Scores of Nigerian soldiers have been injured after terrorists ambushed troops deployed to rescue the 25 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

The attack occurred less than 24 hours after the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, ordered troops of Operation Fasan Yamma to go “all out” against the attackers and ensure the immediate rescue of the abducted students.

Emphasising the urgency of the mission during his address, Shaibu directed commanders to intensify operations, saying, “You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children.”
He further urged reliance on actionable intelligence, warning, “Once you receive information on something like this, act professionally and decisively. This is not just about our image; it is about doing our job properly.”

Troops subsequently launched a sustained 24-hour operation, but were ambushed by terrorists, leaving several soldiers severely wounded. Video footage obtained by reporters showed injured soldiers lying on the ground, awaiting evacuation for medical treatment.

One soldier, speaking in pain, was heard saying in Hausa, “Musa has a bullet lodged in his leg. His condition is very bad.”
The operational vehicle used by the troops was also riddled with bullet holes.

Despite the setback, security forces say they are continuing the mission to rescue the schoolgirls while attending to the wounded personnel.

Civil society groups and rights advocates have intensified their condemnation of the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, describing the incident as a brutal indictment of the government’s persistent security lapses. The groups say the attack reflects a deepening national crisis and underscores the urgent need for stronger, more accountable leadership to protect vulnerable communities.

Also, the recent ambush of Nigerian soldiers on a mission to rescue the girls has intensified public anger over the worsening security situation, particularly the repeated abductions of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria.

In a statement, the FAME Foundation said it was “deeply shocked and heartbroken” by the abduction.

“How can this still be happening in our nation? How are our children still unsafe in their own classrooms?” the group asked, insisting that the tragedy must not be treated as “just another headline.”

FAME expressed concern that the girls’ dreams had been violently disrupted, calling on government and security agencies to act decisively, declaring:
“Our schools must be safe. Our girls must be protected. Our nation must do better.”

VIEW: ‘A Brutal Indictment of the State’

Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), a coalition active across northern Nigeria, issued an extensive and strongly worded statement expressing “profound outrage” over the abduction, describing it as “a brutal indictment of the Nigerian State’s failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens.”

The group noted that armed men not only invaded a place of learning but also murdered the school’s Vice Principal before abducting 25 girls.

VIEW said the incident painfully highlights that northern Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for a girl seeking an education, more than a decade after the Chibok, Dapchi, and Jangebe abductions.

The coalition criticised years of unfulfilled promises and the ineffective implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative, saying:
“Our schools remain as exposed as ever. Our daughters are once again missing. We must ask—where are our leaders?”

VIEW accused political and community leaders of failing in their duty to protect children and questioned whether the continued insecurity is part of “a larger plan—intentional or through neglect—to keep northern girls uneducated, silent, and powerless.”

Demands for Action

The group called for immediate, intelligence-driven rescue operations, insisting on daily public updates, accountability, and visible leadership.

VIEW directly challenged the President, the First Lady, Kebbi State Governor, Northern Governors’ Forum, legislators, traditional rulers, and heads of security agencies to act decisively.

“This is not a moment for silence. This is not a moment for excuses. This is a moment for accountability and swift action,” the statement said.

The coalition insisted that the abduction of the Maga schoolgirls must be treated as a national emergency, not a political talking point or another entry in what it described as “Nigeria’s growing archive of grief.”

‘Their Return Must Be a Test of Our Humanity’

VIEW concluded with a powerful appeal:

“No nation can claim to value its future while abandoning its daughters to violence. The girls of Maga must be located, rescued, and reunited with their families without delay. Nothing is more urgent. Nothing is more important.”

The signatories to the statement include Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, Larai Ocheja Amusan, and Ier Jonathan-Ichaver.

Security forces say operations are ongoing to track the terrorists and secure the safe return of the abducted schoolgirls.

A 27-year-old Nigerian national, Imoleayo Samuel Aina, has been sentenced to six years in a U.S. federal prison for his role in a sextortion scheme that contributed to the death of a young man in Pennsylvania.

U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania imposed the 72-month sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” was ordered to pay $3,250 in restitution.

Aina was arrested in Nigeria along with his co-conspirator, Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 26, after U.S. authorities obtained a complaint and arrest warrant. The two men were taken into FBI custody on July 31, 2024, and extradited to the United States. They, along with a third suspect, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 25, were indicted in August 2024. Adewale remains in Nigeria awaiting extradition.

In May 2025, Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, making interstate threats to harm reputation, receiving extortion proceeds, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Abiodun later pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in federal prison on June 10.

