WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine launches major drone attack targeting Moscow, Russia says

Ukraine targeted the Russian capital early on Wednesday in what seemed to be the biggest drone attack so far, forcing the closure of two of the airports serving the city, sparking fires and damaging houses, officials and media said.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that at least 60 drones were destroyed on approach towards the city.

"At the moment, the roof of a building in Moscow has been slightly damaged by falling debris from a downed UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)," Sobyanin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

In an earlier post, he said there were no injuries, according to preliminary reports.

Moscow and its surrounding region, with a population of at least 21 million, is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Europe, alongside Istanbul.

Baza, a news Telegram channel that is close to Russia's security services, and other Russian news telegram channels posted videos of several residential fires around Moscow that they said were sparked by the attacks.

In one video Baza showed what it said was an apartment ablaze in a multi-storey residential building in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow region, some 50 km (31 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the fires.

The strikes came as the United States is pushing for an end to the three-year war that Russia started with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On Tuesday, U.S. and Ukrainian teams are scheduled to meet for peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Russia's aviation watchdog said that flights were suspended at the Zhukovo and Domodedovo airports to ensure air safety following the reports of the attacks. Two other airports, in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions, both east of Moscow, were also closed.

The governor of the Ryazan region, just southeast of the Moscow region, said that air defences repelled a drone attack on the region, with no injuries or damage reported.

A November drone attack on Moscow, the largest then in the war where at least 34 drones were destroyed, killed at least one civilian and wrecked dozens of homes around the capital.

Kyiv has often said that its strikes inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's overall war efforts and are in response to Russia's continued bombing of Ukraine.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the attacks, but thousands of them have died in the conflict so far, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces pummeled in Kursk Region - MOD

The Russian Defense Ministry has circulated videos it says depict kamikaze drone strikes on the forces remaining from Ukraine’s incursion into Russia's Kursk Region.

Kiev launched the incursion last August, claiming it has military and political value, however its forces are widely reported to be on the retreat and are facing increased risk of being cut off entirely.

A video released on Sunday shows a stationary column of military vehicles being targeted by multiple first-person view drones. The convoy’s advance was seemingly halted after encountering a destroyed bridge, leading to soldiers abandoning their transport.

The ministry claimed that Ukrainian troops were “fleeing from Sudzha,” a city in Kursk Region that has served as a base for Kiev’s operations since the start of the incursion. On the same day, the Russian military announced the liberation of several settlements previously controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Another clip published on Monday showcased Russian drone strikes against various Ukrainian targets reportedly throughout the area, including soldiers, vehicles, and bridges, the latter aimed at “disrupting enemy logistics and cutting off retreat paths.”

Media reports indicate that Russian troops executed an infiltration operation, covertly moving hundreds of personnel behind Ukrainian lines via a gas pipeline before launching a surprise attack over the weekend.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has previously claimed the incursion into Kursk as a major tactical victory. He has asserted that it has thwarted a Russian offensive into Ukraine’s Sumy Region and would bolster Kiev’s position in potential peace negotiations. However, Ukrainian forces have reportedly sustained tens of thousands of casualties during the operation and are facing possible encirclement in the Sudzha area.

This week, senior Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet with members of the Trump administration, which some media outlets describe as Ukraine’s final opportunity to repair relations with the new US leadership. Washington paused arms deliveries and intelligence sharing with Kiev after the American president accused Zelensky of refusing to compromise for a prospective US-mediated peace deal with Russia.

Reuters/RT

Ordinarily, I would have thought that I could number Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) as one of my elderly friends because of the intellectual engagements we used to have, in company of my bosom friend and brother, Mohammed Kuta Yahaya, especially because of and as he put on display his penchant for deep intellectual forays and the way he appreciated intelligence, if not for his abiding personal wiles making for extreme caution and the inability to ever lay down his guards for you to know when you have truly crossed into his inner circles. The same way it could be said that, in spite of enormous endowment from God of intelligence and charisma and vision and opportunities, he ended up betraying such uncommon endowment, the people and himself.

