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Coroner orders contempt proceedings against hospital director over late journalist’s record

Bankole ABE
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Coroner orders contempt proceedings against hospital director over late journalist’s record

A LAGOS State District Coroner, Temitope Oladele, has ordered contempt proceedings against the Medical Director of Ikorodu General Hospital for disobeying a court order to produce records relating to the late journalist, Pelumi Onifade, who died in police custody during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, October 8, by the Communications Officer of the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Idowu Adewale, the directive was issued on Tuesday, October 7, during resumed proceedings of the coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death.

The coroner ordered that Form 48, a notice of the consequences of disobeying a court order, be issued and served on the Medical Director or an authorised representative of the hospital, alongside a certified true copy of the court’s order.

According to court procedure, Form 48 is a preliminary step toward initiating contempt or committal proceedings against any person who fails to comply with a lawful court order.

The coroner’s latest order follows the hospital’s failure to comply with an earlier directive issued on August 8, 2025, instructing the Medical Director to release hospital records showing when Onifade’s remains were deposited, released, or their current status.

That earlier order was granted after lawyers representing MRA, Monday Arunsi and Jennifer Wala, reported that the hospital had refused to release the records because medical information was confidential.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, MRA’s counsel, Samuel Adebola of Charles Musa & Co., who led Arunsi, informed the coroner that despite being served with the court order on August 26, the hospital had failed to comply.

Adebola told the court that he and his colleagues visited the hospital on October 2 to meet with the Medical Director, but were kept waiting for over five hours and were not attended to. He urged the court to cite the Medical Director for contempt.

The judge, Oladele, granted the application, ordering that Form 48 be issued and served immediately, and adjourned further hearing to October 22, 2025.

The coroner’s inquest was convened on the orders of the Federal High Court in Lagos, following a wrongful death suit filed by MRA against the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Government, demanding an independent investigation into Onifade’s death.

The ICIR had earlier reported in August 2025 that the coroner ordered the Ikorodu General Hospital to release documents concerning the deposit and release of Onifade’s remains after the MRA complained of persistent refusal by the hospital to comply.

Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, was reportedly arrested by policemen attached to a Lagos State task force while covering the #EndSARS protests in 2020. His body was later found at the Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary.

In July 2024, Federal High Court Judge Ayokunle Faji directed the Lagos State Attorney-General to initiate a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted.

Five years after his death, Onifade’s family and civil society organisations continue to demand transparency and accountability over the circumstances surrounding his death in police custody.

Trump expects Israeli hostages to be released after Gaza ceasefire deal

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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Trump expects Israeli hostages to be released after Gaza ceasefire deal

UNITED States President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Palestine as part of the first phase of his plan to end the war in Gaza, which has claimed over 67,000 lives and transformed the Middle East.

The deal was announced by Trump late Wednesday, on Truth Social.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that, “With the approval of the first phase of the plan, ALL our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”

Hamas also confirmed it had reached a deal to end the war, stating that the agreement provides for an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-for-prisoner exchange.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the agreement revealed to Reuters on Thursday that Israeli hostages could be freed on Saturday, and the Israeli military would launch the initial phase of a partial withdrawal from the enclave within 24 hours of the deal’s conclusion.

The source explained thag the agreement is scheduled to be signed at noon on Thursday, Israel time (0900 GMT), while Israel’s security cabinet and government are due to hold meetings on the agreement at 5 p.m. Israel time (1400 GMT).

A Hamas source said the surviving hostages would be released within 72 hours after the Israeli government approves the deal noting that retrieving the bodies of deceased hostages, estimated at around 28 would take more time due to the extensive destruction in Gaza.

The conflict shifted the balance of power in the Middle East in Israel’s favor, following its assassinations of leaders from Iran-backed Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the killing of senior Iranian commanders, and heavy strikes on Yemen’s Houthis.

But global outrage intensified over Israel’s offensive, with numerous human rights experts, scholars, and a United Nations inquiry describing it as genocide, while Israel, insists its actions are an act of self-defense following the 2023 Hamas attack.

