A Federal lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi, has said the National Assembly should enact laws to allow Nigerians bear arms to defend themselves against terrorist attacks.
Gagdi, representing Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam Federal Constituency in Plateau State, said this would curb the spate of insecurity ravaging Nigerian communities, NAN reports.

He said, "If we want to curtail the spate of attacks in communities, we should make laws that will permit citizens to carry arms.
"If for instance, those who attacked my people know that the locals also have arms, they won’t come, and even if they do, the casualty will not be this high.”
Nonetheless, he said that there must be regulations on the use of arms, just as he suggested that whoever misuses arms should be jailed or get a death sentence.
"But I tell you, if citizens are allowed to carry these arms to protect themselves, all these attacks and killings will end,” he reiterated.
The lawmaker said he had earlier visited some communities in Kanam and Wase local government areas where bandits killed 106 persons and burnt several houses.
He further called on security agencies to always work on intelligence reports at their disposals to avert situations that could lead to security breach.
He said that the attacks in his constituency could had been avoided if the security agencies acted on the intelligence report at their disposal.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Operatives of the Rapid d'intervention Battalion, a Cameroonian military unit in the Bakassi Peninsula, have killed a commander of the pro-Biafra group, the Biafra Nations League. 
According to a statement by Ita Bassey, leader of the Bakassi chapter of BNL, the deceased commander was killed during an operation on Wednesday. 

The deceased led the armed group who attacked a boat in a bid to abduct the three tourists, and one security personnel onboard.
The corpse of the commander has since been handed over to the Nigerian Military, Bassey said.
"He was captured in his house, we are not aware if he was part of the attack on the boat on Wednesday, but what we know is that he has been killed and his remains handed to Nigerian Military," he stated
The Cameroonian Security Forces shot the suspect when he attempted to flee during a tip-off operation at his residence in Idabato on Friday morning.
Some weeks ago, the BNL ordered its men to regroup in order to block border entrances and roads.
The group also directed its members to kidnap oil workers in the South-Eastern borders and coastal areas. 

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that "all of the countries of the world" should be prepared for the possibility that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, could deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Ukraine 
In an interview with CNN, Zelensky said Putin could turn to either nuclear or chemical weapons because he does not value the lives of the people of Ukraine.

"Not only me -- all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth," Zelensky said, switching into English to emphasize his point.
"Chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it, for them the life of the people, nothing. That's why," Zelensky said. 
"We should not be afraid but be ready. But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think."

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Suel Ambrose, a seminarian at the Claratian Institute of Philosophy, Claratian University of Nigeria, Nekede, Owerri, has slumped and died while performing the Easter Passion Play.
The 25-year-old first-year student of Philosophy from Benue State was said to be playing the role of St Peter when he suddenly slumped.

According to a student of the school, Ambrose fell on the floor and started bleeding.
First aid was administered on him but when he could not be revived, he was rushed to the Federal Medical Center in Owerri where he gave up the ghost.
The incident led to the suspension of all activities relating to Easter celebration in the school.
The priest in charge of students formation in the university, Chukwuemeka Iheme, who confirmed the incident said he could “only speak further when authorised to do so”.
A resident of the area, who gave his name as Charles, said it was the second time a student would die in similar circumstances.
He said a student had died in the past while taking part in a jugging exercise.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Russia on Saturday hit another military factory in Ukraine, a day after Moscow warned it would renew attacks following two weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital.
Moscow had vowed it would retaliate after the Moskva, the pride of the Russian Black Sea fleet, sank near Ukraine’s coast late on Thursday – Russia’s biggest warship casualty since World War II.

Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities were still determining whether anyone had been killed or injured in the attack, AFP reports.
Russia, which used sea-based long-range missiles to hit the Vizar plant on Friday, says that the Moskva missile cruiser sank while being towed back to port after ammunition exploded on board.
Saturday’s strike on the Ukrainian capital was among the first since invading Russian forces began withdrawing from regions around Kyiv last month, instead of turning their focus on gaining control of the Eastern Donbas region.
Kyiv regional governor, Oleksandr Pavliuk, said there were at least two other Russian strikes on the city Friday and that civilians thinking about returning should “wait for quieter times.”
Residential areas of Kyiv were struck repeatedly at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from late February. Moscow has denied intentionally striking civilian infrastructure.
A Pentagon official said that the sinking of the Moskva, which had been leading Russia’s naval effort in the seven-week conflict, was a “big blow” for Moscow, while the fate of its crew of more than 500 was uncertain.
The official said survivors were observed being recovered by other Russian vessels, but Ukrainian authorities said bad weather had made rescue operations impossible.
“It’s a big blow symbolically,” the Pentagon official said. “There is a pride aspect.” 
Losing the Moskva – one of just three Slava-class cruisers in Moscow’s fleet — creates a “capability gap” for the Russian navy in Southern Ukraine, he said.
Under the Montreux convention, Turkey keeps the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits closed to warships in times of conflict, meaning Moscow cannot dispatch a replacement for the Moskva to the Black Sea.
Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been blockading the besieged port city of Mariupol, where Russian officials say they are in full control although Ukrainian fighters are still holed up in the city’s fortress-like steelworks.
The United States pledged a new $800million military aid package for Ukraine this week, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers, and on Friday the German government said it plans to release more than $1.1billion in aid as well.
US media reported that Russia had sent a formal complaint to Washington about its support of Kyiv this week.
 
In the diplomatic note, Moscow warned the United States and NATO against sending the “most sensitive” weapons, saying such shipments were “adding fuel” to the situation and could come with “unpredictable consequences”, the Washington Post reported.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, warned Friday that Russia might use nuclear weapons out of desperation as its invasion falters, echoing recent comments by CIA director William Burns.
“They could do it, I mean they can,” Zelensky told CNN. “For them, the life of the people is nothing.”
For now, Russia’s military focus seems set on seizing the Eastern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists control the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.
This would allow Moscow to create a Southern corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula, and Ukrainian authorities have been urging people in the region to quickly move west in advance of a large-scale Russian offensive.

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

File photo used to illustrate story.

At least three residents of Imama Ugbawka in Nkanu East and Umuhu Eha-Amufu in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State have been killed by suspected herdsmen. 
According to reports, several other persons were wounded in the attacks which were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday.

File photo used to illustrate story. Guardian Nigeria
During the attack in Ugbawka on Tuesday, the herders allegedly invaded farmland and killed two labourers hired from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to cultivate crops on the farm, Eha-Amufu’s incident occurred on Wednesday at Agba-Esher.
A community leader in Umuhu, Eha-Amufu, Odo Francis, said the herders numbering about seven with AK-47s blocked Nkalagu-Eha-Amufu Road.
“Unfortunately, an Okada rider from Amade Eha-Amufu who was carrying two persons got to the point. They killed him and abducted the two men. Our people were alerted when a man from Umuhu Eha-Amufu identified as Okibe Odo, who escaped death by the whiskers broke the news.
“Now, our forest guards and neighbourhood watch (members) are on their trail. The body of the victim, Ifeanyi Odoebe, has been deposited in the morgue.”
A community leader from Imama Ugbawka, Chima Nwodo, who confirmed the attack in his community, said the residents were alerted by one of the labourers who escaped from the herders when they invaded the farm.
President-General of Imama Ugbawka Autonomous Community, Chief Osita Ogbu, described the attack on his community as callous and unprovoked.
“These herdsmen, according to one of the labourers that survived, were six in number. When he (the survivor) alerted our people, we sent our vigilantes to the farm who discovered the bodies of the victims and, subsequently, informed the police, Department of State Services, and the military. They came and saw the mutilated bodies. The victims’ throats were slit."
Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Information, who also oversees the Ministry of Information, Chief Steve Oruruo, confirmed the attack and called on security agencies to fish out the criminals.

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

File photo used to illustrate story.

At least three residents of Imama Ugbawka in Nkanu East and Umuhu Eha-Amufu in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State have been killed by suspected herdsmen. 
According to reports, several other persons were wounded in the attacks which were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday.

