Bandits in Zamfara State have reportedly killed a councillor representing Jangebe Ward, Habibu Jangebe, and the Director of Planning for Talata-Mafara Local Government Area, Alhaji Jamilu Sani, over allegations that they were involved in facilitating payments to the Lakurawa terrorist group. The two local government officials were said to have been murdered after being accused of overseeing monthly payments to the Lakurawa group as part of efforts to shield communities from attacks. A resident of the area, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, confirmed the identities of the victims and claimed they had been tasked by the local government with delivering funds to the Lakurawa terrorists. According to the source, the arrangement allegedly involved regular payments to the Lakurawa group, while bandits operating in the area received no such support. “A certain amount of money is allegedly paid to the Lakurawa terrorists every month by the local government, but the bandits are excluded from the arrangement,” the source said. He alleged that the bandits abducted the two officials 10 days earlier and later killed them in retaliation. The… 

Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a mother and her daughter over their alleged involvement in a romance scam that reportedly defrauded a Malta-based victim of over N18 million. According to a statement released on Wednesday by DSP Unwana Imah, Acting Police Public Liaison Officer of the NPF-NCCC in Abuja, the suspects were identified as 39-year-old Urowhe Diana and her 22-year-old daughter, Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru. Preliminary findings by investigators suggest that a Lagos-based man, Emmanuel Amanfo—currently at large and described as Rokibat’s stepfather—allegedly worked with her to open and operate multiple bank accounts used to move proceeds from the fraud. Authorities say the accounts were allegedly used to channel funds obtained through the romance scam targeting the victim based in Malta. Investigations are ongoing as police continue efforts to track down other suspects linked to the case. The statement further disclosed that proceeds from the alleged romance scam were moved through money transfer operators and direct bank deposits into several accounts linked to Rokibat. Investigators also alleged that the funds were later transferred into an Ecobank account belonging to her mother, Urowhe Diana,… 

Pete Hegseth has revealed that former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a directive ordering the Pentagon to prioritise the protection of Christians in Nigeria who were being targeted by ISIS-linked groups. Speaking at a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Hegseth said the instruction was given roughly a year earlier after Trump was alerted to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria. According to him, the directive led to covert military coordination and the deployment of U.S. assets, with intelligence gathered during the mission later contributing to the killing of ISIS deputy leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki during a joint U.S.–Nigeria operation in the Lake Chad Basin. Hegseth said Trump personally pushed for stronger action, recalling the former president’s order that the U.S. “do everything possible” to protect Christians under threat in the region. He added that the operation produced significant gains in the fight against terrorism, including the elimination of high-ranking ISIS figures responsible for attacks in Nigeria and threats against the United States. Over time, he claimed, intelligence-driven strikes led to the killing of hundreds of ISIS fighters linked to violence against Christian communities. Describing the… 

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has dismissed reports alleging that a court order halted environmental services and food safety enforcement sittings across the FCT. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Legal Officer of the FCTA Public Health Department, Idris Suleiman, described the circulating claims as “completely false and misleading.” According to the department, the order delivered by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court in Motion No. M/7935/2026 only restrained proceedings relating to a case filed by H-Medix Pharmacy Limited against the FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat and six others. The department clarified that the ruling did not stop the Public Health Department’s broader enforcement operations or food safety court sittings within the territory. It therefore urged residents and business operators to ignore reports suggesting a total suspension of environmental health enforcement activities in the FCT.