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Musings From Abroad

Ex-Nigerian parliament leader, Ekweremadu, wife, in London court over organ harvesting

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The predicament of Nigeria’s former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife and their troubled daughter, came to the fore again on Tuesday as the family appeared in a London court on Tuesday over a trial for organ harvesting.

Mr. Ekweremadu, and his wife appeared at the Old Bailey court wearing a grey tracksuit top, but the accused daughter was unable to attend as she is in hospital with claims that she is currently in a hospital with an unspecified condition.

Her defence team has also submitted a psychological report, claiming she is not fit to stand trial.

The Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom in June arrested Ekweremadu and a lady believed to be his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu.

The couple and a doctor, Obinna Obeta, a 50-year-old doctor from south London, are accused of bringing a 21-year-old man from Nigeria to have his kidney removed. Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly planned to have a kidney removed from the man so that it could be given to Sonia.

Meanwhile, supporters and protesters both gathered around the London court ahead of Tuesday’s hearing. One of them, Citizen Gbola, said “I mean, this case is unbelievable.

Where else in the world would you have a deputy senate president — who is still a serving senator, he’s still getting his regular wage?”

He was first elected into the Nigerian Senate in 2003. On 23 February 2019, Ekweremadu was re-elected as senator representing the Enugu West senatorial district For the Fifth Consecutive time.

He held different leadership positions in the Senate, first as Vice Chairman of the senate committee on Information, and as Deputy Senate President in the sixth, seventh, and eighth Assembly.

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Musings From Abroad

Swiss company Mercuria partners Zambia’s IDC in new metals trading firm

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According to a statement released by Swiss commodities trader, Mercuria, on Thursday, it has established a metals trading arm with Zambia, the second-largest producer of copper in Africa.

The trading unit is jointly owned by Mercuria and an arm of Zambia’s Industrial Development Company (IDC), and its purpose is to allow Zambia to engage directly in the minerals trading market.

The joint venture “envisages the establishment of a vehicle to market and trade Zambian copper by mutual leverage,” according to a statement from Cornwell Muleya, the CEO of IDC.

The southern African nation wants to increase copper output to roughly 3 million metric tonnes within the next ten years, and in 2023, it produced roughly 698,000 tonnes of copper, down from 763,000 metric tonnes the year before.

In June, the Zambian government announced that it would establish a minerals trading unit.

Investors including First Quantum Minerals and Barrick Gold are ramping up production, with output set to receive a further boost once Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines restart activity.

“Our joint venture with IDC marks a significant milestone for Zambia as it positions itself more strategically in the global minerals market,” Kostas Bintas, Mercuria’s global head of metals and minerals, said in the statement.

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Musings From Abroad

Blinken to reveal UN Sudan funding additions

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Additional financing for humanitarian aid to Sudan and initiatives to strengthen civil society in the nation, where a conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, will be announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the United Nations on Thursday.

Blinken will make many announcements when he leads a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan on Thursday, which will centre on humanitarian aid and civilian protection, Deputy U.S. Representative to the UN Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday.

According to Price, the announcements would include more money for humanitarian help, initiatives to strengthen civil society, and the return of democracy.

“Sudan, unfortunately, has risked becoming a forgotten conflict,” Price said.

“So part of the reason the secretary … opted to convene a signature event on this very topic is to make sure it remains in the spotlight,” Price said.

For almost 18 months, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s army have been engaged in combat, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis that has forced over 12 million people from their homes and made it difficult for U.N. organisations to provide aid.

A power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces preceded a planned shift to civilian administration, which sparked the conflict in April 2023.

Although the army declined to join this year’s U.S.-mediated peace negotiations in Geneva, the warring parties did pledge to increase assistance access, which prevented any movement towards a ceasefire.

Price stated that before President Joe Biden’s term ends next month, the United States would keep collaborating with allies to enhance humanitarian access in Sudan and eventually end hostilities.

“We are going to leave nothing on the field in our efforts to work with allies, with partners, with the Sudanese stakeholders themselves, on the issues that matter most – humanitarian access, the provision of humanitarian assistance, ultimately, the process by which we can work to get to a cessation of hostilities, which is most urgently needed,” he said.

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