Is Nigeria’s Electricity Tariff Going Up? FG Finally Breaks Silence

The Federal Government has moved to shut down widespread reports of an impending electricity tariff increase, with the Presidency insisting that no rate hike is planned for any category of grid consumers and that subsidies for lower-usage households will continue. In an official statement issued on Saturday via X, the Special Adviser to the President on Power Infrastructure in the Office of the Vice President, Sadiq Wanka, said recent media coverage had misrepresented remarks he made at an industry event in Lagos on July 22, 2026. Wanka clarified that his presentation at the Asharami Square 3.0 conference focused on investment opportunities in Nigeria’s power sector and the Federal Government’s long-term reform agenda, not an announcement of a tariff increase.

Wanka stated emphatically that there is no planned tariff hike for any grid consumer across any service band and that the government remains committed to protecting vulnerable households through continued tariff support. The presidential aide explained that his comments reaffirmed the tariff policy direction already set out in the National Integrated Electricity Policy, which was finalised in December 2024 and approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2025. He described it as a long-standing, publicly available policy of gradually transitioning to cost-reflective tariffs, a framework that has already been implemented for Band A electricity consumers who receive at least 20 hours of power daily.

READ ALSO:

• ISWAP finance chief surrenders to Nigerian troops with two children in Borno
• Al-Mustapha Fires Back: Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death Is a Lie, I Have CCTV Evidence
• Anthony Joshua stuns Kristian Prenga with dramatic knockout to revive career

For all other consumer bands, Wanka stressed that there is no plan to remove subsidies. Instead, the government is exploring how to deliver value and support more efficiently. At the heart of this effort is the Power Consumer Assistance Fund (PCAF), a mechanism established under the Electricity Act 2023 to channel targeted subsidies directly to vulnerable consumers through their electricity accounts or other identity-linked means. The initiative is expected to improve transparency in subsidy administration, ensure support reaches intended beneficiaries, and strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s electricity sector.

The clarification comes amid ongoing public concern over electricity costs, particularly following a recent report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission revealing that the Federal Government incurred a subsidy obligation of N358.32 billion in the first quarter of 2026. According to the report, the government continues to finance more than half of the industry’s generation costs by freezing end-user tariffs at July 2024 rates. NERC noted that the open-ended nature of the current subsidy regime exposes the government to potentially rising financial obligations due to volumetric risk and changes in generation costs.

Wanka further acknowledged the vital role journalists play in policy communication, stating that the administration of President Bola Tinubu supports platforms like Asharami Square that aim to deepen journalists’ capacity to convey the full context of complex policy discussions to the public. The government counts on the continued support of the media in this important national duty, the statement added.

Is Nigeria’s Electricity Tariff Going Up? FG Finally Breaks Silence

ISWAP finance chief surrenders to Nigerian troops with two children in Borno

A senior financial operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, alongside two male children, in what the Nigerian Army has described as a significant breakthrough in its sustained campaign against insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East.

The surrender took place on Saturday along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis of the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route, where troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade received the insurgent at about 6:45 a.m.

Announcing the development, the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the latest surrender demonstrates the growing impact of coordinated military offensives and intelligence-driven operations targeting terrorist groups operating across the North-East.

According to the Army, preliminary profiling identified the surrendered suspect as the Chief Finance Operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he managed the group’s financial operations, logistics and supply chain.

Military authorities said the suspect voluntarily surrendered alongside two male children after sustained pressure from troops disrupted the group’s operational activities and weakened its ability to sustain attacks.

Captain Goni described the development as another major operational success in the military’s ongoing efforts to dismantle ISWAP’s command structure and financial network.

“Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have recorded another major operational breakthrough with the surrender of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) finance operative, underscoring the sustained impact of ongoing kinetic and intelligence-driven operations across the North East,” he said.

READ ALSO:

• Al-Mustapha Fires Back: Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death Is a Lie, I Have CCTV Evidence
• Anthony Joshua stuns Kristian Prenga with dramatic knockout to revive career
• INEC Chairman assures Nigerians every vote will count in 2027 general election

During the operation, troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one motorcycle, and ₦40,000 from the surrendered operative.

The recovered weapons and other items are expected to assist investigators in ongoing intelligence and forensic assessments.

The Army disclosed that the suspect is currently undergoing comprehensive profiling and interrogation to obtain intelligence that could help security forces identify terrorist commanders, logistics routes, weapons caches and financing channels still supporting ISWAP operations.

According to Goni, information obtained from the surrendered operative is expected to strengthen ongoing military operations and facilitate the targeting of remaining terrorist elements across the theatre.

The military also revealed that the surrender comes amid a growing wave of defections, with about 46 terrorists and their family members reportedly laying down their arms in recent days.

Military authorities attributed the increasing number of surrenders to sustained land offensives, precision air strikes and intelligence-led operations that have destroyed several terrorist camps, disrupted supply routes and reduced the operational capacity of insurgent groups across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Security experts say the surrender of a senior finance operative represents a strategic gain because financial coordinators play a critical role in sustaining terrorist organisations through funding, procurement of weapons, logistics management and recruitment activities.

