Say what you like, but for the Nigeria Media, those who were hell-bent on destroying the country would have succeeded a long time ago. It was the design of the destroyers’, right from the inception of the so-called Amalgamation, not to allow the peaceful and all-trusting indigenous inhabitants of the space now called Nigeria to have a future.

In less than 100 days we are going to enter the season of the thoughtless rituals when we celebrate the flag-and-paper Independence given to us by brutish British colonial masters who had planted inescapable land-mines with rigged Population Census figures, rigged parliamentary elections and irredeemably screwed regional boundaries before the take-off.

Thank goodness, we are still breathing; which is about the only commodity left, due largely to the heroic activities of the press before, during, and ever since the so-called deceptive independence. Every civilized community normally thrives on four inter-dependent pillars of governance: the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Watchdog which ensures checks-and-balances so that none of the first three would lose its head and run amok.

The term ‘Fourth Estate of the Realm’, a descriptive term for the Press, is almost unanimously agreed to have been coined by Edmund Burke, a 19th Century British statesman and orator, who championed many human rights causes and brought attention to them through his eloquent speeches.

The role of the mass media as the “fourth estate” of the realm implies that the media is also a lawmaker in itself. In addition to its core functions as informer, educator, entertainer, advertiser, critic and influencer, the media is supposed to be an agenda setter through its editorialising of opinions. A paper’s editorial is sometimes called ‘Leader’ because of its powerful role of setting alternative agenda for the State.

During the medieval era, the fourth estate was also referred to as the pressbecause the press was the only prevalent form of media prior to the coming of television and radio.

‘Though media and press have a persuasive authority yet its’ real ability is not a secret to the world. The existence of a free, independent and powerful media is the cornerstone of a democracy, especially of a highly mixed society like India. The pivotal role of the media is its ability to mobilize the thinking process of millions’ says Prabhat Ranjan.

The Nigeria Media as the fourth estate has lived up to its reputation and, as mentioned inter-alia, it has been performing its role creditably long before Independence and throughout the unforgettable interregnum of the jackboot.

Nigerians will never forget the role of the Media in confronting and stopping the obnoxious Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact stoutly opposed by the valiant Nigerian Students of the 1960s; the quartet of Rasaki Solaja, Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, Hayford Alile, Dapo Falase and Co.

Nigerians will never forget ‘If you Tarka Me I’ll Daboh you’, and ‘Laup Ongonu Minister of Steel shall steel no more’ captions and articles that forced Ministers out of the Cabinet. Or the provocative columns “Let Me Fall”, “May We Never See It Again” [Daily Times, 1974] which saw Gowon tumbling down less than six months after!

When the Press was chased off the streets by Military Juntas especially in the infamous years of 1993-98, the Media led by the Osifo-Whiskeys and Onanugas moved its operational bases to the jungle and perfected Guerrilla journalism while Radio Kudirat sited its operational base on the Moon!

With all the courageous activities of the legendary NADECO forces, it was the Media which announced and popularised their yeoman activities to the world and made Nigeria ungovernable for the Goggle.

I cannot and should not attempt to list the media heroes of that era, or indeed the Media heroes of all time in Nigeria, simply because they were/are numerous and secondly, one is bound to inadvertently leave some big players unmentioned. Suffice it to say that they know themselves, Nigeria remembers them and of course the God they serve recognises them. And posterity applauds them.

Let me say with all modesty that my pedigree qualifies me to appreciate which Media is good and which one is not up to its billings. Having worked at the very top level of Media establishments as Executive Chairman, as a Proprietor, as Editor-in-Chief, as Features Editor, Columnist, Investigations/Reviews Editor and Chief Correspondent not only in Nigeria but also in Britain, the US and Canada, I feel confident that the Nigeria Media stands tall in the comity of Media Industry throughout the world. The informed Editorials and columns dished out by Nigerian Journalists over the years can hardly be beaten by any Journalist anywhere in the world especially in their thoughtfulness and the robustness of their argument and scholarship.

Forget the so-called free press in the so-called free world: it is all hype! Exhibition of uninhibited racism, profiling, propaganda, irreverent and hedonistic social values, severe self- and governmental censorship, hero-worshipping and always towing government line.

