Sexual harassment petition against Nigeria's senate president dismissed

The petition filed by a Nigerian senator alleging sexual harassment by the senate president has been dismissed.

Godswill Akpabio, one of the country’s most senior politicians, on Wednesday denied the allegations made against him by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The ethics committee which was mandated to look at the petition cited procedural violations and legal constraints at a hearing afterwards.

"The petition runs contrary to Senate rules and cannot be entertained," said chairman of the ethics committee senator Neda Imasuen.

He added that Uduaghan had personally signed the petition instead of having it endorsed by another individual, violating an order of the senate.

In an interview with Arise Television on Friday, Senator Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio had made inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in southern Akwa Ibom state, on 8 December 2023.

She further alleged that Akpabio had, on a separate occasion, insinuated that she should "take care of him" if she wanted her motions to receive favourable consideration in the senate.

The senator alleged that Akpabio was behaving like a university lecturer who consistently failed his student who had refused to sleep with him.

But this was denied by Akpabio.

"At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria," he noted.

The issue has generated huge debate in Nigeria with many calling for an independent investigation.

In a social media post, one of Akpabio's predecessors as senate president, Bukola Saraki, said the issues raised were too serious to be simply brushed aside.

Earlier on Wednesday, two groups of protesters gathered at the assembly ground in the capital, Abuja - one backing Akpabio and the other in support of his colleague, chanting ''Akpabio must go.''

Senator Uduaghan used Wednesday's plenary session to submit the petition calling for an investigation into Akpabio's behaviour.

As the president, it was Akpabio who allowed Uduaghan to submit the petition.

Before becoming senate president less than two years ago, Akpabio was governor of the oil-rich Akwa Ibom state for eight years and also minister of Niger Delta affairs under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

By Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Nigerian Watchdog Sues MultiChoice Nigeria Over Price Hike

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) of Nigeria has initiated legal proceedings against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and its CEO, John Ugbe, for breaching regulatory guidelines. According to a statement released on Wednesday, the action comes after MultiChoice Nigeria ignored a directive issued by the FCCPC regarding a proposed price increase for its pay-TV services.

Last month, the FCCPC instructed MultiChoice Nigeria to maintain its current pricing for its pay-TV services, including DSTV and GOtv, until a review of the proposed price hike was completed. Despite this directive, the company proceeded with the planned price adjustment on March 1, 2025, an act the commission describes as a clear violation of its oversight.

In response to this defiance, the FCCPC filed charges against MultiChoice Nigeria and John Ugbe at the Federal High Court in Lagos. The lawsuit includes three counts of offenses, with the agency accusing the company of deliberately obstructing its inquiry by going ahead with the price hike despite the explicit order to refrain from doing so.

A post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by the FCCPC emphasized the agency’s stance, stating, “Following this blatant disregard for regulatory oversight, the FCCPC has filed charges against MultiChoice Nigeria and John Ugbe at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, on three counts of offenses for willfully obstructing the commission’s inquiry by implementing a price hike contrary to directives.”

At the time of reporting, MultiChoice Nigeria had not provided any immediate response to the charges.

This legal action is the latest in a series of regulatory challenges the company has faced. In 2024, MultiChoice reached a settlement with Nigerian tax authorities, agreeing to pay approximately $37.3 million in taxes for its local subsidiary.

Reuters

Nigeria receives first consignment of Belarusian agricultural machinery

Nigeria has received the first shipment of Belarusian agricultural machinery, including 2,000 tractors and over 9,000 pieces of agricultural equipment. 

The delivery is part of a large-scale cooperation agreement between the two countries aimed at modernising Nigeria's agricultural sector. This is reported by DNE Africa, a partner of TV BRICS.
The delivery, made as part of the agreement signed in September 2024, is an important step in Nigeria's efforts to modernise agriculture.

Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, confirmed the arrival of the shipment, noting that the partnership with Belarus will enhance the use of mechanised agriculture, increase food production, and improve the overall efficiency of the agricultural sector.

