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There’ll be peace across Nigeria in foreseeable future – COAS
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt..-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has assured Nigerians of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to combating all threats and ensuring peace across Nigeria in the foreseeable future.
Lagbaja gave the assurance during the Inter-denominational Church Service in commemoration of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2024 in Abuja, yesterday.
He said the threats that Nigeria was facing as a nation were complex and adaptive, assuring that the troops were adapting to the situation.
“I would say we are one step ahead of the threats and in doing so we have been able to restore peace to some parts of the country, ” he said.
He said that in the areas where the army was still experiencing challenges, the authorities were reviewing the situation.
“We are tweaking with our strategy and the troops are raring to go and we will continue to provide the necessary support to the troops in the front line.
“My pledge to the nation is that the army will continue to be up and doing, the troops will continue to combat the threat and in the foreseeable future we will experience peace all across the nation,” he said.
The COAS called on Nigerians to continue to support the army by providing information, moral, spiritual and whatever support to enable it to address the situation.
Lagbaja said, “With this support, the soldiers in the front line will be motivated to give their all in the defence of the nation and in doing that, we will experience sustainable peace across the nation.”
He thanked the clergy for their diligence in lifting holy hands in prayers on behalf of the Nigerian army families, particularly those in the front lines and the families they left behind.
Lagbaja also congratulated officers and men of the army and members of their families as it marked its 161 years since its inception and counted its successes.
He said the service had experienced wars, low-intensity conflicts, and military operations other than war, such as peacekeeping/peace enforcement and military aid to civil authority engagements.
The army chief said Nigeria today boasts of a force that is globally reckoned with, renowned for its tenacity and adaptability and a force that is victory-focused.
He added that the Nigerian army understood the underlying spiritual component of fighting power, and ascribed battle successes to God as conspicuously captured by its motto: “Victory is from God Alone.”
“I believe it is in recognition of the place of thankfulness to God for the past year and the need to seek divine guidance and blessings for a new year that our forefathers initiated the NADCEL religious activities.
“Therefore, our gathering today is to thank the Almighty for His guidance over the past year and seek His continued blessings, grace, and favour.
“Like the eagle bird that symbolises strength in the army logo, we have congregated before the Almighty to renew our strength to soar higher and accomplish missions in the new year,” he said.
Lagbaja said that the NADCEL Church service was also to commemorate the fallen warriors, celebrate the living and pray for a brighter future for the Nigerian army.
He urged all to keep praying for the repose of the souls of their beloved colleagues who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty defending the nation as well as for the recovery of the growing population of wounded-in-action warriors.
The Director, Chaplain Services (Roman Catholic), Nigerian Army, Brig..-Gen. Anthony Maimagani, said the theme of the Interdenominational Church Service was, ‘Integrating Religious Morals in the Society: Imperative in Combating Contemporary Security Challenges in a Joint Environment’.
Maimagani said the Nigerian army believed that victory only comes from God as encapsulated in its motto.
He said it was God that guided personnel and gave them inner courage to fight to overcome the enemy.
According to him, prayer is a key thing in their lives as they struggle with insecurity in the country.
“That is why we talk about a non kinetic way of dealing with this insecurity and prayer is one aspect of dealing with such insecurity,” he said.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
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