No fewer than 4 people died while 20 sustained various degrees of injuries when operatives of the Nigerian Police clashed with members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria(IMN) also known as Shiites during a procession to mark the International Qud’s day in Kaduna on Friday. The commotion which turned violent, made traders to close shops while people were seen running for safety, as gun shots were heard coming from the ever busy Kano Road axis. An eye witness said the Police attempted to disperse members of the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria(IMN) known as Shiites, who were holding a procession and had gathered around Kano Road, Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna.   Residents in the affected area were panicked and remained indoors while the confusion lasted. The Police Public Relations Officer( PPRO) of the Kaduna Command,ASP Mansir Hasan told journalists that 3 personnel were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. He said it was not true that Police killed members of the IMN, as no live ammunition was used during the incident. One of the Shiite leaders,Malam Aliyu Tirmizi, confirmed that four of their members were killed while 20 others were injured. He said “we usually come out on the last Friday of every Ramadan to protest peacefully and show our support to the people of Palestine for the inhuman treatment they are being forced to face as is being done by others across the globe. “We usually have a peaceful procession but this time around, as we were about to start, the police came and threw tear gas at us and started shouting and in the process, four of our members were killed while 20 were injured.” Professor Dauda Nalado, a member of the IMN said the Quds day is celebrated annually during the month of Ramadan. “The great global leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imaam Ruhullah Al-Musawi Al-Khomeini, Invited Muslims and non-Muslims with humanity at heart to show solidarity with the innocent and oppressed people of Palestine and against the brutality of the usurper, apartheid, and the illegal state of Israel. The imam declared the last Friday of each Ramadan as the International Quds Day. “ “Since 1980, the Quds in Britain, France, Sweden, America, Germany, Canada, Australia, and numerous countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, etc. The Islamic movement, under the leadership of his Eminence Sayyid Dr. Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky (H), has been observing this event for decades in Nigeria, In fact, one of the reasons of the Zaria massacre executed by the Buhari regime in 2015 was to kill Sayyid Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and crush this noble movement for justice, all due to the staunch support for the Palestinian course. Hitherto, the public could recall that on 25 July, 2014 Nigerian soldiers attacked the Quds Day procession in support of Palestine in Zaria, resulting in the assassination of 34 people, including three biological children of this great African leader.” “For six months now, the Zionist State has killed almost 33,000 Palestinians and wounded almost 80, 000, of whom more than half are women and children. They have destroyed buildings and turned Gaza City into rubble. They have violated all international human rights rules and committed war crimes with impunity. “It is pertinent to remind us that since the illegal state was carved out in 1948, the Palestinians have been subjugated and subjected to oppressive rule, controlling and humiliating every aspect of their daily lives. This current brutality by the Zionists was launched after a retaliative “Aqsa storm operation” by the Palestinians on 7th October 2023. These developments signal the final blow to Zionism.” He called on all people and nations with humanity to condemn the genocide against the Palestinian population and stop it saying, “Unfortunately, the United States and the United Kingdom are supporters of this genocide.”   He thanked South Africa and the axis of resistance comprising Iran, Lebanon (Hizbullah) Syria, Iraq, and Yemen for their support and condemned the continued brutal genocide of the Palestinian population and support the oppressed people of Palestine in their just struggle. He called on the Nigerian state to sever diplomatic ties with the genocidal Zionist state of Israel and also called for a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive package for the freedom of Palestine.

  THE Amambra State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye has alleged that some powerful individuals in the society influence the course of justice by securing the release of arrested cultists and criminals in Anambra State. Speaking at the Congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Awka, Adeoye, who spoke through the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Akin Fakorede, regretted that amidst the progress that had restored normalcy in the state, some influential persons and enemies of progress were working tirelessly to sabotage the efforts of the security operatives in securing the state.   This, he added, has resulted to the few security breaches that occurred in the state in recent time, including attacks on police stations and the cult-related killings that surged in Awka. He said: “When those things that have happened over a period of time begin to happen again, the question people should ask is Why?   “Could you imagine that the cultists we arrested, charged to court, and got remanded in prison custody, that some powerful locals are going to the judiciary to lobby to get them released? And some have been released. And they are the ones unleashing this mayhem again! “Secondly, you must have heard of the AK-47 we recently recovered from a suspect in Awada. What the suspect told us was that they procured it for him to engage in a showdown with a rival cult group. “Now, if that AK-47 was not recovered or had joined the recent cult-related clash, could you imagine what the casualty level would have been?. “We are not relenting at all and we will never. We are sustaining the battle and the manhunt, and we are taking the battle to them. They are on the run. “We are already going after the cultists and if we find that anybody is subverting justice, or is subverting due process to get the cultists off the hook, they will face the music, notwithstanding whether the person is in the judiciary or civil populace.” He wondered what people aim to achieve by sabotaging security efforts and sponsoring crimes in society, assuring, however, that the police would not relent in battling and taking the fight to the criminal elements in the state.   On the recent gunmen attack on Police Stations in the state, he said that security operatives went after the hoodlums immediately and have continued to take the battle to them in their camps, which has resulted to the raiding and destruction of many of the insurgents’ hideouts in different parts of the state, including inside forests at Achalla, Ogbunka Aguluezechukwu, and Ogboji communities. While noting that just one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) could be used to burn down an entire police station, the CP said the State’s Joint Security Force recovered six IEDs at the Ogbunka insurgents’ camp, stressing that attacks on police stations in the state would have aggravated, if not for the efforts in battling, defeating and incapacitating the hoodlums. He also revealed that three of the insurgents were killed during the Ogbunka raid, the bodies of whom were later discovered in the same forest few hours after they escaped with bullet wounds during the exchange of gunfire with the police. He, however, assured of the command’s commitment to sustained security of lives and property in the state and sustenance of the synergy and good-working relationship between the command and the media towards building the safest Anambra State.

  Nnamdi Kanu, detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has asked a federal high court in Abuja, to restore his bail that was revoked in 2017. In a motion on notice marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 and filed on March 28, the IPOB leader asked the court to set aside his bail revocation. The motion was filed by Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s lead counsel. BACKGROUND In 2017, the court granted Kanu bail on the treasonable felony charges filed against him by the federal government. But the court revoked Kanu’s bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to present himself as required. The IPOB leader was rearrested in Kenya in 2021 — after being on the run for some years. ‘CLAIM OF JUMPING BAIL WAS FALSE’ In the motion, Kanu’s lawyer said his client was falsely accused of jumping bail. Ejimakor said Kanu fled Nigeria when security operatives allegedly invaded his home in Abia state in an attempt to kill him. “An order of this Honourable Court setting aside the order revoking the Defendant/Applicant’s bail made on the false representation that the Defendant had jumped his bail,” the motion reads. “An order Setting aside the bench warrant issued against the Defendant/Applicant on the basis of the misrepresentation that the Defendant had jumped bail and absconded. from his trial. “An order setting aside the order of forfeiture of the bail bond of the Defendant sureties, made on the misrepresentation that the Defendant had jumped bail and absconded from his trial. “An order restoring the Defendant/Applicant’s bail on the same terms upon which same was granted by this Honourable court on 25 April, 2017. “And for such order or further orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this application. “Take further notice that the grounds upon which the application is predicated are as follows: On 25 April 2017, the Applicant was admitted to bail by this Honourable Court. “The Applicant was enjoying his bail when he came under attack by agents of the Complainant at his home at Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North LGA, Abia State, whereupon the Applicant fled from Nigeria in what was purely an act of self-preservation. “The bail of the Applicant was revoked by this Honourable Court and a bench warrant issued against him upon the application of the Complainant made to this Honorable Court that the Applicant had jumped bail. “The Applicant was, pursuant to said bench warrant, subsequently kidnapped in Kenya by agents of the Complainant and was brought to Nigeria by way of extraordinary rendition. “The jurisdiction of this Honourable Court to try the Defendant as well as issues pertaining to his bail and extraordinary rendition was challenged up to the Supreme Court in SC/CR/1361/2022: BETWEEN FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA V. NNAMDI KANU, where their Lordships determined that Applicant’s bail ought not to have been revoked in the first place, being that it was the invasion of the Applicant’s home that caused him to flee in order to secure his life and physical well-being. “The order setting aside the Applicant’s bail, the warrant of arrest and the forfeiture of his bail bond ought to be reversed by virtue of the decision/finding of the Supreme Court.   “The bail of the Applicant ought to be restored in the interest of justice.” Prince Emmanuel, Kanu’s brother, submitted an affidavit in support of the motion to restore the IPOB’s leader’s bail.

  The Federal Government says the new electricity tariff hike will only affect a small segment of the consumers – 1.5 million. A recent hike in electricity tariff for Band A customers – people who enjoy at least 20 hours per day – had triggered conversation among Nigerians many of whom claim the country is still grappling with the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy and the ballooning inflation. But the Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu who recently hinted about the Federal Government’s push to stop electricity subsidy said the hike won’t affect the majority of Nigerians. “From the policy formulation perspective, the recent increase in tariff for only Band A customers which is just 15 per cent of electricity consumers in Nigeria. As of the latest statistics, there are a little about 12 million customers in the sector and this [tariff hike] would only affect about 1.5 million customers,” he said. “The remaining 10.5 million customers will continue to enjoy the government’s subsidy at about 70 per cent.” ‘Government is Sensitive’ Nigerians are battling a steady rise in inflation levels pegged at 31.70 percent according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) But Adelabu said while the government is eyeing a “cost-reflective” tariff for electricity users, the realities of the country’s economy informed the decision not to totally remove subsidy on electricity. “The government is so sensitive to the pains of the people; to the sufferings of the people and we are not ready to aggravate this suffering any longer which is why we said it must be a journey rather than a destination,” the minister said. “And the journey starts now. That we should do a gradual migration from the subsidy regime to a full cost-reflective regime and we must start with some customers.” He, however, called on players in the power sector to give value to electricity consumers. “Whatever consumers pay for, there must be commensurate value for it,” Adelabu said.

  The Federal Government says infrastructure deficit is a challenge in the country’s power sector with transformers installed in the ’60s still in use in some parts of Nigeria. Nigeria’s Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu said this during an inter-ministerial briefing in Abuja on Friday. He said the deterioration of infrastructure is a major challenge in the government’s push to provide power for Nigerians. All our gas pipelines are bad. There has been vandalisation of the gas pipelines; there will be a lack of adequate pressure on the gas pipelines where we need compressors and boosters,” the minister said during the event held at the International Conference Centre.   “The generating companies’ plants are also deteriorating. They are obsolete. For the transmission companies, the lines were installed over 50 years ago, the cables are weak, the towers are falling and people are vandalising them. Transformers are also weak. I have seen a transformer that was labelled ECN (Electricity Company of Nigeria) which means that it was installed in the ’60s; it has not been replaced.”

  The United Nations Security Council diplomats were shaken in their chairs, planes got briefly grounded, and furniture rattled across New York Friday when an earthquake jolted the city that never sleeps. No one was hurt, though, and New York’s iconic skyline remained intact. “I AM FINE,” reported the Empire State Building on its X account. The tremor had a 4.8 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey. Near the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey, store supervisor Dominika Uniejewska, 50, said “I’m still shaking” after being woken up by the quake. “I’ve never experienced such a strong earthquake. I did experience some before but it was nothing compared to that. The whole house was really shaking. The bed was shaking, the house was making rumbling noises,” she said. “I ran to check on my dog. The dog was okay.” In Brooklyn, buildings shook, rattling cupboard doors and fixtures, an AFP correspondent reported. At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the tremor. “Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto who was speaking at the time. One diplomat joked: “One for the memoirs.” – ‘Remain indoors’ – A short time later many diplomats’ cell phones blared with the sound of the emergency alert system confirming the quake. “Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured,” the emergency alert said. Flight operations were halted at several airports in the region including New York’s La Guardia, Philadelphia and Newark in New Jersey. “Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Social media users reported feeling the earthquake from Philadelphia up to New York and eastward along Long Island. Several users posted images of knocked over garden furniture captioned “we will rebuild.” “Earthquakes are uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast, a zone one study called a “passive-aggressive margin” because there’s no active plate boundary between the Atlantic and North American plates,” the USGS wrote on X. US President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. “The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more,” she added. The USGS says that moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in the urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years. Social media users jokingly questioned whether an earthquake coming days before the April 8 solar eclipse, which will be visible across swathes of the northeastern United States, heralded the end of the world. New York Governor Kathy Hochul acknowledged New Yorkers were “not accustomed” to earthquakes and – at a hastily convened press briefing — warned residents to be wary of any possible aftershocks. AFP

  Bobrisky, the social media celebrity, has pleaded guilty to the first four counts bordering on naira abuse. The social media celebrity was arrested on Wednesday night in Lagos for allegedly abusing the naira notes. The crossdresser was arraigned on a six-count charge on Friday before the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). While four of the charges are related to alleged naira abuse, the remaining two counts involve alleged money laundering. When the charge was read during court sitting, the self-proclaimed transgender pleaded guilty to the first four counts bordering on naira abuse. “Yes, I am guilty,” she replied to the charge. Prior to this, the EFCC’s counsel had sought Abimbola Awogboro, the presiding judge, to strike out counts five and six which are on the money laundering allegations. Awogboro subsequently struck out counts five and six, paving the way for the arraignment of Bobrisky on the abuse of the naira. More to follow…

  Many people are feared dead and houses destroyed after an attack by gunmen in Agojeju-Odo community, Omala LGA of Kogi state. The gunmen were said to have attacked the community on Friday morning while shooting sporadically. William Aya, spokesperson of the Kogi police command, confirmed the incident. He said Bethrand Onuoha, Kogi commissioner of police, has deployed a team to go after the gunmen. “There was an attack in the village in Omala. The CP has deployed the enforcement team along with other security agencies,” Aya said. “An investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the attack and to unravel the perpetrators.” Attacks by gunmen on defenseless communities are rife in the north of Nigeria. There has also been an uptick in kidnapping for ransom in the region in the last decade.