0:00
Two separate courts in the Nigeria
0:02
Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on
0:04
Tuesday fixed October 27th and November
0:07
20th, 2025 for the commencement of the
0:10
lawsuits brought before them by the
0:12
founder and publisher of Sahare
0:14
Reporters, Amy Saware, and the
0:17
Department of State Service, DS, the SS
0:19
over issue of posts published on X and
0:21
Facebook social media platforms that
0:24
allegedly described President Bola Ahmed
0:26
Tonubu as a criminal after the president
0:28
allegedly said There is no more
0:30
corruption in Nigeria while the
0:32
president was speaking at an event in
0:34
Brazil in the month of August 2025.
0:38
According to Omi Saware's lawyer to
0:41
Temokin, today at the Federal High Court
0:44
in Abuja, proceedings commenced in the
0:46
historic cases filed by rights activist
0:49
Amy Saware challenging the clampdown on
0:52
free speech and political expression by
0:54
the Department of State Services SSS in
0:57
collusion with global social media
0:59
giants Meta, Facebook, Instagram and
1:02
Xcorporation, Twitter. The suits are saw
1:07
versus SSS and Meta FHC ABJ CS1 1887
1:16
Saware versus SSS and Xcorporation FHC
1:25
Saware was represented by a formidable
1:27
team of lawyers led by Toe Techen, Abu
1:31
Bakr Marshall, Alexander Aketa, Dr. SM
1:35
OA Dr. Maxwell Opara Akin Saware and
1:40
Akoj Saba representation for the
1:43
respondents meta appeared through
1:45
Mafessimote Teo Yeto San X Corporation
1:48
and the DSS had no council present in
1:51
court proceedings. The court granted
1:54
motions X party filed by Sares Council
1:57
for leave to serve Meta and Xcorporation
1:59
outside jurisdiction through electronic
2:01
means. The originating motion against
2:04
Meta was also served in court on Meta's
2:07
council adjournment. The court adjourned
2:10
both matters to November 20th, 2025 for
2:13
hearing. These suits filed following the
2:17
DSS attempted censorship of SOR's social
2:19
media post calling the president a
2:22
criminal mark a significant stand
2:24
against both local repression and
2:26
international collaboration in silencing
2:28
dissenting voices. So war insists that
2:31
no government agency or foreign
2:33
corporation has the right to muzzle
2:35
Nigerians in the digital space. Barrista
2:38
totem stated on September 30th, 2025
2:42
at a separate court where the federal
2:44
government of Nigeria filed a fivecount
2:46
charges against the news media
2:48
publisher. Omi Saware and the DSS had
2:51
planned to arraign the publisher before
2:53
the court. Vanguard newspaper reported
2:56
that when the matter came up, Saware's
2:58
council, Marshall Abuakar, objected to
3:01
the charges being read, arguing that his
3:04
client had not been properly served. He
3:07
also noted the absence of legal
3:09
representation for X. However, Meta was
3:12
represented in court by a team led by
3:15
senior advocate of Nigeria, Teo Yeto.
3:19
Justice Muhammad Umar presiding directed
3:22
that Saware be served in court. An order
3:24
not opposed by any of the parties
3:27
including Muhammad Babedoko, director of
3:29
public information from the Nigerian
3:32
presidency has indicated that there is a
3:34
plan by President Bola Ahmed Tonubu to
3:36
begin legal action against the country.
3:39
former president Good Luck Jonathan over
3:42
sustained and continuous rumors in
3:44
certain quarters that ex-president
3:46
Jonathan may have indicated interest to
3:48
recontest as Nigeria president in 2027.
3:52
This the special adviser to President
3:54
Bola Ahmed Tonugu on information and
3:56
strategy. Beo Onuga said Jonathan is
4:00
welcome to join the 2027 presidential
4:03
electoral race but Jonathan will have
4:05
his date in the court of the land.
4:07
Indeed, the jury will determine whether
4:09
Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as
4:12
president, satisfies the constitutional
4:14
requirements and is eligible to contest
4:16
the presidency and be sworn in, if
4:19
successful, for a third term in office.