Zamir Akram, a former Pakistan Ambassador to the UN wrote a paper Published in Express Tribune, August 15, 2018 captioned ‘Free American Media: Myth or Reality?’ Please permit me to quote from that paper:

“Renowned Harvard Economist John K Galbraith, while serving as the Kennedy administration’s ambassador to India, famously remarked that the Indian media was “free but cooperative”. Can that also be said of the American media? We are told as the Gospel truth that the American media is free, objective and independent. When it comes to their reporting on US domestic issues, this is certainly true ‘to the extent of which party is paying their piper.’ However, in their reporting on international issues, the mainstream American media is usually cooperative [with the government of the day], reflecting the policies of their government. While there are some honourable exceptions, these are too few and far between, leading to genuine doubts about the credibility and objectivity of the American media on international issues. Therefore, it is legitimate to ask whether a free American media is a myth or reality.
“It is well known that the American media observes certain self-imposed ground rules. All reports on national security and foreign policy issues are cleared with the relevant quarters. Legal experts are consulted to remain within the law. Journalists are ‘embedded’ with US troops on foreign missions to ensure ‘correct’ projection of the operation. Also, US embassies abroad are the first to be consulted by visiting journalists to get the official ‘read-out’ on a situation.
“The litmus test of the US media is its coverage of countries opposed by the US. The blatantly false accusation about Saddam Hussein possessing nuclear weapons, justifying the invasion and destruction of Iraq, was cravenly supported by the mainstream American media. Similarly, efforts for regime change in post-revolution Iran through sanctions, freezing of assets and allegations of developing nuclear weapons have never been seriously questioned, nor has enforcing regime change in Libya or Syria by using terrorist groups. China, while an ally against the Soviets, was extolled for its liberalisation and rapid growth has been widely castigated after its emergence as a rival power. Putin’s Russia has been accused of aggression against Ukraine even though it was the US which tried to undermine Moscow’s strategic interests in the Crimea and the Black Sea by planting a pliant government in Kiev. Today it is Turkish President Erdogan, a NATO ally, who is under attack for opposing American support to Kurdish terrorists.
“In stark contrast is the positive coverage given to Israel and India, countries vital for American strategic interests in the Middle East and South Asia. Their gross and consistent violations of human rights, proliferation of nuclear weapons and illegal occupation of territory has all been covered up while they are praised as “shining examples of democracy”.

And during the better forgotten Covid-19 scare the Canadian government allegedly spent $88.7 million on communications and marketing related to Covid-19. UK was reputed to be the biggest advertiser of brain-washing misinformation. According to The Washington Post Biden administration allegedly spent entire corporate media $1 billion as part of huge campaign to push only positive coverage and $250 million on a marketing blitz to build trust in the Corona virus vaccines safety!

Now, back to Nigeria, a country in the throes of death. For about 23 years since it was fed with pretensions of democracy, Nigeria has been kept under lock and key by ‘misrulers’ who like to deceive themselves that they were/are practicing democracy where the mandatory doctrine of separation of powers exists. Pshaw!

“There was no pretence in the first 8-years of the experiment of democratic rule. It was merely the darning of agbada over starched Khaki and jackboots. It was almost a full-blown military dictatorship where towns and communities were sacked by the command of the President without resort to the Legislature or the Judiciary. It was the Nigeria Media that exposed the Ghana-Must-Go bags stuffed with Dollars for the purchase of a notorious 3rd Term. It was the Nigeria Media that put paid to one man’s ambition to keep Nigeria under his armpit ‘for life!’

The Legislature and the Judiciary went to sleep when another President was gasping for life in far away Saudi Arabia or God knows where. The Media was the only Estate standing. But for the Media, the Dead like the Shrouded Spirit of the Yoruba Egungun pantheon would have been left to rule Nigeria ad infinitum.

It was the Nigeria Media that rescued Nigeria from the jaws of the Naira-Chewing Predators under the cover of huge Umbrella which ravaged the country for four and half good years under the blindfolded watch of the Legislature and the Judiciary. Regrettably though, and here was a huge minus, the Nigeria Media colluded with conmen and conwomen to impose ‘a See Nothing, Hear Nothing and Say Nothing Absolute Ruler with draconian decrees on the country, as an alternative.

Nigerians must thank God that the Media, immediately thereafter, woke up from their slumber and recovered their senses and have since resumed their watch-dog role in the face of the absentee Executive, absentee legislature [recently chased out of Abuja by imported terrorists] and absentee Judiciary [until recently headed by Sharia-bag carrying Messenger of the gods]. I didn’t say Vulture.

In the last eight years there have been a relentless war on the Nigerian economy, on Nigerian security, on Nigerian education and on Nigerian ancestral lands and Waters by a single individual who had commandeered the three Estates of the Realm and collapsed them under his boots.

