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Plot to k!ll many people on Christmas Day uncovered
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A humanitarian organisation, Equipping The Persecuted, has raised the alarm over what it described as a plot to kill many people in some northern communities on Christmas Day.
But the Presidency, in a swift reaction, questioned the motive of the group, saying the alert was doubtful and could create unnecessary fear among Nigerians.
The founder of the organisation, Judd Saul, spoke during a roundtable meeting convened by the International Committee on Nigeria and the African Jewish Alliance.
The meeting, which was held on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States, was chaired by a former congressman, Frank Wolf.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the meeting was also attended by Congressmen Riley Moore and Chris Smith, Senator James Lankford, and members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, alongside some Nigerian delegation.
Saul said terrorists had started regrouping for the planned attacks.
He said, “They are gathering forces around the Plateau and Nasarawa border, along the Nasarawa-Benue border and along the Nasarawa-Kaduna border. They are planning to hit on Christmas Day in Riyom, Bokkos, Kafanchan and Agatu.
“We got very reliable information that they are weaponising for a Christmas Day massacre. I am imploring the Nigerian government and President Donald Trump to do something so we don’t have a bunch of dead Christians in Nigeria.”
Our correspondents gathered that the meeting was among a series of deliberations to resolve the insecurity in Nigeria and address concerns of alleged killing of Christians.
A source close to the US government told Saturday PUNCH that Saul had officially communicated the said report his organisation got to the government through Moore.
“All the congressmen at the meeting have been to Nigeria many times. They’ve been involved in this matter since (Bill) Clinton was president. They classified the attackers mostly as terrorists and jihadists. Saul has officially notified the US through Riley, who will be filing a report to President Trump on it,” the source said.
It was also learnt that after the meeting where Saul spoke, a separate closed-door meeting was held where further deliberation took place.
Discussions at this meeting were not disclosed.
A senior officer of the Department of State Services in Abuja confirmed that the agency was aware of the planned attacks on Christmas Day and had commenced preventive measures.
“The service is aware; we have the intelligence report and we are already working on it,” the officer stated in a short conversation with Saturday PUNCH on Friday.
Another operative of the secret service said the DSS had intensified its intelligence-gathering efforts nationwide.
“We know the trend of attacks in those areas. I was in Kaduna for over two years, and I can tell you that these people (bandits) have a pattern. We (DSS) have always provided intelligence. The intelligence report by the US NGO may be correct, because communities in the Middle Belt have always come under attack during festive periods.
“But I am sure the service would also have got wind of any planned attack by the bandits, and preventive measures would have been put in place,” he said.
Riyom and Bokkos in Plateau State have come under repeated bandit attacks in 2025.
On October 31, bandits attacked the Kwi community in Riyom, killing at least six people.
There was also a major attack on Jebu village in Tahoss District of the same local government, where at least 32 villagers, including women and infants, were killed.
Between June 19 and 21 this year, gunmen invaded Juwan and Manja communities in Bokkos and neighbouring Mangu local government areas, killing about 13 people.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that many attacks on communities in the two local government areas remain unreported.
Communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State have also witnessed terror attacks this year, with dozens killed.
The heaviest occurred on June 1 at Edikwu Ankpali and Opaha communities, where no fewer than 28 people, suspected to be predominantly Christians, were killed.
Earlier in November, a pastor was killed and three others kidnapped at Anwule village near the Agatu and Ohimini border.
Also, earlier last month, suspected Fulani herdsmen reportedly raided Chawai communities near Kafanchan in Southern Kaduna, killing an undisclosed number of people and displacing many others.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not take his calls or respond to a text message on the alleged plot.
The Director, Defence Media Operation, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.
Also, efforts to get responses from the Kaduna, Plateau and Benue police commands proved abortive.
While the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, promised to get back to our correspondent, but never did as of press time, spokespersons for other states did not take their calls which rang out.
However, a senior official who doesn’t want his name in print because he was not permitted to speak to the press, promised that necessary action would be taken to avert the attacks.
He said, “We will intensify surveillance for early warning and continue to deepen our intelligence penetration. However there is no specific detailed Intel at this end.”
