For the first time in three years, human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore stepped out of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday to visit Nasarawa State to meet residents of the state about his presidential aspiration.
 
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had on Wednesday upturned the ruling of the Federal High Court confining the activist to Abuja since August 2019.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested Sowore in the early hours of August 3, 2019, for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country. 

But President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime swiftly locked him up.

The activist was kept in unlawful detention from that period until December 5, 2019, when he was finally released on bail despite two court orders earlier sanctioning his freedom.
 
In a twist of events, DSS operatives invaded the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, 2019, to rearrest him without any court order.
 
He remained in unlawful detention until 18 days later when he was released by the secret police for the second time.
 
The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, had granted Sowore N100 million bail with two sureties who must be residents of Abuja and have landed properties within the Federal Capital Territory.
 
The judge also ordered that one of the sureties must deposit N30 million with the court pending the determination of the case.
 
Sowore was also restricted to the Federal Capital Territory pending the determination of the case.
 
The activist, however, approached the Appeal Court over the stringent bail conditions, especially his restriction to Abuja.
 
Delivering judgment in the appeal on Wednesday, the appellate court held that the ruling restricting the activist to Abuja was excessive.
 
The court ruled that Sowore could now leave Abuja but not travel out of Nigeria.
 
The activist has declared his intention to run for president in 2023.
 
The activist is joining the presidential race for the second time after his first attempt in 2019.
 
“After three years of unjust restriction and city-incarceration to Abuja, I stepped out of the FCT-Abuja city detention today to meet our people in Nasarawa state! ‪#Revolutionnow ‪#WeCantContinueLikeThis ‪#Sowore2023,” the activist posted on Twitter.

After three years of unjust restriction and city-incarceration to Abuja I stepped out of the FCT-Abuja city detention today to meet our people in Nasarawa state! #Revolutionnow #WeCantContinueLikeThis #Sowore2023 pic.twitter.com/q7hklOt5BD

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) April 14, 2022

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Femi Adesina

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has lambasted members of the Northern Elders Forum over calls for the resignation of Buhari from power.
 
Adesina, in one of his weekly articles, had admitted the failures of the current administration as he noted that the country was going through a war.

Femi Adesina

He, however, lambasted those who had called for the President's resignation, particularly the NEF which he described as “Generals without troops.” Adesina further alleged that members of the NEF were bitter and angry because of their failure to get into the Buhari's administration.
 
The Special Adviser further blamed the insecurity challenge in the country on “Individuals, groups, organizations, political parties, who had been against President Muhammadu Buhari, and who had been given bloody noses at the polls”.
 
He wrote, “Security is everything, nobody can dispute that. You have to be alive to enjoy every other thing government is providing; roads, rail, bridges, airports, food security, in fact, everything.
 
“That is why whenever you hear President Muhammadu Buhari talk of the priorities of his administration for the country, he starts with security, stressing that before you can efficiently manage an organization, town, city, or country, you first have to secure it. He then proceeds to talk about reviving the economy, and fighting corruption. But security is always number one.
 
“Does Nigeria have security challenges? Severe ones. I’ve always said it, while adding that the government was taking up the gauntlet.
 
“Two weeks ago, after the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train by terrorists, I wrote that Nigeria was actually at war. It was, however, silly and idiotic to see a newspaper twist that piece in a news story, writing; ‘Femi Adesina finally admits that Nigeria is at war.’ Otiose. Witless. Illiterate. Who does not know that our country had been at war against insurgency since 2009, when Boko Haram manifested in the Northeast?
 
“But we leave those who twist every word to continue to contort themselves, till they completely get out of shape, tying themselves up in a labyrinth. It will serve them right.
 
The point of interest today is the hackneyed calls on President Buhari to resign over the country’s security challenges, the latest coming from a so-called Northern Elders Forum (NEF), a group I’d once described as “Generals without troops.”
 
“The Forum is largely made of angry, bitter, self-seeking individuals, who had thought they would be leading President Buhari by the nose when he emerged in 2015. In fact, key personalities in the group made strenuous efforts to be part of the administration. When they didn’t succeed, they became adversaries.
 
“It is on record that NEF had always opposed the Buhari administration since its gambit failed, and before the 2019 presidential election, it openly endorsed Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as next President. And that completely vitiates whatever position the Forum adopts today. It is partisan, bilious, by no means neutral. It is from a self-serving standpoint.
 
“Between 2009 and 2022, there were at least 271 mass shootings in United States of America, resulting in 1,518 people killed, and 980 wounded. Just this week, there has been the Brooklyn Subway Shooting, in which at least 23 people were critically injured. In all these, did you hear calls for the resignation of any American President? It is on record that last year was the deadliest in a decade, in terms of mass shootings. Have you heard of calls for the resignation of President Joe Biden by a caterwauling band? No.
 
“Every life is important. No single life should be taken wantonly. Not in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and definitely not in Nigeria. And when challenges occur, as we currently have, it should not be turned to a leaky political umbrella, from under which you hide to express hatred and malice.
 