According to Gaza authorities, more than 67,000 people have been killed and large parts of the enclave have been destroyed since Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.

Israeli officials report that about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage to Gaza, with 20 of the 48 remaining captives believed to be alive.

Court jails retired FCTA director 24 years for ₦318 million fraud

Bankole ABE
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Court jails retired FCTA director 24 years for ₦318 million fraud

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Garuba Mohammed Duku, to 24 years imprisonment for diverting public funds totalling ₦318 million.

The judge, James Omotosho, who presided over the case, found Duku guilty on six counts of corruption and money laundering, as charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.

According to the anti-graft agency, investigations showed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to the AMMC into his personal account at Fidelity Bank Plc.

The ICPC stated that the funds were released in several tranches, including ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million, and were later converted through Bureau de Change operators for purposes not authorised by government regulations.

The ICPC said its investigators established that the method adopted for the release and withdrawal of the funds was fraudulent and in breach of public financial rules.

During the trial, Duku claimed that the money was disbursed to his superiors, but the court dismissed the argument after he failed to produce any evidence to support it.

Delivering judgment on October 2, Omotosho ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, stating that the “totality of evidence and witness testimonies presented by the Commission clearly established the guilt of the defendant.”

The judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, with the jail terms to run concurrently. He also gave the convict an option of a fine equivalent to five times the amount stated in each count, totalling about ₦1.6 billion.

In a statement issued on Thursday, October 9, after the ruling, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare described the conviction as proof of the Commission’s determination to ensure accountability in public service.

“This conviction underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to holding public officers accountable and ensuring that those who betray public trust through corrupt practices are brought to justice,” Bakare said.

The Commission added that the outcome demonstrates its resolve to use the courts to recover stolen public assets and deter financial misconduct among government officials.

UI, UNILAG top Nigeria’s list in 2026 world university rankings

Mustapha USMAN
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UI, UNILAG top Nigeria’s list in 2026 world university rankings

THE University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked institutions in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

The latest ranking, released on October 9, 2025, assessed 2,191 universities across 115 countries and territories, evaluating their performance across teaching, research, international outlook, and industry engagement.

The ranking placed both UI and UNILAG in the 801–1000 band, maintaining their standing among the top 1,000 research-intensive universities globally. 

UI was named as the first top Nigerian university, having recorded an overall score range of 35.5–38.9. The university performed strongly in research quality with a pass mark of 63.5 per cent and international outlook (43.8 per cent). 

UNILAG achieved the same overall band but performed better in research quality (66.7) and industry income (32.6).

The two universities were followed by Bayero University Kano, Covenant University, and Landmark University, which all appeared in the 1001–1200 category, with each scoring the same overall score of 32.1–35.4. 

This means that both Covenant University and Landmark University maintained their reputation as the top-performing private universities in Nigeria.

Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, University of Jos and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka were placed in the 1201–1500 band, while several others, including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, Federal University of Technology Akure, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta and Lagos State University, appeared in the 1501+ category.

How Nigeria universities were ranked by the Times Higher Education
How Nigeria universities were ranked by the Times Higher Education

Universities such as Babcock, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology also appeared in the 1501+ band, while others, including Al-Hikmah University, Bells University of Technology, Federal University of Lafia and Igbinedion University, were listed as “reporters,” meaning they submitted data but did not meet the eligibility criteria for ranking.

Top Universities in Nigeria

Globally, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom retained the number one spot for a record tenth consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a tie between Princeton University and the University of Cambridge.  

Sharing the fifth spot are Harvard University and Stanford University, both in the United States. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) ranked seventh, maintaining its place from the previous year, while Imperial College London in the United Kingdom climbed to eighth position.

The University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University, both in the United States, completed the top ten, ranking ninth and tenth, respectively.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are based on 18 performance indicators across five key areas: teaching (29.5 per cent), research environment (29 per cent), research quality (30 per cent), international outlook (7.5 per cent) and industry (4 per cent).

