The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, said the Federal Government will launch a conditional cash transfer to 15 million households on October 17, 2023.

Edu stated this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television.

This comes months after the Federal Government stopped the payment of subsidies on petroleum.

She said, “With the approval from the President which we hope to get this week, on the 17th of October, we will be officially launching the conditional cash transfer to 15m households in Nigeria.”

According to Edu, the ministry is working with stakeholders across the country to get a credible register of beneficiaries.

She said, “As we speak, we are having a verification exercise. Every state can bear us witness that we have put boots on the ground – persons who are working with the state cash transfer office as well as the governors who are the heads of the steering committee and then several other persons.

“All of this is to be sure those who are on the national social register truly are Nigerians who fall [spend] within the under $1.95 a day [range] and they deserve to have it.”

The minister, who noted that some persons on the register may have died or moved up the economic ladder, said the verification exercise is to clean up the register.

She said, “So, two things. First, as we speak, we are on the field cleaning up that data and doing a complete verification and we are juxtaposing both the BVN, NIM and the rest of it to identify these people and be sure we are dealing with authentic persons.

“And then, of course, there is biometrics to it and you have a capturing of the head of the household as well as a picture of the household so it can be located.

“On each of these households, they are numbered so people can go there and verify against the register,” she said.

The Lagos High Court Sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Lagos Island, on Monday, sentenced the suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, who killed a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, to death by hanging.

Justice Ibironke Harrison sentenced the ASP after finding him guilty of the murder of the pregnant lawyer.

Harrison held that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge also held that the convict shot the deceased at close range.

The PUNCH reports in April that the court dismissed a “no case submission” filed Vandi.

Justice Harrison ordered the defendant to open his defence as a ‘prima facie’ has been made against him.

In his application on the no-case submission, Vandi had asked the court to dismiss the suit and discharge him claiming that he had no case to answer.

In his arguments, the defence counsel, Adetokunbo Odutola, told the court to note among other things that none of the eyewitnesses saw the defendant shoot and that the ballistic report of the gun allegedly fired expressly stated that the bullet could not be linked with any of the firearms recovered from the police officers at the scene.

Oduntola who argued that the pathologist who testified mentioned that the bullet penetrated from the left through the armpit while the prosecution stated that the deceased was shot in the chest.

However, the prosecution led by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), had countered the arguments and urged the defendant to defend himself insisting that the prosecution had successfully made its case against him.

The Israeli government for­mally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack from the Gaza Strip, portending greater fighting ahead as the toll from the conflict passed 900 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.

More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprece­dented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still trying to crush the last groups of mil­itant fighters holed up in sev­eral towns of southern Israel. At least 600 people have report­edly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 300 have been killed in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes pound the territory.

Authorities were still try­ing to determine how many civilians and soldiers were seized by Hamas fighters during the mayhem and tak­en back to Gaza. From videos and witnesses, the captives are known to include women, chil­dren, and the elderly.

As many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in the assault, U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Blinken said on ABC’s ‘This Week’ – a high figure that underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza. The gunmen rampaged for hours, firing on civilians in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival being held in the desert near Gaza.

Civilians on both sides were already paying a high price.

A line of Israelis snaked outside a central Israel police station to supply DNA sam­ples and other means that could help identify missing family members. Israeli TV news aired a stream of ac­counts from relatives of cap­tive or missing Israelis who wept and begged for assis­tance and information.

In Gaza, the tiny enclave of 2.3 million people sealed off by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for 16 years since the Hamas takeover, residents feared an intensified onslaught. Israeli strikes flattened a number of residential buildings. More than 20,000 people who fled their homes crowded into schools run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UN­WRA, the agency said.

Several Israeli media out­lets, citing rescue service officials, said at least 600 people have been killed in Israel, including 44 soldiers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 313 people, including 20 children, were killed in the territory. Some 2,000 people have been wounded on each side. An Israeli official said security forces have killed 400 militants and captured dozens more.

An exchange of fire in northern Israel with the Leb­anese militant group Hezbol­lah raised fears of a spread of the conflict. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets and shells Sunday at three Israeli posi­tions in a disputed area along the border, and the Israeli mil­itary fired back using armed drones. Two children were lightly wounded by broken glass on the Lebanese side, according to the nearby Mar­jayoun Hospital.

