Category: News

Why Macaulay, Vatsa, Saro-Wiwa, others were granted pardons — Presidency

 

 

The Presidency on Saturday said President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardon and clemency to 175 Nigerians and foreigners, including late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and other members of the “Ogoni Nine”, was part of efforts to promote fairness, justice, and national unity.

 

The Presidency also revealed that the President corrected a historical injustice committed by British colonial authorities against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists, who was banned from public office in 1913 after being convicted of misappropriation of funds.

 

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu had signed off on pardons for Sir Herbert Macaulay and 174 others.

 

This marked one of the most expansive uses of the presidential prerogative of mercy, touching on high-profile historical cases.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency explained that the exercise was guided by the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

 

According to Onanuga, Tinubu’s gesture was extended to individuals who had either demonstrated remorse, exhibited good conduct, acquired vocational skills, or shown evidence of reformation during incarceration. Others, he said, benefited due to old age, ill health, or historical injustice.

 

“Illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy on Thursday.

 

“President Tinubu granted clemency to most of them based on the reports that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct. He forgave some due to old age, the acquisition of new vocational skills, or enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). President Tinubu also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists,” the statement read.

 

Among the beneficiaries of the presidential pardon were Major General Mamman Vatsa, executed in 1986 for alleged coup plotting, and Ken Saro-Wiwa alongside eight other Ogoni activists who were executed in 1995 under the Abacha regime. Their posthumous pardon, Onanuga said, was part of Tinubu’s effort to “heal old wounds and promote national unity.”

A total of 175 convicts and former convicts benefited from the President’s mercy. These included two inmates and 15 former convicts (11 of whom are deceased) granted full pardon, 82 inmates granted clemency, 65 who had their sentences commuted, and seven inmates whose death sentences were reduced to life imprisonment.

 

Prominent among the living beneficiaries are Farouk Lawan, former lawmaker convicted for corruption; Professor Magaji Garba, former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau; and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2014 for killing her husband.

 

Sanda’s clemency, according to the Presidency, followed appeals citing her remorse, good behaviour, and the need to care for her two children.

 

Others pardoned or granted sentence reduction include convicted drug traffickers, illegal miners, and persons convicted of white-collar crimes, several of whom demonstrated good conduct or enrolled in rehabilitation and educational programmes while serving their terms.

 

The committee’s report, presented during Thursday’s Council of State meeting chaired by President Tinubu, also recommended that the sentences of some death row inmates be commuted to life imprisonment due to their remorse and long periods in confinement.

Onanuga said the exercise was consistent with Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to grant pardons and reprieves after consultation with the Council of State.

 

The Presidency emphasised that the decision was not taken lightly but was a product of extensive review and recommendations.

 

Previous reports had indicated that the move was part of a broader effort by the Tinubu administration to decongest custodial centres across the country and promote humane justice reforms.

 

The full list of beneficiaries, released by the Presidency, includes inmates convicted of drug trafficking, illegal mining, fraud, manslaughter, and other offences. Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis has also undertaken to oversee the rehabilitation and empowerment of all pardoned illegal miners.

Newborn baby girls can experience menstruation, it’s normal — Paediatrician

 

 

 

A paediatrician, Ayobola Adebowale, known as Your Baby Doctor, has explained that some newborn girls may experience light bleeding shortly after birth, a condition medically known as pseudo menstruation or neonatal menstruation.

 

Adebowale in a video obtained by our correspondent on Saturday said the condition occurs due to hormonal changes after delivery and is usually harmless.

 

She said,”Your newborn baby can actually menstruate and this is what we call pseudo menstruation or neonatal menstruation, and it occurs because your baby inside your womb was exposed to a lot of your hormones.

 

“When you bring them out suddenly at time of delivery, they have what we call withdrawal bleeding, which is basically menstruation, and this happens in newborn babies and it’s essentially normal.”

 

Adebowale advised parents not to panic when they observe such discharge in their baby girls.

 

“You have no reason to be scared. You have nothing to be worried about. Just observe the discharge and after a few days it will resolve by itself.

 

“You really don’t have to do anything and you have no reason to be worried and that child is not a witch,” she said.

She, however, added that if the bleeding persists, parents should consult a doctor for a proper check-up.

 

According to medical research, some newborn girls experience what’s called “neonatal menstruation” or “pseudomenstruation.”

 

It usually occurs within the first week after birth and is caused by a sudden drop in the mother’s oestrogen levels after delivery.

 

While the baby is still in the womb, she is exposed to high levels of maternal hormones.

 

After birth, those hormones quickly fall, and the baby’s uterus may respond by shedding a small amount of blood or mucus, just like a mini period.

