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South Korean President Yoon Arrested Over Failed Martial Law Bid

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2025

Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and becoming the first sitting president to be detained in the nation’s history.

Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, said he would comply with investigators to avoid “bloodshed”.

A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party (PPP) to election victory in 2022, Yoon could face the death penalty or life in jail if found guilty of insurrection.

He had sought to evade arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) who had remained loyal to him.

His guards had installed barbed wire and barricades at the residence, turning it into what the opposition called a “fortress”.

Yoon, who had vowed to “fight to the end”, managed to thwart a first arrest attempt on January 3 following a tense hours-long impasse between the guards and anti-graft investigators working with police.

But before dawn on Wednesday, investigators presented the fresh warrant to Yoon’s guards, then had to bypass bus barricades and cut barbed wire to get inside the compound, a CIO official told reporters.

Hundreds of police officers and investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office surrounded the residence, some scaling perimeter walls and hiking up back trails to reach the main building.

After a standoff of about five hours, authorities announced Yoon had been arrested and the impeached leader released a pre-recorded video message.

“I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office,” Yoon said in the message, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed”.

– ‘Illegal warrant!’ –

Shortly after he was taken to the CIO offices in a convoy, investigators began questioning Yoon but they said later he exercised “his right to remain silent”.

He refused to be filmed during questioning, a CIO official told reporters, adding that Yoon would spend the night at a detention centre.

In a later Facebook post — which Yoon said he wrote while holed up in his residence — he repeated election fraud claims and spoke of “hostile” nations attacking the country, alluding to North Korea.

AFP reporters earlier witnessed brief scuffles at the gate of the residence, where Yoon’s die-hard supporters had been camped out to protect him, as authorities first moved on the compound.

His supporters were heard chanting “illegal warrant!” while waving glow sticks and South Korean and American flags. Some lay on the ground outside the residential compound’s main gate.

– Defiant –

Yoon shocked the nation late on December 3 when he declared martial law, claiming he needed to safeguard South Korea “from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements”.

He deployed troops to parliament but lawmakers defied them and voted against martial law. Yoon revoked martial law after just six hours.

Yoon can be held for up to 48 hours following Wednesday’s arrest. Investigators would need to apply for another arrest warrant to keep him in custody.

Yoon’s legal team had repeatedly decried the warrant as illegal.

His ruling party also said his arrest was unlawful.

“History will inevitably record the fact that the CIO and the police executed an unjust and illegal warrant,” PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong told a party meeting.

In a parallel probe, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday launched a trial to rule on parliament’s impeachment of Yoon.

If the court endorses the impeachment, Yoon will finally lose the presidency and fresh elections will have to be held within 60 days.

The trial was adjourned on Tuesday after only a very brief hearing as Yoon declined to attend, but proceedings could last for months.

South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party celebrated Yoon’s detention, with a top official calling it “the first step” to restoring constitutional and legal order after weeks of turmoil.

The country’s parliament speaker echoed those sentiments.

“We should concentrate our efforts on stabilising state affairs and restoring people’s livelihoods,” Woo Won-shik said.

AFP

Related Topics:South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol

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Six Corps Members Receive N10m Grants To Boost Agribusiness

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have received a total of N10 million in grants to expand their agribusiness ventures under the Farmers for the Future Programme.

The programme was organised on Monday by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage young Nigerians to embrace agriculture and develop sustainable businesses.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries in Abuja, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, urged Corps members to maximise the opportunities provided by the service year by venturing into commodity marketing and other viable businesses.

Nafiu said agribusiness remained a viable avenue for young people to build sustainable enterprises, create employment and generate wealth.

He also stressed the importance of value addition to the success and sustainability of business ventures, while commending BATNF for placing Nigerian youths at the centre of its entrepreneurship initiatives through value-chain development, employment creation and its partnership with the NYSC.

“I charge you to spread the news around. We have seen the outcome, and it is a good idea,” he said.

The beneficiaries are Dominic Olufemi (FC/25C/1143), who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole (ED/26A/2251), N2 million; Abdulwaheed Bala (ED/25B/1402), N2 million; Olanike Mayungbe (OG/26B/1037), N1 million; Kingsley Udoeyen (KG/26A/1735), N1 million; and Lorember Lorsue (JG/25B/1742), N1 million.

Speaking on the selection process, the Acting Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Winifred Shopeka, said the programme began with an online registration portal through which Corps Members engaged in agribusiness submitted their business plans.

She said nearly 3,000 Corps members applied and underwent a rigorous selection process that produced 20 finalists.

According to her, the finalists participated in a boot camp and a final pitching session, which produced the 10 best presenters before the six ultimate winners were selected.

Shopeka said the beneficiaries had also been mentored and attached to established market operators to assist them in marketing their products.

She added that Corps Members who did not make the final stage of the competition were also trained by BATNF.

The BATNF Team Lead, Mr Oludare Odusanya, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged Corps Members engaged in agribusiness to master the fundamentals and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

“We are happy with our collaboration with the NYSC, and it will continue,” he said.

Odusanya explained that BATNF was an independent organisation established to contribute to poverty reduction in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural practices and other interventions.

He said the Farmers for the Future Programme was instituted in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage Corps Members to venture into agribusiness and become job creators.

He added that the beneficiaries would be attached to mentors who would guide them towards achieving success in their respective businesses.

According to him, the programme has, since its inception, continued to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of Corps Members.

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CBN Reduces Interest Rate To 23%

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the reduction of the interest rate, also known as Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 23 percent.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said at the 307th MPC meeting held on September 22, 2026 agreed the resetting of the MPR and recaliberation of the monetary policy market.

According to Cardoso, the committe is satisfied with the disinflation progress, adding that members noted stable banking sector following successful recapitalisation.

Meanwhile, according to Nigerian Tribune, reports that that the MPC, at its 306th meeting in July 2026, disclosed its resolution to retain the interets at 26.5 percent.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, “the Committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stance followed a thorough assessment of the balance of risks. Although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened, due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

“In view of the evolving developments, maintaining a cautious monetary policy stance remains appropriate. In arriving at its decision, the Committee noted the recent resurgence of hostilities in the Middle East, with particular attention to its spillover effects on global energy prices and the potential pass-through to domestic inflation.”

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NURTW: KWAM1 Settles Long-time Rift Between MC Oluomo, Tafa Sego

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Nigerian Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has brokered a peace deal between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) National President, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mustapha Adekunle, aka Tafa Sego.

The reconciliation took place at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, where several NURTW chieftains gathered for the meeting.

The development was announced on Tuesday on KWAM1’s digital media page on Instagram, alongside photographs from the meeting.

According to the post, the two union leaders have resolved their differences after years of strained relations.

“After years of an age-long rift, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego have finally settled their differences. And from what we know now, this is final,” the post said.

The musician was said to have intervened as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, with the aim of bringing an end to the longstanding disagreement between the two NURTW figures.

“K1 acted in his role as the Mayegun of Yorubaland by seeking an end to the long-standing rift, once and for all,” it said.

The post also described the meeting as a significant step beyond previous public displays of reconciliation.

“This time, it was not just another handshake for the cameras. The two old friends and colleagues came together at Ojusagbola, with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (K1) playing the peacemaker.”

Both MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were reported to be pleased with the outcome of the intervention.

“Both parties are delighted about the new development,” the post said.

The two men had previously been allies and prominent figures within the Lagos NURTW before their relationship became strained amid disagreements linked to leadership of the union in the state.