News
North Korea Fires Multiple Rounds Of Ballistic Missiles
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles in two rounds on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, after reporting an “unidentified projectile” was launched from the Pyongyang area the previous day.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to repair ties with the North since taking office last year.
On Monday Seoul expressed regret over civilian drone incursions into the North in January, with Lee calling it “irresponsible” and noting that government officials had been involved in the operation.
But analysts said the launches, North Korea’s fourth and fifth known ballistic missile tests this year, signalled its latest rebuff of Seoul’s peace overtures.
The South Korean military said early Wednesday it had detected “an unidentified projectile” launched from the area of the North’s capital a day earlier.
About an hour later, the military said it had also detected “multiple unidentified ballistic missiles” fired on Wednesday morning from North Korea’s Wonsan area toward the East Sea, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
In separate statements, the military said they were short-range ballistic missiles that were fired at around 8:50 am (2350 GMT Tuesday) and flew around 240 kilometres (149 miles).
Another — also short-range and ballistic — was launched at around 2:20 pm, flying over 700 kilometres, it said.
The Japan Coast Guard also said an “object suspected to be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea”, urging ships to “remain vigilant”.
Seoul’s Office of National Security at the presidential Blue House held an emergency meeting, asking Pyongyang to immediately stop provocations.
After Lee’s expression of regret over the drones on Monday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called it “wise behaviour”.
“Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behaviour for its own sake,” Kim Yo Jong said.
But on Tuesday, a senior North Korean official described the South as “the enemy state most hostile” to Pyongyang, reviving a label previously used by Kim Jong Un.
Jang Kum Chol, first vice-minister of Pyongyang’s foreign ministry, said South Korean media reports that described Kim Yo Jong’s comments as an “exceptional friendly response” were “nonsense”.
Such an interpretation was nothing more than “hope-filled dream reading” by “world-startling fools”, he said in a statement carried by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.
The launches were Pyongyang’s message to Seoul that its anti-South stance remains firm despite Seoul’s repeated overtures, said Lim Eul-chul, an expert on North Korea at Kyungnam University.
China’s top diplomat to visit North
Later Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media said China’s top diplomat Wang Yi would visit the North on a two-day trip starting Thursday.
His visit comes ahead of an expected summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.
Speculation is mounting over a potential meeting between Trump and Pyongyang’s leader Kim at around the same time.
Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Seoul’s level of support for his war in Iran, has recently boasted of his ties with Kim.
“South Korea didn’t help us” during the Middle East war, Trump said earlier this week.
“We’ve got 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect (them) from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well. He said very nice things about me.”
The United States actually has around 28,500 troops in South Korea.
Trump met Kim three times in his first term, but his comment in October that he was “100 percent” open to meeting Kim again have gone unanswered.
AFP
President Bola Tinubu has declared his intention to seek re-election in 2027, saying critics exploiting the country’s security challenges were doing the bidding of his political opponents.
Tinubu made the remarks while receiving Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and other stakeholders from the state, telling them that hostile forces were weaponising insecurity to undermine his administration.
“You are playing to the hand of agents, including my own enemies, who want to use insecurity to get rid of me,” he said, adding that he would not be deterred.
“I’m a very stubborn politician. I just refuse to go. And I will campaign for my second term.”
The declaration comes amid sustained pressure on the Federal Government over attacks by armed groups, kidnappings, and killings across several states, with opposition figures and civil society organisations demanding stronger federal action.
NDLEA raids 3 illicit drug warehouses, recovers N16.9bn worth of opioids
Tinubu has consistently defended his administration’s security record, maintaining that agencies are being adequately supported to restore stability.
The President took office in May 2023 and is constitutionally eligible to seek a second four-year term when Nigerians go to the polls in 2027.
…proposal aim to strengthen coordination and innovation across the Armed Forces
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a proposal to set up a Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre, envisioned as a high-level strategic hub to improve coordination, efficiency and overall performance within Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
The bill, sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, is titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre to Enhance the Coordination and Effectiveness of Military Operations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria by Integrating the Capabilities of Its Respective Services; and for Related Matters (HB 2741).”
It progressed to the next stage following debate by lawmakers on Wednesday during plenary.
The planned centre is intended to serve as a focal point for defence research, development of military doctrine, strategic planning and innovation in warfare, with particular attention on fostering closer collaboration among military and paramilitary bodies.
Commencing debate on the general principles of the legislation on behalf of the Speaker, Rep. Daniel Asama said, “the initiative is designed to bridge critical gaps in Nigeria’s defence framework, particularly the lack of a dedicated institution for developing and coordinating joint military doctrines.”
“The centre would establish a structured system for the formulation, validation and dissemination of joint doctrines, while also promoting interdisciplinary research on multi-domain operations”.
Asama further observed that Nigeria’s increasingly complex security landscape demands a more integrated and strategic military response.
“Nigeria faces complex security challenges, including terrorism, insurgency and cyber warfare, which require coordinated doctrinal responses among the Armed Forces.
“The absence of a dedicated institution for joint doctrine development has created operational gaps and limited interoperability among the services”, he said.
According to him, the proposed centre will serve as both a think-tank and a centre of excellence for doctrine formulation and warfare strategy.
“This bill provides the legal and institutional framework for the Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre as a think-tank and centre of excellence for doctrine development and warfare strategy.
“It addresses the need for integrated doctrine development, unified command thinking and joint operational planning”, he added.
He described the bill as timely, the lawmaker said it would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond to evolving threats while enhancing cooperation among the Army, Navy and Air Force.
He explained that the proposed centre would provide a standing platform for defence research, simulation exercises and policy coordination, with the aim of strengthening the long-term sustainability of the country’s security efforts.
The institution is expected to draw together major players in the security architecture, including the Ministers of Defence, service chiefs and specialists from the private sector.
Its responsibilities would cover aligning warfare strategies, monitoring emerging threats, reviewing operational requirements and offering strategic guidance for defence activities.
The centre would also work closely with defence institutions, universities, international allies and research organisations to advance joint doctrine development, simulation tools and contemporary warfare practices.
Among its core aims are improving Nigeria’s capacity to respond to hybrid and asymmetric threats, enhancing cooperation among the armed services, promoting defence research and expanding both regional and global security partnerships.
Asama expressed optimism that the proposal would markedly strengthen the nation’s military preparedness and strategic depth.
“The Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre will serve as the intellectual and operational hub for defence coordination, doctrine formulation and integrated warfare planning,” he said.
Following its passage for second reading, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Defence for further legislative consideration.
When passed into law, the piece of legislation is expected to provide a solid institutional framework for advancing joint military operations and improving Nigeria’s response to current and emerging security challenges.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate removal of Mr. Saidu Mohammed as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He has nominated Mr. Rabiu Abdullahi Umar to take over as the new Chief Executive. The appointment is pending confirmation by the Senate.
Details shortly….
2027: My opponents are arming terrorists against me — Tinubu
Lawmakers Move To Establish Military Strategy Hub
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