“That is what is happening in Nigeria today. Individuals, groups, organizations, political parties, who had been against President Muhammadu Buhari, and who had been given bloody noses at the polls, are now using the smokescreen of insecurity to vent their spleen. We failed to oust him through the ballot box, let’s run him out of town by another means. Let’s instigate the country against him. But majority of Nigerians know better.”

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More than 150 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli police at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, Palestinian medics say.

Israeli police said officers entered the site after being attacked by fireworks, stones and other objects, BBC News reports.

Three Israeli police were hurt, they said.

The flashpoint site is deeply important to Muslims and Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount, and is at the heart of competing historical claims.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared recently after deadly attacks in Israel and Palestinian deaths during subsequent Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.

A 17-year-old Palestinian wounded on Thursday during an Israeli operation in the area of Jenin in the northern West Bank died on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
 
More than 20 Palestinians, many identified as gunmen, have been killed since Israel stepped up sweeps in the West Bank, centering on Jenin district after a Palestinian killed three Israelis in Tel Aviv last Thursday.
 
That attack was the fourth in Israel by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in just over two weeks. The killings have left 12 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead, marking the deadliest period of attacks in Israel for more than 15 years and leaving the country on edge.
 
Israeli police said dozens of Palestinians, some carrying flags of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, marched on the compound at about 04:00 (01:00 GMT) and then started throwing stones and fireworks.
 
The police said they waited until Muslim Friday prayers had ended before entering the site to disperse the rioters, who had started throwing stones towards the Western Wall below the compound, where Jewish worshippers were.
The police tweeted a video showing fireworks exploding inside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and masked youths throwing stones towards officers.
 
Israel's foreign ministry tweeted a video showing masked Palestinians inside the Qibli mosque (also known as al-Aqsa Mosque) throwing objects with the sound of a bang followed by a spray of sparks.
 
The foreign ministry denied reports on social media that police had entered the mosque building itself during the violence. Hours later footage from inside the mosque building showed Israeli police and Palestinians there with the scene calmer.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned Israel's actions at the compound, saying it held it "fully and directly responsible for this crime and its consequences".
 
The clashes come after militant groups in Gaza called for "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians to converge on the compound on Friday "to protect our nation and our mosque".
 
Last year Hamas, which governs Gaza, fired rockets towards Jerusalem following clashes at the mosque compound after weeks of unrest in the city, triggering a devastating 11-day war with Israel.
 
The compound is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and is also considered, in its entirety, as al-Aqsa Mosque. It is the third holiest site in Islam.
 
The same ground is sacred to Jews as the location of two biblical temples, and is the holiest site in Judaism. The question of rights there is one of the most contentious issues of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and between Israel and the wider Muslim world.
 
The recent surge in violence comes at a particularly volatile time, with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover on Friday night coinciding with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Christian festival of Easter.
 
Passover traditionally sees an increase in visits by religious Jews to the site, which are viewed by Palestinians as provocative.

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The world’s largest yacht was seized by German officials on Tuesday because of the vessel’s association with a sanctioned billionaire with Kremlin ties.
 
According to CNBC, a German official confirmed on Thursday that the motor yacht was linked to Usmanov and therefore subject to asset seizure.

Germany's federal police informed European authorities in Brussels on Wednesday that a thorough investigation found the vessel was owned by Usmanov's sister, Gulbakhor Ismailova.
 
A senior US President, Joe Biden administration official with knowledge of the matter said that the stunning superyacht was initially restricted from leaving its anchorage by German authorities on March 3.
 
The official asserted that the yacht had not been physically seized at the time but rather was not allowed to move from its current location in the German port city of Hamburg. The person had added that more measures would be taken later.
 
According to the report, the yacht, named Dilbar after Usmanov's mother, extends over 500 feet and is equipped with two helipads and the largest indoor swimming pool ever installed on a private vessel. The Department of Treasury estimates that the current value of Usmanov's yacht is approximately $735 million.
 
Usmanov and his superyacht entered the crosshairs of the US and its allies in March following coordinated global sanctions on Russian elites with Kremlin ties after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
 
However, a Treasury official, said any action taken by German authorities would not involve transferring the vessel to the United States under Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, sanctions.
 
The US sanctions listed Usmanov's yacht as blocked property, which effectively means that any transactions related to the yacht — including maintenance, the hiring of crew and payment of docking fees — conducted with U.S. persons or in U.S. dollars are prohibited.
 
The seizures are part of a directive from President Joe Biden that the US and its allies would target Russian oligarchs in response to the Kremlin's invasion: "We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”
 
“Usmanov’s Kremlin ties enrich him and enable his luxurious lifestyle,” the Treasury Department's statement read. The billionaire’s “vast holdings” across the Russian economy and abroad include the metal, mining, telecommunications and information technology industries, according to the department. He is known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.
 
“Usmanov and Putin allegedly have financial ties, while Medvedev has reportedly benefited from the personal use of luxurious residences controlled by Usmanov,” the department's statement continued. The billionaire also owns 49% of the holding company USM, which did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
 
The US announced sanctions against Russian elites and their family members in March in order to interrupt “direct and indirect” support to the Russian government amid Putin’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two months ago.
“We are demonstrating our commitment to impose massive costs on Putin’s closest confidants and their family members and freeze their assets in response to the brutal attack on Ukraine,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

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File photo used to illustrate story.

