On Tuesday, a tense but contained incident unfolded at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged Nigerian Immigration Service officers who had confiscated her passport.
The senator, broadcasting live on social media, explained that she was heading overseas after concluding events marking her second anniversary in office.
Just days earlier, news outlets had widely covered Natasha’s invitations to fellow senators including Senate President Godswill Akpabio to join her second-year commemorations.
Following the festivities, she planned a short trip abroad, only to be blocked by immigration staff.
In a video that quickly spread online, the senator could be seen vocally objecting to the officers’ actions.
“Why are you withholding my passport? Hello, fellow Nigerians, good morning. This is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
“Having completed the celebration of my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. So I’m at the airport here and my passport is being withheld again. The same thing happened last time when my passport was seized.”
“I have committed no offence. And there is no order from the court to withhold my passport and deny me travelling. The last time this thing happened, the Officer-in-Charge told us that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he said each time I travel out of the country, I smear the country’s image by granting interviews in international media.”
“Please, can you tell them to release my passport and this embarrassment should stop. You have no right to withhold my passport. You have no right to deny me exit and entry into my country. I have not committed any offence. And this must stop.”
From behind the counter, a female officer responded: “Sorry,” prompting the senator to retort, “As a matter of fact, I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me.”
“Sorry,” the officer repeated, and the lawmaker shot back: “No, don’t tell me sorry. Can you please let me have my passport? You can’t keep doing this to me all the time. I have been standing here for the past 20 minutes.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan recounted that during the previous incident, she needed a phone call to a powerful contact before her passport was returned.
She added that President Bola Tinubu had ordered all charges against her dropped after they were deemed politically driven.
While she pressed her case, a male officer walked up, returned her passport, and handed it over.
Natasha And Immigration Clash Over Passport Controversy
Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Dies At 84
Dick Cheney, who served as the 46th vice president of the United States, has passed away at the age of 84, according to a statement from his family cited by U.S. outlets on Tuesday.
Cheney, who held the position under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, “died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease,” his family said.
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the family’s statement read.
Regarded as one of the most influential vice presidents in U.S. history, Cheney was often portrayed as a strategic power broker who exercised immense influence behind the scenes.
Born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney spent most of his childhood in Wyoming, the state he would later represent in Congress.
He initially attended Yale University but left before completing his studies, later earning a political science degree from the University of Wyoming.
A committed Republican, Cheney began his political career in earnest in 1978, when he won Wyoming’s lone seat in the House of Representatives, a position he would hold for ten years.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed him as secretary of defense, where Cheney oversaw U.S. military operations during the 1990–91 Gulf War, a campaign that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
During his tenure as vice president, Cheney advanced a staunchly neo-conservative agenda and assumed an unusually prominent role in shaping national security and foreign policy decisions.
He was considered a key advocate for the U.S. invasion of Iraq following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, promoting the now-discredited assertion that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, a claim that became central to the case for the 2003 war.
Chad Closes Border With Nigeria Following U.S. Military Threat
Chad’s government has sealed its border with Nigeria after President Donald Trump’s recent warning triggered regional security concerns.
Over the weekend, President Trump alleged that Christians in Nigeria have long been subjected to genocide and criticized the Nigerian government for failing to prosecute terrorists or end the ongoing violence.
Security and counterinsurgency analyst Zagazola Makama revealed on his verified X account that “military sources in N’Djamena confirmed on Monday that President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno ordered a complete military lockdown along the Nigerian border after intelligence suggested that terrorist elements from northern Nigeria were preparing to flee into Chadian territory.”
He added that “according to the sources, the Chadian army has been placed on full alert, with troops and armoured vehicles deployed across key border corridors linking the two countries.”
The Chadian leader reportedly stated that “no armed group or foreign force will be allowed to enter Chadian soil under any disguise.”
This development follows mounting regional unease and speculation regarding potential U.S. military maneuvers in West Africa.
Security observers described Chad’s border closure as a strategic step to safeguard its national security and prevent infiltration by militant factions taking advantage of regional unrest.
Bayelsa Governor Formally Defects To APC In Grand Yenagoa Ceremony
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, today completed his long-anticipated defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a colourful rally held at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex.
Flanked by Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, and no fewer than five APC governors, Diri received the party flag amid thunderous applause from thousands of supporters who painted Yenagoa green-white-green.
“I took this decision on behalf of every Bayelsan,” Diri declared from the podium. “Somebody had to step forward so that our state is no longer sidelined when federal projects, oil blocks, and NDDC contracts are shared. Today, Bayelsa is fully at the centre.”