Never in the chequered history of Nigeria has there been one man who bestrode the landscape of the country with absolute disregard, scorn and arrogant condescension as we have currently witnessed. Never in the history of Nigeria has there been a Ruler who was hardly seen by even

his own appointed Ministers! A country where the Ruler did not know and could not recognize faces of some of his own Cabinet members. But for the Media we would not have known that the Ruler while on a visit to Cairo, invited terrorists all over Africa to descend on Nigeria and proclaim the hapless country their own. It was the Media that allowed us to know that the Ruler harboured internationally acclaimed terrorists in his Cabinet.

It was the Nigeria Media, the last Estate Standing, which made it possible for Nigerians and the entire world to be aware of the systemic pogrom and ethnic cleansing which almost virtually swallowed up the entire country. It is gratifying that regardless of the shenanigans of the Enablers of Terrorism, the whole world through various Embassies, High Commissions, International Agencies and sundry Representatives as well as foreign media correspondents domiciled in Nigeria were able to have enough dossier that would be used in the fullness of time.

It is the Nigeria Media which made Nigerians to know that there are rats, rodents and snakes which feed on billions of Naira and Dollars in Buhari’s Nigeria. There is no criminality committed by governments which has not been exposed by the Media. Nigerians everywhere in the country are aware of everything going on and they may appear seemingly helpless, but they are very conscious and prayerful for the imminent implosion.

If not for the courage, steadfastness, investigative skills and relentlessness of the Nigeria Media, those who set out to ruin the country and hand over the ancestral lands to their kith and kin would have succeeded in their insidious agenda of mass annihilation.

This writer has written copiously about Nigeria’s Parliament of Eunuchs, Chicken-hearted governors, and Politicians who really are avowed enemies of the people, it may therefore no longer be necessary to belabour issues we have been lamenting since 1971 with ‘The Overthrow of the Middleclass’ published in Sam Amuka’s ‘Sunday Times’ or the ‘The National Question’ in an address to the Press at Iyaganku, Ibadan in 1982.

It is however hoped that Nigerian readers, listeners and viewers would soon realise the huge difference between trained, educated and professional media practitioners and the hacks that have now populated and polluted the otherwise hallowed media space...

Nigeria Media; I salute you! You deserve medals as the ONLY Estate standing.

** Tola Adeniyi delivered this Keynote Address at the 3rd Origo international Awards. Lagos June 25, 2023.

"Why can't they get this right?"

When I hired "Jen," my first employee, I thought everything would be smooth sailing. I'd chosen someone smart and hard-working, and I couldn't wait for her to start taking over some of the tasks I was ready to offload, so I could focus on the parts of the business I enjoyed.

That's not what happened. 

Things started well. But after time, well...Jen wasn't performing horribly. But her work wasn't up to my standard.

Over time, though, I realized: Jen wasn't the problem.

I was.

I was expecting Jen to take over tasks I had been doing for years...but I wasn't giving her the training she needed. I was handing her a job with minimal direction and basically saying, "figure this out."

I was making a mistake that even many season leaders make: Telling, but not showing.

Over time, I learned there's a better way to scale things you've learned to do well. 

It's called the 10-80-10 Rule.

The 10-80-10 rule is a principle that can help you lead better, get better results and practice emotional intelligence. But how does the 10-80-10 rule work? And how can it help you lead and scale effectively?

Let's dive in.

How the 10-80-10 rule works

The 10-80-10 Rule is simple. It basically says that once you've learned a task or process well, in order to lead and scale it effectively you must:

• spend the first 10 percent of the time training others how to do the thing.
• allow them to spend the next 80 percent of the time moving the thing forward.
• spend another 10 percent of the time polishing the thing and showing the other person how and why you're tweaking.

The 10-80-10 Rule helps you practice emotional intelligence because it manages expectations and puts everyone on the same page.

First, you acknowledge that you need to spend a significant amount of time at the beginning (the 10%) to make sure you're producing at a high standard. Doing so helps prevent frustration. You realize the other person won't "just figure it out"; you have to put in the time to show them exactly what you're looking for.

At the same time, the person you're training learns through doing and practice (the 80%), which helps them build confidence. (They're also helping immensely – because they're doing the most time-consuming part of the job.) 

Finally, by taking the last 10% of the time to polish, you ensure that the end result is high quality. Because the other person is expecting this, they shouldn't see your work as micro-managing; it's simply part of learning and growth – and scaling up effectively.

A caveat: The 10-80-10 Rule doesn't apply to all situations. There are times when you need to let your team members take complete ownership of a "thing," for various reasons (they know the thing better than you, they need more autonomy, etc.).

But if you're trying to scale and keep quality high, the 10-80-10 Rule is a great way to do it.

So, if you're struggling with your efforts to scale or delegate, try the 10-8-10 Rule.

10 percent: You start them off.
80 percent: They move it forward.
10 percent: You clean it up.

