Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has disclosed that over 60,000 children are among the more than 120,000 Boko Haram members who have surrendered.

In an interview with Arise News on Monday, Musa detailed ongoing efforts to combat insurgency in Nigeria. He noted that not all individuals associated with Boko Haram willingly joined the group, as many were coerced, conscripted, or enslaved.

“Not everyone involved is a terrorist. Some were forced, some enslaved,” Musa explained. “Of the 120,000 who surrendered, over 60,000 were children.”

Musa highlighted that after losing their territorial control, Boko Haram shifted to a grim recruitment strategy. The group focused on impregnating women to produce a new generation of fighters, further exacerbating the crisis.

“In the past, they captured communities and forced men to join, often under threat of execution,” he said. “Now, without territories, they resorted to impregnating women repeatedly to create new fighters. These children, raised in an environment normalising violence, would have been extremely dangerous.”

The CDS expressed relief that many of these children are now in custody, reducing the potential threat they posed. He stated that those found culpable of crimes are being investigated and prepared for trial, while women, children, and the elderly are undergoing rehabilitation and care.

Musa reassured Nigerians of the government’s commitment to ensuring peace through deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and prosecution. “Nigeria is safe and will continue to be safe,” he affirmed.

Suspected Islamist militants killed 40 farmers in an attack on the Dumba community in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State on Sunday, a senior state official said on Monday.

The militants were believed to belong to the armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who have been waging a deadly insurgency in northeast Nigeria since 2009 that has displaced millions and killed thousands, with Borno at its epicenter.

Sunday's attack comes amid a worsening food crisis in Borno, exacerbated by flooding in September and years of insecurity and displacement caused by the insurgency.

Initial reports indicate the farmers strayed outside a security corridor set up by the military, venturing into an area known for insurgent activity and strewn with landmines, Usman Tar, commissioner of information said.

Security forced were looking for any farmers who had escaped the attack, Tar added.

Borno Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the attack in a statement, calling on the military to "track and deal decisively with the perpetrators"

He said the attack will be investigated and asked farmers and fishermen in the area to operate within the safe corridors demarcated by the military.

Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks in Borno since the turn of the year, with a failed ambush on a military patrol last week leaving 34 militants dead. Six soldiers were killed in action.

Reuters

Gaza ceasefire deal close after 'breakthrough' in Doha

Negotiators will meet in Doha on Tuesday seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza after U.S. President Joe Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on "the brink" of coming to fruition.

Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight "breakthrough" in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing U.S. president and President-elect Donald Trump.

"The deal ... would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started," Biden said in a speech on Monday to highlight his foreign policy achievements.

If successful, the ceasefire deal would cap over a year of start-and-stop talks and lead to the biggest release of Israeli hostages since the early days of the conflict, when Hamas freed about half of its prisoners in exchange for 240 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha.

"I think there is a good chance we can close this ... the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal," Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas' court. Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal.

An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the deal. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters: "There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal."

"The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon," a Hamas official said.

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

The warring sides have broadly agreed for months on the principle of halting the fighting in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees held by Israel. But Hamas has always insisted a deal must lead to a permanent end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel has said it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled.

TRUMP'S INAUGURATION SEEN AS DEADLINE

Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said there would be "hell to pay" unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office.

Blinken said negotiators wanted to make sure Trump would continue to back the deal on the table so the attendance at the ceasefire talks of Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Biden's envoy Brett McGurk, has been "critical."

An Israeli official who briefed reporters on the proposed deal said its first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick.

On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages - male soldiers and men of military age - would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

The deal would see a phased troop withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages. There would be security arrangements in the Philadelphi corridor, along the southern edge of Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.

Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli official said Palestinian militants convicted of murder or deadly attacks would also be released but numbers would depend on the number of live hostages, which was still unknown, and they would not include fighters who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Trump says he will meet 'very quickly' with Putin

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he is going to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "very quickly" after he takes office next week.

He did not provide a timeline for the meeting, which would be the first between the leaders of the two countries since Russia's war with Ukraine started in February 2022.

When asked about his strategy to end the war, Trump told Newsmax: "Well, there's only one strategy and it's up to Putin and I can't imagine he's too thrilled about the way it's gone because it hasn't gone exactly well for him either.