He revealed that he quietly resigned from the PDP on October 15 after weeks of shuttle diplomacy between Abuja and Yenagoa, adding that 19 state assembly members, two senators, and over 80 per cent of his cabinet crossed the carpet with him.
Shettima, who handed Diri the broom symbol, hailed the move as “the final piece in the South-South jigsaw.”
With Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori (who flew in for the event), Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno, and now Diri in the APC fold, only Rivers State’s Siminalayi Fubara remains under the PDP umbrella in the oil-rich region.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope now has an Ijaw face,” Shettima quipped, triggering wild cheers.
Yet the jubilation masked brewing tension at Government House. Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, a staunch PDP loyalist and protégé of ex-Governor Seriake Dickson, boycotted the ceremony.
Sources confirmed that 21 of the 24 assembly members have signed an impeachment notice against him for “gross disloyalty.”
Ewhrudjakpo has already filed suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to restrain the Speaker, the Chief Judge, and security agencies from removing him.
Former APC publicity scribe Yekini Nabena fired an early shot, tweeting that Diri “arrived empty-handed” and warning against sidelining Bayelsa APC founding fathers like Timipre Sylva and Heineken Lokpobiri.
Minister Lokpobiri, present on the dais, countered by praising Diri’s “bridge-building spirit” and promising more federal appointments for Bayelsans.
The defection ceremony concluded at 6:45 p.m. with the national anthem. Governor Diri and Vice President Shettima left the Samson Siasia Stadium under tight security. Government House, Yenagoa, will fly the APC flag from tomorrow.
Bayelsa now joins Delta and Akwa Ibom as APC-controlled states in the Niger Delta. The political map of the South-South has been redrawn.
Maldives Implements Generational Ban On Tobacco Use
The Maldives has introduced a groundbreaking law prohibiting anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from smoking tobacco, making it the first nation in the world to establish a permanent generational smoking ban.
The country’s health ministry announced on Saturday that individuals from this age group will not be permitted to smoke, purchase, or sell tobacco products anywhere within the island nation.
The ban, the ministry said, “reflects the government’s strong commitment to protecting young people from the harms of tobacco.”
Ahmed Afaal, vice chair of the archipelago’s tobacco control board, said that last year’s comprehensive ban on vaping had been “a good step towards a generation of tobacco-free citizens.”
According to the health ministry, the new policy “applies to all forms of tobacco, and retailers are required to verify age prior to sale,” emphasizing that the measure aligns with the Maldives’ commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The WHO describes the convention as one that “provides a global response to a global problem – namely, the tobacco epidemic.”
Afaal noted that the earlier ban on vaping played a crucial role in protecting young people, explaining that “these new stylish gadgets are tactics of the industry to approach the younger generations to uptake addictive processes, which definitely harms their health.”
Under last year’s regulations, it became illegal to import, sell, possess, or use e-cigarettes and vaping devices in the Maldives, regardless of a person’s age.
Tourists visiting the island nation will also be subject to the same restrictions, but Afaal dismissed concerns that the ban could harm tourism.
“People don’t come to the Maldives because they’re able to smoke. They come for the beaches, they come for the sea, they come for the sun, and they come for the fresh air,” he said.
Citing tourism statistics, Afaal added that there had been no cancellations linked to the ban, noting that visitor numbers had actually increased over the past year.
“We’re projecting more than 2m [tourists] in the next year,” he said.
New Zealand had previously planned to enact a similar generational smoking ban but abandoned the effort in 2023 following a change in government — a decision many health advocates and Māori communities, who face some of the highest smoking rates, described as a setback.
In the United Kingdom, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed a comparable law to prohibit smoking among individuals born in or after 2009. The updated version of that bill, now introduced by the current administration, has passed through the Commons and is undergoing review in the House of Lords, approaching final approval.
Israeli Military Ex-Legal Chief Arrested Over Leaked Detainee Abuse Video
The arrest of the former chief legal officer of Israel’s military has intensified a growing political crisis sparked by a leaked video that allegedly depicts Israeli soldiers brutally mistreating a Palestinian detainee.
Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who stepped down as the Military Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week, announced that she “took full responsibility for the leak.”
On Sunday, the situation grew more alarming after reports surfaced that she had gone missing, prompting a police search that lasted several hours along a beach north of Tel Aviv.
Authorities later confirmed she was found “alive and well,” though she was subsequently detained for questioning.
