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ECOWAS Court Delivers Judgment on Violation of Liberia Party’s Rights

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ECOWAS Court Delivers Judgment on Violation of Liberia Party’s Rights

By: Michael Mike

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has delivered a judgment in a suit brought by a Liberian political party, True Whig Party (TWP) alleging the violation of its rights to property, fair hearing, and effective remedy by the Republic of Liberia.

Delivering its judgment, the Court declared it had jurisdiction to entertain the matter. It also declared that the Applicant’s application was admissible, but however ruled that there was no violation of right to property by the Republic of Liberia.

Lawyer to the applicant averred that True Whig Party was founded in 1869 and registered as a political entity in Liberia and was the ruling party until 1980 when the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) orchestrated a coup. The party claimed that thirteen of its members were summarily executed, and its headquarters, the ‘E.J Roye Building’ was confiscated by the People’s Redemption Council (PRC), the self-styled military government.

The applicant argued that despite an amendment of the decree which allowed the return of the confiscated E.J Roye Building, the respondent did not return the property, and its subsequent offer to buy the building for $600,000 was refused.

It further explained that afterwards, the respondent entered into a questionable Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with former party members who received $130,000 in 2013, though their tenure had expired.

The applicant said it also opposed the respondent’s attempt to change ownership of the property to the state’s agency – the National Oil Company (NOCAL).

It contended that the confiscation violated its rights, particularly rights to fair hearing and property under the Liberian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter), and International Treaties.

It asked the Court to make a declaration that the forceful takeover of the applicant’s headquarters – E. J Roye Building in Monrovia, Liberia is illegal and violated its fundamental right. It also sought an order of the Court directing the Respondent to pay the sum of $10 million to the applicant as aggravated and general damages.

On its part, the respondent, the State of Liberia acknowledged the killing of the party’s leader and the confiscation of properties including the party’s headquarters building which is the subject matter of the case.

The respondent said it sought reconciliation when it made a gratuitous payment of $225,000 for the party’s relocation and rebuilding, and insisted the applicant was bound by the MoU indicating the Applicant has leased the property to another establishment. It urged the Court to declare the application inadmissible due to a prior ruling of the Supreme Court of Liberia on the same subject matter, adding that the application was an abuse of court process.

In its judgment, the Court held that the applicant failed to prove that its right to fair hearing, guaranteed under Article 7 of the African Charter has been violated by the respondent.

On the allegation of violation of the applicant’s right to property (ownership of the E.J. Roye Building), the Court noted that the applicant’s claim was unsubstantiated and declared that the respondent did not violate the applicant’s right to property as guaranteed by Article 14 of the African Charter

The judgment was delivered by the Judge Rapporteur, Hon. Justice Dupe Atoki. Other judges on the panel were Hon. Justices Sengu M. Koroma and Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves.

ECOWAS Court Delivers Judgment on Violation of Liberia Party’s Rights

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

By Aisha Gambo

The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).

The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.

She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.

According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.

“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.

Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.

According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.

She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.

Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.

She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.

The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.

She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.

Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.

She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.

Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

By: Zagazola Makama

Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.

According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.

Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.

Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.

The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.

Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

By: Zagazola Makama

A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.

According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.

The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.

The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.

The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.

Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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