News & Announcements

The military junta in the Niger Republic has warned West African leaders meeting in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, against military intervention to stop the coup.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the powerful presidential guard, declared himself the leader of Niger on Friday after the country’s elected toppled.

President Mohamed Bazoum, who came into office in February 2021 as the country’s 10th president, since independence, has been held by the military for four days.

Recall that Mohammed Bazoum was sworn in after a runoff, in the first round held on December 27, 2020, he got 39.30% of the votes.

In round two he got 55.67% and was declared the winner on March 21 of the following year.

In a bid to stop him from being sworn in as president, ten days after he was declared winner of the runoff, he survived an attempt on his life in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

Meanwhile, West African leaders will be meeting in Abuja on Sunday, July 30, for an emergency summit on the situation in Niger.

“ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region,” President of Nigeria and ECOWAS Chairman, Bola Tinubu, had said in a statement on Friday, following the coup.

In a televised statement however, on Saturday night, July 29, Niger’s military leaders warned against any military intervention by ECOWAS, noting that Nigerien soldiers are ready to defend their homeland.

“The objective of the (ECOWAS) meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger through an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS, and certain Western countries,” junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said.

“We want to once more remind ECOWAS or any other adventurer, of our firm determination to defend our homeland,” he added.

The junta issued another statement calling on citizens in the capital Niamey to come out into the streets Sunday from 7 a.m. local time (8 a.m. CET) and demonstrate against ECOWAS to show support for the new military leadership.

A drone attack in Moscow has caused damage to two office buildings and led to the brief shutdown of Vnukovo Airport, according to Russia’s defence ministry.

The incident, which occurred in the Odintsovo district, resulted in one person being injured.

The drones were reportedly neutralized by Russian forces, but two of them crashed into office buildings, causing slight damage to the facades.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that several windows were damaged, and debris was scattered on the ground.

Flights from Vnukovo Airport were suspended temporarily, with incoming planes redirected to other airports.

Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind the drone attack, but Ukrainian officials have not acknowledged any involvement.

Moscow has previously blamed Kyiv for a series of drone strikes on its territory, with the latest incident being part of the ongoing tensions between the two countries during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The attack is the latest in a series of incidents that have heightened hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

Despite the tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that Russia does not reject the idea of peace talks on Ukraine.

However, he also emphasized that there could be no ceasefire while the Ukrainian army continues its offensive actions.

As the situation remains volatile, the international community closely watches for any signs of escalation or de-escalation in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Source: BBC..

A 42-year-old mother, Lauren Anne Dickason has explained why she decided to snuff the life out her three children.

Dickason was charged with murdering her daughters Liane, aged six, and twins Maya and Karla, aged two after allegedly suffocating them to death, according to Daily Mail
She told the police that she killed one of her twins first because she was “badly behaved”.

Dickason, who is on trial in the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, admitted to killing her children but denied it was murder.

Her defence claims she is not guilty by reason of insanity.

“I did the twins first… The first one was being really, really, really horrible to me lately,” the mum explained, referring to Karla.

“She has been biting me and hitting me and scratching me and throwing tantrums 24 hours a day – and I just don’t know how to manage that. That is why I did her first.”

The sisters were found dead at their home in Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island on September 16, 2021, by their father Graham Dickason.

The surgeon had moved with his wife and daughters from Pretoria, South Africa, to start a new life just days before.

On the night of the alleged triple murder, the 42-year-old smothered the girls 20 minutes after her husband left for a work function.

On Tuesday, the jury watched a video of Dickason’s interview with police the day after the girls died.

The recording showed the mother saying she had not “felt normal” for months before “something just snapped”, the New Zealand Herald reported.

During the interview, she talked about the “overwhelming” move from South Africa to New Zealand and said how she had lost hope.

“I don’t even know where to start… It just got too overwhelming – and with the new visa thing that came through yesterday I just see no hope for us here in the future,” Dickason told cops.

“Just getting on the aeroplane was enough of an effort, there was so much paperwork to be done and then there was the two weeks in MIQ which almost had us crazy.

“Something just snapped last night.”

A Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State’s capital, has ordered Isuofia Microfinance Bank Limited and Police to pay N2.2 million to one Ohadugha Chizara, a nursing mother, for her wrongful arrest and incarceration at the Okpoko police cell, together with her six-month-old infant.

The applicant was Ohadugha Chizara, and the respondents were Isuofia Microfinance Bank Ltd, Nwafor Okechukwu, Nwoke Ifeoma, Commissioner of Police Anambra State, Ugochukwu Ugbo, Divisional Police Officer Okpoko, and Inspector Chinelo Okechi (I.P.O).

In her application for fundamental rights, the applicant’s counsel, F.N Asogwa Esq of His Grace Chambers, asked the court to order the respondents to pay her client (N100,000,000) One Hundred Million Naira in compensation and general damages.