The Israeli military said the situation since was calm after the exchange.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah is estimated to have tens of thousands of rockets at its disposal. Since its brutal 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah has stayed on the sidelines amid previous outbreaks of Israe­li-Hamas fighting. But if de­struction in Gaza escalates, it may feel pressure to intervene.

A major question was whether Israel will launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.

The declaration of war an­nounced by Israel’s Security Cabinet was largely symbol­ic, said Yohanan Plesner, the head of the Israel Democracy Institute, a local think tank. But it “demonstrates that the government thinks we are entering a more lengthy, intense and significant period of war.”

Israel has carried out ma­jor military campaigns over the past four decades in Leba­non and Gaza that it portrayed as wars, but without a formal declaration.

The Security Cabinet also approved “significant mili­tary steps.” The steps were not defined, but the declaration appears to give the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a wide mandate.

Speaking on national tele­vision Saturday, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will pay an unprecedented price.” He further warned: “This war will take time. It will be diffi­cult.”

In a statement, his office said the aim will be the de­struction of Hamas’ “military and governing capabilities” to an extent that prevents it from threatening Israelis “for many years.”

Israelis were still reeling from the breadth, ferocity and surprise of the Hamas assault. The group’s fighters broke through Israel’s secu­rity fence surrounding the Gaza Strip early Saturday. Using motorcycles and pick­up trucks, even paragliders and speedboats on the coast, they moved into nearby Israeli communities — as many as 22 locations.

The high death toll and slow response to the onslaught pointed to a major intelligence failure and undermined the long-held perception that Is­rael has eyes and ears every­where in the small, densely populated territory it has controlled for decades.

Hamas said that overnight it continued to send forces and equipment into southern Isra­el. On Sunday, fighting contin­ued in some parts of the south, and gunmen still held hostag­es in some locations, Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters. The Israeli military said it was evacuating at least five towns close to Gaza.

“We will go through every community until we kill every terrorist that is in Israeli ter­ritory,” Hagari said. In Gaza, “every terrorist located in a house, all the commanders in houses, will be hit by Israeli fire. That will continue esca­lating in the coming hours.”

Israel struck 426 targets in Gaza so far, its military said Sunday. Much of the territo­ry’s population was thrown into darkness Saturday night as Israel cut off electricity and said it would no longer supply power, fuel or other goods to the territory.

One woman sheltering at an UNWRA school in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neigh­bourhood described a pan­icked flight from her home in the middle of the night. The Is­raeli military made announce­ments on loudspeakers telling people to leave.

“We didn’t know where to go,” she said. “It was a miracle we arrived at the schools be­cause there was no transport.”

A renowned professor from Ahmadu Bello University, Haruna Yerima, on Sunday appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider payment of the university lecturers’ eight-month withheld salaries.

The university don, in an interview with journalists in Abuja, argued that paying the eight-month salaries would alleviate the teachers’ sufferings which have been compounded by the removal of fuel subsidy.

He advised the president to use the ongoing engagement with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Congress of Nigeria (TUC) over subsidy removal to resolve the impasse between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Yerima said parts of the agreement recently reached between the federal government and organized labour was settling all outstanding salaries and wages of the federally-owned tertiary institutions across the country.

He said it was time for the president to do the needful by paying up the withheld salaries of university teachers.

The don, who was a House of Representatives member from 2003 to 2007, also commended the president for adopting dialogue in resolving industrial relations issues.

He said Tinubu must do his best to avoid any confrontation with the labour unions, adding that, “The ‘no work, no pay’ policy adopted by the Buhari’s administration against the university lecturers less than 100 days to the 2023 general elections was unfortunately callous.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has dismissed reports that it awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of pipelines across the country to a “northern oil cabal.”

In a statement on Sunday signed by its management, the NNPC said the selection was not conducted solely by the firm, as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) were involved.

It said: “To re-emphasise our commitment to transparency, NNPC subjected the selection process to a competitive tender guided by Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) standards, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission expertise, and the active involvement of a Transaction Advisor.

