Daily Watch – 3 die in Oyo pre-election clash, Food shortages to hit 24m Nigerians

At least three people lost their lives when All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters clashed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The incident occurred at the Ile-Tuntun area of Ibadan South East Local Government Area, according to media reports. In addition to the deaths, 13 people were seriously injured and vehicles were damaged in the clash which occurred on Thursday evening. The Vanguard reported that one of the deceased was Sulimon Ariyibi, a PDP councillor who was attacked and killed in his home in the area. The lawmaker representing Ibadan South East/North East Federal Constituency, Abass Adigun told journalists the incident happened while he was on the campaign trail in the area and he was the main target. The Punch reported that the incident occurred when APC members holding a meeting were provoked by passing PDP supporters and started throwing objects at them. The state police spokesman Adewale Osifeso confirmed the incident.

Over 24 million Nigerians in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including 18,000 internally displaced persons (IDP), will face acute food shortages between June and August this year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Cadre Harmonise (CH) report. The report identified the naira re-design as one of the drivers of the food crisis which is expected to get worse in the coming months. Insecurity, a prolonged energy crisis and elevated fuel prices have driven up transport fares and food costs, further impairing food security. The CH is a tool adopted by partners in the food security sector and developed on request by the government as an early warning tool to prevent and manage food and nutrition crises.

Ghana’s outstanding loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stood relatively unchanged at 1.278 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR 1.278 billion) at the end of January 2023, equivalent to $1.708 billion. According to the Fund’s Quarterly Finances, the country is still the African country with the largest outstanding debt to the Bretton Woods institution. Ghana’s loan exposure to the Bretton Woods institution is classified as concessional lending. The country has so far repaid SDR 53 million, equivalent to $75.7 million to the IMF. According to the released data, the institution has not disbursed any funds to Ghana yet.

Police fired tear gas at stone-hurling protesters in Dakar on Thursday ahead of a court case involving a prominent opposition politician that has provoked young people. Demonstrators burned tyres and set fire to buses and a large supermarket in the latest violent outbreak that has shaken Senegal’s reputation as a bastion of stable democracy ahead of next year’s presidential election. Thursday’s clashes began when presidential hopeful Ousmane Sonko’s supporters were blocked from accompanying his motorcade to a courthouse where he faced trial for libel. The trial was postponed until 30 March after Sonko’s lawyers said he was seeking medical treatment for inhaling a substance that impaired his breathing and eyesight. Much of the anger on the streets targeted President Macky Sall, whose failure to rule out running for a third term has incensed many.