News
Israel kills Hamas Chief Sinwar in Gaza
Israel announced on Thursday the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attack, calling his death a “heavy blow” to the Palestinian group it has been fighting for more than a year.
The Israeli military said that “after a year-long pursuit”, troops “eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organisation, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip” on Wednesday.
Hamas has not confirmed his death.
While the war was “not over yet”, Netanyahu said Sinwar’s death was an “important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Sinwar was a “mass murderer… responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7”, while President Isaac Herzog hailed the killing of the militant leader behind “heinous acts of terrorism”.
Israel accuses Sinwar of masterminding the deadliest attack in Israeli history, and had been hunting him down since the start of the Gaza war.
He rose through the ranks of the Palestinian militant group to become first its leader in Gaza, then its overall head after the killing in July of political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Israel’s announcement on Sinwar comes weeks after it assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive strike in Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been at war since late September.
A slew of other Iran-backed militant commanders have also been killed in recent months.
With Hamas massively weakened more than a year into the Gaza war, Sinwar’s death could deal a seismic blow to the organisation.
US President Joe Biden, whose government is Israel’s top arms provider, said: “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.”
“There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Calls for hostage release
Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi said that “we are settling the score with Sinwar, who is responsible for that very difficult day a year ago”, vowing to keep fighting “until we capture all the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and bring all the hostages home”.
Israel’s Katz said Sinwar’s death could “lead to a new reality in Gaza, one that is without Hamas”.
People dance and wave Israeli national flags as they celebrate the news of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in the Israeli costal city of Netanya, on October 17, 2024. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
The Israeli military earlier said it was checking whether Sinwar was one of three militants killed in an operation in Gaza, with an Israeli security official telling AFP that a DNA test was conducted.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,438 people, the majority civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which the UN considers reliable.
Following the attack, Netanyahu vowed to crush Hamas and bring home all 251 hostages seized by militants in their cross-border onslaught. Ninety-seven remain in Gaza, including 34 Israeli officials say are dead.
Israeli military historian Guy Aviad, a Hamas expert, said Sinwar’s killing was “a significant event… but it’s not the end of the war” in either Gaza or Lebanon.
The “Hamas movement still rules the Gaza Strip” and its militants may still harm Israeli hostages who are in “grave danger”, Aviad told AFP.
Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government and international mediators to leverage “this major achievement to secure hostages’ return”.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock separately called on Hamas to release all hostages.
Netanyahu, in a video statement, also said Palestinian militants should free the hostages if they want to live.
“Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages — we will allow him to go on living,” he said.
AFP
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday quizzed the immediate-past Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, for her alleged roles in the misappropriation, violation of procurement process and diversion of public funds of ₦138.4m in the course of disbursing the 2023 budgeted funds for the Ministry.
According to authoritative sources, the ex-minister arrived at the Commission’s headquarters around 11am on Thursday and faced interrogators on her alleged involvement in the fraud.
The sources claimed that investigations by the EFCC showed that funds donated for the funding of P- Bat Cares for Women Initiative were diverted for her self-enrichment.
She reportedly has not been admitted to administrative bail, as the sources added that investigations are still ongoing.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was one of the ministers President Bola Tinubu relieved of their duties in October 2024.
She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs by Tinubu on August 21, 2023.
A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of an Independent Authority for the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to establish a dispute tribunal and regulate the funding of political parties as well as utilisation of the funds.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and another lawmaker, Marcus Onobun, further seeks to ensure transparency and a stable democracy.
At the moment, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria. The roles to be performed by the new independent authority are currently the responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The independence and neutrality of INEC have been questioned by many including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, who decried the influence of political interference on the appointments of electoral commissioners.
“The electoral commission must be fully independent and we must have credible people. Political leaders who are so domineering and over-pressuring you (INEC staffers) to do what is wrong should resign and leave,” Jonathan said at a Yiaga event recently.
Similarly, Jega said, “There is political interference in the appointment or removal of electoral commissioners and other election officials.”
Bishop Isaac Idahosa, the 2023 Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), also lamented that nobody puts INEC in check.
Meanwhile, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has been pushing for the creation of an electoral offence tribunal.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed.
“No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases. Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
“It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that has a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases,” he said.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to remain committed to fostering a strong working relationship between the National Assembly and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement released on Monday, NANS President-elect Comrade Oladoja Olushola emphasized the importance of synergy between the two arms of government in delivering democratic dividends to Nigerians.
“Leadership is often tested by storms, but true leaders rise above turbulence to achieve remarkable progress,” Olushola said.
The student body expressed concerns over the current political climate in the Senate, warning that it could undermine good governance and disrupt effective collaboration between the legislature and other arms of government.
“As Nigerian students, we will not stand idly by while the integrity of our political institutions is eroded,” Olushola stated.
“We call for calm, restraint, and a renewed commitment to peace-building for national progress and the well-being of all Nigerians.”
While reaffirming its confidence in the leadership of the 10th Senate under Akpabio, NANS stressed the need to uphold accountability and maintain the integrity of the legislative process.
Addressing the ongoing controversy in the Senate, the student body urged all lawmakers to adhere strictly to legislative rules and avoid actions that could destabilize governance.
“It is crucial that we maintain a high standard of accountability to uphold public trust and confidence in our government,” Olushola said.
Given the ongoing legal proceedings concerning the matter, NANS advised all parties involved to exercise caution and refrain from making statements that could inflame tensions.
The association further recommended that disciplinary action be taken against any senator found guilty of misconduct after a court verdict, warning that continued unrest could escalate political tensions and deepen national divisions.
“If these tensions persist, they risk further heating up the political landscape, triggering unintended negative consequences for both the Senate and the country,” Olushola said .