File photo used to illustrate story. Guardian Nigeria
During the attack in Ugbawka on Tuesday, the herders allegedly invaded farmland and killed two labourers hired from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to cultivate crops on the farm, Eha-Amufu’s incident occurred on Wednesday at Agba-Esher.
A community leader in Umuhu, Eha-Amufu, Odo Francis, said the herders numbering about seven with AK-47s blocked Nkalagu-Eha-Amufu Road.
“Unfortunately, an Okada rider from Amade Eha-Amufu who was carrying two persons got to the point. They killed him and abducted the two men. Our people were alerted when a man from Umuhu Eha-Amufu identified as Okibe Odo, who escaped death by the whiskers broke the news.
“Now, our forest guards and neighbourhood watch (members) are on their trail. The body of the victim, Ifeanyi Odoebe, has been deposited in the morgue.”
A community leader from Imama Ugbawka, Chima Nwodo, who confirmed the attack in his community, said the residents were alerted by one of the labourers who escaped from the herders when they invaded the farm.
President-General of Imama Ugbawka Autonomous Community, Chief Osita Ogbu, described the attack on his community as callous and unprovoked.
“These herdsmen, according to one of the labourers that survived, were six in number. When he (the survivor) alerted our people, we sent our vigilantes to the farm who discovered the bodies of the victims and, subsequently, informed the police, Department of State Services, and the military. They came and saw the mutilated bodies. The victims’ throats were slit."
Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Information, who also oversees the Ministry of Information, Chief Steve Oruruo, confirmed the attack and called on security agencies to fish out the criminals.

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Russia has banned entry to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several top United Kingdom officials in its “stop list”.
This trailed London's sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.

“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry accused London of “unprecedented hostile actions”, in particular referring to sanctions on Russia’s senior officials.  
“The British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation surrounding Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the behalf of NATO,” the minister stated. 
According to the AFP, Russia’s entry blacklist includes UK Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, former Prime Minister, Theresa May, and the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. 
Britain has been part of an international effort to punish Russia with asset freezes, travel bans and economic sanctions since President Vladimir Putin moved troops into Ukraine on February 24.

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, has denied endorsing National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidency. 
He was reacting to a report by a newspaper that he said the former governor of Lagos was the most qualified person to lead Nigeria in 2023. 

The report claimed that the traditional ruler spoke when he received a delegation of the South-West Agenda For Asiwaju and ‘Delta State for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his palace.
But in a statement signed by the Head, Back Office Operations, Office of the Ogiame Atuwatse III, Oriiz U. Onuwaje, said the reports were taken out of context to suit a narrative.
Onuwaje said the Olu of Warri had no political affiliation to any party or candidate vying for any office in the forthcoming elections, accusing the writer of contravening the lalace’s non-partisan status.
The statement reads, “On the instructions of His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Olu of Warri; firmly rebut the statement claiming Ogiame’s endorsement of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and restates that Ogiame has no political affiliation or preferred political candidate for any office in the forthcoming 2023 elections be it at the regional, sub-national or national level.
“Ogiame is a father figure to all and has no personal favourite or special interests in any candidate or political party vying for any office in the forthcoming elections one way or another and will therefore not endorse or discredit any candidate to the detriment or advantage of others.
“The headlines credited to Ogiame in the referenced quotes have been taken out of context and reworked to suit a specific narrative. They cannot be further from the truth. For an unclear motive, the writer contravenes the palace’s avowed role of non-partisanship.
 
“Ogiame is a father figure to all who have a genuine interest in advancing the course of development of our nation. Ogiame is duty-bound to receive and proffer advice and blessings to all those who seek his audience and counsel.
“Therefore, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Olu of Warri is using this medium to make this important clarification for the avoidance of doubt and further requesting that in the future, any queries and clarifications on palace communications should be directed to the palace media office.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, has cautioned Nigerians not to be deceived by the antics of the Northern Elders Forum, which called for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari from office.
During the week, the NEF urged President Buhari to resign for failing to combat worsening insecurity in the country.
 
According to the group, the Nigerian constitution allows the President to step down if he can’t solve the challenges confronting the country.
 
Bishop Moses Ezedebego in his Easter message to Nigerians warned citizens not to take the Northern elders call for the President’s resignation serious, stressing that it was meant to distract those, who feel disappointed at Buhari’s current outing as President of Nigeria.
Ezedebego, who expressed sadness over the state of insecurity and economic downturn in the country, said the call was suspicious as the North might be hatching a grand plan to plant another Fulani man from any political party to replace Buhari.
“Nigerians should be on their guard not to be deceived by the recent antics of these northern elders. Where have they been in the last four years that the country is being marred by incompetence and poor leadership? Suddenly they are expressing concern over President Buhari’s incompetence to rule the country when he is leaving office in 2023 as provided in the nation’s constitution,” he said.
According to him, if the North was given another opportunity, they will still vote for Buhari because of tribe and religion.
He commended Christian religious leaders, who are currently grooming political leaders to salvage the country, adding that this was not the time for good Christians to distance themselves from politics.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Some operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have expressed their disappointment after the Nigerian Government pardoned former governors of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye; and Taraba State, Rev Jolly Nyame.
The EFCC, according to a report by PUNCH, had spent hundreds of millions of naira on investigations and prosecution of the pardoned former governors between 2007 and 2018.