Data for the ranking were compiled using Elsevier’s Scopus database, analysing 174.9 million citations from 18.7 million academic outputs published between 2020 and 2024, the organisation said.

Togo, Benin owe Nigeria $8.5 million for electricity supply – NERC

Bankole ABE
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Togo, Benin owe Nigeria $8.5 million for electricity supply – NERC

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that neighbouring West African countries of Benin and Togo owe the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) about $8.5 million for electricity supply.

NERC disclosed this in its second-quarter(Q2) report of 2025.

The electricity regulator explained that six international bilateral customers who purchase power from Nigerian generation companies remitted only $9.01 million out of a total $17.54 million invoice issued by the Market Operator for services rendered during the period.

This left an outstanding balance of $8.53 million, representing a remittance performance of 51.33 per cent.

The report identified the international customers as Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of the Republic of Benin, Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET) of Togo, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (NIGELEC) of the Republic of Niger, among others. These countries receive electricity from Nigeria through cross-border supply arrangements managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

A breakdown of the report showed that Mainstream Energy Solutions received $2.59 million out of the $3.71 million invoice issued to NIGELEC, representing a 69.8 per cent remittance rate. CEET made no payment for its $4.31 million invoice, while SBEE, which buys power from Transcorp and Paras Energy, settled only a portion of its bill.

“The six international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $9.01 million against the cumulative invoice of $17.54 million issued by the Market Operator for services rendered in 2025/Q2, translating to a remittance performance of 51.33 per cent,” NERC said in the report.

The commission also disclosed that domestic bilateral customers made a combined payment of ₦1.4 billion out of ₦2.8 billion billed for services in the same period, representing a 50.10 per cent remittance rate. Only the Transcorp (Ughelli)–SBEE contract achieved full remittance of $5.47 million, while others, such as Paras–SBEE, Paras–CEET, and Odukpani–CEET, recorded no payments.

On the performance of electricity distribution companies (DisCos), NERC reported that they remitted ₦399.20 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and ₦65.30 billion to the Market Operator, against a total invoice of ₦417.35 billion for generation and transmission services. This resulted in a shortfall of about ₦18.15 billion and a remittance performance of 95.65 per cent, slightly lower than the 95.86 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.

Despite the improved billing efficiency recorded in Q2 2025, the sector continued to suffer from high Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collection (ATC&C) losses, which stood at 37.92 per cent, far above the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) target of 20.54 per cent. Kaduna DisCo posted the poorest performance, with a loss rate of 70.98 per cent against a target of 21.32 per cent.

NERC warned that the persistent shortfall in remittances from both international and domestic customers continues to threaten the financial stability of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, where operators depend on timely payments to sustain generation and grid operations.

Things that can get you arrested during Anambra elections 

Editorial
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Things that can get you arrested during Anambra elections 

By Nigerian Fact-checker’s Coalition 

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has continually warned against vote-buying, ballot box snatching, underage voting and other electoral malpractices as Anambra election holds November 8.

.INEC organises elections into various political offices in the country.

The Electoral Act 2022 clearly outlines the rules and regulations guiding electoral process.

But many Nigerians are unaware of the provisions in the Act that could lead to their arrest.

This article highlights the key activities that could lead to arrest during the forthcoming election in Anambra. 

Legal framework

Electoral offences in Nigeria are comprehensively stipulated in the Electoral Act 2022.

It was assented to by the late former president, Muhammadu Buhari, in February 2022 and later gazetted and published in the following month for adoption ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Under the Act, offences such as vote buying, impersonation, and voting by unqualified voters, among others, carry a fine, imprisonment, or both, depending on the severity of the offence.

This effort aims to ensure credible, free, and fair elections among participating parties, thereby ensuring that citizens’ votes count.

The Anambra election is approaching, and the Electoral Act 2022 will remain in effect until it is amended or repealed. If you are a voter in Anambra, below are some of the offences that could lead to your arrest in the governorship election period.