Come to think of it, I do not have any doubt that, outside of Obafemi Awolowo, there is no one else and there has not been anyone with the intrinsic qualities necessary for quality leadership in Nigeria as IBB. If in Awolowo, we had the best President Nigeria never had, with IBB, it was having a fitting President that wasted and misused the golden opportunity!

When IBB came into power after his military coup and gave himself the title of President and started putting in place definitive structures of governance easily recognizable and able to be followed openly, I remember writing an academic paper/article on the phenomenon then, suggesting and arguing that I could discern the constitutive elements necessary as springboard for the task of reimagining and rebuilding a new nation out of Nigeria in the concept of ‘military presidency’ and the formidable character behind and powering it. I thought I could see IBB in the mould of Singaporean Lee Kuan Yew, the leader to take on the challenge of positively transforming Nigeria and making it to realise its potentials to become one of the great nations of the world. But that would be to miss the essence and effect of the personal foibles of the man, whose propensity for self-sabotage would be enough to derail all real transformational efforts.

Take the case, for instance, of the resort to the interminable and unending political transition programme, which was more of a refuge for the negative fallouts of the idiosyncratic imbalances that made the pursuit of real transformation difficult and impossible. Essentially, in the grand scheme of things, the positive transformation expected from and under the aegis of a fitting president like IBB would be fundamental and comprehensive, touching every aspect of life but not necessarily dependent on a quick return to civilian, democratic rule through any transition programme; the transition expected was a total one affecting the whole of society as the transformational leader steers the country to new heights on new, functional structures that would deliver development and make life easier for the mass of the people.

Yet, even the resort to the refuge of political transition programme ended up a failure, in spite of having the benefit of the support and intellectual design of people like Adele Jinadu and Sam Oyovbaire, two of the finest political theorist and theoreticians produced in the land after the exit of Billy Dudley, alongside the grand old scholar, Omo Omoruyi at the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS), largely because of the ingrained personal foibles and manipulative tendencies of the man in charge of the processes. The bottom line is that IBB represented and continue to represent an otherwise solid promise and expectation about the transformation of Nigeria, which expectation and promise ended up and floundered as significant failure on the altar or the personal betrayals inherent in and intrinsic to the man. In IBB, we confront the complexity of power and the limits to which we could draw on a uni-linear conception of the use of power. He had all the attributes of a transformational leader, but squandered them all through regrettable personal foibles and otherwise shocking conducts!

** Olaitan, Professor of Political Science, was Vice-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

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Scott Baradell

Forget the buzzwords, the fluff and the empty mantras. Real branding isn't about catchy slogans, slick logos or vague notions of authenticity — it's about trust. If your brand strategy isn't driving credibility, customer preference and real-world results, you're wasting time and money. Here's how to cut through the noise and build a brand that actually works.

The branding industry is built on a lie.

Not an outright, malicious deception but a feel-good fantasy designed to make companies feel like they're accomplishing something when, in reality, they're spinning their wheels.

Most branding advice today boils down to vague platitudes: "Tell your story." "Define your values." "Be authentic." These sound profound, but they're practically useless without specifics. Worse, they give businesses a false sense of progress when what they really need is a strategy rooted in reality.

If your brand strategy isn't moving the needle — if it's not increasing trust, boosting conversions or differentiating you in a way that actually matters — you're probably following bad advice.

Here's what branding experts won't tell you — but should.

1. "Brand awareness" is a trap

Most branding agencies will tell you that brand awareness is the goal and that if more people recognize your brand, you'll win.

That's only true if awareness translates to trust and preference. Otherwise, it's like setting a pile of cash on fire for the sake of warmth.

A well-known brand that nobody trusts is worse off than an unknown one. Just ask companies that became infamous for all the wrong reasons — WeWork, Theranos, MoviePass. They had plenty of awareness. It didn't help.

Instead of chasing recognition, focus on credibility. If your audience trusts you, they'll seek you out. If they don't, no amount of visibility will save you.

2. Your "why" doesn't matter — unless it's about them

Simon Sinek's Start with Why launched a thousand mission statements. Now, every company feels obligated to have a deep, inspirational reason for existing.

Here's the problem: Customers don't care why you started your business. They care what you can do for them.

