Headlines
Katsina Emir Laments Insecurity, Describes Nigeria as ‘This Kind of Country’
The Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman, has sent a passionate plea to President Muhammadu Buhari to strive to end insecurity in the nation, especially in the North West, with special to Katsina State, the President’s home state.
He sent the message through the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe, who was in the Emir’s palace with the Central Bank of Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele ahead of the national launch of the distribution of cotton seeds/inputs to farmers for the 2019 planting season, the newspaper reported.
The Emir noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s agriculture sector initiatives may yield no success if the insecurity devastating Nigeria’s northwest persists.
The Emir seized the opportunity to lament the level of insecurity in the region, which appears to be deteriorated as the so-called bandits continue to kidnap and kill from Abuja-Kaduna highway to rural communities across the northwest.
Speaking to the visiting minister, he said: “Tell the president that we have to take care of our people, security first. All these programmes, as good as they are, cannot be (successful) without security. Security is first and fundamental.
He continued: “What are you to gain by killing, kidnapping people? It’s very unfortunate. I have not seen this kind of country; how do we live like animals? Three days ago, Magaji Gari (of Daura emirate council) was abducted. Nobody is safe now, whether in your house or road, wherever you are.
“What we want you to do for us is to stop the fight. Many people have deserted, abandoned their farms in fear of kidnapping and killings and other atrocities. It’s very unfortunate.”
Although there is an ongoing military operation to restore calm in the northwest, the region has remained troubled. Daily Trust had previously reported that Nigerians in Katsina were fleeing to the neighbouring Niger Republic to escape the persistent attacks.
The northwest is the latest addition to Nigeria’s regions where conflicts have risen beyond the police constabulary role and required military deployment.
Others are the oil-rich Niger Delta, the Middle Belt or north-central which is affected by the herdsmen-farmers’ conflicts and the northeast that is ravaged by the Boko Haram terrorism.
In the past week, federal lawmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives lamented the worsening insecurity in the region. Between April 11 and last Thursday, the Reps twice summoned Mr Buhari over the crisis.
The motion leading to the latest summon last Thursday was sponsored by a lawmaker from Mr Buhari’s Katsina home state, Ahmed Safana.
“For the last one year, Wallahi, I can’t go to my village and sleep,” one lawmaker Adamu Chika said during Thursday’s proceedings. Overwhelmed by emotion, the lawmaker wept as he asked: “Mr Speaker, where are we going?”
At the time, the president was in the United Kingdom on a “private visit”. On his arrival on Sunday, after 10 days, he appeared to be trivialising the insecurity when asked if the public should expect a new strategy.
“No. I have just seen the IG, I think he is losing weight. I think he is working very hard,” he replied, referring to the police insepctor general.
His lighthearted response to a deadly crisis many Nigerians believe should be considered a national emergency, sparked outrage.
Premium Times
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the federal government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.
The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.
The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu. Air Vice Marshall S.K Aneke is Chief of Air Staff while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff. Chief of Defence Intelligence Major-General E.A.P Undiendeye retains his position.
The President expressed appreciation to the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and the other Service Chiefs for their patriotic service, and dedicated leadership.
The President charges the newly appointed Service Chiefs to justify the confidence reposed in them to further enhance the professionalism, vigilance and comradeship that define the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
All appointments take immediate effect, Special Adviser to the President
Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, said in a statement in Abuja.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, till Monday, October 27, to enable him to open his defence in the terrorism charges filed against him.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the new date on Friday, after Kanu informed the court that his former legal team, led by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), had yet to release his case file to him.
At the resumed hearing, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) appeared for the Federal Government and reminded the court that the matter was fixed for Kanu to begin his defence as earlier directed.
However, no counsel represented Kanu.
He pleaded for an adjournment to allow him to retrieve and study the file to prepare adequately for his defence.
He said, “My lord, my counsel left the case yesterday, and I have not received the file from them.”
He also informed the court of his intention to call 23 witnesses, both local and foreign, and requested an order directing the Department of State Services to allow his foreign witnesses access to him.
Additionally, he sought permission for his lawyers to visit him on non-working days — a request Omotosho granted.
Counsel to the Federal Government, Awomolo, however, described Kanu’s complaint as “strange”, noting that the defendant had spent hours in court with his former lawyers. He further urged the court to strictly enforce its earlier directive giving Kanu six days to open and close his defence.
The prosecution said, “I’m aware that there is a standing order for the defendant to defend himself within six days. The defendant wasted yesterday. This is the second day, my lord. I urge your lordship to keep to the standing order of the number of days given to the defendant,” Awomolo said.
In his ruling, Omotosho said while Kanu’s claim about the withheld case file was “strange and difficult to believe”, he would still grant a short adjournment in the interest of justice.
The judge cautioned against unnecessary delays, stressing that several other cases had been affected by the protracted proceedings.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to Monday, October 27, for Kanu to open his defence.
US President, Donald Trump, has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire who built the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and later served prison time for compliance failures linked to money laundering and illicit activity.
The decision ends a months-long push by Zhao, known widely in the crypto world as “CZ”, to clear his record. The Binance founder has long been seen as one of the most influential figures in the digital asset space and a key supporter of the Trump family’s crypto ventures.
“Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice,” Zhao wrote on social media on Thursday.
The case against Zhao
Zhao served a four-month sentence for violating the Bank Secrecy Act, becoming the first person ever jailed under the law, which requires financial institutions to verify customers’ identities and report suspicious transactions.
Prosecutors said Zhao’s violations were unprecedented, accusing Binance of facilitating more than 1.5 million illegal crypto trades worth nearly $900 million. Those transactions allegedly included dealings with sanctioned groups such as Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, al-Qaida, and Iran.
Judge Richard Jones, who oversaw the case, said Zhao’s refusal to comply with US banking rules allowed Binance’s explosive growth. Prosecutors cited Zhao telling employees, Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, when referring to the company’s approach to regulation.
“I failed here,” Zhao told the court during sentencing. “I deeply regret my failure, and I am sorry.”
Zhao’s rise is one of tech’s most striking rags-to-riches stories.
Born in rural China, he immigrated to Canada with his family after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. As a teen, he worked at McDonald’s before turning to tech in college.
He launched Binance in 2017, and within a few years, it had become a global powerhouse in digital finance.
White House defends pardon
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the pardon, saying the counsel’s office had thoroughly reviewed the request.
She accused the previous Biden administration of pursuing “an egregious oversentencing” and adopting a very hostile stance toward the crypto industry.
“President Trump wants to correct this overreach,” Leavitt said, drawing a clear contrast between the two administrations’ approaches to digital finance.
Trump’s move continues his pattern of using presidential clemency to aid political allies, public figures, and others convicted of controversial crimes.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has dropped several enforcement actions against crypto firms initiated under Biden and even dissolved a Justice Department unit focused on crypto-related crimes.
Trump and his sons have also embraced crypto. Their venture, World Liberty Financial, launched a dollar-backed stablecoin that gained early traction after an Abu Dhabi investment fund used $2 billion worth of the token to buy a stake in Binance.
Following news of Zhao’s pardon, the value of another Trump-linked token, World Liberty Finance’s secondary coin, surged sharply, outperforming every major cryptocurrency on Thursday, according to CoinMarketCap.