Dariye’s case was said to have cost a lot more as it emanated from London and the star witness, Peter Clark, who was a policeman, had to be flown from the United Kingdom on several occasions and lodged in hotels while the case dragged on.
The Council of State on Thursday granted a state pardon to Dariye and Nyame, who were jailed for corruption.
 
The former governors along with 157 others will be released from prison after the Council of State approved a proposal by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to grant them a state pardon.
Dariye and Nyame were imprisoned for stealing public funds to the tune of N1.16billion and N1.6billion respectively. 
Nyame and Dariye were governors of their respective states from 1999 to 2007.
An EFCC operative told the newspaper that the detective, who handled Dariye’s case, Ilyasu Kwarbai, was hit in the head with the butt of the gun by overzealous supporters of the ex-governor when the case was being handled in Jos. 
The operative said, “The pardon for Dariye is demoralising. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) was the one who handled the case. He has an internal arrangement with the EFCC so his fee is not that much. However, the bulk of the money was spent on investigation. The case started from London. We had to fly there and lodge in hotels.
“Also, Peter Clark, a UK officer, was the star witness. He was the one who first arrested Dariye in 2004. We had to fly him here on several occasions to testify in Nigeria. Sometimes, when he arrived in Nigeria, the case would be adjourned for one flimsy reason or the other and he would have to travel back and then return to Nigeria.
“Clark was the one who revealed how Dariye bought a pen for £7,000 and was found with over £40,000, while his aide had about £50,000 on her. We spent hundreds of millions on this case. Kwarbai was attacked. The scar is still on his head. How will the UK take us seriously?”
Reacting, Jacobs said he was disappointed in the decision of the Buhari regime.
He said the message being conveyed was that prison was only for the poor, noting that this would embolden the younger generation to embrace fraud. 
He added that the pardon meant that both Dariye and Nyame could later run for elective offices.
He added, “This pardon means that they can hold offices and run for elections. It has turned the anti-corruption war into a joke. It is a setback against the fight against corruption.
“They are setting a bad example for the younger generation. This case went from the High Court to the Supreme Court and now the convicts are being pardoned.
“It will demoralise the judges, the investigators and the prosecutors. It sends a bad message to the youth and Nigerians as a whole.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Amid the ravaging security challenge in the country, the Middle Belt Forum has advised its people to use whatever is available to defend themselves against terrorists. 
The forum said it had lost faith in the President Muhammadu Buhari government to secure the lives and property of Nigerians.

In statement, Dr Pogu Bitrus, National President of the group, said the refusal of the government to deal with perpetrators of recurring killings reveals its complicity in the gale of bloodshed shredding the Middle Belt region.
He urged the Middle Belt people to be security conscious as they commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The statement read, “The attention of the Middle Belt Forum has been drawn to the renewed vicious attacks on communities of the Middle Belt region in Southern Kaduna, Southern Kebbi, Niger, Plateau and Benue State that have led to hundreds of lives lost and decimation of our once-thriving communities.
“On March 8, 2022, daredevil terrorists mounted an ambush for members of a vigilante group called ‘Yan-Sa-Kai’ in Zuru, Kebbi State, and eventually killed 65 of them. Attempts by the security forces to bring the bandits to justice led to the murder of 13 soldiers and five policemen, bringing the total number of the dead to 83.
 