Because great leaders know: You have to show, not tell.

Inc

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued guidelines requiring banks to collect and verify social media handles as part of their know your customer (KYC) procedures.

The apex bank issued the directive in its recently gazetted legislation titled ‘Customer Due Diligence Regulations 2023’. 

The bank said the objective of the regulation is to prevent financial crimes and terrorism while boosting the precision and thoroughness of customer identification.

According to the CBN, financial institutions will be required to identify their customers, regardless of whether they are permanent or occasional clients. 

Under the new regulation, the apex bank listed the information banks must obtain from customers. 

“For individuals — legal name and any other names used (such as maiden name), permanent address (full physical address), residential address (where the customer can be located), telephone number, e-mail address, and social media handle; date and place of birth, bank verification number; tax identification number; nationality; occupation; public position held; and name of employer,” the CBN said. 

“An official personal identification number or other unique identifier contained in an unexpired document issued by a government agency, that bears a name, photograph and signature of the customer such as a passport, national identification card, residence permit, social security records or drivers’ license. 

“Type of account and nature of the banking relationship, and signature, and politically exposed persons (PEPs) status.” 

The CBN said the regulation intends to provide additional customer due diligence measures for financial institutions to further their compliance with provisions of relevant legislations.

The Cable

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has stated that electricity tariff across its franchise states will increase effectively from July 1, 2023.

In a terse statement on Sunday, AEDC stated that the review was due to the fluctuation of the Naira in the exchange rate.

The statement read: “Effective July 1st, 2023, please be informed that there will be an upward review to the electricity tariff influenced by the fluctuating exchange rate.”

“Under the MYTO 2022 guidelines, the previously set exchange rate of N441/$1 may now be revised to approximately N750/$1 which will have an impact on the tariffs associated with your electricity consumption.”

“For customers within band B and C, with supply hours ranging from 12 to 16 per day, the new base tariff is expected to be N100 per kWh while Bands A with (20 hours and above) and B (16 to 20 hours) will experience comparatively higher tariffs.

“For customers, with a prepaid meter, we encourage you to consider purchasing bulk energy units before the end of this month as this will allow you take advantage of the current rates and potentially make savings before the new tariffs come into effect.

“For those on post-paid (estimated) billing, a significant increment is imminent in your monthly billing, starting from August.”

Daily Trust

Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Monday after a failed mutiny by Russian mercenaries over the weekend raised concerns about political instability in Russia and the potential impact on oil supply from one of the world's largest producers.

Brent crude futures rose 95 cents, or 1.3%, to $74.80 a barrel by 2300 GMT on Sunday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $70.04 a barrel, up 88 cents, or 1.3%.

A clash between Moscow and Russian mercenary group Wagner was averted on Saturday after the heavily armed mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on the capital.

However, the challenge has raised questions about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and concerns about possible disruption of Russian oil supply.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Helima Croft said there were concerns that Putin would declare martial law, preventing workers from showing up to major loading ports and energy facilities, potentially halting millions of barrels of exports.

"It is our understanding that the White House was actively engaged yesterday in reaching out to key domestic and foreign producers about contingency planning to keep the market well supplied if the crisis impacted Russian output," she added in a note on Sunday.

Goldman Sachs analysts said markets may price a moderately higher probability that domestic volatility in Russia leads to supply disruptions or has a sizable negative impact on oil supply in the future.

However, the impact may be limited because spot fundamentals have not changed, and because any hits to financial risk sentiment or to oil demand from increased uncertainty may provide an offset, the Goldman Sachs analysts added in a note.

Both Brent and WTI fell about 3.6% last week on worries that further interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve could sap oil demand at a time when China's economic recovery has also disappointed investors after several months of softer-than-expected consumption, production and property market data.

"China's economic growth has been a nightmare for commodity markets, particularly in oil and industrial metals," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said in a note.

Reuters

Five Nigerian pilgrims participating in the 2023 hajj have died in the course of the exercise, an official of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed.

Head of NAHCON medical team, Usman Galadima, disclosed this on Saturday during a meeting of the commission in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Galadima, in his presentation, said Osun and Kaduna states recorded two deaths each, while Plateau State recorded one.

To address the mortality rate, Galadima called for the strengthening of the pre-hajj medical screening of intending pilgrims. He added that there is a need to restrict those deemed to be “not fit to travel”.

“What we are asking is that the pre-hajj medical screening should be strengthened. Any particular pilgrim is either fit or not fit to perform hajj. In fact, it is a pre-requisite for the hajj, to be healthy and have the means. We advocate for strong or very effective pre-hajj screening for hajj,” Galadima said.