The Nigerian military has killed an ISWAP commander, Abou Sufyan and about 15 of his fighters with airstrikes from A-29 Super Tucano on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State
 
It was gathered that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) component of Operation Hadin Kai launched a series of airstrikes at the hideouts of the terrorists in the North of Jubularam in the Marte Local Government Area of the state.

File photo used to illustrate story.

The operation was conducted after Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions revealed the presence of several fighters who had converged on the area in their preparatory move to launch attacks on troops in the axis.
 
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst said, “The successful airstrikes were carried out on April 9, 2022, by the Nigerian Air Force Super Tucano in coordination with the MNJTF, Niger Air Task Force's Mi35 and Mi171 helicopter Gunship, targeting an identified hideouts of the terrorists in the North of Jubularam in Marte LGA
 
“The surgical airstrikes were conducted on the strength of credible intelligence which indicated that the Commander and his fighters had taken a position to fight back against the crushing intrusion of their enclaves in the Lake Chad by the combined forces
 
“A ground assessment shows that Abu-Fatima, a high ranking ISWAP Commander Of Rijal Amne (Special Forces), who took over from Bakura RPG, and Adam Kaiga after they were killed in the previous military airstrikes, was neutralised in the attack.
 
“The notorious ISWAP Commander who has about 500 fighting militant troops under his special forces’ command has his jurisdiction in the entire southern islands, including Kirta Wulgo, Sabon Tumbu, Kwaleram, Sigir, Jibularam, Abbaganaram and Yarwa Kura.”

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Stella Oduah

Stella Oduah, a Nigerian Senator and former Minister of Aviation has finalised her defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), SaharaReporters has gathered.
 
Oduah on August 27, 2021, left the PDP for the APC.

Stella Oduah
A source told SaharaReporters that the Senator returned to the PDP and secretly obtained the party’s nomination form to return to the Senate.
 
“Senator Stella Oduah has finally dumped the APC and moved to the PDP after days of playing hide and seek game. Having used Abubakar Malami, the AGF to frustrate and hang her trial and prosecution at the Federal High Court, Abuja before Justice Inyang Ekwo on allegations of fraud, embezzlement and siphoning of N7.9 billion when she was the Minister of Aviation,” the source said.
 
SaharaReporters on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 reported that the former aviation minister had concluded plans to dump the ruling APC for the PDP.
  See Also Politics After Tricking Nigeria’s Attorney General, Malami To Frustrate N7.9bn Fraud Trial, Stella Oduah Moves To Dump APC For PDP 0 Comments 3 Weeks Ago
SaharaReporters reported that the Senator had held a closed-door meeting with Anyim Pius Anyim, a PDP presidential aspirant and some party leaders.

“She used Senator Anyim to reach out and perfected her new arrangement and agreement with the PDP leadership preparatory to her decampment to PDP in the next few days,” a source had said.

The move came a few days after Malami orchestrated different strategies to compromise and frustrate the prosecution of Oduah, who has corruption cases hanging on her neck.

“The trio of Abubakar Malami, Governor Mai Mala Buni and Senator Ahmad Lawan are feeling used and dumped by Stella Oduah, having been briefed and realised that she has used them to frustrate her prosecution and betrayed their 'agreement' and 'accord' by finalising arrangements to dump APC for PDP in the next few days,” the source had added.

See Also Scandal How Nigeria’s Attorney General, Malami Frustrated N7.9bn Fraud Trial Of Stella Oduah After Ex-Aviation Minister Joined Ruling APC 0 Comments 1 Month Ago
SaharaReporters exclusively reported in 2021 that Oduah’s trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over N7.9 billion fraud might be scuttled going by her secret plot with Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Malami.

However, SaharaReporters learnt on Friday that Oduah had reached out to PDP members in her zone and her town in Ogbaru Local Government Area to secure the PDP Senatorial nomination form for Anambra North zone.

“Having obtained the form secretly so that the office of AGF, Abubakar Malami and also the national leadership of APC will not know that she has used them to stall and frustrate her trial before Justice Ekwo, then having achieved her aim, she has finally used and dumped them,” another source confirmed to SaharaReporters on Friday.
 
“lt is most disturbing and disheartening that 3 years after the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) concluded its investigation into the case of diversion of N7.9 billion fraud and embezzlement of public funds perpetrated by Stella Oduah, she is still evading trial and justice.

“She has been summoned to enter the witness box and take her plea about five times so that the trial can commence, but Malami and Governor Mai Mala Buni (Yobe governor and former chairman of the APC caretaker committee) shielded her from justice and the long arm of the law by frustrating the case.
 
“The same Stella Oduah has now run back to the PDP and obtained PDP nomination form.”
Oduah is being prosecuted on 25 counts of money laundering alongside Gloria Odita, Nwobu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Limited, Crystal Television Limited, Sobora International Limited and the China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited.
 
SaharaReporters gathered that the arraignment of the Senator was aborted at the Federal High Court in Abuja during the last adjourned date (Monday, November 22nd, 2021) over a letter written by Malami.
 
