WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy confirms for first time that Ukrainian troops active in Russia's Belgorod region

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian troops have been active in Russia's Belgorod region as they seek to protect Ukrainian towns near the border.

Ukrainian troops remain in parts of the neighbouring Russian region of Kursk eight months after a cross-border incursion, though Russian forces have recaptured much lost territory.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had presented a report "on the front line, our presence in the Kursk region and our presence in the Belgorod region."

"We continue active operations in the enemy's border areas and this is absolutely justified. The war must return to where it came from.

"Our main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions from Russian occupiers."

He later referred to operations in the area by Ukraine's 225th Assault Regiment and congratulated the unit for its performance.

Zelenskiy repeated Kyiv's long-held contention that despite Russia's recapture of areas of Kursk in recent weeks, the operation was successful in that it drew Russian forces away from the war's main front line in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

"Due to the entire Kursk operation, we have managed to reduce pressure on other frontline sectors, particularly in Donetsk region," he said.

The president last month referred obliquely to "certain steps" undertaken by Ukraine's military in Russia "a little below the Kursk region", implicitly suggesting a presence in Belgorod region.

Russian military bloggers had reported battles in Belgorod region between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

On Sunday, Russia said its troops had seized the village of Basivka in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region -- opposite Kursk -- and were battering Ukrainian forces in different settlements.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly suggested that Russian forces carve out a buffer zone along the border.

A Ukrainian military spokesperson issued a new denial on Monday that Basivka was in Russian hands.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian troops liberate Katerinovka community in Donetsk region over past day

Russian troops liberated the community of Katerinovka in the Donetsk region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Battlegroup West units liberated the settlement of Katerinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic through decisive operations," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts over 85 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 85 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the Belgorod direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Miropolskoye, Prokhody, Veliky Prikol and Osoyevka in the Sumy Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 85 personnel, an armored combat vehicle and two motor vehicles in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 215 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 215 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup West units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Kondrashovka, Kupyansk and Shiykovka in the Kharkov Region, Novoye and Kirovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 215 personnel, three artillery guns and an electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts 300 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 300 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy ammunition depots in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on formations of seven mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Seversk, Minkovka, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Artyom, Kalinovo and Tarasovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 300 personnel, two armored combat vehicles, including a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, 22 motor vehicles and an electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two ammunition and two materiel depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts 440 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 440 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and three armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units gained better lines and positions and inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of three mechanized and two infantry brigades, an airborne brigade, an assault brigade, an unmanned systems brigade, an assault regiment, an unmanned aircraft systems regiment of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Yelizavetovka, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Zverevo, Kotlino, Udachnoye, Lenina, Novosergeyevka, Kotlyarovka and Bogdanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 440 personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, including a US-made MaxxPro armored vehicle and seven motor vehicles, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed three field artillery guns and an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 140 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 140 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units continued advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses among manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Poddubnoye, Komar, Burlatskoye and Volnoye Pole in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 140 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, two motor vehicles and three field artillery guns, including a Polish-manufactured 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system and a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Reuters/Tass

Elon Musk was recently asked what kept him up at night. His greatest fear was the possible collapse of the United States. In Musk own worlds, "I worry generally about the strength of America. America is the central column that holds up all of Western civilization... If that column fails, it's all over. You can't run off to New Zealand or some other place. It's over. So either we strengthen that column and make sure America is strong, and we'll be strong for a long time, or that roof’s coming down."

Musk is a hard-headed, data-driven businessman, so his pessimism cannot be ignored. Is his apprehension justified?

Musk’s worry is about western civilization, and the political arrangement undergirding it. This civilization requires a liberal (classically understood) democracy where disputes are settled by the rule of law, not violence, with an open, election-based political system that guarantees such rights as freedom of speech and limited government, all the while promoting free enterprise.

Conceivably, Musk’s own experience of living in South Africa that virtually overnight was transformed from a peaceful, prosperous nation to a violent, Third World nation shapes his pessimism. It was not that the apartheid-era South Africa was an America-like paradise. Hardly -- it brutally suppressed blacks. Rather, South Africa’s collapse demonstrated that no political and economic status quo is forever.