 

Doctors advise parents to seek medical attention if the bleeding is heavy, lasts more than a few days, or occurs after the first week of life, as it could signal an infection or another medical issue.

ICYMI: How Super Eagles can qualify for 2026 World Cup

 

 

Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain alive after a narrow 2-1 victory over Lesotho on Friday, but the Super Eagles face a challenging path to qualification.

 

Nigeria sit third in Group C with 14 points despite their win. South Africa are second with 15 points after drawing with Zimbabwe, while Benin Republic lead the group with 17 points.

 

The race for automatic qualification now goes down to the last group matches.

 

To keep their 2026 World Cup dream alive, Nigeria must beat Benin Republic by at least two goals when they meet in their final group game on 14 October. This is because Benin Republic leads on goal difference with five goals, while Nigeria and South Africa are both on three goals.

A strong win is essential, as goal difference could decide the group winner.

 

The Super Eagles will also need some help. South Africa must either lose or draw against Rwanda in their last match. If South Africa wins, Nigeria’s chances of qualifying automatically would be very slim.

 

Only the group winners secure direct qualification to the World Cup, while the four best runners-up go to the play-offs. This means every goal and point is now crucial.

Confront false narratives on religious conflict, Islamic council urges FG

 

 

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has called on the Federal Government to take a firmer stance against what it described as false and misleading claims of religious persecution in Nigeria, urging authorities to identify and address the sources of such narratives.

 

In a statement signed by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze on Friday, the Council said it had observed “the avalanche of refutations by many agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria, well-meaning Nigerians across religious divides and the National Assembly of the recent false allegation circulating on some international platforms and the social media that there is a systematic genocidal campaign against Christians in Nigeria.”

 

The NSCIA commended the Federal Government and other stakeholders who had publicly rejected the claims but expressed concern that their responses did not go far enough.

 

It said, “Council wondered why the government could not, at least for once, go the whole hog by calling a spade a spade, by speaking the whole truth.”

The Council maintained that insecurity in Nigeria affects citizens of all faiths and should not be portrayed as targeted at any single group.

 

It cited the US State Department’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom, noting that “terrorists, bandits and armed criminal groups target mosques and churches indiscriminately in Nigeria.”

 

The statement added, “In the first half of 2025 alone, terrorists and bandits are reported to have killed at least 2,266 civilians across Northern Nigeria, where Muslims are predominant, leaving over 2 million people displaced and over 7.8 million others in need of urgent aid.”

 

It also referenced findings by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom 2025 Annual Report, which acknowledged that both Muslims and Christians had been victims of attacks, stressing that the situation “does not take any pattern.”

 

The council said its decision to remain restrained in the face of allegations and misrepresentations was motivated by its commitment to national unity.

 

“Council wishes to place on record that its decision to be quiet in the face of all the attacks, innuendos and insults being hurled at Muslims in this country is as a result of the necessity of protecting the corporate existence of this nation,” it stated.

 

The NSCIA also referred to a comment by the Director of National Issues and Social Welfare of the Christian Association of Nigeria, who observed that insecurity affects all Nigerians, saying: “If they open fire in a marketplace, the bullets don’t look for a Christian or spare a Muslim or even spare a baby.”

Expressing concern about policies it believes could deepen divisions, the Council drew attention to a recent circular by the National Insurance Commission restricting co-insurance between conventional insurers and Takaful operators.

 

It stated, “This circular of exclusivity, which clearly violates the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA 2025), is intended to further create a divide between the Muslims and the non-Muslims in the country.”

 

Reaffirming its commitment to peace and coexistence, the council said, “Council strongly believes in one and indivisible Nigeria, and it shall continue to work to preserve this ideal even in the face of the greatest provocation.”

It urged the Federal Government to strengthen public communication and ensure that misinformation capable of fuelling religious tension is swiftly addressed through accurate, evidence-based engagement.

 

The NSCIA’s statement comes amid growing international attention on religious freedom in Nigeria. Western advocacy groups and international media outlets have accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians from attacks, allegations which the Federal Government and local religious leaders have repeatedly dismissed as exaggerated and politically motivated.

 

In September, US Senator Ted Cruz introduced S.2747 — the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a proposed law seeking to compel the US Secretary of State to list Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for alleged breaches of religious freedom and to impose sanctions on certain Nigerian officials.

 

The bill builds on long-standing recommendations from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has consistently urged Washington to apply the CPC designation to Nigeria, citing what it describes as federal and state-level shortcomings in safeguarding religious minorities.