Public outrage and political tension surrounding the leaked footage continue to intensify.
The video, first made public in August 2024, reportedly shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel isolating a Palestinian detainee before surrounding him with shields and allegedly assaulting him, including stabbing him in the rectum with a sharp instrument.
The victim required medical treatment for severe injuries following the incident.
Five reservists were later charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm. They have denied any wrongdoing, and their identities have not been disclosed.
On Sunday, four of the accused appeared outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem wearing black balaclavas, alongside their defense attorneys, who called for their trial to be dismissed.
One of the lawyers argued that his clients had been subjected to “a faulty, biased and completely cooked-up legal process.”
A formal investigation into the video leak began last week, and Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was suspended during the inquiry.
By Friday, the defense minister announced that she would not be reinstated to her former position.
Shortly afterward, she tendered her resignation.
In her letter, she accepted “full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from the unit.”
“I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter false propaganda against the army’s law enforcement authorities,” she said.
This was widely seen as a reference to claims by right-wing figures who alleged that the abuse accusations were fabricated.
She also stated: “It is our duty to investigate whenever there is reasonable suspicion of acts of violence against a detainee.”
Following her resignation, the defense minister strongly criticized her actions, declaring, “Anyone who spreads blood libels against IDF troops is unfit to wear the army’s uniform.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later reinforced those remarks, describing the Sde Teiman case as “perhaps the most severe public relations attack that the State of Israel has experienced since its establishment.”
Only hours after his statement, news broke that Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was missing, raising concerns that the political controversy might have taken a tragic turn.
After an extensive search operation, police confirmed she had been found “safe and in good health” in Herzliya.
Later that night, a police spokesperson revealed that two individuals had been taken into custody on suspicion of “leaking and other serious criminal offences.”
Reports identified the two as Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi and former chief military prosecutor Col Matan Solomosh.
The Sde Teiman case has become a symbol of the deep ideological rift dividing Israel’s political spectrum.
Conservatives have denounced the video’s release as a betrayal of national loyalty and an attack on the military’s reputation.
When military police arrived at the base in July 2024 to question 11 reservists, far-right demonstrators — including several lawmakers from the ruling coalition — stormed the compound in protest.
Progressive voices, however, view Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi’s authorization of the video’s release as an act of integrity consistent with her legal duty.
To them, the footage serves as crucial proof supporting claims of systemic abuse of Palestinian detainees following the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks.
A UN inquiry released in October 2023 concluded that thousands of detainees, including both children and adults from Gaza, had been “subjected to widespread and systematic abuse, physical and psychological violence, and sexual and gender-based violence amounting to the war crime and crime against humanity of torture and the war crime of rape and other forms of sexual violence.”
Israel’s authorities dismissed those allegations, insisting they were “fully committed to international legal standards” and asserting that thorough investigations had been conducted into every reported case.
Tinubu Set For Emergency Meeting With Trump Amid Christian Genocide Claims
President Bola Tinubu is preparing for high-level diplomatic engagement with United States President Donald Trump “in the coming days” to address explosive allegations of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, the Presidency announced on Sunday.
The meeting potentially at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington, aims to clear the air on terrorist attacks that Trump claims target Christians exclusively, while Nigeria insists they affect citizens of all faiths.
Daniel Bwala, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, broke the news on X, stressing the two leaders’ “shared interest in the fight against insurgency.”
Bwala highlighted Trump’s earlier approval of arms sales to Nigeria, which he said Tinubu has “adequately utilised… with massive results to show.” Any differences over the religious dimension of the violence, Bwala added, “would be discussed and resolved” face-to-face.
The announcement follows Trump’s Friday redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) and his threat of military airstrikes or troop deployment if Abuja fails to halt alleged systematic killings of Christians.
Tinubu swiftly rejected the label, insisting Nigeria’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and that insecurity cuts across faiths.
A senior Presidency source told SaharaReporters late Sunday that a standalone Washington visit originally floated for November 4 has been shelved.
Instead, Tinubu now eyes a sideline encounter with Trump at the G20 Summit in Durban, South Africa, on November 20—provided Trump attends. “Conversations are ongoing, but a bilateral White House sit-down is not yet locked,” the source said.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga dismissed weekend rumours that Tinubu would meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, calling them “fabricated.”
He reiterated that any White House trip would involve Trump himself. Meanwhile, former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido urged Tinubu to convene all living ex-leaders for a national security summit before any foreign trip.