Musk probably knows that Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy existed only briefly as civilized, liberal democracies during the World War 1 and World II interim. Meanwhile, our efforts to create “America-like” nations abroad illustrate the difficulty of building and then sustaining western civilization. We have sent hundreds of billions in foreign aid to countless Third World nations to help them “become more like America” with scant results. Ironically, this aid often propped up tyrants imposing socialism.

These failures reveal that while America may epitomize western civilization, our understanding of how to achieve it is limited. If we better understood its underlying mechanics, we could improve it at home and even export our “secret sauce,” and, clearly, we cannot. Musk wants to preserve something that nobody fully understands, hardly an easy task.

Public opinion data paints a bleak picture. One poll recently announced, “Americans with extreme national pride hovers near record low.” Specifically, between 2001 and 2022, the percent saying that they were “very” or “extremely” proud of being an American dropped from 54% to 41%. This decline even occurred among Republicans, who generally exhibit the most national pride.

The problem, however, may be deeper. In the context of history, American and the civilization that it embodies may run counter to human nature, and given changing circumstances, human nature may reassert itself. After all, countless sophisticated societies have vanished without a trace.

Humans have existed and evolved for eons, so it is bizarre to suggest that contemporary America is evolution’s final destination. Judged by societies worldwide, America is an outlier, not what automatically happens when humans gather to create nations. Our democratic government and civilization may only be a thin veneer. The bestselling 1954 novel Lord of the Flies fictionally recounts a group of civilized British pre-adolescent schoolboys suddenly stranded on an uninhabited island, lacking any adult guidance. Initial efforts to create a civil society failed and the group quickly deteriorates into brutal savagery.

“De-evolution” likewise occurs among domesticated animals who escape into the wild. This transformation is particularly noticeable for pigs where the absence of human-provided food and shelter activates “stealth genes” helping them to function autonomously. Now, armed with longer and sharper tusks and coarser hair, these wild boars aggressively forage for food, defend themselves against predators, kill other animals, and otherwise live a totally different life than those raised on farms.

Americans are hardly immune to “de-evolution.” Recall the hundreds of urban riots of the 1960sand, more recently, the widespread 2020 “George Floyd” riots. This re-emergence of primitive instincts is hardly unexpected. Such barbaric behavior was normal for over 95% + of our existence and remains in our genome despite today’s more civil society.

Musk’s South African background may make him especially sensitive to the early warning signs of an impending collapse. Unfortunately, such tremors -- to use the language from earthquakes -- now abound. While few are explicit -- no organization exists named “Down with western civilization.” there are myriad groups and individuals who want, perhaps unconsciously, this destruction. Consider the following subversive trends:

The fracturing of American public education and its transformation into a radical ideological crusade. Beginning in the late 19th century American public education was a unifying forcein response to massive immigration. It included daily flag salutes, holidays honoring national heroes and otherwise stressed “Americanism.” Today, by contrast, education is increasingly fractured along ethnic lines with entire school curriculums (e.g. 1619 Project) built on celebrating ethnic separatism, not national unity. Meanwhile millions of families are abandoning the common school experience via private schools, publicly funded charters, and home schooling. Our shared political culture is dissolving.

At the same time higher education often forsakes transmitting knowledge in favor of propagating a multitude of grievances and contempt for the status quo. This is especially common in fields such as Gender Studies, the social sciences, and the humanities but has now spread to the hard sciences. The upshot is an anti-American elite that often abhors its own society despite its privileged position. Today’s undergraduates are thus easy prey for anti-Americanism. Who would have predicted violent demonstrations at Ivy League schools supporting Muslim terrorism?

Much of higher education also demonizes merit in favor of group politics. The very idea of “truth” is under attack while “merit” is condemned as unearned privilege. White males are especially demonized. Many Americans now tacitly celebrate incompetence.

Then there’s the weaponization of law to destroy one’s political opponents -- think the prosecution of Donald Trump. Less obvious is selective law enforcement law to punish entire classes of people. Examples include tolerating black-on-white crime (but not the reverse) under the guise of promoting anti-white “racial justice.” Politics thus become a never-ending low-level civil war.

The law is also used for “de-civilizing” society by permitting anti-social behavior, for example, public intoxication, drug dealing, and vandalism. This “tolerance” creates cities like today’s slum-ridden Detroit, a city once admired as the “Paris of the Midwest.” Rome was ransacked by barbarians; in today’s San Francisco, the culprits are shoplifters and drug dealers.

