Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has stated that terrorists in the country do not represent any religious group.

Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Sokoto, he stated that bandits are common criminals who merely seek available targets to attack.

He warned political leaders and the international community against politicising the country’s worsening insecurity.

Tambuwal described the recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by United States President Donald Trump as quite unfortunate.

He insisted that the designation does not reflect the true nature and complexity of Nigeria’s security challenges.

“I would like to believe that President Trump and the American government did not fully grasp or appreciate the Nigerian situation. What we are facing is not a religious crisis but a security crisis affecting Nigerians of all faiths and backgrounds.

“These marauders do not represent any religion. How else can one explain what they are doing in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and other states? They are common criminals, attacking every soul they come across.

“You can’t even go to the mosque or the church safely. So this is not about a particular section of the country or a particular religion. It is about Nigeria,” he said.

The former governor aligned himself with the Vatican’s position on Nigeria, noting that the Pope had rightly acknowledged that Nigerians, Christians and Muslims alike, are victims of widespread insecurity.

He emphasised that insecurity has become a national issue that transcends politics, ethnicity, and religion, insisting that collective action is urgently needed.

He called on the United States and other global partners to reconsider their stance and instead support the administration of President Bola Tinubu in addressing the crisis.

“It’s not about Bola Tinubu as a person. It’s not about APC or party politics. It’s about our country. Any country, America, France, the UK, Canada, that can support Nigeria to overcome insecurity should please do so,” the former governor added.

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The presidency said no amount of opposition pushback would stop the implementation of the laws in January, while dismissing claims that it secretly altered some provisions of the newly enacted tax reform laws.

It was reports that the tax reform laws, which faced stiff opposition from federal lawmakers from the northern part of the country before their passage, are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, marking what the government has described as the most significant overhaul of the country’s tax system in decades.

According to the Federal Government, the reforms are designed to simplify tax compliance, expand the tax base, eliminate overlapping taxes, and modernise revenue collection across federal, state, and local governments.

However, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and several civil society organisations have called for the suspension of the implementation of the laws.

The call follows alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions gazetted and released to the public, raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki.

Dasuki, who made the allegations during plenary, insisted that the content of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect what members debated, voted on, and passed, warning that, if not addressed, the alleged alterations could render the new tax laws legally vulnerable because they lacked legislative approval.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker further urged the speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, votes, and proceedings of both chambers, were brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.

In response to the opposition outrage, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, in an interview with Punch, insisted that there was no evidence that the laws had been altered.

While describing the criticisms as opposition noise, aimed at creating controversy around government policy, Ajayi argued that allegations that the tax documents were altered had not been established by any constituted authority.

According to him, the tax laws were enacted through due process and would take full effect from January 1, 2026, with relevant government agencies already mobilised to ensure smooth implementation.

He stressed that the implementation committee had been working for the past six months and would not be distracted by what he described as attempts to undermine the policy.

He said, “Opposition elements can say whatever they want, even when it is very obvious to every rational person that all they seek to do every time is to pollute the waters and create a toxic environment around policy issues.”

Ajayi noted that the House of Representatives had already established a committee to examine the allegations, led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke.

According to him, the appropriate course of action is to allow the committee to carry out its assignment and present its findings.

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Nollywood actress, Doris Ogala has taken her dispute with Pastor Chris Okafor, founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, to a new level by calling on Nigeria’s Department of State Services to step in.

It was reports that the actress made the call during an appearance on the KAA Truths podcast, where she spoke about the church altar and said security authorities should examine what is beneath it.

Her comments comes on the heels of a long-running fallout between her and the pastor, which began over a marriage promise she claimed was made but never kept.

Ogala alleged that a tragic incident happened while the church altar was being built, claiming that the structure collapsed at a point and led to a death.

She also stated that a blogger later noticed something unusual at the site, which allegedly caused concern.

According to her account, the discovery pushed Pastor Okafor to reach out to her privately to ask how the situation could be handled and how the blogger could be silenced.

She insisted that the DSS should visit the church, dig up the altar area, and carry out a proper investigation to clear the air.

The actress has had several public clashes with the pastor in recent times, including sharing personal videos online.

She said: “DSS should go to that church and open his altar. I wouldn’t say further than that. When they were building that place, that place collapsed, somebody died. Apart from somebody dying, there is a blogger that found something on the ground. This man was begging, he called me and asked me what he could do to let the blogger close his mouth. DSS should go and open that altar. The church altar where he used to stand, they should dig it up and open it.”

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