Headlines
German Police Claim to Identify Ekweremadu’s Attackers, as IPOB Remain Adamant
Four of the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra who attacked a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in Nuremberg, Germany, have been identified by the Bavaria police.
Ekweremadu, a serving senator from Enugu State, was beaten up by some members of IPOB in Nuremberg on Saturday at an event organised by the “Ndigbo Germany.”
Nuremberg is the second largest city after Munich in the State of Bavaria.
The Nigerian embassy has mounted pressure on the German federal authorities to bring the attackers to justice following the initial reluctance of the state police to investigate the assault which was captured on video.
According to an online medium, Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar, reminded the federal authorities on their responsibility to foreign government dignitaries visiting the country.
Under section 102 (1), chapter 3, of the German criminal code, attacks against organs and representatives of foreign states are punishable with fines and imprisonment.
It states, “(1) Whosoever commits an attack against the life or limb of a foreign head of state, member of a foreign government, the head of a foreign diplomatic mission who is accredited in the federal territory while the victim is in Germany in his official capacity shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine, in especially serious cases to imprisonment of not less than one year.
“(2) In addition to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months, the court may order the loss of the ability to hold public office to vote and be elected in public elections (section 45(2) and (5).”
This is aside the civil case that can be instituted by the victim.
The Cable reported that an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja said that the Bavaria State police had analysed the attack videos and identified four of the suspected attackers.
“I cannot reveal their identities for now because the German authorities are now cooperating with us and investigating the attack,” the official said.
However, IPOB on Thursday insisted that the attack on the senator was well deserved.
In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group accused Ekweremadu of being self-centered.
It said Ekweremadu, being the longest serving senator in the South-East geopolitical zone, had not promoted any legislative advocacy for the good of the area.
The statement read in part, “Enugu, his home state, is besieged on all fronts by Fulani militants. Men, women and children, even priests are being slaughtered on a daily basis. We are yet to hear our distinguished senator speak with clarity on the matter.
“We do not expect Ekweremadu to change Nigeria, but we expect him to voice out our anger and frustration in the enemy Senate.
“Those who are blaming IPOB Germany for manhandling Ekweremadu are poor students of history.
“You do not persuade an angry people with patriotic rhetoric. Leaders, who cannot gauge the anger and fury in their land, must be truly blind and not qualified to represent them.”
However, the Igbo Youth Assembly Worldwide has described the attack on Ekweremadu as a wake-up call on Igbo leaders of thought to do the right thing.
The group said this in a statement jointly signed by its President-General, Mazi Ifeanyi Nwaudunna, and the Secretary-General, Mr Casmir Irekamba, in Abuja on Thursday.
The organisation, however, condemned the attack.
“We condemned all these illegal and disordered activities of IPOB as misguided and a play by the enemies of Ndi Igbo to paralyse economic activities of Ndi-Igbo and Nigeria.
“We also express deep concerns over numerous cheap blackmail and name-calling against certain individuals and ethnic groups and President Muhammadu Buhari,” it stated.
The Punch
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