4:22
It would be recalled that ex-president
4:24
Jonathan was one of the most criticized
4:26
presidents in Nigeria with politicians
4:29
including president Bola Ahmed Tonubu
4:32
who was then a chieftain of the action
4:33
congress of Nigeria ACN forming a
4:36
coalition of all progressives congress
4:39
APC to defeat the incumbent president in
4:43
Currently, there is also a coalition
4:45
formed by politicians in Nigeria, the
4:48
African Democratic Congress, ADC, to
4:50
defeat and remove President Tonubu from
4:53
office in 2027. And lately, reports
4:56
indicated that the former president,
4:58
Good Luck Jonathan, is considering
5:00
joining the African Democratic Congress,
5:02
ADC, but no official announcement has
5:05
been made. The speculation intensified
5:08
after Jonathan met with ADC National
5:10
Chairman David Mark in late September
5:13
2025 amidst ongoing discussions about
5:16
the 2027 presidential election. And
5:20
Jonathan's closed door meeting with ADC
5:22
leaders on September 25th, 2025 fueled
5:26
widespread speculation about his
5:28
potential run for the presidency on
5:30
their platform. In a statement issued on
5:33
Monday, Beao Onuga, the spokesperson to
5:36
President Bola Ahmed Tanubu said, "As we
5:40
begin the march towards the 2027
5:42
elections prematurely foisted on the
5:44
nation by the desperation of the
5:46
opposition ganging up against President
5:49
Boler Tonubu, despite his glaring giant
5:51
economic strides, we are once again
5:54
regailed with a cacophony of voices,
5:56
most of them full of sound and fury,
5:58
signifying nothing to paraphrase an
6:00
imitable Williams Shakespeare in one of
6:03
his classic works, McBth. One recent
6:06
statement that stands out in its
6:08
absurdity is professor Jerry Garner's
6:11
the former minister of information and
6:13
national orientation moving to draft
6:15
former president Good Luck Jonathan into
6:18
the 2007 presidential race affirmed that
6:21
the former president would contest the
6:23
coming election on the platform of the
6:25
discredited people's democratic party
6:27
PDP which bequeathed the legacy of
6:30
economic ruins after 16 years of bad
6:33
governance. Garner even deluded himself,
6:36
asserting that the former president
6:38
would defeat President Tonubu to reclaim
6:40
power after 12 years. Professor Garner
6:43
of the defunct Mamms fame is free to
6:47
delude himself and engage in his usual
6:49
comedy. After all, Jonathan's entering
6:52
the race would provide another job for
6:54
the Niger state, born former university
6:56
dawn. However, we should caution former
7:00
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
7:03
on Friday stated that many world leaders
7:05
who do come out publicly to condemn the
7:07
Israel war in Gaza do privately thank
7:10
Israel for staging the war against
7:12
Hamas. And according to Benjamin
7:14
Netanyahu, the world leaders tell me how
7:17
much they value Israel's superb
7:19
intelligence services that have
7:21
prevented time and again terrorist
7:23
attacks in their capitals. time and
7:25
again, saving countless lives. General
7:28
George Keegan, former head of US Air
7:30
Force intelligence, once said, "If the
7:33
United States had to gather on its own
7:35
the intelligence that Israel gives us,
7:38
we would have to establish five CIS,
7:41
five CIS this past June, when Israel
7:44
struck Iran's nuclear facilities,"
7:46
German Chancellor Mertz admitted the
7:48
truth. This Benjamin Netanyahu stated
7:51
when the speech was being broadcast live
7:54
via huge loudspeakers that were placed
7:56
on the Gaza border while the Israel
7:59
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was
8:01
speaking at the United Nations General
8:04
Assembly, which his appearance drew a
8:06
mix of applause and protest with some
8:08
delegates walking out of the hall as he
8:10
took the stage. You know deep down that
8:13
Israel is fighting your fight. I want to
8:16
tell you a secret. Behind closed doors,
8:19
many of the leaders who publicly condemn
8:21
us privately thank us. Benjamin
8:23
Netanyahu stated in response, Prime
8:26
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated
8:29
and blamed the Israel war in Gaza on
8:31
Iran, saying, "Iran terror axis
8:33
threatened the peace of the entire
8:35
world." Some parts of the long speech by
8:38
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the
8:40
United Nations General Assembly are
8:43
presented verbatim below. Mr. President,
8:46
the families of our dear hostages
8:48
languishing in the dungeons of Gaza.
8:51
Ladies and gentlemen, last year I stood
8:54
at this podium and I showed this map. It
8:57
shows the curse of Iran's terror axis.
9:00
This axis threatened the peace of the
9:02
entire world. It threatened the
9:04
stability of our region and the very
9:06
existence of my country, Israel. Iran
9:09
was rapidly developing a massive nuclear
9:11
weapons program and a massive ballistic
9:13
missile program. These were meant not
9:16
only to destroy Israel, they were meant
9:18
also to threaten the United States and
9:20
blackmail nations everywhere. From Gaza,
9:24
Yahin were dispatched waves of Hamas
9:26
terrorists. They stormed into Israel on
9:29
October 7th and committed acts of
9:31
unspeakable savagery. From Lebanon,
9:34
Hassan Nazallah had launched thousands
9:36
of missiles and rockets at our cities,
9:39
terrorizing our citizens. In Syria, the
9:42
murderous dictator Assad hosted Iran's
9:45
forces, tightening a noose of death
9:47
around our throats. In Yemen, the
9:50
Houthis launched ballistic missiles at
9:52
Israel while choking global trade at the
9:54
mouth of the Red Sea. So, what's
9:57
happened over the past year? We've
9:59
hammered the Houthis, including
10:00
yesterday. We crushed the bulk of
10:02
Hamas's terror machine. We crippled
10:05
Hezbollah, taking out most of its
10:07
leaders and much of its weapons arsenal.
10:10
Remember those beepers? The pages? We
10:13
paged Hezbollah and believe me, they got
10:16
the message and thousands of terrorists
10:18
dropped to the ground. We destroyed
10:20
Assad's armaments in Syria. We deterred
10:23
Iran's Shiite militias in Iraq. And most
10:26
importantly and above everything else
10:28
that I could say to you all that we
10:30
Justice James Amatosho of the Federal
10:32
High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday
10:34
ruled that the detained Bafra agitation
10:37
leader Nami Kanu has case to answer
10:40
because the Nigeria government
10:41
prosecution team have provided some
10:44
evidence that requires explanations from
10:46
the detained Bafra leader. This the
10:49
coordinating lawyer to Nambdi Kanu.
10:51
Barrister A lawyer Gi Mccor said the
10:53
judgment of the court does not mean
10:55
Nambdi Kanu has been pronounced guilty.
10:58
Rather the ruling indicated that he
11:00
should give explanations to certain
11:02
evidences the federal government of
11:04
Nigeria brought before the court. It
11:06
would be recalled that the ruling on the
11:08
no case submission filed by Nambi Carano
11:11
that was earlier slated to be held on
11:13
October 10th, 2025 was abridged and
11:16
rescheduled to Friday the 26th of
11:20
Justice James also rejected request by
11:24
Caro to be transferred from custody of
11:26
the Department of State Services DSS to
11:29
the National Hospital Abuja for medical
11:31
examination over alleged deteriorating
11:33
health issues. The court subsequently
11:36
ordered the president of Nigerian
11:38
Medical Association NMA to constitute an
11:41
investigation committee to examine
11:43
Kanu's medical condition and submit a
11:45
report to it in 8 days following
11:47
objection by DSS to his request to be
11:50
transferred to National Hospital for
11:52
second opinion on his health condition.
