The Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday said it arrested six suspects with147 sacks of marijuana with an average of 45Kg per sack, giving an estimated total of 6,615Kg coming from Ghana.

The six suspects and marijuana worth ₦661, 500, 000 were handed over to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for prosecution and destruction.

The Customs Area Comptroller of the Command, Olugboyega Peters, while handing over the cannabis to the Commander of Apapa NDLEA Special Area Command, Samuel Gazama, said the arrests were made on Saturday March 27.

He said the WMC operatives of Coastal and Harbour Patrol on credible intelligence along Ibeche Beach on the high sea accosted and arrested two wooden boats laden with sacks suspected to contain Marijuana HS Code 0602.90 of Common External Tariff (CET) together with six suspects.

He said the officers of NCS were empowered by Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap. C45 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004, as amended to search vehicles/ships, to search, to patrol freely, to detain, seize and powers to forfeiture.

On the handing over of the cannabis, he said the WMC has had several collaborations with the NDLEA Director Seaport Operations and it is in view of continuous synergy and its statutory responsibility that the Command is handing over the marijuana together with the six suspects to the representative of NDLEA in the interest of National Security.

 A Nigerian professor identified as Bosede Afolabi has made the country proud by winning the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) gynaecologist was awarded a research grant of $2,518,474.00 (N958,908,975.50). Her project is titled Intravenous Versus Oral Iron for Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Pregnant Nigerian Women (IVON).

The disclosure was made by UNILAG, which celebrated the Nigerian professor on its LinkedIn page.

According to UNILAG website, Professor Bosede Afolabi is internationally recognised for her research in sickle cell pregnancy.

Her project, which is titled, ‘’Intravenous Versus Oral Iron for Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Pregnant Nigerian Women {IVON}”, is sponsored to the tune of $2, 518, 474.00 of the IVON Project.

As Principal Investigator, Professor Afolabi will lead a multicentre study which will run for 3 years (November 1, 2020 – October 31, 2023). The study will be conducted in 10 hospitals within Lagos and Kano States and it will recruit a total of 1,056 women at 20-32 weeks gestational age, who are diagnosed as having anaemia at the antennal clinics of the hospitals.

In addition to the international collaborations and partnerships which the study will facilitate between UNILAG and other Universities in the US and Europe, it will also contribute to local human capacity development with the sponsorship of junior faculties for postgraduate trainings (M.Sc. and PhD).

Professor Bosede Afolabi is internationally recognized for her research in sickle cell pregnancy. Her interests are in maternal and fetal medicine, minimal access (laparoscopic) Surgery and Maternal education. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists UK, West African College of Surgeons, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

Xolile Ndevu speaking on a parliamentary Zoom when his wife walked in naked

Faith Muthambi, the committee's chairperson, cuts in and points out the mistake

Ndevu explained the meeting overran and his wife didn't know camera was on

 This is the embarrassing moment the wife of a South African traditional leader walks into the frame completely naked during a parliamentary Zoom meeting.

Xolile Ndevu, a member of the National House of Traditional Leaders, a body of 23 traditional leaders in South Africa, was talking about deaths from Covid-19 in the province of Eastern Cape during a meeting on Tuesday. 

During the cooperative governance and traditional affairs meeting, Ndevu was explaining how Eastern Cape is working with local doctors when his wife suddenly appeared behind him wearing no clothes.

Faith Muthambi, the committee's chairperson, cuts across Ndebua as he is speaking to point out the mistake. 

She tells Ndevu: 'Inkosi, people behind you are not properly dressed. We are seeing everything.

'Please, Inkosi, did you tell them you are in a meeting. It is very disturbing what we are seeing.'

Muthambi then tells Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu, chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, that it is not the first time such an incident has taken place during a Zoom meeting.

She adds: 'Whenever we are meeting with you, we see these unruly pictures. You are live on TV.'

Ndevu covers his face with his hands and apologises: 'I'm very sorry. I was focusing on the camera and not behind me. I'm so embarrassed.'

He explained the following day: 'This Zoom technology is new to us and we were never trained. Our houses are not built so we can have privacy for these meetings.

Ndevu added that the meeting began at around 7pm and was due to finish by 10pm, but overran so he moved to the bedroom.

He said: 'As the meeting continued after 10pm, my wife came in to use the bathroom and was unaware I had the video feed on. I apologise.'

 Less than 24 hours after gunmen attacked Prof Chukwuma Soludo, a former CBN governor and the governorship aspirant under the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming Anambra 2021 guber election, the Anambra State Police Command, says it has arrested one suspect in connection with the incident.

According to Tochukwu, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Monday Bala Kuryas, in the evening hours of March 31, 2021, led a crack team of police operatives for an on-the-spot assessment of the venue of a stakeholders/ community meeting at Isuofia Civic Centre in Aguata LGA, which came under attack same date at about 1730hrs by yet to be identified armed hoodlums.

The assailants were resisted by security operatives present at the event, and in the ensuing gun duel, three police operatives sustained severe gunshots injuries and were later confirmed dead in the hospital. Their corpses have been deposited in the mortuary.

Following the incident, the attackers abducted one Emeka Ezenwanne, the State Commissioner for Water Resources and Public Utilities.

Meanwhile, one person has been arrested in connection with the act.

Tochukwu said the CP also visited the former CBN Governor, Prof Soludo to reinforce the security in his house and the community entirely.

“To this end, the CP while condemning the act, commiserates with the family and friends of the officers who paid the supreme price, ordered the immediate launch of a tacit investigation to unravel the mystery behind the incidence, as well as to bring perpetrators of the barbaric act to book.

“He also called on the residents in the state to join hands in the fight against crime and criminality.”

In his response, the PPRO said, Soludo thanked the commissioner and his team for the quick response.

