3 deposed monarchs to appear in court over alleged banditry activities

The government of Zamfara State has finally decided to bring charges against three traditional leaders suspected of sponsoring banditry in the state.

The three monarchs were arraigned at the chief magistrate court in Gusau on a five-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, and illegal possession of properties as a result of the alliance with bandits.

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The State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, said the monarchs were arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court 1 where the presiding Judge, Saadu Garba heard charges against them on various offences.

However, Counsels to two of the Emirs objected to the jurisdiction of the chief magistrate court to entertain the case citing law number 7 of 2019 in Zamfara State.

They claimed all persons who proclaim Islamic faith cannot be tried at the magistrate court except in a Sharia court, hence the transfer of the matter to the Upper Sharia Court 1.

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The presiding Judge of the Upper Sharia Court 1, Samaru, Gusau, Justice Hadi Sani after listening to the application for bail by defending Counsels, granted the three monarchs bails on health grounds, age, and also considering they had been in detention for about 10 to 11 months.

He asked the monarchs to produce as their bail conditions, three sureties, who must be prominent businessmen, renowned Islamic scholars and senior civil servants worth N100 million

He warned that they must remain in the state and seek the permission of the Court whenever they need to visit the hospital for medical attention.

The State Prosecutor, Aliyu Alkali had objected to the bail application on the ground that the two traditional rulers have been arraigned in court over allegations of their involvement in banditry activities.

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The lead counsel to the deposed traditional rulers, Bello Usman, expressed satisfaction with the decision of the court to give the dethroned monarchs bail given the fact that they have been in detention for about eleven months despite their health and age.

Ukrainians take postions to stop Russian advance on Kyiv

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues even after two months, the citizens of Ukraine have taken it upon themselves to stem Vladimir Putin’s army in any way possible, sometimes taking extreme measures.

While Ukrainian citizens were first seen taking up arms and even standing up on Russian tanks to stop their advance, they later took the extreme decision of intentionally flooding villages leading to the capital, Kyiv, for a “tactical victory”.

According to a The New York Times report, the move by the residents of Demydiv, a village to the north of Kyiv, thwarted a Russian tank assault and bought the Ukrainian army precious time to prepare its defences.

The villagers seemingly channelled water from the Dnipro river to the east and flooded the area, causing significant damage to the settlement. However, they proudly said that the strategic benefits of the move by far outweighed their hardships.

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“Everybody understands and nobody regrets it for a moment,” Antonina Kostuchenko, a retiree whose living room is now filled with water, was quoted as saying. “We saved Kyiv,” another resident piped in.

The flooding of the village has been very effective as it created a big and shallow lake in front of the Russian armoured columns.

The flooding was crucial for Ukraine’s fight against Russia in March, as its army pushed back Russian attempts to surround Kyiv and eventually drove the Russians into retreat. The shallow lake created an effective barrier for tanks and made ambushes easier in the outlying towns of Hostomel, Bucha, and Irpin.

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Demydiv is not the only place that took self-destructive measures to stop the Russian assault. Ukraine has previously destroyed infrastructure, such as bridges, to stop Russian forces’ advance.