Compilations of top 10 key happenings that you might have missed this Saturday Evening , 13th December, 2025
Detained soldiers: Senator Arise urges military action against Burkina Faso
A former Ekiti lawmaker and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ayodele Arise, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider the option of military action against Burkina Faso to secure the release of Nigerian soldiers currently being held in the West African country.
Arise made the call on Saturday while speaking as a guest on an Arise TV programme, which was monitored by our correspondent.
While acknowledging that the Nigerian Armed Forces are heavily engaged on the home front amid persistent insurgency and banditry, the senator insisted that a military option against Burkina Faso should not be ruled out.
Drawing from historical precedent, Arise recalled Israel’s 1976 Entebbe Raid in Uganda, arguing that decisive action could force a rethink by the Burkinabe authorities.
Ex-NIWA MD Oyebamiji emerges Osun APC gov candidate
The immediate past Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, on Saturday emerged as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.
Oyebamiji’s emergence followed a motion moved by two governorship aspirants, Kunle Adegoke (SAN) and Senator Babajide Omoworare, at the primary election venue located within the premises of Ebunoluwa Group of Schools, Osogbo.
The Chairman of the APC governorship primary committee and Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, thereafter subjected the motion to a voice vote, which received overwhelming
Turaki, ex-govs, PDP leaders, Obasanjo in closed-door meeting
Turaki, alongside former governors of Nigeria and Plateau States, Alhaji Muazu Babangida and Sen Jonah Jang, and other senior party leaders, arrived at the former president’s residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, at about 11:38am on Saturday.
The PDP leaders subsequently proceeded for a private meeting with Obasanjo.
Details of the discussions have yet to be released support from party members present at the primary.
Okpebholo subsequently declared,
“By the power conferred on me, I present to you Bola Oyebamiji, as the governorship candidate of our party.”
Troops repel ISWAP attack on Borno military base, kill several terrorists
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai on Friday night repelled a coordinated attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Mairari, Borno State, killing several terrorists in the process.
Confirming the attack in a statement on Saturday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North East, Lt Colonel Sani Uba, said the terrorists attempted to breach the base using two Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs).
He, however, stated that both devices were promptly detected and neutralised by the troops, preventing any penetration of the base.
The statement read,
“Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have successfully repelled a coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Mairari, dealing a decisive blow to the group’s operational capability in the area.
The assault, which began late on 12 December 2025 and continued into the early hours of 13 December, was thwarted through coordinated ground and air operations.
Police arrest six suspected cult members in Enugu
The Enugu State Police Command has announced the arrest of six suspected cult members in the state.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
According to Ndukwe, the suspects, who have confessed to their involvement in cult activities, were arrested by the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command while attempting to force people to be initiated into the Supreme Vikings Confraternity.
He said several items used for the initiation were recovered, including a gun, cutlasses, and alcoholic drinks.
The statement partly read:
“Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command attached to the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad, on 5th December 2025, acted on credible information, uncovered, and arrested six (6) male suspects for forcefully initiating victims into the Supreme Vikings Confraternity on 25th November 2025, at a forest in Ugwu Peak, Iva Valley, Enugu North Local Government Area (LGA)
This isn’t politics, you never met bail conditions’ — EFCC slams Malami
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has pushed back strongly against claims by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, that his bail was revoked over his attendance at a political gathering in Kebbi State, insisting the matter has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with unmet bail conditions.
In a detailed rebuttal issued on Saturday, the anti-graft agency said Malami’s continued detention was neither politically motivated nor linked to his media appearances or party activities, but stemmed solely from his failure to meet the five conditions attached to the provisional administrative bail earlier granted to him.
ECOWAS reaffirms commitment to regional stability, integration
The ECOWAS Council of Ministers has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring regional stability and integration in the region.
The Council made this known at the end of its 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers held between Dec. 10 and Dec. 12, in Abuja.
Amb. Timothy Kabba, Chair of the Ministerial Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone, expressed the council’s commitment to strengthening regional peace, security, and economic integration.
Detty December: Go home, see your aged parents and siblings – Noble Igwe tells Nigerians
Media personality and fashion entrepreneur Noble Igwe has urged Nigerians to look beyond the parties and luxury that often define Detty December and focus instead on reconnecting with family.
In a message, Igwe encouraged people to return home during the Christmas season to spend quality time with their parents, siblings, and loved ones, stressing that memories matter more than money.
In a tweet, Igwe said, “Go home, see your aged parents, see your siblings and spend time with loved ones during Christmas.
It does not matter how much you earn, do it when you can and do it for the memories. Nothing is promised.
”Tunji-Ojo: Nigeria’s future depends on unity, national renewal
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has stated that Nigeria’s future will be determined by the nation’s unity, institutional reforms, and the renewed spirit of its citizens.
He made the remarks while receiving an Award of Excellence in Public Service from Obafemi Awolowo University on Friday evening at the OAU Oduduwa Hall in Ile-Ife.
According to a statement by his media aide, Babatunde Alao, Tunji-Ojo described the award as carrying significance beyond personal recognition, emphasizing that it reinforced his belief that Nigeria is progressing through the strength of collective resolve.
He added that national renewal is no longer merely an aspiration but a journey sustained by courage, faith, and shared responsibility.
Shettima hails Uzodimma at 67, praises progressive leadership, Renewed Hope commitment
Vice President Kashim Shettima has congratulated the Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Senator Hope Uzodimma, on his 67th birthday, describing his leadership within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo State and the country as exemplary and worthy of emulation.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President said Governor Uzodimma has distinguished himself as a progressive leader, particularly in his capacity as Chairman of the PGF, the umbrella body of APC governors nationwide.
According to him, Uzodimma has demonstrated exceptional capacity to unite and galvanize APC governors around a shared vision for national development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
