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‘Three Churches Are Destroyed Daily’ – Canadian Lawmaker Raises Alarm On Persecution Of Christians In Nigeria

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Scheer, who represents Regina–Qu’Appelle in Canada’s House of Commons, said Boko Haram and allied militias were carrying out a genocidal campaign that has left thousands dead and millions displaced.

Canadian lawmaker Andrew Scheer has criticized the international community for allegedly turning a blind eye to what he described as the systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Scheer, who represents Regina–Qu’Appelle in Canada’s House of Commons, said Boko Haram and allied militias were carrying out a genocidal campaign that has left thousands dead and millions displaced.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament and in a video posted on his X account on Friday, he claimed that 7,000 Christians had been k!lled this year, 3.5 million displaced, and three churches destroyed every day.

Scheer, a former leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, recalled Boko Haram’s abduction of schoolgirls and the burning alive of civilians, adding that worshippers in Nigeria now gather in secrecy or in burnt-out buildings.

He urged governments, humanitarian groups, and faith communities to provide relief and solidarity for those affected.

“The world has largely ignored the persecution of Christians in Nigeria: 7,000 k!lled, 3.5 million displaced, and three churches destroyed every day. It’s time to break the silence, raise awareness, and support those enduring unimaginable suffering.

“The Honourable Member for Regina–Capel. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the tragedy Christians in Nigeria are experiencing. The deadly terrorist organization Boko Haram is trying to eliminate the Christian faith from Nigeria,” Scheer, a former leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, said in a video posted on his X account on Friday.

American comedian Bill Maher also criticized Western media for failing to cover the crisis. Speaking on his HBO show Real Time on September 26, Maher described the violence as genocide, citing claims that more than 100,000 Christians had been k!lled since 2009 and 18,000 churches destroyed. U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace thanked him for raising awareness of the issue.

The Nigerian government has dismissed reports of a systematic campaign against Christians.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Sunday, described such claims as false and divisive, insisting that terrorist groups target people of all faiths, including Muslims, Christians, and non-religious communities.

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SERAP demands NNPCL’s explanation on alleged missing N22.3bn, $49.7m, others

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to explain the whereabouts of alleged missing oil funds amounting to N22.3bn, $49.7m, £14.3m, and €5.2m, reportedly unaccounted for in the company’s financial records.

The civic group, in a letter dated October 25, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the missing sums were documented in the 2022 annual report recently published by the Auditor-General of the Federation on September 9, 2025.

SERAP urged Ojulari to identify and hand over those responsible for the alleged diversion or misappropriation of the funds to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for prosecution.

It also demanded that the missing funds be recovered and returned to the national treasury without further delay.

“These grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest a grave violation of public trust, the Nigerian Constitution, anti-corruption laws, and the country’s international obligations,” the organisation stated.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General’s findings point to “systemic corruption” within the NNPCL, which has “undermined Nigeria’s economic development, trapped millions in poverty, and deprived citizens of access to essential public services.”

The group noted that the Auditor-General has, over the years, consistently documented similar reports of unremitted or missing oil revenues, lamenting that “ordinary Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of widespread corruption in the oil sector.”

It said,“Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the government’s ability to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.”

SERAP further alleged that the misappropriated oil revenues reflected a broader failure of accountability and transparency at the NNPCL, contributing to Nigeria’s rising debt levels and deficit spending.

The group said, “Had the NNPCL accounted for and remitted these diverted or misappropriated oil monies, more funds would have been available for education, healthcare, and other critical sectors. The level of borrowing by the government would also have been reduced.”

SERAP gave the NNPCL a seven-day ultimatum to take the recommended steps or face appropriate legal action to compel compliance.

Quoting details from the 2022 audited report, SERAP highlighted numerous irregularities in NNPCL’s accounts, including: a ₦292m abandoned contract for an Accident and Emergency Facility in Abuja; over £14m allegedly spent to repair its London office without evidence of execution; an irregular $22.8m payment to a contractor for crude lifting, with unclear justification.

