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UN Sees Jonathan, Buhari Contest as ‘Grave Test’

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Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, secretary general of United Nations (UN),  has expressed profound concern about  the forthcoming Nigerian election, calling the presidential polls between President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former head of State,  a “grave test.”

And as the two contenders intensify their political campaigns across the country, international attention on the fate of the nation is rising even as the United Nations Security Council received a briefing on next month’s polls.

Ki-Moon, in chat with reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York, said: “We face another grave test as Nigeria readies for its election next month”

This is coming as Mohamed Ibn Chambas, his special representative in West Africa, also explained to the Security Council that the Nigerian general election is taking place in “an increasingly tense pre-electoral environment.”

Both Ki-Moon and Chambas link their worries mainly on the unrelenting Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

“Boko Haram has continued its violence, killing Christians and Muslims, kidnapping even more women and children, and destroying churches and mosques. Mayhem has spread across the region, and is now having a direct impact on Cameroun and other countries,” Ki-Moon lamented.

He then urged the terrorists to cease their assault against the nation and the region, calling for the unconditional and immediate release of the Chibok girls abducted in April last year, insisting that the international community will not tolerate impunity, although he did not layout any new means of enforcing that.

“I urge Boko Haram’s leaders to end the destruction of so many lives and communities, and immediately and unconditionally release the kidnapped school girls and boys and all others.  The international community cannot let human rights abuses continue with impunity. This is my personal appeal, as a father and grandfather.  And as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I will continue to actively explore with member states what more can be done,” he added.

On the same day at another function at the UN the Security Council, which is the body’s highest organ, was also being briefed ahead of next month’s polls by a top official representing the Secretary-General at the Council meeting.

According to the official Ibn Chambas: “About a month from now, Nigerians will go to the polls for the presidential and legislative elections. The general election is taking place against a backdrop of violent insurgency by Boko Haram in the North-east and sectarian conflicts in the North Central and the North West as well as an increasingly tense pre-electoral environment.”

He specifically told the Council, which has Nigeria as a current non-permanent member, that the conduct of polls throughout the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the insurgency is very active “will present a formidable challenge.”

“The risk of pre-and post-electoral violence requires the international community to engage further with Nigeria, to address its ongoing challenges and to support the holding of credible and peaceful elections throughout the country”, Chambas said.

It is considered rather unusual in the UN diplomatic community here in New York, that a country which is a member of the Council is also now a security concern and subject to the Council.

Chambas continued that the West African region remains vulnerable to insecurity and terrorist threats. He restated the now well-known fact that civilian populations in the three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have over the past six months “been subjected to intense attacks and systematic human rights violations, including razing civilian settlements, kidnappings, suicide bombings, assassinations,” among others.

He disclosed that the death toll of this vicious violence, most of which has been attributed to Boko Haram, “is staggering, and counter-insurgency measures have failed to provide adequate protection of civilians.”

Regarding the Chibok girls, Chambas told the Security Council that since the abduction of over 200 of those schoolgirls from Chibok (Borno State) the international community has been supporting the Nigerian government’s efforts to address the problem.

He disclosed that the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force will hold the first in a series of workshops for law enforcement officials on human rights, the rule of law and prevention of terrorism during the third week ofthis month.

Chambas also reported that in his capacity as the Secretary-General’s High Level Representative to Nigeria, he visited the country in November and December to consult with high level government officials and other stakeholders “with a view to building consensus to face the threat of Boko Haram and to assess the potential of electoral-related violence.”

While the Boko Haram insurgency is deeply rooted in Nigeria, it is increasingly spilling across the borders into Cameroun, Niger and Chad, he observed.

He said more than 300,000 Nigerians have sought refuge in northwestern

Cameroun and southwestern Niger, adding pressure on the local economies in those countries and destabilizing the internal security.

Chambas, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria-Cameroun Mixed Commission on the issue of Bakassi, said the “insecurity in the Northeast of Nigeria has also seriously impeded the activities of the Cameroun-Nigeria Mixed Commission, in particular, its critical field assessments.”


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Xenophobic Attacks: Anonymous Nigeria Threatens to Leak South African Stolen Data

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Anonymous Nigeria, hacktivism, known for launching coordinated cyberattacks and protests in support of socio-political movements, has threatened to leak stolen South African government data unless its demands were met.

Xenophobic Attacks: Anonymous Nigeria Threatens to Leak South African Stolen Data

The group, called for the department to stop xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, or it will expose the data.

“They call themselves correctional services, but they can’t correct the citizens. What a shame,” the group said in its Telegram channel, MyBroadband reported.

“They killed a lot of Nigerians while the so-called correctional services watched and the ministry of justice.”

It is immediately know if Anonymous Nigeria is affiliated to Nullsec Nigeria.

But in a post on a hacker forum, Nullsec Nigeria included a link showcasing an example of data stolen from the department.

It included two bid invitation notices, bid results, a copy of the bids received, and a notice of a bid awarded in various formats.

“We’ll expose all your evil deeds for the world to see, unless this attack stops. But if not, we’ll leak everything they got,” Nullsec Nigeria said.