Arrests have been made in connection with a coup attempt in Niger overnight, according to a statement sent to CNN by a diplomatic source in the country.

“Several people linked to the coup attempt” have been taken into custody, but authorities are searching for others involved, the source said.

The incident comes two days before the swearing in of President-elect Mohamed Bazoum.

The former interior minister succeeds President Mahamadou Issoufou, who stepped down after a decade in power.

Earlier Wednesday, a separate diplomatic source told CNN heavy gunfire was heard outside Niger’s presidential palace, resulting in more than one hour of heavy shelling near the presidency.

Asked to confirm it was an attempted putsch, the diplomatic source said: “Yes it’s the army. Which is predominately from the west of the country, which is the heartland of the opposition to Bazoum.”

Both outgoing and incoming presidents were reported to be safe, the source said.

“The government condemns this coward and backwards act that had the intention to attack the democracy and the rule of law that our state has embarked upon as we have seen during these recent elections which were democratic, free and fair and lauded as such by the international community,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General in New York has said he is “following with great concern the unfolding developments in the country” and “urges all involved to desist from any form of incitement that threatens democratic consolidation and the stability of the country.”

CNN has made attempts to reach the Army and Presidency for comment.

The US Embassy in Niger’s capital Niamey suspended consular activities and said it would close Wednesday “due to gunshots heard near our neighborhood.”

“The security situation throughout Niger remains fluid in the post-election period with the possibility of unrest and/or intercommunal clashes around the country. There may be a corresponding increase in police presence and traffic delays on major roads. Please exercise caution,” the embassy said on its website.

The west African nation is in the midst of a security crisis, with a wave of deadly attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State near its borders with Mali and Burkina Faso in recent months. (CNN)

 The Office of Communications in the United Kingdom better known as Ofcom, has sanctioned religious channel, Loveworld, owned by Nigerian Pastor, Chris Oyakhilome.

Ofcom said in a statement that the station was fined £125,000 (N65.6m) for breaching the country’s broadcasting code by disseminating misinformation on COVID-19.

The statement read in part, “Today we have fined Loveworld £125,000 for this breach of the broadcasting code. This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news and harm in its coverage of the coronavirus.”

On December 1 2020, Loveworld aired a 29-hour programme called the Global Day of Prayer, during which claims were made about the COVID-19.

According to the agency, these claims included the notion that the outbreak was ‘planned’, that the ‘sinister’ vaccine can be used to implant ‘nanochips’ that can control and cause harm to members of the public and the debunked theory that the virus was somehow caused by 5G.

The station said it was unfortunate that the station could continue to spread such information despite previous warnings.

The statement further read, “Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about the official response to the coronavirus pandemic is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis - particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being taken.

“However, the inaccurate and potentially harmful claims made during this programme were unsupported by any factual evidence and went entirely without challenge. Ofcom was particularly concerned that this breach followed previous, similar breaches in 2020 during the investigation of which, Loveworld Limited gave Ofcom a number of assurances as to how it would improve its compliance procedures.”

Oyakhilome, who heads Christ Embassy church headquartered in Lagos, has in the last one year encouraged his members to ignore COVID-19 protocols.

 The Sahel, a region south of the Sahara desert stretching from the Atlantic coast to Sudan, is experiencing its worst escalation in violence in ten years. The Sahel includes the five states of the ‘G5 Sahel’, a regional security grouping: Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad (see Map 1). When the instability began in 2012-13, the conflict was primarily in northern Mali, caused by an uprising of the Tuareg and jihadist groups. However, since 2015 there has been a rapid increase of intercommunal violence between ethnic groups in central Mali. This violence has spread in recent years to Burkina Faso and Niger, with jihadist groups taking advantage of inter-ethnic tensions to recruit new members.

The Sahel is a strategic priority for Europe for three reasons. First, its location just below Algeria and Libya makes it relevant to the EU, which is seeking to limit migration flows from Africa. Many Europe-bound migrants travel through Niger and then towards the Mediterranean. Networks of smugglers have used the region’s porous borders to traffic migrants through Libya to cross the sea in boats.

Third, the region is of wider importance to European security. The Sahel conflict is a rare example of Europe deploying not only significant resources but also political capital. The EU has been involved in development projects in the region for decades, but it had to re-direct this funding when fighting broke out in 2012. The EU now plays a role as a crisis manager in the region, with three Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions in Mali and Niger. The European Commission has adapted and boosted development funding so that it can be used for security-related purposes, and the EU has appointed a Special Representative to the Sahel, Ángel Losada, who co-ordinates diplomatic engagement with the region. As a result, Mali has been referred to as a “laboratory of experimentation” for the EU as a security actor.1 By investing so much energy and so many resources in the Sahel, the EU has given itself an opportunity to demonstrate its competence as a crisis manager to the rest of the world, and to prove it can manage instability in its own neighbourhood. 

Europe is at a critical juncture in its engagement in the Sahel. Violence is at its worst since 2012, with nearly 6,500 people killed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in 2020 alone (see Chart 1). As a result of rising intercommunal and Islamist violence, the number of internally displaced people has increased from less than 100,000 in 2018 to 1.5 million in 2020.2 At the same time, the region has undergone significant political upheaval. In August 2020, Mali’s government was overthrown by a military coup in the wake of mass protests against corruption and the government’s inability to stop violence in the centre of the country. Discontent with governing elites in outlying regions of northern Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger is growing, as intercommunal violence worsens in these countries. The head of the French external intelligence service, the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), recently voiced concerns that jihadist activity could spread further south to the Gulf of Guinea.