Speaking further, he added that the team also discovered 30 patients with mental challenges, who are currently undergoing treatment and expected to perform hajj.

“We have been managing them in our facilities. We have about four psychiatrists in the team. We have been managing them and all of them would likely perform hajj because they are a bit stable now,” he said.

Galadima also said that the hajj clinic recorded two miscarriages and delivered one baby.

“One of the babies was delivered through Caesarian section – it was a seven-month pregnancy,” he said.

He disclosed that one patient was amputated due to diabetes complications. Aside from the one case of amputation, Galadima said the team is also worried about the rising cases of fractures among elderly pilgrims.

He said eight cases of fractures have been recorded by the medical team.

We airlifted every Nigerian with valid hajj visa – NAHCON Chairman

In his opening remarks, chairman of the commission, Zikrullah Hassan, said every Nigerian with a valid visa for the 2023 hajj has been airlifted to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We brought in every available Nigerian that has a visa – we have been able to bring them to the Holy Land. In this town today, we have more than 95,000 Nigerians,” Hassan said.

Over two million pilgrims are expected to participate in the 2023 hajj exercise.

PT

No fewer than 50 people have been killed and over 170 houses burnt in renewed onslaught on residents of Izombe in Oguta, Imo State, in the last two weeks.

National President Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Igboayaka O Igboayaka, disclosed this at a press briefing in Owerri, the state capital, last weekend.

He said Izombe and other neighbouring communities such as Agwa, Ejemkwuru, Awa, Akabuo, Mgbele and Ogbaku have been recording incessant security challenges due to the nefarious activities of criminal elements with a code name ‘Umuoma’ (Good children)”

A video had gone viral where charred remains of bodies and houses allegedly burnt in Izombe communities were seen.

In the text of the briefing he jointly signed with the Secretary General, Ifeanyi Nweke, the national president expressed regret that both the state government and security agencies in the state “kept quiet” while innocent blood was shed and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

The statement said, “Ohanaeze Youth Council noticed, with utmost dismay, the debilitating inability of Gov. Hope Uzodinma’s administration to checkmate activities of the bandits coupled with military personnel, police and Imo State owned untrained security network called “Ebube-Agu” which has resulted to more casualties and deaths.

“But rather than help to engender peace and tranquility, the security operatives and Ebube-Agu have turned hostile to the residents of the areas particularly, Izombe.

“Unfortunately, the situation has affected socio-economic and other activities as markets, schools and churches have been closed down in Izombe for almost 8 months now.

An indigene of Amakpurudere Izombe village said over 50 natives of his village were killed by these security operatives between June 7 and Monday June 19, 2023.

“Some of the identified people killed at Amakpurudere Village alone included Benjamin Nwadirigbo, Nwabu Onuigbo (aka Danvata), Obieze Ajaere, Izuka Izuaghanwa and Chike Izuaghanwa.”

“Witnesses in the community narrated that others were equally killed in other villages of Izombe like Ndiawa, Ndioko, Orsu and Ugbele and Agwa, a neighbouring Community to Izombe.

“The combined team of police, untrained and illegal Ebube-Agu and the military had equally destroyed more than 170 buildings in various villages including over 45 houses in Amakpurudere Village alone”.

“To add more Injuries into the agony of Izumbe people, a community source reported that security forces like Ebube-Agu looted people’s property. More than 90% of the residents had fled to safety from there the community.

“Since Wednesday June 7, and Monday June 12, 2023, thousands of people fled from Izumbe after careless security operatives killed Benjamin and four others.”

Imo Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, described the allegations as untrue.

He said that the police are capable of protecting lives and property of the citizens, admitting that though some insurgent groups have camps in Izombe, Agwa and other surrounding areas from where they carry out raid on innocent citizens, the police have been raiding such camps.

He added “But while we are doing so, we ensure that the lives of innocent citizens and freedom of movement is not put at risk.”

Daily Trust

Gunmen operating in the Imo axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway reportedly kidnapped nine Enugu-bound passengers, killed two and robbed others of their valuables.

The victims, who hail from Amangwo Olokoro in Umuahia, were said to be travelling to Enugu on Saturday for a burial when they were attacked.

Narrating their ordeal in Umuahia on Sunday, one of them, who identified himself simply as Francis, said their Sienna Bus was flagged down at gunpoint near the Arondizuogu Junction on the expressway.

Francis said the vehicle was later diverted off the expressway to Arondizuogu Road in Imo, from where they were led into a hamlet far into the bush.

He said: “I have never had this kind of experience in my life.

“We were travelling to Enugu for a burial and when we got close to Arondizuogu junction, we saw a group of heavily armed men and they asked us to park.