Others include a N2.3bn paid as car cash options to 100 staff without requisite approvals; ₦12.7bn unremitted operating surplus for December 2020, and the €5.1m paid for jetty operations with no supporting documents.

Multiple cases of undocumented or fictitious contract payments running into billions of naira and millions of dollars.

The Auditor-General reportedly expressed fears that much of the money “may have been diverted or misappropriated” and called for its recovery and remittance to the treasury.

SERAP cited Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, urging the NNPCL to act transparently in the public interest.

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Tompolo distances self from call for Kanu’s release

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The leadership of the PBAT Door To Door Movement, a pro-Bola Tinubu group, has said its Grand Patron, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, is not part of the call for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The group also dissociated Tompolo from a purported 21-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to release Kanu.

“This claim is entirely baseless and the handiwork of desperate propagandists, fake news merchants, fifth columnists, and agents of disunity,” the National Coordinator of the group, Sunday Asuku, said in a statement on Sunday.

Kanu is expected to open his defence on Monday in the terrorism charges filed against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

This follows the adjournment of the trial by Justice James Omotosho of the court on Friday.

The PUNCH had reported that Justice Omotosho granted the adjournment after Kanu informed the court that his former legal team, led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, had yet to release his case file to him.

Commenting further, Asuku said the orchestrators of the news sought to create tensions and instigate the FG against Tompolo, saying the move had “fallen like a pack of cards in the face of his exemplary commitment to national peace and development.”

He pointed out that those behind the narrative had been unsettled by Tompolo’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The movement urged security agencies to investigate and bring those behind the news to book.

Asuku said, “These elements are bent on creating tension and undermining the patriotic efforts of a man who has remained an icon of peace, unity, national development, socio-economic and political diversity, regardless of tribal, religious, zonal or political affiliation.

“It is evident that Chief Tompolo’s unwavering support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has unsettled certain groups uncomfortable with his growing influence in advancing national stability and economic progress. However, their attempt to malign his image through fabricated narratives will fail.

“For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did Chief Tompolo issue any statement or directive regarding the legal proceedings involving Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The matter is before a competent court of law, and any attempt to interfere with due process would be both unpatriotic and unlawful.

“The PBAT Door To Door Movement wishes to emphasise that issues bordering on national unity and security must be treated with utmost responsibility and sensitivity.

“The reckless use of social media to circulate divisive propaganda not only undermines the integrity of public discourse but also poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s collective peace and development.”

ASuku added, “We therefore call on the Department of State Services and other relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate and bring to book those behind this reckless act. The deliberate spread of misinformation poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s unity and security, and such actions must not be allowed to go unpunished.”

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Edun emerges boxing federation president

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The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has emerged as the new president of the Nigerian Boxing Federation.

The global economist and transformative boxing enthusiast was voted unopposed, recording all twelve (12) votes at the elections held at the Package B indoor sports hall of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Saturday.

In his post-election remarks, the minister pledged reforms and structural changes to elevate boxing across the board in Nigeria.

However, the position of the vice president was not a walk in the park as Hon. Omonlei Imadu, the southwest representative, defeated his counterpart from the North Central zone, Mighty Mike, by eight votes to four in the closely contested poll.

Imadu, who has long won the hearts of boxing followers in the country with his several grassroots programs, praised the emergence of Wale Edun as the right person to lead the Nigerian Boxing Federation to its glory days.

“I make bold to say it’s a new dawn for boxing in the country, the Honorable Minister is very passionate about the sport and this he has shown over the years with a plethora of grassroots initiatives across the nation.”

“I and the other board members will work closely with the Hon. Minister Wale Edun to achieve his vision for Nigerian boxing,” Imadu said.

The NBF vice president further acknowledged the National Sports Commission under the leadership of Shehu Dikko as Chairman and Hon. Bukola Olopade as the Director General, for upholding the integrity of the commission through transparency, fairness, and accountability in the electoral process.

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