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Ganduje Cuts Emir Sanusi to Size, Splits Kano Emirate into Five

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Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Wednesday signed a bill that sought to split the Kano emirate into four into law.

With the signing into the Kano State Emirs’ Appointment and Deposition Amendment Bill 2019 into law, the state now has five emirates – Gaya, Rano, Karaye, Bichi and Kano.

The state House of Assembly passed the bill earlier on Wednesday less than 24 hours after a petition submitted to the House by one Ibrahim Salisu was read by the Speaker, Alhassan Ruum.

The governor, who signed the bill into law barely eight hours after it was passed by the lawmakers, said, “The traditional institution will now go closer to the people. We are about to make history today, and in the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

He stated that with the expansion of the emirate council, there was a need to bring forth the all-important institution to serve the people better.

According to him, all the necessary requirements needed for the immediate commencement of the new councils are in place.

He stated, “Kingmakers will be known very soon. So also all other processes and procedures will be completed for appointing respective emirs, issuing them with appointment letters up to the coronation stage.”

The proposed emirates will reduce the area of influence of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II.

Reading the report of the House joint committees before the floor of the House on Tuesday, the Majority Leader, Alhaji Baffa Danagundi, said the decision to pass the bill followed wide consultations with stakeholders.

According to Danagundi, the law, if signed by the state governor, each of the emirate council will have their own kingmakers except Bichi.

Bichi, he said, would have its kingmakers from the old Emirate Council, Gidan Dabo, in particular.

Earlier on Wednesday on another occasion, the governor promised to sign the bill into law without hesitation as soon as it was passed by the House.

He said, “We heard about a bill forwarded to the state House of Assembly, requesting them to enact a law for the creation of four more emirs in Kano. We believe those that did this did it with good intentions and they want the development of the state.”

With the creation of more emirates, Ganduje argued that all sectors of society would enjoy improvement.

He stated, “We believe the petitioners did it in good faith. And they want the development of the state. I hope the legislative arm would work on it and forward it to me for assent of which I am ready to sign into law without any waste of time.

“That is the popular wish of our people. This will also go a long way in hastening growth and the development of the state.

“It will also lead to more concentration on our health, education and other equally important sectors of the society. That is why I said there would be no waste of time in signing the bill into law.

“The efforts did not get through many years ago but now we are happy to see that the idea would come into fruition.”

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Supreme Court Empowers Trump to Restart Deportation of Migrants

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The Trump administration has been allowed to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands very soon, following a divided Supreme Court order requiring that they get a chance to challenge the deportations.

All three liberal justices dissented from the order, and the high court majority did not detail its reasoning in the brief order, as is typical on its emergency docket.

The ruling came after immigration officials put eight people on a plane to South Sudan in May, a decision which U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston found violated his court order giving people a chance to argue they could be in danger of torture if sent away from their home countries.

The migrants from countries including Myanmar, Vietnam and Cuba had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. and immigration officials have said that they were unable to return them quickly to their home countries.

After Murphy stepped in, authorities landed the plane at a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where the migrants were housed in a converted shipping container and the officers guarding them faced rough conditions even as immigration attorneys waited for word from their clients.

The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally.

Since some countries do not accept U.S. deportations, the administration has reached agreements with other countries, including Panama and Costa Rica, to house them. South Sudan, meanwhile, has endured repeated waves of violence since gaining independence in 2011.

Murphy’s order doesn’t prohibit deportations to third countries. But it says migrants must have a real chance to argue they could be in serious danger of torture if sent to another country.

In a scathing 19-page dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the court’s action exposes “thousands to the risk of torture or death.”

“The government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard,” she wrote in the dissent joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The justices have confronted a similar issue in Trump’s effort to send Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador with little chance to challenge the deportations in court.

In that case, the court said migrants must get a “reasonable time” to file a court challenge before being removed, and the majority blocked the administration from resuming the deportations while lower courts worked out exactly how long they should get.

The conservative-majority court has sided with Trump in other immigration cases, however, clearing the way for his administration to end temporary legal protections affecting a total of nearly a million immigrants.

The third-country deportation case has been one of several legal flashpoints as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president’s policies.

Another order from Murphy, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, resulted in the Trump administration returning a gay Guatemalan man who had been wrongly deported to Mexico, where he says he had been raped and extorted. The man, identified in court papers as O.C.G, was the first person known to have been returned to U.S. custody after deportation since the start of Trump’s second term.

