Security
POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION PROMOTES SEVEN AIGS TO DIGS
In a move aimed at reinforcing the leadership capacity of the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission has promoted seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police.
The Commission said the promotions followed a rigorous assessment process that evaluated merit, seniority, service records and performance in written examinations and oral interviews conducted at its Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
In a statement issued by the PSC’s Head of Protocol and Public Affairs, Torty Njoku Kalu, the newly promoted officers are: Zachariah Fera Achinyan, fdc, formerly AIG Zone 4, Makurdi; Zango Ibrahim Baba, formerly AIG Department of Logistics and Supply; Isyaku Mohammed, formerly AIG Armament, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Margaret Agebe Ochalla, formerly AIG FCID Annex, Lagos; Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, mni, formerly AIG Police Accounts and Budget, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, fdc, formerly AIG Zone 15, Maiduguri; and Umar Shehu Nadada, mni, formerly AIG Zone 14, Katsina.
The Commission explained that the promotions were necessary to fill vacancies created by the recent retirement of eight DIGs who previously held key positions within the Force. The exercise also comes on the heels of the earlier elevation of DIG Fayoade Adegoke to the substantive rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, bringing him into the Force Management Team.
Chairman of the PSC, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu, while congratulating the officers, urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by demonstrating professionalism, integrity and dedication to national security. Argungu also advised the new DIGs to maintain a cordial and productive working relationship with the Commission to ensure sustained growth and development within the Nigeria Police Force.
Members of the PSC Board who participated in the promotion exercise as examiners included Hon. Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, JSC; Dr Taiwo Lakanu, DIG and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters; and Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission.
The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested nine suspects over the kidnapping and killing of a traditional ruler, Eze Francis Igwe.
Eze Igwe, the traditional ruler of Ndufu-Alike Ikwo and father of former Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Barrister Kelechi Igwe, was reportedly abducted in the early hours of Sunday while on his way to church.
In a statement issued on Friday, March 6, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Joshua Ukandu, said the suspects were arrested following intensive operations launched after the monarch’s abduction on March 1.
Ukandu said police operatives immediately deployed intelligence and technical resources in a bid to rescue the monarch.
According to him, the operation first led to the arrest of two suspected members of the kidnapping syndicate, who allegedly confessed during interrogation that the monarch had been killed on March 2.
The suspects reportedly volunteered to lead security operatives to the gang’s hideout to recover the body.
However, Ukandu said that as the police team approached the hideout, other members of the gang opened fire on the operatives.
The police responded with what he described as superior firepower, overpowering the attackers during the exchange.
One of the suspects was neutralised during the gun battle, while others fled the scene.
The police later arrested seven additional suspects connected to the crime and recovered a locally made pistol from them.
Ukandu added that the remains of the late monarch were subsequently recovered and deposited in a morgue for autopsy.
He said the suspects are currently in police custody, while efforts are ongoing to track down other fleeing members of the gang.
As a result of the development and the heightened security presence in the area, students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, have been advised to remain indoors and avoid loitering around the community.
The police spokesperson added that investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Equatorial Guinea to Nigeria, Francisco Edu Ngua Mange, has called for deeper maritime security collaboration among countries in the Gulf of Guinea to safeguard regional waters and maritime trade.
The ambassador made the call during a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, at the Nigerian Navy Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
During the visit, Mange thanked the naval chief for granting him an audience at short notice and commended the Nigerian Navy for its leading role in combating maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. He described the Nigerian Navy as a stabilising force in the region and emphasised the need for stronger cooperation among Gulf of Guinea nations to protect regional waterways, including those of Equatorial Guinea.
Responding, CNS Abbas welcomed the envoy and highlighted the Nigerian Navy’s operational successes in securing Nigeria’s maritime domain. According to him, militancy in the Niger Delta has been effectively contained through sustained naval operations carried out in synergy with other security agencies.
The naval chief also disclosed that no piracy incident has been recorded in Nigerian waters since 2022, though he noted that threats still persist in some parts of the wider Gulf of Guinea, making regional collaboration essential.
He further explained that the planned Combined Maritime Task Force, comprising six Gulf of Guinea countries including Nigeria, would enhance collective response to maritime threats. The initiative, he said, would act on intelligence shared through operational coordination under the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security.
Abbas added that the CMTF is expected to officially commence operations in June 2026 to strengthen efforts to secure regional waters and ensure the safety of maritime trade routes.
The CNS also informed the ambassador of the forthcoming Nigerian Navy 70th Anniversary Celebrations and invited Equatorial Guinea to participate in the planned International Fleet Review as part of the activities.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has clarified that United States troops in Nigeria are purely on a training assistance mission while playing an advisory role.
In a statement, Timothy Antigha, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, relayed that Musa spoke while presiding over the maiden edition of the Monthly Operational Briefing at the ministry’s conference room in Abuja on Wednesday.
“The Americans are in Nigeria on a purely training assistance and advisory role,” Musa was quoted as saying, while assuring that the “armed forces of Nigeria will be in command of all operations conducted within the nation’s territory.”
Antigha stated that the minister reviewed ongoing military operations, highlighted various threats to national security, and provided strategic guidance to the armed services during the briefing.
“General Musa commended the professionalism, resilience, and gallantry of Nigerian troops and reaffirmed the commitment of his ministry to supporting troops’ welfare and improving the operational efficiency of the Armed Forces,” Antigha said.
In February, the United States dispatched ground troops to Nigeria following a new security cooperation agreement between both countries. The US and Nigeria inked the military collaboration accord after the redesignation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by President Donald Trump.
Trump had previously threatened to send troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists killing our Christians.”
On December 25, the US launched air strikes against two terrorist enclaves in Bauni forest in Tangaza Local Government Area, Sokoto state.
The federal government has repeatedly rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians in Nigeria.