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Coups in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso worsened Nigeria’s insecurity – FG official
Maj-Gen Garba Laka (rtd), coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the office of the National Security Adviser, has revealed that Nigeria’s security situation deteriorated following the military coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Laka made the comment on Tuesday while responding to questions from journalists at the end-of-year media parley with defence correspondents.
He said the Sahel region has experienced heightened instability and extremist activity, developments he said have had direct negative consequences for Nigeria’s internal security.
His words: “We have these countries facing these threats and we think we will see peace in Nigeria? No.
“You must have noticed that towards the end of 2023, the security situation was improving, but immediately after the coups in these countries, that was when the situation began to get worse, because these terrorist groups have connections across the Sahel.”
Laka said Nigeria must assume a leadership role in West Africa and the Sahel to effectively confront the shared security threats.
According to him, porous borders and the withdrawal of Sahelian states from the Multinational Joint Task Force have compounded the challenge, but the coups significantly worsened the situation.
“As long as those countries keep on facing this threat, Nigeria will continue facing the brunt. If you look at the whole region, Nigeria is the richest country in West Africa, and Nigeria is the only country that you kidnap somebody and ask that 100 million be paid and it will be paid,” he added.
Laka said criminal groups exploit Nigeria’s economic capacity to fund operations across borders, stressing that security agencies are intensifying efforts despite the complexity of the task.
He said kidnapping has evolved into a complex enterprise involving informants, facilitators and, in some cases, victims who orchestrate their own abductions.
The NCTC coordinator said several kidnappers have been arrested through tracking operations, though details are withheld for security reasons.
He identified ransom payments through point-of-sale operators as a major obstacle to tracking kidnappers, noting that such transactions often obscure the final recipients.
“You may see that a transfer has been made by a victim to a terrorist, but when you trace the account, it belongs to a POS operator.
“Also, the kidnappers give the POS operator’s number, the victim transfers the money, and then the kidnappers collect it, but we are working on this and we will not relent,” he added.
Laka said Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list was achieved through coordinated tracking of ransom payments and recovery of terrorist funds.
“The NCTC set up a joint investigation committee comprising all security agencies involved in financial oversight — EFCC, NFIU and ICPC,” he said.
“This is how we were able to track and recover the funds, and arrests were also made, though some details are not disclosed because they are sensitive,” he added.
He also disclosed that the federal government, working with social media companies, has shut down numerous accounts linked to terrorists and violent extremists.
“We engaged TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and X, and explained the impact of certain posts on national security, and they took them down,” Laka said.
“Even those videos showing bandits displaying their loot on TikTok have been removed and you won’t see that again,” he added.
Laka said security agencies are adapting to evolving terrorist tactics and vowed that counterterrorism efforts would be intensified in 2026 following the president’s directive.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State has suffered a setback following the defection of its former state youth leader, Hon. ABM Jacob Alebura, to the Labour Party (LP) alongside several other party members.
The development is expected to strengthen the Labour Party’s structure in the state, particularly ahead of the 2027 governorship election, in which Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi Gaza is the party’s governorship candidate.
Gaza, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, represents the Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency of Nasarawa State in the National Assembly.
Alebura formally expressed his intention to join the Labour Party in a letter sighted by Naijablitznews.com, stating that he had also registered as a member under the Doma Local Government Area structure of the party.
He said his decision was driven by his commitment to the ideals of the Labour Party and his desire to contribute to building a stronger political movement.
“I’m writing to formally express my intent to join the Labour Party LP and to officially register myself as a full member of the Labour Party, under the Doma Local government area structure Nasarawa state, effective from today.
“I’m committed to upholding the ideals, values and constitution of the Labour Party and I look forward to actively participating in the activities of the party at the ward level, towards building a stronger, more inclusive, and people-oriented political movement for the progress of our community and our nation,” the letter read.
Alebura had on September 19, 2026, resigned from the PDP, citing what he described as marginalisation by party leaders and stakeholders.
He also pointed to an unresolved dispute between him and the PDP chairman in Doma Local Government Area as one of the reasons for his departure from the party.
The former PDP youth leader was received into the Labour Party alongside other defectors by the state chairman and the leadership of the party in Doma Local Government Area, as well as other party stakeholders.
The latest movement adds to the political realignment taking place in Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections, with the Labour Party seeking to consolidate its structures across the state.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Federal Government has reduced the interest rate charged on late payment of taxes, with the new regime taking effect from October 1, 2026.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, issued the Nigeria Tax Administration (Interest on Late Payment of Tax) Order, 2026, under Section 65 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The new order applies uniformly to federal, state and FCT tax authorities and links the interest charged on late tax payments more closely to prevailing market rates.
Under the new arrangement, interest on tax payable in naira will be charged at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Rate plus one percentage point.
However, the rate will not fall below the yield on 364-day Treasury Bills, reflecting the government’s cost of funding when tax payments are delayed.
