Headline

SERVICE CHIEFS: Criticism, Applaud Trail Tinubu’s Appointments

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2023

Mixed reactions, Tuesday, greeted President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new service chiefs, which took the nation’s security firmament by surprise.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George said the appointments were reasonable but not perfect.

However, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Benjamin Kalu and Former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor and President Ugwumba Leadership Center for Africa, Uche Nwosu, commended Tinubu for reflecting Nigeria’s diversity in his appointments.

Tinubu on Monday retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao; Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and Comptroller of Customs, Col Hameed Ali, retd among others.

New service chiefs

He appointed new service chiefs as follows:

* Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser
*Maj. Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff
*Maj. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff
* Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff
*AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff
*DIG Kayode Egbetokun, Acting Inspector-General of Police
* Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye, Chief of Defense Intelligence

* Adeniyi Bashir Adewale, Ag. Comptroller General of Customs.
Other top appointments include:

*Col. Adebisi Onasanya, Brigade of Guards Commander
* Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf, 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja
* Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa, 177 Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State
* Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim, 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger
* Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote, 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja
Similarly, the President approved the appointments of other military officers in the Presidential Villa as follows:
*Maj. Isa Farouk Audu, (N/14695) Commanding Officer State House Artillery
*Capt. Kazeem Olalekan Sunmonu (N/16183), Second-in-Command, State House Artillery
*Maj. Kamaru Koyejo Hamzat (N/14656), Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence
* Maj. TS Adeola (N/12860), Commanding Officer, State House Armament
*Lt. A. Aminu (N/18578) Second-in- Command, State House Armament.
Also, President Tinubu approved the appointments of two additional special advisers, and two senior assistants. They are:
* Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser, Policy Coordination
* Hannatu Musa Musawa, Special Adviser, Culture and Entertainment Economy
* Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (Senate)
* Mr. Olarewaju Kunle Ibrahim, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives)

Kalu hails Tinubu over Chief of Naval Staff appointment

Speaking on the issue, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu hailed President Tinubu over the appointment of Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff.

Kalu noted that the appointment touched on the diversity of the country, stressing that the President is determined to lead an inclusive government and promote national cohesion.

The deputy speaker also expressed gratitude to the president for his proactiveness in appointing capable hands to many key areas of the new administration so far.

While commending Tinubu for finding Ogalla, an Enugu indigene worthy of the esteemed position, Kalu who is also from the South-East expressed his confidence in the competence and capacity of the new naval helmsman to deliver.

Kalu further urged the South-East to support the current administration as the interests of the zone were well secured by the president.

So far reasonable, not perfect—Bode George

On his part, Chief Olabode George said that it is too early to evaluate President Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking on Channels Televisions ‘Politics Today, George insisted that the President needs a lot of good advisers, introspection noting that “Tinubu’s methodology so far is ‘reasonable but not perfect.’

He said: “The major difference between Bola and me is his methodology. His managerial style is not like mine. I have a background in the military. You don’t carry your men to war without adequately doing serious planning and intelligence gathering.

“So it is too early in the day. It is not a 100-meter dash race. He is to manage the people and the resources of this country for the betterment of the Nigerian people. In other words, his start is reasonable but not perfect.

“At least it is better than what we knew before when he was in Lagos. … I have worked for Gen. Babangida, Baba Obasanjo, and Jonathan, among others. It is not an easy job; the only thing is that you pray for whoever is there.

“It is not a matter of totalitarianism or you know it all syndrome. You need a lot of good advisers, you need a lot of introspection, and now he’s doing some balancing; it may not be perfect, but it is reasonable.”

Asked if the federal character principle was reflected in the security chief’s appointment, he said: “It is still reasonable. The founding fathers of the PDP divided Nigeria into six geo-political zones; it was not in our constitution.

“What got me a little bit worried was that the Secretary to the Government announced the appointment of smaller units. That should be done by the naval council or the military council.”

Nwosu commends Tinubu, says appointment nationalistic

However, Uche Nwosu, hailed President Tinubu’s appointments, saying that the president has the nation at heart and was committed to addressing the nation’s challenges.

Nwosu, in a statement, said Tinubu has demonstrated nationalism through his dedication to signing bills into law, ranging from the student loan bill, electricity distribution bill and of recent, the appointment of service chiefs.

The statement read: “The recent reshuffling of service chiefs by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is commendable. Since assuming office, President Tinubu has demonstrated by the Bills he signed into law, and by the appointments and pronouncements he made that his administration is one where the leader understands the peculiar challenges facing the country.

“Mr President in his drive for holistic national repositioning delved into the education sector where the recent education loan scheme act would provide Nigerians with opportunities to pursue their academic goals, regardless of their social or economic background.

“Recall the electricity distribution bill that President Tinubu also signed into law, thereby bringing to an end, the belated controversy on electricity distribution that has slowed the wheel of the nation’s march towards industrialization.

“The latest hallmark of the administration is the appointment of service chiefs to ensure the security of lives and properties, and to defend and enforce Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“By selecting fine and well decorated officers from all regions of the country to man our security outfits, Mr President has demonstrated his deep understanding of the country, its people, as well as showing his unflinching commitment to one Nation bound in love and unity, where tribe, tongue and religion does not matter.

“I, therefore, urge the new service chiefs to deliver on their mandate, and restore our country to its former glory where lives are sacred, and investment, economic opportunities and political stability flourish.”

VANGUARD

Headline

Family Of Five Killed In Iranian Missile Strike After Fleeing Ukraine For Safety In Israel

Published

23 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Editor

A Ukrainian family of five who fled Russia’s war in search of safety were killed in Israel by an Iranian missile — the very conflict they thought they had escaped.

