Herders Kill 5 Farmers…Convicted Kidnapper Pleads for Second Chance…Government Rehabilitates 5,000 Repentant Terrorists…PEPFAR Funding to Continue in Nigeria.
● Convicted Kidnapper Appeals for Plea Deal, Says He’s Repented
Chukwudumeme Onwamadike, also known as Evans, a notorious kidnapper serving a life sentence, has asked a Lagos court for a plea bargain and clemency, claiming he has reformed while in prison.
Evans, once feared as one of Nigeria’s most ruthless kidnappers, was arrested in 2017 and convicted in 2022 for multiple kidnappings. He is currently serving a life sentence and has been incarcerated for nearly eight years. On Thursday, he was rearraigned and he pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Chief Emefo Etudo, told the court that Evans has changed. “He is now a teacher and no longer a criminal,” he said, according to SaharaReporters. Vanguard reported that he told journalists after the court session “My client is now a changed man. He has been transformed.”
State Prosecutor Y.A. Sule confirmed Evans’ plea bargain request. The judge adjourned the case to March 20, pending a decision by state authorities.
● Nigeria Reintegrates 5,000 Deradicalized Boko Haram Fighters to Society
The National Counter Terrorism Center in Nigeria has announced that at least 5,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been reintegrated into society after completing a six-month deradicalization program.
This was disclosed by Ambassador Mairo Musa Abbas, head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, according to Daily Trust. Mairo stressed that none of the reintegrated ex-combatants had returned to extremist activities.
“Under Operation Safe Corridor, we have deradicalized over 5,000 ex-combatants of Boko Haram and reunited them with their families,” she said.
Abbas said the repentant jihadists are now contributing meaningfully to society. “They are using the skills they have acquired in the six months of deradicalization programme in the camp, to sustain themselves within the communities,” she said.
● U.S. Grants Emergency Waiver to Sustain HIV Treatment in Nigeria
The Nigerian government has appreciated the United States for approving an emergency humanitarian waiver that ensures people living with HIV can continue receiving U.S.-funded treatment in 55 countries, including Nigeria.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, approved the “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver,” allowing the continuation of HIV treatment funded by the U.S. across multiple countries, according to a press statement by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). This follows a temporary halt to all U.S. foreign aid.
This move ensures that over two million Nigerians living with HIV, as reported by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), can maintain their treatment regimens.
A statement from NACA acknowledged the waiver, noting that “the Nigerian government would intensify domestic resource mobilisation strategies towards ownership and sustainability of the HIV response in the country” to reduce reliance on donor aid and achieve the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) remains Nigeria’s largest donor for HIV treatment, covering about 90 percent of the treatment burden.
What’s News Today? January 31, 2025, compiled by Ezinwanne Onwuka for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