When Oduah and three others were called into the dock to take their plea, counsel for the 7th and 8th defendants, Ogwu James Onoja (SAN), objected to the arraignment on the ground that his clients were being persecuted by EFCC.
 
According to him, the aggrieved defendants had petitioned Malami, seeking a review of the charges against them.
 
Ogwu informed Justice Inyang Ekwo that the AGF, upon receipt of the petition, wrote the chairman of EFCC to remit the case file to his office for a review, adding that in flagrant disregard to the AGF’s letter, the EFCC had bluntly refused to remit the case file to the AGF.
 
He tendered a certified true copy of the AGF’s letter as received by the EFCC chairman and urged the court not to go ahead with the arraignment until the petition had been resolved in the interest of justice.
 
However, a lawyer for the EFCC, Ofem Uket denied any knowledge of the AGF's letter, adding that as a staff member of EFCC, he was just sighting the letter for the first time in court.
 
The counsel urged the court to disregard the petition by the defendants and proceed to arraign them.
 
He said that the AGF would have come to the court if he had any opposition to the arraignment.
 
However, Justice Ekwo said since the petition was raised as both a statutory and constitutional matter by the defendants, he would not proceed.
 
Oduah’s planned arraignment before then in the corruption charges had been stalled five times, largely due to her absence in court.

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Precious Chikwendu, a former beauty queen has lambasted those blaming the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, for not speaking up despite being a victim of domestic violence.
 
Osinachi's death was announced last Friday, and her husband, Peter Nwachukwu was alleged to have beaten her to death.

Reacting, Chikwendu, the estranged wife of a former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode said if Osinachi had spoken up, society would have blamed her. She said the gospel singer would have been described as a prostitute or mentally ill woman.
 
Chikwendu, who said she was also a victim of domestic violence, released photos showing her bloodied nose, legs and other parts of her body as evidence.
 
She wrote, “I’ve been silently reading so much of the blames people are heaping on Osinachi for not speaking up.
 
“Sweethearts you can't understand the weight on a victim of domestic violence or how we go through so much compactmentalizing how the world would look at us, close friends waiting to laugh at us, those who would say we warned you, how our family members would humiliate us of putting them to shame if we do leave, how we would be irrelevant in places where we were deemed relevant by the status of marriage or maintaining a home. 
 
“You all forget that a narcissistic partner is one who feels threatened by the abilities or potential of their partner and I’ve said this to so many women and men I’ve had a chance to speak with after eating enough of this breakfast, that if he or she is intimidated by your personality, achievements, charisma, strength or God-given talent, sweetheart runs for your life. 

“Envy mixed with a slice of hate is violence-prone when it has to do with partners or lovers. If he or she can’t learn to talk over arguments without turning a red eye on you, screaming at you which gradually graduates to punches, the absolute need to intimidate or silence you on every unintended provocation, adrenaline rush when they exert authority or control, RUN.
 
“These behaviours are the first Azonto steps of abuse. Dear judges, you would have called her a prostitute or mad like I was called for choosing my sanity and peace. Her husband who she had left would pick another supply, walked free and even contested to be president in the next election.
 
“Every abusive partner was exposed to violence at some point in life and would pass this on. We are screaming about Osinachi, she is gone and it hurts to see a victim like me not survive but I totally understand she got to the stage where she resigned her fate to die in torture, she felt there was no other way out.
 
“I got to that stage but snapped out of it after realizing that when I’m gone my boys would hate me for such a selfish decision without considering them. So many people were aware of my situation but never spoke likewise Osinachi's case because everyone would still blame her regardless.
 
“Blaming a victim in constant fear is why most would not speak up as so many are reading these negative contributions. Osinachi would have walked away if she had just a bit of her self-esteem intact, she let go cos (because) she felt worthless.”

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Kayode Fayemi

The immediate chairperson of the Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Mrs Omotunde Fajuyi, has accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of pilfering council funds in the state.

According to Fajuyi while featuring on a radio programme in Ado-Ekiti, the highest monthly allocation she got as the chairperson of the local government area was N4.5 million despite signing for over N100 million.

Kayode Fayemi

She also denied ever collecting N200 million as monthly allocation as said by some people on social media.
 
“Sometimes, the Fayemi government will give us N2 million, N3 million monthly; the highest I received was N7 million and that was after the government created LCDA (local council development area) while N2.5 million was given to the LCDA, so what I actually got to us was N4.5m,” she said
 
“So which road could we have done with this? Remember it was a few days that I got into office that I completed the council secretariat with the belief that they would help us tar the road. They only promised to do that but failed to do it despite removing millions from our allocation to repair the road.”
 
In Nigeria, agitations for local government’s independence have been louder in recent times considering how this third tier of government has become subservient to state governors across the country.
 
Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari accused governors of embezzling council funds and destroying the third tier of government, after federal and state governments.
 
The President said the governors have totally destroyed the local government system by embezzling the funds meant for development through the State and Local Government Joint Account.
 
Buhari also lambasted the governors for trying to push their responsibility to others, while they were busy collecting the larger percentage of money meant for local governments and giving very small fractions of the money to the local government chairpersons.

