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Britain, Canada, France Warn Israel Over ‘Egregious Actions’ In Gaza

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The leaders of Britain, France and Canada on Monday condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza and warned of joint action if it did not halt a heightened military offensive on the Palestinian territory.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed Israel’s blocking of aid and ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who have threatened the mass displacement of Palestinians.

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“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

READ ALSO: Canada-based Nigerian Arrested Over $610,382 Romance Scam

They did not say what action could be taken but added: “We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end.”

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The statement coincided with a joint demand by 22 countries — including Britain, France and Canada — for Israel to immediately “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza”, noting that the territory’s population “faces starvation”.

Israel has kept Gaza in a total aid blockade since March 2, but announced on Monday it would allow a limited number of supply trucks.

READ ALSO: Canada Votes For New Government To Take On Trump

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Prime Minister Netanyahu said the limited aid access was because “images of mass starvation” in Gaza could hurt the legitimacy of his country’s war.

The statement by Britain, France and Canada said that Israel’s “denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law”.

It also slammed “abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate”.

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READ ALSO: Gaza Talks: Pick A Side Between Us Or Hamas — Israeli PM Tells Qatar

The leaders said that “permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law”.

Israel’s military has stepped up an offensive in Gaza as part of its prolonged response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack that triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

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[OPINION] 2031: The Burden Of Hope And The Ijaw Expectation

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By William Bozimo

There are seasons in politics. Some are sown in silence, others harvested in thunder. As 2031 draws nearer, the Ijaw people of Delta State are not merely watching the calendar, they are watching history, and what it has stubbornly denied them. From Burutu to Forcados, Bomadi to Gbaramatu, the land speaks in neglected bridges and abandoned schools. These are not merely just underdeveloped regions, they are also under-recognized legacies.

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For a people who lit the flame of minority rights and carried the nationalist dream through tidal creeks, the reward has been astonishingly lean. Governor James Ibori, the architect of modern Delta’s political rhythm, rose from the central zone. His successor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, emerged not from the Ijaw-dominated South but from Itsekiri stock. The pendulum then swung North, and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa stepped forward with poise and plans.

Okowa built Anioma with a craftsman’s eye. Roads were laid, institutions rebranded, and identities elevated. Now, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, back from the central zone, follows suit. But what of the Ijaw South? The rotation is fair in mathematics but faulty in morality. For the Ijaw people, they do not demand charity. They are simply asking for symmetry. In a democracy where rotation substitutes for merit, equity must substitute for silence.

READ ALSO: OPINION : Awujale’s Burial And Aso Rock’s Graveyard Politics

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The oil that built Delta’s skyline was first drilled in their backyards. Their sons and daughters have bled in military uniforms, paddled ballots through floodplains, and kept the pipelines flowing; but when decisions are made in Asaba, they remain too often as footnotes. 2031 must not be another delay disguised as diplomacy. It must not be another “Almost” whispered in party caucuses. It must be the year the Ijaw dream of leadership crosses from agitation into realization.

Let no one say there are no Ijaw sons capable of governing. From academia to the civil service, from the creeks to the corridors of Abuja, they have led without limelight. All they ask now is the chance to lead from the centre, not the sidelines. This is no tribal plea. It is a moral alert. The rotation will lose its legitimacy if it keeps returning to the same addresses while skipping over the forgotten. A truly united Delta State must look every ethnic group in the eye and give them a reason to believe again. 2031 is not just an election year. For the Ijaw nation, it is a referendum on belonging.

William Z. Bozimo
Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

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‘Missing N6trn’: SERAP Drags FG To ECOWAS Court Over Unpublished NDDC Audit

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and four concerned Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, over its failure to publish the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

According to SERAP, the report, which allegedly details the disappearance of a staggering N6 trillion from the NDDC between 2001 and 2019, is said to be shrouded in secrecy despite being submitted to the Federal Government (FG).

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Specifically, the rights group, alongside its co-plaintiffs, are contending that withholding the report amounts to a grave breach of Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, particularly the right to access public information.

The suit, designated ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25, also lists Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe as co-applicants.

READ ALSO:SERAP Sues NNPCL Over Alleged Failure To Account For Missing N825bn, $2.5bn

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In their submissions, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the Nigerian government’s refusal to release the audit findings violates the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Nigeria has ratified.

They are further seeking an order compelling the publication of the audit report and demanding systemic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of NDDC funds.

The Nigerian government has violated our right to know the truth about the corruption allegations documented in the NDDC forensic report.

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“The obstruction of the publication is aiding impunity and shielding high-ranking officials from accountability,” the plaintiffs said.

READ ALSO:SERAP Kicks As Bill To Jail Nigerians Who Don’t Vote Is Proposed

The forensic audit was initiated in 2019 by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari following widespread allegations of grand-scale corruption within the NDDC.

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More recently, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alleged that the wife of a former minister received N48 billion within a single year under the guise of training the women of the Niger Delta.

Counsel for the applicants, Kolawole Oluwadare, emphasised the public’s right to scrutinise government actions.