“One of us in the vehicle asked them ‘why do you ask us to park and pointing your guns at us, do you know who I am?’.

“Then one of the hoodlums said, ‘Now oga you will prove to us who you are’.”

How the two passengers were killed

“They ordered us out of the vehicle and asked us to sit on the ground and pull off our shirts with which they blindfolded us.

“From there, they started beating the man that made the comment with a machete,” Francis said.

He said that when they got into the hamlet, residents “were watching us as if they were watching a video.

“When we alighted from the vehicle, their leader asked about the man that made the comment and they pointed at him.

“They brought him out, and barely three steps away from us, they shot him dead.

“Another man with us, who saw what happened and attempted to escape, was rushed and also shot dead,” Francis said.

According to him, they seized the two corpses.

He said that the hoodlums were about 50 in their hideout, with 20 of them heavily armed.

“These men were speaking our own language.

“They told us that Umuahia people are ‘sabo to them’, that they asked us not to vote in the last election and we went out to vote.

“That they declared Monday sit-at-home and we are not obeying them.

“That any Umuahia person they got around here will get it hot.

“Then they asked us to say our last prayers,” Francis said.

He said that as they were praying, they were being moved into one of the three new Hummer Buses in the hideout and taken to where they were eventually put back into their Sienna Bus and led to the tarred road.

“At that point, they asked whether we can find our way out and we said no and they told the driver to go straight.

“They said we should go and tell Umuahia people what we saw.

“That was how we found ourselves back in Umuahia,” he said.

Francis said that valuables collected from them included cash and cell phones.

Meanwhile, the deceased persons have been identified as Chukwuemeka Nwachukwu, a pastor, who passed a comment after their vehicle was flagged down, and Ifeanyi Onwunkwe, who attempted to escape.

A journalist from the community said on the condition of anonymity that “the sad incident has thrown the area into mourning”.

NAN could not immediately reach the police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, for comments.

A senior police officer at the Abia State, however, claimed he was aware of the incident but said a “formal entry” had yet to be made.

“I am aware of the Saturday attack, but you know the incident happened in Imo. So, as we speak, nobody has made any formal entry here,” the source said.

NAN

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian military repels more than 20 Ukrainian attacks in single day – MoD

Foreign powers involved in coup attempt in Russia – Serbian president

Foreign intelligence services likely played a role in the failed Wagner PMC coup attempt on Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed. In his address to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the mutineers as traitors whose actions could play into the hands of Moscow’s adversaries.

In an interview with Serbia’s Pink TV channel on Sunday, Vucic stressed that Belgrade does not support coups in other countries as a matter of principle.

“We didn’t support it in Turkey or Russia, we wouldn’t support it in America, either,” the official explained, adding that governments should only be “changed in elections by the will of the citizens.”

The Serbian head of state went on to say: “I don't want to say who was involved from the outside, but have no doubts.”

Vucic cited “foreign services,” without, however, going into further detail or providing any proof.

He said the masterminds behind the failed coup attempt had devised a sly tactic which included attacking the Russian president without saying directly that the effort was actually directed at him.

The official also claimed that some of the grievances voiced by the mutineers, especially those involving allegations of corruption, were legitimate. However, whatever these may be, they are still not a “reason to stab your country in the back,” he emphasized.

The Serbian president added that some forces, which he stopped short of specifying, had “had high expectations” of the Wagner PMC insurrection.

Vucic praised Putin’s handling of the crisis, saying that it was ended thanks to his “sharp and strong reaction.”

Addressing the nation on Saturday, Putin characterized the armed mutiny as a “betrayal” and a “knife in the back” of Russia and its people. At a time when the country is “waging a tough struggle for its future,” he said, “any strife” might be used by enemies “to subvert us from within.”

Meanwhile, Politico reported on Saturday that American officials viewed the events in Russia as opening a window of opportunity for the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The New York Times reported that same day, citing anonymous sources, that US intelligence agencies strongly suspected that Evgeny Prigozhin was planning a major move against the Russian government.

US President Joe Biden and his administration were allegedly briefed on this as early as Wednesday.

** Russian Defense Ministry may ink contracts with some Wagner PMC fighters — Kremlin

A part of the Wagner private military company’s troops, who decided against participating in an armed mutiny, will be able to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

"An agreement was reached that PMC Wagner troops would return to their camps and places of deployment. Some of them, if they wish to do so, can later ink contracts with the Defense Ministry," Peskov said. "It also applies to fighters, who decided against taking part in this ‘armed mutiny.’"

The spokesman also said "there were some fighters in the military formations [of Wagner PMC], who changed their minds at the very beginning [of the armed mutiny] and returned immediately."