Voter registration offences

Everyone in Anambra who is eligible to vote is required to register for the election. However, it is important to note that anyone who, without authority, destroys, mutilates, deface, removes, or alters a registration notice or document may face imprisonment. 

In addition, impersonating or registering in a constituency you are not entitled to, or registering at multiple centres; publishing false statements to deter eligible voters from registering; making false entries in registration documents; obstructing registration or revision officers; impersonating registration officers; forging a registration card; or conducting registration or revision outside designated centres are all prohibited by the law. 

These offences carry a fine of up to N1 million, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.

Offences in respect of nomination

If you forge, deface, destroy, unlawfully handle or deliver forged nomination papers, result forms, certificates of return, ballot papers, ballot boxes, or you consent to be a candidate when ineligible, you commit an offence and are liable on conviction to imprisonment for up to two years.

Manufacturing or importing election materials without authority

The Nigerian law criminalises manufacturing, importing, possessing, or supplying ballot boxes, compartments, voting devices, or mechanisms without proper authority. 

The unlawful possession, illegal printing of a ballot paper, illegal production, importation of ballot boxes or the illegal printing of ballot papers are prohibited.

These offences attract a maximum fine of N50 million, imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years, or both.

Disorderly behaviour at political meetings

Political meetings are essential for the promotion of democracy, especially in a multi-party system like Nigeria’s. However, opposition groups sometimes attempt to disrupt one another’s gatherings. Acting in a disorderly manner or being in possession of an offensive weapon at a political meeting can result in a  fine of up to N500,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.

Improper use of voter’s card

Your voter’s card is meant for you only and can’t be shared with others. Therefore, giving your voter’s card to someone else to use during an election, other than an officer appointed to do so, is unlawful. It’s also the same for possessing more than one voter’s card or buying, selling and dealing with voters’ cards. Anyone found wanting of these offences is liable to a fine of up to N1 million,  imprisonment for 12 months, or both.

Improper use of government vehicles

It is prohibited to convey any person to a registration office or to a polling unit using a government vehicle or boat except such a person is entitled to use such a vehicle or boat, for instance, an electoral officer. 

Anyone who does this risks a fine of up to N500,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both.

Impersonation and voting when not qualified

If you attempt to vote in the Anambra election without being qualified to vote, or you induce a person to vote knowing such a person is not qualified, you can be liable of a fine of up to N500,000 or 12 months imprisonment or both. This also applies to voting more than once or aiding the commission of these offences.

Dereliction of duty and announcing false result

If you are a polling officer who fails to report to the polling unit on time or fails to discharge your duties on election day without a lawful excuse, you can be convicted and fined up to N500,000 or imprisoned for up to 12 months, or both. 

Additionally, announcing or publishing a false election result is punishable by up to 36 months imprisonment. 

If a returning officer, collation officer, or person delivers a false certificate of return, they will be liable to  a sentence of up to three years imprisonment without the option of a fine. 

Bribery and conspiracy: vote buying

Paying money to any other person for bribery at any election or receiving any money or gift for voting, or to refrain from voting at any election, carries a fine of up to N500,000 or imprisonment for 12 months, or both. If a person aids and abets such offences, the same punishment applies. 

Voting interference 

Voting must be done in secret in the polling booth, so that no one else knows the party you voted for. Flouting this rule means you are not maintaining the secrecy of voting at a polling unit. At the polling booth, you cannot interfere with or speak to a voter casting their vote.  If found guilty, you will face a fine of up to N100,000 or imprisonment for up to three months, or both. 

Wrongful voting and false statements

Illegal voting at an election and publishing any statement of the withdrawal of a candidate or about his personal character, knowing it to be false, will attract a fine of  up to N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months, or both. 

Voting by unregistered persons

If you bring a voter’s card issued to another person into a polling unit during an election, you are liable to be fined N100,000 or imprisoned for six months, or both. You get the same punishment if you attempt to knowingly vote in a constituency that doesn’t have your name in its register.