“We also had representations from NEITI and the Ministry of Justice in the project development team and the evaluation exercise.”

According to the State-owned company, reports of it awarding the contracts to a ‘northern cabal’ are fallacious and designed to bring the firm’s name into disrepute.

The national oil firm said the process was transparent, adding that “NNPC Limited is deeply committed to adhering to the highest standards of transparency and global best practices in all our activities, and this includes our contracting process. These contracts, which were advertised, were awarded based on rigorous evaluation criteria and in line with industry norms.”

NNPC further stated that 17 oil firms were awarded the pipeline rehabilitation contracts.

The company said the list of the awardees that form a consortium shows that lot one was awarded to Oilserve Ltd, Chu Kong Steel Pipe Group Company Ltd, and Saudi Crown Oilserve.

Lot two, NNPC said, went to MacReady Oil and Gas Services, COBRA Instalicios S.A, Control Y Montajes Industriales & International De Pipelines, Iron Products Industries Ltd, Batelitwin Global Services Ltd, Bauen Empresa Constructora SAU, Sanderton Energy Ltd, and The Spanish National Association of Manufacturers.

Also, lot three was allocated to AA Rano, Zakhem Construction Nigeria, Bablinks Resources Ltd, VAE Controls S.R.O, while lot four was awarded to MRS Oil and Gas, CPPE Nigeria Ltd, according to the statement.

While the contract agreement is based on building, operating, and transferring, NNPC said the agreement does not entail the transfer of control of the assets to the companies.

NNPC said it retains ownership of the pipelines; however, the selected partners will finance the rehabilitation.

Too many unusual events in politics point to the fact that democracy is under threat. A few events, some recent and others very current, will demonstrate this point. The first is Donald Trump, possibly the most controversial US president, who set democracy back when he refused to concede to President  Joe Biden and went on to encourage rebellion against democratic ethos and the US institutions. The second is the wave of coups in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past three years, which may signal a lack of faith and a decline in democratic values.

However, some of them result from specific historical developments, which may have little to do with the fortunes of democracy itself. Over the past decade, since 2013, there have been twenty-two coups and attempted coups across the continent, with fourteen of them taking place in the past three years alone (2020-2023). The third is the impeachment of US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the first in US history. The reasons for his impeachment may be far-flung, but at the core are the triple issues of lack of trust in the former Speaker, the dominant presence of Trump in the Republican Party, and the bitter political rivalry between hardcore liberals and conservatives in American politics.

The single most important factor underlying the congressional turmoil is the dominant presence of Trump in the Republican Party. Never in the history of the US has the fate of the Grand Old Party (GOP) been so tied to an individual as currently  being experienced. The undercurrent of what swept away McCarthy is the tussle between anti-Trump and pro-Trump forces in the US congress, particularly in the Republican Party. The few Republican congressmen who cocked the gun on McCarthy only needed the ready massive number of the Democrats to demolish the Speaker whom neither side trusted. Why should we be interested in the impeachment of McCarthy in the US?

There are parallelisms in the issue of trust and mechanics of politics between American and Nigerian politics. The point of trust  in public life is central to leadership, and successful leaders cultivate trust among fellow leaders, followers, and the public in general. I have addressed in this column on 10th October 2022,  the importance of trust in leadership. Transactional leaders may have their way but can never be the model. When it comes to democracy, what people want in leadership is a trusted person who will not be transactional. He must be a man of his word, not a two-faced dealer, hustler, and liar. Any advantage such leaders may gain is temporary, and eventually, their sins will catch up with them. The best word to describe McCarthy is glad-hander. He plays with Trump at night, the Democrats in the morning, and Republicans at noon. As long as it serves his interests, he enjoys it. We have too many of his type in Nigerian politics, and they will likely have the same fate as McCarthy did eventually.

The relationship between trust and the decline  of democracy is a complex and vital issue in politics and contemporary global affairs. Democracy relies heavily on the trust of its citizens in various institutions, including the government, the rule of law, and the electoral process. When trust erodes, it can lead to a retreat or erosion of democratic values and institutions. Trust plays a vital role in the health and stability of democratic systems. The decline of democracy often involves a breakdown of trust in key institutions and processes, which can lead to political instability, the rise of authoritarian leaders, and a weakening of democratic values. Efforts to rebuild trust and strengthen democratic institutions are essential for maintaining and revitalising democratic governance.