The damages also include violations of her fundamental rights to life, human dignity, personal liberty, and freedom of movement from June 22, 2022, to June 24, 2022, at the Okpoko Police cell in Anambra State.

The petitioner further requested that the court award her client N50 million in exemplary damages for “violating, infringing, and breaching her client’s fundamental rights to life.”

The counsel also requested that the respondents be barred from “violating, infringing, and breaching her client’s fundamental right to life, the dignity of human persons, the right to personal liberty, and freedom of movement as enshrined in the Nigeria constitution, among other reliefs.”

In his decision on Friday, Justice F. I. Riman directed the Police, the bank, Nwafor Okechukwu, and Nwoke Ifeoma to compensate the nursing mother N2 million.

The Judge further ordered the defendants to pay N200,000 in exemplary damages for violating, infringing, and breaking the applicant’s fundamental rights at Okpoko Police Station, where he was imprisoned, from June 22, 2022 to June 24, 2022.

The court also issued an injunction prohibiting the respondents, his privies, agents, or cohorts from violating, infringing, or breaching Chizara’s fundamental rights to life, dignity of human persons, personal liberty, and freedom of movement, as enshrined in the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution of 1999.

Chizara, the petitioner, was detained in connection with a loan transaction.

Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has enforced a 24-hour curfew.

The governor made the announcement on Sunday.

This is in response to the increasing number of hoodlums breaking into warehouses and hauling away food and other commodities.

Fintiri stated on his verified Twitter account that the measure was taken as a precaution to prevent rising violence by hoodlums targeting individuals and businesses.

It was reported in 2020 that outraged residents looted a government-owned warehouse in Kwana-waya before breaking into the Central shops in Barkin Kogi and stole food products.

The governor said, “Effective immediately Sunday, July 30, 2023, I, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have declared a 24-hour curfew in Adamawa State due to escalating violence by hoodlums attacking people and businesses.

“No movement is allowed, except for essential duties with valid ID. Your safety is our priority – please comply for the well-being of all,” he wrote.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerien military on Sunday to restore constitutional order and return ousted President Muhammed Bazoum.

This came after an unusual meeting of ECOWAS leaders at the State House in Abuja to examine the situation in Niger Republic.

While the group recognized Bazoum as the legal President of the landlocked state, it also enforced land and border closures, as well as a suspension of all commercial flights between Niger and ECOWAS member states.

Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, announced the decision, saying that the Chiefs of Defense Staff from the member countries will convene for an emergency meeting to strategize on effective ways to undertake a possible military operation to restore Bazoum to office.

He said the ECOWAS will “Take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

“Such measures may include the use of force.

“To this effect, the Chiefs of Defense Staff of ECOWAS are to meet immediately.”

Announcing economic sanctions, Touray said ECOWAS has approved the “Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger. Freeze all service transactions including energy transactions.

“Freeze assets of the Republic of Niger in Aqua Central Bank. Freeze of assets of the Niger State and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks.

“Suspension of measure from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID.”

Members of Niger’s Presidential Guard, who carried out the coup, announced General Abdourahamane Tchiani as the country’s new leader on Friday.

Tchiani, who has led the Presidential Guard since 2011, said the coup on Wednesday was the military’s response to “the degradation of the security situation” caused by terrorist carnage.

The military also warned of the “consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention,” stating that “certain dignitaries…are considering confrontation,” which “will end in nothing but the massacre of the Nigerien population and chaos.”

The European Union (EU), on Friday, condemned in the strongest term the coup d’etat in Niger, and described it as a disruption of the democratic process in the country.

The bloc said in a statement that the events of recent days constituted a serious attack on stability and democracy in Nigér.

“As ECOWAS pointed out in its latest press release, this coup is in total violation of the democratic principles on which the management of political power in the region is based.

“The EU reiterates its support for the action of the organisation in the sub-region and for the ongoing efforts to allow an immediate return to constitutional order.

“The EU calls for President Bazoum’s security and freedom of movement to be guaranteed unconditionally.

“Any breach of the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budget support.

“We will remain in close coordination with the ECOWAS Heads of State.

“The EU stands with the people of Nigér and reaffirms its full commitment to strict respect for the rule of law, human rights, and international humanitarian law in Nigér,” it stated.

The Nigerien president was put under house arrest by soldiers at the presidential palace after which the military announced on television that it had taken over power from the Bazoum-led government.

The army later expressed support for the coup.

Across the country, tension remains high following protests by supporters of the coup and people loyal to the president.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, has condemned the military takeover and said a meeting of the sub-regional bloc would be convened to discuss the Niger question.

The four women who were taken hostage by robbers in Zamfara state six months ago are now free.