Disorderly conduct at elections

If you incite people to act in a disorderly manner at polling units, you will be liable to a  fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months, or both. 

Offences on election day

According to the Act, within a distance of 300 metres of a polling unit, you must not canvass for votes, persuade any voter not to vote for a particular candidate, or be in possession of any offensive weapon. 

You must also not wear or display any notice, symbol, photograph, or party card. Using any vehicle bearing the colour or symbol of a political party, loitering around a polling unit, or blaring a siren is also prohibited. 

Flouting these prohibitions can result in a fine of N100,000 or a term of imprisonment of six months. 

In addition, the snatching or destruction of any election material can result in a 24-month imprisonment.

Undue Influence  –  vote buying & selling 

If you accept money or any other inducement after the announcement of an election date, or if you give money or an inducement to corruptly influence someone to vote or not vote, you will face penalties. You are liable to be fined N100,000 or imprisoned for 12 months, or both.

Violence, threats, or campaign obstruction

If you threaten a person with violence or injury to compel that person to vote or refrain from voting, or you prevent any political aspirant from free use of the media vehicles, mobilisation of political support and campaign at an election, you will be liable to be fined N1 million or imprisoned for three years. 

Written & edited by Nigeria Fact-Checkers Coalition (NFC) ahead of the Anambra 2025 election.

Private sector provides 70% of Nigeria’s healthcare needs —Report

Mustapha USMAN
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Private sector provides 70% of Nigeria’s healthcare needs —Report

NIGERIA’S health system remains heavily reliant on private providers who deliver about 70 per cent of healthcare services in the country, according to the newly launched Country Health System and Services Profile (CHSSP).

The CHSSP, unveiled on Wednesday, October 8, in Abuja, exposes deep-seated challenges within the system, including low public spending on health, poor infrastructure, inadequate workforce retention, and heavy reliance on out-of-pocket payments by citizens. 

The report was produced by the Health Policy Research Group (HPRG) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH&SW) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), among others.

While presenting findings of the profile, the lead researcher, Obinna Onwujekwe, a professor, noted that private healthcare providers deliver 70 per cent of services in Nigeria in the health sector.

He also stressed that the private sector operates under weak regulatory oversight and fragmented coordination.

“Private health providers deliver 70% of health care services. Regulation and accountability mechanisms for the private sector remain weak,” he stated. 

“Reforms in the past have not delivered up to expectations, with hopes high for the recent Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).”

The CHSSP also identified gaps in financing, showing that out-of-pocket spending accounts for 75 per cent of total health expenditure, leaving millions of Nigerians vulnerable to financial shocks when seeking medical care.

The ICIR had, on September 30, reported other details of the report published days earlier by the WHO African Region, under the African Health Observatory Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP) initiative.

The report, published in September, warned that the system was not on track to achieve UHC, with a service coverage index of just 38.4 per cent. 

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Services, Kamil Shoretire, commended the efforts of the group, adding that the government takes responsibility for the challenges highlighted in the report.

He further outlined the federal government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s health system through targeted investments in primary healthcare, infrastructure, workforce development, and digital innovation.

Pate further stated that the government is implementing strategies to train, recruit, and retain health workers through competitive remuneration, professional development, and improved working conditions.

He further noted that the government is leveraging digital health and innovation to enhance service delivery, health information systems, and supply chain management.

Persistent gaps and slow progress toward universal health coverage

Despite reforms, the CHSSP indicated that Nigeria remains off-track to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. 

The researchers noted that the country’s UHC Social Coverage Index score stands at 38.4 per cent, among the lowest globally, due to weak infrastructure, human resource shortages, and inequitable access to essential services.

They also noted that overall, Nigeria’s health system delivered only 45 per cent of its potential, below the African regional average of 56 per cent.

This, the researchers said, left millions of Nigerians without reliable care.

