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DHQ to Amnesty International: Your report on mass killing in Nigeria rubbish!
For the umpteenth time, the Defence Headquarters on Friday, pooh-poohed another report by Amnesty International (AI), as in previous years, this time, accusing the military in Nigeria of failing to prevent the mass killing of citizens by terrorists rampaging the country.
In its report released on Wednesday, the global rights body had raised the alarm over what it described as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect citizens from relentless attacks by armed groups and bandits, for which at least 10,217 people had been slaughtered and 672 villages sacked in the past two years.
But in a major push back to the report, which particularly cited the situation in Benue State as recording the highest number of deaths with 6,896 people killed, the military authorities described the report as lacking contextual depth and failing to acknowledge the significant achievements of the Nigerian Armed Forces in combating insecurity across the country.
Outside Benue, the group also cited Plateau State, where Caleb Mutfwang, the Governor equally cried out that some 64 communities had been taken over and renamed by invaders after engaging in massive slaughtering of their original owners, as second on its list, with 2,630 deaths recorded.
Markus Kangye, a Major General, who spoke on behalf of the DHQ, in pushing back the narrative, expressed concern over what it called “sweeping generalisations” and “unverified statistics” in Amnesty’s report.
Kangye Director of Defence Media Operations, said in a statement, on Friday that while military authority, respected the role of civil society in promoting accountability, the report disregarded the asymmetric nature of the threats facing the country and the complex socio-political context within which the Armed Forces operated.
His words: “While we acknowledge the importance of civil society in promoting accountability and human rights, we must express strong reservations about the sweeping generalisations, lack of contextual depth, and the failure of the statement to recognise the monumental strides made by the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the current administration.
“The statement paints a bleak and generalised picture of national insecurity, largely ignoring the asymmetric and evolving nature of modern threats, especially those rooted in decades of socio-political and economic complexities. While there are undeniable challenges in specific regions, DHQ.
“President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the military has recorded several operational milestones. These include the neutralisation of over 5,000 insurgents and bandits, the recovery of more than 350 communities previously under terrorist control, and the rescue of over 1,200 kidnapped civilians.
“The sustained presence of troops in areas such as Maru (Zamfara), Bokkos (Plateau), and Logo (Benue) has enabled displaced persons to begin returning home under military protection. Rescue Operations and Hostage Recovery. In partnership with local intelligence networks, the military successfully rescued over 1,200 abducted civilians, including women and children, many of whom were kidnapped in mass abduction incidents. Several notorious kidnapping syndicates have been dismantled, and recovery of illegal weapons caches continues weekly.”
Regarding the alleged killing and displacement in Plateau, Kangye described the data as “a concoction of falsehood,” adding: “The state witnessed improvements in security following a reorganisation of deployments and intensified operations since July 2023. There were no mass displacements between 2023 and 2025, contrary to Amnesty’s assertion.
“Amnesty’s reports exaggerated the situation in the Northwest, particularly in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States. In Zamfara alone, the military reported over 2,000 offensive operations in two years, leading to the rescue of 687 abductees, the neutralisation of over 1,500 terrorists, and the destruction of bandit enclaves.
“Contrary to claims, areas such as Bafarawa and Gebe in Sokoto are within reach of military Forward Operating Bases, and joint operations have cleared bandit strongholds.
“In Katsina, 21 bandits were neutralised, and 77 collaborators arrested, in recent operations. Troops have been engaging communities through patrols, civil-military engagements, and intelligence-sharing. The claim that 6,896 people were killed in Benue State, is humongous and misleading.
“Our records show 693 deaths in Benue during the review period, not 6,896. Furthermore, most of the alleged displacement figures are inconsistent with ground realities. Many IDP camps are now largely empty.”
Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.
Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.
The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.
Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.
Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.
Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.
“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.
“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.
“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”
Serah Luca, a Christian woman, has returned N1 million she unknowingly took along with goods purchased from a trader at Terminus market in Jos, Plateau state capital.
Luca, a petty trader, reportedly said she made the purchase on Friday and only discovered the hidden cash after getting home.
She said her decision to return the money was driven by fear of God and her belief that she could not keep what did not belong to her, especially knowing the hardship that comes with losing money in business.
“I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me,” Daily Trust quoted her as saying.
The trader, Abubakar Dola, who deals in polythene bags at Terminus market, expressed surprise at the woman’s honesty, noting that he had no idea where the money went after mistakenly placing it inside the bag she bought.
Dola said he had planned to transfer the cash through a point of sales (POS) operator but became worried when he could not see the polythene bag where the money was kept.
“I mistakenly included it in what she bought. I didn’t realise until days later, and I had already given up hope. For her to return it after three days is remarkable. I pray Allah rewards her and gives us more people like her.”
“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” were the words with which US President Donald Trump, flashed the redlight signal over what could be the fate of Iran in the coming hours, after a month-old war, which saw leaders of the Islamic nation, all but totally obliterated.
The POTUS, who on Saturday, gave Iran 48 hours to to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic approaches, or comply or risk facing “hell,” later threatened that the US would blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran failed to adhere to his warning.
However, in his latest threat on Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (1 am WAT) to make a deal, adding: “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business – burning, exploding and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition – by 12 o’clock. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen.”
Nafiu Gombe: Yes, I have sponsors! *I can’t fight ADC big men alone!
Woman returns N1million discovered in purchased items to owner
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