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Bombs, bullets know no religion — VP Shettima

Published

7 months ago

November 6, 2025

Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria’s security challenges require a united response, noting that violent attacks do not distinguish between religion, ethnicity or social status.

Shettima maintained that when a weapon is used by those threatening the nation’s peace, it does not differentiate between individuals and farmers and other civilians.

He explained that the present administration met significant security problems on assumption of office, which has forced it to adopt a coordinated approach focused not only on addressing current threats but also on ensuring long-term peace and stability.

Shettima, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, stated this at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting on regional development organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, in Abuja on Thursday.

He said, “Every person or organisation in the business of governance must play a role in this grand mission of national restoration.

“A bullet or a bomb knows neither ethnicity nor religion. When it is fired by the enemies of our collective peace, it does not discriminate. It kills the farmer and the trader alike, and it destroys the very fabric of our multifaceted, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic society in a devastating and retrogressive manner.

“Our challenge, therefore, is not only to fight the forces behind these conflicts, but also to dismantle the sentiments that are weaponised to divide us and weaken our resolve to fight back as one nation.

“Beyond ideas and agendas, we must pay close attention to the power of messaging. Our messaging must be rooted in empathy and understanding.”

He emphasised that those involved in governance, whether institutions or individuals, must contribute to restoring national peace.

He noted that attacks by criminals harm everyone in society and further deepen divisions along ethnic and religious lines.

He urged leaders to counter narratives that fuel division and to ensure communication that is thoughtful, empathetic and unifying.

The Vice President also highlighted the need to strengthen public institutions and address existing gaps, stressing that national development can only be achieved when every part of the country progresses simultaneously.

He said, “We cannot claim to have progress as a nation unless each part of the federation moves forward at the same pace. What we need, therefore, are functional institutions that guarantee the presence and service of government even in the remotest parts of the country.”

He said government presence should be visible in all communities, including hard-to-reach areas.

Shettima described the creation of regional development commissions across the six geopolitical zones as part of the administration’s strategy to take development closer to the people.

He noted that the commissions are expected to serve dual purposes—accelerating development and enabling shared learning among regions.

He explained that although the government has previously worked with the private sector and international partners on development strategies, many of those efforts did not fully address region-specific realities.

He urged the commissions to adopt solutions that reflect the unique needs and priorities of their respective regions.

The vice president called for cooperation among the commissions, stressing that collaboration and a shared sense of purpose are essential to addressing long-standing developmental and security challenges.

His remarks follow ongoing debates over claims that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted.

The controversy intensified after the United States recently listed Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

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News

Ndigbo will never move on from £20 compensation injustice — Aloy Ejimakor

Published

11 hours ago

June 13, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Lawyer to Nnamdi Kanu, convicted leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Aloy Ejimakor, has said Ndigbo will “never move on” from the injustices suffered after the Nigerian Civil War, particularly the confiscation of properties and the £20 compensation policy.

Ejimakor made the statement in a post on X on Saturday, where he argued that many people wrongly believe the Igbo have forgotten the humiliation and injustice experienced after the war.

“It seems to me that some people believe that Ndigbo have moved on from the humiliation & injustice of confiscating their properties & handing them a mere £20 at the end of the Civil War. Well, hear this: Ndigbo will NEVER move on until these injustices (plus more) are redressed,” he wrote.

The lawyer did not specify what additional grievances he was referring to, but his comments come amid renewed debates over historical injustices, reconciliation, and the treatment of the South-East region since the end of the Civil War in 1970.

It was reports that after the war, many Igbo people who had bank deposits before the conflict were reportedly given a flat sum of £20 regardless of the amount previously held in their accounts, a policy that has remained a subject of controversy for decades.

Ejimakor is one of the lead lawyers representing Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, who was recently convicted on terrorism-related charges brought by the Federal Government.

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VIDEO: Release Nnamdi Kanu or arrest Sheikh Gumi – Primate Ayodele to Nigeria Govt

Published

12 hours ago

June 13, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has called on the Federal Government to release detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Speaking to his congregation in a video sighted by DAILY POST, Primate Ayodele said if the Nigerian Government continues to keep Nnamdi Kanu, it should also arrest Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.

He said, “The Nigerian government should release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Since you keep Kanu in prison, why can’t you keep Sheikh Gumi in prison too?

“You keep Nnamdi Kanu but Gumi is free. Then, how do you want to now manage the government.

“If Nnamdi Kanu is there, then go and take Gumi. Then Nigerians will believe that the government is serious. Protest will seize this Tinubu government,” he warned.

SEE THE VIDEO

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UN Secretary-General appoints Nigeria’s Eziakonwa as Special Adviser on Africa

Published

12 hours ago

June 13, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of Ahunna Eziakonwa of Nigeria as Special Adviser on Africa.

She succeeds Cristina Duarte of the Republic of Cabo Verde, to whom the Secretary General is grateful for her commitment and dedicated service to the Organisation.

Eziakonwa brings nearly three decades of United Nations (UN) leadership to her new role.

In her current role as UN Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), she oversees the organisation’s support to 46 African countries in pursuing Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Since 2018, she has helped shape UNDP’s strategic approach to economic and political development across the continent.

Eziakonwa’s experience spans the full breadth of UN work in Africa.

She has served as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in three countries – Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho – where she coordinated humanitarian action, development strategy and political engagement.

As Chief of the Africa Section at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in New York, she managed humanitarian operations across 15 African countries and held senior posts in Liberia and Sierra Leone during critical periods in those nations.

At UN Headquarters, she contributed to peacekeeping and political analysis and strategic communications pertaining to UN engagement in Africa, working with the UN Departments of Peacekeeping Operations, Political Affairs and Public Information.

Prior to joining the UN, she held positions in several African civil society organisations.

Eziakonwa holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on African economic and political development from Columbia University, New York, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Pedagogy, English and Literary Studies from the University of Benin, Nigeria.

In addition to her native Igbo and English, she speaks fluent Yoruba and has a working knowledge of French.

NAN

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