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Nigeria will get to the root of Canada’s visa insult – CDS
Still ruing last week’s snub by for refusing to grant visa to Nigeria’s military apparatchik, Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), on Wednesday, vowed that the country would not only get to the root of the matter, but would ensure that no such insult ever happened again.
The military boss, who was also denied visa, did not state what measure would take to ensure a non-repeat of the ignoble treatment, he said the country would not tolerate disrespect from any country towards its citizens, emphasising as it deserved respect on the global stage.
Musa, who made the comment while welcoming the Nigerian contingent who eventually went for the games, at Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, dismissed claims that the Nigerian Armed Forces were not invited to the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, an international event initiated by the Duke of Sussex.
Speaking to the ill-treatment meted out to Nigerians by the visa denial to several team members, the CDS, who stated the Federal Government was taking action to address the issue, said: “On the issue of the visa denial, it must be tackled on all fronts, and I am happy the Federal Government is taking up the matter.
“The Nigerian military followed all required procedures and that top government officials, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), were fully aware of the invitation and preparations for the Invictus Games.
“We followed all the necessary processes, but for reasons best known to them, most of our team members were denied visas. The team captain, the medical doctor, and the physiotherapist were all denied entry. Why?”
Emphasising that Nigeria would not accept any form of disrespect or unfair treatment and called for mutual respect between nations, he commended the wounded soldiers for their resilience and dedication, the CDS vowed that injured military personnel would not be abandoned.
“Your courage and determination have left an indelible mark. You are true embodiments of the Nigerian spirit—unconquered, unbroken, and unstoppable. Whatever it takes to raise the morale of our troops, we will do it, no matter the cost.”
Nanjul Kumzhi, an Air Vice Marshal and Director of Sports at the Defence Headquarters, who revealed that Nigeria was the first and only African nation to participate in the Invictus Games and would also take part in the 2027 Games in Birmingham, equally lamenting the visa saga.
He regretted that out of the 25-man team, only 14 members were granted visas, by the Canadian High Commission in Abuja, adding that even with setback, the team was still able to secure medals including Gold, Silver and Bronze.
“Despite the unfair treatment by the embassy, we came home with six medals during the games,” Kumzhi said, while speaking about the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, including serving personnel and veterans.
The Duke of Sussex, inspired by his visit to the Warrior Games in America in 2013, launched the Invictus Games to support injured soldiers. He also visited Nigeria in 2024.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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