corrected many wrongs that are happening in the land.”
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News
Ex-soldiers Fume Over Lifetime Benefits For Sacked Service Chiefs

The sacked Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and two other service chiefs, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, are set to receive generous retirement benefits.
The benefits include bulletproof vehicles, domestic aides, and lifetime medical care.
Their exit follows President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new service chiefs on Friday.
General Olufemi Oluyede has been named the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Major-General W. Shaibu takes over as Chief of Army Staff.
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke becomes the new Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas the Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said in a statement on Friday that the removal of the service chiefs was in furtherance of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.
According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, signed by President Tinubu on December 14, 2024, the service chiefs are entitled to substantial retirement packages upon disengagement.
The document stipulates that each retiring service chief will receive a bulletproof SUV or an equivalent vehicle, to be maintained and replaced every four years by the military.
They are also entitled to a Peugeot 508 or an equivalent backup vehicle.
Beyond the vehicles, the package includes five domestic aides — two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener — along with an aide-de-camp or security officer, and a personal assistant or special assistant.
They will also retain three service drivers, a service orderly, and a standard guard unit comprising nine soldiers.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss
The benefits extend to free medical treatment both in Nigeria and abroad, as well as the retention of personal firearms to be retrieved upon their demise.
However, while officers of lieutenant-general rank and equivalents are entitled to international and local medical care worth up to $20,000 annually, the benefits for the service chiefs, though not stated in the document, are believed to be considerably higher.
The HTCOS reads, “Retirement benefits for CDS and Service Chiefs: The following benefits shall be applicable: one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the Service and to be replaced every four years. One Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle.
‘’Retention of all military uniforms and accoutrement to be worn for appropriate ceremonies; five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener); one Aide-de-Camp/security officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalents) or one Personal Assistant (Warrant Officer or equivalents); standard guard (nine soldiers).
“Three service drivers; one service orderly; escorts (to be provided by appropriate military units/formation as the need arises); retention of personal firearms (on his demise, the personal firearm(s) shall be retrieved by the relevant service); and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.”
However, the policy specifies that such entitlements apply only if the retired officers have not accepted any other appointment funded from public resources — except when such an appointment is made by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In such cases, the officers, according to the document, will only receive allowances commensurate with the new role rather than a full salary.
Retired soldiers protest lavish perks
Reacting, some retired soldiers decried what they described as the luxurious benefits and entitlements reserved for service chiefs and senior military officers.
They lamented that junior personnel continued to suffer neglect and unpaid entitlements despite years of service to the nation.
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The retired officers expressed frustration over the disparity in welfare and treatment between senior and junior ranks within the military.
One of the leaders of the discharged soldiers demanding their owed entitlements, Sgt. Zaki Williams, expressed frustration over the entitlements reserved for the service chiefs.
Speaking in an emotional tone, Williams, who claimed to be speaking for more than 700 soldiers in his group, said many retired non-commissioned officers had been abandoned despite dedicating their lives to defending the country.
He said, “I don’t really understand how our people in Nigeria do things. The people at the top always do things to favour only themselves. They don’t care about the poor or the junior ones who sacrificed everything.”
The retired sergeant recalled that government officials had made several promises to improve their welfare, but none had been fulfilled.
“Since the day they made those promises to us, we went back home and didn’t hear anything again. Everything just ended there. We’ve been waiting till now, but nothing has happened,” he added.
Williams said the situation had left many of his colleagues demoralised and divided over whether to continue pressing for their entitlements.
“Some of us said we should protest again, but others refused. We told them that day that we were not going for another protest. If the government wants to help us, they should help us. If not, we’re done,” he said.
He also accused senior military officers of frustrating efforts by the defence ministry to address the concerns of retired personnel.
According to Williams, life after service has been extremely difficult for most of them who retired voluntarily or were discharged without compensation.
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“How can someone retire after years of service and still not get their entitlement? Many of us can’t even build a house. The senior officers have houses, cars, and everything good, but the rest of us have nothing,” he said.
He added that the little compensation given to some was not enough to rebuild their lives.
“If they give you N2m today, what can you really start with it in this country? You have children, family, and responsibilities, yet you can’t even afford a plot of land,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, he said most junior officers had lost faith in the system.
“We’ve handed everything over to God,” he said quietly. “We’ve cried and done our best. They promised us, but in the end, it’s still zero. We haven’t seen anything. That’s why many of us are now silent.”
Another retired soldier, Abdul Isiak, lamented that promises made to retired personnel had remained unfulfilled, leaving many struggling to survive.
He said, “All you said they would give to them would be done promptly, and they are more than what we need to sustain our lives. This is very unfair. We have suffered a lot, and they’re yet to give us our entitlements after leaving the service. What is our offence? Is it because we are junior officers?”
The former sergeant said the senior officers continued to enjoy generous retirement packages while lower ranks were denied their due benefits.
“We are preparing for another protest for them to pay us. This is very bad,” he said.
(PUNCH)
News
Alleged Misappropriation: MFM Accuses UK Agency Of Discrimination

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International has accused the UK Charity Commission of bias and being discriminatory in its report that alleged the church engaged in financial mismanagement.
MFM denied that its UK branch’s accounts were frozen due to financial mismanagement by its trustees.
According to a report by The Cable, the UK Charity Commission had frozen assets belonging to MFM over transparency concerns.
The commission said it opened an inquiry after financial concerns were identified, including the alleged misappropriation of charity funds.