According to the report, the healthcare costs fall heavily on individuals and out-of-pocket spending accounts for 75 per cent of all health expenditure, leaving many households vulnerable. 

Despite being Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria spends just five per cent of its annual budget on health, well below the 15 per cent target agreed under the Abuja Declaration in 2001. 

The report also revealed that about 80 per cent of public health infrastructure is dysfunctional, contributing to the $1 billion annual loss to outbound medical tourism.

Workforce challenge 

The lead researcher, while presenting the findings of the research group, stressed that while Nigeria’s health workforce is one of the largest in Africa and is expanding, it’s still short of meeting demands.

According to him, health workforce challenges negatively affect clinical outcomes in the health system

He said that many health workers are leaving the country due to the country’s poor working conditions, while many of those who are trained in Nigeria are not being employed.

“National policies and guidelines on medical product regulation and distribution are poorly implemented and audited. National production capacity meets just 30% of demand. Foreign direct investment and tax incentives would reduce reliance on imports.

“The lack of a systematic, well-regulated drug distribution system leads to drug deterioration, stock shortages, patronage of informal providers and the circulation of substandard medicines. PVAC is expected to change things,” he said.

He, however, said “improvements rely on enhanced political will to increase funding and drive stronger governance, accountability and efficiency in health financing.

‘A one-stop reference for reform’

On his part, BSC Uzochukwu, a professor and researcher with the HPRG, who presented Chapters 9–11 of the report, described the CHSSP as a “one-stop reference document” for policymakers, researchers, and development partners, designed to promote evidence-based decision-making.

He noted that health sector comparisons in the region is targeted at stimulating healthy competition, adding that it’s an opportunity for cross-learning to design multi-country studies on specific issues in the region.

Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown

POPE Leo has urged United States bishops to take a strong stand against the treatment of immigrants under President Donald Trump’s strict policies.

The bishops who visited the Vatican on Wednesday revealed this to Reuters, stating that the Pope is “very personally concerned about these matters.”

According to the report, Leo, being the first US pope, received dozens of letters from immigrants expressing their fears of deportation under the Trump administration’s policies during a meeting with bishops and social workers from the US-Mexico border.

One of the letters presented to the pope on Wednesday revealed the story of a family with two members lacking legal status in the US, who were too afraid to leave their home for fear of deportation.

The writer of the letter, written in Spanish, urged the Pope to speak out openly against the raids and the unfair treatment the community is experiencing.

El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who took part in the meeting, said that the Pope expressed his “desire that the US Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue.”

The ICIR reported in January that the Trump administration started a visa policy and illegal immigrants in the US.

Since he took power on January 20, Trump has made good his vow to carry out mass deportations of immigrants, among other sweeping reforms by his government.

On January 28, the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that about 3,690 Nigerians in the US could be deported.

Elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis, Leo has adopted a more reserved approach than his predecessor, who was known for his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration and his often spontaneous remarks, but Leo has increased his criticism in recent weeks.

On September 30, the pope questioned whether the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies aligned with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings, remarks that sparked strong backlash from several prominent conservative Catholics.

The ICIR reported the United States Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) is set to launch a new programme offering unaccompanied migrant teenagers a one-time payment of $2,500 each if they agree to return to their home country voluntarily.

The USDHS said that the pilot initiative will initially focus on 17-year-old migrants and will require authorisation from an immigration judge before any departure takes place.

The payment, intended to support the minors’ reintegration, would be issued only after they return to their home countries, the memo disclosed.

Aftermath of UNGA 80: Time for African leaders to ponder on Vladimir Putin’s words

Editorial
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Aftermath of UNGA 80: Time for African leaders to ponder on Vladimir Putin’s words

By Mukhtar Imam

AS the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rounded off, the world finds itself at an inflexion point. Great power competition is no longer an abstract concept — it is shaping trade flows, military alliances, financial systems, and the very language of global governance.

Yet, amid the cacophony of speeches and resolutions that filled the UN halls in New York, there is a message African leaders must not only hear but internalise.