11:55
We had earlier in the year reported that
11:57
the case between the federal government
11:58
of Nigeria and the detained leader of
12:01
the indigenous people of Bafrae Nami
12:03
Kanu apparently took a new technical
12:05
twist after one of the lawyers of the
12:07
detained Bafra leader Paul Ericoro San
12:11
presented and played three videos which
12:13
the federal high court sitting in Abuja
12:16
later admitted in evidence. the videos
12:18
of former Nigeria chief of army staff
12:21
retired General Theophilus Danjuma
12:23
saying security operatives in the West
12:26
Africa country specifically the armed
12:28
forces are working together with the
12:30
armed bandits to kill Nigerians
12:32
stressing that if Nigerians depend on
12:35
the armed forces to curb insecurity they
12:38
will all die one by one also that of
12:40
Governor Hope of Imho state saying
12:44
politicians are behind killings in the
12:46
state lastly in The most interesting
12:48
video play that the court to counter the
12:50
testimony or statement made by the DSS
12:53
prosecutor witness over Nambdi Kanu led
12:56
IPOB founding eastern security network
12:59
ESN allegedly created by group of youths
13:02
in the southeastern geopolitical zone of
13:04
Nigeria often referred to as Bafra land
13:07
to fight in self-defense against fani
13:10
armed bandits or terrorists that were
13:12
advancing and killing people in the
13:14
eastern state during the era of
13:16
President Muhammadu Buhari was that of
13:18
the director general of the department
13:20
of state services DSS Adola Ajayi who is
13:24
apparently the government chief
13:26
complainer in the case and the DSSDG in
13:29
the video recorded and published by
13:31
Symphony News Media in February 2025
13:35
narrated how youths of the Zara
13:36
community in Katagum local government
13:39
area and Tafawa Blewa community of Tfawa
13:42
Blewa local government area in Baoi
13:45
state when the DSSDG was the state
13:47
director of state security services SSS
13:51
resorted to self-help and killed all
13:53
boohh haram terrorists that came to
13:55
attack them without depending on the
13:57
security operatives according to the
14:00
president of France Emanuel Macarron and
14:02
its US counterpart Donald Trump on
14:05
Tuesday engaged in a tough talk over the
14:08
recognition of Palestine state and the
14:10
Israeli war in Gaza during the bilateral
14:13
meeting both held on the sideline of the
14:15
UN N general assembly in New York where
14:19
the French president insisted that
14:21
Israel has already achieved more by
14:23
killing the top militia leaders of Hamas
14:26
saying it doesn't work to dismantle the
14:28
Hamas. This is not the right way to
14:30
proceed. He said while President Trump
14:32
had reiterated and insisted that things
14:35
will not work the way the French
14:37
president had suggested that the October
14:40
7th, 2023 hostages still in the custody
14:43
of Hamas cannot be honored with such
14:45
suggestions. The meeting was held when
14:47
videos of the French president Emanuel
14:50
Macarron and Turkish President Reep
14:52
Erdogan went viral on the internet where
14:55
both presidents were stopped or blocked
14:57
separately by New York police operatives
14:59
as they tried to cross streets in the
15:01
New York City over yet to be seen
15:03
incoming motorcade of their counterpart
15:06
President Donald Trump. The French
15:08
president Emanuel Macarron called Donald
15:11
Trump on the phone after his journey to
15:13
the French embassy was blocked by police
15:15
officers preparing for the motorcade of
15:17
the US president. But that of the
15:19
Turkish president Reef Erdogan could be
15:22
seen quickly surrounded by his security
15:25
team in a manner that makes the
15:27
president looked apparently in shock the
15:29
moment some group of New York police
15:31
officers advanced towards them to stop
15:33
the Turkish presidential team from
15:35
crossing the road. According to New York
15:38
Times, nothing frustrates a New Yorker
15:40
in a hurry like finding that a street
15:42
has been blocked off because some big
15:44
shot is in town. Apparently, the same is
15:48
true for the president of France,
15:50
Emanuel Macarron. On Monday evening, Mr.
15:53
Macron in New York for the UN General
15:56
Assembly was stuck on a Manhattan street
15:58
corner that had been closed off for
16:00
President Trump's motorcade. The meeting
16:03
of world leaders is among other things a
16:06
traffic nightmare. At first, Mr. Macron
16:10
did what many New Yorkers might do. He
16:12
pleaded with a police officer to let him
16:14
cross the street. I have 10 people with
16:17
me, Mr. Macron told the officer,
16:20
according to video that shows the French
16:22
president making his case on the street
16:24
corner. I go to the French embassy, but
16:27
the officer politely held his ground and
16:29
would not let Mr. Macron cross the
16:31
street. I'm sorry, President. I'm really
16:34
sorry, he told Mr. Macron. It's just
16:38
that everything's been frozen right now.
16:40
There's a motorcade coming right now.
