Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle has reinstated the Emir of Birnin Yandoto, Aliyu Marafa nine months after conferring a traditional title to one of the most dreaded bandits kingpins, Ado Aliero in the North-Western State. Channels Television had reported how the Emir of Yandoto emirate was asked to step aside last July following a public outcry that greeted the appointment of the bandit. In a statement on Sunday, the Secretary to the State Government, Kabiru Balarabe, said the suspended Emir was reinstated because he was not found guilty of the offence he was accused to have committed when he appointed Aliero to the rank of Fulani leader.   According to the statement, the reinstatement of the emir is with immediate effect. “This is to inform the public that, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has approved the reinstatement of Alhaji Aliyu Garba Marafa as the Emir of Birnin Yandoto,” Balarabe stated. “His reinstatement is based on the recommendations of the committee constituted to investigate all issues pertaining to the conferment of a traditional title to a repentant bandit, Ado Aleiru. “The committee found no evidence of any ill motive or collaboration between the Emir and the bandit. “Based on the findings of the committee, the traditional title was conferred on the repentant bandit as part of peace-building efforts between the repentant bandits and banditry-affected communities in Tsafe and Gusau Local Government Areas, which include Yandoto town.”

  Some Nigerian students studying in Sudan have announced planned evacuation to Ethiopia following the fighting which has led to the killing of hundreds in the country and left many foreign nationals stranded. The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sudan chapter, in a statement by the Media committee of the body, obtained on Sunday, told colleagues to converge at three locations in Gadarif, before evacuation to neighbouring Ethiopia. Gadarif, also spelt Gedaref or Gedarif, is the capital of the state of Al Qadarif in Sudan. It lies on the road that connects Khartoum with Gallabat on the Ethiopian border, about 410 kilometres from the capital. The PUNCH reports that this is following the situation in Sudan which the Federal Government through the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described as “risky” evacuating Nigerians from the country. NIDCOM on Friday had said although the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency had put in place arrangements to evacuate Nigerians, it was risky for any flight to operate during this period of war. The NANS statement partly read, “This is to inform all Nigerian students to gather at any of these three locations to proceed with the evacuation to Gadarif, then to Ethiopia. 1. Ifriqiyyah University 2. NANSS Office or 3. El-Razi University.” It said departure time was 1pm and transport cost $100. “Those who don’t have the funds should contact either their school or state president. Come along with your passport original/photocopy or school ID card. “Those that don’t have their passport at hand should also contact their state or school president,” the student body added. The conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group, Rapid Support Force, has claimed over 400 lives with about 3,500 injured. The clashes have also displaced thousands of civilians who fled the capital, Khartoum, as the violence, which started on April 8, entered its 15th day on Sunday. Until recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel al-Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary group, headed by General Mohamed Dagalo, were allies. The Federal Government of Nigeria, on Saturday, said all airports and land borders in Sudan were closed as the emergency situation in the country was very complex with ongoing fighting between warring factions. It, however, stated that a search and rescue committee had been established to come up with the safest way of evacuating Nigerians stranded in the troubled nation. The government disclosed this through the National Emergency Management Agency, stressing that it was aware of the widespread public concern about the situation in Sudan

  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “set up a presidential panel of enquiry to promptly probe the grim allegations that over 149 million barrels of crude oil are missing, as documented in the 2019 audited reports by the Auditor General of the Federation and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).” SERAP also urged him to “ensure the effective prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the plundering of the country’s oil wealth and the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.” According to the 2019 audited report by the Auditor General over 107 million barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document or tracing. NEITI also reported missing 42.25 million barrels of crude oil in 2019. In the letter dated 22 April 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these very serious allegations.” SERAP said, “the recommended steps can be taken between now and the end of your term of office to set the tone for the next administration.” The letter, read in part: “SERAP notes that you have repeatedly promised to combat corruption. As you go into the final weeks of your term of office, the missing crude oil allegations present yet another opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and to uphold your oath of office both as President and Minister of Petroleum Resources.” “As the President and substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources, you and your government should prioritise getting to the bottom of these allegations and use the remainder of your term of office to ensure justice and accountability for these serious crimes against the Nigerian people.” “Investigating the allegations and naming and shaming and prosecuting those suspected to be responsible for the missing crude oil would serve the public interest and end the impunity of perpetrators.” “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.” “The allegations by both the Auditor-General and NEITI are different from a whistleblower’s claims that 48 million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil allegedly sold in China in 2015 are missing or unaccounted for.” “The reports by the Auditor-General and NEITI suggest a grave violation of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and the country’s anticorruption laws and international obligations, as well as the public trust.” “These damning revelations also suggest your government is failing to prevent and combat the plundering of Nigeria’s wealth and natural resources, name and bring suspected perpetrators to account and recover any proceeds of crime.” “Poor and socio-economically vulnerable Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the stealing of the country’s oil wealth apparently by both state and non-state actors.” “The country’s oil wealth ought to be used solely for the benefit of the Nigerian people, and for the sake of the present and future generations.” “These allegations can promptly be investigated and suspected perpetrators named and shamed. Taking these steps would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition and improve public confidence in the fight against corruption, and related crimes, especially in the oil sector.” “According to the 2019 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF), some 107,239,436.00 barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document or tracing.” “To date, there is no information on the sale of Un-Utilized Crude oil by Refineries for 2019 and no information on crude oil allocations from 30th May to 31st December 2019. The Auditor-General is concerned that the missing crude oil may have been diverted.” “The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) also reported missing 42.25 million barrels of crude oil in 2019.” “Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.’” “Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’ Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’” “The UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party obligate your government to effectively prevent and investigate the plundering of the country’s wealth and natural resources and hold public officials and non-state actors to account for any violations.” “Specifically, article 26 of the UN convention requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption.” “Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations.” “The proposed panel should be headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal, and its members should include people with proven professional record, and of the highest integrity that can act impartially, independently, and transparently.

  Pope Francis on Sunday called for dialogue between warring military factions in Sudan as a bloody outbreak of fighting entered a second week. “Unfortunately the situation remains grave in Sudan. “That is why I am renewing my call for the violence to stop as quickly as possible and for dialogue to resume,” the pontiff said during traditional Sunday prayers in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. “I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters,” he added.   France, Italy, Turkey and the United States are all evacuating citizens from Sudan. Ferocious battles between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group — which has seen fighting with tanks in densely populated Khartoum and air strikes launched by fighter jets — have killed more than 400 people and left thousands wounded. The fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo began on April 15 over a dispute on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. The move was a key condition of a deal aimed at restoring Sudan’s democratic transition after the military toppled former leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 following mass citizen protests. The two men had joined forces to oust a civilian government installed after Bashir’s downfall, before turning on each other. AFP

  Moroccan police seized 5.4 tonnes of cannabis resin stashed in a truck headed for Spain, and 60 kilogrammes of cocaine packed in frozen tuna, security officials said.   Security and customs officers seized the cannabis resin in the northern port of Tangier “on board an international freight truck”, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said late Saturday. The resin blocks were pressed into plates slotted into specially fitted cavities, including in the truck’s chassis. The 45-year-old Moroccan driver was arrested. In a separate operation, also in Tangier, nearly 60 kilogrammes of cocaine were seized on Thursday inside a refrigerated container, police said. The cocaine was packed in tuna marked as coming from Ecuador and destined for Spain. Morocco is the world’s largest producer of cannabis resin according to the United Nations, and police seized nearly 100 tonnes last year. Police in recent years have also made multiple large seizures of cocaine, with South American cartels using the North African nation as a smuggling transit hub for Europe. AFP

  The Federal Government has commenced the payment of withheld salaries of teachers who benefited from the elongation of service tenure extended by the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari to teachers under the employment of the Federal Government. The PUNCH had earlier in 2020 reported how Buhari during World Teachers’ Day announced some incentives for teachers, including a new salary scale and raising their retirement age from 60 to 65 years. However, some of the teachers who benefited had their salaries withheld from 2021 to March 2023. Top officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, Finance, Budget and National Planning on Sunday confirmed that the payment of the withheld salaries has commenced.

  A former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has denied claims of being a conduit to disburse $1million from Governor Hope Uzodimma to Athan Achonu, the state gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party. An audio had surfaced last week via social media platforms wherein Ohakim was alleged to have been the conduit used by current Governor Hope Uzodimma to disburse $1million to Achonu to enable him clinch the Labour Party’s ticket. Ohakim described the allegation as false and criminally defamatory. According to the former governor, “My attention has been drawn to a viral audio claiming that HE. Gov Hope Uzodimma used me as a conduit to disburse $1m to Sen Athan Achonu, the LP guber nominee. This audio is false and criminally defamatory and I’m taking prompt steps to bring the known creator to book.” Achonu had last weekend emerged the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, which is being contested by another aspirant, Gen. Jack Ogunewe (Rtd), who alleged irregularities. While Achonu polled 134 votes to clinch the ticket, Ogunewe came second with 125 votes.