Apple's "why" is famous, but nobody buys an iPhone because of its mission statement. They buy it because it works better, looks better and integrates seamlessly into their lives. Nike's "why" is compelling, but people buy their shoes because they perform well and look cool — not because of a corporate manifesto.

Your brand story matters only if it directly connects to customer outcomes. If your "why" doesn't help them, it's just noise.

3. "Be authentic" is the most misunderstood advice in business

Everyone tells brands to "be authentic." But what does that even mean?

Too often, brands interpret authenticity as oversharing, taking controversial stands or adopting a casual, "real" tone on social media. Sometimes that works. Often, it backfires.

Authenticity in branding doesn't mean saying whatever you feel. It means aligning your messaging with what customers already expect from you. If people trust you for reliability, don't suddenly try to be edgy. If they love you for innovation, don't play it safe.

The best brands aren't authentic in the sense that they reveal everything about themselves. They're authentic in the sense that they deliver on their promises — consistently.

4. Differentiation is overrated — unless it's useful

Branding experts love to tell businesses to "stand out." They say differentiation is the key to success.

That's half true.

Being different is only valuable if it's different in a way that matters. If you build a product with a neon-pink interface just to be unique, you're wasting your time. If you differentiate by solving a real pain point that competitors ignore, you'll win.

Tesla didn't stand out by being another car company. It stood out by proving that electric cars could be desirable. Airbnb didn't stand out by being another hotel alternative. It stood out by unlocking unused spaces people already had.

Be different where it counts. Everything else is a distraction.

5. Fancy logos and slick taglines won't save you

Some businesses obsess over visual identity and clever slogans, believing that branding success starts with the right look and feel.

That's backwards.

Great brands are built on substance, not aesthetics. Your logo doesn't make people trust you — your reputation does. Your tagline doesn't create loyalty — your product and customer experience do.

Yes, a strong visual identity matters. But if you invest in design before you've built credibility, you're decorating an empty house. Make sure people trust what's inside before worrying about the window dressing.

6. Customers define your brand — not you

This is the single most important truth that branding experts ignore: You don't control your brand. Your customers do.

You can shape the narrative, tell your story and push your messaging, but in the end, your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.

If you're known for great service, that's your brand — whether or not you planned it that way. If customers see you as overpriced and unreliable, no amount of marketing spin will change that.

7. Trust is the only branding metric that matters

Forget awareness. Forget differentiation. Forget authenticity. If your brand doesn't inspire trust, nothing else matters.

Trust is the foundation of every great brand. It's why people buy from Amazon without hesitation. It's why Patagonia can charge a premium. It's why Apple customers keep coming back, even when competitors offer cheaper alternatives.

If customers trust you, they'll give you their attention. If they trust you, they'll pay a premium. If they trust you, they'll forgive your mistakes.

So, what actually works?

Most branding advice is garbage because it focuses on the wrong things — awareness, aesthetics, slogans — while ignoring what really drives long-term success.

Here's what actually matters:

• Credibility over visibility: Being seen means nothing if people don't believe in you.
• Customer needs over corporate storytelling: Your "why" is only useful if it serves their "why."
• Alignment over authenticity: Be real in a way that reinforces, not confuses, your brand.
• Meaningful differentiation: Be different where it matters, not just for the sake of it.
• Substance over style: A good reputation beats a good logo every time.
• Listening over dictating: Your brand is what customers say it is.
• Trust over everything: Because, in the end, nothing else matters.

Branding isn't about looking cool or clever. It's about being the company your customers already want to trust. If you focus on that, the rest takes care of itself.

Entrepreneur

Nigeria's petrol imports reached a record high of N15.42 trillion in 2024, marking a 105.3 percent increase from the N7.51 trillion recorded in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Foreign Trade Statistics Report.

The surge in imports occurred despite growing domestic refining capacity, with Belgium accounting for over N3.69 trillion of the imported products. Quarterly data shows imports valued at N2.63 trillion in Q1, N3.22 trillion in Q2, N3.32 trillion in Q3, and N3.3 trillion in Q4.

This sharp increase came when expectations were high for reduced reliance on foreign fuel following significant investments in local refining. Despite the commencement of operations at the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the 210,000bpd Port Harcourt Refining Company, and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company in December 2024, these facilities have yet to reach full production capacity to meet domestic demand.

