The newly appointed service chiefs have arrived at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday for their screening by the Senate, marking a key step in President Bola Tinubu’s recent shake-up of the nation’s military leadership.

The service chiefs arrived at the Senate wing of the National Assembly around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, accompanied by top-ranking military officers and aides.

Their appearance followed the Senate’s decision to bring forward the screening to Wednesday, October 29, from its earlier schedule for next week.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the rescheduled session during Tuesday’s plenary after reading a letter from President Bola Tinubu, which sought the lawmakers’ confirmation of the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, and other service chiefs.

“The change in date is necessary to enable the military chiefs to assume their duties immediately,” Akpabio explained while addressing senators on the floor.

In his correspondence to the Senate, President Tinubu urged lawmakers to give expeditious consideration to the confirmation process to ensure “continuity and effective coordination of the nation’s security architecture.”

On October 24, the President announced sweeping changes in the military hierarchy, appointing new heads for the armed forces in what analysts described as a move to inject “fresh energy” into Nigeria’s counter-insurgency and internal security operations.

Under the new appointments, General Olufemi Oluyede replaces General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Major-General W. Shaibu becomes the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Air Vice Marshal S. K. Aneke is the new Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Rear Admiral I. Abbas takes over as Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) and Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye retains his post as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

The appointments, according to a statement signed by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, take immediate effect.

Recall that General Oluyede, now nominated as Chief of Defence Staff, had only recently assumed office as Chief of Army Staff following the death of General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja last year. His elevation to CDS marks a swift rise within the top military ranks.

He succeeded General Christopher Musa, who, alongside Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and Air Marshal Bala Abubakar, had served since June 2023.

During their tenure, the outgoing service chiefs oversaw major counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed bandits in Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions. While they achieved significant gains, continued attacks by gunmen across the country had intensified public calls for a change in military strategy and leadership.

A widow, Mrs Chika Ndubuisi, has been rescued from drinking water used to bathe her husband’s corpse in Awo-Omamma, in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State.

The widow was rescued from the hands of her husband’s kinsmen, who attempted to force her to drink the water used in bathing the corpse of her husband to prove her innocence over his death.

It was gathered that her husband’s kinsmen allegedly tried to compel her to drink from the water, but the swift intervention of the Commissioner, the Local Council Authority of the area, and security agencies halted the attempt following alerts raised by a women’s group.

The rescue followed an alarm raised by a women’s advocacy group, which drew the attention of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, exposing the actions of the said kinsmen.

Speaking on the development, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu, condemned the act, describing it as an inhuman widowhood practice that has become outdated.

The Commissioner expressed shock that such a practice still exists in the present-day society, where a widow, already traumatised by the loss of her husband, would be coerced by her late husband’s kinsmen to partake in a ritual involving drinking from the water used in bathing his corpse.

She said, “Normalcy has been restored, and a detailed investigation is underway. The widow, Mrs Ndubuisi, and her children are under government protection.”

She frowned at the act, describing it as barbaric, cruel, and completely unacceptable in a civilised society.

Lady Ugwu stated that the Ministry’s action, in collaboration with the Chairman of the Local Council and some Non-Governmental Organisations, facilitated the rescue of the widow and her children. She confirmed that some arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the wife of the state governor, Chioma Uzodinma, has directed an immediate and comprehensive investigation to ensure that those responsible face the full weight of the law.

BONA NAIJA learnt that the widow, who was detained with her husband’s corpse, was accused by her in-laws of being responsible for his death.

Nigeria’s Nobel Prize winning author and playwright Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has revoked his non-immigrant visa, which was issued to him last year.

The 91-year-old Nobel laureate disclosed the development on Tuesday, showing reporters a letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos directing him to submit his passport for physical cancellation of the visa.

According to the letter, dated October 23, the revocation followed the discovery of “additional information” that became available after the visa was issued.

“I have no visa. I am banned obviously from the United States,” Soyinka said. “And if you want to see me, you know where to find me,” he added, referring to those planning to invite him to U.S. events.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, has had several teaching stints at U.S. Ivy League universities since the mid-1990s. In 2016, he famously tore up his U.S. green card and renounced his American residency in protest at the election of former President Donald Trump.

The revocation comes amid recent tightening of U.S. visa policies for Nigerians. In July, the U.S. Embassy announced that non-immigrant visa applicants would henceforth receive single-entry, three-month permits, replacing the previous five-year, multiple-entry visas many Nigerians had enjoyed.

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A small aircraft traveling from Kenya’s coast to the Maasai Mara National Park crashed early Tuesday, with all 12 people on board feared dead, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

The plane departed from Diani, a popular tourist destination, and was headed to Kichwa Tembo, a private airstrip within the Maasai Mara — one of Kenya’s most visited wildlife reserves. The crash occurred around 5:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT).

“The aircraft had 12 persons on board,” the KCAA said in a statement. “Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident.”

Authorities have not yet released details about the aircraft model or the nationalities of the passengers. Rescue and investigation teams have been deployed to the crash site to recover the wreckage and assess the situation.

This latest incident comes just months after a light aircraft operated by medical NGO Amref crashed near Nairobi in August, killing six people and injuring two others raising renewed concerns about air safety in the region.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the Nigerian Senate seeking the confirmation of the newly appointed Service Chiefs, following last week’s major shake-up in the nation’s military leadership.

The request, announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary, covers the following appointees:

• General Olufemi Oluyede — Chief of Defence Staff
• Major-General Waheedi Shaibu — Chief of Army Staff
• Rear Admiral Idi Abbas — Chief of Naval Staff
• Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke — Chief of Air Staff
• Major-General Emmanuel Undiendeye — Chief of Defence Intelligence

In his correspondence, President Tinubu urged the Senate to give expeditious consideration to the nominations. The upper chamber has referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for screening and confirmation, scheduled for next week.

The development follows Tinubu’s decision to replace General Christopher Musa with General Olufemi Oluyede (a former Chief of Army Staff) as the Chief of Defence Staff. While Major-General Undiendeye retained his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence, other service positions were also reshuffled.

According to presidential aide Sunday Dare, the appointments form part of Tinubu’s efforts to “strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.”

“All appointments take immediate effect,” Dare stated.

However, the move has sparked criticism, with some observers alleging that the shake-up was linked to an attempted coup. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement signed by its spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi, demanded clarity from the presidency.

“Our position remains that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened,” Abdullahi said. “Given the instability in Chad and other Sahel nations, we are gravely concerned.”

The reshuffle marks one of the most significant military leadership transitions under Tinubu’s administration since assuming office in May 2023.

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