“One week after the assault on Zuru Emirate, the blood-thirsty criminals attacked a police station in Nasko town in Magala Local Government Area of Niger State on March 15, 2022, where they slaughtered no fewer than eight people, comprising the divisional police officer, three policemen and four members of the community’s vigilante group.
“One week after the murder of the DPO and seven others in Nasko, another group of butchers, dressed in military uniforms, on March 22, 2022, launched an attack on four communities: Tsonje, Agban, Katanga and Kadarko, all within Kagoro Chiefdom in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. No fewer than 34, according to the Kaduna State Government, were murdered and 35 homes razed down.
“Less than seven days after the bedlam on the four Kagoro communities, members of a madcap gang bombed an Abuja-Kaduna bound train on March 28, 2022. 
“The blood-spilling outlaws abducted scores of passengers and murdered eight persons, among others. The Nigerian Railway Corporation is yet to account for the whereabouts of 165 passengers that were on the ill-fated trip.
“While the nation was mourning these avoidable murders, another deadly assault on Kadanye Village in Kajuru LGA and Akilbu village in Kachia LGA left eight persons, mostly women and children, dead, while 28 were abducted on April 6, 2022.
“These killings seemed to have hit the peak on Sunday, April 10, 2022, when another group of armed brigands pounced on four villages in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State and killed about 80 people in cold blood. 
“While these communities were still in deep mourning, another terror group launched yet another deadly assault on a military base located in Pole Wire Village in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State, slaying 12 soldiers and injuring 19 military personnel.
“To clearly convince the world they were in charge, the bandits, in a video clip shot in front of the captured armoured tank, announced the release of the Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, Alhaji Alwan Ali Hassan, on compassionate grounds.
“Though they hinged the release of the BOA MD on the Ramadan season, the terrorists threatened to kill the kidnapped train passengers if the government did not meet their demands.
“Another group of gunmen would re-enact a horror scene on Monday, April 11, 2022, in three local government areas of Logo, Tarka and Guma in Benue State by killing no fewer than 25 persons, including a traditional ruler, Zaki Unongo Shaayange.
“In the three attacks on Plateau, Kaduna and Benue that took place within 24 hours, no fewer than 117 lives were lost, including 12 military personnel.
“It is instructive that as the 2023 campaigns gather momentum, the intensity of these attacks is set to increase, with the sole purpose of annihilating communities of the Middle Belt by the invaders.
“The increase in the level of massacres, the devastation of communities and kidnapping of members of the Middle Belt Region extraction is aimed at impoverishing and disempowering the people and creating chaos that will render them refugees in their own ancestral homes.
“The Middle Belt Forum completely condemns this gradual return to the bloody days of horrifying assaults that are presently assuming a genocidal level.
“No nation can survive this level of crippling insecurity that has rendered life short and brutish for many communities in the Middle Belt Region.
“We are irrevocably convinced that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has abandoned its constitutional responsibility of stopping these recurring deadly attacks on our peoples.
“We are still at a loss why the government has not found it expedient to engage local communities on how best to defend themselves against these highly sophisticated terrorists.
“We call on the international community to beam its searchlight on the horrendous massacres of the Middle Belt peoples being carried out under the watch of President Buhari.
“The refusal of the government to deal with perpetrators of these recurring killings reveals its complicity in the gale of bloodshed shredding the Middle Belt region.
“The Middle Belt region has lost faith in the capacity of President Buhari to secure the lives and property of Nigerians. We call on our people to be alert and use whatever is available to them to stand firm and resist these bloodthirsty invaders.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Lagos Ikoyi Link Bridge

The Lekki Concession Company says it has again postponed toll collection at the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge.
The suspension of toll collection, according to a statement by the LCC Managing-Director, Yomi Omomuwasan, on Friday was to give residents more time to register for electronic toll devices.

Lagos Ikoyi Link Bridge
Omomuwasan said the company will announce a new date soon.
“As a responsible organisation, we must take full cognizance of everyone within the axis. Therefore, we want to continue with the ongoing engagements with our stakeholders.
“The preparatory operations to resume tolling on the Bridge have been smooth so far, and we are grateful to all the key stakeholders for their cooperation.
“The planned commencement of toll collection has now been postponed, allowing more of our customers to register for the electronic toll devices to enable seamless passages at the toll plaza,” the statement read.
Tolling had stopped at the bridge and at Lekki Tollgate, the epicentre of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest, following the demonstrations by youths against police brutality, among others.
The LCC, some weeks ago, announced the recommencement of tolling operations at the toll gate. 
Omomuwasan at the time said tolling would commence on April 1, 2022, on the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, however, commuters plying the corridor would not be made to pay toll until April 15, 2022.
He had said the resumption of services at the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza followed extensive consultations with and the support of key stakeholders including the residents’ associations, traditional rulers and community leaders, professional bodies, as well as the Lagos State Government.
But members of the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association have denied this. 
They vehemently rejected tolling at the bridge.
However, the LCC went ahead with the resumption of tolling with the deployment of security vehicles and personnel to the bridge to prevent any protest by residents of the area.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said that the Russian war in Ukraine could last through the end of 2022 as the US and European officials have increasingly assessed that there was no short-term end in sight to the conflict.
European officials told the CNN that there are no indications that Russian President, Vladimir Putin's, ultimate goals have changed and it is unlikely he will pursue diplomatic negotiations unless faced with military defeat.