Major oil marketers imported 6.38 billion litres of petrol and diesel in the past five months, with marketers bringing in 2.3 billion litres between September and December 2024 alone. The Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, defended importation, stating it "contributes to the market's competitiveness" and helps drive down prices.

Overall, Nigeria conducted foreign trade worth N138 trillion in 2024, spending N60.5 trillion on imports while earning N77.4 trillion from exports, resulting in a trade surplus of N16.8 trillion. Crude oil dominated exports with sales of N55.28 trillion, accounting for 68.87 percent of total exports in Q4.

Agricultural goods imports increased by 53.35 percent in Q4 compared to the same period in 2023, while raw material imports rose by 118.17 percent. Europe remained Nigeria's major trading partner with goods worth N34.14 trillion, followed by Asia (N20.6 trillion) and America (N13.43 trillion).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has revealed that 30% of Nigeria’s 24 million registered Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) shut down between 2023 and 2024 due to mounting economic challenges. This alarming trend was highlighted during the launch of the “2025 Private Sector Outlook: Adapting to Economic Uncertainties for Growth and Resilience” in Lagos.

Segun Omisakin, Chief Economist and Director of Research at NESG, outlined the key risks faced by businesses during this period. These include foreign exchange (FX) shortages and volatility, with the naira averaging N1,479.9 per dollar in 2024; rising public debt, which reached N142.3 trillion as of September 2024; and the exit of multinational companies, which, alongside MSME closures, resulted in an estimated N94 trillion economic loss. Omisakin also pointed to structural issues such as insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and limited market access as significant hurdles for the private sector.

Despite some positive developments, such as improved foreign exchange availability due to policy reforms and a 3.4% GDP growth in 2024—the highest since 2021—businesses continued to struggle with rising costs, inflationary pressures, and policy uncertainty. Wonu Adetayo, NESG Board Director, noted that while reforms like fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate harmonisation boosted investment levels, stagnant productivity and macroeconomic imbalances worsened living standards and economic distress.

During a panel discussion, Dele Kelvin Oye, President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), emphasised the importance of policy stability for attracting foreign direct investment. He urged the government to act as a facilitator rather than a competitor in economic affairs and called for greater inclusion of business organisations in key negotiations to ensure broad-based economic benefits.

Other panellists echoed these sentiments, warning against government overreach into private sector affairs and advocating for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors. They stressed the need for active involvement of business associations like the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in economic decision-making.

The NESG also highlighted the lack of immediate monetary interventions following the fuel subsidy removal, which exacerbated inflationary pressures, and criticised inconsistent Customs regulations and fluctuating exchange rates as deterrents to investment and operational stability. To address these challenges, the NESG proposed a framework of economic stabilisation, consolidation, and acceleration, emphasising the need for policies that enhance private sector competitiveness and monitor reform efficacy.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has expressed concern that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms have led to soaring inflation and pushed millions of Nigerians into poverty.

Speaking at the opening of the 2025 First Plenary Meeting of the CBCN in Abuja, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Conference, highlighted the severe hardships Nigerians are facing due to rising costs of essential goods, fuel, and transportation.

“While the administration’s economic policies are designed for long-term stability, they have caused skyrocketing inflation, weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power, and plunged millions into poverty,” Ugorji stated.

Citing World Bank data, he noted that 129 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line, while the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis ranks Nigeria second worldwide for acute food insecurity, affecting 24 million people. He also referenced National Bureau of Statistics data showing that food inflation reached 39.84% in December 2024, with many Nigerians spending 65% of their income on food, leaving little for healthcare and other essentials.

Although the government has introduced palliatives, duty waivers on food imports, and infrastructure projects—including road rehabilitation, a student loan scheme, and a reduction in debt servicing—the archbishop said these efforts remain insufficient to address the country’s deepening crisis.

Beyond economic hardship, Ugorji also raised concerns about rising insecurity, citing increasing attacks by Boko Haram, bandits, and unknown gunmen. He lamented the growing incidents of kidnappings for ransom and targeted killings, including attacks on priests and religious leaders.