Let us examine the various aspects of trust in democratic government and identify how we can build more trust in the system to stem the  decline of democracy.

The first sign of democratic retreat  is the lack of trust in the government. Trust in government is a crucial component of a healthy democracy. Citizens must believe their government is responsive to their needs, accountable, and acting in their best interests. When trust in government declines due to corruption, inefficiency, or perceived lack of representation, it leads to a loss of faith in the democratic system. Little wonder citizens become apathetic and view government as part of their problem instead of the solution to their problems. Corrupt and inefficient government is anathema to democracy. This lack of trust in government is exacerbated by a lack of electoral integrity, which results in an illegitimate democratic government.

Concerns about election manipulation, fraud, or foreign interference can erode trust in the electoral process and the legitimacy of elected leaders. Many countries are facing this anomaly. Studies have shown that the right to choose leaders in a free and fair election, an essential element of democracy, is on the decline globally and not just in sub–Saharan Africa.

Another symptom of democratic retreat is a lack of trust in democratic institutions, especially the Judiciary,  parliament , media and electoral umpire A decline in trust in these institutions can weaken the checks and balances essential for a functioning democracy. A clime where justice is bought and sold to the highest bidder, where the ordinary man ceases to see the courts as the last hope of the common man, and where the executive arm hijacks the Judiciary and turns it into its puppet, can never uphold the ideals and ethos of democracy. Democracy retreats when the media, which should be the fourth estate of the realm and the watchdog of society, are controlled and manipulated by the government and special interests they are meant to hold accountable and stifle the voice of the voiceless and less powerful. Also, the spread of disinformation and the erosion of trust in media can harm democracy. When people no longer trust the information they receive, it becomes difficult for them to make informed decisions as voters and participants in the democratic process.

Besides, high levels of political polarisation contribute to a retreat of democracy by undermining trust between different population segments. When citizens view their political opponents as enemies rather than fellow citizens with differing views, it can lead to political gridlock and undermine the democratic process. Although politicians in all climes prefer to protect their interests above the public interest, leadership change does not necessarily have to be violent or monetarily induced. It should be a tool to reinforce acceptable values in society and reject values that do not represent who we are.

High levels of social trust can lead to greater cooperation and a willingness to compromise, which is crucial for democratic governance. Social trust is more accessible to build in countries with good economic opportunities and high quality of living than in areas with high economic inequalities. Economic inequality contributes to a lack of trust in democratic systems. When citizens perceive that the political and economic elite benefit disproportionately from the system, it can lead to feelings of disillusionment and a retreat from democratic engagement.

Finally, in some cases, declining trust in democratic institutions can lead to the rise of populist leaders who promise to address citizens’ concerns but may undermine democratic norms and institutions in the process. Populist leaders often portray themselves as the sole legitimate voice of “the people,” leading to a concentration of power and retreating from democratic principles.

To stem the tide of democratic retreat, we must tackle most of these issues and build a democracy that adopts all its ideals, ethos, and principles. Also, promoting moral reinforcement , civic education and political literacy can help build trust in democratic institutions by ensuring that citizens understand how the system works and how to engage effectively in the political process. Democracy worldwide is challenged, and it is time all democratic governments worked to prove the superiority of democracy to other forms of government. The rise of successful alternative governments, like in China, the Middle East, and different benevolent autocratic regimes, has questioned the efficacy of democracy and its principles of freedom, equity, and  periodic elections. We cannot yet proclaim the death of democracy, but we can indeed say that democracy, as an ideal, is under intense attack. Democrats all over the world must defend it!

Adewale Adeniyi, Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that the Federal Government would open petrol stations along the international border areas to ease the hardship being faced by the residents of border areas.

Recall that the Federal Government has banned sale of petroleum products within 20-kilemetre radius to international border in order to curb the smuggling of the products out of Nigeria to other neighbouring countries such as Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic, among others.

