The Director of the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDS), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Chukwuemeka Jaja Nwanegbo and the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu pose for picture after a committee meeting at the COAS office, Nigeria Army Headquarters, Abuja.
The Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDS), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria announces her orientation programme for Course Facilitators and Participants for 2025 / 2026 academic session scheduled to hold on Friday 13th March and Research Workshop on Saturday 14th 2026 respectively.
The Orientation Programme which is compulsory for all Course Participants & Facilitators will help especially the new course participants to:
The mode of participation is hybrid (online and physical attendance). The online attendees should join via this link, while the venue for physical participation is at the IPSDS NAU Lecture Hall. See the hand bill for more information or call 08063842572, 0803666489.
It will be a pleasure to see you there. Best regards!
A report recently released reveals that Nigeria is now the World’s Deadliest Country for Christians: 3,490 Killed in One Year While Authorities Ignore Systematic Violence.
Nigeria has become the deadliest place on Earth for Christians, with 72% of global faith-related killings occurring there while authorities largely turn a blind eye.
The claims are according to the data from Open Doors’ World Watch List 2026 which shows that of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith between October 2024 and September 2025, 3,490 deaths occurred in Nigeria, up from 3,100 the previous year.
The Minister of Defence in a statement has issued Strong warnings to bandits and terrorists sympathizers, particularly to the controversial Islamic cleric Sheik Gumi and others. According to the Minister, “Bandits are NOT OUR BROTHERS. People who kidnap you, take money and at some point kill you are NOT your brothers”.
He added that a friend to a thief is a THIEF. He specifically called out Sheik Gumi for saying Bandits are our brothers and warned him of a possible arrest and questioning.
Is this really a strong message to terrorist sympathisers and their sponsors or just a mere statement? What do you think of the New Minister of Defence? As he noted, a friend to a thief is really a thief.
Press Statement
For Immediate Release
December 29, 2025
Heinous Chemical Attack on Civilians in Lankien: SSPDF Accused of War Crimes—International Action Urgently Needed
South Sudan crisis worsen as dynamics changes. On the 29th December, 2025 a tragic atrocity befell yet another South Sudanese community as eyewitnesses and credible local sources confirm that a helicopter gunship, operated by tribal and genocidal forces loyal to the Juba regime, unleashed a catastrophic assault on unarmed civilians in Lankien. Unlike previous and conventional attacks, this operation reportedly carried out using banned weapons of mass destruction, including chemical agents such as nerve gas, mustard gas, and chlorine. These deadly substances are internationally barred, and their use against civilian populations is a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Hence, this tragic atrocity worsen humanitarian crisis and call for urgent intervention.
While the SSPDF routinely avoids confronting SPLA/IO military positions, instead, they have turned their stockpiles of terror inward targeting densely populated residential neighborhoods. Thus they indiscriminately bombing raids dropped chemical-laden barrels on homes, markets, and even schools, exacting a horrific toll on innocent lives, especially the most vulnerable, women and children. Read more
US President Donald J. Trump on his usual way of broadcast, tweeted that at his direction as Commander in Chief lunched a powerful and deadly airstrike against ISIS terrorist in Northwest Nigeria sending them unexpected Christmas gift on a Christmas day 25th December, 2025. The terrorists have for long viciously attacked innocent civilians and carried out Christian genocide. Earlier, about a month ago President Trump had warned against their violence and killing of innocent Christian. He then declared Nigeria as a state of particular concern.
Following the airstrikes, armed bandits in Zamfara State have appeared in a viral video, appealing to the state government and the Nigerian Air Force for dialogue as intensified airstrikes continue to hit their hideouts. Read more
COMMUNIQUE ON THE IPSDS SECURITY DISCUSS HELD ON THURSDAY 20TH NOVEMBER, 2025 ON THE THEME “THE NIGERIAN POLICE AND CHALLENGES OF POLICING AT THE SUB-NATIONAL LEVELS: IS STATE POLICE A VIABLE OPTION?”
By Chukwunons Akogwu PhD
PREAMBLE
The Roundtable was held at the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDS) building, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on 20th November 2025. It was organized by IPSDS Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with support from Nextier, in partnership with Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP). The Roundtable brought stakeholders together including a traditional ruler, security officers and experts, civil society representatives and members of the academia, to brainstorm and deliberate on the best ways to tackle the complex security challenges ravaging the country, the option of decentralized policing (State Police), its major challenges and key prospects. Read more
The Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDS), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria held her maiden edition of Strategic Security Lecture Series delivered by Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Mni, OFR. on Wednesday 8th October, 2025. Read more
Chukwunonso Akogwu PhD
Climate change is no longer a distant concept, it is here with us, shaping lives, disrupting livelihoods, and testing the resilience of communities across the globe. In Africa, the story is particularly urgent. In Nigeria, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather events are eroding local resilience, stretching governance structures thin, and leaving women who are the backbone of subsistence agriculture more vulnerable than ever. Nowhere is this more evident than in Anambra State, where climate change is increasingly manifesting in recurring floods. Once again, the state is grappling with a devastating disaster. In Ogbaru Local Government Area, located on the banks of the River Niger for instance, floodwaters have swallowed farmlands, homes, schools, and markets. What began as days of heavy rainfall has escalated into a humanitarian crisis, displacing families and crippling entire communities.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had already warned of severe flooding in coastal states, but as always, the impact has been harshest in places like Ogbaru, Anambra East, and Anambra West. These are communities that have long lived with the burden of seasonal floods, yet climate change is making the situation worse—floods are now more intense, unpredictable, and destructive. This year, the River Niger overflowed its banks with brutal force, submerging livelihoods and disrupting the fragile rural economy. Read more
The Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka announced her Maiden Strategic Security Lecture Series scheduled to hold on the 8th October, 2025 at the University Auditorium in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. 
The lecture which will be delivered by Commandant General Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi PhD, Mni, OFR, is on the topic: “Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Protection of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure: the Role of NSCDC”.
We look forward to your participation in this important national discourse. For virtual participation, join via the link:
https://meet.google.com/dqg-pzog-znz