The “memory holing” of our national history. Here leftists rename schools and streets while delegitimizing once honored symbols like the Constitution. Traditional patriotic history instruction is replaced by commemorating obscure figures only notable for their race and gender, not their contribution of American life. National identity declines.

Add importing millions from Third World nations who are unlikely to assimilate while critics are intimidated into silence regarding Europe’s experience with these immigrants. With this influx has come a decline of English as the great unifier.

Finally, there is the decline of “civil” language and appearances. Vulgar, once socially forbidden, language is now mainstreamed in popular entertainment and ordinary conversations. Virtually every sexual preference, no matter how dangerous, has become “normal, if not celebrated. College students now adorn themselves with tattoos, piercings, and bizarre hairstyles once limited to primitive tribes. Flouting cultural norms has become “cool.”

No wonder Musk has a hard time sleeping.

American Thinker

Antibiotic resistance, a mounting crisis in global health, emerges when bacteria evolve to survive treatments meant to eliminate them. This makes once-manageable infections difficult — and sometimes impossible — to treat. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture have accelerated this evolution, allowing resistant strains to thrive, spread, and share their survival traits with other bacteria.

According to the World Health Organization, resistant pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa — which cause severe infections in vulnerable patients — are now among the most dangerous. In 2019 alone, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) claimed 1.27 million lives, with nearly 5 million deaths associated with drug-resistant infections.

"In exciting work led by our team, we've identified a novel antimicrobial — saccharin," Ronan McCarthy, lead researcher at Brunel University of London's Antimicrobial Innovations Center, told phys.org. "Saccharin breaks the walls of bacterial pathogens, causing them to distort and eventually burst, killing the bacteria. Crucially, this damage lets antibiotics slip inside, overwhelming their resistance systems."

The findings, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, show saccharin halts bacterial growth, disrupts DNA replication, and prevents the formation of protective biofilms that shield bacteria from antibiotics. Researchers even developed a saccharin-infused wound dressing that outperformed top silver-based dressings used in hospitals.

"This is very exciting," McCarthy added. "Normally it takes billions of dollars and decades to develop a new antibiotic. But here we have a compound that's already widely used, and it not only kills drug-resistant bacteria but also makes existing antibiotics more effective. Artificial sweeteners are found in many diet and sugar-free foods. We discovered that the same sweeteners you have with your coffee or in a 'sugar-free' drink could make some of the world's most dangerous bacteria easier to treat."

As global health leaders warn of a looming “post-antibiotic era,” this unexpected use of a century-old sweetener could be a pivotal step toward reclaiming ground in the battle against resistant infections.

Business Today

The Christ Global Network (CGN) has officially announced the 2025 edition of its flagship revival event, the New Wine Fire Conference, during a world press conference held on Monday at Champion Peace Cathedral, Rhema Christian Church & Towers, Sango-Ota. The conference, themed “Show Me Your Glory” (Exodus 33:18-19), is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2025, and is expected to draw thousands of believers from Nigeria and beyond.

Archbishop Taiwo Akinola, Founding President of Rhema Christian Church & Towers and Apostolic Presbyter of CGN, addressed members of the press, highlighting both the spiritual significance of the upcoming conference and the urgent socio-political challenges confronting the nation.

A Call to Spiritual Renewal

According to Akinola, the New Wine Fire Conference—which debuted in 2019 at the National Stadium in Lagos—has grown into a transformative spiritual convocation. This year’s edition will feature renowned gospel ministers including Bishop Mrs. Ireti Akinola, Bishop Joshua Nissi, and Rev. Dr. G.M. Ibeh, among others.

“At a time when global darkness threatens hope and stability, only the glory of God can illuminate our path forward,” Akinola said, urging Christian leaders, believers, and seekers to attend. Free transportation will be provided across Ogun State to encourage broad participation.

Addressing National Issues: Rivers State, Sharia Panels, and Political Division

Beyond the spiritual, Archbishop Akinola used the occasion to offer a faith-based critique of Nigeria’s pressing national concerns.

