Headlines
188 Persons Die of Lassa Fever As FG Battles COVID-19
A total of 188 persons have so far died of Lassa fever in Nigeria this year.
This is coming at a time the world, including Nigeria, is battling the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
According to a report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the casualty figure was recorded between January 1 and April 5, 2020.
Lassa fever is a disease spread to humans through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.
The disease is endemic to the West African country and its name comes from the town of Lassa in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969.
It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Neighbouring countries are also at risk.
The NCDC’s report also indicated that Nigeria had so far recorded 963 confirmed cases and 14 probable cases of the disease this year.
These are against the 537 confirmed cases and 15 probable cases recorded during the same first 14 weeks of 2019.
The confirmed and probable cases recorded this year are from the 4,287 suspected cases documented during the same period.
The cases are said to be spread across 27 states and 126 local government areas across the country.
The report read, “In Week 14 (of 2020), the number of new confirmed cases decreased from 19 cases in week 13 to 12 cases.
“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 14 of 2020, 188 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 19.5 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2019 (22.7 per cent).
“In total for 2020, 27 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 126 Local Government Areas.”
A breakdown of the confirmed cases according to states showed that Edo State has the highest number of confirmed cases with 314.
The state is followed by Ondo (309), Ebonyi (73), Taraba (55), Bauchi (43), Kogi (34), and Plateau (28), among others.
Of the 188 deaths, Edo again has the highest number of 39 deaths.
The state is followed by Ondo (44), Taraba (21), Bauchi (18), Ebonyi (16), Kogi (8), and Plateau (6) and Kaduna (5) among others.
Kaduna State recorded the five deaths at a period it recorded seven confirmed cases.
The number of suspected cases in the country has increased significantly to 4,287 compared to the 2,133 reported for the same period in 2019.
As part of response activities, the NCDC said the National Emergency Operations Centre had been activated to coordinate response activities across states while states with confirmed cases gave activated state-level EOCs.
It added that National Rapid Response Teams had been deployed from the centre to support response activities in 10 states.
It said the five molecular laboratories for the Lassa fever testing in the centre’s network were working full capacity to ensure that all samples are tested and results provided within the shortest turnaround time.
The Punch
The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, has declined to set up a judicial panel to investigate Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing a court order.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had requested that Amadi set up a seven-member panel to probe Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
However, in a letter dated January 20 and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, the chief judge cited two court orders barring him from receiving, forwarding, or considering any requests to form such a panel.
The judge stated that the orders were served on his office on January 16, 2026 and remain in force.
The chief judge emphasised that constitutionalism and the rule of law require all authorities to obey subsisting court orders, irrespective of their perception of the orders’ validity.
He referenced legal precedents, noting that in a similar case in 2007, the Chief Judge of Kwara State was condemned for ignoring a restraining court order when setting up an investigative panel, a decision later voided by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Amadi further observed that the Speaker has already filed an appeal against the court orders at the Court of Appeal, adding another layer to the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the allegations.
“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal,” he said.
Justice Amadi further stated that the existence of the injunctions and the pending appeal had effectively tied his hands.
“In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant,” he said.
The chief judge appealed to the lawmakers to recognise the legal constraints surrounding the matter.
Justice Amadi, therefore, urged the state assembly to be “magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter.”
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reportedly affirmed the removal of Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, LP.
The Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognize the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the party’s lawful leadership.
The development was disclosed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, in a post on X, where he said he was present at the Federal High Court when the judgment was delivered in a related case.
Effiong stated that Justice Lifu delivering judgment on Wednesday, upheld the Nenadi Usman-led committee as the only valid and lawful leadership of the Labour Party, reaffirming that Abure’s tenure had elapsed in line with an earlier Supreme Court judgment.
The court consequently directed INEC to immediately recognize Nenadi Usman as the party’s leader.
He wrote: “I am currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja for a case. I listened to judgement delivered in an another case.
“Honourable Justice Lifu has just upheld Senator Nnadi Esther Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the only valid and lawful leadership of the Labour Party.
“The Judge reaffirmed that by the Supreme Court’s judgement, Julius Abure’s tenure had since elapsed.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 third-place playoff on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali proved the hero of the night with two crucial saves during the shootout, including one from Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
Ademola Lookman then calmly converted the decisive penalty to secure the bronze medal —Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in a cagey second half, the game ended 0-0, sending the contest directly to penalties.
Despite Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missing Nigeria’s first kick, Nwabali’s immediate saved from Egypt’s first two attempts shifted the momentum.