● Presidency dismisses alert
Reacting, the Presidency dismissed the alert, saying the group’s claims are capable of creating unnecessary fear.
Responding to an enquiry from Saturday PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Mr Temitope Ajayi, said the public should be cautious about circulating reports from external groups without verifying their intentions.
He said, “We should be very careful how we digest and process some of these doubtful reports by external organisations who are setting a stage for internal crisis in our country. We should not be providing oxygen for reports that heighten a sense of insecurity in our country.”
Questioning the intention behind the alert, Ajayi added, “What is the motive and agenda of this organisation in raising this kind of alarm about a likely terror attack in the three states and on Christmas Day?”
He, however, assured Nigerians that security agencies were fully prepared to prevent any threat.
“Whatever the motive is, our security forces are capable of foiling any terror attack and keeping us safe,” he said.
“Nigerians should not entertain any fear in any part of the country. The police and the military are working to ensure we have a peaceful Christmas and Yuletide season.”
● MBF, SOKAPU call for security reinforcement
The Middle Belt Forum said while it had yet to receive such information formally, there were strong indications that the claim was not far from the truth.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the MBF President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said the forum received a similar intelligence report three weeks before the Yelwata attack and promptly alerted the relevant authorities.
“Before the Fulani militia attacked the Yelwata community, we had already known that the attack would happen three weeks before. So, the Intel may not be far from the truth.
“But we still have a government in place, which hasn’t told us it has failed completely. So, the government will be alerted for them to do the needful and ensure that vulnerable communities in the state, especially those dominated by Christians, are adequately protected for Christmas,” Pogu said.
He added, “Officially, it has to be on record that the government is aware of such a mischievous plan to attack, kill, maim and displace people from their ancestral land, which has been the practice over the years. So, as soon as we get the Intel, we will notify those in government.”
Similarly, spokesperson for the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Josiah Abraks, said communities in the region often come under bandit attacks during festive periods.
“I am not fully aware of that information. But southern parts of Kaduna have always been attacked during the Yuletide. Bandits attack communities in the area on Christmas Day,” Abraks said.
“We just have to plead with the security agencies to ensure that security operatives are mounted in strategic areas across the state during the festive period.
“Secondly, we will implore our communities to mount surveillance and report any strange movement of unknown persons in their areas to the appropriate authorities,” he added.
Punch
President Bola Tinubu has said that his administration was building road infrastructure to lay the needed physical foundation for a knowledge-driven economy, stressing that education, justice, and innovation need roads to thrive.
Tinubu stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, while flagging off the construction of Collector Road CO1 in the Institutional Research District, from Nile University to Ring Road III.
Represented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, the President said that the project included dualisation of the road from Baze University roundabout to Nile University, that is the Base University.
He noted that three years into his administration, the results were speaking out.
“From the Southern Parkway to the Institution and Research District, we are laying the physical foundation for a knowledge-driven economy.
“Today, we provide those roads that are needed to provide justice, education, and innovation to our people.
“To the university community, this road is more than a route. It is a connection between learning, law, and the future of our capital,” he said.
He pointed out that the Institution and Research District was designed to be the intellectual heart of Abuja, adding that universities, law chambers, research centers, and innovation hubs were growing in the area.
He, however, stressed that ideas could not move if roads do not move and connect the heart and people together.
Tinubu further said: “Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we made a choice to finish what was started and to start what we must finish.
“The first phase of this corridor connecting the Body of Benchers, Nile, and Base University is done and ready for commissioning. Today, we begin the next phase to Ring Road III to complete the loop.
“That is how we build a city—with a plan. Not a city of abandoned pieces. Infrastructure must be continuous, and it must also be useful to the people within the environment”.
He commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for turning FCT into a delivery agency, stressing that the transformation of Abuja under the minister’s watch is bold, visible and worthy of commendation.
He said, “Wike, your energy is unmatched. You took over a capital with many stalled projects and turned the FCTA into a delivery agency. ‘Mr. Projects’ is not a slogan, it is a record. You have revived sleeping roads, built new interchanges, and brought development to satellite towns. You have domesticated the Renewed Hope Agenda; street by street, district by district. The transformation of Abuja under your watch is bold, visible, and worthy of commendation. Well done, Minister Wike.”