On X, Nigerians are divided. Hashtags #TinubuTrump and #TrumpNigeria trend with memes mocking a possible snub, while others praise Tinubu for “standing tall.”
One viral post quipped: “From White House to G20 sidelines still better than Zoom.” Security analysts warn that failure to de-escalate could trigger U.S. sanctions or aid cuts, further straining Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
As troops intensify patrols in the North-East and diplomatic phones ring off the hook, one thing is clear: the next 17 days will decide whether Africa’s most populous nation faces its sternest foreign-policy test since the Boko Haram surge or emerges with a stronger U.S. partnership.
For now, the world watches two strong-willed leaders circle each other, with Nigeria’s sovereignty hanging in the balance.
Trump Is Not After Nigeria but China — The Hidden War for Nigeria’s Soul
I am following with deep interest the ongoing debates that are erupting over Donald J. Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom violations.
Many Nigerians, including analysts I respect, are rushing to interpret that decision through the narrow lens of Western imperialism or anti-Islam bias. Others are dismissing it as another of Trump’s theatrics; a foreign leader speaking loudly to his conservative Christian base.
But, as someone who is studying policy, governance, and environmental security, and as a Nigerian who loves his country deeply, I am insisting that President Trump is not after Nigeria. He is after China. And Nigeria, whether we are realising it or not, is standing today as one of the hidden battlegrounds in the long-running strategic rivalry between the United States and China.
Trump’s Silence on China and His Sudden Shift to Nigeria
What is capturing my attention is how Trump is behaving immediately after his meeting with the Chinese President in Tokyo just a few days ago. He said nothing too detailed about the content of the meeting. Instead, he is stepping out and talking about Nigeria — about the mass killings of Christians, the destruction of rural communities, and the rise of religiously-motivated violence in the Middle Belt.
To a casual observer, that shift looks random. But in the language of global diplomacy, it is a signal. You don’t move from Tokyo to Nigeria in one breath unless there is a linking thread. Trump’s intelligence briefings are showing that Nigeria’s crisis is being tied to Chinese economic interests. That is what many of us are failing to see.
China’s Deep Hand in Nigeria’s Bloody Mining Economy
We are not deceiving ourselves when we say Nigeria is sitting on gold. Real gold. And not just gold — we are sitting on columbite, tantalite, lithium, and other rare earth minerals that are vital to modern technology: electric cars, smartphones, satellites, even weapons. Whoever is controlling the supply of these resources is controlling the future of global power.
China is dominating global rare-earth production and refining, but as its domestic reserves are depleting, it is expanding into Africa — and Nigeria, with a weak regulatory system and persistent insecurity, is looking like a prime target.
Across Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, and Taraba states, illegal mining is exploding. Beneath the surface of that chaos is a powerful network of Chinese-backed miners, local collaborators, and militia protection rackets. In some communities, entire villages are being emptied out by attacks so that the land is being “freed up” for mining.
A visit to some communities in Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa, where the soil is carrying visible scars of reckless excavation. Locals are speaking of strange foreigners arriving at night and trucks loaded with ore moving under military escort. These are not fairy tales; they are the daily reality of a nation losing its wealth to foreign hands under the cover of terror.
Terrorism as a Tool for Resource Control
We often view terrorism in Nigeria as purely ideological, a religious war, or a clash of civilizations. But when we look closely, we are seeing that terrorism is becoming a deliberate tool for resource control.
Groups that label themselves as herders, bandits, or insurgents are aligning with illegal miners. They are attacking Christian farming communities, killing or displacing the inhabitants, and leaving behind ungoverned zones/spaces ready for exploitation. Chinese middlemen and local cartels are moving in to dig, extract, and export. The minerals are leaving Nigeria illegally, ending up in Dubai, Hong Kong or Shanghai — enriching foreign economies while Nigeria bleeds.
When Trump is talking about Christian persecution in Nigeria, many people are thinking he is pandering to faith-based voters. But he is also responding to strategic intelligence. His government is discovering that China is using Nigeria’s instability as a shield for illegal extraction — and that thousands of Christian lives are not being lost randomly, but as collateral damage in a global economic war.
The Buahri Waterways Bill — China’s Trojan Horse
We are remembering how, under President Buhari, the Water Resources Bill was being pushed. Nigerians from every corner resisted it and rightly so. On the surface, the bill seemed like an administrative reform to bring all inland waterways and adjoining lands under federal control. But beneath that surface was something far more sinister.