"And I know he wants to meet and I'm going to meet very quickly. I would've done it sooner but...you have to get into the office. For some of the things, you do have to be there."

U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, said on Sunday he expected a call between Trump and Putin in "the coming days and weeks."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of people dead, displaced millions and triggered the biggest rupture in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine’s military weakened in 2024 – Global Firepower

Ukraine’s military has slid for a second consecutive year in the rating of the world’s top armies compiled by Global Firepower. By contrast, Russia has retained second place for over a decade.

In its 2025 Military Strength Ranking, the analytical outlet ranked the US military first, with a ‘PowerIndex’ score of 0.0744 (where 0.0000 is considered perfect), followed by Russia with 0.0788, and China in third place with the same score. Ukraine ranks 20th, with a score of 0.3755. The latter indicator inversely correlates with a nation’s military might.

Last year’s assessment placed Kiev in 18th place, with the top three armies remaining unchanged. In 2023, Ukraine ranked 15th.

The website, which has been publishing annual ratings of 145 armed forces since 2006, claims to base its analyses on “each nation’s potential war-making capability across land, sea, and air fought by conventional means,” – meaning that a country’s nuclear arsenal, if it has one, does not factor in. “The results incorporate values related to manpower, equipment, natural resources, finances, and geography represented by 60+ individual factors,” Global Firepower writes on its website.

Speaking in mid-December, Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian General Staff, estimated that since the Ukrainian conflict escalated in February 2022, Kiev had suffered nearly 1 million casualties in terms of manpower and lost approximately 20,000 tanks and other armored vehicles.
According to the general, while the “US and its allies [had] significantly increased the volume of military assistance to Ukraine,” Russian forces continued to have the upper hand on the battlefield.

In an interview with local media late last month, Vladimir Shylov, former commander of the 3rd Company in Ukraine’s 134th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion, claimed that the country had “ceased to exist” as a functional state due to widespread corruption and mismanagement, pointing the finger at the leadership in Kiev and Vladimir Zelensky personally. He warned that in light of these difficulties, Kiev’s forces could soon be overwhelmed by advancing Russian troops, allowing Moscow’s military to reach as far as the Dnieper River.

The former commander also criticized Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, describing it as a political ploy without any real strategic military value. He pointed out that the operation has failed to stop Moscow from making territorial gains in recent months.

Several Western media outlets have similarly quoted Ukrainian officers and soldiers as complaining about dire manpower shortages, despite the ever-intensifying mobilization of fighting-age men.

Reuters/RT

Jennifer Taylor

Finding enough time in the day to reach your financial goals can be tough. However, it might not be as hard as you think, thanks to former journalist and time management researcher Oliver Burkeman.

His most recent book “Meditations for Mortals” offers tips to help make time for things that matter most in life. If you’re looking to become more successful and build greater wealth, he has some advice for you. You might be thinking you don’t have enough time to read a book right now and that’s OK, because CNBC did it for you.

Consider the Consequences

Every choice you make comes with consequences — even small ones. “It’s in the nature of being finite that every choice comes with some sort of consequences, because at any instant, you can only pick one path and must deal with the repercussions of not picking any of the others,” Burkeman wrote.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Burkeman encouraged his readers to use this knowledge of sorts to choose the path that feels best.

He said having the ability to examine the potential consequences of a decision is a ”freedom in limitation.” Essentially, being able to weigh your decision should be considered a form of empowerment.

Befriend What Scares You

It’s hard to get ahead if worries are holding you back. Burkeman suggested overcoming your fears by befriending them. “Confronting the situation is the only way to do something about it,” he wrote.

This, of course, can feel easier said than done. However, he said you can face your fear in your own way, as long as you get there. “It might mean finding the least intimating way to get stuck into it, or asking someone else for help,” he wrote.

Do Things ‘Dailyish’

Success rarely happens overnight. Instead, Burkeman advised aiming to take small daily steps — but not fretting if you don’t make progress every single day.

“Deep down, you know that doing something twice per week doesn’t count qualify as ‘dailyish,’ while five times per week does,” he wrote. “In busy periods, three or four times per week might get to count.”