"They have even requested the assistance of the traffic police as well as other help to return to their permanent places of deployment," Peskov added.

On the evening of June 23, the Telegram channel of Wagner private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin posted several audio records with his statements, in which he claimed that strikes had allegedly been delivered against his formations and accused the country’s military leadership of that. In the wake of this, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny. The FSB urged Wagner fighters not to obey Prigozhin’s orders and take measures for his detention.

Russia’s Defense Ministry dismissed as untrue the reports that Russian forces had allegedly delivered a strike against "the rear camps of the Wagner private military company."

In his televised address to citizens on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions by the Wagner private military company an armed mutiny and betrayal and assured that harsh measures would be taken against the insurgents.

**Kiev’s forces have repeatedly attacked Russian positions across the frontline in the past 24 hours, sustaining heavy casualties in the process, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The Ukrainian forces lost more than 800 soldiers during that period, as well as multiple pieces of military hardware, it added.

The Donbass city of Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut) and its immediate vicinity have seen the most intense fighting, with ten attacks repelled in the area. The Ukrainian forces lost up to 430 troops there, as well as 11 infantry fighting vehicles, multiple cars, and an artillery piece, the Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing.

The Russian military also said it had destroyed a major ammunition stockpile near the contested town of Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which saw a further four attacks repelled.

Another four major attacks were repelled in the north of Donbass, with intense fighting observed around multiple settlements in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). On that axis, the Ukrainian military lost up to 130 fighters, three armored vehicles, a self-propelled and two towed howitzers, as well as other hardware.

In the south, the main theater of the long-heralded Ukrainian counteroffensive effort since it began in early June, medium-intensity fighting continued along the frontline, with another three attacks fought off. The Russian military said it hit multiple targets near the city of Orekhov, the primary logistics hub of the Ukrainian military in Zaporozhye Region. The Ukrainian troops lost more than 170 soldiers in the area, with at least five howitzers, a tank and several armored cars destroyed.

The Russian military also continued to conduct long-range strikes against Ukraine’s military installations. Near the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson, for instance, the attacks resulted in elimination of more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as in the destruction of a US-supplied M777 howitzer and other equipment, the Defense Ministry stated.

The apparent uptick in fighting on the frontlines and ramped up attacks by the Ukrainian military came amid domestic turmoil in Russia, caused by the short-lived insurrection by the Wagner Group PMC on Friday. The group seized control of a military HQ in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and even advanced towards Moscow, but ultimately backed down following talks facilitated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy discusses Russian turmoil with Biden, Trudeau, Duda

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his defence minister said they held a series of calls with Kyiv's allies on Sunday to discuss the "weakness" of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's next counteroffensive steps.

The phone calls took place after an extraordinary failed mutiny by the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that raised questions about Putin's grip on power as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive in its south and east.

"We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored," Zelenskiy said after a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden.

According to the White House readout, the two leaders "discussed Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support."

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, said he and U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Ukraine's counteroffensive and next steps to strengthen the forces.

"Things are moving in the right direction," Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

While Ukraine's officials said the Russia chaos works to Kyiv's advantage, it yet remains to be seen whether Zelenskiy and his army can capitalise on the Moscow disorder to reclaim territories now occupied by Russia.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, said on Sunday Kyiv's army advanced 600 metres (2,000 ft) to 1,000 metres over the previous day near Bakhmut, a city taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting.

But the gains have been incremental so far, with Zelenskiy saying recently the counteroffensive has been "slower than desired."

On Sunday, Zelenskiy said he and Biden had discussed expanding defence cooperation with an emphasis on long-range weapons, coordination ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius next month and preparations for a "Global Peace Summit" he has promoted.

"Yesterday's events exposed the weakness of Putin's regime," Zelenskiy was quoted in the statement.

Separately, Zelenskiy said he had told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a call about the "threatening situation" at Ukraine's vast, Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Zelenskiy warned earlier this week that Russia was considering carrying out an act of "terrorism" involving the release of radiation at the plant, an allegation denied by Russia.

"Ukraine's partners must demonstrate a principled response, in particular at the NATO Summit in Vilnius," he said.

The Ukrainian leader made similar comments in a statement announcing a phone call with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

** Mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin's authority

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions on Sunday about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power.

Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy's foreign minister said it had shattered the "myth" of Russian unity.

Putin has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to de-escalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago.

He said he was giving top priority to the conflict in Ukraine in excerpts from an interview aired by state television on Sunday, but it appeared to have been recorded before the mutiny and he made no reference to Saturday's events.