Meanwhile, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Daniel Okoh, emphasized that the plenary session’s theme, “Jubilee of Hope: A Light for a Better Nigeria,” is a call for Nigerians to seek spiritual renewal and strengthen their relationships with one another and with God.

Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has revealed that his administration opted out of a $438 million World Bank loan arrangement shared among 35 states in Nigeria, citing unfavorable terms and conditions. Soludo made this disclosure over the weekend during a tour of the ongoing construction of the new Government House in Awka North Local Government Area, accompanied by leaders of the late Ifeanyi Ubah political groups and some Nollywood actors and actresses.

The governor stated that upon assuming office, he reviewed the loan terms and concluded that they were detrimental to the interests of Anambra State. “When I came in as governor and looked at the terms and conditions of those loans, I said it was not favorable to our people. This is a bad deal for my people. Some might say, ‘Let me collect the loans; after all, it is the next generation that will pay.’ But I don’t have that kind of conscience. I felt the terms were a bad deal for Ndi Anambra, and I told them we don’t need it,” Soludo explained.

He emphasized that while funding is essential for government projects, he would not accept loans that mortgage the future of the state and its unborn generations. “Late last year, $438 million was shared among 35 states in Nigeria, but Anambra was the only state that did not collect. We don’t need to continue to mortgage the state with such loans,” he added.

Soludo also highlighted the unique challenges faced by Anambra State, noting that it is the only state in Nigeria where the governor’s lodge is located outside the capital. He revealed that the state has operated without a permanent government house for 34 years, with the current makeshift building provided by the construction company that built the Enugu-Onitsha expressway. “For 34 years, Anambra had no government house and no governor’s lodge. The present government house is owned by the company that constructed the Enugu-Onitsha expressway,” he said.

The governor expressed pride in the ongoing construction of the new Government House, which he described as one of the best in the country. The complex, sitting on 23 hectares of land, comprises 34 buildings and is designed to last for 250 years. Soludo also disclosed that the project is being funded without borrowing, underscoring his commitment to judicious use of state resources. “Any money handed to me on behalf of the state must be utilized for the good of the people of Anambra,” he stated.

Hamas says talks with US focused on release of American hostage in Gaza

Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national being held by the militant group in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday.

Taher Al-Nono, political adviser to the leader of the Palestinian group, confirmed the unprecedented, direct talks with Washington in the Qatari capital over the past week.

"Several meetings have already taken place in Doha, focusing on releasing one of the dual-nationality prisoners. We have dealt positively and flexibly, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people," Nono said.

He added that the two sides had also discussed how to see through the implementation of the phased agreement aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. "We informed the American delegation that we don't oppose the release of the prisoner within the framework of these talks," Nono said.

Boehler told CNN on Sunday that the talks were "very helpful" and, in an interview with Israel's N12 TV channel, he said that the Trump administration was focused on getting all the remaining 59 hostages out and ending the war.

"I think you've got a real chance for some movement and seeing some hostages home in the next few weeks," he said.

Israel and Hamas signaled on Saturday they were preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators pushed ahead with talks to extend a 42-day truce that began in January.

A Hamas delegation met in the past two days with Egyptian mediators and reaffirmed its readiness to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire. Israel also said it was sending negotiators to Doha on Monday for ceasefire talks.

AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House last week that gaining the release of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old man from New Jersey believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority for us".

Alexander served as a soldier with the Israeli military. Boehler said the aim was that his release, along with bodies of four deceased American-Israeli hostages, would lead to more captives being freed.

The discussions between Boehler and Hamas have broken with a decades-old policy by Washington against negotiating with groups that the U.S. brands as terrorist organisations.

The Islamist militant group carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, Hamas has so far exchanged 33 Israeli hostages for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and has also freed five Thai hostages.

On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister, Eli Cohen, said he had instructed the Israel Electric Corporation not to sell electricity to Gaza, in what he described in a video as a means of pressure on Hamas to free hostages.

The measure would have little immediate impact, as Israel already cut supply to Gaza at the start of the war. It would, however, affect a wastewater treatment plant presently supplied with power, according to the Israeli electricity company.

Underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire, Gaza medics said one Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli fire in Shejaia in Gaza City. The Israeli military said its air force struck several "terrorists" who operated near their forces and attempted to plant a bomb.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces take three new settlements in drive to oust Ukrainian forces in Kursk

Russian forces on Sunday recaptured three more settlements in Russia's western Kursk region, the Defence Ministry said, part of an operation to evict Ukrainian troops holding chunks of territory seven months after a cross-border incursion.

The ministry statement, posted on the Telegram messaging app, followed reports by Russian bloggers that Russian special forces had crept for miles through a gas pipeline near the town of Sudzha in an attempt to surprise Ukrainian forces.

The three settlements now under Russian control according to the ministry -- Malaya Lokhnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa -- all lie north of Sudzha.

"The Russian Federation's armed forces are continuing to rout groups of the Ukrainian army on the territory of Kursk region," the statement said.

The earlier report by Russian bloggers on the pipeline operation appeared to be a ruse aimed at cutting off thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the region ahead of Ukrainian talks with the United States on a possible peace deal to end the war.

Ukrainian troops seized about 1,300 square km (500 sq. miles) of Russia's Kursk region in August in what Kyiv said was an attempt to gain a bargaining chip in future negotiations and to force Russia to shift forces from eastern Ukraine.

Russia has been pressing its drive to regain control of the region with some success in recent days. Open source maps on Friday showed Kyiv's contingent in Kursk nearly surrounded after rapid Russian advances.

"The lid of the smoking cauldron is almost closed," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram. "The offensive continues."

Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, said Russian special forces crept nearly 16 km (10 miles) along the inside of the 1.5 metre wide gas pipeline and spent several days in the pipe before surprising Ukrainian forces from the rear near Sudzha.

Pro-Russian war blogger Two Majors said a major battle was under way for Sudzha and that Russian forces had surprised Ukrainian soldiers by entering the area via a gas pipeline.

EUROPEAN FEARS

A statement from Ukraine's airborne assault forces said that Russian soldiers had used the pipeline in an attempt to gain a foothold, but the Russians were promptly detected and attacked with rockets, artillery and drones.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff in a late afternoon report said its forces repelled 15 Russian attacks in Kursk region, with six armed clashes still ongoing. It also reported 12 Russian air strikes on their positions.

Russian advances in 2024 and U.S. President Donald Trump'supending of U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia have raised fears among European leaders that Ukraine will lose the war and that Trump is turning his back on Europe.

The United States paused military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine this month after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 28 descended into acrimony in front of the world's media.

In an earlier update on the situation in Kursk, Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had retaken the village of Lebedevka, as well as seizing Novenke, a hamlet across the border in Ukraine's neighbouring Sumy region.

Moscow made no official mention of the pipeline operation, but Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of Chechnya's Akhmat special forces, reposted pictures on Telegram of special forces inside a gas pipeline.

"I am surprised by people who really think that Russia could lose," Alaudinov said. "It is a good day."

Russian Telegram channels showed pictures of special forces in gas masks and lights, some using colourful colloquial Russian curses, as they made their way along the inside of what looked like a large pipe.

Owing to battlefield reporting restrictions on both sides, Reuters was unable to verify the reports.

KURSK INCURSION

The Soviet-era Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline used to bring gas from western Siberia via Sudzha to Ukraine but Ukraine terminated all Russian gas transit through its territory from January 1.

Ukraine's incursion into Kursk in August was the most serious attack on Russian territory since the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Another war blogger, Yuri Kotenok, said Ukrainian forces had been moving equipment from Sudzha, closer to the border.

The Russian offensive raises a serious tactical conundrum for Ukraine just as the spring thaw turns roads to mud tracks: Should it withdraw from Kursk, and if so, can it do so without a disorderly rush to the border under intense Russian fire?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

In the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have made slow but steady progress during gruelling fighting in what was once Ukraine's industrial heartland, Moscow said on Sunday that its forces had taken the village of Kostyantynopil.