They believe intelligence gathered from the suspect could expose financial networks, collaborators and supply chains supporting insurgent operations in the Lake Chad Basin and surrounding areas.

In recent months, troops under Operation Hadin Kai have intensified clearance operations across the Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad Basin, Mandara Mountains and other known terrorist enclaves, leading to the neutralisation of several insurgent commanders, recovery of arms and ammunition, destruction of logistics bases and rescue of kidnapped victims.

Captain Goni said the latest surrender reflects growing disillusionment within terrorist ranks as sustained military pressure continues to weaken the leadership, logistics and operational capabilities of ISWAP.

He added that the development reinforces the military’s confidence that ongoing operations are yielding measurable results in the fight against terrorism.

The Theatre Command reaffirmed its commitment to restoring lasting peace across the North-East and urged remaining terrorists to take advantage of the Federal Government’s non-kinetic initiatives by surrendering their weapons and abandoning violence.

The Army also appealed to residents of communities across the region to continue providing credible and timely intelligence, stressing that public cooperation remains essential to the success of counter-terrorism operations.

The latest surrender is expected to provide valuable intelligence that could further weaken ISWAP’s financial and operational networks while supporting ongoing efforts to restore security and stability in Nigeria’s North-East.

ISWAP finance chief surrenders to Nigerian troops with two children in Borno

Al-Mustapha Fires Back: Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death Is a Lie, I Have CCTV Evidence

Former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has vehemently dismissed claims made by a retired Department of State Services operative regarding the circumstances surrounding Abacha’s death, insisting he possesses CCTV footage that contradicts the narrative entirely. Al-Mustapha, who served as Abacha’s Chief Security Officer throughout his administration, described the account by former DSS Assistant Director Dennis Amachree as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it completely. His comments came amid renewed public interest in Amachree’s memoir, The Shadow Warrior, which offers a controversial version of events leading to Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference at Arewa House in Kaduna on Saturday, Al-Mustapha alleged that Amachree’s account was fabricated and did not reflect what transpired during the late military ruler’s final moments. Rejecting the claims outright, Al-Mustapha stated that Amachree was asked by others to write those lies, and he emphasized that he has all the CCTV footage of what happened in his custody, so what Amachree said is not true. The retired army major maintained that he possesses video evidence capable of disproving the narrative contained in the publication but did not provide further details about the alleged footage or indicate whether he planned to release it to the public.

The controversy stems from Amachree’s memoir, in which the retired intelligence officer claimed that General Abacha died in the early hours of June 8, 1998, after what he described as a coitus-induced cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter with a woman inside the Presidential Villa Guest House in Abuja. According to the memoir, the incident occurred at approximately 4:05 a.m., and the woman, described as a pharmacist, later fled to Lagos. Amachree claimed she was subsequently tracked and interrogated by the DSS after intelligence reports indicated she had left Abuja shortly after the former Head of State’s death.

READ ALSO:

• Anthony Joshua stuns Kristian Prenga with dramatic knockout to revive career
• INEC Chairman assures Nigerians every vote will count in 2027 general election
• 2027 election: Atiku accuses Obasanjo of reviving false allegations to favour preferred candidate

Al-Mustapha, however, questioned the credibility of Amachree’s account, pointing out that the former DSS official was not even in Abuja at the time of Abacha’s death. He argued that when Abacha died, the DSS director was not in Abuja and was not in the Villa, and he questioned how Amachree could write mere narration and expect the public to believe it. Al-Mustapha further alleged that Amachree was acting on behalf of unnamed interests, asserting that the author of the book is acting out a script and is not acting alone. He added that at the appropriate time, he will respond to these lies, noting that one does not tell one’s enemies their plans.

Al-Mustapha appealed to Nigerians not to accept the claims, arguing that it was unfair to level accusations against someone who was no longer alive to respond. He urged the public to simply ignore the lies, stating that it is bad to say such things about someone who is dead. He also urged those making such claims to remember the transient nature of life, adding that whoever he is should know that the world is not permanent and that everyone will leave the world one day.

General Sani Abacha assumed power following a military coup on November 17, 1993, and remained Nigeria’s Head of State until his sudden death at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on June 8, 1998. At the time, the Federal Government announced that Abacha died after a brief illness. However, the circumstances surrounding his death have remained one of the most controversial and debated episodes in Nigeria’s political history for nearly three decades. Over the years, former military officers, intelligence personnel, diplomats, and political figures have offered varying accounts through books, interviews, and public statements, resulting in conflicting narratives about the late leader’s final hours.

Al-Mustapha remains a prominent and controversial figure in Nigeria’s political history. Following Abacha’s death, he was arrested in 1999 and prosecuted over the attempted murder of publisher Alex Ibru and the killing of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola. He spent more than a decade in detention before the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted him in 2013. Since his release, Al-Mustapha has consistently defended the Abacha administration, maintaining that many allegations against the late military government and its officials were politically motivated or unsupported by credible evidence.

As the debate over Abacha’s death continues, Al-Mustapha’s claims of possessing CCTV footage add a new dimension to the long-running controversy, though whether he will make the evidence public remains to be seen.

Al-Mustapha Fires Back: Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death Is a Lie, I Have CCTV Evidence