Nigeria has sounded the alarm over an increasing number of crude oil thefts. Africa's largest crude producer struggles to meet its 1.8-million-barrels-per-day quota set by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC). The crisis is hurting government finances amid an economic downturn in Africa's most populous nation.
Related story: Blast at illegal oil refinery leaves at least 18 dead
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped five female university students in the northwestern state of Katsina, Nigeria on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the early hours at the Federal University in Dutsin-Ma town.
Related stories: 14 students abducted in Zamfara, Nigeria rescued
Video - Gunmen kidnap more than 30 people in Zamfara state, Nigeria
Video - Is Nigeria's security crisis out of control?
Nigeria’s main opposition said Thursday it will present new evidence to support its court challenge seeking to overturn this year's presidential election, saying it can show the declared winner provided faked academic credentials to authorities.
President Bola Tinubu forged a diploma from an American university that he presented to Nigeria’s election commission before the February vote and should be removed from office, first runner-up Atiku Abubakar and his lawyer alleged in a briefing with reporters. They cited records obtained from the university in a U.S. court hearing and shared with The Associated Press.
Abubakar previously has argued Tinubu should not be president because the election commission did not follow due process in announcing the winner and Tinubu was not qualified to run, citing allegations of dual citizenship and of a criminal indictment in the United States.
Tinubu has denied those claims. He did not comment on the new allegation, but his spokesman denied it. “A man cannot forge the academic records he possesses,” Temitope Ajayi, Tinubu’s media aide, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The challenge is being closely watched by many Nigerians following a divisive election that saw Tinubu win with less than 50% of the votes, a first in Nigeria’s history.
Abubakar is one of three candidates who are in court seeking to void Tinubu’s election victory.
Kalu Kalu, Abubakar’s lawyer, said they are set to present “fresh evidence” in the case pending before Nigeria's Supreme Court.
“A party at fault cannot be allowed to enjoy the fruit of his illegality,” Kalu said.
No presidential election in Nigeria has ever been voided.
In advancing his court challenge, Abubakar secured an order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois directing Chicago State University, which Tinubu attended, to release his academic records.
In a transcript of a deposition this week given to AP by Abubakar’s lawyers, and which has not been made available by the court, Caleb Westberg, registrar of the university, confirmed the school “has the original record of Bola Tinubu." But he said he could not confirm the authenticity of the diploma that the Nigerian leader presented to the election commission indicating he graduated in 1979.
“We’re not qualified to verify whether this document (the diploma) is authentic, given that it is not in our possession,” Westberg said.
Asked to confirm that the school “has no record of issuing” the diploma in question, Westberg responded, "Correct."
Alexandre de Gramont, who represented Abubakar in U.S. court, said in a statement that the team got “virtually everything we sought” after a “hard-fought battle to obtain the educational records … which Mr. Tinubu’s lawyers vigorously opposed at every step.”
It is not the first time that a Nigerian leader has been accused of forgery. Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu’s predecessor, faced similar allegations though they were never proven to be true.
Related story: Peter Obi challenges Nigeria's presidential election result in court
The Head of Information and Public Affair at the Nigeria Labour Congress Benson Upah expounds on the main elements in the agreement between Nigerian government and the labour union following the suspension of the countrywide strike.
Related story: Video - Government of Nigeria and major unions work on lowering cost of living
The planned nationwide strike was averted after intense negotiations between labour unions and the government. The unions halted the strike action for 30 days, after the government agreed to put measures in place to ease the current economic hardship.
Related story: Labour unions of Nigeria suspend indefinite strike