In his remarks, Wike explained that the project was considered following a plea by the Body of Benchers to provide access roads to ease the movement of people in and out of the area.
He assured FCT residents that the Tinubu administration would fulfill all the promises made to the people of FCT, adding that the project would be completed by January 2027.
The minister said that he would continue to deliver life-impacting projects to FCT residents as directed by Tinubu, stressing that the delivery would not be affected by 2027 political activities.
Earlier, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, Mr Richard Dauda, said that the Institutional Research District of the FCT is located in Phase III of the city.
Dauda said that the area was planned to accommodate educational institutions like universities, research institutions, and other government institutions as provided in the Abuja master plan.
He added that the district was being developed in stages, with this project being a major intervention in the opening of this district.
He explained that the scope of the current stage involved the construction of Collector Road CO1, from the Nile University to Ring Road III with a total length of about six kilometres.
He added that the project also included the dualisation of the section from the Base University Junction to Nile University.
Tragedy struck in northern Nigeria following reports that two abducted victims, including a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Koko/Besse Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have died while in captivity.
The deceased, Alhaji Muhammadu Mai Barga Besse, who previously served as APC chairman in the local government area, was reportedly held hostage by armed kidnappers for an extended period before his death. Another victim who was abducted alongside him was also confirmed dead, although his identity had not been officially disclosed at the time of filing this report.
The sad development comes months after disturbing videos emerged online showing the victims in dire conditions while being held captive in the notorious Birnin Gwari forest.
The footage sparked widespread concern among family members, political associates and members of the public who called for urgent intervention to secure their release.
Despite efforts made during their captivity, both men were reportedly never reunited with their families before their deaths.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the persistent security challenges facing communities across northern Nigeria.
The Birnin Gwari axis, located along the Kaduna-Niger corridor, has become one of the country’s most dangerous regions, with criminal gangs and armed bandits frequently carrying out kidnappings, attacks on villages and other violent crimes.
Residents and stakeholders have repeatedly called on security agencies to intensify operations in the area and dismantle criminal hideouts within the vast forest, which has long served as a sanctuary for armed groups.
News of the deaths has generated an outpouring of grief on social media, with many Nigerians expressing sadness over the fate of the victims and urging authorities to strengthen efforts against kidnapping and banditry.
Popular social media personality Denglishalhajii also shared the development on Instagram, mourning the victims and drawing attention to the growing insecurity affecting many parts of the region.
The deaths of the former APC chairman and his fellow captive have further underscored the human cost of the country’s security crisis, leaving families, friends and political associates in mourning while raising renewed concerns about the safety of citizens in vulnerable communities.
President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to approve a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
The request was contained in a letter dated June 15, 2026, and read on the floor of the senate on Tuesday by Godswill Akpabio.
In the correspondence, Tinubu said the proposed Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) State Police Bill, 2026, seeks to amend the 1999 constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation of state police services.
The president said the bill is designed to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges by introducing a dual policing structure that would allow both federal and state policing systems to operate within a constitutional framework.
According to him, the proposal builds on previous legislative efforts by both chambers of the national assembly and contains additional safeguards to ensure effective implementation.
“This bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges, will be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.
The president described the proposed legislation as a key component of his administration’s broader plan to reform Nigeria’s security system and improve the protection of lives and property.
“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganize Nigeria’s security architecture to better protect our citizens, and I’m confident that the Senate will act quickly to consider and pass this bill,” he added.
Read Also: Amnesty International Demands Immediate Release of Omoyele Sowore, Condemns Detention
Tinubu urged lawmakers to give the proposal expeditious consideration.
Following the reading of the letter, Akpabio referred the bill to the senate committee on constitution review for further legislative action.
The committee was directed to report back to the chamber on the next legislative day.
Photos: We’re building infrastructure for a knowledge-driven economy – Tinubu
Just in: Kidnapped APC Chairman, Another Victim Die in Abductors hideout
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