Recently, concerned citizens of Ipokia, tagged, ‘Ipokia Youth Forum’ in Ipokia local government area of Ogun state, an international border town between Nigeria and Republic of Benin, have appealed to the Federal Government to life ban on the sale of petroleum products within 20-kilometre radius to the international border which has brought untold hardship on the residents.

The Ipokia Youth Forum decried the ban on the sale of petroleum products along international border, especially at the time of the fuel subsidy removal in the Country, saying the sale ban has fuelled blackmaket sales of petrol as a litre of petrol goes as much as N1,000 per litre in the border areas.

But, speaking at a Press Briefing organised by Ogun 1 Area Command of Nigeria Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, Acting Comptroller-General, declared that the establishment of the filling stations would ease the hardship of residents of the border areas who pay outrageous prices for petrol as a result of measures being implemented to curb smuggling of the product and removal of fuel subsidy.

Speaking on the efforts to curb illicit trade in drugs and the use of hard drugs by Nigerian youths, Adeniyi expressed concern over the high rate of smuggling of hard drugs into the country from neighbouring countries as he confirmed that hard drugs are not only being smuggled into the country by land, but also being brought in through creeks and air routes.

“The country’s security is at great risk because youths have access to these drugs and are misbehaving seriously by taking it”, Adeniyi said, while assuring Nigerians that the Customs would intensify efforts against illicit trade and hard drugs smuggling.

While reeling out statistics of seizures made with one month by Ogun 1 Area Command of Nigeria Customs, Adeniyi said, “Between September 18 and September 30, 2023, the officers of the Ogun 1 Area Command seized 1,436 used Pneumatic tyres, 53 sacks, and 569 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, weighing a total of 1,179 kilograms.

“Additionally, they apprehended 3,149 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilograms, alongside 32 vehicles used for conveyance, among other items and these seizures’ Duty Paid Value (DPV) amounts to an impressive N241,977,943.00”, he said.

[BusinessDay]

Former Minister of Sports and Youth, Solomon Dalung, has accused President Bola Tinubu of falling prey to fuel subsidy criminals.

Dalung said this in a recent interview with Trust Radio, while giving a review of the current administration.

“He goofed full-time by playing into the hands of subsidy racketeers, by making the statement that subsidy was gone. And Nigerians have not recovered from that trauma,” Dalung said.

He, however, said Tinubu should reintroduce 50 percent if it is necessary to remove subsidies.

The ex-minister also said that Tinubu must defend Naira, “because allowing the Naira to float, is just like sending a soldier to go to war naked”.

The former minister urged the president to save the lives of Nigerians and redeem his name as they can no longer sacrifice for the future, due to his economic policies that “doesn’t have a human face”.

Dalung argued that people are in hardship and dying of hunger due to current hardship facing the nation that needs to be addressed.

He said, “The promise that Nigerians can sacrifice for the future is unattainable, and it makes him look like a wicked leader, he must redeem his name because people are dying of hunger and you are asking them to sacrifice. So if they sacrifice and all die, who will see the future?”.

“He needs to save lives first, before he talks about economic policies, His economic policies should have a human face. Otherwise he will end up like Buhari,” he said.

The Federal Government has approved the appointment of retired doctors, nurses, and other clinical healthcare workers as contract staff.

However, the government stated that the appointed contract staff would be on the same salary scale level that they retired on if they desire and deserve it.

A circular reported by Punch and dated October 5, 2023, by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) directed the Chief Executive Agencies, Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, and Heads of Regulatory Bodies and Schools to ensure compliance with the circular earlier issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to all staff in their institutions.

OHCSF had in a circular dated August 30, 2023, rejected the upward review of the current retirement age of Medical/Dental Consultants and other health professionals from 60 to 70 and 75 respectively.

The circular titled ‘Re: Review of retirement age to 65 and 70 years for health professionals and medical/dental consultants,’ with reference number HCSF/SPSO/ODD/CND/100/S./145, was addressed to the Permanent Secretary FMOH.

The circular signed by the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, Olufemi Oloruntoba, for the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation read partly, “I am directed to refer to the above-mentioned memorandum presented at the 44th National Council on Establishment held from 5th-9th December 2022, in Yola, Adamawa State requesting a review of the current retirement age of Medical/Dental Consultants and other health professionals from 60 to 70 and 75 respectively

“After careful consideration of the memorandum, the council rejected the request based on the following: Professionals in the health sector were leaving the country because of pecuniary consideration and unfavourable conditions of service and not as a result of retirement age.