The inquiry found that trustees in the MFM charity wing could not demonstrate that they had adequate oversight or control over more than 100 bank accounts operated by individual branches.
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But reacting to the allegations in a statement on Saturday by its spokesperson, Dan Aibangbe, the church described the commission’s action as “a gross distortion of facts and a deliberate mischaracterisation of a closed chapter.”
MFM insisted that no wrongdoing or fraud was ever found against its trustees.
“The issues raised were related to administrative governance, not a finding of fraudulent activity by the trustee body. This matter is old and not a fresh development. It is misleading to present it as a current scandal,” the church said.
In the statement titled ‘A Point-by-Point Rebuttal: Setting the Record Straight on the MFM–UK Charity Commission Matter,’ the church said none of its bank accounts were frozen, describing such claims as “a complete fabrication.”
The statement added, “No bank accounts belonging to MFM were ever frozen. The commission’s report identified no evidence of systemic financial misconduct by the trustees. The entire process was a display of overreach, not an exposure of fraud.”
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MFM maintained that the Charity Commission acted “not on concrete evidence but on rumours and gossip,” claiming that the regulator’s expectations of uncovering large-scale fraud proved unfounded after it gained access to the church’s financial records.
“When the Commission examined the records, it found nothing of the sort. Rather than close the case honourably, it embarked on a fault-finding mission, highlighting minor administrative discrepancies to justify its intrusion,” it added.
The church further described the commission’s actions as part of a pattern of procedural flaws, recalling that MFM had previously challenged the regulator’s methods in a British court and secured a judgment against what it described as “improper procedures and overreach.”
MFM disclosed that following the probe, the Charity Commission appointed an interim manager to oversee MFM’s UK operations, but the individual’s five-year tenure was more about revenue generation than stewardship.
“The interim manager showed no genuine interest in the church’s ministry, never visiting a single MFM branch in the UK throughout his tenure. Yet, he charged the church a staggering £2 million for his ‘services’—a colossal fee for a process that yielded no evidence of wrongdoing,” the church said.
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“The five-year ordeal was not about protection but predation. What the Commission spent half a decade attempting to prove could have been resolved through cooperative guidance in a single month.”
The church emphasised that the concerns identified by the Commission were administrative in nature, arising largely from the rapid growth of MFM’s UK operations, which had outpaced its volunteer-run governance framework.
“The most powerful testament to the church’s integrity is this: not a single penny was mismanaged by the trustees,” Aibangbe said. “The issues raised were purely related to governance and record-keeping in a fast-growing organisation, not the diversion or theft of funds.
“Crucially, the leadership was already aware of the administrative gaps and had started taking steps to professionalise its governance structure. The Commission’s premature and heavy-handed investigation punished the church for being a victim of its own success,” the church added.
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Describing the investigation as “a biased, costly, and ultimately baseless persecution,” MFM said the experience reflected deeper prejudices against African-founded churches operating in the UK.
The church said it remains committed to transparency and accountability but called for fair treatment of faith-based organisations, regardless of their ethnic or cultural origins.
“The entire ordeal reeks of discriminatory and arrogant oversight,” Aibangbe said. “It was a display of institutional overreach, leveraging state power to burden and punish a thriving faith community.
“The truth has prevailed, and the church marches on—stronger and wiser,” it added.
News
Resident Doctors Declare Nationwide Strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has declared that it would embark on a nationwide indefinite strike starting from November 1, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Saturday.
Suleiman stated that the association’s National Executive Council reached the decision after reviewing the government’s response to their demands during its virtual emergency meeting.
He noted that the strike notice would be formally issued within 24 hours as mandated by the NEC.
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“The NEC of NARD has declared total and indefinite strike action starting November 1st of 2025. As a matter of fact, the NEC said all the 19 points are our minimum demands, and there is no going back. The notice for the strike will be out maybe later today or tomorrow,” Suleiman said.
The looming strike is expected to heavily impact services in hospitals across the country where resident doctors form the backbone of clinical care.
NARD had on September 26 given the Federal Government one month to address a series of unresolved issues affecting the welfare and training of resident doctors and medical officers across the country.
NARD noted that resident doctors and medical officers across the country continued to endure excessive and unregulated work hours, spanning several consecutive days, which endanger both their health and patient safety.
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The association also raised concern over the nonpayment of the outstanding 25 per cent and 35 per cent upward review arrears of CONMESS, which should have been settled by the end of August 2025, despite several engagements with the Federal Government.
NARD described as unjust the dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, saying the action came amid widespread burnout and the ongoing migration of medical professionals abroad.
Other grievances include the non-payment of promotion arrears owed to medical officers in various federal tertiary hospitals and the failure of the government to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance, despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Health.
It also cited bureaucratic delays in upgrading resident doctors’ ranks following successful completion of postgraduate medical examinations. The association said these delays have led to non-payment of new salary scales and accumulated arrears.
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It further decried the exclusion of resident doctors from the specialist allowance, despite their vital role in delivering specialist-level clinical care to patients nationwide.
Similarly, NARD faulted the exclusion of medical and dental house officers from the civil service scheme, a policy that has denied them rightful emoluments, professional recognition, and timely payment of salaries.
The association also condemned the downgrading of newly employed resident doctors from CONMESS three Step three to CONMESS two Step two, which has resulted in salary shortages and arrears in several federal hospitals.
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