In a part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region held by Russian forces, Russia-installed officials said Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack on a busy market in the town of Velyki Kopani. Russian news agencies quoted local health officials as saying the strike killed two people and injured seven.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine strikes market in Russian town with HIMARS – governor

The Ukrainian military launched two HIMARS rockets directly at the stalls of a market in the town of Veliky Kopani in Russia’s Kherson Region on Sunday, according to regional governor Vladimir Saldo. The attack left several civilians dead and “a lot” wounded, Saldo said, citing preliminary data.

Dozens of civilians were at the market when at least two projectiles fired from a US-supplied M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launcher struck the location, according to a Telegram post by Saldo, which included images from the aftermath. The photos show one building badly damaged, with thick smoke billowing from it.

Footage circulating online shows a destroyed van ablaze outside of the market, with an injured – or possibly dead – person lying next to it.

A paramedic and driver with the local emergency medical services were also injured in the attack, the regional health minister, Elena Borchaninova, told TASS. At least seven civilians were injured in the attack with one subsequently succumbing to his injuries, the ministry’s press service told the news agency.

The exact number of casualties has not yet been officially established, as the wounded are still being transferred to hospitals. At least some of the victims were sent to the coastal city of Skadovsk, located some 20 km to the south of Veliky Kopani.

“The information is still preliminary. We are waiting for all the victims. They have been sent to the Skadovsk hospital. So far, only two have been brought in. Unfortunately, one of the two has died,”the Health Ministry told RIA Novosti.

Kiev has been receiving M142 HIMARS and its heavier tracked cousin, the M270 MLRS, since mid-2022 from the US and other Western backers. The systems, once touted as a key tool for striking high-value Russian assets, have routinely been used by Kiev for indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets deep beyond the frontline.

Reuters/RT

The political control of the resources of the territory known as Rivers State in Nigeria’s Niger Delta has been a site of curious jurisprudence since the Acting Consul of the Oil Rivers Protectorate, Harry Johnston, procured the judicial liquidation of King Jaja of Opobo in December 1887 in Accra, present capital of Ghana. The charge against King Jaja was the violation of a treaty obligation to assist the British “in the execution of such duties as may be assigned.” At the end of proceedings, which lasted less than one day, before a forum described by Elvar Ingimundarsson as a “Kangaroo court”, King Jaja was convicted and sentenced to exile. The court also prohibited the people of Opobo from designating a replacement for him.

At the end of February, Nigeria’s Supreme Court continued a tradition of afflicting the people of the territory of Rivers State with curious jurisprudence. Separated by 137 years, the decision of the Supreme Court in the latest of the legal disputes from the political rift between incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, reprises essential parallels with the trial and exile of King Jaja with haunting similarity.

Now, as then, the underlying dispute is really about “a treaty”; in this case allegedly between the governor and his predecessor, the terms of which also appear to be about “the execution of such duties as may be assigned….” The court orders are against a ruling figure (Governor Fubara) from Opobo and the political effect is to seek to exile him from office while precluding any other Opobo person from replacing him.

Context is necessary to understand the case that the Supreme Court had to decide. Going into the 2023 election, the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, was term-limited. In 2020 and 2021, he publicly declared that he would not impose a successor on the state. In 2023, he did. His choice was a little-known public servant from Opobo-Nkoro, Sim Fubara. After the election, their relationship disintegrated. The reasons are subliminal in this case; the consequences are explicit.

In December 2023, the 27 members of Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike, including the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, ostentatiously announced that they had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2015, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that such defection is permissible only if the political party from which the legislators seek to defect is so hopelessly splintered that it “makes it impossible or impracticable for [the] political party to function as such.” If not, according to the court, “the defector automatically looses (sic) his seat.”

With the defection of Martin Amaewhule and his 26 other colleagues, the House of Assembly of Rivers State became factionalised. The remaining five members were loyal to the incumbent governor. Shortly after the defection of the Amaewhule faction in December 2023, the premises of the Rivers State House of Assembly were demolished, ostensibly on the orders of the state government. The faction loyal to the state governor relocated to the Government House where, shortly thereafter, it purported to pass into law the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the State, which became law when the governor promptly assented to it.