Mariia Pieshkurova had brought her 7-year-old daughter, Anastasiia, to Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv, hoping to get lifesaving cancer treatment and refuge from the violence at home.

Along with Anastasiia’s grandmother, Olena Sokolova, and two young cousins, Illia and Kostiantyn, they had started over — believing they were finally safe.

But on June 15, an Iranian missile tore through their apartment building during a retaliatory strike on Israel, killing them all.

“I really thought they’d be safe,” said Artem Buryk, Anastasiia’s father and Mariia’s former partner. “I never thought they’d go to Israel to escape war — and find it there.”

The missile attack, part of Iran’s response to Israeli airstrikes on its territory, collapsed much of the building in Bat Yam.

It took four days to recover Mariia’s body from the rubble.

Their deaths marked a heartbreaking intersection of two wars — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s conflict with Israel — both of which had already tested the family’s will to survive.

Mariia had moved to Israel in late 2022 after Anastasiia was diagnosed with leukemia.

Ukraine’s hospitals were overwhelmed, and its largest children’s hospital was later destroyed in a missile strike.

In Israel, treatment began immediately. It was effective but costly. Mariia turned to Instagram, sharing photos of her daughter in treatment and videos of Artem pleading for help while serving on Ukraine’s front lines.

“Masha did everything for her little girl,” said Anastasiia’s godmother, Khrytsyna Chanysheva. “She dedicated her life to her, moved to Israel to get her full treatment.”

Despite the pain, Anastasiia always smiled at visitors.

“She was in pain, and she would close her eyes for a second,” said charity worker Lada Fichkovsi. “But every time I walked into her room, she would smile.”

Her cousins joined the family in May 2024 as the situation in Odesa deteriorated.

“The shelling made my children cry,” said Hanna Pieshkurova, Mariia’s sister. “I decided to let them go.”

Though Israel was at war with Hamas, Mariia had assured her sister that Bat Yam was calm. Air raid sirens were rare, and the Iron Dome defense system offered hope.

“Ukrainians often say, ‘This is not Ukraine, it’s not as scary,’” said Inna Bakhareva of Chance4Life, a charity helping sick children in Israel. “They felt secure due to the Iron Dome.”

That sense of security evaporated after Israel struck Iranian targets on June 12. Iran retaliated with missile attacks across Israeli cities.

“Dad, at night I saw how the missiles were falling,” Anastasiia told her father in a voice message the night before she died.

She and her mother had been scheduled to visit the hospital the next morning. The missile struck before dawn.

Mr. Buryk, who had just returned from the front lines near Sumy, received the news that same day.

“I still don’t understand what’s happening,” he said. “I still can’t believe it.”

He used to promise Anastasiia they’d go fishing together when peace returned.

“Every time I talked to her, I’d say, ‘Sweetheart, we’ll go fishing. Just us,’” he said. “And now I just don’t understand. I still don’t even grasp that she’s gone.”

“Last night,” he added quietly, “I sent her voice messages.”

(New York Times)

Headline

Militia Attack On DRC IDP Camp, Kills 10, Mostly Women, Children

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

An armed group at the centre of a long-running ethnic conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast attacked a camp for displaced people on Friday, killing 10, local sources told AFP.

Bordering Uganda, Ituri province has for years been the scene of pitched battles between the Lendu, a group mainly made up of settled farmers, and the Hema people, typically nomadic herders.

The fighting has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and the mass displacement of many more.

Friday’s assault on the Djangi displaced persons camp was carried out by the self-proclaimed Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), a Lendu-aligned militia responsible for previous civilian massacres, the camp’s head told AFP.

“They were many and armed with firearms and machetes. They surprised us, they killed 10 displaced people, most of them women and children,” said Richard Likana.

An employee of the Red Cross, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed the attack, which took place around 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Bunia.

“They were cut up with machetes while others were shot,” the humanitarian worker added.

Congolese army Colonel Ruffin Mapela, the local administrator for Djugu territory where the camp is located, gave the same toll of 10 dead and put the number of injured at 15.

According to local and humanitarian sources, Codeco was responsible for an attack on February 10 which killed 51 people in Ituri province. Most of the victims were also displaced persons.

That raid was said to be a response to a strike by the rival Hema-led Zaire militia in the same area.

Violence between the Hema and Lendu killed thousands in gold-rich Ituri from 1999-2003, which only ended after European forces intervened.

The conflict erupted again in 2017, killing thousands more.

The violence has led to more than 1.5 million people leaving their homes, according to the UN.

AFP

Headline

Israel Wants Global Action Against Iran’s Nuclear Plans

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

Israel’s foreign minister said on Friday that the world was obliged to stop Iran from developing an atomic bomb, days after Israel claimed it had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project” in a 12-day war.

“Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the international community,” Gideon Saar wrote on X.

“The international community must now prevent, by any effective means, the world’s most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon.”

Israel and Iran each claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24.

The conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign, stating it aimed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon—an ambition Iran has consistently denied.

Following waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites, the United States bombed three key facilities, with President Donald Trump insisting it had set Iran’s nuclear programme back by “decades”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation after the ceasefire, announced that “we have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project”.

However, there is no consensus as to how effective the strikes were.
On Friday, Iran rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit the bombed facilities, saying it suggested “malign intent”.

The comments from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came after parliament approved a bill suspending cooperation with the UN watchdog.

In a post on X following the move, Saar said Iran “continues to mislead the international community and actively works to prevent effective oversight of its nuclear programme”.