16:43
I'm sorry, Mr. Macron, who has engaged
16:46
in diplomacy to try to end the wars in
16:48
Ukraine and Gaza, tried again. I
16:51
negotiate with you, the French president
16:54
said on the video. When that didn't
16:56
work, Mr. Macron did what average New
16:59
Yorkers cannot do. He pulled out his
17:01
phone and called the president of the
17:03
United States. "How are you?" he asked
17:06
Mr. Trump, cell phone pressed to his
17:09
ear. "Guess what? I am waiting the
17:11
street because everything is frozen for
17:13
you." It was not clear from the video
17:16
what Mr. Trump said. But Mr. Macron
17:18
chuckled and told the American president
17:20
that he was hoping to have a discussion
17:22
with him and Qatari officials about the
17:25
situation in Gaza. The White House did
17:28
not immediately respond to a request.
17:30
There is no doubt that this week may be
17:32
an interesting week in the international
17:33
community as world leaders gather for
17:35
the 2025 United Nations General Assembly
17:39
meeting to discuss and take a stand over
17:41
decades of conflicts between Israel and
17:43
the people of Palestine, especially some
17:46
of them well known as Hamas fighters
17:48
over territorial integrity and
17:50
sovereignty most especially ever since
17:52
the state of Palestine was officially
17:54
declared by the Palestine Liberation
17:57
Organization PLO on the 15th. 18 of
18:00
November 1988 claiming sovereignty over
18:03
the West Bank which includes East
18:05
Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. And as at
18:08
the end of 1988, over 78 countries
18:11
approved the declaration, including
18:13
Nigeria that recognized Palestinian
18:15
state barely 3 days after the
18:17
declaration on November 18th, 1988. And
18:21
the numbers have been increasing,
18:23
particularly since the beginning of
18:25
2024, like never before. As of September
18:28
21st, 2025, over 151 countries out of
18:34
the 193 United Nations members have
18:37
recognized the Palestinian state,
18:40
including United Kingdom, UK, which its
18:42
recognition appears to be more
18:44
disturbing to the Israeli government
18:46
with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
18:49
Netanyahu issuing what he described as a
18:51
clear message to the world leaders
18:53
recognizing Palestine as a country of
18:55
its own that it's not going to happen.
18:58
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada,
19:00
among others, declared and announced
19:02
their recognition of the Palestinian
19:04
state on September 21st, 2025. While
19:09
countries like Germany, Italy, Japan,
19:11
and South Korea, among others, are yet
19:13
to make their position known. In a video
19:16
broadcast on Sunday, the British Prime
19:18
Minister Kama said, "Today to revive the
19:22
hope of peace for the Palestinians and
19:24
Israelis and a two-state solution, the
19:26
United Kingdom formally recognizes the
19:29
state of Palestine, adding that the
19:31
recognition is not a reward for Hamas,
19:34
reiterating that the United Kingdom has
19:36
already prescribed and sanctioned Hamas
19:38
as a terrorist organization, saying any
19:41
member of Hamas will not be a member of
19:43
the Palestinian government, including
19:45
joining the security architectures of
19:47
the Palestinian state. A statement by
19:50
the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin
19:52
Netanyahu, issued a few hours after the
19:54
video broadcast by the Prime Minister of
19:57
the United Kingdom, Kama. The Israel
20:00
Prime Minister said there would never be
20:02
a Palestinian state to the west of the
20:04
Jordan River. In quotes, Prime Minister
20:07
Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I have a clear
20:10
message to those leaders who are
20:11
recognizing a Palestinian state after
20:13
the horrendous October 7th massacre. You
20:16
are rewarding terror with an enormous
20:18
prize. And I have another message for
20:21
you. It's not going to happen. There
20:23
will be no Palestinian state to the west
20:26
of the Jordan River. For years, I have
20:28
prevented the creation of that terror
20:30
state against tremendous pressure, both
20:33
domestic and from abroad. We have done
20:36
this with determination and with astute
20:38
statesmanship. Moreover, we have doubled
20:41
the Jewish settlement in Judea and
20:43
Samaria, and we will continue on this
20:45
path. The response to the latest attempt
20:48
to force upon us a terrorist state in
20:50
the heart of our land will be given
20:52
after my return from the United States.
20:55
Stand by. In the face of the growing
20:58
horror in the Middle East,
21:01
bringing you the news in a more digital
