The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 crew, earlier detained in Burkina Faso has resumed its mission to Portugal with the same aircraft.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The 11-member crew was en route to Portugal for scheduled aircraft maintenance when it made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso.

The aircraft landed in Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8, 2025, as a precautionary measure after a technical issue.

Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, said the aircraft and crew would proceed to Portugal as originally planned.

“They are not coming to Nigeria, but proceeding to Portugal for the servicing of the aircraft. Will leave for Portugal today,” Ebienfa said.

Ebienfa said the release of the crew followed diplomatic interventions by a high-powered Nigerian delegation sent to Burkina Faso by President Bola Tinubu.

The delegation was led by Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs. Other members included Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, A. Y. Abdullahi, Chief of Policy and Plans at the NAF, Olawale Awe, Nigeria’s permanent representative to ECOWAS, and Wahab Akande, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Burkina Faso released the NAF aircraft and the 11 personnel on Wednesday.

Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, spokesman of NAF, said the aircraft landed at the nearest airfield in line with international aviation safety protocols.

Their release followed a meeting between the Nigerian delegation led by Tuggar and Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s junta leader, in Ouagadougou.

Ex-APC spokesman alerts Tinubu, says abuse of Army ranks may fuel coups in Nigeria....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against actions he described as the politicisation of the Nigerian Army, saying abuse of military ranks could endanger democracy and fuel coup tendencies.

Frank raised concerns over reports of an alleged special and accelerated promotion of the president’s Aide-De-Camp to the rank of Brigadier-General barely months after elevation to colonel, describing the development as troubling if proven true.

He said the Nigerian Army is a national institution governed by professional standards and traditions, not a personal guard unit of any president.

His words: “The Nigerian Army is not a personal guard unit of any President. It is a national institution governed by time-tested rules, traditions and professional standards.

“Senior military ranks, especially the rank of General, are earned through years of service, sacrifice, command experience, rigorous training and competitive assessments. They are not political rewards.”

Frank said promotions outside established procedures weaken command authority, erode morale and damage cohesion within the ranks.

He warned that Africa’s recent history shows that the politicisation of military institutions often breeds resentment and indiscipline, conditions that precede unconstitutional disruptions of democratic rule.

“Across West Africa today, we are witnessing the consequences of weakened civil-military relations. From Mali to Burkina Faso and Niger, military juntas emerged in environments where institutions were abused, traditions disregarded and professionalism undermined,” he said.

Frank said it was alien to Nigeria’s democratic practice, and unheard of even during military rule, to manipulate the rank of General for an Aide-De-Camp or personal convenience.

“No former military Head of State and no civilian President in Nigeria treated the rank of General with such recklessness,” he added.

He rejected any justification based on constitutional authority, saying being commander-in-chief demands restraint rather than arbitrariness.

“Being Commander-In-Chief is not a license to erode institutions. Democracy survives on accountability, due process and respect for established norms,” he said.

Frank cautioned that irregular promotions expose officers to professional risk, invite institutional backlash and drag the armed forces into political controversy.

He urged the minister of defence to advise the president on the implications of any decision that undermines military tradition, morale and Nigeria’s international standing.

He also called for immediate public clarification of the legal and professional basis for the reported promotion, suspension or reversal of any action that violates Nigerian Army guidelines, and a firm commitment by the presidency to end personalised promotions.

Frank urged civil society organisations, retired military officers and professional associations to speak out, warning that silence in the face of institutional abuse could have severe consequences for civil-military relations.

He said the Nigerian Armed Forces must remain professional, apolitical and governed by established rules rather than personal discretion.

The lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has declared that he will never consider defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Naija News reports that Abaribe made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, amid the growing wave of defections to the APC.

His comments followed recent defections of several governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.

Recall that the governors of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Enugu, Delta, Rivers and Taraba states have all dumped the PDP for the APC.

Reacting to the development, Abaribe insisted that he would not be joining the ruling party under any circumstances.

“If there’s anybody that’s going to defect to APC, I think I should be the very last one. By the time I will defect, it means that there will be no political parties in Nigeria including the APC,” he said.

The senator also questioned the circumstances surrounding the defections of the governors, noting that many of them had previously opposed President Bola Tinubu.

“Now ask yourself, in all the states where there are defections, what is going on there? These governors were in the opposition, worked against Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.

“Then all of a sudden, the same governors defect and you hand over the party to them,” Abaribe added.