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Abuja is Safe, Peaceful, FG Counters US Security Alert

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that there is no security threat within its capital city, Abuja.

The Nigerian government stated this on Monday in response to an advisory by the United States’ Mission in Nigeria warning all Americans to stay away from all military and government facilities in Abuja.

“Due to increased security concerns arising from current global developments, U.S. Mission Nigeria informs U.S. citizens that all U.S.

“Embassy employees and their families are prohibited from non-official travel to a Nigerian military site or other government venue in Abuja at this time,” the mission had stated.

In its response, the Nigerian government maintained that Abuja remained safe for citizens and visitors alike.

In a statement, Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken note of the latest security advisory issued by the Embassy of the United States, restricting its staff and their families from non-official travel to military sites or other government facilities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

“While the Federal government recognizes and respects the right of foreign missions, including the U.S. Embassy, to issue travel advisories to their citizens, it is important to state categorically that Abuja remains safe for citizens, residents, and visitors alike.

“Nigeria’s security agencies are working around the clock to ensure the continued safety and protection of all residents of the FCT and across the country. The current security architecture in Abuja has not only been proactive but has also recorded significant successes in detecting, preventing, and neutralizing threats.”

“We understand that the U.S. advisory is based on general global developments and does not reflect any imminent or specific threat within the FCT. However, we reiterate to all diplomatic missions, investors, development partners, and the general public that there is no cause for alarm.

“The Federal Government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the safety of all residents and to maintaining Abuja’s reputation as one of the most secure capitals in the world. Our security and intelligence agencies are monitoring developments across the country and are fully prepared to respond decisively to any threat.

“We encourage citizens to conduct their lawful activities without fear, while also remaining vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” for Americans, saying the conflict in the Middle East could put those traveling or living abroad at an increased security risk.

“The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,” the State Department’s security alert said.

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Trump Confirms US Bombing of Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Warns Against Attempt to Retaliate

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U.S. President, Donald Trump, has disclosed that the United States has carried out “very successful attack” on three nuclear sites in Iran namely Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

President Trump disclosed this via Truth Social while warning that “any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight”.

Trump in posts on the social media platform on Saturday described the attack on the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites as historic for the USA, Israel and the world, adding that Iran must now agree to end the war.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.

“Congratulations to our great American warriors. There is not another military in the world that could have done this. Now is the time for peace,” Trump wrote.

Sources said the United States Air Force used 6 Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop 12 bunker-buster bombs, that is 360,000 lbs, on the Fordow Nuclear Facility, obliterating the entire nuclear capability.

This is coming after hostilities broke out between Israel and Iran on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

The Israel versus Iran crisis has led to fatalities running into hundreds as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday, warned that the U.S. participation in Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran would be “very unfortunate” and “extremely dangerous for everyone.”

Also, the United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned that the ongoing violent conflict between Iran and Israel is “a fire no one can control” and risks spiraling out of control.

Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had earlier released the most alarming update on the ongoing Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, on Friday, warned the UN Security Council that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities were degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk.

Grossi said at Natanz, the destruction of electricity infrastructure and direct strikes on enrichment halls had led to internal contamination.

Grossi said while no radiological release has been detected outside the facility, warned that uranium compounds now posed significant health hazards within.

At Isfahan, the UN nuclear watchdog boss said multiple buildings including a uranium conversion plant and a metal processing facility, were hit.

At Arak’s Khondab reactor site, he said that damage was sustained, though the facility was not operational.

The greatest risk, however, he said, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational.

Grossi warned that a direct strike “could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.”

He stressed that even a disruption of its external power supply could lead to a core meltdown.

In the worst-case scenario, radiation would affect populations hundreds of kilometres away and require mass evacuations, he warned.

Grossi also warned against any attack on the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor, which could endanger millions in the capital.

“Nuclear facilities and material must not be shrouded by the fog of war,” he said. We must maintain communication, transparency and restraint,” the IAEA chief stressed.

Grossi pledged that the IAEA would continue to monitor and report on nuclear safety conditions in Iran and reiterated his readiness to mediate.

He stressed that the agency “can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system,” that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran, urging dialogue.

“The alternative is a protracted conflict and a looming nuclear threat that would erode the global non-proliferation regime,” he stressed.

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