The war between both former Soviet states has lasted 50 days with Russia now shifting its military focus from the Northern and Southern parts of Ukraine to the Eastern part of Ukraine known as the Donbass region, which contains the breakout regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the fighting in Ukraine is likely to be "protracted," and will go on "for months or even longer."
Some members of Congress and their aides are quietly making comparisons to the Korean War, which lasted for three years.
Two other European officials said they believe that fighting in Eastern Ukraine -- where Russian forces are expected to launch a new offensive -- could last for four to six months and then result in a stalemate.
Speaking on Friday, Blinken told European allies that the "United States believes the Russian war in Ukraine could last through the end of 2022".
Blinken said he "has discussed with his counterparts our concern that the conflict could be protracted, but all of his engagements have revolved around how best to bring it to a halt as quickly as possible".

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

The All Progressives Congress has insisted that all its members currently holding political appointments and seeking participation in the party’s forthcoming primaries must quit their positions. 
According to the party, the move is in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act. 

Section 84 (12) of the Act stipulates that political appointees, including ministers, commissioners and special advisers should quit to be eligible to participate either as delegates or contestants at the convention of their political parties.
Recall that last week, former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, declared interest in the presidential ticket of the APC.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), is nursing an ambition to succeed governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.
Just recently, his NGO distributed 65,000 bags of foodstuffs worth N580million as Ramadan gifts to the needy.
Meanwhile, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, had said the party would ensure that all political appointees wishing to contest the 2023 elections comply with Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act.
 
He said, “The position of the party is consistent with the Electoral Act. We are allowing our affected members who may have the intention of contesting the primaries to comply with the Electoral Act as provided.
“The party will simply follow the Electoral Act. Any member of the party who is in an appointive position, we will expect such individual to resign before our primaries.
“We are hopeful that they will comply at the right time and we are going to ensure that anyone seeking our ticket will not breach the Electoral Act.”
Asked how soon those appointees were expected to turn in their letters, Morka said, “The Electoral Act however does not stipulate the time frame by which individuals should resign their appointments before the primary. But we shall ensure the party complies with the law.”
While signing the Electoral Bill into law last month, President Buhari had asked the National Assembly to delete section 84 (12), which restricts sitting cabinet members from contesting for elective offices without resigning.
For instance, with the provisions of the act, political appointees such as Amaechi; Malami; Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment; Emeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education; Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, among others who have been reportedly linked to presidential and governorship ambitions must resign from their various offices if they want to contest in 2023.
The legislators, however, declined to do the President’s bidding and have even gone to court to appeal against the ruling of a Federal High Court, Umuahia, which recently voided the controversial section and asked the Attorney-General of the Federation to expunge it from the Act.
The issue of the resignation of political appointees is expected to be discussed during the maiden post-convention of the APC scheduled for Abuja on Wednesday, April 20.
The party, in the notice of the meeting, said, “Pursuant to Article 25.2.ii of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress, the National Working Committee hereby invites members of the National Executive Committee of our great party to a meeting to consider the party’s timetable/schedule of activities for primaries for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections and other relevant business of the party.
“All members of the NEC are by this invitation to take notice of the meeting in accordance with Article 12.3 of the APC constitution, please.”

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Both men were convicted under Sections 115, 119, 309 and 315 of the Penal Act, Cap. 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990. The offences were allegedly committed between November 2000 and May 2007 (i.e., after the 1999 Constitution came into effect) - when they were Governors of their respective States and the funds involved belonged those States.
At that time, the said Penal Code Act was ostensibly an existing law within the contemplation of Section 315 of the Constitution. This would, however, depend on the extent, if any, to which the subject matter of the Act was within the legislative competence of either the National or State Houses of Assembly as the case may be.
The provenance of the Act, however, shows indisputably; that it is a State - as opposed to a Federal - law. It's subject matter (particularly the offences for which both men were convicted) puts this beyond peradventure. The National Assembly is incompetent to enact such provisions beyond the FCT - certainty not in Taraba or Plateau States were the offences allegedly occurred. This was enough to have invalidated the trials at the High Court of the FCT which convicted them because it robbed the court of the requisite jurisdiction.