The outbreak of litigation that followed has been inexhaustible. The appeal determined by a five-person panel of the Supreme Court on 28 February is one them. Essentially, it sought orders to restrain the Central Bank of Nigeria from remitting to Rivers State, its share of the proceeds from the Federation Account, except to finance a budget passed by the Amaewhule faction of the State House of Assembly. In other words, this was litigation asking the judiciary to take sides in what is in fact a very grubby dispute over control of Rivers State’s money.

This case traveled up to the Supreme Court with supreme alacrity. The Federal High Court delivered judgment on 30 October 2024, a mere three-and-a-half months after filing on 15 July. Not wishing to be outdone, the Court of Appeal delivered judgment on 13 December 2024, less than a month-and-a-half later. The Supreme Court has been equally supersonic in bringing the case to judgment.

The Supreme Court dealt with two issues when it should have addressed at least three. First, it affirmed the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the case. Next, on the question of whether the rump of the House of Assembly of Rivers State loyal to the governor could constitutionally sit to pass the 2024 budget, it held that they could not. In support of this position, the court cited precedent applicable to when the legislature sits on impeachment, a special procedure for which the constitutionally prescribed parliamentary arithmetic is different.

The third issue, it left unattended. The Court simply proceeded without deliberation or reasoning to grant all the orders asked for.

An injunction, the principal relief sought in this case, is notoriously a remedy in equity, only granted deliberatively. Over one century ago, the path-breaking decision in The Lusitania laid down the principle that “as a general rule of both civil and common law…. the remedy must be commensurate with the injury received.”

There are four glaring problems with this Supreme Court judgment. The first is not what is in it but what is missing. Lawyers claim that “equity does not act in vain.” The Supreme Court did not bother to provide any reasoning or justification for its orders, leaving it open to legitimate accusations of having acted in vain or in a transaction. Granting the court every latitude on the violations that it found, its orders are an unreasoned overreach.

Second, ordering the Central Bank to withhold Rivers state’s share of the Federation Account is at best a rogue order that punishes the people for a dispute between politicians. It violates the maxim that “equity regards the beneficiary (in this case the people of Rivers State) as the true owner.” Their right to their share of the Federation Account is antecedent to, independent of, and unconnected with the dispute in this case.

Third, being aware of the ongoing litigation on the legal consequences of the defection of the Amaewhule faction of the State House of Assembly, the Supreme Court short-circuited a contingent appellate process and issued dispositions on a dispute that was neither before it nor necessary for the determination of the issues it was called upon to decide. In doing so, the court chose with a touch of injudicious shamelessness to accept the invitation to take sides in the underlying political dispute in Rivers State.

Fourth, the Supreme Court announced revolutionary jurisprudence on the judicial fly, claiming that, in cases where there is a disputed defection, “[o]nly the [legislature] can declare a seat vacant for defection and not the Governor of a State. Not even the Courts can do so.” It takes heedless audacity for an apex court to castrate the judiciary. That is exactly what the court did with this line in italics. When the Supreme Court laid down the contrary principle in 2015, it was by a panel of seven Justices. This Supreme Court purports to overrule that principle without even citing, acknowledging, or considering its earlier decisions on the same point. Moreover, a five-person panel of the Supreme Court cannot overrule a seven-person panel.

When Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, showed up reportedly to turn the sod on proposed judicial digs with Wike last October, there were unheeded warnings then concerning the prohibitive institutional costs of such dalliance with a notorious political litigant who has a reputation for instrumentalising the courts. Many will look at this recent decision from the Supreme Court and say “we told you so.” For the CJN, it will be argued that she was not on the panel; to which the response will be, she chose the judges and constituted the panel.

On 1 December 1887, the Kangaroo court of Rear Admiral Walter Hunt-Grubbe ruled that the presence of King Jaja in Opobo “would be fatal” to British commercial interests and authorised his eventual exile to West Indies. The judgment was widely seen as a transactional travesty and its effect, it was said, was “to haunt the British colonial administration in West Africa for a long time.” It may similarly be said of what the courts of post-colonial Nigeria did in the 137th year of that iniquity that they sought in another transactional travesty to exile another figure from Opobo from his position because his presence would be fatal to the interests of Nigeria’s most prolific political litigant. 

** 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..