DIA

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

Former Nigerian Senate President Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan has deleted a social media post announcing that he facilitated the recruitment of two young men into the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) after it sparked widespread criticism online.

In the now-deleted post, Lawan said he received the two recruits after a Senate plenary and congratulated them on their successful employment, stating that he had facilitated their recruitment into the intelligence agency. He described the appointments as part of his commitment to creating opportunities for young people from Yobe North Senatorial District.

However, the post quickly drew criticism on social media, with many Nigerians accusing the former Senate President of promoting nepotism and favoritism in public sector recruitment. Critics argued that his remarks appeared to suggest political influence played a role in securing the jobs, raising concerns about fairness and merit-based employment in government institutions.

Following the backlash, the post was removed from his verified Facebook page. As of the time of reporting, Lawan has not publicly explained why the post was deleted or responded to the criticism.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Nigerian soldiers have captured a large sum of money intended to pay for the release of several captives held by armed bandits in Kaduna State.

Some of the ransom payment couriers are alleged to be security personnel, according to media reports.

Kidnapped victims, including women and children, were also rescued by troops participating in intelligence-driven military operations.

The operations, which were carried out concurrently by Nigerian Army ground soldiers and special forces from the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, resulted in eliminating several bandit terrorists.

According to an intelligence officer, troops from the synchronised operations from the 271 NAF Detachment in Birnin Gwari and the Nigerian Army FOB in Gwaska rescued dozens of kidnapped victims.

“The sum of N60,000,000 in cash, petroleum products and sophisticated weapons were recovered during the operations.

“Other items recovered by the troops from the suspects include vehicles, AK-47 rifles, magazines, various kinds of ammunition and mobile phones.

“Meanwhile, we will refer the case of the arrested couriers who mostly have identifications with security agencies to the Department of State Service (DSS) and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for further investigation,” the intelligence officer was quoted as saying.