Headlines
Southeast on Lockdown As Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial Resumes
Hoodlums, suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, on Tuesday, stormed the St Theresa Catholic Church, Calcutta Parish, Awada, near the Ukaegbu junction, Onitsha, in a bid to enforce the sit-at-home directive.
The young men in their large numbers were said to be heavily armed with machetes and kegs of fuel and caused a stampede in the church as members, who had gathered for a service, ran helter-skelter.
The hoodlums were said to have approached the altar, where the priest, identified simply as Rev Fr Joseph, was conducting the 5.30am mass, and interrogated him on why he was conducting the service when he knew that their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, would be in court.
It was gathered that the priest answered them in a diplomatic manner by telling them, “Yes, we are in church to pray for Kanu.”
An eyewitness said the men, after interrogating the priest for several minutes, walked round the church and left.
“After walking round the church and seeing that the people, who came for the morning mass had fled, the boys left and on their way, they met a tricycle operator at the Ukaegbu junction, who was waiting for passengers, they ordered him out and burnt his keke,” the eyewitness said.
Major roads were deserted and markets and motor parks were locked up, while banks remained shut in Onitsha.
The youths, chanting Biafra songs, were seen making bonfires on major roads and streets of Onitsha and discussing sundry issues.
Schools in Owerri were shut on Tuesday in compliance with the sit-at-home directive of IPOB.
Some private schools are scheduled to reopen today (Wednesday), while students of public schools have been asked to resume on Thursday.
There was reduced vehicular movement in parts of Owerri such as the MCC Road, while major business premises remained closed.
Petty traders and mini shop owners, however, partially opened for business despite the directive.
Motor parks, markets, malls and bus stops in Owerri and environs fully complied with the sit-at-home order.
The popular Relief Market and the Lagos/Abuja motor park along Egbu Road, as well as the state-owned Imo Transport Company, all in Owerri, were on total lockdown.
Also, popular malls such as the Everyday Supermarket in Ikenegbu and bus stops such as the Fire Service roundabout remained empty.
Human and vehicular movement in the areas monitored by one of our correspondents was low as security agents were not sighted on the streets.
Economic and social activities were grounded in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State, and its environs on Tuesday as a result of the solidarity sit-at-home order by IPOB for their leader, Kanu.
The residents were on Monday compelled to observe the sit-at-home following the violence that broke out last week in some parts of the state capital and its suburbs.
One of our correspondents, who monitored the development in Enugu, observed that markets, schools, motor parks, supermarkets, malls, shops, restaurants and banks as well government offices were shut to members of the public.
Major highways and streets were all deserted. There were no security personnel at all the checkpoints around the state capital, which normally constitute gridlock in the city centre.
Despite the absence of security personnel around the city, there was no reported incident of violence.
Commercial transport operators, including bus drivers and tricycle operators, withdrew their services, while some private vehicle owners plied the roads in the city centre with utmost caution.
A resident, Mrs Christiana Ogbu, said security agents and governors of the South-East observed the sit-at-home.
In Aba and Umuahia, Abia State, the observance of the sit-at-home was near total.
Though no movement of security agents was seen, stores were closed and the streets were empty of human and vehicular traffic till late in the evening.
In Umuahia, the compliance lasted till around 2pm when some vehicles started showing up, while in Aba, it was total.
The Punch
President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Americans want him to run for another term, a step banned by the US constitution but which he continues describing as possible.
“People are asking me to run,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the possibility of a third term.
“I don’t know. I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that, but I have not looked into it,” Trump said.
Trump was asked about the prospect of a race pitting him against former president Barack Obama, who served two terms.
“That would be a good one, I’d like that,” Trump said.
“I’m not joking” about the idea of seeking a third term, Trump said Sunday in an interview with NBC News.
The 78-year-old Republican served from 2017 to 2021 and began his second term in the White House on January 20.
The first US president, George Washington, established a tradition by not seeking a third term after completing his second one in 1797.
But this tradition was not formally added to the US constitution until after World War II, with the ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951.
It says no one can be elected president more than two times.
Publisher of The Boss Newspaper and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu not to “kill democracy in Nigeria.”
The appeal, which was made while Momodu was fielding questions during a live television show on Channel TV’s Morning Brief on Monday, was an aftermath of President Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly for six months due to a political crisis in the state.
The journalist expressed his concern over Tinubu’s decision, which he described the move as “worse than dictatorship.”
He added that he was disappointed by the president’s actions, especially given Tinubu’s past fight for democracy.
Momodu stated, “I think it is very unfortunate. I know President Tinubu very, very, very well. Though I’ve not been in the same party [with him] and all that, we were together in exile, and he fought gallantly for this democracy,” he said.
“So a lot of us, co-comrades at that time, are actually very embarrassed that we have a pro-democracy leader in government, and yet what we are witnessing is worse than dictatorship.
“I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, ‘Please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria.’ Everybody who loves him will tell him this. I don’t; I’ve not asked him for anything or anything, but we love him for his contributions to the motivation in the back, which is what is going down the drain.”
He also warned that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was trying to intimidate the opposition, urging Tinubu not to be misled by those around him, adding that he does not need to intimidate anybody.
“I’m saying it now openly to millions of Nigerians that people are deceiving President Tinubu, and he should not allow people to deceive you,” he said.
“He should just do his job. The only thing that can guarantee a second time is to do your job well. You do not need to intimidate anybody.”
President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Sunday, joined others for prayers at the National Eid ground in Abuja, as Nigerian Muslims mark the Eid-El-Fitr celebrations together with millions of others around the world.
Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and some ministers also observed the prayer at the same venue.
Eid-El-Fitr, meaning the festival of breaking the fast, is a time of gratitude, charity and communal harmony.
It began with special prayers known as Eid prayers held in Mosques and open spaces. Following the prayers, families share festive meals, exchange gifts and extend warm greetings.
Eid is a time to remember those less fortunate and to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and sisterhood. A key component of Eid is Zakat al Fitr, a mandatory charitable donation intended to ensure everyone irrespective of their financial situation can participate in the joy of the celebration.
This act of giving embodies the spirit of compassion and solidarity that Ramdan emphasizes. From the elaborate feast of South Asia to the festive clothing of Nigeria and the African continent and the warm gatherings of the Middle East, Eid celebrations vary across cultures, showcasing the rich diversity of the Muslim world.
However, the underlining message of unity, gratitude and compassion remains universal.
Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab states are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday from today, but other Middle Eastern countries will not do so until Monday.
“The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Sunday, March 30, 2025, is the first day of Eid al-Fitr,” the Saudi Royal Court said in a statement carried by official media.
The timing of the holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar also announced Sunday would be the first day of the holiday.
But neighbouring Oman and Jordan, as well as Shiite-majority Iran, said that Eid al-Fitr would not begin until Monday because the crescent moon had yet to be sighted. Egypt and other North African countries followed suit.