Those waterways; rivers, streams, and wetlands are not just water routes; they are mineral corridors. Many of Nigeria’s richest alluvial gold and rare earth deposits are located along these river systems. By centralising control of the lands, the bill if pass was paving the way for foreign interests, especially Chinese-linked companies to gain access through federal licences, bypassing state governments and local communities.
I believe Chinese advisers and investors were quietly lobbying for that bill. They were seeing it as a legal shortcut to Nigeria’s mineral heartlands. Fortunately, Nigerians resisted it fiercely. But the attempt itself exposed how deeply Chinese mining ambitions are penetrating our policymaking corridors.
Trump’s Intelligence Briefing and the Bigger Picture
Now imagine Trump sitting in the Oval Office, reviewing a classified intelligence briefing ahead of his meeting with the Chinese President. The report might read:
“China is funding illegal mining operations in Nigeria through proxies. Minerals are being smuggled to China. Terrorist groups are clearing Christian farming zones to open mining fields. Nigeria’s government is aware but failing to act.”
If I put myself in Trump’s shoes — a man obsessed with America First, economic nationalism, and confronting Chinese influence, I see why he is doing what he is doing.
That explains why after his meeting with the Chinese President he is saying nothing about the trade war or Huawei. Instead, he is focusing on Nigeria. He is not only expressing moral outrage, he is sending a geostrategic message to Beijing and Abuja alike: “We see what you’re doing in Nigeria, and we are watching.”
The CPC designation thus becomes a diplomatic weapon; not just to defend religious freedom, but to pressure Nigeria’s leadership to confront internal terrorism, regulate its mining sector, and cut off China’s exploitation routes. It is also telling China that the U.S. will not silently allow Africa’s mineral corridors to slip into Beijing’s hands.
The Blood of the Poor, the Gold of the Powerful
As a development professional, I am telling ourselves that underdevelopment is not accidental. It is a system maintained for the benefit of those who profit from chaos. The violence ravaging Nigeria’s north and middle belt follows an economic logic. It is driving farmers away from ancestral lands, weakening resistance, and clearing the field for predatory extraction.
In many of these regions, the victims are overwhelmingly Christian farmers. Their lands sit on mineral deposits. Their displacement often labelled as “herder-farmer clashes” is enabling illegal mining. Every truckload of gold leaving Zamfara or Niger without record is carrying stolen wealth plus the blood of innocent people.
When Trump is referring to “Christian genocide,” it may sound dramatic to some. But to me it is truthful. He is naming what the rest of the world is refusing to name: a systematic campaign of dispossession combining religion, resource greed, and geopolitics.
Nigeria at the Crossroads of Global Power Politics
Nigeria is now standing at a dangerous crossroads. On one side is China — aggressive, patient, and comfortable operating in the shadows. On the other side is the United States — loud, moralistic, and determined not to lose strategic ground. Both are seeing our country as strategic: China for minerals; America for influence.
For Beijing, Nigeria is a silent goldmine. For Washington, Nigeria is a partner slipping away. And for Nigerians like us, we are caught in the middle — a proud nation being turned into a chessboard for foreign powers.
The truth is uncomfortable: our leaders allowed it. Through negligence or complicity, they permit foreign powers to profit from our insecurity. Every village burned in Benue or Plateau, every displaced farmer in Nasarawa, every illegal mining pit in Niger is part of the same global script — the conversion of African lives into raw material for foreign profit.
What Trump’s Move is Actually Signalling
Trump’s move is not hostile toward us. It is a wake-up call. He is using America’s legal and diplomatic tools, like the CPC designation, to jolt our leadership into action. He is highlighting the shootings in Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna not just out of empathy, but because those regions sit atop mineral deposits that feed China’s industrial machine.
When he says “The persecution of Christians must stop,” he is also meaning “Nigeria must stop enriching our biggest rival through the corridors of instability.” His message, though blunt, aligns with what every patriotic Nigerian should demand: a state that protects its people, its land, and its resources.
Nigeria Must Wake Up
Nigeria cannot continue to live in denial. We must stop pretending our insecurity is purely domestic. It is not. It is being sponsored, exploited, and sustained by global powers who see profit in our pain.
We must press for urgent reforms — a national mining framework that shuts down illegal foreign operators; a security architecture that protects communities; and leadership that understands that when a Nigerian village falls, the nation’s sovereignty is being stripped.
We must draw the connections from the blood on our farmlands to the gold in Chinese vaults. From Christian families fleeing in the Middle Belt to the wealth fueling Asian factories. From the failed waterways bill to the shadowy corridors of global mining diplomacy.