“Some state government had already increased the retirement age of medical doctors and other health workers and this has not addressed the spate of brain drain.

“Council, however, approved that clinical health workers who have attained the compulsory retirement age/years may be given contract appointment on the same salary scale level that they retired on if desired and deserved.

“Government should engage the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Medical Association to extract some level of commitment from medical doctors.

“To address the observed dissatisfaction with the attitude of health workers to work, there is a need to institutionalise an effective performance management system in the public service in order to improve the work ethics of the medical officers and consultant, and medical doctors should show more patriotism in the discharge of their duties and avoid holding the system to ransom.”

Consequently, the FMOH in its circular urged all executives of agencies, Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, and Heads of Regulatory Bodies and Schools to ensure strict compliance with the directive from the OHCSF.

[NaijaNews]

The raging conflict between Israel and Palestine has been linked to the attacks by the former on al-Aqsa mosque and Gaza refugee camp in the past years.

The escalated crisis has since Saturday recorded more than 1,000 casualties on both sides. Palestine was said to have had 421 deaths; and Israel, over 700. The numbers of those injured were put at 2, 220 and 2, 156 respectively.

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the Gaza strip, had explained that it launched its large-scale operation on Saturday in response to the “continued brutality” by Israel and its occupation administration against Palestinians.

This includes standing by as Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinian villages and neighbourhoods; attacking worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and killing an alarming number of Palestinians this year.

Why Hamas launched Operation al-Aqsa Storm

The leader of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, said the assault was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside West Bank cities over the past year, violence at al-Aqsa and increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians and the growth of settlements.

The attack code-named ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’, is said to be the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war in 2021.

Hamas said it had fired 5,000 rockets; while Israel confirmed that the group’s fighters had entered its territory.

The rockets were fired as far north as Tel Aviv. Hamas also sent fighters into southern Israel. The Israeli army has since launched “Operation Iron Swords” against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has declared a “state of war” as its army continues to face off against Palestinian fighters in several areas across southern Israel.

Reports had it that in May 2021, after weeks of tension during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces at the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem.

The disputed al-Aqsa Mosque compound, located at the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City, is the third holiest site in Islam and sacred to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The compound has been a flashpoint of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians over the past years.

After demanding Israel withdraw security forces from the compound, Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel.

Israel hit back with air strikes on Gaza. Fighting went on for 11 days, killing at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Again in August 2022, at least 44 people, including 15 children, were killed in three days of violence that began when Israeli air strikes hit a senior Islamic Jihad commander.

Israel said the strikes were a pre-emptive operation against an imminent attack by the Iranian-backed militant movement, targeting commanders and arms depots.

In January 2023, the Islamic Jihad in Gaza fired two rockets towards Israel after Israeli troops raided a refugee camp and killed seven Palestinian gunmen and two civilians. The rockets set off alarms in Israeli communities near the border, but caused no casualties. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza.

In a recorded message, Deif said:”Enough is enough.”

He said the Saturday morning attack was only the start of what he called Operation al-Aqsa Storm and called on Palestinians from East Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight.

“Today the people are regaining their revolution.”

Experts flay Israeli occupying power

Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddare of the Department of Political Science, Bayero University Kano, said Hamas attacks took the international community off guard because of the Israel’s policy of containment of the Palestinians over the decades.

He said containment would rather embolden Palestinians into devising solutions to free themselves from the “bondage” of Israel.

He said only an agreement on the existence of the two states of Palestine and Israel could end the decades-long standoff “because it has shown that containment would not work.

“So, Israel must understand this problem and sit with the Palestinians and come to terms on the two steps solution to this unending conflict in the region.’’

An ex-diplomat, Ambassador Suleiman Dahiru, told Daily Trust that the escalation of conflict between Hamas and Israel should be expected, “because Israel has been a ruthless occupying power acting in the most unacceptable manner.