He said this approach ensures you’re prioritizing success, but in a realistic manner. Instead of aiming for perfection, you’ll have the freedom to continue moving forward, without putting too much pressure on yourself.

Set Quantity Goals

When working toward an objective that’s important to you, it’s easy to sweat the small stuff. However, Burkeman said this isn’t the best path to success.

Instead, he recommended setting quantity goals, as this makes the activity less strenuous. For example, if you’re writing a book, he advised setting a timer for 10 minutes and challenging yourself to write without stopping for the entire time period.

He said this can be a more effective way to make progress, as it’s not uncommon to procrastinate if you’re laser-focused on quality.

“A quality goal puts you in the driver’s seat,” he wrote. “Instead of hoping you produce something good, you get to know you’ll produce something.”

This can help build momentum, inspiring you to keep working toward your goal. Even if you end up not using some — or all — of the work attached to quantity goals, they’ve still served an important purpose.

GOBankingRates

Fuel prices in Nigeria are expected to climb further as Brent crude prices surged above $81 per barrel on Monday, marking a four-month high. The increase follows the imposition of broader U.S. sanctions on Russian oil exports, raising global supply concerns and driving up costs.

Brent crude futures rose by $1.48 (1.86%) to $81.24 per barrel after reaching an intraday high of $81.49, the highest since August 27, 2024. Similarly, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed to $78.10 per barrel, reflecting a 2% increase. Both benchmarks have gained over 6% since January 8.

The U.S. Treasury’s expanded sanctions, announced on Friday, targeted Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, as well as 183 vessels linked to Russian crude exports. These measures are expected to significantly disrupt Russia’s oil shipments, particularly to major importers like China and India, pushing demand—and prices—higher across other markets, including Africa.

Impact on Nigeria

The latest price surge is set to impact fuel prices in Nigeria, as the nation depends heavily on imported refined petroleum products. Local fuel depots, which already saw selective price increases last week, are expected to implement further hikes.

Olatide Jeremiah, CEO of petroleumprice.ng, explained that higher crude prices directly influence the cost of refined products such as diesel and petrol. “As Brent crude surpasses $81, importers will face higher procurement and shipping costs, leading to inevitable price adjustments,” he said.

Analysts Warn of Prolonged Price Pressure

RBC Capital analysts noted that the new sanctions will remove significant volumes of Russian crude from global markets, particularly affecting exports to Asia. The sanctions cover tankers involved in shipping approximately 1.5 million barrels per day of Russian oil, including 750,000 barrels per day to China and 350,000 barrels per day to India.

Traders and analysts predict that China and India will now turn to crude sources in the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, further straining global oil supplies and increasing costs. This could lead to higher shipping expenses for oil imports, which will ripple through markets like Nigeria.

Rising Fuel Prices at Home

Nigerian residents and businesses are already bracing for higher fuel prices after Brent crude prices hit $79.76 per barrel over the weekend. The new highs will likely exacerbate the situation, with diesel prices—already rising in Lagos depots—expected to climb further this week.

The latest developments underline the strong link between global crude prices and local fuel costs in Nigeria, highlighting the need for a more sustainable approach to managing the nation’s fuel supply and pricing mechanisms.

At least 20 people, including members of a local vigilante group, were killed in a misdirected airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The area is the hometown of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

The victims, members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard, were reportedly struck on Saturday night, January 11, in Tungar Kara, a community where the Air Force and local defenders were responding to a terrorist attack.

A local resident, Salisu Maradun, explained that vigilantes and other residents had mobilized to defend the community and recover stolen livestock from fleeing bandits when the airstrike mistakenly hit them. “The victims came from neighboring communities in solidarity to support the attacked area,” Maradun said.

Eyewitnesses reported that at least 20 people died in the incident, with several others unaccounted for as of Sunday afternoon.

This latest incident adds to a series of airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force that have unintentionally killed civilians. On Christmas Day 2024, 10 civilians were killed in airstrikes in Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa, neighboring communities in Sokoto State. Although the Air Force initially claimed the victims were terrorists, it later announced plans to investigate following public outrage.

According to SBM Intelligence, a pan-African consulting firm, the Nigerian Air Force conducted 17 accidental airstrikes between January 2017 and September 2024, resulting in the deaths of about 500 people.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has included such incidents as part of its ongoing investigations into alleged human rights violations by Nigerian security forces.

