LIBERATION

Some serving personnel of the Nigerian Army have petitioned President Bola Tinubu, the leadership of the National Assembly and top defence authorities over what they described as an alleged unofficial embargo on voluntary discharge from military service. The soldiers, however, accused the Army of unlawfully retaining personnel who have applied to leave the force. In a petition exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, on Wednesday, the soldiers urged the President, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to order an immediate investigation into what they called the prolonged delay and alleged refusal to process voluntary discharge applications submitted by eligible personnel. The petition, titled "Urgent Petition for Investigation into the Alleged Unlawful Restriction, Delay and Withholding of Voluntary Discharge of Nigerian Army Personnel," was also addressed to the President of the Senate, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, the Speak...

United States President, Donald Trump, has ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire agreement with Iran, declaring that he no longer wishes to engage with the country as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate following a series of military strikes across the Middle East. Speaking on the prospect of a ceasefire, Trump launched a scathing attack on Iran's leadership, dismissing any further diplomatic engagement. "To me, I think it is over, I don't want to deal with them any longer, they are scum, you know what scum means, they are sick, led by sick people." He further accused Iran of posing a grave global security threat, saying, "They are vicious violent people, if they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it." Questioning the value of negotiations with Tehran, Trump added, "It's a waste of time dealing with them, they are liars, we make a deal, we say no nuclear weapons and they go out to the press to say we never ev...

The embattled Director General of the “fake” Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, has explained the reasons he established the now-defunct agency. Matthew, while speaking with social media critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video call on Wednesday, revealed that it was not unconnected to his passion for Nigeria’s outlook in the world, attracting foreign investors and promoting President Bola Tinubu’s administration, rather than for personal interest. He also claimed that he was not aware of his agency’s budget insertion and defence in the national budget approved by the National Assembly and assented to by the President. The embattled DG said, “I established that amount (rumoured N400 million) for the agency’s office out of passion for the country. I wanted to bring in foreign investors to Nigeria so that I can write my name in gold. I am just desperate to serve. “That’s the reason I paid the money. I just wan...

A Kaduna-based businessman, Nasir Musa Idris (Albani Agege) has filed a series of criminal complaints before courts in Kaduna State against Islamic cleric Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, members of his family, and two associates, alleging offences arising from a prolonged matrimonial dispute involving his Moroccan wife, Khadijah Diab.   According to the court documents, the complaints have been lodged before the Sharia Court, Malali, the Chief Magistrate Court, Kabala Doki, and the Chief Magistrate Court, Barnawa, each alleging different criminal offences under the applicable Kaduna State laws.   The complainant alleges that he lawfully married Moroccan national Khadijah Diab in October 2024 and that they lived together peacefully until September 2025, when events leading to the dispute allegedly began. According to the filings, he claims he was contacted and requested to bring his wife to Dr. Gumi’s residence for counselling after allegations that she had raise...