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The Supreme Court has ordered the extradition of a Nigerian, Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to the United States.
 
Anuebunwa, according to reports, has long been on the FBI list of wanted persons to answer charges bordering on two counts of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting.”

The extradition request was made by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, through the Central Authority Unit (CAU) of the Federal Ministry of Justice, headed by Akutah Pius Ukeyima.
 
The Supreme Court restored the June 1, 2020 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, setting aside the November 6, 2020 judgment by the Court of Appeal.
 
The Court of Appeal had, in its judgment in the appeal marked: CA/A/CV/387/2020 filed by Anuebunwa reversed the Federal High Court judgment, which granted the AGF’s request to surrender Anuebunwa for trial in the US on pending two counts of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud, and aiding and abetting.”
 
Ordering the reversal, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, in the lead judgment read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, faulted the Court of Appeal’s decision, insisting that the suspect must defend himself.
 
In January 2020, Justice Mojisola Dada of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, Special Offences section, sentenced Chibundu Joseph Anuebunwa to one year in prison.
 
He was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy to steal and retain stolen property contrary to Sections 411 and 328(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
 
The convict committed the crime alongside his brother, Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, who was then at large.
 
In July 2019, the FBI petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), notifying the agency that the siblings allegedly perpetrated Business Email Compromise (BEC), romance scams, mystery shopper fraud and tax fraud.

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Kola Abiola, son of the late acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola, popularly known as MKO Abiola, has joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
 
Kola on Thursday joined the PRP as it unveiled its timetable and guidelines for the 2023 general elections.

He vowed to mobilise the youths to drive the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) out of power in the next general elections.

According to Kola, the choice of PRP, instead of the ruling APC or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was premised on the party’s consistency with its ideological beliefs.

He, however, said he had not decided on an elective position yet as he would need to consult with people.

He said, “I have looked at the history of political parties in Nigeria and believed that this is the party for Nigerians. I believe in equal opportunity and I believe this party represents all the ideals that I believed in.
 
“We have a youth population that has been cut out of the political process. The first thing I want to do is to disrupt the political process and give the true owners of Nigeria the choice for their voice to be heard. Only PRP can give them that. We will mobilise the youths to own this process and give the PRP a rebirth.”

“I intend to bring value to this party, to the youth, to the political system irrespective of what I decided to go for,” he added.
 
Alhaji Falalu Bello, Chairman of the party said presidential aspirants will cough up N10 million, while governorship aspirants will pay N2.5 million.

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Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has directed all state Commissioners of Police and their supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to protect all critical national assets from being attacked by criminals during the Easter period.

Baba directed the police officers to deploy adequate personnel and operational assets to areas of security interest within their respective areas of responsibility.

The police IG also directed the officers to ensure the patrol of highways, motor parks, train stations, banks, airports, worship centres and recreation centres.

Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the acting spokesman for the Force, said this in a statement, noting that they must take adequate measures to ensure safety across the country.

“Complaint Response Unit, vis-à-vis Public Complaint Bureau, have equally been charged to respond swiftly to complaints received from the general public.

“In addition, the Commissioners of Police and their supervising AIGs have been directed to ensure proper supervision of the men assigned for these assignments.

“They must be professional and courteous to law-abiding citizens but firm and ruthless to criminal elements who might want to take the advantage of the festive period to perpetrate their unholy acts,” he said.

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Mosque in Touba, Senegal

A Sharia Court in Magajin Gari, Kaduna State, on Thursday, ordered that two men, Nura Usman and Adamu Dauda, be remanded in a correctional facility for allegedly defecating in a mosque.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the police charged Usman and Dauda with public nuisance and inciting violence.

Mosque in Touba, Senegal Salemstate.edu

The judge, Malam Rilwanu Kyaudai, adjourned the case till April 28 for the police to present witnesses.
 
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Inspector Ibrahim Shuaibu, said Usman and Dauda were handed over to the Tudun Wada Police Station on April 11 by members of the community.
 
He said Usman was caught defecating in a mosque on Alkalawa Road, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, around 2 pm.
 
He said Dauda, the second defendant, had promised to give Usman N20,000 if he would defecate in the mosque.

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Former Governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame respectively, jailed for corruption, were on Thursday pardoned by the Council of State.

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 pardon.

Dariye and Nyame were imprisoned for stealing public funds to the tune of N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively.

SaharaReporters on Thursday reported how the Council of State agreed to free Nyame, who has been serving a jail term at the Kuje prison for misappropriation of funds while he was in office.

Nyame was the governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007.

“The Council of State today agreed to grant him pardon. They will now write to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who will now ratify it and write to the prison to release him.

“It is a political move. It is a plot for the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, to win Taraba State in the next elections. Buhari lobbied other members of the Council of State to secure Nyame’s release,” a top source had told SaharaReporters. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Nigerian Council Of State Approves Presidential Pardon For Jailed Ex-Taraba Governor, Rev Jolly Nyame 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

“It is just a formality from the AGF to release him once the Council already approved it. The Council considered that the amount Nyame was jailed for is not as big as what other politicians and former governors stole,” another source had corroborated.

