Category: Politics

Abuja, Nigeria (NPA) — March 10, 2026 — The Nigerian Army has pledged to strengthen military cooperation with the South African Army, following a visit by the Chief of the South African Army, Lieutenant General Lawrence Khulekani Mbatha, to the Army Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Colonel Appolonia Anele, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, said Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, emphasised that closer collaboration among African militaries is critical to addressing terrorism and insurgency. He noted that shared training and operational knowledge would enhance regional security and professional capacity.

Shaibu highlighted Nigeria’s counter‑terrorism efforts in the North‑East under Operation HADIN KAI, stressing the importance of specialised training in detecting and neutralising Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). He said cooperation with South Africa would strengthen these programs and improve battlefield survivability.

The army chief also pointed to ongoing collaboration in military education. Nigerian officers attend courses at the South African Defence College, while South African officers serve as instructors in Nigerian institutions such as the Army War College and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College. These exchanges, he said, build institutional ties and leadership capacity.

Mbatha, for his part, praised Nigeria’s extensive battlefield experience and expressed interest in learning from its operational strategies against asymmetric threats. He noted that South Africa’s expertise in aviation maintenance and pilot training could support Nigeria’s efforts to expand its air capabilities.

Both leaders concluded with a commitment to sustain joint training, operational exchanges, and technical cooperation. They agreed that stronger collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa would enhance the effectiveness of their forces and contribute to stability and collective defense across Africa.

Abuja, Nigeria (NPA) — March 9, 2026 — Presidential hopeful and leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, has condemned what he described as Nigeria’s descent into a dangerous era of political thuggery aimed at suppressing democracy and stifling political participation.

Obi’s remarks followed reports of an attack on fellow presidential aspirant Rotimi Amaechi on Friday, March 6, 2026. Gunmen ambushed his convoy along the Omuanwa–Ubima road in Ikwerre Local Government Area during a political engagement in Rivers State.

Amaechi’s convoy was allegedly assaulted by politically sponsored thugs, while offices of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the area were set ablaze, sparking widespread condemnation and raising concerns about escalating political violence.

In a statement on Monday, Obi warned: “The failure to arrest and prosecute those responsible for these heinous acts signals a grave danger—the steady erosion of the very foundation of democracy and the entrenchment of lawlessness by those entrusted to enforce the law.”

He cautioned that unchecked violence could push citizens to take matters into their own hands: “If we do not confront this troubling trend with unwavering resolve, citizens will feel compelled to take matters into their own hands simply to exercise their democratic rights.”

Obi further stressed that Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while political actors are endangered for expressing themselves. “A nation where thugs dictate who can gather, speak, or campaign is not practising democracy; it is careening toward a brutal regime of political thuggery, aided and abetted by those in power.”

He concluded: “We must unequivocally reject this descent into a democracy of thuggery. Nigerians deserve a political environment organised through competency, capacity, compassion, and commitment to the good of society, not one controlled by incompetence and thuggery. Democracy must be defined by the rule of law, accountability, competence, and the unrestricted participation of citizens in shaping their nation’s future through political actions.”