On the State of Emergency in Rivers State, declared by President Bola Tinubu in March, Akinola described the decision as “a necessary evil,” citing the breakdown of governance and rising security threats. He emphasized the need for peace through “dialogue, negotiation, and genuine reconciliation.”

He also condemned the renewed calls for nationwide Sharia panels, warning that such efforts “violate the Constitution” and could ignite dangerous sectarian divides. “Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, not only to a sectarian group,” he said, categorically rejecting any attempt to Islamize the country.

Call for National Unity and Responsible Governance

Akinola decried the increasing trend of regional threats and ethnic profiling, referencing the aftermath of the Uromi killings. “Issuing ultimatums and threats against fellow Nigerians will serve no good,” he cautioned, calling on the government to act decisively against such provocations.

On the controversy surrounding Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio, Akinola urged restraint and due process. He emphasized the danger of unverified sexual harassment allegations, cautioning against media trials and politically motivated narratives.

“We must protect victims, but we must also demand evidence before condemnation,” he stated. “True justice requires facts and fairness—not emotionalism or sensationalism.”

Warning Against Political Falsehoods and Divisive Propaganda

The cleric warned against emerging efforts to distort national narratives for political gain. “These propagandists aim to disrupt governance and plunge the country into confusion. Nigerians must be discerning and reject lies,” he said, affirming that CGN remains a non-partisan but deeply invested stakeholder in Nigeria’s future.

A Call to Speak Life Over the Nation

In his concluding remarks, Akinola urged Nigerians to “speak hope and righteousness over the nation,” reminding the press and the public of the power of words in shaping national destiny. “Righteousness exalts a nation,” he declared. “Let us pray for our leaders and live with integrity.”

He thanked the media for their role in nation-building and appealed for balanced, accurate coverage, especially in these trying times.

As Nigeria navigates complex political, social, and spiritual crossroads, the New Wine Fire Conference 2025 is positioned not just as a spiritual gathering, but also a rallying point for national healing and divine direction.

Oil prices slid more than 3% on Monday, deepening last week's losses, as escalating trade tensions between the United States and China stoked fears of a recession that would reduce demand for crude.

Brent futures declined $2.28, or 3.5%, to $63.30 a barrel at 0049 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures lost $2.20, or 3.6%, to $59.79. At the session low, both benchmarks hit their lowest since April 2021.

Oil plunged 7% on Friday as China ramped up tariffs on U.S. goods, escalating a trade war that has led investors to price in a higher probability of recession. Over the past week, Brent lost 10.9%, while WTI dropped 10.6%.

"The primary driver of the decline is concern that tariffs will weaken the global economy," said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities.

"Additionally, a planned production increase by OPEC+ is also contributing to the selling pressure," he said, adding that retaliatory tariffs from countries beyond China will be a key factor to watch.

Yoshida predicted that WTI could fall to $55 or even $50 if stock market declines persist.

Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, China on Friday said it would impose additional levies of 34% on American goods, confirming investor fears that a full-blown global trade war is under way and that the global economy may be at risk of a recession.

Imports of oil, gas and refined products were given exemptions from Trump's sweeping new tariffs, but the policies could stoke inflation, slow economic growth and intensify trade disputes, weighing on oil prices.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday that Trump's new tariffs are "larger than expected," and the economic fallout including higher inflation and slower growth likely will be as well.

Over the weekend, top OPEC+ ministers stressed the need for full compliance with oil output targets and called for overproducers to submit plans by April 15 to compensate for pumping too much.

Reuters

Trading on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) saw a dramatic 93% decline over a three-day period in early April, according to the latest market report.

Investors traded just 1.18 billion shares valued at N28.87 billion across 42,397 deals between April 2 and April 4. This represents a significant drop from the previous week's activity, which saw 7.5 billion shares worth N398.95 billion changing hands in 61,312 deals.

The sharp decline coincides with the shortened trading week following the federal government's declaration of March 31 and April 1 as public holidays for the 2025 Eid el Fitr celebration.

Financial Services Sector Dominates Trading

The financial services industry maintained its position as market leader, accounting for:

- 76.6% of total equity turnover volume

- 65.56% of total value

- 906.59 million shares traded worth N18.926 billion across 22,876 deals

The consumer goods industry ranked second with 71.059 million shares valued at N2.224 billion in 3,394 deals, while the services industry took third place with 47.305 million shares worth N396.897 million across 2,132 deals.