U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described Aina as the central figure in the sextortion plot, saying the scheme traumatised both the victim and his family. “The Department of Justice will not stand by when innocent victims in the U.S. are harmed by criminal scammers abroad,” he said.

Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, underscored the international nature of the investigation: “This sentence sends a clear message: whether you are in the United States or operating from abroad, the FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue you.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Brown. The extraditions were facilitated through cooperation between U.S. agencies and Nigerian authorities, including the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI legal attaché in Abuja.

A Related Case: Nigerian Brothers Sentenced for Sextortion That Led to Michigan Teen’s Suicide

In a separate 2024 case, two Nigerian brothers received 17½-year federal prison sentences after admitting to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men across the United States, including a 17-year-old Michigan teen, Jordan DeMay, who died by suicide in 2022.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker sentenced Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, after emotional statements from DeMay’s parents and stepmother. The brothers, extradited from Lagos, pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to sexually exploit minors.

Prosecutors said the pair posed as a woman online to lure victims into sending explicit images and then threatened to release the photos unless the victims paid. Their scheme targeted more than 100 victims. Judge Jonker said long sentences were necessary, citing the brothers’ “callous disregard for life” and their continuation of the scheme even after learning of DeMay’s death.

DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, said her son’s last message—“Mother I love you”—was intended as a final goodbye. The teen’s father, John DeMay, told the court he remains haunted by the scene of his son’s death.

Attorneys for both brothers said their clients were remorseful, with Samuel Ogoshi writing a letter of apology. Samson’s lawyer noted he was 18 when he joined the scheme and that such online scams are widespread in Lagos.

Judge Jonker will determine restitution at a later date.

A violent terrorist attack on a church in Kwara State has reignited concerns over the escalating persecution of Christians in Nigeria, drawing sharp criticism from the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and intensifying scrutiny of the Tinubu administration’s stance on religious violence.

A video circulating online captured the terrifying moment armed men stormed a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in the Eruku community—a border town between Kogi and the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. Witnesses said the gunmen invaded the church mid-service, killing at least three worshippers and abducting an unspecified number of others.

As gunshots rang out, worshippers led by a young pastor fled in panic. Moments later, more than five armed attackers entered the sanctuary, ransacked the premises, and carted away the congregation’s belongings.

Kwara State Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed the incident on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, saying investigations were underway.

Rights Group Says Attack Reflects Broader Pattern of Persecution

In the wake of the attack, HURIWA threw its support behind U.S. lawmaker Riley Moore, who recently accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of denying the widespread killing and persecution of Christians across Nigeria.

The association, in a statement signed by Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, National Coordinator of HURIWA, on November 18, 2025, said Moore’s assessment reflects the “grim reality on the ground,” urging the U.S. Congress to heed former President Donald Trump’s earlier warnings and approve decisive military action against terrorist groups responsible for mass atrocities.

HURIWA argued that the Federal Government’s repeated dismissal of documented attacks is increasingly “suspicious,” noting that top officials defending the government’s position—including the President, Vice President, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Information—are all Muslims. According to the group, this configuration has contributed to a culture of denial that emboldens attackers and deepens impunity.

The U.S. lawmaker, in an interview on Fox News, described Tinubu’s remarks as “completely false,” accusing Nigerian leaders of being “complicit” in enabling extremist violence. Moore cited cases such as that of Sunday Jackson, the Adamawa Christian farmer sentenced to death after defending himself, as evidence of systemic religious bias.

Global Reports Highlight Alarming Scale of Violence

HURIWA reinforced its position with findings from multiple international watchdogs.

• Open Doors consistently ranks Nigeria among the world’s two most dangerous countries for Christians.
• Intersociety reported over 7,000 Christian deaths in 2023 alone and more than 50,000 since 2009 at the hands of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed Fulani militias.
• Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group, and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have all warned of targeted killings, mass abductions, sexual violence, and forced displacement.

Even global religious leaders have raised an alarm. HURIWA referenced the recent condemnation by Pope Leo XIV, who decried the “indiscriminate slaughter” of Christian communities and called on world powers to uphold their “international responsibility” to prevent further atrocities.

Calls for Global Intervention Intensify

The association urged the U.S. Congress to treat the upcoming hearing on Christian persecution in Nigeria as an urgent matter and to consider stronger measures— including approval of targeted U.S. military action against terrorist enclaves.

HURIWA said such action would send a clear message that the international community will no longer tolerate the mass killing of Christians. The organisation insisted that the Nigerian government must stop “shielding the truth” and instead embrace international cooperation to dismantle terror networks.