“I’m happy that Hamas responded in good measure in the way Israel never thought. No matter what happens, Hamas has disgraced invincible Israel. I’ve never and will never tolerate Israel’s criminality against Palestine with the active connivance of lapdog America,” he added.

Israel should be forced to obey int’l laws-Palestinian envoy

Speaking on Trust Tv last night, Palestinian Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, asked the international community to force Israel to accept all international resolutions made by the United Nations and other organisations to end the resurgence of the conflict.

Shawesh said Palestinians had continued to suffer from the illegal occupation of Palestine without recourse to international laws.

He stated: “The international community needs to be serious on the implementation of all the resolutions they have adopted in the UN, in the Security Council and other places.

“If the international community wants to be serious to end the Israel occupation, countries like the US, European countries and their allies should put an end to the brutality and force Israel to be bound to international laws. So, when international laws are followed, we’ll put an end to this escalation.”

He said the conflict had been going on for the past 75 years, thus, the public should not be gas-lighted to make decisions on the recent events but should consider inhumane ways Palestinians had lived in refugee camps scattered across the world and those who had to remain on the strict rule of Israel.

“Since the Palestinian An-Nakba, Israel has wiped out the majority of Palestine people. They became refugees in the diaspora, the root cause is Israel in 1967 that has continued to occupy the remaining part of Palestine; we live under Israel rule.”

He urged the public not to rely on Israel media for information on the war as the historical sufferings Palestinians had been enduring under the rule of Israel led to the death of over 250 Palestinians since the start of the year with more than 50 children murdered.

Israeli ambassador fingers Iran

Michael Freeman, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, has fingered Iran in the attack on Israel by Hamas.

While speaking with Trust TV on Saturday, he alleged that Iran was trying to stop the peace initiative in the Middle East by pushing Hamas into the attack.

“Make no mistake, Iran is behind all of these. Iran is sponsoring Hamas, Iran is pushing Hamas and we will make sure that Hamas paid a severe price for these unprovoked attacks.

“Hamas is determined to stop the peace in the Middle East,” he said.

On the narrative that the attack was a response to the occupation of Gaza by Israel, Freeman said Israel left Gaza in 2005 and that there were no Israelis in Gaza currently.

“Hamas death squad walked through the streets and shot women and children and may have kidnapped thousands of other civilians and taken them back to Gaza where they are being held. We’ll do everything to bring them back,” he said.

He said there would never be any justification for walking down the street and murdering women and children, assuring that Hamas would be made to pay for their actions.

He said the Hamas militants killed over 150 unarmed men, women and children just because they were Israelis.

Hezbollah enters the fray

The Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, has joined the fight against the Israeli occupation.

The group declared that it had targeted three Israeli military positions in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, in the early hours of Sunday.

In a statement on its website, the group said it entered the fight to liberate the remaining part of occupied Lebanese land and in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.

AU, Nigeria, China, S/Arabia, Egypt, others urge ceasefire

Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a statement, said the cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation had assumed only served to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population that bears the brunt of every conflict.

He said Nigeria called on both sides to exercise restraint, prioritize the safety of civilians and give room for humanitarian considerations.

“We’re, therefore, calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue,” he said. The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged both parties “to return, without preconditions, to the negotiating table to implement the principle of two states living side by side”.

China said it was “deeply concerned” by the dramatic escalation of the crisis and asked all sides to show “calm”.

Egypt, according to its foreign affairs ministry, is in talks with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to defuse Palestinian-Israeli tensions.

Saudi Arabia urged “immediate cessation of violence”; while American President Joe Biden described Saturday’s Hamas attacks in Israel as “unconscionable” and pledged to ensure Israel has “what it needs to defend itself”.

Pope Francis yesterday called for peace, saying “terrorism and war do not lead to a solution”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of “a long and difficult war” vowing to flatten Gaza Strip.  Israel has intensified air attacks and cut off power to the coastal enclave in the Gaza Strip. The 2.3 million Palestinians who live in the besieged Gaza Strip spent the night in terror and darkness.

The Israeli attacks flattened residential buildings in giant explosions, including a 14-storey tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City.

US to help Israel with military ships, aircraft

Reuters quoted American Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin as saying yesterday that the US would send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support.

[DailyTrust]