 

In a plenary debate on Thursday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio warned against the framing of Nigeria’s security challenges in strictly religious terms, cautioning that doing so could distort the reality on the ground and deepen sectarian tension. https://punchng.com/akpabio-warns-against-framing-insecurity-along-religious-lines/

 

He urged that foreign narratives—particularly from Western media and legislators—should not be allowed to define Nigeria’s security discourse.

 

Akpabio insisted that terrorists and bandits do not discriminate by faith when launching attacks.

 

He emphasized that attacks in states like Borno, Kaduna, Benue, and elsewhere have victimized both Christians and Muslims alike, and thus must be approached as national security issues, not religious conflicts.

2026 WCQ: Nigeria’s W’Cup hopes on the line today, kickoff time

 

 

All eyes are on the New Peter Mokaba Stadium, South Africa, on Friday as the Super Eagles lock horns with the Crocodiles of Lesotho in what promises to be a last-chance match for Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

 

The Super Eagles were almost certain to miss out on consecutive World Cup finals after their September 1-1 draw against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.

 

However, they were handed a lifeline when South Africa were docked points for fielding an ineligible player, narrowing the gap at the top of Group C.

 

The ruling left Nigeria three points adrift of Benin and South Africa with two games remaining, reshaping the qualification race and keeping Nigeria’s hopes alive.

Decisive game for the Super Eagles

Nigeria cannot afford to lose either of their remaining two matches, starting with Friday’s fixture against Lesotho.

 

They must also hope South Africa slip up in their remaining games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

 

With several teams still mathematically capable of topping the group, a win in Polokwane is essential if the Super Eagles are to keep their campaign alive.

 

Group standings

Benin top the group with 14 points and a +4 goal difference, while South Africa are second on 14 points with a +2 goal difference. Nigeria sit third on 11 points and a +2 goal difference, followed by Rwanda on 11 points and a neutral goal difference.

 

Head-to-head

Since 2019, the sides have met three times: they have drawn once and Nigeria have won twice.

Lesotho held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on November 16, 2023, and will be looking to cause another upset in Polokwane.

 

Record so far

The Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifying campaign has been patchy. To date, they have recorded two wins, five draws and one defeat, while Lesotho have two wins, three draws and three losses.

 

Optimism, ready

Ahead of the crucial tie, head coach Éric Chelle and some Super Eagles stars have expressed optimism about their chances.

 

Speaking at a press conference in Polokwane on Thursday, Chelle said the team must begin the game aggressively and with full focus.

 

Chelle warned that football is unpredictable, considering factors such as weather, refereeing errors, and individual mistakes can influence outcomes.

But he insisted the squad’s attention must remain on securing three points.

 

Match details

Matchday nine will take place on Friday (today), October 10, at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, with kick-off at 6:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. Nigeria time).

 

Fans can watch on DStv’s SuperSport, SportyBet TV and AfroSport.

Peru’s president impeached by lawmakers amid crime crisis

 

 

Lawmakers in Peru voted Friday to remove President Dina Boluarte, whose term has been marked by protests and accusations of failing to stem crime.

 

Boluarte refused to appear before Congress for an overnight hearing, after a majority of lawmakers, including some once loyal to her, voted to initiate impeachment proceedings.

 

They summoned Boluarte to appear before Congress at 11:30 pm (0430 GMT Friday), but she skipped the proceedings, which ended with 118 lawmakers voting for her impeachment.

 

“The president’s impeachment has been approved,” announced Congress leader Jose Jeri, who could take over as interim president until elections in April 2026.

Protests have marked Boluarte’s presidency, along with various scandals, investigations and a surge in gang violence.

 

She had already faced down multiple attempts to remove her from office.

 

The latest effort cited her “permanent moral incapacity” to carry out her duties since assuming office in December 2022.

Peru has had six presidents in about nine years.

 

Boluarte, who took office after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached over a crackdown on protests that killed at least 50 people, had seen her approval rating plummet.

 

She is the subject of multiple probes, including one for her alleged failure to declare gifts of luxury jewels and watches, a scandal dubbed “Rolexgate.”

 

She also gave herself a large pay increase in July.

 

Anti-government protests have mounted in recent weeks after the government passed a law on September 5 requiring young people to contribute to private pension funds, despite job insecurity and an unofficial employment rate of more than 70 per cent.

 

Protests have also escalated over the past six months in the wake of a wave of extortion and murders by organised crime groups.

 

AFP

Cameroon election: World’s oldest leader, Biya, poised to win eighth term

 

 

 

Cameroon’s Paul Biya, already the world’s oldest head of state, is the favourite to win Sunday’s presidential election, handing him an eighth term in power in the central African country.

 

A fractured opposition of 11 candidates is standing against the 92-year-old in the vote, whose credibility and fairness rights groups have called into question.

