Headlines
2027: Dokubo Considers Alliance with North, Says Tinubu Betrayed Him
Former Niger Delta militant leader, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has accused President Bola Tinubu, of betraying him after helping him (Tinubu) to emerge president in the 2023 elections.
Dokubo made the accusation in a viral video shared on social media on Saturday, lamenting how he emptied his bank accounts to canvas votes for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, only for the latter to abandon him and his Ijaw people.
The former warlord, however, vowed to form an alliance with the North ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I apologise to our fathers because they were not wrong in allying with the North, and as young men, we will now start that same alliance,” he said in the video.
“From today, I will work and form an alliance with the North. President Tinubu betrayed me after I spent all my money and emptied my bank account campaigning for him.
“The Tinubu I know now isn’t the Tinubu I used to know. We will take this message across that only the Northerners can work with the Ijaw people.
“We can’t work with Yoruba people; they are a betrayal to us. We risked our lives by voting and doing everything, and this is what we get?”
“From today, I will work and form an alliance with the North. President Tinubu betrayed me after I spent all my money and emptied my bank account campaigning for him,” he insisted.
He also lamented the scrapping of the Niger Delta ministry in a recent cabinet reshuffle by the president, and the formation of a ministry of regional affairs under which the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDc) will come.
He said the ploy is to render the NDDC ineffective which using the resources from the Niger Delta region to fund other development commission.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the former Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife Asabe Bashir in the sum of N200 million each and two sureties in like sum.
As part of the bail conditions, one of the sureties is to deposit title deeds of properties in highbrow Maitama or Asokoro.
The defendants have been ordered to deposit their international passports with the court.
They are to remain in the custody of the Nigerian correctional service pending perfection of their bail conditions.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until March 16 for the commencement of the trial.
Headlines
Israeli Ambassador Accuses Iran of Spreading Terror, Sponsoring Extremist Activities in Nigeria
Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world, alleging that Tehran supports groups aimed at destabilising countries while pursuing its hostility against Israel.
Freeman made the remarks on Friday while speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise News.
The envoy claimed that Iran is the only country within the United Nations that openly expresses a desire to destroy another sovereign state, referring to repeated threats against Israel.
According to him, the Iranian government has, over several decades, supported militant groups and terror organisations around the world in pursuit of that objective.
Freeman alleged that Iran has backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, adding that Tehran was also behind the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.
He further claimed that Iranian activities aimed at spreading instability have been observed across several regions, including Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa.
Speaking specifically about Nigeria, the Israeli ambassador alleged that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria receives backing from the Iranian government.
According to Freeman, statements of support from Iran’s leadership, including posts by Ali Khamenei on social media, have openly indicated such ties.
He said: “The issue here is about Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, who expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its very policy is to destroy Israel. Is to wipe Israel off the map is to make sure they kill every single person and no regime, no country that has an express desire to destroy Israel, and it’s not only an expressed desire.
“We’ve seen over 47 years, they’ve taken all the actions they can in order for that to happen. We’ve seen them sponsor terror organizations. They were behind October the seventh massacre of Hamas. We’ve seen them sponsoring Hezbollah. We’ve seen them acting in Europe. We’ve seen them acting in Australia. We’ve seen them acting in Nigeria.
“We’ve seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance for them to try and carry out their aim of destroying Israel, and Israel will not allow another country to have nuclear weapons when they’ve expressly stated they want those weapons to destroy Israel”.
“I think that it is well documented. We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic movement of Nigeria is sponsored and is backed by the Iranian regime. This is not me saying this, we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime.
“The Supreme Leader posted on X his support and his backing there. So that’s very open. And there are other areas as well that Iran is working for, destabilizing, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”
No fewer than 140 persons are missing after an Iranian navy ship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan navy says around 180 people were on board, with 32 rescued.
A spokesperson told the BBC the cause of the sinking was not known. But US Defence Secretary (Secretary of War) said that the US submarine sank Iranian warship with torpedo in Indian Ocean.
Hegseth says that in the Indian Ocean, the US sank “an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters”.
“Instead it was sunk by a torpedo,” he says.
Hegseth did not name the Iranian ship that was attacked.
But earlier, the Sri Lankan navy reported the IRIS Dena went down in the Indian Ocean, with around 140 people on board missing.
Hegseth says “more waves” are coming
This “was never meant to be a fair fight, and it’s not a fair fight”, says Hegseth, adding that the US was punching Iran “while they’re down”.
“More and larger waves are coming, we are just getting started,” he said
Hegseth says Iranian regime are “toast”
Hegseth said the results over the past four days had been “incredible, historic really”.
“They are toast, and they know it,” he said referring to the Iranian regime.
He added that US forces had begun to “hunt, dismantle, demoralise, destroy and defeat” the regime’s capabilities.
He said that Iranian leaders would be looking up and seeing only “US and Israeli air power” until US and Israel decided the war was over.
“America is winning,’” says Hegseth
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said “America is winning, decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”
“We are only four days in”, he said, but “as Trump has said” the US “will take all the time we need” to make sure the operation is a success.
BBC