Recall that the four ladies were kidnapped by the bandits six months ago, and they demanded N12 million in ransom in order to avoid forcing them into marriage.

An anonymous mother of one of the girls told Newsmen that the women had been freed by bandits and were now being cared after by security personnel and receiving medical attention.

She insisted that the victims’ relatives hadn’t been contacted yet.

She said, “The security agents called me and told me that my daughter has been rescued from the bandits and is under their care.

“I even spoke with my daughter on the phone who confirmed to me that, they are being treated in a hospital”.

The state police command’s spokeswoman, SP Yazid Abubakar, could not be reached by phone, therefore attempts to elicit a statement from him were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Zagalola Makama, a counterterrorism expert, tweeted that four ladies had been released.

Makama stated that they were receiving medical examinations while at the hospital.

He said, “These abducted women have reportedly regained their freedom from armed bandits in Zamfara”

Mali has removed French as an official state language, six decades after the country gained independence from its former colonial master.

The decision is enshrined in the West African country’s new constitution, adopted on Saturday.

On Friday, Bamako’s constitutional court validated the final results of a June referendum on a draft constitution, declaring that it received 96.91% approval from voters.

French will serve as the primary working language, while the 13 national languages spoken within the country will be formally recognized as official languages. 

An additional 70 local languages, including Bambara, Bobo, Dogon, and Minianka, some of which were granted national language status by decree in 1982, will be retained.

Mali has been ruled by a military junta since two coups in August 2020 and May 2021, following a decade of political instability marked by rising jihadist insurgencies.

The junta has insisted that a new constitution is essential to rebuilding the country, promising to return to civilian rule with elections in February 2024 after an earlier plan failed.

Interim President Assimi Goita announced on Saturday that the implementation of the constitutional framework signals the beginning of the Fourth Republic in the former French colony.

Relations between Paris and Bamako have deteriorated in recent years as anti-French sentiment has grown across France’s former West African colonies as a result of claims of military failures against jihadists and political interference.

France withdrew its last troops from Mali in August, ending a nine-year military operation in the country to fight armed groups.

Late last year, the military government ordered all NGOs, including aid groups funded by France, to cease operations in the country. 

The action was taken in reaction to Paris’ decision to halt development aid to Bamako over alleged concerns about Mali’s cooperation with the Wagner Russian private military company.

Dr. Nonye Soludo, the governor of Anambra State’s wife, has urged Nigerians to adopt healthy lifestyles, nutritious diets, clean environments, fundamental life skills, and morally upright behavior in order to prolong life and fend off diseases.

Soludo revealed that she has started a healthy living program in all of the nation’s schools with the goal of encouraging youngsters to lead healthy lifestyles and instilling in them the value of eating locally grown foods.

She spoke to the media on Friday in Awka to promote her project, the “Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Campaign,” and she urged Nigerians to stay away from chemicalized food since it harms the body’s organs.

She added that the program had started in elementary and secondary schools with the intention of encouraging kids to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that as they grew older, they would be aware of certain things to avoid and how to maintain a balanced diet.

She said, “I started championing ‘Healthy living with Nonye Soludo’ 10 years ago. I give talks on healthy lifestyles and good diets with our local foods.

“I want to bring the message home to our people because we need to be healthy to achieve a liveable and prosperous homeland.

“I have started forming healthy living clubs in our schools to inculcate the culture of healthy lifestyles and catch them young so that they can grow into responsible adults.

“Our children need to get addicted to eating healthy, doing physical exercises and environmental hygiene to stay healthy, rather than get addicted to their phones and social media.”

In order to grow and consume natural foods, she urged Nigerians to adopt backyard farming instead than eating as much manufactured and chemicalized food.

“Our mission is to mobilise everybody, every critical sector in the society to make healthy living a culture. People should realise that if they keep dumping chemicalised foods on their bodies, the organs will be suffering until they make conscious efforts to clean up the system by eating healthy.

“Our local foods are readily available and cheap. They are also energy-giving, healing and medicinal to our body systems, organs and general health.

“We need to start avoiding processed foods and make conscious efforts to eat well with more grains of fibre and do 30 minutes of exercise daily.

“We are partnering with religious and community leaders to drive this message home within Anambra and beyond,” she added.

According to her, Nigerians need to also embrace walking and cycling in order to reduce vehicular air pollution and promote a healthy life style.

“The emissions from our vehicles are polluting the air and environment; and this is hazardous to human health. We need to introduce and embrace cycling to reduce carbon emissions and exposure.

“Cycling is a clean mode of transport and a fitness choice with health benefits. Sometime we need to pack our cars and walk more, especially if we are not going long distance. All over the world, people are talking about healthy living and it is contagious, we need to do more in this regard,” she noted.