Warning that the pattern of attacks amounts to a “slow-motion genocide,” HURIWA called on global democracies to stand firmly with vulnerable Christian communities across Nigeria.

Watch the video of the attack below.

Senior fraud investigators at Fannie Mae believed there was no clear evidence to prove that New York Attorney General Letitia James committed mortgage fraud, according to new information disclosed by James’ legal team in a filing on Monday.

The filing, which asks a federal judge to dismiss the criminal charges against James based on outrageous government conduct, reveals some new details about how people inside Fannie Mae viewed the investigation into James and the role that Trump ally Bill Pulte, the nation’s top housing regulator, played in shaping the probe.

In June, communications between Fannie Mae’s Director of Mortgage Fraud Sean Soward and Jennifer Horne, the vice president of financial crimes at Fannie, Soward expressed concern that the case was “certainly not clear and convincing evidence” of fraud, according to the filing.

James, an elected Democrat, faces charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution for allegedly using a Virginia home as an investment property in violation of loan terms that required her to make it a secondary residence. She has pleaded not guilty.

She is one of several of President Donald Trump’s political foes facing criminal charges after he called on the Justice Department to act against them.

The case was opened after Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent the department a criminal referral, and Attorney General Pam Bondi assigned pardon attorney and weaponisation czar Ed Martin to help with the probe as a special assistant U.S. Attorney handling mortgage fraud cases involving public officials.

Trump later installed his former personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to bring the indictment, after her predecessor refused to do so, citing a lack of evidence.

QUESTIONS OVER PULTE’S ROLE

In Monday’s filing, James’s attorneys raised questions about how Pulte gained access to their client’s non-public mortgage files. They noted that Pulte also sent Halligan a private letter on October 6, providing a summary of the information and financial calculations on the property at the heart of the indictment, as well as information from Fannie Mae’s financial crimes investigative team.

Shortly after, Halligan went before a grand jury in Alexandria to present evidence, even though it was a different grand jury from the one in Norfolk, Va. that had been convened in the case earlier. When a two-count indictment was returned, it bore the “exact calculations Director Pulte had sent to Ms Halligan just a few days prior,” her lawyers said.

“Director Pulte abused his position as FHFA Director to direct an investigation of AG James, outside of the normal processes and rules governing the agency, despite being told repeatedly that there was no evidence of wrongdoing,” the filing said.

Reuters previously reported that the White House earlier this month ousted the FHFA Acting Inspector General Joe Allen, not long after he tried to provide prosecutors in the James case with crucial, constitutionally required discovery.

Citing that and other media reports in its filing, James’s attorneys said those disclosures had not been produced to the defence team.

The filing also raises concerns with Martin’s conduct, citing his decision to pose for photos outside of her Brooklyn home and a letter he sent her calling on her to resign as New York’s attorney general.

“The letter, by itself, violated Justice Department rules, the Principles of Federal Prosecution, and various codes of professional responsibility and ethics,” they wrote.

Reuters

A heated national backlash has erupted after Lagos-based cleric Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele declared in a viral video that “Igbos are the problem of Nigeria… There’s a curse on you… You can’t become president of Nigeria.”

The statement, made on 16 November 2025, has been widely condemned as inflammatory, divisive, and defamatory — and is now triggering legal and civic responses across the country.

In a strongly worded letter dated 18 November 2025, public interest lawyer Maduabuchi O. Idam, Esq., demanded a full retraction and public apology from Primate Ayodele within 48 hours, failing which he vowed to initiate legal action for defamation.

Idam, a notary public and Igbo lawyer based in Abuja, said the cleric’s comments have caused “grievous distress,” noting that the remarks were not only reckless but had exposed millions of Igbos to “mockery, hatred, odium and scorn.”

According to him, Ayodele’s sweeping claim that Igbos are cursed and desperate for power is “malicious, unprovoked, and utterly irresponsible,” and has been circulated to millions of Nigerians and foreigners through social media and online news outlets.

Idam wrote:

“Your statement has impugned my integrity, diminished the way I am perceived, and sought to confine me and millions of Igbos to a position of res nullius — a people belonging nowhere.”

He added that the publication has “profoundly diminished” the dignity of Igbo people, warning that if Ayodele fails to retract the statement, he and other aggrieved citizens will pursue legal redress — especially if Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo sociocultural body, does not intervene.

CIVIC OUTRAGE GROWS AS SCHOLAR CALLS REMARK “UNJUST AND PAINFUL”

Meanwhile, in a press statement titled “Rebuttal of Primate Ayodele’s Divisive and Inaccurate Remarks,” academic and public commentator Dr. Paulinus Chikwado Ejeh issued an emotional and forceful condemnation of the cleric’s comments.