Conclusion
President Trump is not after Nigeria. He is after China and Nigeria is just one of the theatres where this global confrontation is playing out. His warnings about Christian killings and religious freedom carry more than moral weight; they are linked to strategic intelligence.
As a Nigerian, I accept his message not as an insult, but as a challenge, a reminder that sovereignty lies not only in our flag, but in how we protect our people, our land, and our resources.
If we fail to act, the silent war between the United States and China will keep being waged on our soil, not with tanks or missiles, but with shovels, mineral flows, and human suffering.
It is time for Nigeria to wake up.
Written by Anngu Orngu.
Anngu Orngu writes from Koti-Yogh, Ute, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State.
URGENT ALERT: TRUMP DROPS THE HAMMER ON NIGERIA
President Trump SLAMS the Nigerian regime with a BRUTAL ultimatum: END the GENOCIDE of Christians NOW—or the U.S. will INSTANTLY CRUSH every dime of aid and UNLEASH HELL with a “guns-a-blazing” invasion to OBLITERATE the Islamic terrorists in a SAVAGE, LIGHTNING-FAST strike.
“Fast. Vicious. SWEET. Just like the monsters butcher our CHERISHED Christians!”
🇺🇸 NIGERIA: DEFY US AND FACE “GUNS BLAZING” Intervention.
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS NOW.
Hundreds Reportedly Killed As Election Protests Escalate Across Tanzania
Hundreds of people are feared dead in Tanzania following three days of violent protests triggered by Wednesday’s general election, according to the country’s main opposition party.
A spokesperson for the Chadema party told the AFP news agency that “around 700” people had been killed during clashes with security forces. However, an ongoing nationwide internet shutdown has made it difficult to verify reports or obtain accurate casualty figures.
A diplomatic source in Tanzania said there was credible evidence suggesting that at least 500 people may have lost their lives.
Protests have erupted in several major cities, with many young demonstrators denouncing the election as unfair, after key opposition candidates were barred from running against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Widespread unrest despite army warnings
Demonstrations continued on Friday in Dar es Salaam, particularly in the Salasala, Yombo, and Tegetaneighbourhoods, as protesters defied stern warnings from the military.
“Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately,” said Gen Jacob John Mkunda on state TV on Thursday, adding that the army had “controlled the situation.”
Authorities have sought to downplay the scale of the violence, instead extending a nationwide curfew to contain the unrest.
Due to the internet blackout, journalists and human rights groups are struggling to independently verify the reports of fatalities.
Hospitals have reportedly refused to disclose casualty figures. A source at one referral hospital in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that it had been “overwhelmed with casualties” since Thursday and that other hospitals and morgues in the city were also full.
The United Nations has urged Tanzanian security forces to avoid the use of excessive force in responding to the demonstrations.
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed.”
Reuters quoted UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying on Friday that the ambassadors from several foreign embassies have also engaged the Tanzanian government, urging restraint and dialogue in handling the protests.
By late Friday afternoon, the electoral commission had announced results from about 80 of the country’s 272 regions, according to the state broadcaster, TBC.
International observers have reported extremely low voter turnout during the polls held on Wednesday.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is widely expected to retain power under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961. Official results are expected to be released on Saturday.
Zanzibar election, flight disruptions, and communication blackout
On Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island that elects its own president, CCM’s Hussein Mwinyi was declared the winner with nearly 80% of the vote. The opposition, however, alleged “massive fraud”, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The protests and internet shutdown have caused significant travel disruptions, leaving tourists stranded at airports across the country.
A Kenyan publicist, Anyiko Owoko, described her ordeal after being trapped in Tanzania for three days due to the communications blackout.
“Internet, shops, petrol stations, email, social media, everything was down. Total disconnect. No international or regional calls in or out. No text messages in or out. There were no Ubers or Bolts available because there was no network,” Owoko posted on Instagram after returning home on Friday via a Kenya Airways flight.
“Many flights were cancelled, and Tanzania’s national airline was grounded. There were so many people stranded at the airport who couldn’t book tickets or reschedule flights because of the connectivity blackout,” she added.
Protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, citing the detention of key opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is currently facing treason charges, which he denies. His party boycotted the vote in protest.
Another major opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal grounds, leaving only 16 minor parties, none with significant popular support to contest the election.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became Tanzania’s first female leader in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, was initially commended for loosening restrictions on political dissent. However, in recent months, critics say her administration has tightened control, with increased arrests, intimidation, and abductions of political opponents.
