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ECOWAS Court Dismisses US Prisoner’s Suit To Serve Term In Nigeria

Published

2 years ago

December 14, 2023

The ECOWAS Court of Justice, on Thursday, dismissed a suit by a Nigerian, Richard Ugbah, asking the court to order the United States of America government to allow him to complete his jail sentence in Nigeria.

Ugbah is serving a 12-year jail term in the USA after he was convicted on February 14, 2017, of wire fraud.

He has served eight years of the sentence and is due for release on May 8, 2026.

In the suit marked: ECW/CCJ/ APP/ 18/21, Ugbah urged the court to issue the order having satisfied the conditions for transfer in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Handbook on the International Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

However, in a preliminary objection filed by the 1st respondent, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it contended that the application was incompetent and against the provision of Articles 9 and 10 of Article Supplementary Protocol.

The FG noted that the 2nd Respondent, the Ministry of Justice is neither a Community Institution nor a signatory to the Economic Community of the West African States Treaty.

It, however, urged the court to dismiss the application, adding that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

Reading the lead judgment, Sengu Koroma that the court lacks the jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The court also stated that the applicant hadn’t shown a valid reason for their complaint against the Respondent.

“The matter of competence is a legal issue and the argument presented by the Applicant has no legal basis vesting the Court with the authority to hear and determine the case, ” the court held.

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Putin Says Will Speak With Trump On Phone Today

Published

14 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he would speak with US counterpart Donald Trump on the phone Thursday, their first publicly announced call in over two weeks.

The two have been in regular contact since Trump took office in January and have discussed issues like the Ukraine conflict and economic cooperation.

Putin did not say what the two would discuss in Thursday’s call.

“I will talk to the US president today,” the Russian leader told the media during a visit to an exhibition centre in Moscow.

Trump confirmed the call on Truth Social, saying it would start at 10.00am (1400 GMT).

The two leaders have praised each other in recent weeks, despite Moscow’s ongoing assault on Ukraine.

Putin said last week that he had “great respect” for Trump and that US ties were improving. Trump said Putin’s statements were “very nice”.

AFP

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NAFDAC Warns Against Use Of Excess Hydroquinone In Cosmetics

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned users of bleaching creams to refrain from using products containing excessive hydroquinone to safeguard their health.

NAFDAC Bauchi State Coordinator, Mr Hamis Yahaya, advised in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday.

Hydroquinone is a skin-lightening agent used to treat hyperpigmentation, such as melasma and age spots.

Yahaya said that the approved quantity of the chemical substance in cosmetics was only two per cent.

According to him, NAFDAC conducts checks on market products to ensure public health and safety.

“The black colour provides natural protection against harmful radiation due to melanin content.

“Applying creams with hydroquinone contents more than two per cent is harmful. Mixing creams by non-experts is wrong.

“Hydroquinone affects the health of the users gradually, including causing cancer,” he said.

Yahaya urged the media to raise awareness about the dangers of cosmetics that could endanger consumer lives.

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AU Helicopter Crashes In Somali Capital – State Media

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

An African Union helicopter crashed Wednesday at the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu with eight people onboard, state media said.

The aircraft was part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with fighting the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The state media agency Sonna said the AUSSOM helicopter, carrying eight people, “crashed during landing at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde Airport this morning after departing Balidoogle”.

“The fire has been contained, and authorities are assessing the situation,” it said in a post on X.

Sonna quoted the country’s civil aviation authorities as saying that “flight operations remain normal”.

There were no further details given, but unverified clips and images shared online showed a plume of black smoke over the city.

The AUSSOM mission faces funding difficulties, even as fears of an Al-Shabaab resurgence are stoked by attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.