• NSCDC deploys agents ahead of NLC’s March 1 protest 
• Children begin missing as Boko Haram’s recruits new members
• FG claims it is ready to take responsibility for 28,000 USAID Nigerian health workers
• SERAP demands reversal of CBN’s increment of ATM transaction fees
• 201 illegal US-based Nigerians expected to be deported on Trump’s orders

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

NSCDC deploys agents ahead of NLC’s March 1 protest 

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has cautioned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its proposed protest, which involves shutting down telecommunication services on March 1 in reaction to the recent 50% tariff increase.

Both the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria have also opposed the NLC’s intended protest, boycotting of telecom services and the shutdown of telecom infrastructure, labelling such actions as misguided and potentially damaging to the industry.

The NSCDC, responsible for safeguarding critical national infrastructure, including telecommunications, has raised alarms about the risks the NLC could pose to national security and public safety.

Children begin missing as Boko Haram’s recruits new members 

The disappearance of children in Borno State has sparked a public outcry after a troubling video surfaced showing a young boy claiming to have received military training in a forest with many other children.

Residents have expressed their anguish over their missing family members and fear that the increasing number of child abductions in the state may be connected to insurgent recruitment activities.

The viral video features a boy, approximately 10 years old, who reveals that he has been undergoing weapons training with around 30 other unidentified children in a forest near Ajiri, located in the Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State. 

“We are being taught how to handle weapons. Ali Shehu, Umar, Alhaji, and Malam Oro are our trainers. There are at least 20 to 30 of us. We’re all young boys; some are older than me, while I am older than some of them,” the boy explained as he disassembled a rifle.

FG claims it is ready to take responsibility for 28,000 USAID Nigerian health workers

Ali Pate, the coordinating minister for health and social welfare, announced that the federal government intends to engage 28,000 Nigerian health workers previously funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This announcement follows a recent directive from US President Donald Trump, who has put a hold on funding for HIV treatment initiatives in developing countries as part of an executive order on foreign aid.

Pate highlighted that Nigeria has not made substantial investments in its healthcare sector but emphasised that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to changing this situation.

He also noted that over 70% of medications used in Nigeria are imported, along with more than 99% of the medical devices used in the country.

SERAP demands reversal of CBN’s increment of ATM transaction fees

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) a 48-hour deadline to retract the recently imposed increase in Automated Teller Machine transaction fees, labelling it as “unlawful, unfair, unreasonable, and unjust.”

In an open letter titled “SERAP Gives CBN 48 Hours to Withdraw ‘Unlawful, Unfair Hike in ATM Transaction,” dated February 15, 2025, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso to reverse the decision immediately.

The organisation argued that this fee hike will intensify the financial struggles faced by Nigerians, especially those from low-income backgrounds. 

“The CBN should not implement policies that disadvantage poorer Nigerians while benefiting banks that continue to report massive profits at the cost of their customers,” the letter reads.

201 illegal US-based Nigerians expected to be deported on Trump’s orders

At least 201 Nigerians are expected to be deported from the United States as a result of President Trump’s immigration policies, with 85 of them approved for immediate removal.

Richard Mills Jr., the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, stated that some deportees have completed prison sentences in the U.S. He noted that they would be sent to Lagos. However, he did not provide a specific date for their deportation.

President Trump has previously deported citizens from various countries, including Colombia, Mexico, and India, as part of his stringent efforts to remove undocumented immigrants.