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Sanctions Against Niger, ECOWAS Court Fixes December 7 for Ruling on Legality

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Sanctions Against Niger, ECOWAS Court Fixes December 7 for Ruling on Legality

By: Michael Mike

The ECOWAS Court of Justice will on December 7, 2023 deliver its ruling on interim measures in a case between the State of Niger and seven others, and the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and two others.

The Court fixed the date after hearing both parties during its sitting held on Monday, November 21, 2023 at its Seat in Abuja/

At the hearing, the applicants represented by their lawyers Mr Moukaila Yaye and five others argued that the sanctions imposed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS have adverse effect on the Nigerien people including shortage of food, medicine and electricity, due to the closure of borders and cut off of electricity supply by Nigeria.

They asked the Court for interim court orders that will compel the Authority of Heads of State and Government to immediately suspend the sanctions.

They said that the respondents overreacted by imposing the sanctions which were not successive, and that Niger was treated unequally and unfairly compared to the other three member states (Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea) that also experienced coup d’état in recent years.

The applicants also asked the Court to declare its competence to examine the case and declare the application admissible in accordance with the Court’s texts.

The respondents namely the Authority of Heads of State, the Mediation and Security Council, and the ECOWAS Commission represented by Mr François Kanga-Penond raised an objection of inadmissibility of the application and asked the Court to reject the request of the applicants.

Kanga-Penond told the Court that coup d’état was not recognised in a democracy and that the junta does not have legal capacity to bring a case before the Court adding that, the democratically elected President has a pending case before the Court in which he is challenging the legitimacy of this same junta.

He emphasised that the lack of legal capacity of the junta to approach the Court restraints the Court from examining their request for interim measures.

In the initiating application, the applicants – the State of Niger, six Nigerien organisations and a Nigerien national asked the Court to declare the measures taken by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS during its extraordinary sessions of July 30 and August 10, 2023, allegedly aimed at restoring constitutional order in the Republic of Niger, illegal.

They requested the Court to nullify all decisions of these ECOWAS organs imposing sanctions, including the decision to resort to military intervention in the Republic of Niger.

The panel of three judges on the bench is composed of: Hon. Judge Edward Amoako Asante, President, Hon. Judge Gbéri-bè Ouattara, Judge Rapporteur/Member
Hon. Judge Dupe Atoki, Member.

Sanctions Against Niger, ECOWAS Court Fixes December 7 for Ruling on Legality

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Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara

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Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara

By: Zagazola Makama

A mobile police operative attached to Operation Restore Peace has been killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Adabka village, Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 11:44 a.m. when the officer, deployed from Mopol 15, Ilorin, left his duty location in Adabka en route to Tibis village to purchase essential supplies.

Security sources in Bukkuyum told Zagazola that the operative was attacked at the outskirts of Adabka by armed bandits concealed in the surrounding bushes.

The attackers reportedly opened fire on the officer, killing him instantly before carting away his service riot gun.

“Field teams deployed to the scene recovered the body of the fallen operative, which was evacuated to Adabka Primary Health Care Centre for documentation,” the source said.

Sources said that the mode of attack aligns with operational tactics used by bandit factions linked to the Dan-Karama Gwaska and Dansadau networks, known for precision ambushes and rapid withdrawal.

Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara

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GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference

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GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference

Stakeholders comprising academics, policymakers, security experts and public-sector practitioners have deliberated ways of tackling insecurity in the country through a multi-faceted approach that includes economic empowerment, improved governance, and enhanced security cooperation.


They made the submission during the maiden International Conference organised by the Department of Public Administration, Gombe State University (GSU).


The conference was declared open on Tuesday by Prof. Sani Ahmed Yauta, the Vice Chancellor of the institution who stated that any engagement aimed at proffering solutions to the security challenges of the country was an engagement borne out of the need to fast-track national development and stability.


Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Danladi Umar, Yauta urged participants to leverage the conference to contribute to ongoing efforts at addressing security challenges so as to enhance peace and development in the country.


In his keynote address, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, Secretary to the Gombe State Government, linked good governance to enhanced security and national development.
Njodi stressed that good governance remained a critical tool to earning citizens’ trust needed to maintain peace and to strengthen development across the country.


He stated that discourse around Nigeria’s governance had become imperative in view of the current security challenges confronting the nation and threatening national development.


He stressed the need for subnational governments to drive national development, adding that they have massive roles to play in determining Nigeria’s progress.
“It is the aggregation of subnational experiences—state successes and failures—that ultimately determines Nigeria’s trajectory.”


Njodi cited the Gombe State governance model and how it had contributed to improvement in human capital development as well as the development of the state and therefore resulting in the peaceful status that the state had enjoyed under Gov Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State’s leadership.


“The state’s development trajectory under Gov. Yahaya offers a practical demonstration of how visionary leadership, institutional innovation and participatory governance can transform a subnational entity within Nigeria’s federal system.


Speaking earlier, the Head of Public Administration Department, Prof. Matthew Funsho Bello, described the event as historic for both the department and the university.
Bello said that the conference’s theme, “Governance, Insecurity and National Development in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges,” was timely given the complexities of the nation’s socio-economic and security challenges.


“This gathering of distinguished scholars, public-sector experts, policymakers and practitioners from across the country marks a major milestone in our collective quest to address the vexing issues affecting our national life,” he said.


According to him, the theme reflects “the urgent need for academia, security agencies and public-sector experts to engage in constructive dialogue on how addressing insecurity and governance can drive sustainable development in Nigeria.


Security experts amongst other professionals made their presentations during the conference which are expected to form part of the recommendations at the end of the two-day event.


Dr Lawal Abdullahi Oladimeji, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the Conference, lauded all participants and invited guests for the success of the maiden event.

Oladimeji said that recommendations from the conference would be given to relevant stakeholders towards enhancing national security and development.

GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference

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21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation

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21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation

By: Zagazola Makama

Twenty-one persons have been abducted by suspected bandits in three villages of Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

Zagazola Makama learnt that the coordinated attacks occurred in Sundu, Biresawa and Masaurari villages.

According to community members, two women were taken from Sundu, while five women and two children were abducted at Biresawa.

In Masaurari, nine men and one woman were reportedly seized, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 21 comprising nine men, eight women and two children.

The Police Command in Kano confirmed the attack noting that efforts had been intensified to rescue all victims unhurt.

The sources added that additional operatives had been deployed to the affected axis, while the area was being combed in collaboration with local vigilance groups and other security agencies.

The command assured residents of its commitment to restoring peace and urged the public to provide credible information that could aid ongoing operations.

21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation

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