It is a message that was not delivered at the UN but in Beijing: Vladimir Putin’s recent words — a sober warning to the West and a clarion call to the Global South — should serve as a mirror for Africa’s ruling class.

Putin’s statement, sharp and deliberate, was not merely a defence of Russian interests. It was a civilisational rebuke of a Western system that still seeks to dictate rather than engage, to dominate rather than respect.

His words resonate far beyond Moscow, Delhi, or Beijing — they should echo in Addis Ababa, Abuja, Nairobi, and Pretoria. Africa, home to 1.4 billion people and abundant resources, remains the last frontier of neocolonial manipulation. Unless African leaders draw the right lessons, they risk being mere spectators as the world moves toward a new multipolar order.

Ultimatums Don’t Work on Civilisations — Africa Included
The age of ultimatums — political, economic, or military — is over.

That is the heart of Putin’s argument, and it applies just as powerfully to Africa as it does to India and China. For centuries, Africa was treated as an open quarry, carved up at conferences like Berlin in 1884–85, stripped of its resources, and denied agency.

Today, the tools are more sophisticated — conditional loans, currency manipulation, sanctions, and “human rights” lectures that come with strings attached — but the effect is the same.

African nations are pressured to pick sides in conflicts that do not serve their interests, to open markets on terms they do not set, and to embrace governance models designed elsewhere.

The question that Putin implicitly poses to the Global South is simple: for how long will civilisations continue to be managed like colonies? Putin’s words are a clear message that the colonial mindset never died; it merely changed costume.

Gunboats and red coats have been replaced with sanctions, tariffs, conditional loans, and moral ultimatums. African nations are told which wars to condemn, which currencies to trade in, which allies to shun, and which economic models to adopt — often under the threat of losing aid, credit ratings, or access to global markets.

It is high time African leaders woke up to the realisation that Africa is not a charity case. It is a continent of 1.4 billion people, vast resources, and untapped potential. If India and China can stand firm against economic blackmail, why can’t Africa? If Russia can turn sanctions into self-reliance, why must African economies continue to beg for debt forgiveness instead of building their own resilience?

Ukraine is a mirror — Not a distraction

Some in Africa see the Ukraine war as a distant European quarrel, irrelevant to African realities. But this is a mistake. What is happening in Ukraine is not merely about borders in Eastern Europe — it is about the right of nations to resist being folded into someone else’s strategic design.

The West’s approach to Russia — isolate, sanction, contain — is the same playbook it uses on African states that resist its prescriptions. Whether it is the Central African Republic, Mali, Niger or Sudan working with non-Western partners for security, or Zimbabwe rejecting IMF dictates, the response is always punishment, never partnership. Africa must choose dignity over dependency.

As Putin noted, countries like India and China have refused to be bullied. They have built resilience: energy security, technological independence, and financial autonomy. Africa must do the same — not merely in rhetoric but in action.

This requires several steps. Economic Sovereignty: Establishing regional value chains, boosting intra-African trade under the AfCFTA, and moving away from commodity dependence that leaves economies vulnerable to external shocks.

Currency and financial independence: Strengthening African currencies, exploring continental settlement systems that bypass the dollar, and reducing exposure to debt denominated in foreign currencies.

Strategic non-alignment: Refusing to be conscripted into great-power conflicts. Africa must be free to engage with Moscow, Beijing, Washington, or Brussels based on interest, not intimidation.

Civilisational confidence: Reclaiming the narrative that Africa is not a problem to be solved but a partner to be respected. This means rejecting foreign prescriptions that undermine traditional systems of governance, culture, and identity.

Multipolarity is Africa’s opportunity

The West is not the only game in town anymore. Russia, China, India, Turkey, Brazil, and even Gulf states (BRICS) are willing to engage Africa on new terms — infrastructure-for-resources deals, technology transfers, security partnerships, and education exchanges. Multipolarity gives Africa leverage. But leverage only works if it is used. African leaders must negotiate like stewards of a great civilisation, not like supplicants in a donor conference.