Attempts to reach NAF spokesperson Olusola Akinboyewa and Zamfara State Police spokesperson Yazeed Abubakar for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.

The tragic airstrike raises further concerns about the safety of civilians during military operations and the need for improved targeting measures to prevent future incidents.

Armed assailants launched an attack on a mosque in Birnin Yaro village, Zamfara state, kidnapping multiple worshippers during evening prayers on Friday. According to counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the assault was orchestrated by notorious warlord Bello Turji and his armed group.

The attackers struck during Isha prayers, forcibly moving the captured worshippers into nearby forest areas. The total number of kidnapped individuals has yet to be confirmed.

This incident marks the latest in a series of escalating kidnappings plaguing Zamfara state. Just last week, armed attackers on motorcycles raided Gana town in Zamfara, abducting 46 people, including women and children. During that attack, the assailants fired weapons indiscriminately and set several buildings ablaze.

In a similar incident this past December, gunmen kidnapped 43 people in Kakidawa, located in the Gidan Goga district of Maradun LGA. Local witnesses reported that the attackers conducted systematic house-to-house searches after sending residents fleeing with gunfire, primarily targeting women and children who were unable to escape.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Top Israeli security delegation in Doha for Gaza talks

A top level Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in a possible sign of so-far elusive agreements nearing.

Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the United States are making renewed efforts to reach a deal to halt the fighting in the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that the delegation includes Mossad Head David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service Ronen Bar and the military's head of the hostage brief, Nitzan Alon.

Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met on Saturday with Netanyahu, after having met on Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that some progress has been made in the indirect talks between Israel and militant group Hamas but did not elaborate. The sides have been keeping a tight lid on the details being worked out.

It is unclear how they will bridge one of the biggest gaps that has persisted throughout previous rounds of talks: Hamas demands an end to the war while Israel says it won't end the war as long as Hamas rules Gaza and poses a threat to Israelis.

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, and most of its population displaced.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine won’t reclaim all Russian-held territories – Trump adviser

It is not possible to “expel every Russian from every inch” of soil claimed by Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, incoming US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz has admitted.

Acknowledging “that reality” has become a major step toward resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Waltz told ABC News in an interview on Sunday, adding that this idea is now in the process of being accepted by Ukraine’s backers. 

“Everybody knows that this [conflict] has to end somehow diplomatically. I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil. Even Crimea – President[-elect Donald] Trump has acknowledged that reality, and I think it has been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality,” Waltz stated.

Waltz suggested that accepting the fact that returning to Ukraine’s original post-Soviet borders is unrealistic now opens the way to addressing the question of “how do we no longer perpetuate this conflict and how… we no longer allow it to escalate in a way that drags in the entire world.”

The remarks appeared to be reminiscent of statements previously made by other close Trump allies, including his vice president, J.D. Vance. Shortly ahead of the November election, Vance suggested Kiev could end up in a situation where it decides to cede some lands to Russia. 

The stance signaled by the incoming US administration sharply contrasts with the goal repeatedly proclaimed by Kiev of regaining the entirety of its post-Soviet territory. This has been accompanied by an explicit refusal by Ukraine to engage in any meaningful negotiations with Russia. Moscow, however, regards the five formerly Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Crimea, as integral parts of its territory. 

Crimea broke away from Ukraine in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, joining Russia via a referendum shortly thereafter. The four other regions were incorporated into Russia in late 2022 after the local population overwhelmingly backed such a move during separate referendums. Last year, Moscow demanded that Kiev pull its troops out of the areas it still controls in its former regions in order to begin the long-stalled negotiation process.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

North Korean troop fatalities and injuries exceed 3,000 in Ukraine, Seoul says

North Korean troop fatalities and injuries in Ukraine have likely exceeded 3,000, including about 300 deaths and 2,700 injuries, a South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country's spy agency said on Monday.

North Korean authorities appear to have called for its troops to commit suicide by blowing themselves up to evade capture, the lawmaker said citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Captured North Korean soldiers had not shown an intention to come to South Korea, though South Korea would cooperate with Ukraine if there was a request, Yonhap news agency also reported, citing NIS.

RT/Reuters