Daily Watch – Violence grips Adamawa & Taraba, NPP to hold primary in November
4th April 2023
Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists, on Monday, attacked Dabna community in the Hong Council of Adamawa State, killing three persons, and razing houses and shops while carting away food items. The Guardian cited an eyewitness who said the attackers, who came on two motorcycles in the wee hours of the day, shot sporadically on arriving at the settlement. Local vigilantes reportedly shot one of the gunmen, who was whisked away by his colleagues. State police commissioner Afolabi Babatola condemned the raid while confirming three deaths. On the same day, at least 10 persons were murdered at Kwesati village in Ussa Council in neighbouring Taraba by suspected herdsmen. Confirming the development, the council caretaker committee chairman, Abershi Musa, said attackers invaded the community in the early hours of the morning. The attack came barely two days after scores were killed in Garin Baka village of Ardo-Kola Council.
Nigeria’s revenue from crude oil export increased by ₦337 billion in March, hitting ₦1.8 trillion, according to data from The Punch. The country met its crude production target of 1.6 million barrels per day in March, up from 1.3 million in February. Output for January was 1.25 million barrels per day. In a related development, the country’s external reserves fell by $1.46 billion between January and March, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) data shows. External reserves fell from $36.99 billion as of 1 January to $35.53 billion as of 30 March.
Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has settled on 4 November 2023 to hold a presidential primary to elect a flagbearer for the 2024 general elections, according to news site Graphic Online which cited unnamed sources within the party. Before then the party will hold a special conference on 26 August if the aspirant pool is large to whittle the number down to a maximum of five. The news site said these were the outcomes after the party’s National Council meeting in Accra on Monday 3 April. The council, which is the second highest decision-making body of the party after the party conference, had met on two previous occasions without reaching a consensus on the matter. Upon broader consultations, it finally came out with the dates for the two primaries. The sources said nominations for the presidential primary would open on 26 May and close on 24 June. For the parliamentary primaries, nominations would open on 20 December 2023 and close on 4 January 2024. The parliamentary primaries would be held on 24 February.
East African regional forces have announced that they are now in control of Bunagana, a strategic town in eastern DRC previously held by M23 rebels for more than nine months. The spokesman for the Ugandan contingent of the regional force, Captain Kato Ahmad Hassan, confirmed that the M23 rebels had been cooperative during the transition process. The rebels’ departure from Bunagana has been a key demand during several rounds of mediation efforts on the crisis in eastern Congo, where more than 120 armed groups have been fighting for land, power and resources and some to protect their communities. Ugandan troops, which are part of the East African Community Regional Force in eastern Congo, will now try to bring about M23’s sequenced withdrawal from other areas under rebel control including Kiwanja and Mabenga.