Europe can choose to continue its current approach – spending hundreds of millions of euros annually on security and development assistance, largely without tackling the root causes of the violence – or put a greater focus on longer-term commitments to good governance, public accountability and civil society. This policy brief will outline why Europe should de-prioritise costly military interventions and take the latter approach. As the EU reviews its Sahel strategy in 2021, Brussels has a particularly crucial role in facilitating a shift in strategy.

PROTRACTED VIOLENCE

Violence in the Sahel is entering its ninth year. In 2012, the Malian state collapsed in the face of a military coup and a rebellion by Tuareg ethnic groups who formed a separatist breakaway state, Azawad, in the north of Mali. The Tuareg have long desired their own independent state, and Tuareg uprisings had previously occurred in 1962, 1990 and 2007. Heavily armed Tuareg militants who had worked as mercenaries in Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya returned to Mali in 2012, triggering the rebellion. Jihadist groups formed a loose alliance with the Tuaregs and by late 2012 the armed Islamist group Ansar Dine and its allies had captured the cities of Kidal, Timbuktu and Gao. 

Intercommunal conflict in central Mali has spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger.

With the Malian government in crisis and unable to push the armed groups back, then French President François Hollande launched Opération Sérval in January 2013, a deployment of 4,000 French troops supported by US and European air cover. By the end of 2013 they had largely succeeded in recapturing all the lost territory. In 2015, the warring parties signed the Algiers accords, under the auspices of the EU, the UN, the US, France and Algeria. A main aim of the accords was to decentralise powers to the north and boost investment in the northern regions that had previously been neglected by the Malian government in Bamako. The hope was that these measures would help address the root causes of the 2012 uprising and prevent it from happening again. 

The ink was barely dry on the north’s peace agreement when a new conflict in Mali’s central regions erupted in 2015-16. This time the violence primarily came from attacks by jihadists, but was rooted in frictions between ethnic communities, especially between the Dogon and the Fulani (or Peul in French) peoples. Central Mali and jihadist groups were not covered by the Algiers accords, which focused on the Tuaregs and northern Mali.

As arable land grows increasingly scarce due to the desertification of the Sahel, which is being aggravated by climate change, non-nomadic groups such as the Dogon compete with the nomadic Fulani for access to resources, providing a backdrop to tensions. In central Malian provinces such as Mopti, jihadist armed groups attacked leaders from the Dogon ethnic group (who are mostly sedentary farmers) whom they accused of supporting the Malian state. The Dogon in turn formed militias to defend themselves. But the Dogon militias frequently targeted civilians, most often from the Fulani – nomadic herders whom the Dogon accused of collaborating with the jihadists. The violence escalated over three years and reached a new height in March 2019 when a Dogon militia massacred over 160 Fulani, including women and children. Lacking protection from the state against such massacres, the Fulani then looked to Islamist armed groups for defence against Dogon attacks. Some Fulani joined the jihadists, who were happy to exploit the tensions to recruit new members. Public grievances over the Malian government’s inability to stop the violence, and rising civilian fatalities, were a driving force behind the protests in July 2020 in the lead-up to the August coup.

Intercommunal conflict in central Mali has spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger. Intercommunal violence and tensions over land in Mali are replicated in clashes between the Fulani and Mossi in Burkina Faso, and between Fulani, Tuareg and Daoussahak groups in western Niger. On January 2nd 2021, Islamist militants killed over 100 civilians in Tillabéri, Niger, near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso.

AN INTERNATIONALISED CONFLICT

France is the most important international player in the region. As the former colonial power, France sees the Sahel as its backyard. Since the 1960s France has pursued an approach of Françafrique: fostering close political, economic and military links between French and francophone African elites, and long-term defence agreements with all the Sahelian countries. This engagement included frequent interventions during the Cold War. France took military action in francophone Africa 19 times to support governments between 1962 and 1995.3 No French president has managed to pull France’s forces out of Africa, despite its citizens’ growing disenchantment with military engagement in the region. President Hollande tried, and failed: he ended up launching Opération Barkhane, which currently stands at 5,100 personnel.

The UN is also heavily involved in the Sahel. With over 14,000 uniformed personnel currently deployed, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is the UN’s second-largest peace-keeping mission after UNMISS in South Sudan. MINUSMA’s mandate is to support the peace process in Mali, including the implementation of the 2015 Algiers accord in the north; to promote national dialogue and reconciliation; to protect civilians and reinstate government authority in central Mali; and (most recently) to support the political transition following the August 2020 coup.

Urged on by France, other European countries and the EU have started to play a more active role in the region. Seventeen EU member-states now contribute soldiers or police to MINUSMA.4 Following the 2015 refugee crisis, Germany has taken an increased interest in the area and has stepped up its troop commitments. Germany now sends 1,500 troops to the EU’s military CSDP mission in Mali and MINUSMA, and Berlin recently gifted 15 armoured vehicles to the Nigerien armed forces. Meanwhile Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, the UK and the Czech Republic contribute to Opération Barkhane. Five more EU member-states plus the UK have also agreed to support the new French-led international counter-terrorism Task Force Takuba.5 The Task Force will enable European special forces to accompany Malian and Nigerien forces on counter-terrorism assignments in cross-border regions from 2021.

Better co-ordination between donors has not brought Europe much success in de-escalating the violence.

The EU currently has two overseas missions in Mali as part of the EU’s CSDP – a military training mission for the Malian armed forces (EUTM Mali) and a civilian and law enforcement capacity building mission (EUCAP Sahel Mali). The EU has a similar capacity building mission in Niger to help the authorities there counter migration flows (EUCAP Sahel Niger).6 Europe also plays a prominent role in managing the conflict through its international development aid. EU development funds are now allocated to security-related projects such as stabilising local administrations and carrying out border surveillance missions. The Sahel Alliance, founded in 2017 at the initiative of France, Germany and the EU, has been the primary mechanism for co-ordinating development and security activities.7 The Alliance structures projects around shared priorities and acts as a point of contact on development for the G5 Sahel countries, funding 880 projects worth €11.6 billion.

