Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, has declared that the “peace of God has been restored to Nigeria,” following a week-long national prayer session convened by the church to confront the country’s rising wave of kidnappings and insecurity.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Addressing thousands of worshippers at the close of the seven-day intercessory programme, Oyedepo said the prayers had provoked a divine response capable of turning the tide against criminality nationwide.

He told the congregation that “all perpetrators of wickedness have been brought down” and that the “sponsors of terrorism are dried up,” insisting that a new phase of peace was beginning to take root.

From the altar, the cleric declared that God had “stepped in” and that Nigerians would soon begin to witness visible signs of calm returning to communities across the North, South, East and West.

One of the shining lights of Christianity encouraged worshippers to see the moment as a spiritual turning point, saying the nation’s victory over insecurity would start “playing on the screen.”

Oyedepo, known for his longstanding advocacy for stability and national unity, led the congregation in thanksgiving, urging members to offer “a big hand to Jesus” for what he described as an answered prayer.

The senior pastor reaffirmed his belief that the country was entering a season where the forces behind violence would lose their grip.

The prayer programme drew participation from church members across the country and in several international branches, all joining in daily sessions focused on ending abductions, killings and bandit attacks. According to the cleric, the collective supplication had ushered in a fresh wave of divine intervention.

“Thank you, Jesus,” he concluded, as worshippers echoed the declaration of restored peace over the nation.

LeadNaija News — Fresh reports from Benin Republic indicate that all soldiers involved in the recently foiled coup attempt have been reportedly killed during a security crackdown by the country’s armed forces.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Though details remain sketchy, security sources in Cotonou say the operation was carried out to prevent further destabilisation following the attempted overthrow of the government. Authorities are yet to release an official statement confirming the identities or number of the soldiers involved.

The development comes amid heightened tension across West Africa, where failed and successful coups have raised concerns about regional stability and the future of democratic governance.

Regional observers say Benin’s swift response signals the government’s determination to deter any attempt to undermine constitutional order.

Aljazeera.com

The coup has morphed into an ‘information war’

The prevailing news is that the coup attempt has failed, and that it has now morphed into information warfare, Oluwole Ojewale, a Dakar-based analyst at the Institute of Security Studies Africa, has told Al Jazeera.

“It’s about who can actually control what people get to listen to now, that is the reason why we’ve been bombarded with a lot of reports … but I think for the next few hours, we will be seeing serious contestation within the media waves in terms of who gains the upper hand”, he said.

He said the political context is one in which the opposition sees the ruling party tightening its grip on power and, with no viable path through the ballot box, may look to military allies to seize power by force.

In recent months, the incumbent president has intensified pressure on opponents – jailing some and shrinking the space for free political expression, Ojewale said.

That creates conditions in which military figures, like the lieutenant colonel (Pascal Tigri), now drawn into this, can act as placeholders for broader interests seeking to capture the state, he added.

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More updates to follow as the situation unfolds.

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SOURCE: Leadnaija.com, Aljazeera.com

The League of Maritime Editors, LOME, has criticised Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over remarks attributed to him regarding the Nigerian Ports Authority’s, NPA, efforts to expand activities at ports in the South-East and South-South.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The NPA has been promoting increased patronage at the Warri Port in Delta State, Onne Port in Rivers State and the Calabar Port in Cross River State as part of its strategy to decongest the heavily burdened Lagos ports, Apapa and Tin Can Island.

Years of congestion at the Lagos ports had prompted the introduction of the electronic call-up system to manage traffic.

However, in a statement jointly signed by LOME President, Mrs Remi Itie, and Secretary General, Mr Felix Kumuyi, the group faulted the governor’s alleged opposition to the development of other regional ports.

The editors described Sanwo-Olu’s position as an attempt to preserve Lagos’ dominance at the expense of national economic growth.

They argued that the governor’s stance amounted to an unnecessary intrusion into the operational responsibilities of the NPA and a move capable of undermining the development of ports outside Lagos.

Part of the statement read: “The League of Maritime Editors, LOME, is deeply concerned by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s comments. The notion that Lagos should remain Nigeria’s sole commercial gateway must be challenged and re-evaluated.

“Nigeria is a federation, not a private enclave. The insistence that port operations must remain concentrated in Lagos is both outdated and counterproductive.

“Years of excessive reliance on Apapa and Tin Can ports have led to crippling gridlock, corruption, inefficiency and the collapse of traffic management systems.

“These problems are not the creation of the NPA but a reflection of Lagos’ inability to effectively manage its infrastructure and regulatory framework.

“To oppose the expansion of port activities to Warri, Onne, or Calabar is to hold the Nigerian economy hostage to Lagos’ structural limitations. Fairness and economic balance demand port decentralisation.”

LOME maintained that decentralising port operations would not only promote regional development but also strengthen the country’s overall maritime sector.