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Deputy Senate President to Trump: Withdraw your threat, apologise now!
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, has slammed United States President, Donald Trump, for describing Nigeria as a disgraced country.
This is just as the Northern Elders’ Forum and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria also criticised Trump for threatening the sovereignty of Nigeria.
While NEF denounced what it called a “dangerous pattern of foreign interference,” Miyetti Allah said it was outraged by attempts to link the association to terrorism and religious extremism.
Trump had, in a recent White House briefing, threatened to “take decisive action” if the killing of Christians continued in Nigeria.
Jibrin condemned Trump’s military threat, describing his statement as “un-American” and “a violation of international law.”
Speaking in a viral video which trended on Friday, the Deputy Senate President said, “But for now, for the president of the United States to come in and say, ‘Oh, you are doing this and we are going to attack you, and Nigeria is a disgraced country’ — this is quite unacceptable.”
“We feel that he should understand, then retract that statement and apologise to Nigeria.”
He maintained that the American leader’s utterances breached diplomatic decorum and contravened established international law.
“It’s against international law. Whatever you feel about our country, follow the legal route. Go to the United Nations, get a resolution there, and then anything can come later. To bypass that route is quite unacceptable. It’s un-American,” he stated.
Jibrin, who spoke passionately before a gathering that applauded him, said Nigeria would not be intimidated by Trump’s threats.
“We are not scared to say the truth. We are not scared of telling Trump the truth. If he were here, I would tell him he has gone against international law and that the route he’s taking is not the best one to take,” he added.
Also speaking, the NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, warned that northern leaders and the people of the region would not tolerate any form of external meddling in the country’s affairs under the pretext of fighting insecurity.
“Nigeria is not an appendage of America. Donald Trump is violating international treaties of the United Nations on the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. And we here in the North are not going to tolerate that,” Jiddere said.
He accused the United States of creating instability in several countries it claimed to have helped, citing Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Afghanistan as examples where American intervention caused chaos and suffering.
According to him, Washington’s interest in Nigeria is not humanitarian but economic.
The NEF spokesman maintained that Nigeria remained a sovereign country capable of handling its internal challenges.
He stressed that while international support was welcome, such cooperation must respect the nation’s independence and constitution.
He dismissed claims of genocide against Christians as “false narratives aimed at destabilising the country.”
MACBAN also faulted the resolution of the US House of Representatives calling for sanctions against the group for alleged violations of religious freedom.
Describing the allegations as “baseless and malicious,” the National President of MACBAN, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, said the association was concerned that its name was being dragged into what he called a politically motivated campaign.
“This is a very serious allegation coming from the US Congress. We are surprised to be included in such an allegation,” he said.
The MACBAN leader said the group was already compiling documents to defend its position before the appropriate authorities.
Othman-Ngelzarma insisted that Miyetti Allah was a legitimate, law-abiding body representing pastoralists across Nigeria and had no link with any criminal group.
US driven by economic interests—AYCC
Meanwhile, the Arewa Youth Consultative Council has insisted that Trump’s threat is driven by economic interests rather than concerns about religious freedom.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the AYCC National President, Zaid Ayuba Ayuba, said the North does not see the threat as genuine, suggesting it is more connected to Nigeria’s natural resources and its growing relationships with other global powers.
“We believe this threat must have something to do with the economic base. This threat must have something to do with America’s interest in Nigerian natural resources and the relationship between Nigeria and other powers,” Ayuba said.
He noted that while the US had accused Nigeria of religious persecution, such allegations were often used as excuses to pursue deeper political or economic motives in other nations.
“One thing we are confident about is that the threat of this invasion is not really about religious genocide. Everyone in the world can attest to this,” he said.
The Arewa youth leader called on the Federal Government to respond swiftly through diplomatic channels, including involving former heads of state and diplomats.
He warned that any US invasion would not only destabilise the region but also bring unnecessary suffering to innocent citizens.
“The United States has a history that once they invade a country, there is no way they will leave until they get what they are looking for. And that means the lives of ordinary Nigerians who have nothing to do with the differences between the government of Nigeria and the United States will be the ones that will feel it,” Ayuba said. (PUNCH)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that there are two main reasons a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, is being detained by the commission.
It also revealed that legal action was taken against the Enugu-born politician after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, and dated 15 May 2026.
John Odey, the spokesman of the commission in a statement on Wednesday explained that the commission later approached Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) in order to effect Nnaji’s arrest after his failure to honour invitation.
Nnaji was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, when he boarded a private jet to Abuja.
Corroborating the development, the ICPC spokesman said Nnaji’s arrest was effected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival where he was led to the commission’s custody immediately.
According to him, Nnaji is being probed on forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
The statement read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji (M), following the execution of a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The arrest was effected on Wednesday, 1st July 2026 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon Mr. Nnaji’s arrival.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the Department of State Services (DSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.
“The Commission had earlier extended formal invitations to the former minister through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and “False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu via a chartered flight.
Authoritative sources at the airport confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES, saying Mr Nnaji would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation.
The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations.
The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The report alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service.
According to the publication, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.Newspapers
The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, dismissing the publication as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, restored the bail it had earlier granted to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post.
Trial Justice Muhammed Umar, who had earlier granted the defendant bail on self-recognisance, on June 16 revoked the bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The order came after Sowore failed to appear before the court for the continuation of his trial, even though he wrote a letter explaining his absence and requesting a new date.
When proceedings resumed in the case on June 22, Justice Umar ordered the remand of the defendant in Kuje prison.
Dissatisfied with the actions the court took against him, Sowore—whose legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge—secured a new lawyer, who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
When the case came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar held that he was minded to admit the defendant to bail.
However, the court listed some conditions that had to be met before he would be released from prison custody.
Aside from granting him bail to the tune of N200 million, the court held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport.
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Sowore, in the application he anchored on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisted that the orders the court made against him were unjust and unwarranted.
The defendant had, on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The charges allege offences under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The offending posts, made on August 25, 2025, were in response to President Tinubu’s claim, made in Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Angered by the posts, the DSS demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms.
Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
The prosecution claims the defamatory posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president’s reputation.
Exhibits include printouts of the posts and the DSS letters.
X Inc. and Meta were initially co-defendants but were delisted in the amended charge.
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