Three equities—Fidelity Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Universal Insurance Plc—were the most actively traded stocks, contributing 22.36% of volume and 20.55% of value to total equity turnover.

Market Movers: Top Gainers and Decliners

Top Gainers

- VFD Group Plc: Gained N9.8 kobo to close at N57 per share

- Nigeria Exchange Group: Rose by N3.45 kobo to N32.45 kobo

- Africa Prudential Plc: Increased by N2.05 kobo to N15.1 kobo

- Union Dicon Salt Plc: Added N0.95 kobo to reach N5.8 kobo

- UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust: Appreciated by N0.6 kobo to N6.1 kobo

Top Decliners

- UACN Plc: Lost N6.5 kobo to settle at N29

- Oando Plc: Fell by N6.35 kobo to N42 per share

- Sunu Assurances Nigeria Plc: Declined by N0.89 kobo to N5.76 kobo

- Consolidated Hallmark Holdings: Dropped 12.85% to N3.12 kobo

- Universal Insurance Plc: Decreased by 13.33% to N0.52 kobo

The trading slowdown highlights the impact of public holidays on market activity, with overall performance indicating cautious investor sentiment following the Eid celebration.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have attacked Izge village, Gwoza local government area of Borno state, killing soldiers and losing many of their fighters.

Daily Trust gathered that the attack happened around 1am on Sunday when the Izge military formation was invaded by the terrorists.

“A Captain and a Corporal were among those that paid the supreme price, but many insurgents were killed during the encounter,” a security source revealed.

Chairman of Gwoza LGA, Abba Kawu Idrissa Timta, confirmed the incident, but said he was yet to get the casualties on both sides.

“But scores of the terrorists were killed during the clash,” he said.

Narrating the incident, local sources told our correspondent that a large number of attackers riding motorcycles invaded the military location, after shooting a Rocket Propelled Granite (RPG) on them.

“They overpowered the military but hunters and vigilantes in the town re-enforced the military and subdued the attackers.

“It was a fierce battle but the troops of Izge platoon formation ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ were very resilient, the terrorists were overpowered and many of them dropped dead and others abandoned their motorcycles,” he said.

He revealed that the troops, hunters and resilient residents of the town were on hot chase of the fleeing terrorists in the Sambisa forest.

Two weeks ago, the terrorists carried out similar attacks on two military formations at Wajirko and Wulgo in Damboa and Gamboru Ngala LGAs of Borno state.

Daily Trust

Hamas fires rockets at Israeli cities, Israel issues evacuation orders in Gaza

Palestinian militant group Hamas said it fired a barrage of rockets at cities in Israel's south on Sunday in response to Israeli "massacres" of civilians in Gaza.

Israel's military said about 10 projectiles were fired, but most were successfully intercepted. Israel's Channel 12 reported a direct hit in the southern city of Ashkelon.

Israeli emergency services said they were treating one person for shrapnel injuries, and teams were en route to locations of fallen rockets. Smashed car windows and debris lay strewn on a city street, videos disseminated by Israeli emergency services showed.

Meanwhile, Gaza local health authorities said Israeli military strikes killed at least 39 people across the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Shortly after the rocket firing, the Israeli military posted on X a new evacuation order, instructing residents of several districts in Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip to leave their areas, citing earlier rocket firing.

"This is a final warning before the attack," the military warning statement said.

Later, it said it struck the rocket launcher from which projectiles were launched earlier from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a flight to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, was briefed on the rocket attack by his Defense Minister, Israel Katz.

A statement issued by his office said Netanyahu instructed that a "vigorous" response be carried out and approved the continuation of intensive activity by the Israeli military against Hamas.

Israel's Channel 12 television said at least 12 lightly injured people have been treated as a result of the rocket firing from Gaza, quoting officials at the Bazilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

The first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into force on January 19 after 15 months of war and involved a halt to fighting, the release of some of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israel said on March 19 that its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip. Both parties blamed one another for a stalemate in the ceasefire talks.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian officials say.

Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian missile strike kills one, injures three in Kyiv, Ukraine says

A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed one man and injured three other people overnight, causing damage and fires in several districts in the biggest such attack on Ukraine for weeks, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

The strike was the first large-scale attack using missiles and drones since the U.S. said late last month it had negotiated two ceasefire accords with Russia and Ukraine, including one that would on each other's energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said ongoing attacks showed Russia did not want to end the three-year-old war.