Ejeh said Ayodele’s remarks were “unjust, painful, and unworthy of a man standing on the altar of God.”

He noted that the Igbo people have endured decades of hardship — including civil war trauma, discrimination, and political exclusion — yet have remained some of Nigeria’s most resilient, entrepreneurial, and nation-building citizens.

According to him, hearing a religious leader describe such people as “Nigeria’s problem” is a deep moral wound.

Ejeh further criticised the silence of other clerics, warning that silence amounts to endorsement:

“Silence is not neutrality — it tells us the dignity of Ndigbo can be attacked without consequence.”

He urged Igbo Christians to worship in communities where they are respected rather than tolerated:

“If any church leadership refuses to reject divisive rhetoric, then it is wise to seek a spiritual home that honours your God-given dignity.”

Ejeh concluded by reaffirming the identity and resilience of the Igbo people:

“Ndigbo are not Nigeria’s problem. We are part of Nigeria’s strength, creativity, progress, and perseverance. No voice — clerical or political — can rewrite who we are.”

RISING TENSIONS AND NEXT STEPS

As outrage spreads across social and political circles, calls are growing for religious bodies, civil organisations, and state authorities to intervene. With the 48-hour ultimatum ticking, all eyes are now on whether Primate Ayodele will issue the demanded apology — or whether this controversy will escalate into a major legal and national debate over hate speech, ethnic dignity, and the responsibility of religious leaders.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ruled that the trial of two leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, captured by the Department of State Services (DSS), will begin on January 15, 2026.

The trial, which was initially slated to begin on Wednesday, was shelved by the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, following a plea by counsel to the accused persons for time to enable them to be served with the charges and to study the charges’ proof of evidence.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel to the accused persons, B. I Bakum told the court that the charge and proof of evidence were still with the DSS, where the terror suspects were being detained on the orders of the court.

The lawyer prayed the court that the two defendants be moved to a correctional centre to enable easy access and ensure a prompt and hitch-free trial.

However, counsel to the DSS, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the defendants’ lawyer’s prayer.

Kasawe prayed the court to begin the trial as scheduled since, according to him, the witnesses were in court.

He said that protocol in the DSS required the defendant’s lawyer to write to the agency seeking permission to see his clients and copy him, adding that the lawyer had failed to for so.

Kaswe pleaded with the Judge to order the defendants’ lawyer to always respect the protocol of the DSS by writing formally for permission to visit the defendants, and also to copy him so that he would be of assistance.

Justice Nwite, in a brief ruling, said he would, in the interest of fair hearing, consider the submission of the defendants’ lawyer and move the trial to a future date.

Moving the trial to January 15, 2026, Justice Nwite ordered the defendants’ lawyer to always write DSS for permission to visit his clients and copy the prosecutor.

Usman and Abubakar Abba are being prosecuted for terrorism by the DSS. However, Usman has pleaded guilty to Count 10 in the 32-count charge, which bordered on economic crime.

While Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to the 32-count charge on terrorism offences, Usman denied the remaining 31 counts.

Usman was on September 11, sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of the charge against him.

He admitted before the court that he engaged in illegal mining activities and used the proceeds to acquire arms that aided his terrorism and kidnapping activities.

At the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged in the charges that the two defendants committed the crimes between 2015 and 2024.

Among others, they were accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, receiving training in weapon handling, and fabricating improvised explosive devices.

The DSS alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged in terrorism financing and kidnapping, and received training on war tactics from a terrorist organisation in Mali.

In another charge, the DSS accused them of kidnapping a Customs officer and another Immigration officer, who was later killed while in their custody.

The secret police claimed that the accused persons collected ransoms running into millions of naira from families of their victims before their capture by the DSS.

They were accused of engaging in the unlawful mining of mineral resources without a valid license, from which they also made millions of naira.

One of the charges by the DSS against the two defendants is that the huge sums made from kidnapping ransoms and unlawful mineral mining were deployed to the procurement of large quantities of arms and ammunition, including improvised explosive devices.

The DSS further alleged that the two men received training on terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali, and also facilitated the same for their followers.

In another charge, they were accused of concealing information on terror attacks on various locations in Niger State.

Following their denial of the charges, Justice Emeka Nwite had ordered them to be remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.

Ansaru, a breakaway faction of the Boko Haram terrorist group, was linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country.

Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, is answering to a 32-count charge the DSS preferred against him and his alleged deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda.

DSS alleged that the defendants, who were captured between May and July 2025 after intelligence-led operations by security agencies, masterminded various acts of terrorism.