 

Most of the 7.8 million Cameroonians called to the ballot box can remember no leader other than Biya, who has held onto power with an iron fist since 1982.

 

Questions over the state of his health have only grown louder since he entered his 10th decade. Should Biya win, he would be nearly 100 by the end of his eighth term.

 

Though the opposition hopes to entice voters with promises of a new face and an end to the cost-of-living frustrations of the long Biya epoch, its most credible candidate, Maurice Kamto, had his candidacy barred by the courts.

 

Theophile, an artist in the economic capital Douala, branded the vote a “scam”.

 

The 24-year-old had hoped to vote for Kamto, who came second to Biya in the 2018 election.

 

“As long as the system remains in place, there is nothing that can be done. There has to be a change,” he told AFP.

 

Others value the veteran’s decades of experience in a country where half the population is under the age of 20.

 

“I say Paul Biya still has something to offer,” said Giovanni, a 20-year-old student in Douala.

 

“Even though some of his promises haven’t been kept, I’m counting on him. He’s a wise man with a wealth of experience and a long track record.”

 

– ‘Determination intact’ –

 

The longtime president was noticeably absent from the campaign trail.

 

He had taken a trip this month to Switzerland, his favoured destination for overseas jaunts, fuelling fresh speculation over the state of his health.

But he made a rare outing on Tuesday, holding a rally at a stadium in the town of Maroua in the Far North region, a key electoral battleground with 1.2 million registered voters.

 

It was his first public appearance since May.

 

“My determination to serve you remains intact,” he told the crowd in a 25-minute speech, which touched on youth, women and infrastructure.

 

Though his entourage expected nearly 25,000 people at the event, AFP reporters present estimated only a few hundred showed up.

Biya became Cameroon’s second president since independence in the 1960s in the 1984 election, when he ran unopposed and won 100 per cent of the vote.

 

He had already taken over two years earlier when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned suddenly.

 

He was re-elected in similar style in 1988 but after the introduction of multi-party politics only narrowly overcame challenger John Fru Ndi in 1992 by a four-per cent margin.

 

Biya turned to a mix of repression, regional alliances and overtures to his former rivals to curtail threats to his rule, Arrey Ntui, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Cameroon, said.

 

His strategy bore fruit: he was re-elected with 93 per cent of the vote in 1997, 71 per cent in 2004, 78 per cent in 2011 and 71 per cent in 2018.

 

– ‘Protect the vote’ –

 

Human rights groups have spent years condemning Biya’s stranglehold on Cameroon’s institutions and election process.

 

“The electoral charade is unlikely to signal any potential change in the immediate future but rather the consolidation of the status quo,” said David Kiwuwa, who heads the School of International Studies at Nottingham University’s campus in China.

 

With four-in-10 Cameroonians living under the poverty line in 2024, according to the World Bank, economic fears have long loomed large in voters’ minds.

 

The high cost of living, as well as the lack of drinking water, quality schooling and healthcare, have long frustrated Cameroonians.

“I keep hoping for a better Cameroon where young people can find work,” Boris, a computer engineer in the coastal city of Buea, told AFP.

 

“I imagine a day when Cameroon looks like Paris, with accessible and affordable education, where we can drive safely on our roads.”

 

Yet those recurring complaints, widely shared on social media, have not led people to take to the streets in protest.

 

Several citizens’ associations have set up networks of observers at polling stations to “protect the vote” by counting ballots independently.

 

The government has slammed these as attempts to “manipulate public opinion” and “produce skewed results”.

 

The vote will be held in the shadow of a deadly conflict between separatist forces in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions and the government.

 

During the last vote in 2018, turnout was particularly low in anglophone Cameroon, where the fighting is fiercest.

 

AFP

Key reactions to Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

 

 

World leaders on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas, which could help end the two-year war in Gaza.

 

Palestinian Territories

 

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he hoped that the deal “would be a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution”, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

 

United Nations

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for all hostages to be released “in a dignified manner” and for a permanent ceasefire to be secured.

 

“The fighting must stop once and for all,” he said, urging the immediate, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

 

World Health Organisation

 

The Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus called the announcement a “big step towards lasting peace”.

 

The WHO “stands ready to scale up its work to meet the dire health needs of patients across Gaza, and to support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system”, he added.

 

“The best medicine is peace,” he said.

 

Egypt

 

The foreign ministry called the deal after indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh “a pivotal moment in the war in Gaza”.

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Saudi Arabia said it hoped the deal would “lead to urgent action to alleviate the humanitarian suffering… achieve a full Israeli withdrawal, restore security and stability, and initiate practical steps to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution”.

Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan singled out his US counterpart Donald Trump for praise, thanking him for demonstrating “the necessary political will to encourage the Israeli government toward the ceasefire”.

 

European Union

 

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, both praised the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey and called it an opportunity for lasting peace.

 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the deal “a significant breakthrough”.

 

Among European leaders, Trump ally Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy called it “extraordinary news”, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped it would pave the way for a “political solution”.

 

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the developments were “encouraging” and he was “confident” of a solution this week.

 

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, said the civilian population should now be supported and “the atrocities experienced… never repeated”.

 

Ireland, which has also strongly criticised Israel’s military response, said the deal, “if grasped by all, can finally end the unconscionable human suffering”.

 

“It can stop the dreadful bombing, silence the guns, end the famine and genocide, and allow a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” deputy prime minister Simon Harris said.

 

UK

 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the “tireless” diplomatic efforts of mediating countries and called the deal a “crucial first step”.

 

“This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he added.

 

China

 

Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing hoped for a “permanent and comprehensive” ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible, adding: “China advocates adhering to the principle that ‘Palestinians should govern Palestine’.”

Atiku backs Sowore’s campaign for Nnamdi Kanu’s release

 

 

A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, describing his continued detention as a “stain on Nigeria’s belief in the rule of law.”

 

Atiku made this known in a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, expressing full support for the campaign launched by human rights activist and the 2023 African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, demanding Kanu’s release.

 

He wrote, “The continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains an open sore on our nation’s conscience and a stain on our belief in the rule of law. Defying court orders that granted him bail is an abuse of power and an assault on justice.

 

“I, therefore, lend my voice in full support of the campaign led by @YeleSowore for his immediate release or due prosecution. We fail as patriots if we allow Kanu’s case to fester as yet another wound this nation refuses to heal.”

Sowore, on Wednesday, had urged South-East governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to join the planned demonstration for Kanu’s release.

 

He disclosed that he had contacted several prominent Igbo leaders, including Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to join the movement.

 

The activist also revealed that he reached out to Atiku through his team, noting that the former vice president’s support would give significant weight to the campaign.

“I have tried reaching out personally to Dr. @alexottiofr, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo @CCSoludo, and Mr @PeterObi (through his team) today. Alex Otti and Soludo neither took my calls nor responded to my messages. They promised to tell Mr. @PeterObi about our plans, although he is currently travelling.

 

“I also reached out to Alhaji @Atiku through his team, while Senator @SenatorAbaribe said he would return my call. I spoke with Obinna Agwuocha of the House of Representatives. He was receptive and encouraging.

 

“The Abia State House of Assembly members informed me that they plan to travel to London next week and then return directly to Abuja for further action. They mentioned they intend to visit the Attorney General of the Federation first to lodge a complaint; they didn’t anticipate a “placard” protest. I told them, That’s fine; what matters most is that we agree on a unified date for action.

 

“This is not the time for hesitation. If we genuinely believe that @MaziNnamdiKanu deserves freedom, then every leader of conscience must act, now, not later,” he wrote.

 

Kanu had remained in the custody of the Department of State Services since his re-arrest in 2021 following his controversial extradition from Kenya.

 

Despite multiple court rulings ordering his release, including an October 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted him of all charges on the grounds that his extradition violated international laws, the Federal Government has yet to comply.

 

The IPOB leader faces charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement before the Federal High Court in Abuja, all of which he has consistently denied.

ICYMI: Innovation minister Nnaji resigns amid allegations

 

 

The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, has resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet amid controversies surrounding his academic records and allegations of certificate forgery.

 

Nnaji, who was appointed in August 2023, announced his resignation in a letter to the President on Tuesday, expressing appreciation for the opportunity to serve.

 

Confirming the development in a statement on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the resignation of Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, following some allegations against him. President Tinubu appointed Nnaji in August 2023.

 

“He resigned today in a letter thanking the President for allowing him to serve Nigeria. Nnaji said he has been a target of blackmail by political opponents. President Tinubu thanked him for his service and wished him well in future endeavours.”

Nnaji’s resignation comes amid a lingering controversy over alleged certificate forgery and questions surrounding his academic qualifications from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Nnaji and the Enugu State Government had traded words over allegations that he presented forged certificates.

 

The dispute intensified after the Federal High Court in Enugu rejected Nnaji’s bid to stop the University of Nigeria from releasing his academic records.

 

The court had ruled that the institution was within its rights to release the minister’s academic details in response to a freedom of information request, a decision that fuelled further public scrutiny.

 

Nnaji, however, maintained that he was being blackmailed by political opponents determined to tarnish his reputation.

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