State television said Putin would attend a meeting of Russia's Security Council this coming week, without elaborating, and Belarus' Belta news agency said Putin and Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday.

Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov, hundreds of miles south of Moscow, late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle. His whereabouts on Sunday were not known.

A former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, Prigozhin said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war.

'CRACKS' IN THE FACADE

Western leaders expressed concern over the events in Russia, which has the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

"We've seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade," U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" program on Sunday.

China, a key ally of Putin, made no initial public reference to the turmoil, eventually saying after talks with a visiting senior Russian diplomat on Sunday that it supported Russia in maintaining national stability.

After capturing Rostov, the main rear logistical hub for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the mercenaries began what Prigozhin called a "march for justice" on Saturday, transporting tanks and armoured trucks hundreds of miles north and smashing barricades set up to stop them before the deal to stand down.

Videos shared on social media from Rostov that night purportedly showed the mercenaries withdrawing in a convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and coaches to the sound of cheers, chants of "Wagner" and celebratory gunfire from residents.

Reuters was able to verify the location of the video but not the date that it was filmed.

"Take care of yourselves," shouted one woman.

The show of support for Wagner's short-lived insurrection was striking in a country that is increasingly intolerant of public criticism of Putin and his rule.

The mood on the streets of Rostov on Sunday was mainly one of relief.

"It was scary... Everyone is glad that nothing bad happened... It did not come to an armed clash," said resident Dmitry, who declined to give his surname. "There are very serious problems in the country, and they need to be solved."

In Moscow, where there was little evidence on Sunday of increased security, some expressed a measure of understanding for Prigozhin's position.

"The opinions of a person who has a certain weight in society should probably be heard by the authorities," said Oleg, a Moscow resident who also did not provide a last name.

Monday has been declared a non-working day in the Russian capital to allow time for things to settle.

RT/Tass/Reuters

Sudan's RSF says it seized police base as fighting rages

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had seized the main base of a heavily armed police unit on Sunday as it sought an edge in its war with the army during heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum.

The RSF in a statement said it had taken full control of the large base belonging to the Central Reserve Police southern Khartoum and posted footage of its fighters celebrating inside the facility, some removing boxes of ammunition from a warehouse.

It later said it had captured 160 pick-up trucks, 75 armoured personnel carriers, and 27 tanks. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage or the RSF statements. There was no immediate comment from the army or the police.

Since late Saturday, fighting has surged in the three cities that make up the wider capital - Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman - as the conflict between the army and the RSF entered its 11th week.

Witnesses also reported a sharp increase in violence in recent days in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region. The U.N. raised the alarm on Saturday over ethnic targeting and the killing of people from the Masalit community in El Geneina in West Darfur.

Khartoum and El Geneina have been worst affected by the war, although last week tensions and clashes escalated in other parts of Darfur and in Kordofan, in the south.

Fighting has intensified since a series of ceasefire deals agreed at talks led by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah failed to stick. The talks were adjourned last week.

The Central Reserve Police has been deployed by the army in ground fighting in recent weeks. It had previously been used as a combat force in several regions and to confront protesters demonstrating against a coup in 2021.

It was sanctioned last year by the United States, accused of using excessive force against protesters.

'LEFT ALONE'

The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been using air strikes and heavy artillery to try to dislodge the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, from neighbourhoods across the capital.

"Since the early morning in north Omdurman we've had air strikes and artillery bombardment and RSF anti-aircraft fire," 47-year-old resident Mohamed al-Samani told Reuters by phone. "Where are the Jeddah talks, why did the world leave us to die alone in Burhan and Hemedti's war?"

In Nyala, a city that grew rapidly as people were displaced during the earlier conflict that spread in Darfur after 2003, witnesses reported a marked deterioration in the security situation over the past few days, with violent clashes in residential neighbourhoods. A human rights monitor said at least 25 civilians had been killed in Nyala since Tuesday.

"Today I left Nyala because of the war. Yesterday there was bombardment in the streets and bullets going into homes," Saleh Haroun, a 38-year-old resident of the city, told Reuters.

There was also fighting between the army and the RSF last week around El Fashir, capital of North Darfur, which the U.N. says is inaccessible to humanitarian workers.

In El Geneina, which has been almost entirely cut off from communications networks and aid supplies in recent weeks, attacks by Arab militias and the RSF have sent tens of thousands fleeing over the border to Chad.

U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Saturday called for safe passage for people fleeing El Geneina and access for aid workers following reports of summary executions between the city and the border and "persistent hate speech" including calls to kill the Masalit or expel them.

Of those uprooted by the conflict in Sudan, nearly 2 million have been displaced internally and almost 600,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Reuters