Since 2011 there has been a plethora of strategies and action plans from France and the EU. While they differ in their exact focus, they all prioritise shorter-term interests in curbing migration and counter-terrorism. The EU Strategy for the Sahel 8 and the Sahel Regional Action Plan 2015-20 9 set out the EU’s interests in the region since instability began in 2012. Migration took on increased prominence in the Sahel Regional Action Plan in light of the 2015 refugee crisis. By contrast, good governance is given a low priority, and the documents do not elaborate much on what the phrase means, beyond improving the provision of public services. The EU is currently reviewing its Sahel strategy in 2021. 

Despite the approaches set out in the EU’s Sahel strategy, and the increased resources dedicated to development in the region, violence has continued to worsen in central Mali in the last four years. In 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel jointly with Germany. This aimed to provide a greater focus on law and order and governance, and less on traditional security goals. But the Partnership was never implemented because less than a year later in January 2020 another structure – the Coalition for the Sahel – was launched by France. The Coalition is supposed to concentrate all European action around four pillars: counter-terrorism; building regional military capacity; supporting the return of state authority; and development.10 Yet better co-ordination between donors has not brought Europe much success in de-escalating the violence. While European strategies have increasingly mentioned the importance of good governance as a long-term solution to the conflict, in practice the status quo largely prevails. Europe’s focus remains on supporting states with development assistance, combined with short-term efforts to neutralise terrorist groups.

The UK has also bolstered its presence in the region. Having opened an embassy in Mali after the 2012 coup, Britain expanded its presence in Bamako and opened embassies in Niger and Chad in 2018. Despite the major cuts proposed for its aid budget, the UK government is so far maintaining its commitment to the Sahel Alliance and reaffirmed the region’s importance in the 2021 UK Integrated Review.11 As well as dedicating Chinook helicopters to Opération Barkhane, in December 2020 the British government sent 300 troops to MINUSMA. France and the UK have similar strategic cultures: an expeditionary impulse and a willingness to undertake overseas military engagements, which makes Franco-British military co-operation in the Sahel effective. 

The US also plays an important role in supporting Barkhane, particularly with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and air-to-air refuelling capabilities. The US operates a drone airbase in Niger, with around 800 troops currently in the country. While there were fears that Trump would follow his withdrawal of US support to Somalia by a similar move in the Sahel, ultimately he did not. But the Sahel is not a priority for the Biden administration, so an increase in US military engagement is still unlikely. Meanwhile China has been quietly stepping up its commitments to MINUSMA, and sits just behind Germany as a troop contributor, with 413 Chinese soldiers in the mission. This mirrors China’s increased pledges to UN peace-keeping and its security commitments in Africa, which now range from South Sudan to its military base in Djibouti. China has equally been investing in Mali’s infrastructure and services, including the rehabilitation of a colonial-era railway line between Bamako and Dakar, Senegal.

STATE SECURITY FORCES: PART OF THE PROBLEM?

European support to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso prioritises assistance to the defence and security sector to help it deal with threats from Islamist armed groups. Attacks from jihadist groups are mostly concentrated in the ‘tri-border region’ between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, so France has rightly encouraged transnational security co-Opération through the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

Opération Barkhane, the EU’s training and capacity building missions and MINUSMA have done reasonably well at achieving their shorter-term objectives, providing much needed technical support and training to Sahelian armed forces. Barkhane in particular has been effective at killing the leaders of armed Islamist groups, and has achieved numerous tactical victories. In November 2020 for instance, French forces killed the military leader of JNIM, Bah Ag Moussa, during a clash in southeastern Mali. Having built close partnerships with Sahelian security forces, Europe’s strategy is to build up the capacity of their partners to carry out such raids autonomously. 

In support of Barkhane, EUTM Mali has now trained over 15,000 soldiers to deploy in small tactical units and to hold their positions under enemy fire. EU civilian capacity building missions in Mali and Niger have become important partners to internal security forces in combatting cross-border crime. The EU is also helping Malian armed forces to establish a presence in isolated areas of central Mali that are plagued by jihadist violence, such as the Pole Sécurisé de Développement et de Gouvernance (PSDG) in Konna, central Mali.16 MINUSMA has managed to maintain a fragile peace with Tuareg groups in the north.

Mistreatment by security forces and state institutions is one of the most powerful drivers of jihadist recruitment.

Europe’s security-focused approach, which prioritises training the militaries and internal security forces of Sahelian countries, would seem at first glance to be sensible. It is a primary function of the state to protect its citizens against violence from militias and armed insurgent groups, and Sahelian armed forces are best placed to deal with these challenges in the long term. Terrorism is the greatest security threat to Europe in the region, so Europe’s focus on it is understandable. In the post-Afghanistan era, when European publics are weary of open-ended military engagements, intervening countries need to provide clear benchmarks for withdrawal. For France, this means that once certain targets in terms of training and the capacity of Sahelian armies to fight terrorist groups have been met, they will leave.17 

The problem with this approach, however, is that frequently the states which receive millions of euros of security assistance every year are the same ones whose national armies carry out illegal killings, torture and other human rights abuses against their own populations. For many communities in the Sahel, not only do state security forces fail to protect them from violence, but they actively pose a threat to their safety. The same Malian army that received training in human rights from EUTM Mali was implicated both in Mali’s August 2020 coup and human rights violations in the centre of the country. The more the state is perceived as a perpetrator rather than a mediator of inter-ethnic disputes over land or a provider of security, the more civilians will seek protection from Islamist armed groups or ethnic militias, and the cycle of violence will continue.