In other words, the so-called Penal Code Act, took effect as a State Law under Section 315(1)(b) of the Constitution. To that extent, only the Plateau and Taraba State High Courts were competent to try them. By the same token, only the respective States' Committees on the Prerogative of Mercy could have competently recommended their pardon or clemency to their respective Governors within the contemplation of Section 212 of the Constitution.
I believe that Section 175 of the Constitution was wrongly invoked by the President to pardon them because the offences in question were not Federal, but State, offences. The President can only pardon a person who is convicted of an offence against an Act of the National Assembly.
Notwithsranding its name, the Penal Code Act is not an Act of the National Assembly. Rather, it is an existing law which is deemed to have been passed by the Houses of Assembly of the 19 States of the old Northern Region - including Plateau and Taraba States where both men allegedly committed the offences in respect of which the President purported to pardon them.
Is it yet uhuru for them? Is it too soon for them to celebrate?. It remains to be seen.

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Abubakar Sani Esq Disable advertisements : 

Russian state TV propagandists have declared that World War III had already started after Ukrainian forces managed to sink Vladimir Putin's Black Sea flagship, the Moskva.  
The Kremlin’s main propaganda mouthpiece went off on a rant last night after the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet was taken out.

The flagship sank while being towed to port yesterday after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained in dispute, Daily Mail reports.
Kyiv said it was struck by two Neptune cruise missiles fired by a coastal battery, which struck the port side of the vessel, causing it to roll over. 
Olga Skabeyeva, one of Putin’s leading propagandists said Western support for Ukraine amounted to direct conflict with Russia.
She said, "What it’s escalated into can safely be called World War Three. That’s entirely for sure.
"Now we’re definitely fighting against Nato infrastructure, if not Nato itself. We need to recognise that.”
Military commentator Dmitry Drozdenko said on separate state-run Channel 1: “In actual fact a full-scale multi-level war is underway with the collective West. And the West has long been preparing for the war."
Anchor Olesya Loseva, host of Vremya Pokazhet, told viewers that the West was now supplying "zillions of weapons” to Ukraine.
She claimed Ukraine was doing the West’s bidding by carrying out "yet more provocations, bloody, horrible, completely unthinkable.”
These will “force people to shudder once again and say that Russia Is a country which is unworthy of even being on the world map and that all Russians should simply be wiped off the face of the earth”.
Skabeyeva also claimed that Ukrainians were delighted to see Russian troops in their country. 
She said, “for some reason ordinary Ukrainians themselves aren't noticing any genocide.
“In the Kharkiv region, they're welcoming our soldiers like real liberators. 
“People are coming out with Russian tricolours onto the streets where our military kit is. 
“The people of Kharkiv are accusing not the Russian army of genocide, but the Ukrainian armed forces.”

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

The police in Osun State have arrested three suspected ritualists with a human heart in Osogbo/OAU Ife Campus Road.
Police detectives arrested the suspects including Olayade Kehinde, Olufemi Oriyomi and Raimi Sheriff on April 7 while on ‘stop and search’ duty.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, in a statement on Friday said the trio on a motorcycle were flagged down by police “but rather than stop, sped off, and were pursued”.
The trio, according to the statement, were arrested at the Safejo area of Ile-Ife. 
Upon their arrest, a human heart, which they claimed was one of their friends and various criminal charms were found on them.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Oriyomi took ill while in custody and was taken to hospital for treatment but unfortunately died while on admission.
His corpse had been deposited at a hospital for autopsy, the Police PRO said.
“The remaining two suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation,” she said.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Olawale Olokode, however, advised parents to monitor their children and warn them against bad company they might be moving with.
He also admonished the youth “to always engage in lawful business, and shun anything that will jeopardise their brighter future, which includes all forms of ‘get rich quick’ syndrome”.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

former Taraba Governor Jolly Nyame

A group, Center for Human Rights and Social Advancement, has condemned the decision of the National Council of State to grant state pardons to former governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Senator Joshua Dariye and Rev. Jolly Nyame, respectively.
Dariye and Nyame were serving jail terms in Kuje Correctional Centre near Abuja following their convictions by the courts over financial malfeasance while serving as governors in their states between 1999 and 2007.