"Such attacks are Putin's response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners - America, the whole of Europe, the whole world - has seen that Russia is going to continue to fight and kill," he said on the Telegram messaging app.

In a separate statement he said that he had instructed the defence and foreign ministers to intensify talks with partners, especially the U.S., on the supply of air defence equipment.

Russian forces used ballistic and cruise missiles launched from both strategic bombers and naval fleets, as well as drones, during the overnight attack, Ukraine's air force said.

Zelenskiy called for increased manufacturing of air defence systems and missiles, suggesting that such production should be established in Ukraine.

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, posted a video of firefighters trying to put out fires at badly damaged buildings.

Zelenskiy said that over the past week, Russia had launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones and more than 30 missiles of various types against Ukraine.

He said Kyiv was waiting for U.S. reaction to Putin's refusal to agree to Washington's proposal to establish a full ceasefire, which Ukraine had previously agreed to.

POLAND ON HIGH ALERT

Warnings from the air force of an attack including regions bordering Poland forced the neighbouring NATO-member country to scramble aircraft to ensure air safety.

Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck the southern Polish village of Przewodow in 2022, killing two people.

In Kyiv, several loud explosions were heard overnight.

Fires broke out in at least three districts of Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post.

"The body of a man killed in an enemy attack was found in Darnytskiy district (of Kyiv). He was on the street, near the epicentre of the explosion," Klitschko said.

The Sunday strikes on Kyiv came after officials in the southern region of Mykolaiv reported three people had been injured in Russian strikes. A day earlier, a Russian attack killed at least 19 people including nine children in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia started with a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour. Thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who took office in January after pledging he would end the war in 24 hours, has sought to broker an end to the conflict.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian army liberates Basovka in Sumy Region — top brass

The Russian army has liberated Basovka in the Sumy Region in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Units of the Battlegroup North liberated Basovka in the Sumy Region during their offensive," the ministry said.

Moreover, they defeated formations of a mechanized brigade, a tank brigade, three airborne assault brigades and a territorial defense brigade of Ukraine near the settlements of Gornal, Guyevo and Oleshnya in the Kursk Region.

Strikes by operational-tactical, army aircraft and artillery fire struck enemy personnel and equipment near the settlements of Gornal, Guyevo, Oleshnya in the Kursk Region, as well as Basovka, Belovody, Budivelnoye, Vladimirovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolskoye, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka and Yablonovka in the Sumy Region.

In the past day, Ukraine lost more than 170 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 12 automobiles, as well as three UAV control points and an ammunition depot in the Kursk direction. The operation to destroy Ukrainian formations continues.

Reuters/RT

As he settled in to deliver the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on 2 April, presiding judge, Wilfred Kpochi, felt obliged to get one ritual out of the way. Glancing left and right, he asked each of his two colleagues on the three-person tribunal to confirm that the judgment he was about to deliver was unanimous. Justice Kpochi only proceeded after each, one to his left and the other to his right, nodded their affirmation.

The judge had good reason for this preliminary ritual. About 48 hours before it was due, a leaked document purporting to be the judgment of the tribunal went into circulation. Ahead of the judgment day, both leading parties in the electoral contest, which had inexorably mutated into a judicial one – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – felt compelled to issue duelling statements denouncing the leak and blaming the other for it. The APC claimed that “the PDP leaked a fake judgment, knowing they would lose”, while the PDP “accused the APC of using the leaked fake document to gauge public reaction.”

The leaked document suggested that the tribunal would deliver a split verdict, with one of the three judges dissenting from the majority of two who were supposed to decide against the petition of the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo. When, therefore, the presiding judge asked his colleagues to affirm that the judgment was unanimous, he sought to telegraph that tales of the leak of their judgment were unfounded or, in any case, had mis-described the decision of the tribunal. Instead of a split decision suggested by the leak, this was a unanimous court.

This was far from the first time that the decision of an election petition tribunal in Nigeria would be foreshadowed by suggestions or allegations of a leak ahead of its delivery.