While in 2019 the majority of the civilian fatalities in the region were caused by attacks from Islamist armed groups or intercommunal violence, there is a worrying trend toward state-perpetrated violence, as shown by Chart 2. MINUSMA’s human rights division recently found that in the third quarter of 2020 Mali’s security forces carried out more human rights abuses than any other actor.18 The West Africa director at Human Rights Watch has argued that these illegal killings constitute war crimes.19 These abuses, especially indiscriminate attacks on the Fulani by state security forces, are driving people to turn to jihadist groups for protection, and the Islamists are all too happy to exploit intercommunal tensions opportunistically to swell their own ranks. Studies have repeatedly found that the experience of mistreatment by security forces and state institutions is one of the most powerful drivers of jihadist recruitment in the region.

Europe should also be more concerned about Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe state affiliations with ethnic militias as proxies. These militias have carried out massacres against the Fulani, worsening inter-ethnic tensions. In January 2020, Burkina Faso passed the ‘Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland Act’, which allowed the state to arm civilians to fight jihadists. Yet in the nine months after the legislation, more than half of the 19 attacks launched by volunteers were against civilian members of the Fulani community, who were accused of collaborating with the jihadists.21 In the past the Malian state has similarly been accused of collaborating with hunting groups called Dozo to fight jihadists, and Dozo have also targeted Fulani civilians.22 Nigerien authorities have meanwhile failed to prevent Tuareg militias from targeting Fulani communities in the western Tillabéri province. 

Europeans have become more vocally critical of abuse by security forces in the Sahel. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said human rights abuses by state security forces “could threaten international support.”23 EU High Representative Josep Borrell has denounced the conduct of G5 forces.24 Yet there has been no talk of withdrawing funding from, or sanctioning, those who have perpetrated human rights abuses. Nor were questions raised about the effects of the EUTM’s training programmes in human rights on the behaviour of Mali’s armed forces. When Human Rights Watch presented evidence of a mass execution of 180 Fulani civilians by Burkina Faso’s army in June 2020, the EU’s response was only to demand that the Burkinabe authorities shed light on these allegations, reiterating European support for the army’s counter-terrorism campaign.25 

Europe needs to prioritise tackling abuses by Sahelian armed forces for two reasons. First, without sanctions for misconduct and greater pressure to prevent these incidents, G5 militaries will have little incentive to change their ways. Europe’s efforts to achieve stability by supporting state security forces will become increasingly counter-productive. The only real path to solving the intercommunal violence in central Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is if state authorities in these countries can act as a mediator in disputes (often over land) between communities – which jihadist groups would be happy to do in their absence. The state cannot carry out this function if it is feared and mistrusted by certain communities, such as the Fulani. It is in Europe’s interest that governments in the Sahel rebuild trust with all communities and cease to be seen as partisan in inter-ethnic conflicts they are supposed to be resolving. 

Second, if European-funded armies in the Sahel have played a part in worsening and prolonging the conflict, the basis of Europe’s ‘capacity building’ strategy could be called into question. European parliaments and citizens have the right to question if the millions of euros being spent by their governments on security assistance are further destabilising the region. Paris and Brussels may fear that threatening sanctions will lead the G5 to reject European aid or make less effort to counter illegal migration. But given the importance of foreign military aid to state security sectors in the Sahel, this argument underestimates Europe’s bargaining power. 

Source: Centre for European Reforms

 The Anambra state police commissioner, Monday Kuryas, has said that the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Anambra state governorship aspirant, Charles Soludo, is safe.

Soludo was attacked during a rally he was holding in Isuofia community in Aguata Local Government Area of the state. Unknown gunmen stormed the venue, shooting sporadically into the air, killing three of the security details of the ex-CBN governor. 

In an interview with Channels TV, the state police boss, Monday Kuryas, said Mr. Soludo is safe. He, however, disclosed that the state Commissioner for Public Utilities,  Emeka Ezenwanne, was abducted by the gunmen.

''The former CBN governor was holding a townhall meeting with the youths of his community called Isuofia in Aguata local government area of the state.

Suddenly, unknown gunmen attacked my men that were providing security for him. In the exchange of fire, three of my men were killed but the Professor is safe.

However, the Commisioner for Public Utilities, Engr Emeka Ezenwanne, was abducted in the process and my men are on the heels of the abductors.''he said

IN THE OTHER NEWS:

Unknown gunmen on Wednesday, March 31 attacked the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)and Anambra governorship aspirant, Prof. Charles Soludo in Isuofia community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

READ HERE: Gunmen Attack the Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Anambra Governorship aspirant, Prof. Charles Soludo, kill 3 Policemen on Duty

 A gang of armed thugs who terrorised London with a string of robberies including trying to rob Arsenal stars Mezut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac have now been jailed for more than 100 years.

The machete-wielding mob of eight men targeted wealthy areas and broke in to people's homes.

They also tried robbing wealthy people of their cars, and demanded money or high-value watches from April 2019 to July 2020.

Thugs who tried robbing Arsenal stars Mezut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac?jailed for more than 100 years

One of the gang members, Jordan Northover, and an accomplice ambushed Arsenal stars Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil as they tried to rob the Gunners footballers of their £200,000 luxury watches last year in London.

The footage showed as a fearless Kolasinac chased off the two thugs while Northover threatened to stab him in the street.

The gang, who were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court, carried knives or machetes to threaten victims committing around 20 offences.

In one sickening raid, members of the gang forced a locked bedroom door open before shoving a terrified 80-year-old woman to the floor.

They then smashed her wardrobes and demanded to know where the safe was before fleeing when the pensioner told them she didn't have one.

In another burglary on June 12, 2020, a mum was at home with her two children when two burglars wearing balaclavas smashed their way in with a crow bar.

The mother ran upstairs and hid while the suspects stole the keys to a black Audi.

The following day in St Johns Wood, five men wearing balaclavas broke into a home and threatened a man with a knife to his throat and a gun before fleeing.

On July 16, 2020, in Brondesbury Park, four masked gang members broke into a house and held a crowbar to a man's head before threatening his wife.

When the woman denied having a second safe, one thug threatened to "go and see her daughter" who was sleeping.

The gang stole £93,000 of jewellery and £6,000 cash.

The cowardly mob were finally caught three days later after trying to rob police surveillance officers who had spotted them carrying out a burglary in Barnet Gate.

Flying Squad officers and a police helicopter were scrambled before four of the suspects - including Northover - were arrested.

The gang was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court this week and now have a total prison package of over 100 years.

Patrick Delaney, 30, from Camden was jailed for 16 years for conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary and attempted robbery.

Martin Delaney, 29, Camden was caged for 11 years for attempted robbery and robbery with Kiaron 

Jones-Hewitt 27, sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for attempted robbery.

Andy Kiasuka-Kiakanda, 26, was sentenced to 14 years and four months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary.

Jordan Northover, 28, was jailed for 18 years and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment to run concurrently for the attempted robbery of the two Arsenal players on July 25, 2019.

Ryan Leurs, 19, from Hampstead was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, Steven Barton, 20, to nine years and Cheyenne Cato, West Hampstead was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Detective Sergeant Gary Taylor from the Flying Squad, said: “The way this gang targeted their victims and threatened them with weapons during their crime spree was truly shocking and abhorrent. The impact these heinous crimes have had on the victims cannot be understated.

“These defendants wrongly thought they wouldn’t be caught. However, Flying Squad officers were able to close the net on these robbers and bring them into custody after a proactive surveillance operation.

“I would like to praise the victims for supporting this prosecution, and I hope these convictions will go some way to giving them some comfort. Across London, officers are working hard to keep the public safe by identifying people involved in serious violence and bringing them to justice.”

New video shows Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac confronting knife-wielding moped thugs

 Unknown gunmen on Wednesday, March 31 attacked the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)and Anambra governorship aspirant, Prof. Charles Soludo in Isuofia community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to reports, Soludo was having an interactive session with the youths in the community when the gunmen stormed the gathering, shooting sporadically in the air. Three police officers were shot dead while the whereabouts of the former CBN governor is unknown.

The state police command spokesperson, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident but said that he was still gathering information about the unfortunate incident.

Soludo has declared his interest to run for governor of the state come November 6, 2021.

 A military unit made a failed coup attempt in Niger's capital Niamey on Wednesday, a government spokesman said, coming just two days before the country's first ever democratic transition of power. 

President-elect Mohamed Bazoum  is due to be sworn in on Friday — taking over from President Mahamane Ousmane, who disputed the election results.

Spokesman Abdourahamane Zakaria said the coup attempt was intended to "imperil democracy." 

The government claimed the security situation was under control after the militants attempted to seize Niamey's presidential palace, with several arrests having been made. 

What we know so far

Gunfire reportedly began around 3 a.m. local time (0400 CET) and lasted for around 30 minutes. 

Local residents told news agency AFP that there was "intense shooting, with heavy and light weapons." 

The United States Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert saying it would not open its doors on Wednesday "due to gunshots heard near our neighborhood.''

The shooting comes two days ahead of Mohamed Bazoum's (L) inauguration after winning in the runoff against Mahamane Ousmane

The situation is 'calm'

DW correspondent Abdoulkarim Mahamadou said Niger's state broadcaster initially began its program as usual at 6:30 a.m. with no mention to the reported shooting. 

"The situation here is calm and seems to be under control [of security forces]. Traffic is dense, officials are going to work, cabs are running normally and people are going about their business," Mahamadou said. 

Violence escalated after elections

Attacks by militants have grown since Bazoum's victory in February presidential election. 

Niger's former president, Ousmane, has deemed the election fraudulent after he lost in the runoff against Bazoum. 

Ousmane served as president for three years until a military coup toppled him in 1996. He has since tried to regain power, most recently through the February election. 

Niger has had four coups since its independence from France in 1960. 

The spread of deadly extremist violence has long plagued the West African country, after Islamist insurgencies spilled over from Mali and Nigeria.

How do Nigeriens view their new president?

Thomas Schiller, a Mali-based Africa expert for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told DW Wednesday that Bazoum is seen as a close follower of Niger's last president, Mahamadou Issafou.

"The transition from Bazoum to Issafou is regarded by the vast majority of people in Niger as a continuation, and not seen as a real change of power," Schiller said.

Schiller claimed that the many Nigeriens feel Issafou did not do enough to improve Niger's precarious security situation, with the Defense Ministry also facing an embezzlement scandal under his leadership. 

Source: DW News

Richard Terrell, 74, got a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on March 6

Four days later, he developed itching under his arm that soon became a rash over his whole body 

His legs, hands and arms swelled beyond recognition and his skin turned scarlet red, cracked and 'peeled off' 

A 74-year-old Virginia man broke out into a scarlet red rash after getting Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine. 

What began as a slight 'discomfort' under Richard Terrell's arm four days after his vaccination quickly escalated into an itchy, swollen flush covering most of his body.  

'It all happened so fast. My skin peeled off,' Terrell told WRIC. 

By March 19, he sought a dermatologist's help, and the doctor sent him to an emergency room. 

His doctors at the ER ultimately ruled that Terrell's scary skin condition was indeed an extremely rare side effect of the vaccine, caused by the frenzied activation of his immune system.    

Terrell's reaction was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and, after five days in the hospital, he recovered and was able to go home. 

Despite the harrowing reaction, Terrell does not regret his vaccination and encourages everyone to get theirs. 

Terrell's reaction was not unlike the 'Covid arm' rash seen in some recipients of Moderna's vaccine. 

But the splotch is typically a harmless response from the immune system to the shot that fades within a week.

The official term used by dermatologists and allergists to describe the side effect is 'delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity.'

Cutaneous means affecting the skin, hypersensitivity mean an unwanted reaction produced by the immune system and delayed because it typically occurs days after the shot is given.

The rash is typically red and swollen, and sometime painful to the touch, and always appears on the arm in which the vaccine was administered.

Such reactions have also been found in people who've received tetanus vaccines, the chickenpox vaccine and the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.

But Terrell's reaction went beyond mild, passing irritation. 

His legs and hands swelled grotesquely and turned a deep, painful purple. 

'It was stinging, burning and itching,' Terrell told WRIC. 

'Whenever I bent my arms or legs, like the inside of my knee, it was very painful where the skin was swollen and was rubbing against itself.' 

Even Terrell's back broke out red splotches. 

He stuck it out for several days before making an appointment with a dermatologist, who sent him to an emergency room where he was quickly admitted to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).  

We ruled out all the viral infections, we ruled out COVID-19 itself, we made sure that his kidneys and liver was okay, and finally we came to the conclusion that it was the vaccine that he had received that was the cause,' Dr Fnu Nutan, who treated Terrell.

'kin is the largest organ in the body, and when it gets inflamed like his was, you can lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes,' she said, explaining that the reaction can become life-threatening as a result of dehydration if left untreated.  

Allergic reactions to all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. 

In fact, they are even more uncommon with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine than those made by Moderna and Pfizer. 

It's not clear what, if any, allergies Terrell has. 

But his doctors suspect that he may have some rare genetic traits the interact with ingredients in the vaccine to trigger the out of control and painful reaction he had to the shot. 

Within five days, Terrell had recovered and was sent home, though he says he is still weak and regaining his strength. 

Still, both he and Dr Nutan say the shot is worth it. 

'If you look at the risk for adverse reaction for the vaccine it’s really, really low,' Dr Nutan said. 

'We haven’t seen a great concern at all. I am a big proponent of the vaccine.' 

 President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in London,United Kingdom where he is to undergo a routine medical check-up, IgbereTV reports.

Presidential spokeperson, Bashir Ahmad shared a video of the president disembarking the airplane on Tuesday night, March 31, as he arrived London.

The president is expected back in the country in the second week of April.

Before his departure, Buhari met with the service chiefs and intesify their efforts towards fighting insecurity in the country.

 The Presidency said on Tuesday President Muhammadu Buhari would rule the country from the United Kingdom where is expected to undergo a medical check-up.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, who stated this when he featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, added that the President does not need to transmit power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo because he would be in the UK for only 14 days.

He said the law only requires the President to transmit power to his deputy if he is spending more than 21 days outside the country.

The presidential aide insisted that President Buhari has not contravened the laws of the land by not transmitting power to Osinbajo while away from the country for a few days.

Shehu said: “He (Buhari) will continue from wherever he is.

“The requirement of the law is that the President is going to be absent in the country for 21 days and more, then that transmission is warranted. In this particular instance, it is not warranted.

“We pray that no emergency will arise that will make him spend more than 21 days in the UK.”

President Buhari left the country for London on Tuesday for what the Presidency described as a “routine medical check-up.”

He is expected to return to the country next month.

 The Kaneshie District Court has ordered the repatriation of a 28-year-old Nigerian for illegally obtaining a Ghanaian passport and birth certificate after paying various court fines.

Iyamu, aka, Anthony Kwarteng, had secured a Ghanaian passport in Spain through a friend but the passport got missing when he visited Nigeria.

In his bid to secure a new Ghanaian Passport in Accra, officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) nabbed him when he appeared to go through processes at the Passport Application Centre (PAC) at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra.

Iyamu pleaded guilty to illegal entry, attempting to obtain a Ghanaian passport and possession and use of Ghanaian birth certificate.

The Court, presided over by Ama Adomako Kwakye, convicted him on all the three charges.

On the charge of illegal entry, the Court ordered Iyamu to pay a fine of ¢840 in default serve two weeks imprisonment.

The Court ordered him to pay ¢960 in default serve two weeks imprisonment on the charge of attempting to obtain a Ghanaian passport.

For possession and use of false certificate to wit Ghanaian Birth Certificate, the Court further ordered Iyamu to pay a GHC840.00 or in default serve two weeks imprisonment.

The sentences, however, will run concurrently.  

Narrating the facts of the case in Court, Chief Superintendent of GIS, Mr Adolf Asenso-Aboagye, said Iyamu, submitted a Ghanaian passport application with a Ghana’s birth certificate and a Ghanaian passport number GT2038555, which he claimed was missing.

Chief Supt. Asenso Aboagye, said the convict also added a police report to the documents.

Chief Supt. Asenso-Aboagye, said officials at the PAC doubted his nationality and referred the matter to the GIS for further investigations.

The prosecution said investigations at the GIS headquarters revealed that the convict was a Nigerian whose real name is Eugene Wisdom Iyamu and not Anthony Kwarteng as he claimed.

According to the prosecution, Iyamu was born at Agbor in the Delta State and that he came to Ghana through unapproved route at Ghana’s Eastern Border (Aflao).

The prosecution said Iyamu in his cautioned statement said he obtained Ghana’s passport and birth certificate while he was in Spain through a friend.

He said Iyamu had said that, he managed to return to Nigeria on holidays, but his Ghanaian passport got missing so he decided to procure a new Ghanaian passport.