former Taraba Governor Jolly Nyame SaharaReporters Media
On Thursday, the National Council of State led by President Muhammadu Buhari approved the pardon of 159 convicts including Dariye and Nyame, who were both imprisoned for stealing N1.16bn and N1.6bn respectively.
Reacting in a statement by Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo, its Executive Director, CEFSAN condemned the pardon granted to the duo, noting that were it to be an ordinary Nigerian, the whole judicial arsenal will have to be deployed for his trial, even if he was innocent. 
The group further condemned the state pardon granted the two convicts, noting that the anti-corruption crusade by the All Progressives Congress was simply a hoax. 
The statement reads, ”Center for Human Rights and Social Advancement, a non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan organization whose members are legal practitioners, academics and professionals from other walks of life. 
“The centre is working towards the promotion of human rights, democracy, good governance and peace & security in Nigeria. The centre which has its headquarters in Kano-Nigeria has been providing free legal aid to indigent people in Nigeria who cannot afford the services of legal representation in court.  
“The centre has convened an emergency meeting on the 15th day of April, 2022 to peruse the decision of the National Council of State chaired by President Muhamadu Buhari which decided to grant pardon to two former executive governors namely Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State who were convicted for various offences relating to stealing and misappropriation of public funds.
“Prior to the pronouncement of the presidential pardon, Dariye was convicted and sentenced to 10-year imprisonment by a Federal High Court in 2018 for the offences of stealing, looting public funds amounting to N2billion and criminal breach of trust amongst others during his tenure as the executive governor of Plateau State between 1999 to 2007. 
“The said conviction and sentence of 10-year jail term was upheld by the apex court. In the same vein, Nyame was also convicted and sentenced to serve a 12-year jail term by a Federal High Court as a result of misappropriation and looting of public funds amounting to close to N2billion during his eight-year tenure as the executive governor of Taraba State, a sentence which was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
“To our greatest dismay, at the end of the 14 April, 2022 Council of State meeting a pardon was pronounced to both convicts. Both the former and the later were granted presidential pardon on health and age grounds. 
“However, looking at the nature of Dariye and Nyame’s offenses thus; using public office for personal aggrandizement and looting, the offences which could have the effect of crippling the wellbeing of their respective subjects by plunging them  into abject poverty and insecurity, the rigorous judicial exercises expanded, the time spent and money lost during their respective trials, and equally taking into cognizance the current state of affairs in Nigeria, the action of Mr President appears to be complete sabotage to what he and his party professed to represent.
“Imagine if it were the other way round, an ordinary Nigerian at the center of controversy with our penal laws, the whole judicial arsenal will be deployed for his trial, having of course spent terrible sleepless nights behind bars, tried and convicted and perhaps for an offence he was wrongly found guilty, on a narrow threshold of circumstantial evidence and forced confessional statement, could he equally enjoy the Presidential pardon? Certainly not, because he is a commoner and the law is for the protection of the elite.
“Therefore, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Advancement at the end of its emergency meeting condemns in the strongest possible terms the decision of the Council of State. CEFSAN will therefore conclude that unless the decision by the President is revisited, the claim of anti-corruption crusade by the APC led government is nothing but a hoax, sham and an exercise in futility despite the huge budgeting for the finance of anti-corruption institutions and agencies, whereas on the side of the judiciary such pardoning is a backlash. 
“This act of Mr. President begs the question on how serious this administration is in curbing both economic and security challenges that ordinary Nigerians are subjected to on a daily basis.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

Northern youths’ umbrella group, the Arewa Movement for Generational Power-Shift (AMGPS) has thrown its full weight behind the presidential aspiration of Sahara Reporters Publisher, Omoyele Sowore, saying he is a perfect personification of the Not-Too-Young-Run phenomena. 
Arising from a meeting in Kano State, the Group's coordinator Lawal Mukhtar Doguwa told newsmen that their support for Sowore was informed by his rare courage and steadfastness in challenging the status quo.

The AMGPS noted that Sowore had courageously endured and withstood several persecutions and violations in his selfless bid to protect and promote the rights of citizens, particularly the Nigerian youth whom he eminently represents.
"If Nigerian youth wish to hear the truth, they should be told that their future is being toyed with by an old stock of leaders who are ill-prepared and ill-equipped to lead except for their personal greed for power and acquisition of fantastic wealth.
"To rescue our future from the margins of irrelevance, impotence, inconsequence and decay in the context of the current global order which currently runs on the basis of values and practices that we need to understand, adapt to or create alternatives that suit our cultures, circumstances and interests, we need the courage, audacity and hope of such young men as Sowore. 
"We find in Sowore the image of a leader with a passionate belief in the organic links between generations, a budding great statesman, a mentor, a guardian, a living history and an embodiment of all the exemplary courageous qualities young Nigerians should strive to achieve," Doguwa said.
He called on the youths of Northern Nigeria to mobilise for a rigorous campaign for one of their own.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements :