The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: UN

  • Israeli Lawmaker Urges UN to Pursue Nnamdi Kanu’s Release

    Israeli Lawmaker Urges UN to Pursue Nnamdi Kanu’s Release

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    An Israeli lawmaker, Afef Abbed, has called on the United Nations to revisit its 2022 opinion on the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and press for the implementation of its recommendations.

    Abbed, a member of Israel’s Knesset, made the call in a letter dated September 1, 2026, addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

    He urged the UN to review the implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022 concerning Kanu and seek an official update from the Nigerian government on measures taken in response to the Working Group’s findings.

    The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted Opinion No. 25/2022 in 2022 after examining circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in Kenya and his subsequent transfer to Nigeria. The opinion is officially recorded as A/HRC/WGAD/2022/25.

    The Working Group concluded in the opinion that Kanu’s deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and called on the governments of Nigeria and Kenya to take steps to remedy his situation without delay. It recommended his release, compensation and other forms of reparation in accordance with international law.

    Abbed said the UN should continue monitoring the matter and encourage dialogue with the Nigerian government to ensure that proceedings involving Kanu comply with applicable international human rights standards and Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

    He said the subsequent legal developments in Nigeria had not removed the need to consider the concerns raised in the Working Group’s 2022 opinion.

    Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025 on seven terrorism-related counts and sentenced to life imprisonment on several of the counts, alongside additional prison terms on others.

    Abbed said Kanu’s conviction and sentence made it more important for relevant international mechanisms to examine whether the recommendations contained in the UN Working Group’s opinion had been implemented.

    He also referred to legal proceedings concerning Kanu’s detention and transfer to Nigeria, arguing that they had raised questions about his fundamental rights and due process.

    The Israeli lawmaker further expressed appreciation for what he described as the “professional and independent work” of the UN Working Group in examining Kanu’s case.

    Abbed also referenced concerns raised over Kanu’s health and alleged inadequate access to medical care, saying such allegations involving the health and fundamental rights of a detainee should receive attention from relevant international human rights mechanisms.

    His intervention comes amid continued calls from some individuals and groups for a review of Kanu’s case and his release.

  • Ebola Outbreak Spreading Faster Than Containment Efforts in DRC, UN Warns

    Ebola Outbreak Spreading Faster Than Containment Efforts in DRC, UN Warns

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The UN has warned that the global response to Ebola must urgently outpace the virus as deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) approach 3,000.

    UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said the outbreak was expanding faster than containment efforts, in spite of a significant scale-up by humanitarian agencies and Congolese authorities.

    Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, or contaminated materials, making early detection and isolation critical to breaking transmission chains.

    “The response is growing and has been scaled up, but the virus is moving faster,” Fletcher said.

    “And unless we scale up urgently, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow.”

    DRC authorities had reported more than 6,100 confirmed cases and 2,950 deaths by Monday, with over 5,000 infections recorded in Ituri Province alone.

    The figures underline the exceptional speed of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, declared in DRC on May 15.

    The current outbreak is spreading at a substantially faster rate than one of the deadliest Ebola emergencies previously recorded during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.

    Fletcher said containing the epidemic would require sustained political commitment, unrestricted humanitarian access and significantly increased international financing.

    “We have the experience, the tools and extraordinary people risking their lives to stop this epidemic. What we need now is political will, access and resources,,” he said.

    The UN relief chief urged governments to ensure humanitarian workers could reach affected communities, particularly in areas where insecurity and weak infrastructure complicate response efforts.

    He also called on the international community to keep Ebola high on the global agenda to prevent the virus from spreading further.

    A funding shortfall of about 1.1 billion dollars remains, limiting the ability of humanitarian agencies to expand surveillance, treatment, community mobilisation and cross-border preparedness.

    Fletcher said his agency has allocated more than 57 million dollars from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support response and preparedness efforts in DR Congo and neighbouring countries.

    He said closing the funding gap and stopping further spread would ultimately depend on whether governments and international partners match technical capacity with political commitment.

    The UN maintains that the tools to contain Ebola are already available, however, it warns that delayed financing, restricted access and insufficient coordination could allow transmission to outpace response efforts.

    The World Health Organisation recently declared Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak over following rapid detection, contact tracing, isolation, clinical care, infection prevention and strengthened surveillance.

    “We have beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again,” Fletcher said.

    The UN International Organization for Migration has, meanwhile, conducted nearly 23 million health screenings in DRC and neighbouring countries.

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the “screenings were helping authorities monitor population movements, identify possible cases and reduce cross-border transmission risks.”

    NAN

  • Prof Joy Ezeilo to Speak at 2026 NBA Conference

    Prof Joy Ezeilo to Speak at 2026 NBA Conference

    Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, SAN, OON, a renowned human rights lawyer, legal scholar and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, will speak at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from August 21 to 28, 2026.

    The conference, themed “Beyond Limits,” is expected to bring together thousands of lawyers and other stakeholders for discussions on legal practice, justice, governance, professional development and contemporary issues affecting the profession. The NBA has confirmed Port Harcourt as the venue and August 21–28 as the conference dates.

    Ezeilo’s participation is expected to bring a strong human rights and international-law perspective to the conference, drawing from her decades of work in legal scholarship, advocacy, gender justice, trafficking in persons and access to justice.

    A professor of public law at the University of Nigeria, Ezeilo is the founder of the Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL), an organisation established to promote and protect the rights of women and young people. Through WACOL, she has supported vulnerable women and children with legal aid and other interventions.

    She served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, from 2008 to 2014, giving her extensive experience in international human rights advocacy and accountability mechanisms.

    Ezeilo was also appointed in 2023 as a member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, alongside other international experts, to contribute to efforts addressing human rights violations in the conflict-affected country.

    Her record also includes service as a former Dean and Head of the Department of Public Law at the University of Nigeria, former Commissioner for Gender and Social Development in Enugu State, and membership of several national and international bodies. She has received multiple recognitions for her contributions to human rights, legal scholarship and social development, including the Nigerian national honour of Officer of the Order of Niger and the 2019 National Human Rights Award.

    Her appearance at the NBA conference comes as the association prepares for what it describes as a major gathering of the legal profession under the theme “Beyond Limits.” The conference is expected to feature intellectual sessions, policy discussions, professional engagements and networking opportunities for lawyers from Nigeria and beyond.

    With Ezeilo’s extensive experience spanning Nigerian legal institutions, academia, human rights advocacy and the United Nations, her contribution is expected to add an international dimension to discussions at the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference.

  • Nigeria not close to achieving SDGs in 2030

    Nigeria not close to achieving SDGs in 2030

    The United Nations has said Nigeria is not close to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030 due to the various challenges bedevilling the country.

    The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr Matthias Schmale, stated this during the first summit on Africa Social Impact 2022 organised by Sterling One Foundation in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He said, “The challenges are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, education, growing unemployment, inflation and insufficient access to quality health care.”

    He maintained that the situation was the same across many African nations, adding that transformational efforts were required from nations in Africa to meet up with the development agenda.

    “If we position women and girls at the center of economic drive, we will fundamentally drive better and more sustainable outcomes for all, and put Africa back on a footing to achieve the 2030 agenda and its accompanying SDGs,” Schmale said.

    On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Sterling Bank, Mr Abubakar Suleiman, said for Nigeria to meet up with SDG’s plan, more attention must be paid to wealth and job creation.

    He said the government should pay more attention to promoting economic growth by supporting the private sector to create jobs and drive growth to other sectors of the economy.

    (Daily Trust)

  • UN expresses anxiety over preparation for 2023 election

    UN expresses anxiety over preparation for 2023 election

    The United Nations (UN) has expressed anxiety over preparations for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

    The worry of the world body was among the issues discussed at a meeting in Abuja, yesterday, between the delegation of the UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission and 18 political parties under the umbrella of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).

    Leader of the UN delegation and head of Mission, Serge Gakwandi Kubwimana, said the team was in Nigeria to interact with stakeholders and assess the level of preparation for the 2023 general election.

    This, he said, would enable the UN electoral needs mission to identify areas to provide support to Nigeria.

    Kubwimana, who drew attention to the problem of voter apathy noticed in previous elections in Nigeria, said the delegation would confer with members of the National Assembly, security agencies and the political parties on the challenges envisaged.

    He explained that the UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission renders technical assistance by strengthening the capacity of relevant organs for the election. This is even as he said Nigeria was quite experienced in electoral matters and had introduced some reforms in the electoral process.

    Kubwimana said t the UN would always assist African countries in strengthening electoral processes in order to deepen democracy.

    “We are here as a mission in response to a request for electoral assistance by INEC chairperson and even going to governmental organisations elections being a high stake process and a matter of national sovereignty.”

    He said the team targets meeting with other key stakeholders,especially within the government, its institutions, civil society organisations and alike “to assess the overall context in which the elections will take place.

    “Again, these not are specific to Nigeria, the UN is moving close to 60 countries currently and then in doing so, so assessed the needs and the areas where the UN could best provide some type of support.”

    In its response, IPAC advocated the scrapping of state electoral commission.

    Its National Chairman, Yabaji Sani also demanded the autonomy of the 774 local governments.

    Represented by the National Secretary, Yusuf Dantalle, he said: “Primarily we are concerned with the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission. So, we need you to send our message to the appropriate authority using their office to influence the lawmaking body in Nigeria to ensure we have an enabling environment for full participation of Nigerians in the electoral process. IPAC supports local government autonomy as the third tier of government closest to the people.”

    IPAC assured that the body would address the problem of voter apathy by carrying out massive sensitisation, advocacy, enlightenment and mobilisation of the electorate at grassroots level across the country.

    He called on the UN Mission to assist Nigeria in capacity building of political party leaders to equip them for transformational leadership and enhance parties’ internal recruitment process which will produce credible leaders with the people’s mandate to govern.

    IPAC said it would counter the apathy by embarking on massive sensitisation, advocacy, enlightenment and mobilisation of the electorate at grassroots level across the country.

    (Sun)

  • Kanu: UN issues “Urgent Appeals” to Nigerian and Kenyan governments demanding stoppage of torture and violation of Nnamdi Kanu’s rights.

     

    The trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has received the attention of the international community following the issuance of “Urgent Appeals” by the United Nations to both the Nigerian and Kenyan governments, demanding immediate stoppage of any torture or violation of his rights.

     

    The decision of the UN followed a petition by Kanu’s brother, Kanunta Kanu and his special counsel, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor.

     

    In addition, the UN warned that it would take serious actions against the two countries should the allegations of torture and violation of fundamental human rights against Nnamdi Kanu are confirmed.

     

    According to a statement by Kanunta, “Urgent Appeals” have already been transmitted to both countries since August 26, and acknowledgment received from the Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on September 17.

     

    The statement made by Aloy Ejimakor read in part: “In particular, the said Urgent Appeals state in part that the United Nations is “alarmed by the alleged torture and ill-treatment Mr. Kanu has been subjected to during his illegal custody in Kenya.

     

    “If confirmed, these allegations would constitute prima facie violations of fundamental human rights, including the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty, and the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights (ICCPR).

    The allegations in the case of Mr. Kanu raise serious violations of international human rights law and may cause irreparable damage to his life or personal integrity, which we believe warrants prompt attention.

     

    In this regard, we are considering to publicly express our concerns in this case in the near future, believing that the wider public should be informed about the implications of these allegations for the enjoyment and exercise of human rights in Kenya and Nigeria. Any public expression of concern in this regard, will indicate that we have been in contact with your Excellency’s Government to clarify the issue/s in question.

     

    “While awaiting a reply, we urge that all necessary interim measures be taken to prevent any irreparable damage to the life or personal integrity of Mr. Kanu, halt the alleged violations and prevent their re-occurrence and in the event that the investigations support or suggest the allegations to be correct, to ensure the accountability of any person responsible of the alleged violations”.

     

    Following the extraordinary rendition of my older brother, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I undertook a number of urgent steps within the realm of the international community, particularly in Britain and the United Nations.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com