The prosecution said Iyamu was then introduced to one Joe in Takoradi who charged him ¢2,000 for a Ghanaian passport.

He said on February 18, this year, Iyamu had an appointment for vetting of his passport and he was arrested.

The prosecution said checks at the Passport Office at Ridge indicated that Iyamu’s passport, which he claimed was missing was falsified and that his Ghanaian birth certificate was also forged.

Chief Supt Asenso-Aboagye said efforts to arrest the said Joe from Takoradi was unsuccessful.

Source:Myjoyonline

Police in Denu have arrested Mr Gali Golo, a 38-year old fisherman for allegedly beating his wife, Madam Beatrice Logosu, 34 to death and depositing her body in the morgue.

His arrest followed information received by the District Police Command which revealed that the suspect beat his spouse to death on suspicion of infidelity and secretly sent the body to the morgue.

This brings to at least three reported cases of men allegedly beating their partners to death in the Volta Region in the month of March alone, after two similar reports from Ho previously.

ASP Joseph Nakoja, Denu District Police Commander in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, disclosed that the command had begun investigations into the matter for appropriate action.

“On 28th March, 2021 at 0800 hours, we received information that the suspect Gali Golo who lives at Akame had beaten the wife, Beatrice Logosu to death the previous night, 27th March, and secretly sent the body for preservation at Hosanna Clinic mortuary in Agbozume.

“We moved in and recovered the body which had been embalmed. There were bruises on the body with blood oozing from a broken jaw. Also, the victim’s neck appeared to be broken suggesting a possible case of strangulation. For now the body is still at same morgue for further action”.

“We visited the home of the couple and gathered from neighbours that the suspect initiated the assault on the victim around midday of 27th March for alleged infidelity and threatened killing everyone that condemned his behaviour.

“The neighbours said the couple carried the fight deep into the night only for them to learn the next morning that the victim had died,” the Commander further said.

ASP Nakoja disclosed that the Command had sent out invitation to the mortuary attendant at Hosanna Clinic, while attempts were being made to contact family of the victim and the alleged suspect to aid in further investigations.

Sergeant Prince Dogbatse, Volta Regional Police Public Relations Officer, appealed to the population to report abusive spousal relationships to the Police or Church leadership to curtail the spike in recent cases of deaths emanating from these relationships.

He entreated churches and counselors to wage a relentless crusade to douse these spousal deaths.

Barely a week earlier, Philip Caesar Kumah was alleged to have assaulted his girlfriend Elizabeth Yesutor Akpalu which resulted in her death later at the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Source:Myjoyonline

 Irate youths backed by leaders in Sade community in the Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State have burnt a man identified as Talle Mai Ruwa, to death for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.

SaharaReporters learnt that Mai Ruwa was dragged away from his house on Tuesday in the presence of his mother and burnt to death in the middle of the community.

Eyewitnesses shared gory pictures of the incident with SaharaReporters which showed the middle-aged man covered with tyres and set on fire.

The witnesses stated further that the youths contributed money to buy petrol to set Mai Ruwa ablaze.

The young man was killed by a mob in Sade town for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. He was dragged from his house by a mob and forcibly set ablaze after being tied to an old car tyre.

"The village youths donated money to buy the petrol that was used to burn and kill Talle Mai Ruwa," a resident narrated.

Another source told SaharaReporters that some youths had earlier dragged the deceased before Islamic clerics where he was asked questions.

After the questioning session, the clerics reportedly told the crowd that Talle Mai Ruwa deserved to be killed.

"The mum stood and watched while fire consumed Talle Mai Ruwa until he was reduced to ashes," he lamented.

Some residents of the town told SaharaReporters that Talle Mai Ruwa had been going through unspecified type of mental illness.

This is not the first time that people in northern Nigeria would be passing a death sentence on someone for alleged blasphemy.

In August 2020, a musician in Kano was sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.

An upper Sharia court said Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, 22, was guilty of committing blasphemy in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March.

Mr Sharif-Aminu did not deny the charges.

Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani said he could appeal against the verdict.

Also in September 2020, the United Nations Children's Fund condemned the sentencing of a 13-year-old for blasphemy.

Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, described as wrong the sentencing of Omar Farouk to 10 years in prison.

Sharia law court found Farouk guilty of using "disparaging language against Allah" while arguing with a friend.

Farouk is among many others who have been tried under Sharia law.

Source:Sahara Reporters

 The Richest man in the world Elon Musk is About to donate $30M to Cameron County schools and City of Brownsville

In his twitter tweet this morning he made it known to the public and he promised to give more details about the donations next week.

In his post Tweet "$20M to Cameron County schools & $10M to City of Brownsville for downtown revitalization"

Am donating $20M to Cameron County schools & $10M to City of Brownsville for downtown revitalization. Details to follow next week.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021

 President Buhari has left for London for a medical checkup. Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad shared pictures of Buhari leaving for London on his Instagram page.

President @MBuhari has proceeded to London, the United Kingdom earlier this afternoon, for a routine medical check-up.

 It was a grooving night yesterday in Binnaparlour as the CEO of Binna Limited Obinna Pascal Amajuoyi Celebrated his birthday Anniversary.

Night turn to day with unique and colourful atmosphere 

Binna CEO Obinna Pascal Amajuoyi and well wishers

CEO Obinna Pascal Amajuoyi, the wife and Binna Group Board of Trustees

Binna Group Board of Trustees

Binnaparlour Staffs and Board of Trustess

Birthday cake

Obinna Pascal and the wife Gracehelen

Binna CEO Obinna Pascal Amajuoyi and the wife Gracehelen

Friends and well wishers

Hon Malik and  friend.

Hon Malik former Assembly Man Manhean Ablekuma Ghana

WATCH VIDEOS OF THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BELOW: