Headline

Environmental Organisation Wants Govt To Intensify Fight Against Oil Theft

Published

4 years ago

January 19, 2022

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged the Federal Government and its regulatory institutions to be at the forefront of the fight against oil theft and artisanal oil refining.

The environmental organisation further called on the federal and state governments in the Niger Delta region to, as a matter of urgency, convene a national dialogue to discuss and agree on practical steps to take in the short, medium, and long term to holistically deal with the menace of oil theft and artisanal oil refining.

ERA/FoEN, in the short term, called on all state governments in the Niger Delta region to immediately identify and properly decommission all artisanal refining sites in their states, and ensure that this process of decommissioning does not contribute to further release of soot into the atmosphere.

Mike Karikpo, Director of Programmes and Administration of ERA/FoEN, who made the call in a statement made Available to INFO DAILY, by Nosa Tokunbo, spokesperson of ERA/FoEN, alleged that “security agencies in the Niger Delta region aid, influence and provide protection for oil thieves and artisanal oil refining activities.

“A recent report by the federal government confirms that over 200 million barrels of crude oil worth about $3.5 billion was stolen in 2021. Considering the heavy reliance on borrowings to fund government activities.”

Karikpo added, “This is therefore a matter of national security and President Buhari needs to wield the big stick and cleanse the Augean stables that has become the security architecture in the Niger Delta region.”

The statement continues, “Work with the youths particularly the ERA-led Young Friends of the Earth ambient air quality monitors, who have been trained and have been conducting air quality investigations in communities in the Niger Delta since 2018 to provide quarterly updates on ambient air quality as well as household air quality to enable adequate development planning and actions.

“Conduct health surveys across the region to ensure early detection and treatment of air pollution related illnesses.

“Identify and shame or prosecute filling stations and their owners who buy and sell their illegal products to the unsuspecting public. Also identify, shame and or prosecute big companies and other businesses that use diesel from artisanal refineries to power their generators for dealing in stolen items.

“Provide alternative clean renewable energy in local communities as well as fuel efficient clean cook stoves to drive down demand for illegally refined crude products.

“The Federal Government should identify, investigate, and prosecute all members of our security agencies in the Niger Delta region who are active owners and participants in the stolen crude oil trade, those who aid and abet the operations of gangs involved in stealing crude oil for illegal refining and those who provide protection at artisanal refining sites while being paid with public funds.

“The Federal Government must address the huge electricity supply gap and the rising cost of cooking gas that is driving demand for artisanal oil products.

“Governments at all levels should develop a national just transition development plan that prioritizes environmental protection and conservation as well as the efficient utilization of resources in a circular economy model”, ERA/FoEN posited.

Headline

US Appeal Court Rules Against Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

Published

1 day ago

July 24, 2025

Editor

A US appeals court on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship was unconstitutional and backed the decision of a lower court to block the nationwide order.

The order has been mired in legal back-and-forth for months, and is currently halted by a federal court amid multiple legal proceedings.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that lone judges had likely exceeded their powers by issuing nationwide injunctions against a string of Trump’s policies, including his move to end birthright citizenship.

Several district judges had blocked Trump’s attempt to end the longstanding rule, guaranteed in the US Constitution, that anyone born on US soil is automatically an American citizen.

But the Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled that an injunction issued by a district judge based in Seattle was not a case of judicial overreach.

“We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States complete relief,” Judge Ronald Gould wrote.

According to Gould’s ruling, limiting an injunction to the state level would be as ineffective as not blocking the order at all, because of complications that could arise if people move between states with different citizenship rules.

The appeals court also concluded that Trump’s birthright order went against the wording of the US Constitution.

“The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree,” Gould wrote.

Trump’s executive order decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens — a radical reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The current Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, avoided ruling last month on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order and only addressed the issue of nationwide injunctions, which was nevertheless claimed by Trump as a “giant win.”

The Supreme Court also left open the possibility that executive orders could be blocked via broad class-action lawsuits against the government.

A federal judge earlier this month granted class-action status to any child who would potentially be denied citizenship under Trump’s order, and issued a preliminary halt to it as legal proceedings carry on.

AFP

Headline

49 Feared Dead As Passenger Plane Crashes In Russia

Published

1 day ago

July 24, 2025

Editor

A passenger plane carrying 49 people crashed in Russia’s far eastern region of Amur on Thursday, authorities said.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar, regional governor Vassily Orlov said on Telegram.

A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a mountainside about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Tynda.

The helicopter saw no evidence of survivors from above, local rescuers said.

The Amur region’s civil defence agency said it was dispatching rescuers to the scene.

“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,” it said.

AFP

Headline

19 Dead As Bangladesh Fighter Jet Crashes Into School

Published

4 days ago

July 21, 2025

Editor

A Bangladeshi training fighter jet crashed into a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more in the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.

An AFP photographer at the scene saw fire and rescue officials taking away the injured students on stretchers, while military personnel helped clear the wreckage.

A military statement said 19 people were killed, including the pilot, and 20 others were critically wounded.

At least 51 people, mostly students, were undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, its director Mohammad Nasir Uddin told AFP.

The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed moments after students were let out of class at 1:00 pm (0700 GMT) at the Milestone School and College.

A witness said he heard a huge blast that felt like an earthquake.

“We have two playgrounds, one for the senior students and one for the juniors,” said Shafiur Rahman Shafi, 18, who is enrolled at the school.

“We were on the playground for the seniors. There were two fighter planes… Suddenly one of the two planes crashed here (in the junior playground),” he told AFP.

“It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire, and the army reached the spot later.”

The interim government of Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning on Tuesday.

Grieving parents and relatives of the victims thronged the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.

Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down in tears on learning that his young cousin had been killed.

“We frantically searched for my cousin in different hospitals,” Hossain told AFP.

“He was an eighth grader at the school. Finally, we found his body.”

Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident in a post on X.

“The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” he said.

“This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.”

The crash was the worst aviation accident in the country in several decades.

The deadliest ever disaster happened in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board.

Last month, a commercial aircraft crashed in neighbouring India, killing 260 people.