The plan envisages ensuring Nigerian farmers have access to modern agricultural tools, increasing crop yields, and boosting food production. In addition to machinery, the agreement includes training programmes conducted by Belarusian agricultural experts to upgrade the skills of Nigerian farmers in mechanised farming techniques.

TV BRICS

Singer on death row denied medical care

Yahaya Sheriff-Aminu, a 25-year-old singer, was sentenced to death by hanging in August 2020 for “blasphemy” after sharing a song on WhatsApp. His case remains stalled, with an appeal filed before Nigeria’s Supreme Court in November 2022 still awaiting a hearing date.

Meanwhile, Yahaya, who has asthma, remains in a correctional facility without proper access to his medication. Denying him medical care endangers his life. Nigerian authorities must overturn his conviction and grant his immediate, unconditional release. Until then, he must receive the treatment he urgently needs.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the Kano State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice urging him to:Drop all charges against Yahaya Aminu Sheriff and ensure his immediate and unconditional release.
Set a timely date for his appeal hearing to prevent further delays in justice.
Ensure his detention conditions meet international standards, in line with the Mandela Rules.
Grant him immediate access to adequate health care, including necessary medication for his asthma.
Provide him with sufficient food and clothing to maintain his well-being while in detention.


Write to:

Governor Salomón Jara Cruz

Kano State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice

Haruna Isa Dederi

Kano State Ministry of Justice

Audu Baka Secretariat Kano

15, Club Road, P.M.B. 3352, Kano, Nigeria

Emails: https://justice.kn.gov.ng / info@justice.kn.gov.ng

Salutation: Dear Attorney General,

And copy:

Mr. Abba Kawu Zanna

Minister & Acting High Commissioner

High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria

295 Metcalfe Street

Ottawa, ON K2P 1R9

Tel: (613) 236-0521,2,3/236-0521 Ext 240 (24h)

Email: chancery@nigeriahcottawa.ca

Conviction and ongoing legal battle

On August 10, 2020, an Upper Sharia Court in Kano State sentenced Yahaya Sheriff-Aminu, then 21, to death for “blasphemy” after he shared a song on WhatsApp. In January 2021, a High Court overturned his conviction due to trial irregularities and ordered a retrial.

His lawyers opposed the retrial, arguing he would still face the same blasphemy law. They appealed to the Kano Division Appeal Court, seeking to dismiss the case and declare the law unconstitutional. However, in August 2022, the court upheld both the retrial and the blasphemy law.

In November 2022, his lawyers escalated the appeal to Nigeria’s Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of Kano’s blasphemy laws. Two years later, the case remains stalled, with no hearing date set. Meanwhile, Yahaya remains in detention.

Health concerns and harsh detention conditions

In March 2024, Amnesty International visited Yahaya in prison and found his health in decline. He suffers from severe asthma but lacks regular access to necessary medication. He was also denied proper food and clothing. During a follow-up visit in November 2024, Amnesty International reported some improvement due to medication provided by his family. However, he still lacks consistent medical care.

Nigeria’s detention conditions remain dire, failing to meet the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules). Prisoners frequently lack basic necessities, including adequate food and healthcare.

Blasphemy laws, the death penalty, and human rights violations

Blasphemy laws violate the right to freedom of expression. Under international human rights law, the death penalty should only apply to the “most serious crimes,” defined as intentional killing. Yahaya’s case has drawn widespread criticism. In April 2023, the European Parliament called for his release. In May 2024, UN experts also demanded his freedom.

Concerns over trial fairness persist. Yahaya was denied legal representation before and during his trial. Only after pressure from human rights activists was he allowed legal counsel for his appeal.

Nigeria continues to impose the death penalty despite calls for abolition. In 2023, courts handed down over 246 new death sentences, bringing the total number of people on death row to more than 3,413. Both the 2004 National Study Group on the Death Penalty and the 2007 Presidential Commission on the Administration of Justice warned that Nigeria’s legal system cannot ensure fair trials. They called for a moratorium on executions, a position echoed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

International law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), affirms that restrictions on freedom of expression must meet strict legal tests. The UN Human Rights Committee has explicitly stated that blasphemy laws are incompatible with these protections.

Urgent action needed

Yahaya Sheriff-Aminu’s conviction, death sentence, and prolonged detention violate Nigeria’s human rights obligations. Authorities must ensure his immediate release, uphold fair trial rights, and abolish the use of the death penalty for blasphemy.

Please take action as soon as possible until August 17, 2025. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.

Amnesty International

Related story: Nigerian humanist freed after imprisonment for ‘blasphemy’

Nigeria bets on deradicalization program in North West

The Nigerian government said it is expanding its deradicalization program, Operation Safe Corridor, to the country's North West to tackle rising insecurity in the region. In Nigeria, the North West is a geopolitical zone comprising the states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

The North West has been locked in a decade-old conflict as criminal gangs, otherwise referred to as bandits, raid villages and run a large kidnap-for-ransom industry. They are known to sexually assault women, kill citizens, and tax locals across vast swaths of northern Nigeria.

Chief of Defence Operations Emeka Onumajuru, who represented General Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff, said the deradicalization program is "vital to breaking the cycle of terrorism and banditry through a structured pathway for rehabilitation and reintegration" of bandits. The program has also been used to deradicalize former Boko Haram fighters in the North East zone.

Deradicalization efforts yield results in North East

So far, Nigerian officials say Operation Safe Corridor has been instrumental in the fight against insurgency in the North East. The program aimed to rehabilitate former insurgents who surrendered or defected, reintegrating about 2,190 repentant terrorists back into the society.

The initiative is built on five pillars, says Onumajuru. These are: disarmament, demobilization, deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

While the program has been relatively successful in the North East region, concerns have been raised about recidivism, with reports of some rehabilitated individuals returning to terror groups.

Now with the intended expansion of the program to the North West, analysts have raised questions about Operation Safe Corridor's effectiveness. This is because the banditry in North West is largely driven by financial incentives like ransom payments, cattle rustling, and illegal mining, rather than ideology.

Can Operation Safe Corridor repeat successes?

Samuel Malik, a senior researcher at the pan-African think tank Good Governance Africa, believes the replicating the program is not inherently flawed. He says only "kinetic responses" that involve aggressive measures, often with military action, cannot solve Nigeria's security challenges.

But Samuel Malik adds the program can only succeed in the North West "if it is properly structured, monitored, and adapted to local realities, rather than being a rushed initiative."

"Deradicalization is effective when dealing with individuals who have been indoctrinated into violent extremist ideologies, but most bandits in the North West have explicitly rejected jihadist agendas," Samuel Malik said.

Oluwole Ojewale, an analyst with Dakar-based Institute for Security Studies, said the problem with "Safe Corridor" is that it was developed for terror groups who share extreme views.

"If what the government wants to do is demobilization, it is quite in order. But they cannot afford to copy and paste what they did in the North East and replicate the same in the North West," he told DW.

Deep-rooted problems remain

Critics of Operation Safe Corridor have said the program is perpetrator-centered and risks being seen as a reward system for terrorists.

Dengiyefa Angalapu, a counterterrorism and peacebuilding researcher, said this argument is reductionist. He told DW the initiative can be implemented in the North West as there are multiple actors in the region, including ideological terror groups, which often get generalized under the catchphrase of banditry.

Dengiyefa added that the deep-rooted grievances among herders prompt some to take up arms and make the initiative suitable for the region.

"Kinetic strategy alone cannot lead to a decline in terrorism. This is an initiative that should be expanded to other parts of the country to provide a national framework for countering terrorism," he told DW.

The analysts seem in agreement that this strategy should involve local peacebuilding mechanisms and economic empowerment to prevent relapse.

"While certain elements of the initiative such as psychological support, vocational training, and community reintegration remain crucial, the government should prioritize economic reintegration, conflict resolution, and mechanisms that prevent re-engagement in criminal activities," Samuel said.

By Abiodun Jamiu, DW