The Council took the decision to exercise its prerogative to grant mercy to convicts.

The recommendation was made by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and it was approved by the Council.

Malami who spoke to journalists after Thursday’s Council of State meeting, said 159 out of 162 applications presented for consideration for the prerogative of mercy for convicts and inmates in correctional facilities nationwide, were approved.

The minister said the council rejected a proposal to grant pardon to one of the prisoners sentenced to 120 years for theft of over N25 billion. The prisoner had sought pardon on health grounds.

The Council also approved the proposal to give national awards to 434 Nigerians, as presented by Minister for Special Duties Chief George Akume.

The Supreme Court had in February 2020 upheld the conviction and 12-year jail term given to Nyame, for misappropriation of funds while he was governor of Taraba State.

A five-member panel of the apex court, in a unanimous decision led by Justice Mary Odili, had said it found no reason to set aside concurrent judgements of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, which found Mr Nyame guilty of misappropriation of funds.

Delivering the lead judgement, Justice Amina Augie, held that the appeal the former governor filed to challenge his conviction and sentence, lacked merit.

The apex court, however, held that the appellate court was wrong to have imposed a fine against Nyame.

Justice Augie, therefore, affirmed the imposed jail term but freed the convicted Mr Nyame from paying a fine for the crime he committed against the state, while he was a governor.

In May 2018, when Justice Adebukola Banjoko first sentenced Nyame to jail.

Dariye was the Plateau governor from 1999 to 2007. He was jailed for laundering public funds to the tune of N1.162bn and was sentenced to 14 years in prison by Justice Banjoko, who was later elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Dariye’s prison term was later reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja but his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court.

The Council of State meeting, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, had in attendance former President Goodluck Jonathan and former heads of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibarahim Gambari and National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, were also in attendance. 

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The four abducted students of Zamfara State College of Health Science and Technology left in captivity, have regained their freedom.
Jamilu Lawali, Deputy Provost of the college, Jamilu Lawali confirmed their release to Channels Television via telephone conversation on Thursday evening.

Lawali, however, said no ransom was paid to secure the release of the four female students of the school.

The students were released by their abductors on Thursday at a location close to Tsafe town.
“They were released this evening at a location close to Tsafe town, the school did not pay a dime for their release,” he said.
The four students were immediately taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical treatment.
Five female students of the school were abducted by terrorists on Tuesday in Tsafe town, the headquarters of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
SaharaReporters had confirmed from multiple sources that the terrorists raided Tsafe town on Tuesday night and abducted five students of the College of Health Technology living off-campus.
One of the five abducted was able to escape while four were taken to an undisclosed location by the terrorists.
Some days earlier, bandits invaded Tsafe and killed three persons, including the son of Mamman Tsafe, the Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs in Zamfara and a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG).
Kidnappings for ransom have escalated in northern Nigeria, where hundreds of persons have been taken. Zamfara, which is one of the most affected states, has witnessed a string of kidnappings and mindless killings since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power.

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Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has urged supporters to remember the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu in their prayers as they celebrate Easter this year.
Ejiofor said this in a statement on Thursday following the routine visit of Kanu’s legal team to the IPOB leader, in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the headquarters of the secret police in Abuja, where he is being detained.

“We must remember Onyendu in our prayers, and use this solemn week to introspect on the journey covered and the one ahead, as we mark the resurrection of our Lord Jesus,” he said.
The lawyer expressed confidence that Kanu will be victorious in his ongoing trial in court, describing his ordeal as a huge sacrifice for the emancipation of Igbo people.
“We should not forget the fact that Onyendu, though may not be seen moving around a free person today, his present ordeal is a sacrifice too many, and ostensibly dedicated for the emancipation of all UmuChineke,” he said.
He said, “We had a very long, but fruitful briefing with Onyendu today. The discussions were exclusively in relation to our legal undertakings.
“Consistent with Onyendu's appreciative nature, he sends his deep gratitude to you all - millions of his followers - for your doggedness and hard work, and especially to Ezigbo UmuChineke who have remained faithful to the demands of the present circumstances.
“Onyendu also seized the opportunity of the visit to express his heartfelt gratitude over the extraordinary performance of his erudite Lead Counsel - Chief Mike Ozehkome (SAN), and the entire indefatigable legal team, which is impacting hugely. He specially commended his legal team ably led by the legal Iroko of our time- Chief Mike Ozekome (SAN), for the uncommon feat.
“Onyendu is hopeful of brighter days ahead, as it is now indisputable that the days ahead are pregnant with good fortunes.
“Onyendu will surely emerge victorious in the end, and it shall happen soon. Onyendu enjoins you all, to always keep your eyes on the ball, even as enemies of UmuChineke are desecrating our land, which sacrilege is targeted at painting UmuChineke black, but they will not succeed. God will expose them all.
“Please, do not lose focus, keep your eyes on the ball always for maximum output. Victory is ours, Ezigbo UmuChineke.
“Thank you all and remain blessed, Ezigbo UmuChineke.”
 