A spiritual and historical reckoning

This moment is more than geopolitics — it is spiritual. For 500 years, Africa has lived under systems designed by others. Colonialism was not merely political domination; it was psychological warfare, teaching Africans to doubt their own capacity to govern and to see external validation as the highest form of legitimacy. Putin’s message — that civilisations do not take ultimatums — is an invitation for Africa to complete its own decolonisation, both materially and mentally.

African leaders must stop outsourcing the continent’s future to foreign capitals and start thinking like stewards of a civilisation with its own destiny. The memory of colonial exploitation is not just history — it is a warning. Those who forget it are doomed to repeat it.

The future will not wait

As the leaders of Africa gathered in New York for UNGA 80 and listened to their Western counterparts deliver lofty speeches about democracy, rules-based order, and global responsibility, Africa must listen politely — and then act in its own interest. These leaders must ask themselves whether they will keep playing the game of dependency or embrace the new world taking shape. The Global South is no longer whispering — it is speaking with confidence.

The West may threaten collapse, but Africa must learn to say, as Gerry Nolan puts it, “then collapse.” Africa must not be a pawn in someone else’s endgame. It must be an architect of the future — a future where no one issues ultimatums to civilisations, where no one dictates under threat, and where dignity, not coercion, is the currency of global relations. The message is clear: the age of empire is over. The question is whether Africa will act like it.

Imam, a Professor of International Relations and Diplomacy at Al Muhibbah University, Abuja can be reached on: mukhtarimam01@gmail.com

Court adjourns Kanu’s trial over delay in NMA report

Bankole ABE
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Court adjourns Kanu’s trial over delay in NMA report

The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to October 16 following the inability of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to submit its report on his health condition.

The judge, James Omotosho, announced the adjournment on Wednesday after counsel to the State Security Services (SSS), Suraj S’aad, informed the court that the NMA medical board had yet to complete its assessment. The report is expected to determine whether the SSS medical facility can adequately cater for Kanu’s health needs or if he should be moved to the National Hospital for treatment.

At the last sitting, the court directed the NMA president to constitute a medical panel comprising experts from different specialities to conduct an independent evaluation of Kanu’s health. The order followed conflicting claims between the prosecution and the defence over the state of his health and the quality of medical care provided by the SSS.

While the prosecution maintained that Kanu was receiving proper care under SSS supervision, his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, argued that his client’s condition was deteriorating and requested that he be transferred to a public hospital.

The judge ordered the NMA to verify his medical status, assess the SSS medical facility, and determine whether he is fit to continue standing trial.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution requested a one-week adjournment to allow the medical board to complete its findings. With no objection from the defence, the judge, Omotosho, adjourned the case to October 16 for the submission of the NMA report and to determine the next steps in the proceedings.

“The court is adjourned to 16 October for the report of the Nigerian Medical Association,” the judge ruled.

Kanu is facing a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, treason, incitement, and defamation of Nigerian authorities. In a recent ruling, Justice Omotosho dismissed his no-case submission, holding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case warranting that he open his defence.

Reports by The ICIR show that the order for medical evaluation was issued on September 26 after the court reviewed separate medical claims from Kanu’s private doctors and the SSS.

The judge had directed the NMA to form a panel of eight to ten professionals, including a cardiologist, a neurologist, and the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, to assess his condition within eight days.

The ICIR earlier reported that Kanu’s legal battles date back to 2015, when he was first arrested by the SSS in Lagos. Although he was later granted bail, he fled the country after a military raid on his residence in Abia State in 2017. He was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and brought back to Nigeria, leading to renewed tensions and protests in parts of the South East.

His trial, which began in October 2021, has been marked by repeated adjournments, judicial recusals, and controversies surrounding his detention conditions and access to medical care.

The court is expected to decide on the next phase of proceedings after the submission of the NMA’s medical findings on October 16.

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