At the onset of presidentialism in Nigeria in 1979, the contest between Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) ended up before the presidential election tribunal. On 20 August 1979, Obafemi Awolowo filed his petition against the declaration of Shehu Shagari as the winner of the election. The following day, military ruler, General Olusegun Obasanjo, invited Atanda Fatayi Williams to the Dodan Barracks (as the seat of government then in Lagos was called) and offered him the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

Fatayi Williams’ first task was to adjudicate Awolowo’s petition. The military had committed to handing over power on 1 October, a mere 40 days later. General Obasanjo, who was overseeing arrangements for a high profile handover to an elected successor, was anxious to know that the Supreme Court would not torpedo his plans. It was credibly suspected that he received the necessary assurances from his hand-picked CJN well ahead of the judgment.

In March 2008, Action Congress (AC), the party then led by Bola Tinubu, vigorously alleged that the outcome of the presidential election petition challenging the announcement of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the PDP as the winner of the 2007 presidential election, had leaked. Lai Mohammed, the spokesperson of the party at the time, denounced the leak, proclaiming that the judgment would “not stand the test of time.”

15 years later, as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal issued a 48-hour notice of the delivery of its judgment on 4 September 2023, Tinubu, the candidate of the APC, whose announcement on 1 March as the winner of the presidential election was under challenge, departed for New Delhi, India, to attend the G-20 Summit. He arrived India on 5 September, the day before the judgment, guaranteeing that he was going to be outside the country when the tribunal delivered its judgment. Many people believed that Tinubu traveled to India with the confidence of a man who had been assured ahead of schedule of the outcome that the tribunal would announce the day after he landed in India.

Whether these allegations were true in any specific case is a subject for another day. Far from diminishing over the years, however, credible suspicions of breach of the deliberative confidentiality of judicial decision-making in election disputes and political cases in Nigeria have grown. They enjoy high credulity with the public, an indication of a deep-seated deficit of credibility that now clearly afflicts the business of what judges do in political and electoral disputes in Nigeria.

At the valedictory session of the 9th Senate in June 2023, Adamu Bulkachuwa, the senator for Bauchi North, confirmed suspicions of unconscionably intimate dalliances between judges and politicians when he appreciated his colleagues “whom (sic) have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal.”

Bulkachuwa did not forget to thank his wife “whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office…. She has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment and extended her help to my colleagues.” His wife, Zainab, was president of the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2020.

For insisting on calling attention to this kind of criminal acccessorisation of judges, Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory who is also a member of Nigeria’s Body of Benchers (BoB), invited the grandees of the BoB who visited him in his office at the end of last month to dispense with basic niceties of process and “punish” me. His 36 minute-long harangue to the old men and women of the BoB, who were his guests, was occasionally punctuated with enthusiastic applause belying the average age of the group, as well as the kind of undisguised ridicule which they had to endure for both themselves and the institutions of the judicial process in Nigeria. Such cravenness from the leadership of the self-described “body of practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession in Nigeria”, bodes ill for judicial credibility and independence.

As Wike was busy advertising his undisguised contempt for them and telling the leaders of Nigeria’s legal profession that they were no better than deodorised sex workers with an inflated price-tag, an advocate who had spent his life campaigning against that tendency took a characteristically unpretentious leave.

Raised in Agbor, Delta State, by a father who was a high school teacher from Imo State, Joseph Otteh was one of the first two colleagues whom I engaged in the legal directorate of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Lagos in 1991. He brought tremendous integrity, intellect, and industry to the role, and had remarkable reserves of empathy.

In 1999, Joe founded the group Access to Justice “to work towards rebuilding the institutional credibility of the Nigerian legal and justice system, restoring public faith in its institutions.” He approached that task with both courage and single-mindedness, doing a lot of good along the way.

Joe epitomised the lawyer as a gentleman and professional of civic virtue. On 28 March, he succumbed reportedly to complications from diabetes, leaving behind an aged mother, wife and three children.

30 years ago, in 1995, Joe authored a defining study of the customary court system in the 17 states of southern Nigeria under the title, The Fading Lights of Justice. As an advocate, Otteh did his utmost to ensure that those lights were kept aflame. That title could only have come from a man who was well ahead of his time and had the acuity to see the future. The Heavens will be enriched by the acquisition of this incredible angel.

** Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a professor of law, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..