The Federal High Court in Abuja last Friday struck out eight of the 15 counts filed against the separatist leader, Kanu.
Kanu was accused of various offences in the counts, including treasonable felony and terrorism, offences he allegedly committed in the course of his campaigns for the breakaway of Biafra.
 
But the judge, Binta Nyako, struck out eight of the charges in her ruling on Kanu’s preliminary objection challenging the validity of the charges.
The judge ruled that Counts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 were incompetent for not disclosing any valid offences against the defendant.
“In this instant preliminary objection application, I have read the counts and counts 6,7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 have not disclosed any offence,” Nyako said.
However, she ruled that Counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,13 and 15 disclosed valid charges against the IPOB leader.
 

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The Joe Biden administration in the United States has given the green light for Nigeria to buy advanced attack helicopters worth nearly $1billion despite concerns about the country´s human rights record as it battles threats from criminal gangs and extremists in the north.
According to Daily Mail, the State Department on Thursday announced the approval of the $997 million sale of 24 Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters and related equipment to Nigeria.

The related equipment includes guidance, night vision and targeting systems as well as engines and training support, the department said in a notice to Congress.
The sale went ahead after a November 2021 visit to Abuja by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during which he raised concerns about Nigeria´s rights record.
At the time, though, Blinken also made clear that the United States regards Nigeria as a partner in combating terrorism and Islamic extremism in West Africa and the Sahel, a region along the Sahara Desert stretching across North Africa, and is looking to increase cooperation with it in those areas.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa," the department told Congress.
The deal will also "better equip Nigeria to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability and build interoperability with the U.S. and other Western partners" and "will be a major contribution to U.S. and Nigerian security goals," the notice said.
Nigeria´s security forces have long been accused of human rights violations in their operations, with personnel involved often escaping justice.
In October 2020, the Nigerian Army opened fire at a demonstration in the country´s economic hub where hundreds were protesting against police brutality, killing 11 people and injuring many others, according to a government-backed panel.
During Blinken's visit on November, he said the U.S. was looking forward to seeing the full results of the investigation and would make a decision on arms sales to Nigeria based in part on the findings and whether those responsible were held accountable.
Nigeria is also facing a growing threat from armed gangs and extremist rebels who are now working together in the country's troubled northwest and threaten to further destabilize an already volatile region.
Nigeria, Africa´s most populous country with 206 million people, has been battling violence in the north and an alliance between the two groups could worsen the crisis, analysts believe.

 

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The Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Ilorin has described the Transition Implementation Committees (TICs) appointed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to run the 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State as illegal.
Governor AbdulRazaq had appointed the caretaker committees after suspending the elected officials of the councils.

Justice K.I. Amadi who delivered the judgment via zoom on Thursday upheld the judgement of the Kwara State High Court earlier delivered by Justice H.A. Gegele in favour of the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD).
The court described the governor’s replacement of the suspended officials with his own appointees as executive rascality and an abuse of power.
According to Justice Amadi, the suspension of a democratically-elected local government councils and their replacement with “illegal” TIC by the state government is not known to any law.
Reacting to the judgement, ENetSuD in a statement signed by its Press Secretary, Saeed Tijjani hailed the judgment.
The statement read, “Today via the virtual sitting of the Ilorin Division of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, the Appeal filed by the Kwara State Government, the Governor and the Attorney General of kwara state over the illegal appointment of Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in the 16 Local Government Councils of Kwara State was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Justice K.I. Amadi who delivered the judgement via zoom, upheld the judgement of the Kwara State High Court earlier delivered by Justice H.A. Gegele in favour of the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) on 8th of October, 2021. ENetSuD is an anti-corruption Civil Society Organization with registered office in Kwara State and known to be promoting good governance, transparency and accountability.
“ENetSuD was ably represented by its Director of Legal Services, Lukman Raji Esq, while the Kwara State Government and other Appellants were represented by the Director of Civil Litigation of Kwara State Ministry of Justice, Mr Bello and a chief State Counsel, Mrs Michael at the sitting of court of Appeal of 14th April, 2022.
“The Respondent who was the Claimant at the lower court In the original Suit No KWS/117/2021 at the Kwara State High Court, dragged the Appellants (Kwara State Government, Kwara State Governor and Attorney General of Kwara State) to the State High Court to seek the following reliefs: A declaration that section 29 (1) to (5) of the Kwara State Local Government Law, 2005 is in conflict with section 7(1) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and thus null, void and of no effect whatsoever to the extent that it empowered Governor of Kwara State to dissolve the democratically-elected Local Government councils and replace them with Transitional Implementation Committees/ Caretaker or whatsoever name called appointed by the Governor or any other body.
“A declaration that by virtue of the combined effect of section 7 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the provisions of section 18 and 28 the Kwara State Local Government Law, 2005 the Governor of Kwara State had no power to dissolve the democratically-elected councils of the sixteen Local Governments of Kwara State.
“A Declaration that 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) does not recognize the purported Transitional Implementation Committee/ Caretaker or any other name whatsoever called in Kwara State and the creation or appointing of such is therefore unconstitutional. A Declaration that the Respondents lack vires to release or use Kwara State resources to fund purported Transitional Implementation Committee/ Caretaker or any other name whatsoever called in view of sections 1(1), 7(1) and 15 (5) of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“An Order setting aside the purported appointment of Transitional Implementation Committee by the Kwara State Government of 5th March, 2021 or any other dates whatsoever. An Order directing the 2nd Respondent (Kwara State Governor) to recover/refund back to the State Treasury all funds, remunerations and benefits already paid to members of the said Transitional Implementation Committees.
“An Order directing the 2nd Respondent (Kwara State Governor) to conduct Local Government election in the whole local government area of Kwara state with immediate effect in accordance with section 7 (1) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Hon. Justice H.A. Gegele of the State High Court delivered his judgement on the case on 8th October 2021. He ruled that the KWSG suspended a democratically-elected Local Government Council and then replaced them with an illegal TIC that is not known to any law. He also granted all the prayers 1 – 7 listed above as made to the court by ENetSuD.
“Kwara State Government sought to allow the appeal and set aside the judgement of the lower (High) Court delivered on 8th October 2021 by Justice Hassan A. Gegele. Justice K.I. Amadi (JCA), while delivering his judgement today, dismissed the appeal made by the Kwara State Government and ruled in favour of ENetSuD.”
Attachments area