“Unless the government of South Africa ends these xenophobic attacks on Nigeria, we’ll expose everything about you, your evil deeds will be exposed, and the world shall know.”

MyBroadband asked the Department of Correctional Services about the claimed breach and Nullsec Nigeria’s demands, but it did not immediately respond to our questions.

Nullsec Nigeria also claimed responsibility for breaching several other entities in South Africa, while responding to an X post about its OpSouthAfrica campaign in its Telegram channel.

“I wanna express something here. I saw a report on the #OpSouthAfrica hack by Nullsec Nigeria, but it was stolen by another person,” it said. “Tag the real breachers next time.”

In a separate thread on the hacker forum, Nullsec Nigeria also claimed responsibility for breaching the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality’s systems.

It claimed to have hacked the local government’s website and threatened to expose “everything you got for others to see how heartless you are. You killed mothers, brothers, students.”

Nullsec Nigeria said the breach and the threats were in response to the xenophobic attacks on and killing of Nigerians and the South African government’s supposed silence on the issue.

“These attacks are still going on in the dark, and we’ll expose them all. If the South African government doesn’t act first, the whole of South Africa will suffer,” it said.

“This is just a wave. These documents are about 11GB, but we decided to pull just this one.”

Its post included two images: one for a public hearing and another, a handwritten tender document for the appointment of an insurance service provider.

It also included a link to several other documents, including an old annual report, council resolutions, financial statements, and various other notices.

The Nigerian Government recently announced plans to bring citizens back to the country from South Africa after violent protests over foreign nationals in the country erupted earlier in May.

President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals in his From the Desk of The President weekly newsletter on 11 May 2026.

He emphasised the recent demonstrations and attacks did not represent the views of the South African people, nor the government’s policy.

“These are the acts of opportunists who are exploiting the legitimate grievances, particularly those of the poor, under the false guise of ‘community activism’,” The President said.

“Some of these people are assuming functions that only state officials are permitted to perform, including stopping people to check identification and conducting searches of private property.”

He added that such lawlessness would not be tolerated, regardless of who the perpetrators or victims were.


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MTN Targets 8m Homes in Fibre Expansion Drive

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MTN Nigeria says it plans to pass fibre to eight million homes over the next three years as part of efforts to deepen broadband penetration and expand digital service offerings across the country.

MTN Targets 8m Homes in Fibre Expansion Drive

Tobe Okigbo

Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, disclosed this at the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) Alumni “Ask Me Anything” session held on Saturday.

Okigbo said the telecom company was making significant investments in home fibre infrastructure despite challenges such as regulatory approvals, physical deployment requirements and the long period needed to recover costs.

According to him, fibre broadband differs from mobile internet services because customers pay for connection speed rather than bandwidth consumption.

He said the investment formed part of MTN’s broader strategy to gradually shift customers from mobile-heavy internet usage to fixed broadband services for home connectivity.

Okigbo noted that the global telecommunications industry was evolving beyond traditional voice and data services, driven by advances in artificial intelligence, 5G, smart devices and internet-connected homes.

He warned that telecom operators that fail to adapt risk becoming mere providers of connectivity infrastructure while technology companies capture greater value from digital services.

“The future of telecoms is no longer just about expanding coverage. It is also about building services and platforms around network infrastructure to remain relevant and competitive,” he said.

On recent tariff increases, Okigbo said the adjustments were necessary to address rising operating costs, inflation and sector sustainability concerns.

He cited increased diesel prices and other operational expenses as major factors affecting the cost of delivering telecom services in Nigeria.

According to him, tariff pricing should increasingly reflect market realities and inflation trends, while allowing consumers to switch providers offering better value.

Speaking on service quality, Okigbo said MTN had compensated customers in cases of poor network performance and remained in discussions with regulators on accountability for service failures.

He explained that discussions were ongoing to distinguish between network issues caused directly by operators and those resulting from external factors such as vandalism, construction activities and infrastructure damage.

Okigbo said MTN supported compensating customers for genuine service lapses but sought clarity on regulatory parameters guiding such liabilities.

He added that fibre deployment remained more complex than mobile network expansion because it involved physical cable installation, local government approvals and detailed service planning.

On mobile money operations, Okigbo said MTN Group had acquired a 60 per cent stake in MoMo across its markets to strengthen competitiveness and improve customer experience.

He said the future of telecoms would also be shaped by embedded connectivity, smart homes, connected vehicles and broader Internet of Things adoption.


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World Bank Blocks Social Media Comments from Nigerians over Loan Backlash

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World Bank has restricted comments on its Instagram page after thousands of Nigerians flooded the platform begging them to stop lending money to Nigeria.

World Bank Blocks Social Media Comments from Nigerians over Loan Backlash

The protest erupted after reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a fresh $1.25 billion dollar loan for approval on June 26.

Some Nigerians asked the World Bank to provide more details about the purpose of the loan and how the funds would be managed.

Others said the country should reduce dependence on foreign loans and focus on improving local revenue.

The federal government has continued to defend its borrowing plans.

Officials say the funds will support economic reforms, development projects and efforts to strengthen the economy.

Nigeria remains one of the major borrowers from the World Bank in Africa, with different administrations securing loans over the years for infrastructure, social programmes and economic support.


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