They argued that the NDDC audit report is not classified information, and that continued concealment undermines citizens’ ability to hold leaders accountable and weakens the rule of law.

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There is an overriding public interest in the publication and disclosure of the NDDC forensic report.

READ ALSO:SERAP Drags Tinubu To Court Over Fubara, Deputy, Lawmakers’ Suspension

The continuing failure to publish the report denies the plaintiffs the ability to study its contents and pursue accountability for the documented corruption,” the lawyer stated.

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Citing international human rights instruments, the plaintiffs insisted that access to public information is a critical component of freedom of expression and civic participation.

They stressed that information regarding the NDDC audit falls squarely within this right and cannot be withheld arbitrarily or indefinitely.

Access to public information is a fundamental human right protected by Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

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“These treaties obligate Nigeria to respect, promote, and ensure transparency,” the suit reads.

READ ALSO:SERAP Demands Tinubu Probe N26bn Oil Sector Scandal

They also invoked the principle of ‘maximum disclosure,’ a core tenet of the right to information, stipulating that transparency should be the default, and secrecy the rare exception.

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Any restriction, they noted, must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and justifiable under international law.

The burden is on the Nigerian government to prove that withholding the NDDC audit is consistent with its human rights obligations,” they added.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs stated that the government’s inaction obstructs victims of corruption from seeking legal redress and undermines the integrity of public institutions.

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By denying access to this information, the Nigerian government is violating our right to an effective legal remedy. Secrecy and impunity cannot be the norm in a democratic society,” they said.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

 

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WAEC Speaks On Rumoured Cancellation Of 2025 WASSCE Exams

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says results of exam will be released on or before Thursday, August 4

… report on cancellation of exams fake news — Education Ministry

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has distanced itself from a fake press statement alleging the cancellation of all the papers written during the just concluded 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

WAEC noted that the spurious press statement being circulated did not emanate from the council and should be disregarded by the public.

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Acting Head, Public Affairs, WAEC, Yaba, Lagos, Moyosola Adesina, reacting to the fake statement, disclosed that the marking scripts for the said 2025 WASSCE exams have just been concluded and results will be released on or before Thursday, August 4, 2025.

She said: “The attention of WAEC, Nigeria, has been drawn to a press statement alleging the cancellation of all the papers written during the just concluded WASSCE for school candidates, 2025.

READ ALSO:WAEC Releases 2024 WASSCE Private Candidates’ Results, Withholds 2,577

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“According to the press statement dated Saturday, July 19th, 2025, being circulated on social media platforms, the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with WAEC, had cancelled the said examination due to widespread examination malpractice, coordinated leakage of question papers, and unauthorised digital dissemination of exam materials.

“The WAEC management would like to state unequivocally that the spurious press statement being circulated did not emanate from the council.

“The said examination has not been cancelled.”

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Adesina stated that even though the source of the information could be ascertained, the council is certain that the false claim is being peddled by mischief-makers who are bent on bringing the council to disrepute to cause confusion and panic among candidates who sat the examination.

As a matter of fact, the marking scripts for the said examination have just been concluded, and results will be released on or before Thursday, August 4, 2025.

READ ALSO:2025 WASSCE: WAEC Confirms Readiness, Goes Tough Against Malpractice

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“The council would like to use this opportunity to inform the general public and all stakeholders that all information from the council is disseminated via our official and verified social media handles, as well as accredited media platforms across the country,” the statement noted.

In the same vein, the Federal Ministry of Education described the press statement as an outright falsehood, saying it has been drawn to a false and misleading statement circulating online, alleging the cancellation of the 2025 WASSCE exams due to widespread examination malpractice.

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo said the ministry wishes to categorically disassociate itself from the fake news.

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She clarified that the 2025 WASSCE exams have been successfully concluded, with only a few isolated incidents of malpractice reported, all of which were promptly addressed by the relevant authorities.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: 44.29% Score Credit In Five Subjects As WAEC Releases WASSCE Results

The ongoing NECO Examinations are progressing smoothly, and as of this release, no cases of examination malpractice have been reported.

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“The Federal Ministry of Education has not received any official communication or report from WAEC, NECO, or any examination body regarding widespread malpractice in either of the examinations.

“The Ministry, therefore, urges students, parents, school administrators, and the general public to disregard the fake press release currently in circulation. It is entirely fabricated, misleading, and intended to cause unnecessary panic and confusion.

“The public is advised to seek information only from verified and credible sources, including:

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READ ALSO:WAEC Denies Fake Site Offering Online Classes To Candidates

The official website of the Federal Ministry of Education: www.education.gov.ng; the official WAEC portal: www.waecnigeria.org; the official NECO portal: www.neco.gov.ng; verified communication channels of WAEC, NECO, the Ministry, and reputable media outlets.

“The Ministry remains fully committed to upholding the integrity, credibility, and orderly conduct of all public examinations and will continue working closely with examination bodies to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

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Furthermore, anyone found spreading false information will be reported to the appropriate security agencies for investigation and prosecution,” the statement noted.
(TRIBUNE)

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