 

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Yakubu Gowon

Following the high level of insecurity and economic instability in the country, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.) has asked security agencies to protect members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) during the 2023 elections.
Gowon disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the inauguration of NYSC Radio and Television stations.

Yakubu Gowon
The former Head of State who was the guest of honour said, “I’m proud of what NYSC members in the past and present have been doing and hope you will continue to do it. I hope the NYSC radio and television will be a reliable platform for information dissemination and entertainment.
“I want you all (corps members) to go out there with courage and sustain the unity of the nation by performing your duties, I hope our security agencies will do the needful to protect you.”
The NYSC scheme was set up in 1973 during the military regime of Gowon as an effort to reconcile and rebuild the country after the civil war.
Apart from serving in their various places of primary assignment, corps members are often deployed for key assignments such as working as ad hoc electoral staff during elections.
However, some of them have either been killed or endangered in the line of duty.
Also speaking, the NYSC Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim said, “There is no doubt that the radio and television station will tremendously boost the visibility of the scheme in the media space both locally and internationally.”
He called for collaboration and support from the Nigerian public as the stations commenced broadcasting.

 

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Russia’s guided missile cruiser Moskva has sunk in the Black Sea after being damaged during the military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s defence ministry said late Thursday.
“While being towed … towards the destined port, the vessel lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull as fire broke out after ammunition exploded. Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank,” the state news agency TASS quoted the ministry as saying.

SaharaReporters earlier today reported how a drone footage showed pictures of a Russian tank being unintentionally blown up by one other Russian armoured automobile.
The footage exhibits clear pictures of a Russian tank that seemed to unintentionally blow up one other Russian tank and its personal comrades.
The tanks have been confirmed as being Russian as each presented the indistinctive “V” marking printed on the aspect of the automobiles.
As confirmed by GPS indicators, the drone footage was filmed in Dmytrivka, a village west of Kyiv, on March 31, 2022 because the Russian troops were leaving the capital as a result of a Ukrainian ambush.
The Ukrainian ambush and Russia’s retreat from Kyiv comply with President Vladimir Putin’s unsuccessful plan within the capital.
Russia’s most important goal within the capital would have been the occupation of the town, in addition to the substitute of the Ukrainian President Zelensky with a pro-Russian determine.
Following the unachieved goal, Putin’s new plan to defeat Ukraine appears to see the re-grouping and intensification of Russian troops within the south west areas of Ukraine.
Such plan seems to be confirmed by Russian troops now leaving the capital and an eight-mile lengthy line of Russian tanks and armoured automobiles that seem to now strategise towards south-east of Ukraine.

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Iconic highlife musician, Orlando Julius, has passed on.

The ‘A dara, a dara’ singer, among many other acclaimed songs, died hours ago at the age of 79, Phenomenal Lagos said.

The passage was relayed by his widow, Latoya Aduke, through music promoter and Evergreen Music boss, Bimbo Esho.

Esho in an early Friday Facebook post said, "Bimbo, Daddy Has Passed On…This was the message I stumbled on waking up at exactly 3am to peruse my WhatsApp page. It was a message sent in to me by Orlando Julius beautiful and supportive wife Lady Latoya.

“Orlando Julius, a native of Ijebu Ijesha, succumbed to the cold hands of death and breathed his last few hours ago at the age of 79.

“We shall miss one of Nigeria’s fathers of Afro/Highlife Music, a gentleman and a fine saxophonist.

“May daddy Orlando Julius soul journey well. To the entire Ekemode family, may God give you the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss."

Although the late musician had been slowed down by age some years before his death, his rich bank of songs continued to define his essence as a great multi-talented musician.

His big role in the industry got highlighted last year, when many stakeholders gathered in Ilesa, Osun State, to celebrate his 60 years on stage.

Orlando Julius related well with musicians of different countries and ages, as he was able to court even younger artistes that include Beautiful Nubia and Edaoto, at whose shows he occasionally performed.

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