The new spread represents a reduction from the previous five percentage-point margin.
For taxes payable in foreign currency, the interest rate will be based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus six percentage points. Where SOFR is discontinued, its official successor rate will apply.
The applicable rate will be reviewed monthly and fixed on the last business day of the preceding month.
The Nigeria Revenue Service has been directed to publish the applicable rate on its website by the third business day of every month.
The interest will be calculated as simple interest on a daily basis, running from the tax due date until payment is made.
Explaining the rationale behind the new order, Oyedele said the cost of delaying tax payments should reflect the cost to government of making up for the shortfall.
“Tax that is due belongs to the public. When it is paid late, Government may have to borrow to fill the gap, and the cost falls on everyone. This Order ties the cost of late payment to real market rates, so that delaying tax does not become a cheaper form of credit than the market itself,” he said.
The minister said the new system would also provide taxpayers with greater certainty by ensuring that the applicable rate is published regularly and applied consistently by tax authorities.
“Just as important is certainty. Every taxpayer, whether dealing with the Nigeria Revenue Service or a State revenue service, will know the rate in advance, see it published every month, and be charged in the same way. Clear rules make compliance easier and support a fair, predictable tax system,” he added
The order covers tax payments made through self-assessment, as well as assessments administered by the Nigeria Revenue Service and the State and FCT Internal Revenue Services.
The ministry said the new rates will apply to interest arising from October 1, 2026, including interest on tax liabilities that became due before that date.
However, interest that arose before October 1 will remain subject to the rules in force at the time, where specifically provided for under those rules.
The order also supersedes the 2017 notice on interest on unpaid taxes and other earlier notices on the matter.
The ministry clarified that the new order does not alter the 10 per cent penalty for late payment provided under Section 65 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act.
It added that relevant tax authorities retained powers under Section 66 of the Act to waive penalties or interest where good cause was established.
The Federal Ministry of Finance advised taxpayers to file their returns and pay applicable taxes on time, while those with outstanding liabilities were encouraged to settle them promptly or engage the relevant tax authority.
The Trump administration must immediately reinstate White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, a US federal judge ordered Thursday, after their reporters were banned from the premises.
Trump has long attacked media outlets that have aired critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly blasting the press as the “enemy of the people.”
The three outlets were barred from the White House by the billionaire former reality TV star on Friday as punishment for distributing what he branded “fake news” and “fiction and lies.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a joint lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order against the ban on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to a free press.
Judge Timothy Kelly found that the revocation of press passes “likely violated their constitutional due process rights,” according to the eight-page ruling issued Thursday.
“The ‘general rule’ is that ‘individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them’ of a constitutionally protected interest,” Kelly wrote.
A reporter looks at his phone in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 19, 2026.
The judge said that press credentials held by employees of the three outlets will be reinstated “until further Order of the Court or the expiration of this Temporary Restraining Order”, which is to remain in effect for 14 days.
Kelly added that the order cannot be immediately appealed.
Ahead of the ruling, the Department of Justice had argued Trump can “control reporters’ access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office.”
“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” it said.
‘National security’
The White House Press Office accused CNN in a letter to the cable news outlet of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information,” with similar accusations leveled against MS NOW and Politico.
The letter to CNN cited several stories about the US-Iran war and a story on Trump’s plans to build a military bunker below the planned East Wing ballroom which allegedly “disclosed ‘top-secret’ construction details.”
Theodore Boutrous, representing the media outlets in court on Wednesday, told the judge that in Trump’s Truth Social post announcing the bans, the president “didn’t say anything about national security.”
Boutrous argued that being punished for reporting on national security issues “that the government would rather have not be reported on is just contrary to First Amendment principles.”
Kelly said the stories identified in letters to the outlets were “routine”.
“The Court is skeptical — at least on this record — that Defendants’ interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes,” Kelly said, referring to the White House press credentials.
Journalists for the three news organizations were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated, in the latest flare-up of the 80-year-old Republican president’s assault on mainstream US media.
‘Shouldn’t be here’
In a previous case involving CNN during Trump’s first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.
In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said Monday that they were halting pool coverage of the White House — where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day — in solidarity with CNN.
“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.
The White House Correspondents’ Association and nearly 50 news organizations also filed a brief with the court calling for the bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico to be reversed.
Trump appeared to suggest on Tuesday that CNN should not be covering him outside of the White House either.
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here,” Trump told a reporter at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The White House launched a streaming channel, Trump TV, on Monday which it said would show “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time.”
The ban came at a time when Trump’s approval ratings are at record lows, his Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, and the Middle East conflict drags on with no end in sight.
AFP
Nasarawa PDP Suffers Setback as Alebura, Supporters Join Labour Party
FG Cuts Late Tax Payment Interest as New Rate Takes Effect October 1
Judge Directs Trump To Restore White House Access For CNN, MS NOW, Politico
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